Oregon Homebrewer Gets To 'Brew With Bert'
Bert Grant visits winner to homebrew special batch
April, 1999Homebrewer Michael Maloy, of Lakeside, Oregon, was chosen from 4,049 entrants as the winner of the "Brew A Batch With Bert!" sweepstakes held by Bert Grant's Ales in 1998. As the winner of the contest's Grand Prize, Maloy received not only "the ultimate homebrewing kit" (equipment worth more than $1000), but also a visit from Bert Grant himself for a special session of homebrewing.
Bert traveled to Maloy's home on Saturday, February 13, to help the winner create a beer using the Grand Prize equipment. Maloy was eager to try a recipe that could include a gallon of blackberries which he had picked, and then frozen, at the end of August 1998. With Bert's assistance, he homebrewed a potent Blackberry Honey Wheat Ale (original gravity 1.070). (Needless to say, Bert left behind plenty of his own distinctive Ales as inspiration for Maloy's future brewing endeavors).
Entries for the "Brew A Batch With Bert!" sweepstakes were accepted from March I through August 31, 1998. In addition to the Grand Prize, the contest rewarded consumers with 50 annual memberships in the American Homebrewers Association (worth $33 each) and 25 deluxe homebrewing kits (worth $140 each).
