Friday night judge piss up
This is basically a special event for the volunteers to relax and have some fun during a great competition. In previous years we’ve had a pub crawl by bus and in recent years an indoor pub crawl consisting of growlers of beer provided by local breweries. This year we are changing it up yet again. Instead of a single aspect to the evening we will be having a three-pronged attack of awesomeness.

In order to participate in any of them you will need to be a volunteer during the UMMO in some form or another AND sign up to participate when you register to volunteer. Very simple stuff. No walk ins. No lookie loo’s. No ‘friends really interested in beer’. If they are interested in beer they can volunteer. Sober cabs, as always, are welcome as we’ll have some soft drinks on hand. Additionally, we’ll have some chow and such to help temper the deliciousness of the great stuff we will be drinking. As always, feel free to bring any home brew you’d like to share.

Please do note this will not be a mookfest. There will be no drama. This is supposed to be fun and I won’t allow a few people to ruin it for others. Also, please remember that alcohol is being served and this is basically a bar setting and with that comes some degree of colorful language. Most importantly, I will personally bounce anyone causing trouble. Enough with the drivel, on to what we’ll actually be doing.

Face-2-face beverage feedback
Our competition has one of the most experienced number of judges in the world. Inasmuch, we’re putting them to work. It’s a great opportunity for you guys to have a direct conversation with someone with experience who will give you unabridged feedback on your brews. Beers that are entered in the UMMO are more than welcome. The judges will know their assigned categories and will excuse themselves if your style corresponds to their judge assignments. This is something that is going to be very fast paced. It will only last about 30 minutes at the very beginning of the evening. Be ready, sit down, taste, listen, answer questions and most importantly thank them.

If you want to participate, here is what you are expected to bring: ‘Free’ beer & Grumpys taps
We’ll be having a few special beers that are free for all volunteers. There will be a few neat kegs of stuff for everyone that attends. They will cost you guys nothing. At the same time Grumpy’s has a great tap list whom we are working with to have one or two special things on. To that point, there will definitely be a cask of Summit' IPA for purchase. The Summit IPA, in my opinion, is hands down their best beer. For as good as it is on tap, its 10x better on cask. It will go very fast. If you think you like the regular IPA, the cask is even better. Additionally, Old Cantankerous, the Beer Camp beer that Thomas Eibner and Gordon Strong participated in at Sierra Nevada, will be available for tasting! This beer is featured in the article penned by Gordon Strong in January's Zymurgy. There will also be:

Archive Beer tasting
The main event of the evening. This is an idea I stole from my buddy Jeff Halvorsen. It’s actually very simple yet brilliant…I am also surprised he came up with it.

Basically, there is no ‘cost’ to participate in this event. In order to participate you must bring a COMMERCIALLY made beer/mead (or a few) to share. It goes like this, for every 12oz or equivalent bottle you share you will get 5 tastings, and for every 22oz bomber or 750ml bottles will get 10 tastings. These are not to be ordinary brews but special ones that you have either been saving or always wanted to try. Everyone that wants to participate must email me (info@mashout.org) and tell me what they would like to bring. I’ll then make a list and update the webpage so people can get an idea of what we’ll be trying.

When you come to the event you will drop off your brews at the sign up station and be issued a beer coaster with the number of tastings written on it. We’ll then have a few pouring stations and announce what we are pouring and who brought it. The person who brought it gets the first pour. Not everyone will be able to taste everything so choose wisely. Additionally, there will be a few ‘free pours’ for everyone at the event. Any unopened beers will become property of the UMMO and be used for the next years event. Don’t be cheap! Its time to crack open that archive case and bring some really great stuff.

A very important point here… NO HOME BREW ALLOWED. If you do bring homebrew to share with others (and please do) it won’t count towards tastings at this event.

The most special treat of the evening will be the firkin of cask condition RCH Old Slug porter. This beer is hands down one of my very favorite porters in the world. I have it on tap whenever possible and have only had it on cask once. After having the beer on cask, it completely makes the tap and bottle version seem mediocre! Here is Roger Protz talking about the bottle version.

RCH Brewery, Old Slug Porter Dark Ale (England) Old Slug pours a very deep brown with a hint of ruby, and has a massive, high-rise cream coloured head. There's a vividly fruity note about this beer, with a suggestion of blackcurrant cordial ina mongst mucg darker, burnt, espresso and cocoa-bean notes. On the palate it is uncompromisingly dry, with more of that tart, blackcurrant skins bitterness and plenty of dark-roasted malt flavours. It is medium bodied and quite easy to drink given its relatively light alcohol and crisp finish. Very nice stuff. 4.5% ABV.

Examples of beers that will be poured: