Mashing-In News: National Homebrew Winners, Gambler 500 IPA
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Monday, June 30, 2025 — Mike Tyson turns 59 today
Washington State Homebrewers Winners in the 2025 National Homebrew Competition
On June 28, 2025, the American Homebrewers Association announced the winners of the world’s largest amateur fermentation contest—the National Homebrew Competition—awarding 120 medals across 40 categories of beer, mead, and cider at Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, where standout brewers from across the globe, including Homebrewer of the Year Wayne Doucette of Minnesota and the Arizona Society of Homebrewers (Club of the Year), were honored for their creativity, craft, and contribution to the growing homebrewing community. Washington State homebrewers made a strong showing in the 2025 National Homebrew Competition Final Round, with Cole Kopca of Seattle earning silver for Pale American Beer, Peter Hand of Issaquah and Thomas Wichert of Mill Creek each taking gold in their respective categories, Jeffrey Orr of Vancouver winning silver for American IPA, Kevin Davis of Buckley claiming silver for Saison, Timothy Leber of Kent and Norm Kwasinski of Everett securing bronze for European Sour Ale, and Shamus O’Leary of Brier taking bronze for Specialty Beer. (Brewers Association)
Migration Announces Gambler 500 IPA Collab
Migration Brewing has teamed up with the Oregon Gambler 500 to release Gambler 500 IPA, a limited-edition West Coast IPA bursting with citrus and tropical hop character, debuting at the adventurous off-road rally and environmental cleanup event this past weekend, in Madras, Oregon—a celebration of bold beer, wild rides, and trash-hauling fun. (The Brewer Magazine)
Beyond the Buzzword: Sierra Nevada Gets Serious About Sustainability
In a time when “sustainability” risks becoming a buzzword, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is walking the walk, releasing its 2025 Hop Forward Impact Report to outline bold goals—like carbon neutrality, eliminating plastic packaging, conserving water, boosting workplace inclusion, and donating $2 million to nonprofits by 2030—while using its independence, industry partnerships, and commitment to transparency to lead by example and help push the entire craft beer sector toward a more sustainable future. (The Manual)
How German Beer Is Changing
Germany’s 500-year-old beer purity tradition is bending under modern pressures as declining domestic consumption, a boom in alcohol-free alternatives, and evolving global trends push brewers to innovate—reviving historic styles, embracing low-calorie no-alcohol beers, and leaning into craft experimentation—all while contending with cyberattacks, labor disputes, and a shifting export landscape that still sees strong international demand for iconic German labels like Augustiner and Erdinger. (The Drinks Business)
Czech Republic Leads Global ‘Beer Diplomacy’ to Teach the World How to Drink Right
For the past six years, the Czech Republic has quietly led a global “beer diplomacy” campaign—inviting brewers from around the world to immerse themselves in centuries-old Czech lager tradition, taproom etiquette, and foam-forward pouring precision, all in a bid to elevate Czech-style beer abroad and remind the world that if you genuinely want to learn how to drink properly, you must first raise a mug in Bohemia. (BBC)
Italian Beer Ice
Yes, it has alcohol—5% ABV, to be exact—and on June 26, Molson Coors and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis dropped the summer bombshell: Peroni Italian Beer Ice, a crisp, boozy spin on classic Italian ice that blends Peroni’s signature flavor with Giada’s sunny culinary flair, set to debut with free samples and a personal appearance from Giada herself at Baby Luc’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn on July 1—just in time for the nation’s heatwave. (American Craft Beer)
LINK: Peasks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
