After three days of fun, educational sessions and—of course—tasting, Homebrew Con 2017, also known as the 39th annual National Homebrewers Conference, concluded today at the Minneapolis Convention Center, with over 2,500 attendees in total. Hosted by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), the conference—which is dedicated to enhancing homebrewing culture and camaraderie—culminates each year with the AHA National Homebrew Competition, the world’s largest beer competition.

Recognizing the most outstanding homemade beer, mead and cider from homebrewers worldwide, this year’s competition saw 8,618 entries from 3,530 homebrewers located in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 13 other countries. The final round of competition took place at Homebrew Con, where 1,134 entries were evaluated by some of the top beer judges in the country. Over its 39-year history, the National Homebrew Competition has evaluated 134,835 brews. The first competition, held in 1979 in Boulder, Colo., judged 34 beers.

This year’s winners include Zach Kosslow of Wilmington, N.C., who earned the Homebrewer of the Year Award; Michael Wilcox and Amy Satterlund of Wichita, Kan., who won the Cidermaker of the Year Award; and Scot Schaar of Davenport, Iowa, who received the Meadmaker of the Year Award. QUAFF (Quality Ales and Fermentation Fraternity), based in San Diego, won the NHC Homebrew Club award, and Cane Island Alers (CIA), based in Katy, Tex., won the Gambrinus Club Award, while Jeff Poirot and Nicholas McCoy of Fort Worth, Tex. won the Ninkasi Award, for accumulating the most wins in the competition.

A complete list of 2017 National Homebrew Competition winners can be found here, and high-res photos taken at Homebrew Con 2017—including photos from the competition awards ceremony—can be found here.

“Minneapolis was a fantastic host for Homebrew Con, which, each year, keeps gathering an increasingly impressive and innovative group of homebrewers,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “Being around so many fun, passionate and community-driven fellow beer lovers is humbling as well as inspiring—and those who placed in the National Homebrew Competition should be extremely proud.”

The conference also offered attendees the opportunity to hone their skills by learning from expert speakers and attending a number of educational sessions.

Read more at source We Are Brew Studs