All good apprentices have a mentor, and I was fortunate enough to grow up with mine. In 1983, my brother, Jim Hewitt, founded a club known as Beers Around The World, which held regular beer tasting competitions and events for 25 years. He was a champion for the craft beer industry before it was even an industry, and his passion for beer was an early part of a much larger movement. Over the years, he "converted" dozens of beer drinkers, including me and my brother Scott. Eventually, I became one of the club's senior board members, known as the "Steinkeepers" and took on the role of editor for the club's newsletter. At its peak, we had chapters in Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois and Wisconsin. My years spent in the club nurtured my love of beer and inspired me to become a home brewer, a beer judge, and an advocate for craft beer.
In 2010, I began my homebrewing odyssey with a very specific vision in mind. After learning about my family's genealogy, I set out on a journey to rediscover my heritage, learning about my forefathers one pint at a time. As it turns out, I'm a bit of a mutt, with an ancestry that includes Belgian, German, Irish, Scottish, and English heritage, a damn good list if we're talking about beer. So, my research involved learning about (and drinking) a lot of great beer. This inspired me to brew a culturally and historically accurate beer in honor of one distinguished ancestor in each branch of my family tree. This journey, which started on my computer screen and my stovetop, eventually became a pilgrimage, one that would take me across the country and even overseas to the motherland(s) themselves. My quest: To tell a story with my beer.
Every home brewer dreams of brewing their beer like a pro, so when Denver's Factotum Brewhouse began their tradition of hosting guest brewers, I knew I wanted to get involved. In the summer of 2015, I brewed a very special Irish red ale recipe on their 7-bbl system, and a beer that I originally created as a tribute to an Irish ancestor was served to the public. "Dwyer's Ire" was an instant hit at the taproom and even began to receive some notoriety. Long lost relatives caught wind of its release and reached out to the brewery to express their appreciation. That fall Factotum entered my beer into the Great American Beer Festival. For a home brewer, it's like getting VIP tickets to the Super Bowl. For three glorious days, I got to pour and promote a beer I brewed in honor of my great, great grandfather. That was the moment I knew I was hooked.
After a quarter century of tracking down and trying thousands of beers, I finally decided, "Why not make it official?" So, I took the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and in July 2018 became a Recognized Beer Judge. After meeting other judges, you see it's a pretty diverse crowd with all ages and walks of life represented. As faithful supporters of local beer, Millennials have contributed mightily to the craft beer renaissance. However, perhaps no one is more loyal to those tried-and-true brands than Boomers are. Yet a majority of home brewers are X-Gens. As a token member of this often overlooked generation, I'm old enough to remember the "dark ages" (when choices were bleak) but was fortunate enough to hit my prime as the craft beer revolution exploded. With the benefit of both perspective and experience, my generation never takes a good beer for granted.
If you've got a beer suggestion or question for me, I'd love to hear from you.
Denver, Colorado, United States