HALIFAX, NS – At a gala event held last night at Garrison Brewery in Halifax, the winner of this year’s edition of the annual Ultimate Brew-Off Homebrew Challenge was announced, and the first commercially brewed batch of last year’s winner was served for the first time.
The winner of this year’s competition – which challenged homebrewers to create a Rye IPA – was Kellye Robertson, the first female brewer to win the award. Her recipe was chosen by judges Patrice Godin (owner of nanobrewery Acadie-Broue), Steve Haynes (co-owner of Noble Grape Urban Winery) and Jeff Pinhey (national beer judge and sommelier instructor) as being the best in a range of 62 entries from all three Maritime provinces.
As is the custom at this annual event, the gala also featured the unveiling of a batch of last year’s winning beer made on Garrison’s brewing system. 2011’s winning team of Adam Comeau and Eric Oliver worked with Garrison brewmaster Daniel Girard to scale up their recipe for Adam und Eric’s Neuschottland Schwarz Black Lager, and the result is available now in bottles at the Garrison retail store and select private liquor stores in Nova Scotia.