Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers
About Us
KGoB, the Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers established in 2006, is proudly affiliated with the Kuhnhenn Brewing Company and is registered with the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). The club was established to help support the hobbies of homebrewing, mead, wine and hard cider making. The goal of the KGoB is to grow the hobby of homebrewing by means of education and demonstrations. KGoB hosts monthly meetings the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Kuhnhenn Brewing Warren location.
During these meetings we discuss upcoming events, educate members on various beer styles and sample each other’s homebrew, mead, and cider. No commercial beer is allowed. Members are always happy to give feedback and
help each other troubleshoot problems, identify off flavors, or streamline processes. You will get perspectives on different ways to brew great beer, mead and cider while also getting exposure to innovative ideas.
Occasionally meetings include a technical presentation on processes, methods, ingredients, techniques, or style discussions, on BJCP recognized styles, presented by KGoB’s members. Several topics are discussed from fermentation techniques to the latest popular hops, to highlighting beer styles and more. We even have special meetings where we pair homebrew with cheese and chocolate.
Awards and Accolades
- National Homebrew Competition award winning members
- Homebrew Club of the Year (2010-2017 Michigan Homebrew Festival)
- Homebrew Club of the Year (2024 Michigan Homebrew Festival)
- Numerous judges for beer, mead, and cider
- Professional brewers and mead makers who are current and former members
Annual Events
Beer is known as a social drink and KGoB hosts several events all year to kick-back, relax and enjoy each other’s company. Oh, and each other’s beer, mead, and cider too. Check out the photo gallery below to see the fun!
KGoB hosts two homebrewing demonstration events each year at Cadillac Straits Brewing Company; National Homebrew Day in May and Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day in November.
Events
- Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day
- Winter Social
- Bulk cider purchase
- National Homebrew Day
- Michigan Homebrew Festival
- Annual chili cookoff fundraiser
- Group brew days
Giving Back
KGoB believes in giving back to the community and supporting local fund-raising efforts. Members participate in donation drives throughout the year--school supplies in September to support local teachers, a food drive in November in time for Thanksgiving and a toy drive in December to support Toys for Tots. KGoB members have also donated to local charity events for the American Cancer Society, the Humane Society of Macomb and Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Professional Brewer Series
Want to learn how to brew beer like a pro? Join KGoB and you can learn from professional brewers who are also members. We have something called the Pro Brewers Series where we receive a recipe from a commercial brewery, and we try to replicate it. Some members even experiment by tweaking the recipe to make it their own.
Breweries that participated include Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Brewery Faisan, Triaxial Meadsmiths, Big Ditch Brewing Company(Buffalo NY), Ascension Brewing Company, and Cadillac Straits Brewing Company, just to name a few.
Professional Brewers
KGoB has a number of former and current members who are part of the professional brewing industry. If you want to learn how to brew beer or make mead like a pro, KGoB is for you.
Professional Brewers - Past & Present
- Eric & Brett Kuhnhenn (Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.)
- Gary Marshall & Gordie d'Avignon (Cadillac Straits Brewing Company)
- Dan Fick (Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.)
- Mike Spears & Barry Mulso (Triaxial Meadsmiths)
- Bill Bellair (Brooks Brewing)
- Lee Lind (B. Nektar)
- Eddie Pi-former member (Unexpected Craft Brewery)
- Anthony Kilimas-former member (Someday Brewing)
- Zach Typinski-former member (Urbanrest Brewing Company)
- Ryan Kavanagh-former member (Heights Brewing)
- Stu Johnson-former member (Jamex Brewing Co.)
- Dave Settelmeier-former member (Jamex Brewing Co.)
- Leon Traczynski-former member (Baffin Brewing Company)
- Cory Catalano-former member (Big Ditch Brewing Company, Buffalo NY)
- Eli Green-former member (Stumblebum Beer Co.)
BJCP Certified Judges
KGoB is proud to have several BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) qualified judges with many years of beer judging experience. The BJCP program trains individuals to hone their beer tasting and evaluation skills and then evaluates them on what they have learned. The BJCP organizes a program of beer examinations wherein test-takers complete a series of written questions regarding brewing, beer styles and judging and then perform beer judging exercises.
The BJCP rank is determined by both an exam score and experience points.
- A judge with any passing score and fewer than five experience points receives the rank of Recognized.
- Judges with a score of 70 or above on the exam and who have accumulated at least five experience points receive the Certified rank.
- A score of 80 or above combined with 20 experience points provides the rank of National.
- Judges achieve Master status by scoring 90 or better and acquiring 40 experience points.
KGoB has many National and Certified judges with hours of experience. If you would like an honest opinion of your beer, mead, or cider, just ask for any one of the judges listed below at a meeting and they will be happy to give you feedback and advice.
BJCP Certified Beer Judges
- Amy Olsen
- Tony Greening
- Matthew Smylie (Recognized)
- Tracy Broomfield
- John Golden
- Dave Dress
- Steve Smalenberg
- George “Duke” Turner
- Michelle Matte
BJCP National Ranked Beer Judges
- Dan Fick
- Bill Bellair
Mead Judges
- Bill Bellair (National)
- Amy Olsen
- Tony Greening
- Ryan Busch
- Michelle Matte
- Dan Fick
Cider Judges
- Dan Fick
- Amy Olsen
- Bill Bellair
- Michelle Matte
- Tony Greening
- George "Duke" Turner
Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers - Medal Madness
The Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers have won many awards over the years, both in-state and out. Here is a list of competitions and results for this year. Check back throughout the year to see our trophy case fill up.
Domras Cup
"Duke" Turner
1st Place (Gold)
Cyser
Valhalla Mead Competition
Amy Olsen
1st Place (Gold)
Basswood & Clover Mead
2nd Place Best-of-Show
Amy Olsen
1st Place (Gold)
Sweet Mead
Midwinter Homebrew Competition
Doug Bulthuis
3rd Place (Bronze)
White IPA
Sweethearts Revenge
Dave Dress
3rd Place (Bronze)
Pre-prohibition Lager
Kansas City Bier Meister
"Duke" Turner
1st Place (Gold)
Apple Pie Spiced Cider
"Duke" Turner
3rd Place (Bronze)
Mango Ginger Cider
IBU Open
"Duke" Turner
2nd Place (Silver)
Apple Pie Spiced Cider
Winterbrew Competition
"Duke" Turner
3rd Place (Bronze)
Pale Ale
Drunk Monk Challenge
Keith Manchester
1st Place (Gold) / Best-of-Show
Carmel Apple Sour Cider
Dave Dress / Doug Bulthuis / Rob Zograph
3rd Place (Bronze)
Belgian Dubbel
Cider Madness
Doug Bulthuis
1st Place (Gold)
Honorable Mention Best-of-Show
English Cider
"Duke" Turner
1st Place (Gold)
Cider with Apple Pie Spices
3rd Place Best-of-Show
"Duke" Turner
Honorable Mention
Blackberry Cider
Damon Turner
2nd Place (Silver)
Cashmere Dry Hopped Cider
Bill Bellair
2nd Place (Silver)
Fire & Ice Cider
Michelle Matte & Bill Bellair
Honorable Mention
Cider with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Ghost Pepper
Keith Manchester
Honorable Mention
Carmel Apple Sour Cider
World Cup of Beer
"Duke" Turner
2nd Place (Silver)
Oud Bruin
Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers - Medal Madness
SODZ
Doug Bulthuis
1st Place (Gold)
Cider
Doug Bulthuis
2nd Place (Silver)
Strong Bitter
Damon Turner
2nd Place (Silver)
Cider
Siciliano's
Doug Bulthuis & Amy Olsen
1st Place (Gold) / Best-of-Show
Rauchbier
Damon Turner / Bill Aman / Wayne Groth
1st Place (Gold)
English Brown
2nd Place Best-of-Show
Dave Dress
3rd Place (Bronze)
Witbier
Deathmash
"Duke" Turner
1st Place (Gold)
Australian Sparkling Ale
Doug Bulthuis & Amy Olsen
Honorable Mention
Rauchbier