Does the phrase “craft homebrew club” fill your head with preconceived notions of “beer snobs” who spend hours studying and critiquing their concoctions with each swirl and sip, one-upping each other with talks of their latest brewing equipment purchase? Then you’ve clearly never been to one – or at least, not to one like the Dallas Homebrew Collective.

While bemoaning the lack of homebrew clubs within Dallas city limits last May during Brew Riot (one of the city’s only homebrew-friendly festivals), avid homebrewers Harrison Blum, Chad Roberts, and Anthony O’Dougherty came up with a plan of action. They wanted to start something different – an innovative homebrew club to encourage the industry’s younger members that would reflect the evolving climate of craft beer in Dallas.

“We really enjoyed Brew Riot, but at the same time, I wanted to get connected with guys like that in my own area,” Chad explained. “When people come into homebrewing, stress can overwhelm them because they think everything is so critical. It takes away from the joy of what this hobby is all about – that you never know what you’re going to get. We have a range of people, from those who are new to brewing to seasoned homebrewers – and everyone really takes passion in it.” 

I recently had the opportunity to get a real sense of what goes down in one of these “meetings” as a guest at their second gathering at local, award-winning Peticolas Brewing Company. After sampling 13 different brews and listening to brewer Michael Peticolas pass along some tricks of the trade, I could see there was nothing pretentious or stuffy about this fun-loving group of beer geeks. As member Ben Smithson noted in his blog, the group is “a little bit different than the old grumpy homebrewer folks.”

It seems their cheery dispositions are paying off, as every brew I tasted was complex and boldly experimental. From rauchbiers to a cookie & cream stout, you’d be hard-pressed to find such a diverse array of styles at your favorite local drinking hole – let alone have the opportunity to meet and discuss the styles with the creators. This 360-degree appreciation of each beer is a big component of the group’s meetings, where members give each other real feedback (in other words, more than just my typical “yum”) and help suggest ways to improve their concoctions.

What’s even more unique about the club is that members not only taste and talk through their brews, but they also compete every month to see which homebrews of a pre-defined style most accurately meet the guidelines established for that style. Incorrectly assuming that writing about beer equals understanding how to evaluate beer styles, they kindly asked me to step in and rate two styles competing for the win – an American Brown Ale and an Irish Red Ale. Not only did I sample great beer, but I learned something in the process – and that’s exactly what the founders intended.

Learning how to homebrew is the next step in craft beer appreciation – you can’t fully appreciate the labor and love that goes into a single batch unless you actually go through the motions (nor can you judge the end result as critically). Many successful brewers today have at one point in their careers been members of homebrew clubs, and their participation in brewing with like-minded friends is more than likely a major reason they decided to make brewing their full-time commitment. So if you’ve been thinking about joining a homebrew club in your region but have been dragging your feet, stop – you’re missing out on a great experience. And, you never know – you might find your calling.