2021 AHA National Homebrew Competition

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2021 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Kristen Kuchar

Although it was the 43rd time the homebrew community gathered to honor the best in their craft, the awards for the 2021 National Homebrew Competition (NHC) were like no other. There were 5,045 beers entered this year from 2,037 homebrewers in 50 states (plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) and 13 countries. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) awarded 120 medals in 40 categories to recognize the best brews in that bunch.

Further underscoring those statistics was the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the competition could even take place after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the previous year’s NHC.

In March 2020, the AHA had already received upwards of 15,000 bottles of beer at First Round NHC sites around the country. But as the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to reveal itself, the American Homebrewers Association, like the rest of the world, had to navigate a path forward through uncertain and potentially dangerous times. At the 11th hour, the difficult decision was made not to continue with the 2020 competition.

“The safest thing for everyone involved was to postpone it, unfortunately,” says John Moorhead, AHA competition manager, who adds most people understood the circumstances…