By Jeff Morrow

The Mid-Columbia region is known for its world-class wineries.

But what if you prefer a brew over a bottle of red?

It may be comforting to know that some of the best hops in the world are grown within an hour’s drive of the Tri-Cities.

And that there is a group of people who want to share their love of beer with others.

The Mid-Columbia Zymurgy Association specializes in all things beer and is happy to share their love with anyone who has an interest.

The group meets the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Ice Harbor Brewery in downtown Kennewick.

The word “zymurgy” means the branch of chemistry that deals with the fermentation process, as in brewing. It’s how sugar is converted to alcohol, and members of the MCZA are the people who study it.

Membership is open to the general public to anyone 21 years or older who is interested in beer or wine.

Erin Steinert, who moved to the Tri-Cities from St. Louis in 2009, is one of those people.

“I’m definitely one of those who is called a ‘beer snob,’” said Steinert, who is the planetarium outreach specialist at Columbia Basin College and the current president of MCZA. “And I don’t know as much about wine.”

And that’s OK with Steinert.

“I’ve always liked beer,” she said. “All of the recipes are out there. You can brew 100 bottles for anywhere from $25 to $30.”

That’s cheap, but it’s more about the process of making something special that people enjoy.

“If I brewed a batch, I could be drinking it in three to four weeks, as it ferments,” Steinert said. “It doesn’t take much longer to brew a 10-gallon batch than a five-gallon batch.”

Steinert called the MCZA an extremely supportive group.

There are quarterly club competitions, in which people brew a certain type of beer that people grade.

“October is a porter competition,” Steinert said. “Two times a year we have a mega brew at Ice Harbor. The next one falls on Oct. 22. We vote on style, then we use Ice Harbor’s equipment and brew 300 gallons of it.”

People then take some of it home.

The group recently took a field trip to a hops farm in the Yakima Valley. There is also a holiday party.

The group’s vice president also gives a monthly tech talk, where people can share ideas and problems.

“We have a group of home-brewing MacGyvers,” Steinert joked.

The group has drawn more public interest over the past few years.

“Every year, more and more people join our group,” Steinert said. “We’ve been seeing newer and younger people in their 20s joining.”

There are 100 paid members, and the monthly newsletter is sent to 200 people. The annual cost is $20 per person or $25 for a family.

Sometimes the home brewers craft a beverage they want to share with others through a microbrewery.

There are currently eight of these in the Tri-Cities region with three at the Tri-Cities Enterprise Center business incubator near Horn Rapids in Richland: Shrub Steppe Smokehouse Brewery, White Bluffs Brewing, and the recently-opened Bombing Range Brewery Company.

The Ice Harbor Brewing Company has two Kennewick locations, one near downtown and the other on Clover Island.

Paper Street Brewing Company in the Richland Parkway, Atomic Ale on Lee Boulevard in Richland, and Rattlesnake Brewing Company in Kimo’s at Columbia Center North also offer home brews.

Then there are the numerous tap houses, which offer a variety of local and Northwest craft beers: Barley’s Brewpub, and Copper Top Tap House (both in Kennewick), Brews Taphouse in Pasco, the Growler Guys and McKay’s Taphouse (both in Richland), and Wook’s Craft and Cork in West Richland.

“They all have a great variety. I like that they keep it more local,” Steinert said.

That variety has resulted in an explosion of better beers and an ever-increasing avid following.

“Some aspire to sell their beer. Others are perfectly happy brewing their own beer,” Steinert said.

And that’s fine with Steinert — as long as people are enjoying local beer.

You can find the group on Facebook.