Brooklyn Beer Experiment Showcases Homebrewing

Kyle Spencer, 23, and Xiao Yu, 24, are barely of drinking age and have been brewing beer for less than a year, but nonetheless wear their ambition, literally, on their sleeves.

"Brewing for a living is something we both wanted to do," says Spencer, promoting his nascent brand by wearing a gray, short-sleeved Beta Beer T-shirt alongside partner Xiao Yu. Despite his expert presentation, Spencer is nervous: For the first time his product will be tasted by "actual people who have beer backgrounds."

This kind of fledgling enthusiasm was par for the course at the Brooklyn Beer Experiment, a new cook-off in a city obsessed with cook-offs, part of the groundswell of our nation's craft-brewmania and a first from competitors turned co-organizers Theo Peck and Nick Suarez. "We were cook-off rivals," says Suarez, "and decided we could do this as well as anyone else could." Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn's the Bell House -- a space primarily used as a music venue -- more than 25 chefs infused their eats with beer, and local homebrewers like Spencer and Yu hawked their wares.

Peck and Suarez were smart to chose brews as a framing device: Mug-chugging college kids always arrive in droves at any event where beer is a headliner, and an increase in craft connoisseurs means highbrow drinkers can be expected, too. Not surprisingly, this was a sold-out affair.

Many of these brewers were new to the game: of the nine men and women brewing, a majority had been doing so for a year or less. But that didn't prevent them from bringing their 'A' game. Some suds, such as the hoppy, grapefruit-tinged Airmail India Pale Ale, came with detailed descriptions for voters to study at their leisure. Others, such as the bizarrely named, saffron-flavored Mad Elephant Indian Pale Ale, took the concept of experimentation to heart, with an IPA that tossed Indian sugar and spices into the brewing mix.

On the cook-off side, things were split fairly evenly between sweet and savory, from beer-boiled peanuts with a distinctly malty essence to chocolate ice cream enhanced by a dark, creamy milk stout. But though the amateur chefs were greater in number, the homebrewers took center stage. And they were grateful for it. Truth be told, there aren't a ton of opportunities for homebrewers to gain the exposure they need to succeed. Especially compared to the massive amount of beer festivals and tastings popping up all over the country, the amount of homebrew events remains relatively small, often relegated to clubs or informal social circles.

But quality and innovation on the homebrew side is starting to gain fanfare: Some find its caliber equal to or even surpassing that of the "small craft beers" rapidly spreading to convenience stores across the nation. Indeed many, if not most, craft beer brewmasters started out as homebrewers. Sam Calagione brewed his first batch of what would eventually become Dogfish Head in his apartment.

Late in the afternoon, a third 20-something is spotted sporting a distinctive Beta Beer tee. The image is reminiscent of a die-hard fan supporting his favorite indie band. It is fitting at a place like the Bell House, which features indie rock groups the average American is probably as likely to have heard of as Beta Beer. These up-and-coming bands work hard scheduling gigs to get exposure, get noticed, and become the next big thing. For a new brewer, events like the Brooklyn Beer Experiment make for a pretty solid first gig.

The DIY comparisons between indie rock and homebrewed beer are endless. (Presumably there's a reason why writers regularly toss around the words "rock star" when referring to the freewheeling Sam Calagione.) It's possible the next beer rock star just launched his or her career at the Bell House, so stay tuned.