Reuben’s announces next round of ‘Hop Idol’ homebrewing contest

One of Ballard’s favorite breweries is about to roll out the next round of their local homebrewing contest.

Appropriately named “Hop Idol“, the contest is in its third year and seeks to crown the next best homebrewer. The winner will get to brew their winning beer with Reuben’s Brews team in their Ballard brewery. The beer will then be released at Reuben’s tasting rooms in May and distributed throughout the Pacific Northwest, and will even be entered into the Washington Beer Awards and the Pro-Am category at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival.

The contest is not just limited to Seattle — Reuben’s founder Adam Robbings said they had 116 entries last year, with brewers from as far away as Alabama.

Here’s how it works: the contest requires entires that are “hop-forward”, with the opportunity to enter up to five different beers. The entries will then be blind-tasted and scored against the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines for hoppy styles.

You have a few months to get your brew just right: entries must arrive between Feb. 20 to 27, and will be judged on Saturday, March 2. The winners will be announced on Friday, March 8.

Submissions cost $5, which will be donated to the Seattle Children’s Hospital. There are some pretty specific requirements for entry — click here to get the full rundown.