Are You Beer Drinker of the Year Material?

We all have special talents. I recently heard a bit from a comedian who said she was sure that she was a prodigy in something -- she just had not discover what it was yet. Well, if beer drinking is something you do better than anyone else, your chance to get that 15 minutes of fame has arrived.

Wynkoop Brewing Co. in Denver has launched its 11th annual search for the Beerdrinker of the Year. No, this is not a chugging contest. Beerdrinker of the Year recognizes the most passionate, knowledgeable beer lover in the United States. If you have a beer drinking philosophy, love the history of beer and have been known to travel great distances in search of a rare craft beer, this contest is for you.

To enter you need to send Wynkoop your "beer resume" by Dec. 31, 2006. The 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year wins free beer for life at Wynkoop (highly useful during the GABF week in Denver!) and $250 of beer at their local brewpub or beer bar. They also win apparel proclaiming them The 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year and they have their name engraved on the Beerdrinker of the Year Trophy at Wynkoop. It's not quite the same as getting your name on the Stanley Cup, but you are more likely to be able to hang on to all of your teeth pursuing this honor.

The top three entrants will be flown to Wynkoop at the brewery's expense for the Beerdrinker of the Year finals, scheduled for Feb. 24.

Tom Schmidlin, a 36-year-old University of Washington biochemistry graduate student, devout homebrewer and self-proclaimed "yeast dork," won the 2006 Beerdrinker of the Year title. "Winning Beerdrinker of the Year gave me instant beer cred," Schmidlin says. "It's like winning the Nobel Prize for Beer."

Here's how to enter:

-- Resumes must include the entrant's personal philosophy of beerdrinking.
-- Do not enter if you are currently employed in the brewing industry.
-- Resumes with both rich beeriness and humor are welcomed.
-- Beer resumes cannot exceed three 8" x 11" pages and must be written in 12-point or larger font.
-- Resumes must include the name of the entrant's home brewpub or beer bar, and their T-shirt size.
-- Resumes created in Word can be emailed to Wynkoop as an attachment to beerdrinker@wynkoop.com

Beerdrinker of the Year resumes can be sent by mail to:

The Beerdrinker of the Year
Wynkoop Brewing Company
1634 Eighteenth Street
Denver, Colorado 80202

For complete contest details, more information, and a look at the resumes of previous Beerdrinker of the Year winners visit www.wynkoop.com.