Winners announced for Aroma of Tacoma home brewing competition

By Ron Swarner on July 28, 2014

The first-annual Aroma of Tacoma home brewing competition is in the books. Saturday, July 26, before the big Harmon Brewing Co. Progressive Party at Harmon Tap Room and The Hub, around 30 home brewers filled the tables in the Tap Room's Harmon Garden as Casey Williams and Trevor Nichol handed out medals and plaques to the best home brewers in the, well, the world as winners were announced as far away as Europe.

Harmon Brewing Co. and Mash teamed up to sponsor Aroma of Tacoma, but Williams and Nichol ran the show, inviting home brewers to brew beers in 23 beer styles using handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers. Saturday, July 19, judges gathered at the Harmon Hub in Tacoma's Stadium District and sampled the "brew"-testant's beers. It was a BJCP sanctioned home brewing competition with Pro-Am selections.

Saturday morning, the regional home brewers gathered in the Garden to drink beer before 11 a.m. and laugh their asses off as Tacoma home brewers Williams and Nichol announced the winners. The names given to the home brews were freakin' hilarious. Here is the list of winners:

2014 Aroma of Tacoma HomeBrew Championship Winners

Pro/Am Selections

(Brewer's Name - Entry Name - Commercial Brewery - Style)

#1 - Randall Breedlove - The Geek - Tacoma Brewing Co. - IPA

#2 - Tim Frommer - C. D. Saison - Engine House No. 9 - Saison

#3 - Tony Ochsner - Waimea Blood Orange Pale Ale - The RAM - American Pale Ale

#4 - Jay Walker and Shawn Anderson - Hop Denim - Harmon Brewing Co. - Double IPA

#5 - Dioni De Morena - Die Wasp - Wingman Brewers - Kolsch

Light Lagers/Hybrids

(Place - Brewer's Name - Entry Name - Style - Club)

1st - Dioni De Morena - Die Wasp - Kolsch - Cascade Brewers Guild

2nd - Garth Donald - Forgotten Brew - Blonde Ale - Regicidre Brewing

3rd - Ernie Smith - DABble - Dortmunder Export - IBU (Intellectual Brewers Union)

Maillard Duck

(Place - Brewer's Name - Entry Name - Style - Club)

1st - Tony Ochsner - Black Dog - Schwarzbier - Chop & Brew

2nd - Chris Tracy - Marzen - Oktoberfest/Marzen

Ales of the British Isles

1st - Tony Ochsner - Talli The Timid - Mild - Chop & Brew

2nd - Jeffrey French - Frenchy's Bitter - Standard/Ordinary Bitter

3rd - Dioni De Morena - Highlands Calf - Scottish Light 60 - Cascade Brewers Guild

Freedom Ales

1st - Mark Aichele - 5280 Pale Ale - American Pale Ale

2nd - Andrew Czarniak - Red Right Returning - American Amber Ale - Bay Area Mashers

3rd - Mathew Wisner - Breakfast For Dinner - American Brown Ale

The Darkness

1st - Ken Buckley - Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean Stout - Foreign Extra Stout - Impaling Alers

2nd - Andrew Czarniak - Post Captain - Brown Porter - Bay Area Mashers

3rd - Brian Heckard - Vladimir Putin American Stout - American Stout

Wolf of the Willows

1st - Jay Walker - Hop Denim - Imperial IPA     

2nd - Patrick Dutmers - Super Sim IPA - American IPA     

3rd - Daniel Christensen - End Of The Line IPA - American IPA - IBU (Intellectual Brewers Union)

Battle of the Bulge

1st - Charles Macaluso - Big Dipper - Belgian Specialty Ale     

2nd - Tim Frommer - C.D. Saison - Saison    Cascade Brewers Guild

3rd - Chris Tracy - Stable Boy Summer Session Saison - Saison     

Honorable Mention - Steve Taylor - Bigfoot Belgian Pale Ale - Belgian Pale Ale

Belgian Strong/Strong Ales

1st - Kevin Blaylock - Bromance Barleywine - English Barleywine    Headlock Brewing

2nd - Dioni De Morena - Red Bulldog - American Barleywine - Cascade Brewers Guild

3rd - Brian Heckard - Garbo Golden Ale - Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Fruit/Veg/Wood

1st - Ernie Smith - G Ma's Porch - Fruit Beer - IBU (Intellectual Brewers Union)

2nd - Charles Macaluso - Barking Dog Of The Hair - Wood-Aged Beer     

3rd - Darren Gordon - Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Russian Imperial Stout     Wood-Aged Beer     

Honorable Mention - Nicholas Marianetti - Ginger Kumquat Saison - Fruit Beer

The Kitchen Sink

1st - Gregory Marlor - Vitis Vinifera - Specialty Beer - CHUG

2nd - James Frazer - Spruce Springsteen - Specialty Beer - Hill City Homebrewers

3rd - Daniel Christensen - Symphony - Specialty Beer - IBU