Beer news: Coors and Molson are merging to become the
third largest brewing concern in North America,
behind Anheuser Busch (#1) and SAB/Miller (#2).
Pete Coors, Republican Senate candidate in Colorado, says the merger will result in
even more swill being passed off onto consumers disguised as beer. They have a new slogan in the can to spur
sales of their combined insipid products - “The Silver Bullet, Eh?” OK, I made the last part up. In a related matter, Anheuser Busch announced
their plans for a new plan to take over the world. The name of the company is being changed from
AB to The Borg, and consumers are to be referred “future members of the
collective”. “Resistance is futile, you
will be assimilated” will replace the frogs saying “Bud-Wise-Err” as their
primary advertising jingle. OK, I made
that up too, but unless you are making beer at home, or get your discriminating
tastes out of your house and into the marketplace, all we will find when we do
venture into our local grocery store is crap beer. Let’s not let that happen.
See you in a few weeks!
The Next Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro
The August 4 meeting of the HRB&TS will be in Ghent, in the “back
forty” of our estate. Back forty feet, that is. While usually in this article I
extol the merits of our chosen meeting location, how to do that without
sounding immodest? Or without outright lying? Ok, I’m gonna give it to you
straight. The best aspects of this location are (1) Chris and I don’t have to
drive far, (2) you can stop by Gene Walters Marketplace on 21st St.
while you are in the hood and have a nice selection of beers to bring over for the club to taste, (3) we
are willing, and (4) I have a bug fogger that I will use sometime in the late
afternoon (5) we have a pretty dragonfly begonia that is on its third summer,
(6) we will have food. So, hopefully I
have enticed you to come to the August meeting. Feel free to bring interesting
or exotic commercial beers, as well as of course your homebrew! Meeting begins
at 7 to 7:30.
Belgian
Beer Trip 2004 - Part 1 Amsterdam
By Diane Catanzaro
The pilgrimage Chris and I made to Belgium and Amsterdam in May was filled with so many
special moments and adventures that it is a daunting task to set to paper. So,
I’ve decided to break the trip up into snippets….I guess they could be called
trippets….to simplify this task. The first thing I want to write about is Dutch
beers in Amsterdam
and an overview of the amazing beers we drank on the entire trip. Future
trippets will describe beer tours and sites (Verhaghe, Drie Fonteinen, Orval,
Rodenbach), beer cuisine, and other aspects of Belgian beer travel including
art, geography, and things that beer travelers might want to know when planning
their next trip.
I had three main goals for this trip. (1) To focus on
tasting beers I had not tried before. (2) To focus on beers that are difficult
or impossible to get at home. (3) Most importantly, to drink only beers that
are made by craft brewers or monks. I
purposely avoided beers that are owned by conglomerates such as Interbrew,
Palm, or Heineken (with the exception of Rodenbach Grand Cru, owned by Palm but
irresistible). Part of beer tourism, at least according to my book (and
pocketbook), is to support the brewing artisans who represent a bulwark against
the global conglomerates. These brewing conglomerates are buying up breweries
at an alarming rate and changing many of them to appeal to the tastes of the
masses with a focus on profits, not art, flavor, or adventure. Beer tourism is
one way to support the small-scale breweries that are what great Belgian and
Dutch beer are all about. Think about it…just by drinking their delicious beer
you may be able to help these traditional breweries to be able to survive in
the face of competition by global conglomerates! Pretty heady stuff!! Okay, back to the trip.
Peter
van der Arend with fans at his Café t’Arendsnest in Amsterdam.
We spent a couple of days in Amsterdam
before heading on to Belgium.
That first night in Amsterdam
we were completely blown away by the range of exciting and unusual Dutch beers.
We read about Café t’Arendsnest in Tim Webb’s Good Beer Guide to Belgium & Holland. Peter van der Arend
carries exclusively Dutch craft
beers, in a beautiful café on the Herengracht canal. Our image of Dutch beer
was Grolsch and Heineken. No more! This is no more accurate than thinking
American beer is all Bud and Coors. Our first night in Amsterdam was a true revelation….Dutch beer
has a range and depth of quality that rivals Belgian beer.
Two
of my favorite beers from the trip are Dutch beers we tasted at t’Arendsnest,
the Jopen Lente (spring ale, fresh and bursting with coriander and spices) and
Jopen’s chocolate witbier (a special brew made for a comic convention in Haarlem). Jopen also
makes Koyt, a beer made with gruit, an herbal mixture used before hops were
introduced. Herbs in gruit include sweet gale, also called Bog Myrtle (Myrica
gale), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Wild or Marsh Rosemary (Ledum
palustre), juniper, sage, and others. Later when we visited Bruges we toured a museum
that had been the mansion of an extremely wealthy gruit merchant. He was so
rich that his house had a window where he could view church services in the
cathedral next door (where the Duchess de Bourgogne is entombed) without
leaving his fancy home.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/pubs.htm
is an excellent guide to Amsterdam’s
pubs and Dutch breweries, and http://www.whitebeertravels.co.uk/arendsnest.html
has detailed information about the Arendsnest. This cafe is a must-visit when
you are in Amsterdam.
The Dutch term gezellig, meaning
cozy, convivial, comfortable is a good description. It is on the edge of the Jordaan district, a
short walk from everywhere, and you can sit in the beautiful café or sit at
outdoor tables canalside and watch boats drift by. Peter is a knowledgeable host and a laid-back
evangelist for Dutch beer. There is an excellent Belgian restaurant right next
door.
Marty and Chris discover Dutch beer!
While in Amsterdam
we stayed at the Hotel Brouwer (translation: Brewer!) on a tip from friends. Simple, attractive, immaculate
rooms at a good price, and a nice Dutch breakfast with bread, gouda cheese, hard boiled eggs,
croissants. Location convenient to
everything (and I mean everything!)
Best views of pretty canal from top floor.
So, here is my list of beers sampled on our trip. The list
is not 100% complete. Sometimes I forgot to write something down. Sometimes I
do not know the name of the brewery. Oh, well… I will do better on the next
trip! If I had to pick some of my
personal top faves (not in any order), I’d pick the Jopen Lente, the Jopen
chocolate wit, the Rodenbach Grand Cru, the Dutchess de Bourgogne, the Oerbier
de Dolle, and the Felix Brun.
Jopen Lente Stripbier
Chocolade Wit from Jopen
?Banana bier Jopen
Koyt gruitbier
Tongerlo Brown Rodenbach
Red
Petrus Tripel Oerbier
de Dolle
Felix Special Oud Brun Jacobus
Gueuze
Rodenbach Grand Cru Witkap-Pater
Zatte Bie Bos
Keun de Dolle
Tripel Karmelit Vuuve
Achtel 8% Poperinge
Hommelbier
Cuvee des Trolles Timmerman’s
Kriek
Cantillon Gueuze 100% lambic bio St Louis Gueuze
Dupont wit organic Westmalle
Double
Bellevue
Gueuze Straffe
Hendrick Lente
Boon Old Gueuze Petrus
Oud Brun
St. Bernardus tripel Deus
Brut de Flandres “cuvee prestige” 2002
Duchess de Bourgogne Vichtenar
Verhaghe
Echte Kriekenbier Verhaghe Verhaghe Caves
Westvleteren Blonde
Durboyse Tripel
Westvleteren Brun Durboyse
Blond
Westvleteren 12 St.
Bernardus 10
Chimay blue Orval
6.2
Rochefort 8 Orval
3.5
Rochefort 10 Kriek
Boon
Oude Gueuze Boon 2001-02 Boon
Duvielsbier
Drie Fountains Krieken lambic Fantome – forget which
Drie Fountains Faro Mort
Subite Oud Gueuze
Straffe Hendrick Blonde
Robin and Peter behind the bar in t’Arendsnest.
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
|
Competition Connection- Tom Byrnes
If you thought last months contest was close: “you ain’t
seen nothing yet”. This month, four judges and 10 beers gathered in surprising Suffolk to pick the best of
the wheat beers and to choose our representative in the AHAClub Only Contest
for Bavarian Weizen. First and second
place were separated by 3/10’s of a point.
Judges too weary for a drink off created another HRBTS first: A three
way tie for third place!. 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:
Richard Pidgeon Light Hybrid Ale (American Wheat) 35.66
Second Place:
Tom Byrnes Bavarian Weizen 35.33
Third Place. Richard
Pidgeon Light Hybrid Ale (American Wheat) 32.66
Richard
Pidgeon Bavarian Weizen 32.66
Mike
Pensinger Belgian Wit 32.66
Again thanks to all who entered
and helped with this contest. Also thanks to John Mitchell who offered his house
for the judging.
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
|
54
|
|
CJ/Diane
|
38
|
|
Tom Byrnes
|
25
|
|
OVBC (Mike Q, Rob, Erin, John and Catherine)
|
20
|
|
Mike Pensinger
|
14
|
|
Doug Boyd
|
12
|
|
Victor
|
10
|
|
Phil Swanson
|
5
|
|
Will Walker
|
5
|
|
Corey Pettiford
|
2
|
|
Joe Rainer
|
1
|
|
John Pearson
|
1
|
Although we haven’t
selected a date for the picnic yet, brewers can get 5 points per five-gallon
batch of homebrew to a maximum of 10. I expect a lot of beer due to the
closeness of this competition.
Next month’s contest will be Stout (Doug is already salivating at the
thought). The categories have changed with the new guidelines and are: Dry
Stout, Sweet Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Foreign Extra, American Stout, Russian
Imperial Stout. The American Stout category is new. Basically it is hoppier
than its Irish counterparts and uses American Yeast. Sierra Nevada Stout is one
of the benchmarks. Russian Imperial is also included in this category moving
from the Barley Wine category. Please consider these categories prior to
entering your beer amd check the BJCP guidelines. These can be accessed
at www.beertown.org. and have recently
changed.
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.
Feedback From the Competition Coordinator
I noticed that most of the
entries in this month’s competition were seriously under carbonated. There were
several flavorful beers that lost points due to their carbonation level. I
think this is because members bottle their beer from a keg reducing their PSI
to avoid excessive foaming. Remember to cap you beers right away to preserve
carbonation and watch the fill level. If you put a racking cane into your cobra
head this will fill from the bottom and use about 3 PSI. My solution is to use Coopers
Carbonation Drops and fill up some bottles while kegging. These drops
result in perfect carbonation and are extremely to use. My winning beers over
the last two months were carbonated this way.
AHA Mead Day is scheduled for Saturday August 7, 2004. This
is similar to big brew designed to promote the brewing of this ancient
beverage. I’m not sure if Virginia Beach Homebrew Hobbies is participating but
here is the official recipe in case you’re interested. All ingredients are
available from Virginia Beach Homebrew Hobbies.
Ingredients
for 5 U.S.
gal (19 L)
18
lb clover honey
4
gal. water (or enough to make 5 gal of mead)
4
Tbs tartaric acid
1
Tbs malic acid
8 oz
bruised spearmint leaves
2 oz
yeast nutrient for mead (or 2 tsp each of yeast energizer and yeast nutrient)
4
tsp acid blend
10 g
dry Prise de Mousse wine yeast
6 g
SparkalloidTM
5
tsp stock Sodium Metabisulfite solution (after fermentation)
O.G.:
26o Brix (Approx. 1.110 SG)
Total
Acid 6-6.5%
Instructions
Heat water until warm, turn off stove and stir in the honey
until it is dissolved. Boil five minutes, skimming, and add nutrient and acid.
Cool to room temperature and transfer to a sanitized fermenter. Sprinkle yeast
on the surface. Stir in after 12 hours. Ferment two to three weeks. Place
spearmint leaves in a mesh bag in another fermenter and rack mead onto the
leaves. Age one week, then fine with Sparkalloid (boil in 1-2 cups of water for
15 minutes, then stir into mead) and add Sodium Metabisulfite. Age four more
weeks, rack off the lees, then bottle.
Did you know about the
International Mead Festival –Honey Wines of the World being held November 5
& 6, 2004 in Boulder, Colorado? Visit www.meadfest.comfor more
information.
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.
Member’s Submission Corner – Newsletter
editor
Dodge Writes:
We should all be
doing more physical activity in 2004. So from this weekend on I will ride
5 miles every day. If anyone would like to join me, they can send me a
message indicating their seating preference.
See below for
a picture of our bicycle.
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.
