Home Imbrewment
March 2004
The
Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB
& TS)
www.hrbts.org
The President’s Podium – Chris “C.J.” Jones
Our last meeting was at
Rom Thai, and we had a pretty fun
time. One could say we Thai-ed one on,
but not to excess. The club polished
off a case of Dale’s Pale Ale in
about 45 minutes, and we were treated to a killer assortment of very spicy
food. The green curry that I had for
dinner gave me that whole body sweat breakout in about two seconds, it was
righteously hot, and delicious.
We had a judging
session at the Pensinger’s Virginia
Beach Homebrew Hobbies shop, and again had a big turnout of entries –
eleven of them. That’s a big number of
entries for a beer style that I didn’t think that many people enjoyed
making. It appears that your elected
slate of officers picked some winners when we selected the contest beers for
2004.
In the event that you
need music to drink beer to, here’s some shameless self-promotion. My band, Fat Tony, has a just released (Released? Was it held captive somewhere?) a CD, “blues, swing & everything” which when listened to makes any
beer taste even better. Don’t take my word for it, ask Kevin Oliver or Will Walker. See that look of peace upon their faces?
It’s from listening to Fat Tony music while sipping a homebrew.
Mike Duke has returned
to the Gene Walter’s Market in
Ghent. Mike was the original beer guru
there about five plus years ago. With
the arrival of Total Wine to the
Ghent neighborhood, Farm Fresh
brought Mike back from the wilds of Chesapeake to compete with the out-of-town
distributor of ethanol-based products, and we in the Norfolk area are glad to
have him back. Mike says there is
nothing he’d rather do than sell a bunch of beer, and that, my friends, is
where we all win. Competition, it’s not
just for homebrewing contests anymore.
The Next
Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro
Look out!!!!!! Nirvana ahead!!!!! Our next meeting will be held on March 3, 2004 at the fabulous Bier Garden in Portsmouth! ONLY the FINEST beer selection in the entire
region! This family-owned German-style
Bistro has a stupendous selection of German and Belgian beers and ales, plus
some top American microbrews. And in the bottle, lots of wild stuff including
Belgian trappist ales by Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle, Chimay, and
Orval! Also, hard-to-find ales from
Cantillon, de Dolle, Grimbergen, Pierre Celis, Schneider, Hacker-Pschorr and
the poetry-inspiring Duchess de Bourgogne, a Flanders-style red ale that tastes
like…well…
“From somewhere in the
dark she kisses you with lips still moist with the soft whisper of oak aged
balsamic vinegar. The tapestry above your head, embroidered with dusty silk in
Bruges for young Mary, daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, envelopes you in the
dust of long rotted fruit. You embrace in the folds, both sweaty now, your
pores exuding vapors of bitter chocolate and coffee. Your passion is sharp,
sweet, honeyed, sweaty and so deep you can hear the boom of the guns over the
fields of Flanders only a heart beat away. After you come, all that remains is
a wrinkled memory of blood on your lips.”
Silk Tork.
This is a meeting worth getting to early, and leaving
late! A visit to the Biergarden is like
a beer tour of Belgium and Germany, but you get to sleep in your own bed. The
meeting will be held in the Bier Garden’s main dining room. This is because
they have been allowing smoking in the enclosed patio room, and the backroom is
smoke-free except for the wafts from the bar. I’m going to try a Westvleteren
to compensate. Westvleteren is
supposedly one of the rarest of Trappist ales, you can only buy it at a little
take-out window the monks at Westvleteren (near Watou) operate on Fridays, and
there is a limit of something like 6 cases.
Oh, by the way, owner Kevin won’t be able to join us because he will be
touring Belgian and German breweries, hanging out with the Schneiders (you
know, the family that brews Aventinus) and getting aled and hailed (sort of
like getting wined and dined, but better….).
The week after our meeting the Biergarden is closing down (only for a
week!), and the whole family (sister Stephanie, Mom and Pop) are all heading to
Germany for a well-deserved vacation.
Enjoy dinner along with your beer. Many German specialties,
including bratwurst, knackwurst, bauernwurst, weiner schnitzel, leberkaese
(German meatloaf), sauerbraten, linsen spatzel, and strammer max. Ok, I admit I don’t know what most of these
things are (Egad! They probably contain meat! C.J.) and plan to order the veggie
burger. I have heard that the food is
incredibly authentic and excellent. More familiar items include hamburgers,
various sandwiches (reuben, chicken, turkey, etc.), salads, cheese and fruit
plate. Come early and have a leisurely
dinner with some great beer! All they
ask is if we could get a check for each table, rather than for individuals or
couples. When you order, if you are wandering around, remind the server what
table you are at so they can keep track easily and spend their valuable time
bringing us MORE BEER!!!
Hint hint: When you first arrive, check out the chalkboard
in the barroom, with the on-tap listings. Find a beer menu and peruse the
unbelievable Belgian and German sections. Select a first-choice and back-up if
you choose a bottle, in case they are out of your selection. Order at the bar
to get quicker service. Otherwise it may take a server a while to get to you
and you could become parched. Then, when you think you want a second beer,
order it well before you are done with beer #1. Some of these beers take a
while to pour, and there is typically only one bartender.
The Bier Garden is located at 434 High St. in Olde Town
Portsmouth (393-6022), right across from the Commodore Theater. This location
is central to all of Hampton Roads and the Peninsula.
From VA Beach: Take 264 W to the Downtown
Tunnel. Stay in tunnel right lane and
take first exit, at Effingham St. Stay
on Effingham several blocks, then turn right on High St. The Bier Garden is at the corner of High and
Dinwiddle. To park, turn right off High
St. at end of block, onto Court St. Take
the 2nd right onto County St.
See free parking lot on your right.
There is also on-street parking.
From the Peninsula: Take the Monitor-Merrimac toward
Portsmouth. Take exit 9 onto Rt 164
toward Portsmouth. This: Merge onto VA‑164 E via exit number 9
toward PORTSMOUTH. After 164 turns to
a single lane due to construction, Turn RIGHT onto VA‑164/MT VERNON AVE. Go through a couple of lights, then turn LEFT
onto HIGH ST and look for the 400 block. Parking tips are above.
From Norfolk: Take the Downtown Tunnel to Portsmouth
and exit onto Effingham Street right after tunnel. Take Effingham for a couple
of minutes, then turn right onto High Street.
From Chesapeake: Pretend you are going to take the
Downtown Tunnel to Norfolk, but exit before the tunnel onto Effingham
Street. Take Effingham toward Old Town
Portsmouth, turn right on High Street and look for the 400 block.
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
Well it looks like our clubs love affair with Brown Ales
continues. This month’s contest brought 11 worthy opponents to the field of
battle. Most of the combatants were in the American Brown or Southern Brown
category. I think the American Brown was popular because members in this club
love hops. The other notable feature of this contest was the location at
Virginia Beach Homebrew Hobbies. This was a great location for judging
surrounded by all the brewing equipment and ingredients. Not to mention that
Sabco Brew Magic system in the Window. Sure would like to see that baby in
action one Saturday, (hint, hint). Anyway thanks to Melissa and Mike for
hosting this event. Also there was a tie for first place, which is a rare
occurrence.
The finalists of the Brown Ale
Contest are listed below:
First Place: Richard Pidgeon,/ CJ/Diane both with American Brown
Ales
Second Place: Will Walker, American Brown Ale
Third Place Richard Pidgeon,
American Brown Ale
Again thanks to all who entered
and helped with this contest. Two members entering this contest did not specify
the appropriate subcategory for their entries. When this happens I assign the
category and you could loose points. 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 are the current HRBTS Home
Brewer of the Year points. This reflects the contest results and a mistake I
had made last month, shorting a member of 1 entry point.
HRBTS CUP 2004 STANDINGS
|
BREWER
|
CUMULATIVE POINTS
|
|
CJ/Diane
|
16
|
|
Tom Byrnes
|
11
|
|
Richard Pidgeon
|
13
|
|
OVBC (Mike Q, Rob, Erin, John and Catherine)
|
10
|
|
Doug Boyd
|
9
|
|
Victor
|
7
|
|
Mike Pensinger
|
6
|
|
Will Walker
|
4
|
|
Corey
|
1
|
|
Joe
|
1
|
|
|
|
Next month’s
contest will be the infamous Mead with the winner going to the AHA club only
competition. This means that the winning entry will have to part with 2 bottles
for this contest. To avoid confusion here are the subcategories for this
competition.
STYLE
|
OG
|
FG
|
ABV%
|
IBU
|
COLOR
|
|
25. MEAD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Traditional
Mead
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
B. Varietal Honey
Traditional Mead
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
C. Cyser
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
D. Pyment
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
E. Other Fruit
Melomel
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
F. Metheglin
|
1.070-120+
|
.995-1.025
|
7.5-15+
|
N/A
|
1-16
|
|
G. Braggot
|
1.060-120+
|
1.004-25
|
6.5-14+
|
0-50
|
3-16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26. CIDER
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Standard Cider
and Perry
|
1.045-61
|
.990-1.012
|
4.5-7.0
|
N/A
|
3-12
|
|
B. New
England-style Cider
|
1.061-105
|
.990-1.010
|
7.0-14
|
N/A
|
3-5
|
|
C. Specialty
Cider and Perry
|
1.061-105
|
.990-1.010
|
7.0-14
|
N/A
|
3-12
|
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.
BeerNews from Norfolk
I found out recently that Total
Wine is opening a store on 21st street in the old Charlie Falks
location. Now we now longer have to spend our brewing dollars in other cities.
.This store opened on February 19 .
Total Wine has a really good beer selection and will be a good addition to the
Ghent corridor. Be sure to check them
out and tell them that you’re from HRBTS. That should make it easier for Doug
to get raffle donations.
Homebrew Haiku – C. J. Jones
There you sit, on the floor in a lotus position, arms
extended, repeating a mantra for hours on end, trance-like “beeeerrr”, and all
is good. Sometimes the “beer” mantra
isn’t enough to help you reach enlightenment, you need to be more creative, to
be more poetic, to haiku. That’s right,
dude, haiku! To break into the popular
Japanese poetic form of three line, seventeen syllable verses, with a five line
first verse, a seven line second verse, and a five line third verse. For example, here’s one I just made up:
Beer glass is empty,
Alas, I am out of beer,
Homebrew will remedy this.
You get the idea, the old 5-7-5 syllable concept. My proposal is this. Next time you’re doing your beer meditation,
write those beer-related haikus down, and email them to me, C.J.. We’ll print the entries in our April
newsletter, and attendees at our April meeting will pick the top three. What do you win for your efforts? A little something that will help you haiku
some more, some Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, 2004. We’ll give three bottles to the author of
the first place haiku, two to the second place finisher, and one bottle to the
third place finisher. In addition,
we’ll publish all of the entries on our Club’s web site, to be forever
immortalized.
What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? “Make me one with everything.”
St Patrick’s Day is Coming…
A Texan walks into a pub in Ireland and clears his voice to
the crowd of drinkers. He says, "I hear you Irish are a bunch of hard
drinkers. I'll give $500 American dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10
pints of Guinness back-to-back." The room is quiet and no one takes up the
Texan's offer.
One man even leaves. Thirty minutes later the same gentleman
who left shows back up and taps the Texan on the shoulder. "Is your bet
still good?", asks the Irishman.
The Texan says yes and asks the bartender to line up 10
pints of Guinness. Immediately the Irishman tears into all 10 of the pint
glasses drinking them all back-to-back.
The other pub patrons cheer as the Texan sits in amazement.
The Texan gives the Irishman the $500 and says, "If ya
don't
mind me askin', where did you go for that 30 minutes you
were gone?".
The Irishman replies, "Oh...I had to go to the pub down
the
street to see if I could do it first".
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.