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Author: Tim Maxwell

2024: Brewers and beer lovers raise another $7,362 for cancer research!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

For the 10th time, the Buffalo beer community came together with two goals: enjoy delicious beer and raise some money for a great cause. Mission accomplished! The 10th Annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition raised $7,362 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and with a record 38 beers registered in the competition, there was no shortage of great beer.

Thank You’s are in Order

Before we get to the results from the day, there are some important people and businesses we need to thank for their support of this event.

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you goes out to Jeff Ware, Andrew Zach, Conner Bradbury, Brigid Taylor, and the entire staff at Resurgence Brewing Company. To put it plainly, we couldn’t have this event without the generosity and hospitality of Resurgence, our presenting sponsor, and to say that we’re grateful for their support would be an understatement.

We also need to thank our distinguished official beer judges, who scored and provided feedback for all of the beers in our contest:

These experts all volunteered their time and talents to score our beers and choose an official judges’ Best in Show winner. We were so lucky to have them!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a homebrewing competition without the homebrewers, and Buffalo’s homebrewing community is second to none. A huge thank you to all of the brewers who donated their beer to the event, and a special shout out to the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig for their contributions towards making this event possible.

No event is complete without a great soundtrack, and the super talened Russ Burton once again provided that for us. Thanks for the playlist, Russ!

More thanks go out to Ellen, Meg, Hunter, Eric, Chris, and Andy, our defacto organizing committee who do a lot of the setup and work on the day of the event, and to our friends David and Tracey Gardon who show up every year to help us sell raffle tickets!

Finally, big thanks go out to our sponsors the Premier Group and Premier Gourmet, who support this event logistically every year.

The Results are in

Without further ado, here are the winners from the 2024 edition of The Dude’s Homebrew Competition. Click here for the complete results

Judges’ Panel Best in Show Selections

  1. Smoke on the Water (#18 on our roster) by Mark Zambron
  2. Práce Lásky 13° (Labor of Love 13°) (#33) by Chad Chyreck
  3. Tropic Tonic (#15) by Garreth Wippel
  4. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals
  5. La Jolla (#7) by Dave Torchia

Popular Vote Top Three Finishers

  1. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals: 89 pts
  2. Champagne Problems (#13) by The Ale Gals: 64 pts
  3. Pendejo Pale Ale (#3) by UG3 Brewers Association: 56 pts

Overall Standings Top Three (a combination of judges scores and popular vote)

  1. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals: 128 pts
  2. Champagne Problems (#13) by The Ale Gals: 99.5 pts
  3. Pendejo Pale Ale (#3) by UG3 Brewers Association: 93 pts

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We hope to see you again in 2025.

Click here for the complete results

2023’s The Dude’s Homebrew Competition sets a new record: $7,328 for LLS and cancer research

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

The 9th annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition on Sun, August 20th, 2023 was all about setting records. The most beers entered into the contest (35), the most money raised at the event ($7,328), and the most fun had by all who attended (subjective, but we think this is accurate). In other words, it was a resounding success!

» View the complete results from this year’s event

Before we announce all of the winners, there are a lot of people that deserve recognition for their amazing contributions to this event, starting with our presenting sponsor, Resurgence Brewing Company. Simply put, we couldn’t hold this event without them, and this is the ninth year that they’ve graciously hosted our event (and our second time at the brewery on Chicago Street). Big thanks go out to Jeff Ware, Conner Bradbury, Brigid Taylor, and the whole Resurgence team for their generosity and kindness. Thank you, Resurgence!

Of course, we also couldn’t hold a homebrewing competition without homebrewers, and this year’s participants once again proved that Buffalo’s homebrewing community is second to none. The variety and quality of the beers served at the event was spectacular. Special shoutouts go out to the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig for their support of this event. Thank you, homebrewers!

A special thank you also goes out to our judges panel. These brewers are experts of their trade, and leant their knowledge and palate to tasting and rating a massive number of beers for us. This year’s panel featured Ethan Cox who you know from Community Beer Works, Karl Kolbe of Pressure Drop, and Jesse Kiser and Joe Mikos from Resurgence. Thank you, guys!

More thanks go out to Russ Burton, curator of the Lebowski-themed soundtrack to the event, and MC of festivities. Russ has been helping The Dude Hates Cancer with events since we started up in 2012, and we couldn’t be more grateful for it. Thank you, Russ!

Let’s give a round of applause to our in-kind sponsors, Premier and Premier Gourmet. They provided our printed materials, helped us promote the event, and helped us with day-of-the-event logistics. Thank you, Premier Group! Special thanks also go to Pizza Plant for donating some free beer tickets, which went to two lucky winners in our 50/50 raffle.

Speaking of the 50/50 raffle, let’s put our hands together for David and Tracey Gardon, our 50/50 raffle sales team! Since we met these two many years back at one of the early homebrew competitions, they’ve been offering to help us and we couldn’t be more grateful. Similarly, Meg Maxwell, Ellen Notarius, Eric Sliwinski, and Hunter Lane were essential to the event’s success, whether it be by helping get everything set up, manning our registration table, entering judges’ scores, tabulating fundraising totals, or all of the above. Thank you, David, Tracey, Meg, Slu, Ellen, and Hunter!

Thanks to Andy Morin of Avenir Cine for taking video and photos of the event (in addition to helping to brew two of the beers). If you need video work done in Buffalo, Andy is your guy (his studio space is incredible, I hear)!

Finally, thanks to everyone that attended, donated, and voted in this year’s competition!

The Results

As mentioned, there were 35 entries in this year’s competition — all donated by the brewers — and the quality of the beers was incredible. Some beers stood out, however.

» View the complete results from this year’s event

The competition works like this. Our judges panel made up of expert brewers samples and scores all the beers, then chooses their three favorites for the Judges ‘Best in Show’ picks. Meanwhile, attendees that donate to the cause taste the beers and vote for their top three favorites. In the end, the winner is chosen by adding the average score from our judges’ panel to the vote tallies from attendees. Here’s how it all went:

Judges ‘Best in Show’ Selections:

  1. Fun Times at the Carnival – Saison (#32) (Brewers: Eric Tucker and Todd Kramer)
  2. Morse Code – Hazy IPA (#34) (Brewers: Michael Lane and Chad Chyreck)
  3. El Dorado Common – Cream Ale (#25) (Brewer: Gabe Tanyi)
  4. The Belge Lebrewski – Specialty Belgian IPA (#15) (Brewer: Dan Muffoletto)

Popular Vote Winners:
(3pts per 1st place vote, 2pts per 2nd place vote, 1pt per 3rd place vote)

  1. Hefe Another Bite – German Wheat Beer (#20) (Brewer: Jennifer Hare) – 73pts
  2. Fun Times at the Carnival – Saison (#32) (Brewers: Eric Tucker and Todd Kramer) – 53 pts
  3. “…this isn’t ‘Nam!’ – Fruit and Spice Beer (Brewers: Stumblin’ Falls Homebrew Club) – 48pts

Overall Winners (combined Judges + Pop. Vote):

  1. Hefe Another Bite – German Wheat Beer (#20) (Brewer: Jennifer Hare) – 98pts
  2. Fun Times at the Carnival – Saison (#32) (Brewers: Eric Tucker and Todd Kramer) – 92.5 pts
  3. “…this isn’t ‘Nam!’ – Fruit and Spice Beer (Brewers: Stumblin’ Falls Homebrew Club) – 83pts

Thanks again to everyone that made this possible. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

$7043 for LLS: The 2022 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is in the Books

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

Note: Due to a clerical error, we had the wrong total raised at the event. We accidentally included 2021 online ticket sales instead of 2022 online ticket sales, so as we were getting everything ready for LLS, we realized the total wasn’t $7,464 (as seen on the check from the event) but $7,043. Lesson: Never try to tally money after drinking lots of homebrew.

“Sometimes there’s an event — and I won’t say a hero, cause what’s a hero? — but sometimes there’s an event — and I’m talking about The Dude’s Homebrew Competition here — sometimes there’s an event that, well, it’s the event for its time and place. It fits right in there. And that’s The Dude’s Homebrew Competition, in Buffalo.” — The Stranger, The Big Lebowski.

The 8th annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is in the books, and what a fantastic day we had! Great beer, great company, great setting with great music, and all for a great cause. All told, we raised $7,043 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a new record!

We’ll get to the official results below, but there are many people to thank for this wonderful day, starting with our presenting sponsor, Resurgence Brewing Company. For eight years now, Resurgence has graciously hosted our event, first at their old Niagara Street brewery, then last year at the Chicago Street brewery, and again today at their new Resurgence at the Park in the Parkside Lodge at Delaware Park. Jeff Ware, Conner Bradbury, and the whole Resurgence team couldn’t possibly be more generous and accommodating, and we couldn’t possibly be more grateful. Thank you, Resurgence!

Next, we have the homebrewers who each year donate their time, talents, money, and hard work, all wrapped up into the creative, inspiring, and delicious beers they brew, to our event. Simply put, the event couldn’t go on without homebrewers donating full batches of their amazing creations to the event, and every year they prove that Buffalo’s homebrew scene is second to none. Special shoutouts go out to the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig for their support of this event. Thank you, homebrewers!

We also need to thank our judges panel, made up of leaders at the forefront of craft beer in western New York. This year’s panel, which featured Ethan Cox who you know from Community Beer Works, Karl Kolbe of Pressure Drop, and Nick Torgalski and Joe Mikos from Resurgence, was incredible. Being a brewer is often a 60+ hour a week job, so we can’t thank them enough for taking time out of their busy schedules to support and offer encouragement and feedback to their fellow brewers. Thanks, guys!

Of course, every event needs a great soundtrack and sound. And thanks to Russ Burton, we had that and then some. Russ has helped us often throughout the years, and his Lebowski-themed playlist added so much to the day’s enjoyment. Not to mention he’s just an all-around great guy. Thank you, Russ!

We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank our in-kind sponsors, Premier and Premier Gourmet. They provided our printed materials, helped us promote the event, and helped us with day-of-the-event logistics. Thank you, Premier Group!

There were many other individuals that made this event possible, including Meg Maxwell and Hunter Lane, who generously manned our registration table, and David and Tracey Gardon, who every year offer their tremendous raffle ticket salesmanship skills to our 50/50 raffle. Thank you, Meg, Hunter, David, and Tracey!

Finally, thanks to everyone that attended, donated, and voted in this year’s competition! An enormous thank you goes out to the anonymous benefactor how donated $3,400 to this year’s event — thank you so much!

The Results

Our 2022 competition featured 25 beers, and every one of them besides a terrible IPA that I helped make was fantastic! Some beers stood out, however.

The competition works like this. Our judges panel made up of brewers samples and scores all the beers, then chooses their three favorites for the Judges ‘Best in Show’ picks. Meanwhile, attendees that donate to the cause taste the beers and vote for their top three favorites. In the end, the winner is chosen by adding the average score from our judges’ panel to the vote tallies from attendees. Here’s how it all went:

Judges ‘Best in Show’ Selections:

  1. Pancho Billa’s Mafia Munich Helles (Brewer: Mark Zambron)
  2. Wicked Blizzard (Brewer: Mark Zambron)
  3. Not for Hire (Brewers: Stumblin Falls Homebrew Club)

Popular Vote Winners:
(3pts per 1st place vote, 2pts per 2nd place vote, 1pt per 3rd place vote)

  1. Jittery IPA (Brewers: Lori and Brian Meyer) – 57pts
  2. Razzin’ Hell (Brewer: Paul Callahan) – 38pts
  3. Berry Relaxing (Brewers: Jim Krell and Mike Spong) – 32pts

Overall Winners (combined Judges + Pop. Vote):

  1. Jittery IPA (Brewers: Lori and Brian Meyer) – 89pts
  2. Jenny’s DDH Cream Ale (Brewers: Jennifer Hare & Corey Dudish Hare) – 68pts
  3. Razzin’ Hell (Brewer: Paul Callahan) – 67.5pts

View the complete results from this year’s event

Thanks again to everyone that made this possible. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

The 2022 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is coming up! Here’s what you need to know.

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

The 2022, 8th Annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition presented by Resurgence Brewing Company is coming up on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at The Parkside Lodge in Delaware Park. Here’s a look at what you need to know about the event:

Tickets for The Dude’s Homebrew Competition

The Dude's Homebrew Competition 2022

Tickets are $30 and are available at the event (with cash or Venmo), or you can save time and pre-purchase your tickets on Eventbrite. All proceeds from the event go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their mission to find a cure for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. With your ticket, you get to taste all of the beers in the competition in a complimentary tasting glass you get to keep, and vote for your favorites to help us choose our winner!

Buy Tickets at Eventbrite

Let us know that you’re coming, or invite your friends on our Facebook Event page!

Location Information for The Dude’s Homebrew Competition

This year’s event will be held in a beer garden outside of one of Buffalo’s iconic summer locations, The Parkside Lodge in Delaware Park. Resurgence recently opened an event space in the Parkside Lodge, and when they approached us about hosting our event there we couldn’t pass up the opportunity! We’ll be holding the competition outdoors under a large tent — rain or shine! — overlooking the Delaware Park golf course.

The Parkside Lodge at Delaware Park

84 Parkside Ave, Buffalo, NY 14214 (map)

Parking for the Event

There’s on-street parking available on Parkside Ave., but there’s also a convenient parking lot accessible going southbound on Parkside Avenue, with an entrance on the right just before you hit the Scajaquada Expressway (Rte. 198).

Designated Drivers

Since this is an event where you’ll be tasting beers, we encourage you to bring a designated driver or use a ride service to get to/from the event. Designated drivers are allowed into the event for free (though they won’t receive a tasting glass and may not sample the beers).

Food at the Event

Resurgence will have food available for purchase inside The Parkside Lodge.

How the Competition Works

Homebrewers from across Western New York generously donate batches of their beer to the event and pour samples of their beers for anyone that buys tickets to the event. After tasting the beers, attendees will be able to vote for their favorite beers on their phones. There will also be a panel of distinguished beer judges consisting of brewers at some of Buffalo’s best breweries, who will rate each beer and provide feedback on the beers to the brewers. The winner will be awarded based on a combined score of the popular vote from those attending and the official judges’ scores. The winning brewer gets to brew a batch of their beer at Resurgence Brewing Company!

The Cause

The Dude’s Homebrew Competition raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization leading the fight towards finding cures for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Research funded by LLS has led to countless life-saving breakthrough treatments for blood cancers, each step moving us closer to cures for these and other cancers. LLS also provides patient outreach, education, and assistance for those afflicted with blood cancers.

2021: The Dude’s Homebrew Competition Returns to raise another $5,500 for LLS!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

After a year off, The Dude’s Homebrew Competition returned with a vengeance in 2021, raising $5,500 for LLS. Brewers and beer lovers alike flocked to the beautiful Resurgence Brewing Co brewery on Chicago Street on August 14th. 2021 for the event. It couldn’t have been a more perfect setting or better day.

The event featured 25 delicious beers brewed by members of the incredibly talented local homebrew community. There were beers of all kinds and flavors, often with unique specialty ingredients. There was even one that tasted exactly like a plate of pancakes!

Of course, there could be only one winner: Jon and Melissa Tarasiewicz’s Pretty Fly for a Ry Guy. This beer ran away with top honors at the competition, impressing both the judges and attendees alike. For their efforts, Jon and Melissa were able to brew a barrel of their winning beer at Resurgence. Also, for the first time in the event’s history, Resurgence canned the winning beer and donated proceeds back to the cause!

Thanks are in Order

There are many people to thank for the continued success of this fundraiser:

  • First and foremost, Resurgence Brewing Company, and more specifically Jeff Ware, Mandy May, and the staff at Resurgence, who couldn’t be more generous or more gracious hosts
  • The local homebrewing community, including the Niagara Association of Homebrewers, Sultans of Swig, and Buffalo Beer Goddesses, who continue to support this event and whose members continue to show why Buffalo’s homebrewing scene is second to none
  • Our official judges panel for the event, featuring a collection of the top brewers in Buffalo: Corey Catalano and Devin Carman from Big Ditch Brewing Co., Colin Herzog from Flying Bison Brewing Co., and Jason Crosset from New York Beer Project
  • Everyone who helped set up and run the event last August, including Meg Maxwell, Ellen Notarius, David and Tracey Gardon, Eric Sliwinski, Chris Fitzgerald, The Stumblin’ Falls Homebrew Club, and many more
  • Helen Chung and her husband Rob Stewart for taking pictures, selling beer masks for the cause, and generally assisting in everything after trekking up from Philadelphia for the event
  • Premier Wine & Spirits and Premier Gourmet for their sponsorship and generosity
  • Tim Collins and Keith Curtachio for feedback and ideas leading up to the event
  • Everyone who attended, donated, and voted for the beers

The Results

Here are the official results from the event: 2021 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition Results

Photos

You can find a collection of photos from the event on our Facebook page.

What’s Next?

The 2022 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition, of course! We hope to see you there!

The Dude’s Homebrew Competition 2019: $5,335 raised!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

$5,335 Raised!

THANK YOU! The 2019 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is in the books, and what a time we had! With 26 great beers on tap and a record turnout, we raised more than $2,000 more than last year’s event!

There are a lot of thanks that need to go around, starting with Jeff Ware, Brandon Woodcock, and the whole Resurgence Brewing Company staff. Our presenting sponsor and host of the event for all six years that we’ve had it, we couldn’t be luckier to have such wonderful hosts.

Thanks also to our other sponsor, Premier Group, our supplier of tables, tasting cups, signage, printing supplies, and more.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the homebrewers who generously donated their beers to this event, and the Buffalo homebrewing community in generally (including the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig Home Brewers). We literally couldn’t have done it without them, and they came through with some outstanding beers as always. We say this every year, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better group of people than our local homebrew community.

Big thanks to the official judges of this year’s event, who donated their time and talents to tasting and scoring all of the beers in the competition. Our judges panel was comprised of three talented brewers: Devin Carman from Big Ditch Brewing Company, Matt Conron from Gene McCarthy’s/Old First Ward Brewing Co., and Nick Torgalski of Resurgence Brewing Company.

Our amazing event soundtrack was provided by the incredible Russ Burton of Russ Burton Entertainment. Book him for your next event and you won’t be disappointed!

And, of course, thank you to some wonderful volunteers who helped set up and allow the event to run smoothly: Ellen Notarius, Meg Maxwell, Eric Sliwinski, David Gardon, Tracey Gardon, and Chris Fitzgerald.

THE RESULTS

Let’s not forget, this was a competition! There were many, many outstanding and creative beers in this week’s field, but a few captured the hearts of our judges and attendees. Congratulations to our winner, Scott McMillan, whose “Another Caucasian, Gary” ran away with the popular vote propelling it to victory. Scott will get to brew a batch of the beer at Resurgence…look out for it on their beer menu later this year!

The winner of the Judges panel voting was “Weisse Weisse, Baby”, a fruit beer by Dan Cray and Jeff Walters.

Here are the complete results for this year’s competition:

Place Brewer(s) Beer Name Style Score*
1 Scott McMillan Another Caucasian, Gary Experimental Beer 150
2 Dan Cray, Jeff Walters Weisse Weisse Baby Fruit Beer 132
3 Andrew House Pucker Up Buttercup Berliner Weisse 124
4 Matt Linde and Mark Linde Coconut Porter American Porter 117
5 Chuck Privitera, Lindsay Taylor, Jeff Blasz, Jason Blasz, Joe Blasz, Paul Blasz, Tom Blasz Double Barrel Brown Ale American Brown Ale 95
6 Justin Rusek, Drew Schaub DDH Dangler Specialty IPA 93
7 Tom Reed, Joel Greinert It’s the F#*%ing Catharina Sour Mixer Catharina Sour 92
8 Ray Murphy Hop to the Razz Fruit Beer 88
9 Ron Stilwell, Kevin McKnight Uncivil Black IPA Specialty IPA 86
10 Brian Butler Chip Shot Specialty IPA 81
11 Brandon Kapral, Alex Buckley F_ It Dude, Let’s Gose Bowling Fruit Beer 81
12 Jon Claeys Strong Men Also Cry Fruit & Spice Beer 77
13 Adam Akers, Matt Donahue, and Carl Janish The Jesus Specialty IPA 61
14 Tim Maxwell, Eric Sliwinski, and Chris Fitzgerald You’re a Hefeweizen, I’m a Hefeweizen…That’s Terrific Weissbier 60
15 Erik Reinheimer Purplexed American Pale Ale 60
16 Jim Krell, Mike Spong The Mule British Brown Ale 59
17 Mike Jurnack Angelic Renewal Imperial Stout 55
18 Ray Zamboni The Stranger’s Chipotle Brown Experimental Beer 49
19 Dan Kaufman, Alex Buckley Pork Butt Brown American Brown Ale 49
20 Keith Curtachio, Dan Cassetta, c/o The Heritage Brewers Guild I Want My Mumme Historical Beer 44
21 Mark Zambron Oxidized Sprockets Vienna Lager 44
22 Josh Steele, Annie Turkowski Fruit of Our Labor Fruit Beer 43
23 Joseph Flett Saison’s for Life Nombre!! Saison 41
24 Michael Sullivan Kentucky Bender American Wild Ale 36
25 Alex Buckley Piggy Pale American Pale Ale 34
26 Eric Burt Cancer Can Go F@#% Itself Belgian IPA 31

The Results are in: $3,627 Raised!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

THANK YOU!

The 4th annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is in the books, and we hope everyone had as great a time as we did. We’re $3,627 closer to a cure for cancer today! After all was said and done, The Nihilist Pale Ale by Corey Dudish and Brian Meyer won our competition, as determined by a combination of judges score and voting by those attending. Congratulations to Corey, Brian, and also Dan Potts, whose Red Dragon Welsh Bitter was chosen as Best in Show by our distinguished panel of judges.

» See the full results

There are many people to thank, starting with Jeff, Dave, Brandon, and the staff at Resurgence Brewing Company, who are the world’s greatest hosts (and makers of wonderful beers).

Thanks also to our fantastic judges panel made up of some of the area’s best brewers: Colin Herzog of Flying Bison Brewing Company, Matt Kahn of Big Ditch Brewing Company, John Domres of Buffalo Brewing Company, and Dave Schiralli of 12 Gates Brewing Company.

Special thanks, also, to the following people and groups:

  • All of the homebrewers who graciously donated their beers and time to the cause. There were so many fantastic, creative beers yesterday. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer group of people than those who are part of our local homebrewing community. (Speaking of, special thanks to Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig Homebrew Club for supporting this event and cause every year).
  • Alex Placito, who helped assemble our excellent panel of judges and who has supported us from Day 1
  • Premier Gourmet for logistical support, and for having the best beer selection in WNY
  • Russ Burton for providing the awesome soundtrack to yesterday’s event. If anyone is looking for a DJ for their wedding or event, might we suggest Russ Burton Entertainment?
  • Our volunteers at the event who made sure everything ran smoothly: Camille Holmgren, Meg Devine Maxwell, and Ellen Maxwell Notarius.
  • And last but certainly not least, everyone who came out, donated, and participated in yesterday’s event.

Thank you again, everyone! We look forward to seeing you all again next year!

Calling all homebrewers!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

Registration is now open for the 2017 The Dude Hates Cancer Homebrew Competition! This year’s event will be taking place on Saturday, August 19, 2017 at Resurgence Brewing Co, from 12-3pm. Just like in the past, 100% of proceeds from the event will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

There is no entry fee to enter your beer in the competition, though entry does require donating a large portion of your beer to the event (we recommend a full 5 gallon batch, if possible). Entries will be sampled by attendees that make a donation to LLS, and we’ll also have a panel of judges to officially score each entry. The winning entry, as determined by a combination of judges scores and the popular vote from attendees, will get to brew a batch of their winning beer at Resurgence!

  • To register your beer, click here: [su_button url=”https://buffalo.thedudehatescancer.com/register-for-the-dudes-homebrew-competition/” size=”8″]Register your beer![/su_button]
  • For more information on the competition, click here: Information for Brewers

The Dude’s Homebrew Competition: $3,180 for crushing cancer

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

The Dude's Homebrew Competition Photo Album
View Photos from the 2nd Annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition on Facebook

The second annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is in the books, and we’re another $3,180 closer to a cure for cancer! Here’s what we learned on Saturday:

  • Homebrewers hate cancer.
  • Buffalo has an incredible wealth of talented homebrewers.
  • Our local breweries and brewers (and especially our amazing hosts at Resurgence) are fantastically generous.
  • Buffalonians have a passion for good (and new and inventive) beers.

All $3,180 raised at the event goes directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their mission to cure blood cancers. It’s a cause that’s near and dear to our heart, and we’re so happy to add this to The Dude Hates Cancer’s total of over $500,000 raised since the campaign started in 2006.

There are many people to thank for the success of this event, and the list starts with two groups: a legion of talented, generous, and passionate homebrewers, and the unbelievably kind and generous management and staff at Resurgence Brewing Company. This event wouldn’t have been possible without their contributions, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their sacrifices for this cause.

We’d also like to thank the celebrity judges that came out to officially judge the entries in this year’s competition. Jeff Ware and Dave Collins of Resurgence, Alex Placito of Old First Ward Brewing, Ethan Cox of Community Beer Works, and Matt Kahn and Corey Catalano of Big Ditch Brewing Co. It’s a veritable pantheon of Buffalo brewers, and we’re so grateful for their time and consideration of the beers on hand.

We’d like to thank those that helped organize the event on our behalf. This includes the members of two great homebrew associations in Western New York: Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig. It also includes Russ Burton, who provided all sound at the event, the amazing management at The Premier Group who provided logistical support including tables, printing, and other considerations, Ellen Notarius, who managed check-in and raffles, and Eric Sliwinski, who helped with setup.

And last, but not least, we’d like to thank everyone who came out in support of the event; tasting, donating, and picking their favorite beers. You love beer and hate cancer, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

Congratulations to our winners, Devin Carman, Brandon Kapral, and Alex Buckley, whose beer “Do You Like Pina Coladas?” won both the Peoples’ Choice vote and the overall top prize. For their efforts, they’ll get to brew a barrel of their beer at Resurgence! Also, congratulations to Mike Cooke and Dave Gruszka, whose beer “Facial Abuse” was selected Best in Show by our panel of judges.

Here are the complete results of our competition:

Overall Top 3

(Combination of Peoples’ Choice and Official Judge scoring)

  1. Do You Like Pina Coladas? – Devin Carman, Brandan Kapral, Alex Buckley (Specialty Beer)
  2. Facial Abuse – Mike Cooke, Dave Gruszka (India Pale Ale)
  3. The Treehorn – Kenny Winkelsas, Eric Tucker (India Pale Ale)

Official Judges – Best in Show Selections:

  1. Facial Abuse – Mike Cooke, Dave Gruszka (India Pale Ale)
  2. Irish Coffee Stout – Chris Johnson (Oatmeal Stout)
  3. Lil’ Ale Pale Ale – Nathan Brozyna (American Pale Ale)

*Honorable Mention – C4 Habanero Black IPA – John Claeys (Black IPA)

Peoples’ Choice Votes – Top 10 Vote Getters

  1. Do You Like Pina Coladas? – 136 Votes – Devin Carman, Brandan Kapral, Alex Buckley (Specialty Beer)
  2. Facial Abuse – 70 Votes – Mike Cooke, Dave Gruszka (India Pale Ale)
  3. The Treehorn – 52 Votes – Kenny Winkelsas, Eric Tucker (India Pale Ale)
  4. Irish Coffee Stout – 43 Votes – Chris Johnson (Oatmeal Stout)
  5. Monsta Double Double IPA – 35 Votes – John DePaolo (Imperial IPA)
  6. C4 Habanero Black IPA – 34 Votes – John Claeys (Black IPA)
  7. 88 MPH Doc Brown Ale – 31 Votes – Collin Corcoran (British Brown Ale)
  8. Honey Kolsch Red – 31 Votes – Raizin (Red Kolsch)
  9. Hippsterpotamus (a.k.a. Summer Socks) – 29 Votes – Drew Hardin (American Pale Ale)
  10. Nine Toes Amber Ale – 23 Votes – Dan Potts (American Amber Ale)