Last Saturday (April 24th), the Lincoln Lagers homebrew club hosted the 2010 Nebraska Shootout homebrew competition. The event was started in 2002 as a friendly competition between the Omahops and Lincoln Lagers homebrew clubs, and was an annual event until 2006. This year it was resurrected as a competition between all of the AHA registered homebrew clubs in the state of Nebraska.

The event was held at the Bricktop Tap House in downtown Lincoln, where brewers attended from as far as Broken Bow, Kearney, and Omaha. Each brew club was allowed to enter two beers in each of the predetermined beer style categories. Styles included Schwartzbier, Strong Scotch Ale, Hefeweizen, Smoked Beer, and a special category called ‘Best Damn Beer’, which meant just that.

Prior to the event, homebrew clubs hosted their own private judging rounds to select which members beers would represent their club. At the Shootout, clubs earned 2 points for 1st place beers, and 1 point for 2nd place. The Lincoln Lagers came away victorious with 9 total points, which included the coveted Nebraska Shootout Cup.

There were 36 beers entered by 6 homebrew clubs, all of which were judged by certified BJCP Judges. The Best of show winner was Dave Oenbring of the Lincoln Lagers, he will be holding onto the cup for the next year. Congrats to Dave and his phenomenal Strong Scotch Ale.

The ‘Best Damn Beer’ winner, Elliot Spilker of the Omahahops, was awarded the rusty capper trophy that has been passed around for this “BDB” winner since the invention of the competition.

A great victory to note was that of Dan Hodges from the Motley Brew Crew in Broken Bow, Dan and his lovely wife made the 3 hour trip as the lone entrant for his brew club. Dan took home 1st place in the Smoked beer category with his delicious Smoked Altbier. A big congrats to Dan and the Motley Brew Crew.

A potluck was also part of the party, where brewers got to share their favorite dishes while having a great time getting to know each other. The day was spent eating great food, exchanging brewing techniques, and sampling each others prized homebrew. The Nebraska clubs in attendance include Motley Brew Crew (Broken Bow), South Omaha Brewers, Railroaders Brew Club(Omaha), Kearney Area Brewers, Omahops, and the Lincoln Lagers.

Now for the winners

BJCP Category 4C, Schwartzbier
1st Place – Alan Torell (Omahops)
2nd Place – Jason McLaughlin (Lincoln Lagers)

BJCP Category 9E, Strong Scotch Ale
1st Place – Dave Oenbring (Lincoln Lagers)
2nd Place – Dave Oenbring (Lincoln Lagers)

BJCP Category 15A, Hefeweizen
1st Place – Jason McLaughlin (Lincoln Lagers)
2nd Place – Tom Hamilton (Kearney Area Brewers)

BJCP Category 23B, Other Smoked Beers
1st Place – Dan Hodges (Motley Brew Crew)
2nd Place – Tom Hamilton (Kearney Area Brewers)

Best Damn Beer
1st Place – Elliot Spilker, Baltic Porter (Omahops)
2nd Place – Scott Schneider, Black Ale (Lincoln Lagers)

Best of Show
1st Place – Dave Oenbring, Strong Scotch Ale (Lincoln Lagers)
2nd Place – Jason McLaughlin, Hefeweizen (Lincoln Lagers)

A special thanks to goes out to all the Nebraska homebrew clubs, judges, stewards, and the Bricktop Tap House for making this event a success.

Joining a homebrew club is truly the best way to master your craft, and meet great people that share a passion for our greatest gift, Beer.

Check out the club nearest you:

South Omaha Brewers http://www.southomahabrewers.org/
Omahops http://www.omahops.org/
Railroaders Brew Club (Omaha) http://www.railroadersbrewclub.com/
Kearney Area Brewers http://www.kearneyareabrewers.com/
Motley Brew Crew (Broken Bow) email: lisanatebell [at] gmail.com
Lincoln Lagers http://www.lincolnlagers.com/

Cheers,

Jason McLaughlin
Event Coordinator
Lincoln Lagers