February 2003

 Home Imbrewment

 

The Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing and Tasting Society

 

Newsletter Editor:   Pat Dabbs   mailto:dabbsp@cox.net

The President's Corner – Mike Pensinger

Well yet another great brewing month went by and I failed to brew much of anything!  We judged some great American Ales at the judging meeting.  With ten entries the competition was tight.  Remember that anyone is welcome at the judging meetings... the more the merrier.  It is a great chance to see how the process works.

We finalized the brewing schedule for the year.  Based on some new AHA Club only competitions and the clubs brewing tastes we have added porters and adjusted for the new Club onlys.  The full schedule should be below.

We have some great beers upcoming in the schedule... Brown Ales.. a club favorite is next and also a AHA month. Porters up after that so I am looking forward to some healthy competition entries!

I would like to see our active membership increase so my challenge to you all is to bring one new member to the meeting.  The local brew sops have our cards to pass out to interested people and we are looking at putting together a flyer to promote the club.

Well that is about it for now.  Please don’t forget to patronize our local brew shops and pick up a couple of the new HRBTS calling cards to give out for prospective members.

A Rambling Jag from the Vice President - C.J. Jones

Well there was good news in the print media the last few weeks. Most importantly, we found out that we are not habitual drinkers or whatever nasty term various Government agencies use to describe folks who drink two beers a day. Nope, we are in the heart attack prevention program. That’s right, research indicates that physicians who drank an average of two beers a day had fewer heart attacks than physicians who did not. If it works for physicians, it’ll work for their patients. I plan on avoiding a heart attack during the President’s State of the Union speech in just a few minutes! For those of us who may miss a day now and then, there apparently is no added health benefit in trying to catch up after a missed day. Oh well, take the good news when you can get it.

Additionally, even Newsweek has awakened and smelled the ... beer. In the February 3, 2003 issue, page 63 lets the reader know to stop “whining ”, and start pairing beer with cheese. They mention Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale goes well with an earthy goat cheese. Both of these items can still be picked up at the Gene Walters Market on 21st Street in Ghent. I dont know how much the goat cheese runs, but the Celebration Ale is $7.79 a six pack. So you better get running, because it will not be there forever!

Along with the media good news, there is good news emanating from the Ghent area restaurant scene. For those of you who don’t mind a road trip to my neck of the woods, the Colley Cantina has Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale, a very heavily hopped American pale ale on tap. It just wallops your nose and mouth - it is a “must have”. Cogan’s, on Colonial Avenue, has Rogue Mocha Porter and Adventenus on tap. Mmmm. But the best news yet comes from the Taphouse, on 21st Street in Ghent. They have specials every night of the week; two of these specials deserve your attention. On Sundays, until 9:00 PM, Virginia drafts are $1.50 - heck, throw in a burger for just another four bucks. The greatest event, however, is Thursday night (until 8:00 PM) and Saturday night (until 9:00 PM) - four dollar Belgians! No, no, not a Belgian person, a Belgian ale for 16 quarters. Imagine if you will, the absolute thrill of a LaChouffe Golden ale, at around 7-8 % ABV, slipping past your lips for mere pocket change. Grab your change, and come to Ghent.

The Meeting Place  - Diane Catanzaro

The February 5 meeting of the HRB&TS will be at the lakeside estate of Kevin and Amy Oliver.  Many thanks to Kevin and Amy for offering to host the meeting....please remember to bring an extra homebrew for the hosts, to show your appreciation.  If any of you want to bring a tasty dish or nosh to share it would be welcomed.  Because this is a 'home'-based meeting feel free to bring commercial beers in addition to homebrews...maybe those Belgian ales you've been meaning to share with club members???  Email an officer for directions"

Treasurers Report - “Doug Boyd

The holidays are over and it's time to get down to some serious brewing.  The club brewing schedule has been finalized and Mike should have it posted soon. 

We currently have $676.03 in the club bank account.  Anyone who has not paid dues  yet can do so at the next meeting which is Wednesday, February 5th.  Cash is good or  a check made out to HRBTS.  Individual dues are $15.00/year,  family is $20.00/year.  If you can't make it to the meeting you could mail it to me at the address below.

Doug Boyd - HRBTS Treasurer
4621 Hermitage Road
Virginia Beach,  VA  23455

Hope to see everyone at the meeting,         Doug

Competition Connection  - Tom Byrnes

 

Welcome to a new brewing year. As we start 2003 our club finds itself tied for 1^st place in the National Club of the Year standings. Hopefully we will continue to acquire points at the Club Only Competitions and at the National Homebrew Contest, coming this spring. One of my personal brewing resolutions is to NEVER use distilled water to brew, as this was the cause of my carbonation problems during bottle conditioning. Kegging will also be tackled this year.

So far we have had two contests. In January we featured English Bitters and Pale Ales. This month, we judged American Ales Both contests we well represented with quality entries. The winners are listed below:

English Bitters and Pale Ales

First Place: Rich Sens, English Bitter

Second Place: Rich Sens, English Pale Ale

Third Place. Doug Boyd, English Pale Ale

AMERICAN ALE

First Place: Victor Perrotti, American Pale Ale

Second Place: Tom Byrnes, American Amber

Third Place. CJ & Diane California Common

Thanks to all members who entered this contest.

Remember any member is welcome to come to the judging’s. This is a way to learn about the styles and help your brewing. Besides you get to drink good homebrew two days per month. We do, however, ask members to be sure their entries conform to the BCJP guidelines. These can be accessed at www.beertown.org. If you would like to hold a judging meeting at your house, please let me know.

Here are the current rules for the Briess Cup 2003. You will note the changes in the point structure. Basically it will run from January through December of a given year. Members will accrue points from entering and winning the contests sponsored by the club. The only criterion is that multiple entries in the same contest must be different recipes. Points are as follows: 5 points for 1^st place, 4 for 2^nd, 3 for 3^rd and 1 point for entry. The entry point is not awarded if the beer places in the contest. It is intended to encourage entries.  The club officers may also award Breiss points for members brewing for special events. The Competition Coordinator will keep the points. The club president will be the final arbiter of any disputes.

 We are pleased to announce that the HRBTS/BRIESS CUP Home Brewer of the Year Award goes to CJ & Diane. The runner up this year was Victor Perrotti. Both brewers have treated us to some outstanding and unique beers over the course of the year.

 Here are the current Briess Cup points.

 BRIESS CUP 2003 STANDINGS

 

BREWER	CUMULATIVE POINTS
Rich Sens	10
Victor Perrotti	6
Doug Boyd	6
CJ/Diane	5
Tom Byrnes	4
Mike Pensinger	2

 Our brewing schedule has been approved and is listed below along with the AHA Club Only Dates and Club Judging Dates:

 See you at the next meeting.

 Tom

 

  Visit our website, www.briess.com, to see our new, fresh look

For the first time since its launch in 1997, our website will be sporting an entirely new look. The updated website is scheduled to launch in May and we invite you to visit .

While its appearance will change,  the content will remain essentially the same—lots of it! All of the previous issues of Brewing' With Briess will remain on the site; product information will be available for every product in a printable pdf format; and fun features like our photo gallery remain intact.

 

Editor's Notes – Pat Dabbs

 

 

We welcome all news items, original articles, business notices, and letters to the editor. Submittals for publication in the Home Imbrewment must be send to us as an e-mail or an e-mail attachment in any version of MS-Word or WordPerfect. Mail to dabbsp@cox.net.

Deadline for March’s Newsletter is Monday February 24^th

 

VIRGINIA BEACH HOME BREW HOBBIES
3700 Shore Dr.  Suite #101
Virginia Beach, VA  23455
beerman@homebrewusa.com
Phone: (757) 318-7600
Fax:     (757) 318-7605

About the HRB&TS

 The Hampton Roads Brewing and Tasting Society is dedicated to promoting the enjoyment of homebrewing. The annual dues are $15 per individual and $20 per family. Members are encouraged to support the responsible enjoyment of beer and observe the beverage laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Persons attending HRB&TS meetings and events are solely liable for actions attendant to their participation. HRB&TS Maintains a NO SMOKING policy at all meetings so that members may better enjoy fine beers. Smoking is permitted during restaurant meetings in designated smoking areas.

Visit the HRB&TS on-line at: http://hrbts.org