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Queen of Beer

We pleased to announce Katherine Gooding, winner of this year’s Queen of Beer Competition not only took the Best of Show with her Ubelicious Lager (31A), but also was awarded the Siebel Institute’s World Beer Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology for the January 2020 enrollment.

Queen of Beer, launched in 1994, teamed up with both the Pink Boots Society and Drake’s Brewing for the competition December 14^th, 2019. Pink Boots is an internationally known nonprofit organization that supports and encourages women in the professional brewing industry. Drake’s Brewing of San Leandro, CA, offered the winner of the Queen of Beer Competition the opportunity to brew their beer with Drake’s for the ProAm at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival.

How and when did you decide to start brewing?

My brewing story started about 10 years ago when my partner and I bought a full kit from a colleague who was getting out of the hobby. Over time I learned that I want to make clean, exceptional examples of classic German and American styles; kolsch, fest bier, and helles lager are my favorites.

How did it feel to win Queen of Beer?

It was so cool to be there for the announcement! The event was so well run and the company of so many amazing beer women was really special. I was really proud to have two beers on the Best of Show table, let alone finish 1st and 3rd! The winning beer was inspired by my friend Norresa; she wanted a beer made with Ube to pay homage to her Filipino heritage and family tradition.

About being awarded the Siebel Concise course?

I feel so lucky to have this opportunity as a homebrewer. There is a lot of lore and myth in the homebrewing community; I want to understand the theory and science behind the beer. I do know life is better with good beer! It is really convenient to have access to the Concise platform from anywhere with internet access. Even better is the access to the course tutors and other students for questions and clarifications.

What is your favorite beer style?

Helles Lager or Fest Bier