The Homebrew Retailer’s Guide to 2022
A complete guide to 70+ holidays, events, deadlines, and days of observance in the world of home fermentation in 2022
We have outlined some key dates to plan for in 2022 for your homebrew retail store. Each one of these dates is an opportunity for you to engage your customers in new ways.
In addition to the dates outlined here, be sure to keep an eye on the BJCP Competition Schedule for homebrew competitions in your area.
January 16 – Baltic Porter Day
We don’t know much about Polish blogger Marcin Chmielarz, but we know that he loves Baltic Porters. He initiated Baltic Porter Day in 2016, and we happily join him in celebrating this classic hybrid beer style. Thanks for keeping the spirit of Baltic Porter Day alive and well, Marcin!
January 23 – Charlie Papazian’s Birthday
January 24 – Beer Can Appreciation Day
National Beer Can Appreciation Day honors the first day that beer was sold in a can in 1934 when Krueger’s Finest and Krueger’s Cream Ale were sold to customers in Richmond, VA.
February 1 – 28 – Stout Month
Originating from the renowned Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery in Boulder, CO in 1993, Stout Month has grown into an international month-long celebration honoring one of the most iconic beer styles. We recommend browsing the 4,800+ recipes for American Porter and Stout in the Grainfather Community.
February 1 – 4 – Cider Con | Richmond, VA
The American Cider Association’s annual Cider Con will be in Richmond, Virginia. The three-day event features educational seminars and panels from experts on cider production.
Our friends from Fermentis will be on-site at Cider Con to highlight their range of SafCider yeasts, which are formulated to create a variety of cider styles.
February 18 – National Drink Wine Day
Not only is it one of our favorite days of the year – but it’s also one that gets a lot of attention on social media and through news publications. We suggest contacting one of your local media outlets to pitch a story about making wine at home, using an RJS wine kit available at [your homebrew shop].
March 8 – International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day
Held annually to coincide with International Women’s Day; the international collaboration brew day for women brewers all over the world has been hosted since 2014.
More info: International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day
March 13 – Riesling Day
Riesling Day was announced as an official day by Wines of Germany in 2019. The annual day of celebration falls on March 13 annually.
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
The perfect day for a Dry Irish Stout, or an Irish Red Ale – St. Patrick’s Day is one of the favorite holidays of homebrewers everywhere.
March 20 – Bock Beer Day
Whether you encourage customers to don their lederhosen or not – Bock Beer Day is a great time to highlight some recipes for those strong German lagers.
March 22 – April 4 – National Homebrew Competition Registration Window
March 26 – Orval Day
Orval Trappist Ale Orval was the first Brett beer to land on US shores and has become the favorite beer for many star American brewers. A great clone recipe is available via Milk the Funk.
March 21 – Anniversary of the signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act
The Cullen-Harrison Act was enacted on March 21, 1933, and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt the next day. The Cullen-Harrison Act legalized the sale of 3.2% beer and was the first step towards the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition.
March 21 – Entries due for the 2022 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition
March 27 – Michael Jackson’s Birthday (The Beer Hunter)
Required disclaimer: not THAT Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson was a world-renowned author who famously became known as “The Beer Hunter”. Jackson is considered one of the pioneers of the craft beer industry in America, and one of the most important writers in the beer industry.
April 7 – National Beer Day
Homebrewers don’t need a holiday to celebrate the beverage we all love – but we aren’t opposed to it either. National Beer Day celebrates the anniversary of the Cullen-Harrison Act taking effect in 1933.
April 10 – Radegast Club of the Year Nominations are Due
Homebrew clubs are one of the most important customer bases for homebrew shops, and it will benefit you to ensure that your local club is thriving. The AHA’s Radegast Homebrew Club of the Year is awarded to the club that makes exceptional efforts to promote the homebrewing hobby. Be sure to encourage your local club to nominate themselves before the April 10 deadline.
More info: Radegast Club of the Year
April 14 – Saison Day
Originated by Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, ME – Saison Day is held annually on April 14 to celebrate the farmhouse-style ale. Your customers can easily find a recipe by choosing from one of the 2,500+ Saison recipes in the Grainfather Community platform.
April 17 – Malbec World Day
Malbec World Day was established by Wines of Argentina, an organization responsible for promoting Argentinian wine globally. It is celebrated on April 17 to commemorate the day that President Domingo F. Sarmiento committed himself to enhance the national wine industry in Argentina.
April 23 – German Beer Day
This renowned holiday is celebrated every year in honor of the Reinheitsgebot, which went into effect on April 23, 1516. Commonly referred to as the “German Purity Law”, the Reinheitsgebot dictates that all beer in Germany can only be made with four ingredients; water, malt, yeast, and hops.
April 22 – 24 – Women’s International Beer Summit
The Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance will once again host the Women’s International Beer Summit virtually. The summit is an online digital conference founded in 2021 that now spans 3 days with in-depth and informative sessions from 20+ professional and aspiring women and non-binary folks who are pushing the boundaries of all things brewing & beer.
April 29 – 30 – 29th Annual Southern California Homebrewers Festival | Vail Lake, CA
The Southern California Homebrewers Festival brings together more than 40 homebrew beer clubs for a weekend of tasting and education. The night of Friday, April 29 will feature a Pro Pour tasting from special commercial breweries and a host of homebrew clubs. Saturday, April 30, the main event, has homebrew clubs pouring 11am – 9pm; an almost limitless selection of homebrew concoctions!
More info: California Homebrewers Association
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
A perfect day for encouraging your customers to brew a classic Mexican Lager, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War
May 6 – International Sauvignon Blanc Day (First Friday in May)
The first Friday in May is International Sauvignon Blanc Day, which was established by Wine Marlborough, an organization dedicated to promoting wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.
May 7 – Big Brew for National Homebrew Day
May 10 – Fred Eckhart’s Birthday
May 16 – 22 – American Craft Beer Week
The Brewers Association established American Craft Beer Week to support local, independent breweries. The BA keeps a running tab on CraftBeer.com of people who have pledged to buy beer from their local brewery.
More info: American Craft Beer Week
May 22 – Homebrew Shop of the Year Award Nominations Due
May 24 – Anniversary of the Judgement of Paris
The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 was the event that brought American wines to the forefront of the wine world when California wines swept the blind judging competition over their French counterparts.
Though it has been subject to criticism for inaccurately depicting the events that led to the Judgement of Paris, the 2008 film Bottle Shock starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, and Chris Pine is a comedy-drama based on the 1976 wine competition.
May 25 – National Wine Day
With 30 kits in the WineMaker Top 100 Kits of the Year last year, we’ve got you covered with great wine kits from RJS Craft Winemaking that your customers can pick up to celebrate #NationalWineDay.
May 26 – Chardonnay Day (Thursday before Memorial Day)
Every day is a great day to celebrate Chardonnay – but it is officially celebrated on the Thursday before Memorial Day.
June 2 – 5 – WineMaker Conference | San Luis Obispo, CA
June 3 – World Cider Day
World Cider Day was launched by the members of the Association of Apple Wine and Fruit Juice Press Houses. The best way to celebrate is by offering your customers an easy way to make delicious hard cider at home from our range of Mangrove Jack’s hard cider kits.
June 4 – Canadian Homebrew Day (first Saturday in June)
The Canadian Homebrewers Association declared the first annual Canadian Homebrew Day in 2019. Celebrated on the first Saturday in June, Canadian Homebrew Day is observed by homebrew shops, clubs, and craft breweries all over the country. Participants are encouraged to brew one of the official recipes.
→ Learn more about Canadian Homebrew Day
June 11 – Rosé Day (second Saturday in June)
June 19 – Senator Alan Cranston’s Birthday
Though Former President Jimmy Carter gets much of the praise for federal homebrew legalization, California Senator Alan Cranston (D) is one of the unsung heroes of the effort. Senator Cranston, who served in the Senate for 24 years and made a run for president in 1984, was the lead sponsor of the bill along with Wisconsin Rep. William Steiger (R).
Sen. Cranston didn’t spontaneously decide to legislatively champion the rights of homebrewers in the mid-1970s. No, a steady stream of citizenship lobbying nudged him in that direction. This lobbying was led in large part by Lee Coe, a homebrewer and early member of the Maltose Falcons, a Los Angeles group that became the nation’s first homebrewing club in 1974, and Nancy Crosby, another Maltose Falcon and the head of a trade group supporting home-winemaking shops.
In 1978, Lee Coe, author of The Beginner’s Home Brew Book (1972), a small text on brewing Prohibition-style beer, went to Washington DC to lobby (at his own expense) for the legalization of brewing beer at home. In those days, the Feds were firmly convinced that we homebrewers only wanted to make moon shine out of our product. Fortunately, Congress saw it differently (thanks to California Democratic Senator Alan Cranston). The Republicans of that era had wanted to register homebrewers and severely restrict homebrewing to 30 gallons a year.
June 23 – 25 – Homebrew Con | Pittsburgh, PA
July 1 – September 1 – AHA Club Insurance Open Enrollment
The American Homebrewers Association’s Club Insurance is the only program of its kind in existence. Homebrew clubs can get 12-month coverage for up to $1 million per occurrence for less than $5 per person. The open enrollment period starts July 1 and ends September 1 every year.
More info: AHA Club Insurance
July 1 – Anniversary of Mississippi Statute §67-3-11 Enactment
Though homebrewing became federally legal with the signing of US HR 1337, each state had to ratify its own constitution to make the hobby legal in its state. This did not happen until 2013 when Mississippi became the 50th state to legalize homebrewing with the enactment of the Mississippi Statute §67-3-11.
Fun fact: Though Mississippi was the 50th state to enact homebrew legalization, it was the 49th state to sign legislation to legalize the hobby. Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed §67-3-11 on March 19, 2013, but the law did not take effect until July 1, 2013. During the 104 days between signage and enactment in Mississippi, Alabama became the 50th state to sign legislation to legalize homebrewing when Governor Robert Bentley passed Alabama HB9 on May 9, 2013. The law went into effect upon signage, making Alabama the 49th state to enact legislation making homebrewing legal.
July 3 – National Independent Beer Run Day
The Brewers Association (BA) initiated National Independent Beer Run Day in 2019 as a way to entice consumers to purchase craft beers produced by small and independent breweries for their Independence Day festivities.
More info: National Independent Beer Run Day
August 1 – 31 – Bourbon Heritage Month
The US Congress declared bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit”
in 1964, making it the only spirit distinctive to the United States. To celebrate this distinction, Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning (R) introduced SR 294 on August 2, 2007, which was unanimously approved declaring August 2007 as “National Bourbon Heritage Month”.
Though the Senate Resolution was passed for only one year (2007) and needs to be passed again in a permanent form to be continually observed officially, many bourbon lovers continue to celebrate America’s Native Spirit in August every year.
August 4 – National White Wine Day
It’s a good thing that this day falls on a Thursday this year because that is precisely the day of the week when we start feeling like a nice glass of white wine would help us get to Friday more easily.
August 4 – IPA Day (first Thursday in August)
It probably comes as no surprise that a survey conducted last year by our friends at Brülosophy revealed that 55% of homebrewers who took the survey identified a variant of IPA as the style that they brew most frequently. So stock up on your hop varieties in honor of IPAs!
August 5 – International Beer Day (first Friday in August)
Prost! Salut! Santé! Cheers! One of the stated purposes of International Beer Day is “to unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.” We can’t think of a better reason to celebrate!
August 6 – Mead Day (first Saturday in August)
Mead Day is always celebrated on the first Saturday in August. The American Homebrewers Association publishes an official recipe every year for hobbyists to get in on the Mead Day buzz.
More info: Mead Day
August 13 – Feast of Saint Arnold
Saint Arnold became known as the “Patron Saint of Brewers” by persuading people to drink beer instead of water during the outbreak of the plague out of fear that the water was causing the plague to spread. Saint Arnold spent his life convincing people to drink beer instead of water since beer was safer for consumption.
August 18 – Pinot Noir Day
August 20 – National Honey Bee Day
We wouldn’t have mead without honey, and we wouldn’t have honey without the beloved honey bee. Your urban beekeeping customers will appreciate the advocacy for honey bee environmental health that comes on this holiday, and so will your mead makers.
More info: National Honey Bee Day
August 22 – 23 – MeadCon | Baltimore, MD
MeadCon is presented annually by the American Mead Makers Association (AMMA). The event has traditionally been held in conjunction with the Mazer Cup in Broomfield, CO. This year’s event is the first time that MeadCon will be traveling east, being held in Baltimore, MD August 22-23, 2022.
August 28 – National Red Wine Day
Merlot, Cab Sauv, Pinot Noir… all red styles are welcome to celebrate one of our favorite days of the year!
September 1 – Cabernet Sauvignon Day (Thursday before Labor Day)
One of the most popular wine varieties in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon Day is officially celebrated on the Thursday before Labor Day every year. Be sure to check our portfolio of Cab Sauv kits for your customer’s enjoyment.
September 8 – Sour Beer Day
The term “sour beer” is a catch-all for many styles of beer that homebrewers love to make. Whether it’s a light and tart Berliner Weisse, or a fruit-laden Flanders Red, September 8 is the day to celebrate those beers with bugs.
September 16 – Grenache Day (third Friday of September)
Grenache is a red wine that is known for its food-pairing versatility. We suggest picking up a few extra kits of the RJS En Primeur Spain Grenache Syrah kit, which won a medal at the WineMaker International Amateur Competition in 2013 and again in 2015.
September 17 – October 3 – Oktoberfest
The Munich Oktoberfest in Germany is the largest public festival in the world, and though it was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it is currently scheduled to be in-person again in 2022.
Many of your customers will be eager to celebrate by brewing their own Oktoberfest-style Vienna Lagers at home – or maybe invite them to brew them at your shop (wherever legal)!
October 1 – President Jimmy Carter’s Birthday
Former US President Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924. Though he is known for many accomplishments throughout his administration, homebrewers honor him for signing HR 1337 on October 14, 1978, which federally legalized homebrewing. The bill did not go into effect until February 1, 1979.
October 5 – Canadian Beer Day
According to Beer Canada – a trade organization that represents over 90% of all domestic beer sold in Canada – Canadian Beer Day is observed as a way to celebrate Canadian beer and the people who brew it, sell it, deliver it, serve it and drink it.
More info: Canadian Beer Day
October 14 – Homebrew Legalization Day
On October 14, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed HR 1337 into law, which federally legalized homebrewing. Though the federal legalization of homebrewing was included in the bill, HR 1337 was primarily used to address manufacturing taxes on public transportation vehicles. You can read the full text of the bill on the US Congress website.
Read the full bill: HR 1337
November 4 – International Stout Day
Though the entire month of February is already dedicated to this iconic beer style, we can’t object to having another day dedicated to stout.
November 4 – 5 – Nano Con Online
Nano Con Online is presented by Brew Your Own magazine and features two full days of in-depth live online learning about both the business and brewing sides of running – or starting up – a small-scale craft brewery.
November 5 – Learn to Homebrew Day (first Saturday of November)
Formerly known as “Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day”, the first Saturday in November is always observed as Learn to Homebrew Day by the American Homebrewers Association. The holiday has introduced thousands of homebrewers to the hobby over the years.
More info: Learn to Homebrew Day
November 7 – Merlot Day
November 16 – Zinfandel Day (third Wednesday of November)
An annual holiday celebrating the Zinfandel grape and the popular Zinfandel style of wine.
November 18 – Apple Cider Day
Apple Cider Day is held annually on November 18, right in the middle of the cider drinking season when the Autumn days are crisp. The best way to celebrate Apple Cider Day is by whipping up a batch of hard cider!
November 27 – Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to shop at local brick & mortar stores, as opposed to large big box stores that typically see much of the discretionary spending during Black Friday.
November 28 – Small Brewery Sunday
Founded by the Brewers Association (BA) to encourage consumers to pick up beer from their local small and independent brewery, Small Brewery Sunday is held on the Sunday following Thanksgiving every year.
December 5 – End of Prohibition Day
The 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in the US by repealing the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act. The United States Congress first proposed the 21st Amendment in February 1933, but it would take 10 months to get the 36 states (two-thirds majority as required by the Constitution) to vote in favor of it.
December 10 – National Lager Day
Once considered a “last frontier” for homebrewers, lagers are now as easily achievable as homebrewed ales with equipment advancements such as the Grainfather GF30 Conical Fermenter, which allows your customers to easily cold crash and ferment their beer at lager temperatures.
December 20 – Sangria Day
An excellent way to kick off the holiday season, Sangria Day celebrates this beverage that is typically made with wine and fruit. We recommend picking up a few extra kits of the RJS Orchard Breezin’ White Sangria, or the Seville Orange Sangria for your customer’s enjoyment.