Sunday morning in Bamberg coming down
Tom Wallbank might have a move to thank for finishing first Saturday in the second annual Upland Brewing Co. UpCup homebrew competition.
A long process of settling into a new home over the winter meant Wallbank still had a few bottles left from a batch he made last fall using malted barley that had been smoked over wood flames by members of the Foam Blowers of Indiana homebrew club.
Wallbank said it was the first time he had attempted a German-style Rauchbier, or smoked beer, that he patterned after the classic example of that style, Schlenkerla Marzen, of Bamberg, Germany. In fact, Wallbank called his winning entry “Sunday morning in Bamberg.”
A project manager for Eli Lily in Indianapolis, Wallbank has been brewing beer for 15 years. For that, he credits his wife, who purchased a beermaking kit for him when they were dating.
“She created the monster,” he said.
Wallbank’s beer was one of 60 entries in this year’s UpCup competition, which was sanctioned by the American Homebrewing Association and the Beer Judge Certification Program. As the top beer selected by a panel of 16 judges, Wallbank’s recipe will be brewed by the Bloomington brewery and entered in the pro-am category at the Great American Beer Fest, the premiere beer-tasting event in the United States.
Wallbank said he has never attended the festival, held each September in Denver, Colo. Last year’s UpCup winner, Ken Smith, of Plainfield, Ill., said having your own beer at such a prestigious event is special.
“It was a lot of fun to have a beer there and to talk to other homebrewers who had beers there; it made you feel a part of the show” said Smith, a computer software developer, who entered a Weizenbock — a strong, dark wheat beer — in this year’s UpCup competition.
Caleb Staton, Upland’s head brewer, said the judges were instructed to pick the best beer of those submitted, irregardless of ingredients, commercial potential or difficulty of brewing. He said a few entries came from out of state, including one from Arizona, but most originated in Indiana. Last year, the first year for the homebrewing contest, there were 38 entries.
Doug Dayhoff, Upland’s president, said the Bloomington craft brewery feels a kinship with homebrewers.
“These are our brethern in appreciating better beers,” he said. “Anything we can do to support the people who love craft beer, we’re going to do that.”
Saturday was a good day for the Indianapolis homebrewing club, which swept the top three places in the contest. Besides Wallbank’s prize, the Foam Blowers of Indiana claimed second place with Brian Steurwald’s Russian Imperial Stout and third place with Andrew Korty’s Belgian blond.
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