Havana Hideout Brew-Off Results

Havana Hideout's Chrissy Benoit

​A trio of West Palm Beach hopheads planning to turn pro as High Noon Brewing were the big winners in last Saturday's Spring 2011 Brew-Off at Chrissy Benoit's tiki-delic Havana Hideout. 

Keith Spencer, Patrick Urrutia, and Doug Gamester, whose Marxist leanings are more Groucho than Karl, endeared themselves to the Beer Party, if not the Tea Party, with their rich, inky Kinder Gentler Imperialist Stout, which earned the judges' vote for best beer of the fourth biannual brew-off.  

Along with the all-important bragging rights, their win gets them a professional brewing session donated by the folks at Boca's Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery. 


Cleaning up in the popular vote category was Island Hoppin' Ale, which earned brewmeister Craig McBay a five-gallon brewing kit from AJ's Beer City. McBay's booth at the suds fest, which attracted more than a dozen local amateur brewers, also took top honors -- a $50 gift certificate at the Hideout, so he can wash down more of those killer fish tacos.  

Space restrictions forced Benoit to limit attendance to 100 people; she said almost that many were turned away, though they'll get first crack at this year's Winter Brew-Off in October. Given the popularity of the event, she's hoping to partner with a local beer vendor to hold it in a bigger location in Lake Worth while still keeping it low-key and dirt-cheap. 

After all, she said, "It's all about people who are passionate about making beer."

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