At a brunch hosted Saturday by the Boston Beer Co. at 1515 Restaurant in Denver brewery CEO Jim Koch announced the two homebrewers who will have their beers featured in the relaunch of the LongShot brand. Bruce Stott, who submitted a Dortmunder Export, and Donald Oliver, who made an Old Ale, will have their homebrew recipes produced commercially. They were selected from more than 1,500 homebrews submitted from around the U.S. and abroad, including other regional finalists Greg Geiger, barleywine; Rob Beck, maibock; and Alex Burcholtz, saison.
Stott and Oliver's beers will be joined in the LongShot six pack that will be released in February 2007 by the winner of the Boston Beer employee homebrew competition. About 300 employees entered beers in the event and the finalists are John Bowen, cherry stout; Tina Petteway, pale ale; and Ken Smith, wheat with "BOY-senberry."
Koch said the idea behind the LongShot brand is to recognize homebrewers and get employees involved is a way to turn "even accountants" at the company behind Samuel Adams Boston Lager into brewers.
"It's not that hard to make beer. If you can make bread, you can make beer. And, it's a damn lot more fun to make beer," Koch said.
During a lavish brunch that featured samples of the employee homebrews and other Samuel Adams beers, including Utopias, Koch also recognized Brewers Association head Charlie Papazian and All About Beer magazine Publisher Daniel Bradford for founding the Great American Beer Festival 25 years ago. Joking, Koch said it was originally a plot by the pair to get free beer. Koch pointed out this year's festival, which attracted 30,000 people, was originally a one day sideshow that was a tacked on to the American Homebrewers Association convention.
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