Inquisition Update: The 17th Annual Austin Zealots Inquisition has been postponed. Due to circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be holding the competition this year. Instead we will be resuming in 2021. This is due to an abundance of caution as we do not want to put our judges or hosting center in jeopardy.
UPDATE: we are on hiatus for the time being. Please look for messages on Facebook and in our yahoo email group for Virtual Happy Hours that we have each Thursday from 6-8:30 p.m.
The MARCH MEETING will be SAT., MAR. 14 at Blue Owl Brewing from 4-6 p.m. Address: 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St #300, Austin, TX 78702. Style of the month is Scottish and Irish Ales. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
1st Runner up was Bradley Janowski with Boris the Lager!2nd Runner up was Wes and Nancy Sampson with Weiss Bock from Hell!
CONGRATS to RONNIE LAWSON for winning the 2017 Sam Adams LONGSHOT competition!!
THE AUSTIN ZEALOTS HAVE WON THE LONE STAR CIRCUIT TROPHY FOR 2016!!!!!
And Ricardo Fritzsche won homebrewer of the year on the Lone Star Circuit!! Congrats! Mark Schoppe finished second!! Kerry Martin finished 7th and Ronnie Lawson finished 15th!! Congrats on an amazing effort in 2016! Corey & Angela Martin finished 4th in the team competition!
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The 13th Annual Austin ZEALOTS Homebrew Inquisition (2016) results are in !
Best of Show, Ricardo Fritzsche, Austin ZEALOTS, Balanced Beers, "Ric's Pale Rider"
1st runner up, Mark Schoppe, Austin ZEALOTS, Meads & Ciders, "Mark's Semi-Sweet Hydromel"
2nd runner up, Dan Ironside, Austin ZEALOTS, Open Category, "Imperial Smoked Porter"
See all the results on the bottom of the Inquisition page, or click RESULTS.
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Chris Colby has also written a homebrewing book!!! "Home Brew Recipe Bible" LINK TO PURCHASE "Chris Colby from Beer & Wine Journal serves as the brewmaster for this collection of 100 recipes for home brewing! Chris’ Vienna Lager won silver in the 2004 National Homebrew Competition, as well as a Best of Show in 2004 and several lesser ribbons from his contest days. Here, he’ll show you how to take the freshest ingredients and create a lot of different and fantastic beers to choose from." Beer and Wine Journal
Dan Ironside (Austin ZEALOTS member) has written "Idiot's Guide: Homebrewing". Purchase a copy now or download on your device. LINK TO PURCHASE "Idiot's Guides: Homebrewing breaks the brewing process down step-by-step and helps you understand how to minimize the risk of a bad batch, maximize your success, and foster the passion and pride that every homebrewer experiences when they brew the perfect beer. The author teaches readers the fundamentals -- from home brewery setup and equipment sanitization, to the proper techniques for nearly any style of beer, to bottling and aging their brews. You will learn how to select ingredients, taste beer the right way, and experiment from over 60 recipes ranging from German lagers to IPAs." Dan's Apartment Homebrewer Blog
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NEWS FLASH: MARK SCHOPPE WINS the 2015 NINKASI AWARD for earning the most points in the National Homebrew Competition! Congratulations to Mark! What an effort! He was the Ninkasi winner in 2012 as well!
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The Austin ZEALOTS is a loose group of members that have a common
interest in brewing and/or drinking great beer. "ZEALOTS" stands for Zymurgic Enthusiasts of Austin Loosely Organized Through Suds. The
club has been around since about 1990 and was started by some of
Austin's homebrewers, the owners of Live Oak Brewing Co., the early
owners of Austin Homebrew Supply, and employees at Celis Brewery. There
is a weekly roaming happy hour at the various breweries in and around
Austin (sign up for the forum, the yahoo email group for details or check Facebook). No dues or
office of the CEO exist. However, we do have pseudo officials: Primary
Fermenter, Secondary Fermenter and Conditioning Tank(s), just for
grins. Monthly meetings are the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of the month at a location
and time announced here, on the email group, and on Facebook.
Our meetings usually consist of about 40 or more people who share their
creations (bring a tasting glass please). We have a style of the month,
but if you have homebrew that isn't in that style, bring it on! If you
don't have any homebrew handy, feel free to bring a commercial example
of the style of the month that you enjoy. Bear in mind that to give each
person a sample, you will need to bring at least 2 twelve
ounce bottles. Each year we host a Homebrew Competition called the
Inquisition. It is certified and sanctioned by no one. It is unique in
that judging is not to determine if you can emulate a particular classic
style, but can you make quality beer. In 2012, the ZEALOTS finished 3rd in the AHA's National Homebrew Conference and Mark Schoppe finished in first place overall and became the Ninkasi Award winner (plus he won the Ninkasi in 2015!)! The ZEALOTS won the Lone Star Circuit Trophy in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 & 2016!