Homebrewer Kurt Smelser of Bartonville, Ill., appreciates the looks he gets when people like his homebrewed beers.

He entered 17 brews in 11 categories Saturday during the 15th annual Land of the Muddy Waters Homebrew Competition at the Blue Cat Brew Pub, Rock Island. The event was organized by MUGZ, or the Mississippi Unquenchable Grail Zymurgists, a local homebrew club, and sanctioned by the American Homebrew Association.

“It’s fun to see expressions on people’s faces when they like it. They get a big smile on their face,” he said.

And if the brew doesn’t meet taste expectations, people get a kind of a sideways look of “what did you just give me,” Smelser said.

Zymurgy is the study of the chemistry, or processes, of fermentation, event organizer Rich Toohill of Davenport said. The judges who decide on the best of the brews train through the Beer Judge Certification Program.

A panel of judges, including individuals certified at master and national levels, had plenty to mull over with 242 entries in the beer, mead and cider categories. That number represents an increase of 29 from last year’s event, Toohill said. The crafters may be youngsters who produce a pretty good beer or seasoned hands accustomed at blending water, hops and yeast and other select ingredients to produce beer.

Judge Alan Asay of Bettendorf says sanitation is key to making a good beer. “If you cannot keep your brewing area clean and your beer clean, you have some very bad (nasty) off-flavors,” he said.

Homebrewing doesn’t require a magic touch. If a person can boil water, they can brew beer and beer making kits are available, he said.

Beer comes in two major styles, ales and lagers. In ales, the yeasts tend to ferment at the top and they turn the sugar into alcohol at a speedier rate than the bottom-fermenting yeasts that produce lagers.

Scot Schaar of Davenport began brewing beer about 10 years ago and occasionally he gets inspired by the cold case beers sold at the store.

Part of the fun is being able to add basically anything the brewer wants. “One beer I entered, the Spiced Pirate Stout, had black peppers, coriander and the zest of an orange peel soaked in vodka,” he said.