Hey all,
With all the discussion & controversy around Homebrewcon, I was wondering for those of you who’ve attended HBC before, what was the driving value proposition? Education? Networking? Meeting homebrew ‘celebs’? Something else entirely?
The answer is yes. All of the above.
This
Everything in the OP, and we would make a beercation around HBC
Same. My wife does not attend, but we go several days earlier or later for a mini vacation together.
If you like brewing and people, you’ll like Homebrewcon. I find that it’s worth it for a nice immersion into all things brewing.
I’m hoping that AHA will get back to moving the gathering around the country again. I’d never consider that combining it with GABF will be conducive to the benefits mentioned above. I’ll be skipping this year’s version. I’ll look forward to meeting in hotels like we used to.
To me it was always about:
- Travelling to new areas and seeing what’s to be seen. Good excuse to go places I might not otherwise go
- Getting 3 days when I can unabashedly nerd out about brewing without dealing with glazed over eyes
- Sharing a beer with people I see again and again
I only got into brewing in 2019. I was really hoping to go to the one in Nashville because I could have driven to it. But COVID killed that one.
This GABF model only makes sense to me if one were already planning to attend GABF. I have a hard time imagining many folks will sign up for GABF to go to Homebrew HQ.
I enjoyed going to new places which is one of the reasons I hadn’t been in awhile. I was planning to go to Nashville, but of course that go cancelled. The education was at times nice and seeing old friends was always a bonus. I’m super frugal so HBC was always kinda pricey IMHO. You had the registration fees which typically weren’t crazy, flights, hotels, transportation, meals, etc. It all added up to be an expensive conference.
I’d like to see it come back, but if it goes back to San Diego, I’m likely not going to be there. As I said, I enjoy going to NEW places.
I am a lifetime member of the AHA. I have been to several HBCons and have enjoyed every one. I think HBCon has been a different draw for different folks. I for one never attended Club Night, and others wouldn’t miss it. I enjoyed (almost) every educational session I attended. Even after 31 years and over 500 batches of beer I continue to learn about the hobby, and the educational sessions (especially the ones with liquid examples :-)) were helpful. I traveled to places I might not have traveled to otherwise. I enjoyed talking to the icons of brewing, including Denny and Drew, all of whom are very approachable and fun to be around. The vendors were generous with their knowledge and their goodies. I purchased stuff as a result of seeing, touching and understanding the products they had to offer.
Maybe we need to ask the question What Would Charlie Do? Or maybe we need think more like capitalists and figure out how to monetize the event more creatively to make it financially viable for the AHA. (By the way AHA, how big a financial drain has the event been, huh?) The AHA has never held an even in the South/Southeast where the beer scene remains vibrant (at least here in Houston) and events can be cheaper to stage. How could the event be reimagined to attract more folks to the hobby?
I am very disappointed that these events in any form have been discontinued.
Wade Wallinger
Kingwood TX
One of the big reasons that HBC hasn’t been in some of those places is that their alcohol laws aren’t conducive to having it there.
But the vibe I get from the AHA is that they declared victory in 2013 when the last two states made it not illegal to homebrew. There’s still a lot of asininity in the laws at the state level: the simple act of homebrewing may be legal, but all the infrastructure around it is goofy.
i don’t have anyone in my immediate neighbourhood and have very limited freetime to just hangout, but im actually enjoying my homebrew club that has significant membership because i can vinally vocalize/externalize what is a very private and still somewhat obscure interest/hobby. i have the urge to get into the most extreme minutiae about my brewing ideas, then it all kind of gets out and it feels like a relief. then im just there, with a beer in my hand and able to relax and talk about whatever else.
i actually find homebrewing somewhat solitary and even isolating considering how every person in my life has stigmatized, had zero interest or had full dislike of it. i kind of have a somewhat uncertain feeling about brewdays because of this unless it is the extremely rare chance that i am somehow completely alone for once on it.
if i was in the states, i would likely attend HBC or GABF type things at least once every few years.
There’s a difference between being allowed to homebrew and being allowed to serve it at a public event. Add in commercial berr serving and it becomes complicated.
I live in the most draconian state in the union when it comes to alcohol laws. Yet, we served beer for a fund raiser in a public space between two commercial breweries while they were serving in their brewpubs. First time I ever saw the two most popular HomeBrew clubs in the area at the same event. There were plenty of independent home brewers serving as well. I’ve been hearing that same BS line about “not being able to serve HomeBrew in the South so you can’t have HBC there” for a decade. It’s just a myth. We have an annual brew fest at the convention center right downtown. It can be done.
No, it’s not a myth. Obviously a different situation.
You’re right, it’s not a myth. It’s experience.
I’ve seen and participated in serving homebrew to ticketed participants right here in huntspatch. I’ve been to brewfests and I have served beer intermingled with commercial sales. I’ve walked down the sidewalk with a beer in my hand in the arts and entertainment district.
Hell, we even have electricity now. (Don’t tell the rocket scientists)
So in NC we can have homebrew at an event not opened to the public. A beer festival would be considered opened to the public and subject to NCABC rules. A member’s only festival can serve and servers can consume since it is member’s only. So one homebrew festival which happens close to my house is member’s only. Most of the member’s are not homebrewers.
What’s interesting about all this is an event like HBC, which is member’s only, could now be held in NC.
People find ways to make it happen – Auburn Oktoberfest for example – but the language in the law sure could be improved.
Hello all, thank you for this thread and for sharing what you liked about Homebrew Con (HBC). I realize having no Homebrew Con in 2024 has been disappointing; I will miss it this year, too, but we needed more members to attend 2022 and 2023 to continue with HBC in the same manner it was organized in the recent past.
I’m preparing an update on AHA at GABF (10/10-10/12) in 2024 for members. It will share many more details beyond what is shared here https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/homebrew-hq-gabf/.
Ensure you get your AHA newsletter https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/newsletter-signup/ and opt-in to receive emails. The update will also be posted on HomebrewersAssociation.org. I look forward to updating everyone soon and seeing those who go to Denver in October. Cheers, Julia