Homebrew Con, the American Homebrewers Association’s (AHA) annual gathering of homebrewers, is on hiatus.
The AHA is “taking a break” to “reimagine the event” in a way that will “honor traditions, keep expenses affordable and come back to the roots of the AHA,” according to a post on the Brewers Association’s (BA) website.
In place of Homebrew Con, the AHA and BA plan to include homebrewers in festivities at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver, Colorado.
GABF will be held October 10-12. On Thursday, October 10, the winners of the National Homebrew Competition (NHC) will be announced. The following day, AHA members have the option to attend educational seminars, including Club Officer Bootcamp and beer judge certification exams.
The GABF floor will also include an AHA members-only area, “Homebrew HQ.” The exclusive area will offer tastings of 2024 Pro-Am beers – collaborations from homebrewers and professional brewers – homebrews from “Homebrew Rockstars,” live homebrewing demonstrations, a homebrew marketplace, lessons on “how to taste beer like a pro,” and more.
“The Great American Beer Festival was introduced by the AHA in 1982 and will be a central part of the 2024 gathering, highlighting the ongoing contributions of AHA members to the world of beer,” the AHA wrote.
AHA members will have to purchase a GABF ticket and show their AHA membership card to access Homebrew HQ and the NHC awards ceremony. They’ll also have access to “exclusive headline speakers” before GABF sessions start (pre-registration and a GABF ticket required) and a AHA member gathering (time and date to be determined).
Certain aspects of Homebrew Con will not continue for the revised GABF version of the event, including the Homebrew Expo, as well as AHA swag bags or commemorative beers, according to a FAQ on the AHA page announcing the hiatus.
Homebrew Con typically took place in June in a different city each year. Recent host cities include San Diego, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Portland, Oregon; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Tickets to last year’s conference in San Diego started at $50 for a single-day workshop and went up to $309 for a three-day, all-access pass to the event’s education seminars and social events.
Adjacent to Homebrew Con 2023, the BA had planned Full Pour, a business-centric meet up for industry members. The event was slated to take place the day before Homebrew Con at the same venue, but the organization canceled it.
The BA’s largest revenue source is derived from events such as GABF, the Craft Brewers Conference and Homebrew Con. The BA’s annual report, published this week, revealed that the trade organization’s revenue from events declined -2%, to $13,886,191, in 2023. The BA’s overall revenue declined -2% YoY, to $22,914,025.
The BA was able to offset revenue declines with savings in some expense categories, such event operations, which declined -7%, to $5,276,878.
In 2022, the BA canceled SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, then one of the organization’s four signature annual events. The cancellation was “due to a variety of factors, including rising operational costs,” a BA spokesperson told Brewbound at the time.