Mpls. coffee brewer takes a shot at nationals

It was Iron Chef meets high-end coffee this weekend in Minneapolis.

The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans welcomed dozens of baristas from the central United States who were showing off their coffee-making skills during the Big Central Barista and Brewers Cup Competition.

After several days of intense pouring, extracting, steaming and brewing, it ended Sunday with an awards ceremony for those who crafted the best brew.

The top six from each regional competition qualified to go to the national level in Long Beach, Calif., in February.

Among those advancing Sunday was Spyhouse's Tony Querio, director of coffee at the Nicollet Avenue shop, who took fifth in the Brewers Cup Competition for the north central region.

The event took place at a boxing gym in northeast ­Minneapolis, where Querio focused on manual brewing methods like ­pourovers. Querio, who did not place last year, opted for a German-designed porcelain pourover cone called a Walküre.

The brewers competition doesn't get as much hype as the barista contest, but Querio doesn't mind.

Spyhouse, Dunn Bros, and River Rock in St. Peter were the only Minnesota-based coffee companies to compete.

Kathie Hilberg, coffee educator and barista at Spyhouse, competed for the second time in the barista category, but did not advance. In this event, hopefuls have 15 minutes to present judges with a set of espressos, cappuccinos and signature drinks. Hilberg's signature drink mixed tamarind brown syrup, espresso from Mexican beans, hazelnut horchata and an orange garnish.

"It's like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter," Hilberg said of the three-day event. "It's a nerdfest for coffee lovers."

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647

Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora