Iron Brewer is really a category of events - not just one specific event.  Essentially - Iron Brewer competitions are challenges to club members.  These challenges are designed to challenge club members' brewing techniques and creativity.  They all have some common elements:

• Recipes or ingredients are specified (or maybe both).
• Something is a surprise.  This could be a special ingredient, the whole list of ingredients or some other element of the competition.
• There is always a twist (sometimes wickedly twisted).

Here are a few examples of Iron Brewer competitions:

Iron Brewer I  (Roxanne's Evil Iron Brewer)

• Participants must register and commit to a yeast BEFORE knowing anything about the grain bill or special ingredients.  OK - this is the evil part!
• The basic grain bill in revealed.   Participants are allowed to buy their own grain within the specifications.   ALL grain specified MUST be used, and no additional grain can be added.  Hops and water treatment are brewer's choice.  the selected yeast MUST be used!
  • Participants are allowed to modify their ingredients as long as they start with the correct ingredients.
  • Sugar additions beyond the specified grain bill are allowed ONLY for bottle carbonation purposes.
• A special ingredient is chosen or revealed.  Select 5-6 potential special ingredients, select the quantity of that item, write the item name on folded paper and put into a jar.  Get club volunteers to pull out the special ingredients one at a time.  The LAST item out is the one that everyone has to use.  This adds to the suspense and lets everyone know what might have been!  Again- ALL the special ingredient must be used.  Waving it over the brew kettle does NOT count as using the ingredient - but it can be used anywhere in the brewing process.
  • Examples of special ingredients that were included as possibilities:  Mustard Seed, Cinnamon Stick, Molasses, Chai Tea, Juniper Berries, Fresh Ginger Root, Dried Dates, Raspberry Jam.
• Participants have several months to brew the beer (judging date is set before the challenge is issued).  Participants can brew more than one batch or variation.  They must specify a base category for the beer (participants should NOT default to experimental for style!).
• Participants can brew any batch size with the specified ingredients!
• Judging is conducted at the specified time (usually a club meeting).  Judges should allow for the special ingredient while judging.
• An example of the instruction sheet for this version of Iron Brewer is attached.

Iron Brewer II  (Dave's Iron Brewer)

• To be added - in this version - brewing teams come to a central location, get their ingredients and instructions, and must brew on-site that day.

Iron Brewer III (Bill's Iron Brewer)

• To be added - in this version - two clubs help each other out with the recipe and judging portion of the competition.

Iron Brewer Lite (aka Fixed Recipe Contest)

• A club member picks a style and develops a recipe for that style.
  • Ideally - work with your local homebrew shop to create a competition "kit" that members can buy.
  • Do an extract kit (with some grain), all grain kit, or both - depending upon the experience level in your club.  To encourage people to move up to all grain, allow them to enter both an extract and all grain version.
  • Participating club members get the kit and brew the beer to the specified style.  Judging date is set when the competition is announced.
  • Judging takes place at the specified meeting.  This competition is essentially a competition of brewing technique - since the ingredients and base style are identical for everyone.
    • Consider judging the all grain and extract versions as separate flights - each with their own prize.  Then - do a Best of Show for the grand winner!