Eat Real Announces Canning, Brewing, Fermenting Competitions

Chiot's Run/Flickr

​As part of its celebration of urban homesteading, the Eat Real Festival ― which is taking place August 27-29 in Jack London Square ― has announced a series of county fair-style competitions for amateur brewers, picklers, jammers, and kombucha, um, fermenters.

The competitions aren't just a shot to win bragging rights for your signature mango-marjoram kombucha; they may earn you constructive criticism from the pros. For example, the homebrew competition ― with categories for session beers, hoppy beers, farmhouse beers, strong beers, and taco beers (best beer paired with tacos) ― is being judged by Dave McLean from Magnolia Brewery, as well as nine other writers and brewers.

So start setting aside samples from your best batches of apricot preserves, and calculate the best day to start a new batch of kimchi.

Competition rules and entry forms can be found on the contest section of the Eat Real website. Feel free to decorate as you see fit, though it probably won't have much of an impact on the judges' decisions.

One last piece of advice: Don't make the judges sick.