During an outbreak of the plague a monk named Arnold, who had established a monastery in Oudenburg, persuaded people to drink beer in place of water and when they did, the plague disappeared. Arnold spent his holy life warning people about the dangers of drinking water. Beer was safe, and “from man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world,” he would say.
Don’t drink the water. Drink the beer.
– St. Arnold is revered as the Patron Saint of Brewers
All proceeds from this AHA / BJCP Sanctioned homebrew competition go to support local charities and is being hosted by the Brew Brothers of Pikes Peak Homebrew Club in conjunction with the Feast of Saint Arnold. Awardees / winners will be announced at the Festival on June 8th, 2024.
The Feast of Saint Arnold Homebrew Competition is really two different competitions in one. The first competition is a standard homebrew competition, accepting all 2021 BJCP Guideline beer categories (and sub categories). Sorry, no mead or cider categories are accepted. These entries should be entered as their correct style, and should not have a narrative included. They will be awarded a top 3 by flight, and a Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal in the Best of Show.
The Second competition is a “What would Saint Arnold Brew” Competition. Entries can be of any style but should have some historical basis as to why Saint Arnold would brew them, and include a narrative (secured to entries along with the bottle ID sheet) with the “back story” and something about the beer. Please make sure to state the base style if applicable. This category will be judged and awarded a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal in best of show fashion.
Current Pro Am Opportunities
*Pro-AM selections will be brewed on a commercial scale, but will not participate in the GABF Pro-Am
Entrant and Volunteer Rewards:
- All entrants get a tasting glass and $5 off their ticket. (Glass pickup at festival).
- Top 3 Medals in each category receive a free companion ticket to the Festival on June 8th, 2024.
- Volunteers receive a discounted ticket ($10 off) along with judging and / or stewarding points if applicable.
- All entrants and volunteers get guaranteed entry into the festival even if the gates are closed.
- Direct any questions to Mike Scott at ms.thenetworker (AT) gmail.com
To register for the competition, as an entrant or volunteer, or view all official rules and other information, please visit the competition’s website. https://fosa.brewbrosco.com
Judging and Awards
Judging will be performed by BJCP judges (certified and provisional). There will be two award categories with Gold, Silver and Bronze awarded for each.
- Award #1 – Technical Award judged by standard BJCP 2021 style and process.
- Award #2 – “What would St. Arnold brew” award. Historical beer based (spirit of the festival). Best tasting with a solid correlation to St. Arnold. Good Narrative. This award rewards creativity. See below for explanation.
Explanation of the “What would Saint Arnold Brew” category:
All entrants to the “What Would Saint Arnold Brew” category should select that category, and provide a narrative answering the following questions regarding their entry along with their submission (see examples in the background section below – Attach to bottle with entry label):
- Base style – This is what we made and why.
- Any ingredients/additives – What ingredients did you choose and why?
- Why would St. Arnold have brewed this beer?
Historical reference to get you started with your style selection.
- St. Arnold of Metz lived between 580 and 640 in the region called “Austrasia”, part of what is now northern France, just across the Moselle river from Belgium. Please see primer on St. Arnold in background section below.
- He was a Bishop during the time when the bubonic plague was rampant throughout Europe and discovered that when people drank beer and not water they didn’t get sick, hence his famous exhortation, “don’t drink the water … drink the beer!”.
- The beer was probably sour – no isolated strains at this time.
- Hops were OK, but IPAs were likely not a thing.
- Braggots, Gruits and Gose may have been closer to historical style.
- Clove, cinnamon, peppercorn, citrus, cardemon, and coriander could have been used (St. Arnold was the member of a wealthy family that had access to these via trade of the time).
- BJCP Style Guidelines that fit this historical context to use as a starting point: 23, 24, 25, 26. You are not limited to these categories.
- Be creative and be able to back up the rationale for your choices.
Check out these resources for more information and example narratives: