Seattle’s Tom Schmidlin wins 2006 "Beerdrinker of the Year" Title

(Denver, Colorado) – Tom Schmidlin, a 36-year-old University of Washington graduate student, devout homebrewer and yeast enthusiast, won the 2006 Beerdrinker of the Year title in Denver on Saturday, Feb 25. In a two-hour session packed with difficult beer questions from a panel of seven judges, Schmidlin used an intense knowledge of beer, a quick wit, and some impressive bribes to land the 2006 crown. In addition to winning the coveted Beerdrinker of the Year title, Schmidlin won $250 worth of beer at his local brewpub (Big Time Brewery & Alehouse, in Seattle, Washington) and free beer for life at the Wynkoop Brewing Company. "I’m moving to Denver," Schmidlin joked in his acceptance speech.

Schmidlin held off serious challenges from the other 2006 finalists, Diane Catanzaro, (a Norfolk, Virginia homebrewer, beer judge and professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Christopher Newport University) and Warren Monteiro (a New York City playwright, script writer and devout beer hunter/educator). Schmidlin, Catanzaro and Monteiro faced a barrage of heady questions about their beerdrinking philosophies and the deep details on beer and its various styles, history, origins and more.

Schmidlin gained points in the "bribing of the judges" segment of the finals. A self-proclaimed "yeast dork," he provided the judges with samples of a yeast strain he isolated and cultivated from a bottle of Rogue Chocolate Stout. (A former mechanical engineer and computer programmer, Schmidlin has returned to college to study yeast and pursue a doctorate degree in biochemistry.) He also wooed the judges with a vertical tasting of three vintages of Dogfish Head Brewing’s Worldwide Stout.

In the competition’s beer whispering segment (in which contestants hold a conversation with a beer of their choice) Schmidlin drew big laughs from the judges and the audience with his conversation with a can of Milwaukee’s Best. "I haven’t seen you in 15 years," Schmidlin said to the beer, which he and his fraternity brothers bought by the pallet years ago. "No, it’s not you, it’s me," Schmidlin said to the beer, explaining his reasons for not drinking "The Beast" in so long. "I’m different now, my tastes have changed."

His closing statement included a spoof of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It lamented prohibition’s negative effects on America’s brewing culture, and celebrated the craft beer industry’s revival of American brewing. "This is a tough competition and it’s intimidating," Schmidlin said after winning his title. "But it’s also a lot of fun and a big honor for me to win it."

The resume review panel for the 2006 Beerdrinker of the Year search was comprised of the nation’s top beer writers and beer experts, and previous Beerdrinker of the Year winners. The judges for the 2006 finals were Don Russell ("Joe Sixpack" beer columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and host of "Joe Sixpack’s Happy Hour" radio show), Bill Metzger (publisher of the Brewing News newspapers) and Chris Black (proprietor of Denver’s Falling Rock Taphouse). The other judges were previous Beerdrinker of the Year winners John Marioni (2004), Gary Steinel (2002) and Ray McCoy (2003), and Charlie Dathern, a Buffalo, New York beer enthusiast and winner of the Brewing News’ "Be a Beerdrinker of the Year Judge" contest.

The 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year search is now underway, entrants can send their beer resumes (in Word) to jamien@wynkoop.com. Resumes must not exceed three pages and must be printed in 12-point text. (Get complete details at www.wynkoop.com .) The 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year finals are tentatively set for February 24, 2007, at Wynkoop Brewing Company. For interviews with this year’s Beerdrinker of the Year winner and more information, contact Marty Jones at 303-860-7448 or martysjones@att.net. For more details on the Beerdrinker of the Year search and the Wynkoop Brewing Company, visit www.wynkoop.com.