The New England Home Brewers Jamboree
History

Starting back in early 1996 a few homebrewers were sitting around a campfire with a vision to start up a homebrewing competition, locally, where the brewers from the area could come and spend a day sampling the various varieties and flavours of a hand crafted beverage. Founders Steve Ainsworth, then owner of Fermentation Station in Meredith (still with the Jamboree), Dave Page of Ashland’s Brewer’s Market, and brewers Steve Devoid and Dave Hrdlicka then toasted to start putting together this event. It was first held at Davidson’s Countryside Campground in New Hampton, NH with great success. The event had been deemed to be non-profit, with all monies collected to go back into a ‘kitty’ to help make future jamborees more successful.

Then named “The New Hampshire Homebrewer’s Jamboree”, it grew in size after a few years, and then had to be relocated to the venue it now occupies: Branch Brook Campground, Rte 49, Campton, NH.

Time went on and the Jamboree grew even more. Eventually the organizers had enough money to start buying medals for the winners and trinkets for the kids for prizes. Sack races, kids games and a horseshoe tournament were also added. They were able to build makeshift tents for the sampling of the competition entries. The campground was gracious enough to lend them spare picnic table to sit on under the tents, which are still used today. They felt that they were able to start sharing some of the proceeds with a charity, and chose the “Make a Wish Foundation” to donate to (which still benefits from the Jamboree’s success).

Other brew clubs and organizations started raising an eyebrow to this event. The organizers welcomed them to participate. What originally started with four people sitting around a campfire was turning into a multi-state event, a destination for what the best brewers the New England area had to offer every Saturday after Labor Day. Currently we have at least six brew clubs working the Jamboree and enjoy 120+ entries in the competition, consisting of beer, wine, cider, mead and other specialty beverages. In 2006, when celebrating its’ tenth anniversary, the event was renamed “The New England Homebrewer’s Jamboree.

Brew Clubs sponsoring this event are the Southern Main Homebrewers, the Winnipesaukee Area Brew Crew & Concord Area Homebrewers. Area homebrew shops include Fermentation Station in Meredith & Shapleigh Hops and Craft Brewing in Shapleigh Maine. Special mention and kudos for help go to MASH, Green Mountain Mashers, Harpoon & Will Gilson at Moat Mountain and Brew Free or Die  to mention just a few. A complete list will be available at the Jamboree.