For the inaugural Hop Culture x Samuel Adams Queer Beer Festival, we’re seeking a talented individual to design some art. We want you to decide what it looks like to be a powerful queer person participating in the craft beer industry or culture. Is it a special beer brewed for Pride? Is it people coming together to brew a beer? Or, is it just a colorful expression of drinking? It can be a design, illustration, or even an inspiring poem. For the Hop Culture x Samuel Adams Pour Out Your Pride Design Contest show us your best stuff to help us celebrate a resounding, yet often unrepresented community in craft beer*.

From the submissions, the Hop Culture and Samuel Adams teams will choose five semi-finalist winners to have their design featured on 100 limited-edition prints. And, one grand prize winner will additionally have their design featured on 300 limited-edition, exclusive YETI Colsters generously donated by YETI. Known for their coolers built for the wild, YETI is also active in supporting a more inclusive and equitable industry. Both the posters and Colsters will be sold to the public with all proceeds donated to GLAAD, an organization rewriting the script for LGBTQ acceptance and tackling tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue.

Additionally, the final winner will be featured on Hop Culture’s Instagram (@hopculturemag) and profiled in an exclusive editorial piece on HopCulture.com.

The Story Behind Hop Culture’s Queer Beer Festival

The Hop Culture x Samuel Adams Queer Beer Festival is an evolution of Hop Culture’s women in craft beer festival: Beers With(out) Beards. In 2018, Hop Culture’s Head of Partnerships Grace Weitz launched the festival as a part of her graduate school thesis capstone project at NYU. Over the last three years, this revolutionary festival has attracted over 3,000 attendees and 50 women-led breweries. In the same period, the event has featured 30 events aimed at celebrating the achievements of women across all aspects of the alcoholic beverage industries.

Building on the success of BW(O)B, Weitz — who identifies as queer — conceptualized Queer Beer as a way to celebrate the unique, vibrant, diverse, thriving, and often underserved queer community in beer. Additionally, Weitz wanted to showcase LGBTQ+ drinkmakers and tastemakers, express stories of empowerment from top queer-owned breweries or breweries actively supporting the queer community, and build a stronger culture of inclusivity in the beer industry.

Samuel Adams and Hop Culture Collaborate on the Pour Out Your Pride Design Contest

Samuel Adams is not only one of the world’s leading independent craft breweries, but also a long-time and passionate supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Because of this, they made the perfect partner for Hop Culture’s new event. An inclusive network of Samuel Adams and Boston Beer Company coworkers, aptly named Labels Out, recognized the importance of the festival as part of their ongoing mission to support and encourage their peers as members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2020, Samuel Adams announced its partnership with GLAAD, including a $100,000 donation to the organization committed to rewriting the script for LGBTQ+ acceptance in addition to a commitment to education and training for coworkers. The brewery launched Love Conquers All, a Pride platform created in partnership with GLAAD, inspired by Love Conquers Ale, a Blackberry Basil Lime Gose limited release brewed by and for the LGBTQ+ community. To introduce Love Conquers All, Samuel Adams created a powerful video series called Poetry of Pride, to illustrate the power of poetry as a medium and expression designed to unite communities and amplify voices. Filmed inside the historic Stonewall inn, the series featured original poetry written by Teddy Geiger and Richard Blanco, recited by notable Broadway members of the LGBTQ+ community.

All in all, Samuel Adams has made huge strides to support the queer community, and Hop Culture is honored to partner with this revolutionary brewery as the presenting sponsor for its Queer Beer Festival.

So, what does the Hop Culture x Samuel Adams Pour Out Your Pride contest look like? Here’s what you need to know.

What is Hop Culture x Samuel Adams’ Pour Out Your Pride Contest?

The Hop Culture x Samuel Adams’ Pour Out Your Pride Contest is a competition asking people to submit a design, illustration, drawing, or poem that represents what it means to them to be a powerful queer person in craft beer.

Who Can Enter?

This Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or DC, age 18 or older.

Although Hop Culture is more than happy to take submissions from anyone, we respectfully ask for understanding around the idea that only those who identify as queer will be eligible to win. LGBTQ+ allies and friends are an incredibly important part of our community, but our goals for this contest are to amplify queer voices and provide a platform for a marginalized community.

How Do I Enter?

To submit your design, simply post it on Instagram with the hashtag #pouroutyourpride and #contest. Then follow @samueladamsbeer and @hopculturemag to see the winners. The five-semi finalists will be announced on April 5th, 2020. The final winner will be announced on April 19th, 2021, at which point we’ll be in contact for the art files. And that’s it!

How Long Will the Pout Out Your Pride Contest Run?

March 15th to March 31st at 11:59 PM EST – First round entries will be accepted. From there, a representative panel from Hop Culture and Samuel Adams will choose five semi-finalists.

April 5th – The five semi-finalists will be announced via Hop Culture’s Instagram page (@hopculturemag). Each of the five semi-finalists will be contacted through Instagram and sent an additional questionnaire and art release.

April 14th – Semi-finalist questionnaire due.

April 19th – Hop Culture and Samuel Adams will announce the final winner.

May TBD – The posters with the winning designs from all semi-finalists will go on sale with all proceeds donated to GLAAD!

May TBD – The YETI Colsters with the final winning design will go on sale with all proceeds donated to GLAAD!

What Do I Win?

Five semi-finalists will have their submissions displayed on Hop Culture’s Instagram (@hopculturemag) and printed on 100 limited-edition 18×24 posters that will be sold online. All proceeds from the sales of these posters will be donated to GLAAD, an organization rewriting the script for LGBTQ acceptance and tackling tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue.

And, one lucky finalist will additionally have their winning design showcased on 300 exclusive limited-edition YETI Colsters (generously donated by YETI) that will be sold to the public prior to the festival. All of the proceeds from the Colsters will also be donated to GLAAD. Additionally, the final winner will be featured on Hop Culture’s Instagram (@hopculturemag) and profiled in an exclusive editorial piece on HopCulture.com.

Are There Any Rules on My Pour Out Your Pride Submission?

In order to meet the specifications of the YETI Colster, please note that the final winning design will be printed in a single color. We still encourage you to submit a full-color design because all five semi-finalist designs will be printed in color. However, please know that while we can represent the integrity of your design in full color on social media and on the semi-finalist winning posters, we will only be able to print on the Colster in a single color.

Who Chooses the Pour Out Your Pride Semi-Finalists and the Final Winner?

Winners will be chosen by a representative panel from Hop Culture and Samuel Adams.

What if I Have a Question That Wasn’t Answered?

Didn’t see an answer to your question here? Please direct any additional questions to Grace Weitz at [email protected]

I love Autumn. I think most people from this part of the country really appreciate this part of the year. I mean, what’s not to love? Everything turns beautiful, the air smells better, you get to wear comfortable clothes combinations (sweatshirt and shorts, anyone?), and perhaps most importantly you get to drink all the amazing seasonal beers that hit the shelves. One of the most flavorful, intriguing, and often misunderstood styles that pops up this time of year is the Pumpkin Ale. To some, the idea of a pumpkin-flavored beer is a complete turn off. To others (like me), we mark our calendars for pumpkin beer season.

A Brief History

At first, it may sound like a pretty odd concept; of all the ingredients out there, why are so many beers made with pumpkin? Believe it or not, pumpkin in beer in America has a very long history. Back in “the day”, it was hard to find malted barley which is generally the most common grain used in today’s beer. Pumpkin, on the other hand, was in abundance and pretty easy to grow. They found out that they could swap out a lot of the barley with things like pumpkin, molasses, sweet potatoes, and squash to produce the sugars needed to make beer. Let’s face it, beers made with crazy ingredients is better than no beer at all – especially considering beer was actually safer to drink than the water at the time. These beers were designed to extract sugar (and therefore alcohol) from pumpkin rather than flavor, so as time went on and malted barley was easier to come by pumpkin was used less and less. Today’s pumpkin beers bear very little resemblance to the more rustic colonial pumpkin beers in that they focus more on pumpkin pie and spice flavors. Many of today’s pumpkin ales are described as “pumpkin pie in a glass”. Mmmm, thirsty yet?

Commercial Examples

There’s a lot of pumpkin beers out there right now. In fact, it seems like every craft brewer out there has a seasonal pumpkin ale nowadays. To be perfectly frank, most pumpkin beers are somewhere between “blech” and “meh”, so how do you know a good one from a bad one? Here’s a few recommendations I have for a starting point to the world of pumpkin beers:

Southern Tier – Pumking

Very few beers have a reputation like Pumking. Some love it, some hate it. It is, however, one of the top rated pumpkin beers according to both Beer Advocate and Rate Beer. This beer is a unique experience from the moment you pop off the cap as it fills the room with the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pie. The taste is the closest thing you will find outside of NASA to being able to drink pumpkin pie – right down to the crust and whipped cream topping. It’s completely over-the-top and unapologetic in it’s huge flavor. Keep an open mind when trying this beer (don’t think beer, think pumpkin pie), and you will be rewarded with a truly unique experience. At 8.6% ABV, you might want to split this beer with two or three friends. Fans of this beer, keep your eyes peeled for the Oak Aged version.

Rivertown Brewing – Pumpkin Ale

This beer only clocks in at 5% ABV, but it feels like a big dessert beer. The thing that separates this beer from other pumpkin ales is the huge amount of sweet vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors and aromas. Even with all of this complexity, this beer drinks very easily. Plus, it’s brewed right here in Ohio!

Dogfish Head – Punkin’

This beer may be one of the most popular pumpkin ales on the market, and for good reason. While other pumpkin beers are sometimes on the extreme side of things, Punkin’ actually tastes like beer. A full-bodied beer with a lot of spice character, but beer nonetheless. Nutmeg and brown sugar shine through, yet the beer is remarkably far from being too sweet.

The brewery recommends pairing this beer with turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings, and sharp cheddar – in other words, grab a 4-pack while you can (it sells out fast!) and save it until Thanksgiving. You’ll be rewarded with a beer that drinks well during dinner and dessert.

The Bruery – Autumn Maple

Ok, so this beer isn’t technically a pumpkin beer since the brewery uses yams instead of pumpkin, but bear with me here! This beer is extremely complex, and at 10.5% it’s the biggest beer in this list. This beer is great for those who enjoy Belgian-style ales. The beer has notes of dark fruits, spices, buttered yams, pecans, and oddly enough pumpkin! The beer features cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup. The Belgian yeast strain adds notes of clove and coriander (neither of which are actually in the beer). A word of caution – this beer almost demands to be shared. Even as tasty as it is, it can be a daunting challenge to finish a bottle to yourself.

Sam Adams – Fat Jack

This is the first year that Fat Jack has been released, and I would be more than happy to see this beer come around every year. Perhaps the least “pumpkiny” beer on this list, Fat Jack showcases deep flavors of roasty malt, brown sugar, caramel, light cinnamon and nutmeg, noble hops, and just a hint of smoke. This one is definitely on the sweet side of things, but it would also be a fine accompaniment to savory fall dishes like buttery squash. The large format bottle and higher alcohol content (8.6% ABV) make this beer a great candidate for sharing.

So there you have it, pumpkin beers! Pumpkin brews sort of have a cult following among beer geeks. They aren’t for everyone, but if you have never had a pumpkin beer then give them a shot. Remember, it’s not important that you like every beer you try. What’s most important is the willingness to try new beers.

samuel adams