Homebrewers from around the world gather in Mpls. to compete, and trade notes

Thousands are expected to attend a national homebrewing convention in Minneapolis beginning Thursday.

The American Homebrewers Association is hosting Homebrew Con, a three-day convention where homebrewers and beer-enthusiasts meet to expand their brewing skills and compete — all in good spirits.

Homebrewers can submit samples of their work and get feedback. A smaller number will be recognized as having created the best homebrewed beer in the world.

Gary Glass, the director of the homebrewer association, said they're expecting around 3,000 attendees, double the number that participated in the last Minnesota conference seven years ago.

While most homebrewers will be from the U.S., some will come from countries such as Chile, Australia and Ireland.

"The Twin Cities are definitely a hot spot for homebrewing," Glass said. "Two of the most active homebrew clubs in the country, the St. Paul Homebrewers [Club] and the Minnesota Home Brewers Association, are in the Twin Cities."

Minnesota has nearly 30 homebrewing clubs and organizations, according to MNBeer.com. AHA says 23 percent of all homebrewing takes place in the Midwest.

Keynote speaker, Omar Ansari, also has Minnesota roots. He founded Surly Brewing, a craft brewery with facilities in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center.

"He's a natural fit," Glass said. "[Ansari] started out as a homebrewer and now has one of the most successful breweries in the state of Minnesota, and a brewery that's gained recognition worldwide."

Glass said anyone who can cook can brew beer or cider at home, especially those with the patience to wait for the fermentation process to work.

"It's actually quite approachable for just about anybody," he said.

Jessica Haverly of St. Paul has been homebrewing for almost six years.

"My favorite part is probably the do-it-yourself aspect of it. I really enjoy trying to make things from scratch and then putting my own personal thumbprint — twist — on it," she said. "I have other hobbies that are like gardening and everything else like that, but the fact that you're making an alcoholic beverage, that's also kind of cool."

Haverly will attend the Homebrew Convention for the first time this year, and she's looking forward to learning and expanding her craft.

"We have some people that are mead makers of the year, cider makers of the year from past years, and they are just going to give us all of their insights," she said. "I'm really just looking forward to learning from them."

Glass hopes attendees will regard it as "the best experience since they became homebrewers."

"That's typically the response we get," he said. "The camaraderie of the homebrewing community that gets together at this event is just amazing."