May the fourth be with you

April 4, 2024

On May 4, homebrewers around the world will get together to celebrate Big Brew 2024. Big Brew is an annual celebration on the first Saturday of May that commemorates National Homebrew Day. It encourages beer enthusiasts and homebrewers from all walks of life to get together and make a batch (or two or three) of beer.

Big Brew honors the day, back in 1988, when May 7 was announced before Congress as National Homebrew Day. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) then created Big Brew as an annual event to celebrate National Homebrew Day

May the Fourth 2024

Return of the Jedi Pale Ale (American Homebrewers Association photo) for Big Brew — *Return of the Jedi Pale Ale (AHA Photo)*

Each year, AHA selects a group of beer recipes as suggestions for brewing. With this year’s Big Brew falling on May the Fourth, AHA shares five official Big Brew 2024 homebrew recipes inspired by Star Wars.

This year’s featured beer recipes include:

Degobah Dunkel, 5.6% ABV
Jabba Juice Hazy IPA, 6.5% ABV
Return of the Jedi Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV
The Empire Strikes Back Dark Ale, 5.5% ABV
A New Hope Pale Ale, 4.8% ABV

Check out this year’s recipes at this link (download printable versions) and join in the Big Brew 2024 celebration.

Big Brew with your buds

Check with your local homebrew club or organize your own homebrew party. The following West Virginia homebrew clubs have Facebook pages making it easy to check them out.

Wheeling Alers