Home Imbrewment

July 2004

 

 

The Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB & TS)

www.hrbts.org

 

The President’s Podium – Chris “C.J.” Jones

 

Well, it sure is Summer, isn’t it?  It must be 80 degrees on our third floor, with no end in sight.  OK, it’ll end in October, but all this heat makes me thirsty, and you know what a homebrewer needs to quench his or her thirst on a hot day, don’t you?  Yeah, baby, homebrew.

 

Speaking of homebrew, we had our Club pale ale judging at our house last week.  There were six judges that labored from 8:00 PM until 11:15 PM in an effort to determine which of the sixteen entries were the best three.  More info on that elsewhere in this newsletter.  The best part about the judging was that of the sixteen entries, I recall 15 of them receiving 25 or more points as an average score.  That rocks.  Not only are we getting many entries per contest, but the entries are high caliber entries.  If you haven’t attended a judging session, drop in some time and enjoy participating in the process.

 

Diane and I went to Europe last month and spent some quality time in Amsterdam and in about a million places in Belgium.  Why?  To drink beer, of course.  My Mom asked my “Why do you have to go to Belgium to drink beer?”, which I thought was a pretty dumb question.  I told her “Gee, Mom, that’s where the Belgian ales are.”  As soon as I can get over some ass-whupping back spasms, I’ll pen a tale or two about our adventures.  I promise, no slide show at a meeting. 

 

See you in a week or so,

 

C.J.

 

 

The Next Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

 

The HRB&TS will meet on Wednesday, July 7, at 7:30, at the Ocean View home of Tom and Kate Byrnes.  Dress for outdoor comfort, as we will meet on the porch deck.  We can talk about all the cool pale ales and the differences between India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Imperial Pale Ale….sample both homebrewed and commercial pale ales…..discuss plans for the summer picnic….and take a dip in the hot tub!  (Notice I did not say take your dip in the hot tub…..that nacho cheese or french onion stuff clogs the filter due to the trans fat….) Ummm, I am beginning to feel relaxed already.  Tom says the hot tub will be ready and available . Just bring a towel and bathing suit.  Yes, your bathing suit, not your birthday suit.  The naturalist club meets at Whitetail Park.

 

Feel free to bring a food item or snack to share, homebrew, commercial ales (especially pale ale), and an extra beer for Tom and Kate to show appreciation for their graciously hosting our July meeting. 

 

 

 

In Memory of Carol Quanty – C.J. Jones

 

As you are all aware, Mike Quanty’s wife, Carol, passed away earlier this month.  Carol has been Mike’s best friend for 32 years, and wife for thirty of those.  The Club’s officers authorized a contribution in Carol’s memory be donated to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  You can add your own contribution if you wish by going to the Garden’s website, www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org.  Our thoughts go out to Mike and his family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Year’s Brewing Schedule – C.J. Jones

 

Cut this out and tape it to your refrigerator along with those pictures drawn by your children! 

 

Month

Beer of the Month (BJCP Style #)

AHA Club Only Contest (Yes/No)

HBBTS Judging Date

March

Brown Ales (10)

No

2/18/02

April

Mead (25)

Yes

3/24/04

May

Porter (15)

No

4/21/04

June

California Common (6C)

No

5/19/04

July

American Pale Ale (6A)

No

6/23/04

August

Wheat beer (3B, 17, 19B)

Yes

7/21/04

September

Stout (16)

No

8/18/04

October

Octoberfest (9A)

No

9/22/04

November

India Pale Ale (7)

Yes

10/20/04

December

Barleywine (12)

No

11/17/04

January 2005

Spiced beers (22)

No

12/22/04

February 2005

Strong Belgian Ales (18)

No

1/??/05

March 2005

Will be decided by 2005  HRB & TS Club Officers

 

 

Beer and Loafing in Las Vegas (with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson!) – Tom Byrnes

 

As you know Ed Dorn and I spent last week attending Beer and Loafing in Las Vegas.  Here are some highlights from the convention.  Since Vegas never sleeps neither did the beer.  A 24-hour hospitality suite featured brew from clubs from around the region.  This was good for an early morning eye opener or good evenings break from the casinos

 

Day 1              Brought workshops on the history of beer and regional brewing. The highlights of this day were sessions by Geoff Larsen, brew master of the Alaskan Brewing Company.  This was the first time I’ve tasted his beers and for the first time in my life contemplated life in the Alaskan wilderness.  I was impressed!  First he brought a spruce beer made from real spruce tips, which taste far different from the essence commonly used.  These beers tasted rich and citrusy as the tips replaced the hops. No pine-sol flavor here!!  This brewery is also known for smoked beers and they did not disappoint in this area.  If you ever get a chance to taste these offerings, do it.  Nighttime brought professional brewers night and another opportunity to drink Alaskan beer.  By the way, the Alaskan Homebrew club cleaned up at last years NHC contest.  Now I know why.  Other interesting beers included a double IPA from the Russian River Brewing Company.  This brewery specializes in extremely hoppy beers and Belgian inspired beers.  Pizza Port from Solona California also presented some Belgian inspired abbey ales using regional ingredients.  More common breweries included Rogue, Sierra Nevada (yes, Bigfoot on tap!) and Stone brewing, home of Arrogant Bastard Ale.  Las Vegas was represented by the Main Street Brewing Company and by the brewpub at Monte Carlo.  Another beer made by Uggi’s pizza kitchen was the Colossus Barleywine, which definitely lived up to its name.

 

 

 

 

Day 2              Included talks by Ray Daniels on Beer Knowledge, Chris White on care and feeding of yeast and Ken Schram on western varietal honey.  Ken’s book, The Compleat Meadmaker is a must read for all mead makers.  Lunch featured the keynote address by Charlie Papazian who debuted an old homemade move called Homebrew Madness, which was a big hit.  The movie was a documentary featuring the evils of homebrew and how to identify the homebrew user. You B-movie fans will recognize the parallel. Of course multiple visits to the hospitality suite exposed us to a variety of beers. In the afternoon I attended talks on Double IPA’s and Mission Beers. There is a movement out of California to create a category called Mission Beers or American Abbey ales. These are Belgian inspired beers that use American ingredients and spices. Examples included Mo’Betta Bretta brewed by Tomme Arthur of Pizza Port and Russian River Damnination brewed by Vinnie Cilurzo of the Russian River brewing company. The intent is to honor the Belgian tradition while showcasing the unique elements of the American craft brew tradition. The evening’s activity was club night, always one of my favorites. About 30 clubs set up displays and featured their homebrews. Clubs that make bars, costumes and great displays always impresses me. Randy Mosher introduced his new book Radical Brewing and signed a copy for the club library. Busses took us to a late night romp to the Fremont experience, a covered area in downtown Las Vegas featuring laser light shows, plenty of neon and the Main Street Brewing Company.

 

Day 3              Sorry, went to the Star Trek experience and visited roller coasters all day.  The only talk I went to was the BJCP guideline revisions discussed above.  The best roller coaster was the extreme experience.  Picture yourself 1200 feet in the air on a track that bends over the side giving you the feeling of falling and allows you to see the base of the Stratosphere Hotel.  Kate and I did conclude the visit by dining at the Top of the World, a rotating restaurant providing a 1000-foot high view of the area.  Pricey, but an awesome view.  Did not go to the banquet as Kate arrived from California so Ed will have to provide the details for this event.  The gambling gods also provided the opportunity to add a freezer and a temperature controller sometime this summer.  An unexpected dividend.

 

Next year: Baltimore, so mark your calendars now.  I have been to this event the last 2 years and found it to be a great time.  Maybe our club could participate in Club Night.

 

 

 

Planning a trip to Belgium to sip a few?  Here’s what you need to bring – C.J. Jones

 

So, you have a hankering to go to Belgium, and you’re confused as to what to drag over the pond.  What bare essentials does one need to bring to Belgium to maximize their good time, besides a good attitude?  Just three things that’ll fit in your backpack:   

 

(a) An ATM card.  There are ATM machines all over Belgium, and there is no fee to use them.  That’s right, no fees.  In the USA, our banks don’t charge fees to European travelers using an American ATM machine – they save all of those charges for us.  Likewise, European ATMs don’t charge us while we are in their neighborhood.  The best exchange rate is granted by ATM machines.  Do not use “currency exchange services”, because they make a hefty profit off of you on exchange.

 

 

 

(b) Tim Webb’s “Good Beer Guide to Belgium, and Holland”.  This book was indispensable on our trip.  It has wonderful descriptions of every Belgian beer you can put your hands on, which allows you to get the most band for your drinking buck.  Let’s say you’re in a bar that has six different Trappist ales, ales brewed by Monks.  Which one do you order first?  Grab Tim’s book, read a description of each one, read the rating that he has given them, and yes, make an informed decision.  You’re only going to be over there for a short time, so don’t waste it on pedestrial ales such as Stella Artois and Jupiler.  Those two beers are probably comparable in taste to a light struck, heated Old Milwaukee, and are as ubiquitous over there as Budweiser is over here.

 

(c) A good map.  Maps are available everywhere in Belgium, and the more you pay for one, the more info it contains.  Remember that Belgium is relatively small (smaller than Ohio in size) so there is a lot of detail in even a crummy map.  A good one will have so many of the little streets on it that you will be hard pressed to ever get lost.  My wife, Diane, is the best map-reader-navigator in the world, and she has the Summer off.  Should you need a living GPS on your trip, consider taking her over there with you.  Just make sure she brings some beer back with her for me.

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

 

Competition Connection- Tom Byrnes

This month our club reaffirmed its love affair with the American Pale Ale. Hops abounded as six judges evaluated 16 entries. This represented our second largest competition field this year. Scoring wise this was one of the closest competitions ever. The top 3 beers were separated by less than 1 point. This indicates that you should have some great pale ale to taste at the next meeting.

 

The finalists of this contest are listed below:

 

First Place: Tom Byrnes 35.33

Second Place: CJ/Diane 35.00

Third Place. Richard Pidgeon 34.50

 

Again thanks to all who entered and helped with this contest. Please check the BJCP guidelines prior to entering. These can be accessed at www.beertown.org.

 

If you would like to hold a judging meeting at your house, please let me know.

 

Since we have new members here are the rules for the HRBTS CUP: This years contest 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 1st place, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd 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 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the current HRBTS Home Brewer of the Year points.

HRBTS CUP 2004 STANDINGS

BREWER

CUMULATIVE POINTS

Richard Pidgeon

42

CJ/Diane

38

Tom Byrnes

21

OVBC (Mike Q, Rob, Erin, John and Catherine)

19

Doug Boyd

12

Mike Pensinger

10

Victor

8

Phil Swanson

5

Will Walker

5

Corey Pettiford

2

Joe Rainer

1

John Pearson

1

 

Pretty darn close is the only way to describe this contest.  Richard is newly retired and cranking out beers between turning his garage into a brewery.  CJ/Diane are working hard for a three-peat.  Should be an interesting finish.  We can also look forward to a variety of beers at the picnic as members get 5 points per five-gallon batch of homebrew to a maximum of 10.

 

Next month’s contest will be Wheat Beers including categories 3B, 17, 19B.  The winner will be representing our club in the AHA club only contest.  Please consult the guidelines for more information.

 

The new BJCP guidelines will be posted in the next few days.  These guidelines will provide a radical revision of the styles.  The taxonomy of beers will change, classifying them by common ingredients and flavors rather than the genealogy of the yeast.  Some of the changes will be controversial and bring much discussion.  For example including Imperial Stout as a Stout rather than a Barley Wine generated much discussion at the convention.  Also for fruit, spice and experimental beers the brewer will be no longer required to identify the specific spices or base style.  Judges will no longer penalize a beer if they don’t taste a particular spice or believe that the beer does not represent a good example of the underlying base style.  Each entry will be judged on its own merit for the category listed.  While these guidelines are working, meaning that minor revisions will be possible, a major revision is not expected for another 5 years.  Personally with a few exceptions, I am pleased with the revision and believe that it will give the brewer better feedback on their entries.  For those preparing for the BJCP exam the test will not change for these guidelines until next year.  Also expect to see several new beers included in these guidelines.  What will CJ think of the imperial pilsner? Stay tuned!

 

I would like to remind members that both Virginia Beach Homebrew Hobbies and Wine and Cake offer HRBTS members a 10% discount when you pay by cash or check. A similar discount is available at Homebrew.com. In order to qualify for these discounts you must have your dues paid up and be on the member list that Doug provides to these retailers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2004 HRB & TS Haiku Contest – Here are all of the entries for our contest – all are excellent.  There was one first place winner, one second place winner, and five entries tied for third. 

 

For the Duchess de Bourgogne – D. Catanzaro – Third Place

 

Saucy red lace curls,

Sweetness masks acetic wit,

The Duchess beckons.

Ode to s. cerevisiae – D. Catanzaro

 

Fermentation burp!

Excuse my yeast as they gorge,

And turn wort to ale

Miscellaneous haiku – D. Catanzaro – Third Place

 

Green bottle beer smell

Roadside skunk catches a whiff;

Friend or Heineken?

For the Duchess de Bourgogne – D. Catanzaro

 

Flemish goddess red,

Mary of Burgundy rules

My heart and my tongue.

Ode to the Certified – D. Catanzaro

 

Honey smoked dark wit

Lembeek window open wide

Cry ye judges cry

Miscellaneous haiku – D. Catanzaro -  Third Place

 

Twenty four hour day

Twenty four beers in a case.

Coincidence?  Not!

For the Duchess de Bourgogne – D. Catanzaro

 

Duchess ripe and sweet,

Passionfruit vinegar ho’,

Inflames lust divine.

Ode to mead – D. Catanzaro - -

Second Place

 

What is that buzzing?

I awaken sticky sweet

Mead gone to my head

Haiku - R. Pigeon

 

Starting at ninety,
Hops fly into the kettle,

Soaring IBUs

Haiku - R. Pigeon

 

Secondary done,
Priming sugar dissolved,

Bottle and cap now.

Haiku - R. Pigeon – Third Place

 

Pale, gold, amber, dark,
Colors that belie flavors,

Truth comes in tasting.

Haiku - R. Pigeon

 

A rich creamy head,
The lingering bitter tail,

Body in between.

Haiku - R. Pigeon

 

A bear and a beer,
The land of sky blue waters,

The beer refreshing.

Haiku - R. Pigeon

 

Look at the bottle,
A ring is inside the neck,

Contamination!

Haiku – C. Jones

 

Fermenter is stuck.

I bought some expired yeast.

A bad decision.

Haiku – C. Jones

 

Wife looking for me,

Housework and chores to do. Dang!

Would rather drink beer.

Haiku – C. Jones

 

No beer in Heaven?

Why do they call it Heaven,

If there is no beer?

Haiku – C. Jones- Third Place

 

Must have drank a six,

In the bar at closing time,

Everyone’s a ten.

Haiku – C. Jones

 

I love to make beer,

My wife loves to make beer, too.

Made for each other!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the HRB & TS

 

The Hampton Roads Brewing and Tasting Society is dedicated to promoting the enjoyment of home brewing.  The annual dues are $15 per individual and $20 per family.  Members are encouraged to support the reasonable enjoyment of beer and observe the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Federal government, and the Golden Rule.  Persons attending HRB & TS meetings and events are solely liable for actions attendant to their participation.   HRB & TS maintains a NO SMOKING policy during all meetings so that members may better enjoy fine beers.  Smoking is permitted in meetings held in restaurants in the facility’s designated smoking areas.

 

Visit the HRB & TS online at www.hrbts.org.