The Brewsletter

August 2005

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

The President’s Podium – Tom Byrnes

As American Beer month comes to a close, our club celebrated with two events. First was our Dale Pale Ale meeting at CJ and Diane’s, which featured quite a few homebrews, and American style ales. As of this writing we are still waiting to see which members clone brew will be picked by Dale as being most representative of his tasty brew. Second was our club annual picnic. Rain hardy members braved the occasional showers and had a very good time. A wide variety of homebrews were featured along with lots of food. I had my very first “bubba burger” which proved quite interesting. The only downside to the picnic was the low turnout rate but members that ignored the elements had a very good time. Thanks to Kevin and Amy for hosting this event.

I personally celebrated American beer month by trying a new beer, Dogfishhead’s Malt Liquor. Being a fan of Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor in the 80’s, I was very excited to get my hands on a bottle. It was packaged in a quart bottle with a plastic top. Sparing no expense, it even comes with its own brown paper bag. ,My anticipation rose as I unscrewed the bottle (served at 50 degrees). The initial aroma had caramel notes and the color was a darker brown than I expected. I figured that they use brown sugar to increase the alcohol. My insides tingled I took my first sip, revealing a very pleasing caramel taste and then the alcohol punch followed by a warming sensation. No cidery flavors detected, as one would expect from the large amounts of sugar used in brewing this recipe. This was not the malt liquor I remembered from graduate school; it was much better. This was a very good offering by this brewery, known for testing the limits of styles. This is the second summer that it was brewed but it has been very scarce in this area. If you should happen to see a bottle, try it. I bought the last bottle from Bazemore’s, which was priced at $6.25. Even my neighbors loved it!

The coming of August typically brings the end of summer and we are preparing to celebrate the AHA’s Mead day being held Saturday August 6^th. This is a chance to share our love of this honey-fermented beverage that has been quite popular in this club. I’m not sure if one of our homebrew shops is holding any activities marking the day, but you’ll find the official recipe in the back of this newsletter, in case anyone wants to brew it. We are also looking forward to our August meeting, which will feature, Belgian and French Farmhouse Ales. Looking forward to the future we have put together an initial plan to sponsor a regional contest in the winter. The Transatlantic Showdown 2006 will pit American style beers against their English counterparts. This will take place next February.

The Next Meeting Location – Diane Catenzaro

The August 3 meeting of the HRB&TS will be at the Virginia Beach home of Victor and Jennifer Perrotti at 7:30. Hopefully we will get a reprieve from the dog days of July and August and be able to chill with some great homebrews and friendly company. Dress for outdoor weather as we will meet in the yard.

The BOTM, the styles of saison and bier de garde, are refreshing “farmhouse” summer beers brewed in the rural Hainaut region of Belgium and the bordering French countryside. Based on the recent club contest I know several club members have brewed some wonderful examples of these styles, so we can hopefully look forward to sampling these at the meeting. Of course any other homebrewed or craft brewed beers you care to bring are welcome. If you are a taster (ie: do not homebrew) you can get top-notch examples of the BOTM styles at the Bon Vivant in Smithfield. They carry both Saison Dupont and St. Amand Biere de Garde, both of which are delicious benchmarks of their respective styles. (More about Bon Vivant and “other things” below).

This month’s meeting location is easy to get to….close to “downtown” Virginia Beach. Sincere thanks to Victor and Jennifer for offering their home for this meeting. Don’t forget to bring an extra beer to show your appreciation to our kind hosts!

The Bon Vivant and other things…….

Speaking of the Bon Vivant, people are always asking me what store has the best beer selection in the area, and I always tell them that it is unquestionably the Bon Vivant. Everyone is surprised to learn that Smithfield, of all places, is home to this fantastic specialty beer store. Owner Mike Adams knows his beers and the selection of Belgian, German, British, and American craft brews is second to none in Hampton Roads.

The Bon Vivant has Belgians and American microbrews you can’t find anyplace else in the area. The prices are very fair, with a 5% discount on purchases of 6 individual bottles and 10% discount on 12 bottles. Mike counts the 750-milliliter bottles as 2 individual bottles, so buy 6 of these “bomber” size bottles and get a 10% discount…such a deal! Also, and you can mix and match, in other words you don’t have to buy 6 of the same beer to get the discount. There is also an impressive selection of wines. Chris and I often make the 30-minute pleasant country drive to Bon Vivant a Saturday destination. It is not far from the Brewer’s Neck Rd. (how appropriate) turn off of Rt. 17. It is also not far from the James River Bridge. Check for directions at www.bonvivantmarket.com.

While you are on the website, click on ‘World Class Beers’ and you can review the list of what Mike has in stock. Just reading the list makes me salivate…check it out and see for yourself. The Bon Vivant is an excellent place to begin exploring the range of amazing beers that are produced by Belgian artisanal and monastic breweries. These are exciting and complex beers produced in limited quantities by smaller, independent producers. These brewers are resisting the wave of corporate buy-outs of Belgian (and other) breweries by global conglomerates that would have all of us drinking cheaply mass-produced industrial lager and thinking that is all that beer can be.

These global conglomerates think we can be seduced by fancy advertising campaigns to drink their insipid flavorless swill, and we are extremely fortunate to have a specialty store like Bon Vivant that allows us to have a choice of world-class beers as an alternative to the mass-marketed flavorless McBeer that is so readily available. If we don’t seek out the independent breweries, whether Belgian, American, British, German, Canadian, Dutch, etc., and buy their beers, they will go away. So, take heart in knowing that when you buy a Rochefort, Achel, or Westmalle Trappist Ale, the Duchesse de Bourgogne, de Dolle Oerbier, Boon Gueuze, St. Bernardus Abt 12, Schneider Aventinus, St. George IPA, Stone Ruination, Legend Hefeweizen, Heavyweight Imperial Porter, Dogfish Head Immort Ale, or (add the independent brewery product of your choice here…), not only are you getting an outstanding and flavorful beer but you are:

helping to preserve the diversity of the species beerus,
fighting to help the little guy (or gal) and small-business owner survive (David versus Goliath),
ensuring that quality beers will be available for our children and future generations,
preserving a nation’s cultural heritage,
telling the corporate vultures you cannot be bought with cheap adjuncts, low prices, and inane commercials with sexy girls, talking dogs, or testosterone-laden sports figures,
in general helping to make the world a better place.

And you thought you were “just buying a beer”!!!

Richard Pigeon,-HRBTS Homebrewer of the Month – Mellissa Pensinger

We all think we know Richard Pigeon but how well do we "know" Richard Pigeon?

Richard started brewing…, let's say a while ago, because he wasn't old enough to drink/buy beer legally. His thought was to make his own, then he could enjoy beer! Richard started with Blue Ribbon Malt, sugar and baking yeast...then he was hooked! His brewing equipment started with an 8 gallon stone pickle crock, with a plastic lawn bag for a lid. He then used his mothers soup pot for a brew kettle, (wonder how that went over, and how the soup tasted?).

When I asked Richard what he has learned along the way to make things easier when brewing, he told me " Sanitation, Sanitation, Sanitation”, and “technique is more important than the recipe”; and finally “the quality of ingredients is critical”.

"We all start off brewing in many different ways”, he says, “then along the way we discover things that are better and easier”.

Richard has since left the bottling of his beers to mini kegs and now cornelius kegs. He has also gone from extract brewing to all grain, which he says "changed my life".

He is retired and has been married to Betsy for 34 years. They have one son who is 30 and they live in Virginia Beach, VA. His hobbies are cooking, photography, fishing, reading, shooting, fireworks and of course drinking beer. He is a BJCP Recognized Beer Judge and he is looking forward to finishing his home brewery and it's labor saving features, along with entering more competitions along the way!

HRBTS is glad to have Richard in our club and we look forward to drinking more of his award winning homebrew!

Libeerian’s Report and Notes from the Web Guy – Mike Pensinger

We have a couple books of interest in the libeery this month:
The Art of Cider Making:

Book Description
"The Art of Cidermaking takes you back to making cider like your many great granddads."--All About Beer

A review from Amazon.com:
While not a big beer drinker, I do enjoy a good cider now and then. Coming from a family that makes sweet cider I was interested in brewing a good batch or two of the hard stuff. Mr. Correnty does a good job of giving history and practical advice. He keeps the brewing expenses to a minimum and gives loads of information from recipies, to brew supplies, to apple selection.

Radical Brewing:
Book Description
Radical Brewing takes a hip and creative look at beer brewing, presented with a graphically appealing two-color layout suitable for the Internet age.

From the Publisher
History, humor and homebrewing converge when the creative and prolific mind of Randy Mosher explores the expressive side of beer in Radical Brewing.

Mosher sees homebrewing—and by extension craft brewing—as an antidote to corporate, mass-market beers. Over two decades of brewing and beer research, he has probed the depths of beer history in both his reading and his brewing. Radical Brewing displays the many unique ales and lagers that have resulted from his celebration of beer while serving as a vehicle for discussing a creative, "outside the lines" approach to modern brewing. Through it all, the reader is treated to Mosher’s irresistible love of beer and brewing as well as some very humorous asides on beer history.

The infectious spirit of homebrewing is hard to resist when one reviews Mosher’s recipe for "Electric Aunt Jemima Maple Buckwheat Ale," checks out the section on "(Not so Dumb) Blonde Ales" or chuckles through his fanciful description of the birth of beer featuring the ancient Harl’eh-riding Ur’s Angels. Best of all, the two-color visually rich content comes in self-contained segments that instantly engage readers no matter what page they turn to.

Typically, modern brewing books focus on the science of how to brew—and Mosher has mastered all of that. But in Radical Brewing, he focuses on the creative, expressive opportunities available to those with a brew kettle. Each chapter offers techniques and recipes as well as ideas for independent exploration of new brewing frontiers. The result is a text that both informs and inspires experienced brewers while providing an engaging and intelligent introduction to the hobby for newcomers.

Famed beer writer Michael Jackson once called Mosher "some kind of homebrewing genius" and in the forward to Radical Brewing, he further lionizes this genius, saying "His activities are probably a threat to our morals. Passion, imagination and tenacity are a challenge to the established order." These two masters of beer have collaborated in the past, as Jackson notes when he tells how Mosher accurately recreated the flavor of a now-lost beer style that even Jackson had only once tasted himself. And though Jackson’s accolades for Mosher are great, one can only imagine that they will pale as practicing brewers of all stripes begin to digest Mosher’s treasure-trove of beer ideas and render their own reviews of this delightful book.
So come visit the Libeery at HomeBrewUSA and check a couple of beer books out.

Hey all, a new month is upon us and we have a newly redesigned website too... You asked for it so we have added a host of new features including a photo album and a disussion board.
The new discussion board is easier to use than the old one and you can upload your own pictures to the photo album. It is all available at www.hrbts.org so let’s make it work! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at libeerian@hrbts.org.

Treasurer’s Report – Mellissa Pensinger

Beginning Balance this month: $1320.60

Deductions (picnic, cups, shipping, benchmarks, etc.): (343.61)

Additions (refunds, raffles, etc.): $143.63

Balance: $1120.63

Please remember, the raffles are the only way the club is making money (right now). So, save your change and buy those raffle tickets!!! We have a nice selection of donated raffle items for our "Silent Auction" that will take place at the Octoberfest Meeting at Will & Jonna's home. If you are planning on donating any "larger" items for this raffle please make sure to get them to me as soon as possible.

We have 3 new members joining us this month: Price Dodson, Timothy Hobbs and Sam Pugh. Glad you have joined us. Happy brewing!

2005 HRB & TS Beer of the Month Schedule – C.J. Jones

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

Month (2005 unless stated otherwise)	Beer style name & 2004 BJCP beer style category number	Beer judging date ; usually two weeks before Club meeting)	Winner goes to an AHA Club Only Contest?
January	Spiced Beers (21)	15 December 2004
February	Strong Belgian ales (18)	26 January 2005
March	Brown ales (10C & 11)	16 February 2005
April	Fruit (20) & Cider (27 & 28)	23 March 2005
May	Extract (all)	20 April 2005	Yes
June	Mead (24-26)	18 May 2005
July	Dale’s Pale Ale clone (n/a)	22 June 2005
August	Belgian/French ale (16)	20 July 2005	Yes
September	Lagers (all)	24 August 2005	Yes, for European Amber Lagers (3)
October	Stouts (13 A-E, not F)	21 September 2005
November	Porter (12)	19 October 2005	Yes, for Baltic Porter (12C)
December	Holiday ales (21B)	23 November 2005
January 2006	Imperial Stout (13F) & Imperial Pale Ale (14C)	21 December 2005
February 2006	Doppelbock (5C) and Barleywine (19B & 19C)	18 January 2006

Remember, our next beer judging session is scheduled for 24 August, when we’ll taste my favorite style of beers, lagers. Mmmm, the crisp, flavor-challenged purity of a lager, perhaps only bettered by a bottle of Aquafina. Anyway, jot it down, next judging, 24 August; the best European Amber Lager (BJCP Category 3) gets sent to an AHA Club-Only contest.

Competition Corner for July 2005, Dale’s Pale Ale clone – C.J. Jones

There’s a whole lot of competition-related news to deliver, and I’m going to deliver it right now.

First, way back on June 22, we convened a panel of judges to separate the wheat from the chaff, and judged homebrewed versions of Dale’s Pale Ale, the deliciously hoppy pale ale brewed in Lyons, CO by Oskar Blues. A panel of four judges, Richard Pigeon, Tom Byrnes, Diane Catanzaro and Doug Boyd tasted the beers and compared them to a benchmark Dale’s purchased at Gene Walter’s Marketplace in Ghent. Four of the six entries were judged to be closer to the mark than the other two, so they were shipped to Colorado, to be judged by the Dale, Dale Katechis, founder and owner of Oskar Blues. At press time (29 July 2005), that had not happened yet. Hopefully we’ll get the results in time for our August meeting.

Second, we had a three of our brewing brothers and/or sisters bring sufficient beer to our picnic on 16 July 2005 to garner contest points. Mike Pensinger brought two five gallon kegs, a pale ale, and a strawberry blonde ale, both good beers, and good for six points. Victor Perotti brought five gallons worth of righteously delicious bottled Belgian style Tripel to qualify for three points. Diane Catanzaro and I brought a three gallon keg of Saison style ale, along with a mixture of bottles of six or seven flavors of homebrew to equal five gallons of stash, and that was good for three points. Those point totals have been added to the chart that follows this text. For those of you who were too afraid of a little rain on our picnic date, you missed some delicious beers

Third, we had a contest on July 20^th to judge Belgian style ales. Richard Pigeon, Will Walker, Diane Catanzaro, and Tom Byrnes (all credentialed judges) were joined by Melissa Pensinger, and they volunteered to evaluate five Belgian style ales. There were three Saisons, one Belgian Pale Ale, and one Biere de Garde in the mix, and the judges grabbed their style guidelines and went to work. There were untold demands placed on the poor lackey/steward (me), with repeated shouts and demands for water, more beer, boot licking, etc.

When the dust had settled, here’s how things stood:

First place (three points) went to Phil Swanson for his Biere de Garde, with an average score of 35;

Second place (two points) went to Diane and I for a Saison that we bottled on June 8, 2005; and

Third place (one point) went to Diane and I for a Saison that we bottled on July 12, 2005.

Phil’s beer will be entered into the AHA Club only Belgian ale contest; good luck Phil!

2005 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS (as of 24 July 2005)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
C.J. & Diane Catanzaro	21
Mike Pensinger	13
Victor Perrotti	7
Phil Swanson	6
Tom Byrnes	6
The OVBC	5
Richard Pigeon	2
Cory Pettiford	1
Doug Boyd	1
You could be here ….	GET BREWING

Recipe of the Month – Tom Byrnes

AHA MEAD DAY OFFICIAL RECIPE

“Morning Wood” Oak-Aged Mead
2005 Meadllenium VIII Best of Show Mead Recipe

Medium Sweet, Still, Standard Strength

Ingredients for 5 U.S. gal (19 L)
13 lb (5.9 kg) orange blossom honey
4 gal (15.1 l) water (or enough to make 5 gal of mead)
1 oz (28 g) medium toast American oak chips
1 vial (1.5 oz, 43 g) Wyeast Yeast Nutrient

Wyeast 3783 Rüdesheimer Yeast

O.G.: 1.104 F.G.: 1.020

Make a one-quart yeast starter a day or two in advance. Thoroughly mix honey and yeast nutrient with enough water to make five gallons of mead (approx. four gallons of water). Pitch yeast starter and aerate well. Ferment at 65o F for two weeks. Rack to secondary and ferment two more weeks. Rack to a tertiary fermenter with oak chips added (oak chips can be sanitized by steaming in a steamer basket for 10-15 minutes). Sample after one week, and once every week after that until you achieve the level of oakiness you desire, then rack to another fermenter and age six months before bottling. *

*Steve aged the original version of this mead for six months in a medium toast American oak cask, which had been used previously to age Barleywines and Imperial Stouts.