Papazian became inspired to share his craft with others. He established the American Homebrewers Association out of his house. Today, the AHA is known as the best educational resource for information on the art and science of making homebrewed and microbrewed beer. AHA's membership has grown to over 25-thousand, up from only 3,000 in 1984. And every fall the AHA faithful, together with beer enthusiasts from around the world, flock to Denver for the renowned Great American Beer Festival.
Participants can sample homebrew from among the thousands of entrants in the homebrew competition.
The AHA now estimates that there are over 1.5 million homebrewers in the United States alone, and Papazian and his association can claim at least some credit for the growing popularity in microbrewed and homebrewed beers. Papazian, who has brewed over 500 different styles of beer, took correspondent Bruce Burkhardt on a personal tour of his treasured homebrew collection. Not necessarily quantity, but quality. Papazian likes to experiment with spices, fruits and other ingredients in his beer. His most exotic recipes contain ingredients such as chili peppers, chocolate, pumpkin and birch wood.