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Mike started homebrewing in 1983 in Baton Rouge, LA. He subsequently continued brewing when life took him to Grayslake, IL, Lancaster, PA, Vienna, VA, and Raleigh, NC. He was a founding member of the Lancaster County Brewers homebrew club, and later a member of the Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), Wort Hogs, and Cary, Apex, & Raleigh Brewers of Yore (CARBOY) clubs.
He took the BJCP exam in 2000, became certified in 2002, and achieved National rank in 2005. In addition to judging in many regional and national AHA-sponsored competitions since 2000, he has judged in several state-specific competitions for professional breweries (e.g., the Virginia Craft Beer Cup and the Maryland Governor’s Cup).
Marsh Madness by Low Road Brewing is a Fruit and Spice beer and was judged as such (BJCP sub-style 29B). It poured gold and clear into the glass, forming a thick, white, short-lasting head.
At first the aroma featured intense lactic sourness followed by fainter raspberry notes. Not... Read More
Inshore Slam IPA by Coastal Empire Beer Co. is an IPA and was judged as an American IPA (BJCP sub-style 21A). It poured dark gold into the glass where it set up mostly clear with only a slight (chill?) haze and a modest short-lived white head. The aroma featured some caramel malt notes and hops... Read More
Crowd Control Imperial IPA by Southern Prohibition Brewing is an Imperial or Double IPA and was judged as a Double IPA (BJCP sub-style 22A). It poured light orange and clear into the glass, where it formed a thick and lasting white head. Its aroma featured a huge, predominantly citrus hop nose... Read More
Pinwheel by Urban Artifact was described as a “Gose with orange and vanilla bean” and was judged as a Fruit and Spice Beer (BJCP sub-style 29B). In the glass it formed a very temporary thin white head atop a slightly hazy gold-orange brew. The aroma consisted of dominant fresh orange notes... Read More
Richter’s Pilsner by Goat Island Brewing is a Pre-Prohibition Lager and was judged as such (BJCP sub-style 27, Historical Beer -- Pre-Prohibition Lager). It poured mostly clear and pale golden into the glass, forming a modest white head with sustained retention. Its aroma featured light hop... Read More
Pontoon Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake by Pontoon Brewing is a barrel-aged imperial stout and was judged as a specialty wood-aged beer (BJCP 2021 style 33B). Imperial stout is the base style with various additions including chocolate, coconut, pecans and lactose to reproduce the classic... Read More
