Home Imbrewment

January Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

Hope your holiday season is all you want it to be. You’ve worked hard to wrap all those gifts, address all those cards, and sit through yet another year of Clarence getting his wings. You’ve gasped in faux delight at re-gifted fruitcake, chomped on nut-covered imitation-cheese balls, cheered the resurgent Redskins, spun your dreidel dizzy, and lip-synched enough hymns to make Milli Vanilli proud. Now, finally, it’s time to chill and dedicate a night to YOUR needs….and what could be better than sampling some good homebrew and winter cheer with the HRB&TS for our first meeting of the new year? (Ok, there are a few things that may be better, but this is a family newsletter!) The January HRB&TS meeting will be January 4, at Granby North Restaurant in the Ocean view section of Norfolk. Granby North is at the northern end of Granby Street, just a few blocks from the Chesapeake Bay. Granby North won the 2005 Best of Hampton Roads bronze medal for Best New Restaurant. These good folks are kind enough to dedicate a room (on the left as you walk in) to the HRB&TS for our meeting.

Of course, bring homebrew! However, you may want to start out with one of Granby North’s beer choices. On tap you will find Anchor Steam and Guinness (Doug, I hope you’re paying attention!). In the bottle you will find Schneider Aventinus (yum!), Bass Ale, Blue Moon Winter Lager, and Shiner Hefe, along with a few others. The food is reasonably priced and includes something that should please anyone’s palate…. crabcakes, pasta with chicken, shrimp, or tuna, pesto-stuffed pork, mussels in spicy coconut broth, steamers (clam, shrimp, mussels), she-crab soup, cheesy crab dip appetizer, and various salads including Caesar, Cobb, and curried chicken. The meeting starts at 7:30, but feel free to join us around 7 to hang out and get started on dinner and a brew before the crowd shows up. The first meeting with our new Executive Board and the second-to-last before our Transatlantic Showdown competition! Hope you can be there!

Granby North is at 9619 Granby Street Norfolk, 757-588-6728.

Directions:

From VA Beach:

If you are near Shore Drive, take Shore Drive West, it turns into Ocean View Ave. Turn left on Granby at the light after Judy Boone Realty…you’ll see Granby North on the right in a minute or two.

If you are not near Shore Dr., take I-64 to the Granby St exit, then head North on Granby St to Granby North. Stay on Granby, it is on the left a few minutes after you cross the intersection with Tidewater Dr. If you hit Ocean View Ave you’ve gone about 2 minutes too far.

From Norfolk:

Take Granby Street North to Granby North. It’s on the left a few minutes after you cross the intersection with Tidewater Dr. Unless you live in Ocean View, in which case just drive there cause you know where it is already!

From Currituck & points south:

Take Rt. 168 to I-64 (toward Norfolk) to the Granby St exit, then head North on Granby St. Stay on Granby, it is on the left a few minutes after you cross the intersection with Tidewater Dr. If you hit Ocean View Ave you’ve gone about 2 minutes too far.

From the Peninsula :

Take HRBT, get off on 4th View exit just after the tunnel. Turn left after you exit. Then turn right onto Ocean View Ave (Rt 60). Almost immediately, you must take the right exit ramp for “Ocean View - Rt 60" to stay on Ocean View Ave. In a couple of miles you will make a right on Granby St, and the restaurant is on the right in a minute or two.

Competition Corner, January 2006 “C.J.” Jones

Man, late December, busier than a one-armed paper hanger, too many things to do, and not enough time to drink beer. Or it was that way until December 21, when we judged Imperial Stouts and Imperial Pale Ales at Tom and Kate Byrnes house. Accompanied by the subtle heavy metal poundings emanating from Kate’s CD selection, three judges, Tom Byrnes, J.P. Messier and Jason Kuller worked their way through three imperial pale ales and four imperial stouts in a valiant effort to select which three were the best.

The entries were brewed by: Tom Byrnes; Diane and myself; Brian Edger; Jason Kuller; and two friends of Jason’s who were in town, beer in hand, and thought it would be fun to have their beers evaluated.

The contest was tight, with one of the entries earning an average score of thirty, with the other six averaging in the twenties. When the Holiday Season glasses were finally lowered and auld acquaintances were forgot, here’s how things shook out for our first contest of the 2006 brewing year:

First Place, Jason Kuller, with an Imperial Stout, good for three HRBTS Cup points;

Second Place, Brian Edger, with an Imperial Pale Ale, good for two HRBTS Cup points; and

Third Place, Jason Kuller, with an Imperial Pale Ale, good for one HRBTS Cup point.

2006 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS (as of 28 Dec 2005)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
Jason Kuller	4
Brian Edger	2
This could be you ….	…. if you get brewing

See you at the January meeting.

[Ed. Note]

I’ve included, on the next page, the final brewing competition results for 2005.

2005 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS, FINAL (as of 28 Nov 2005)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
C.J. & Diane Catanzaro	31 - Win
Mike and Melissa Pensinger	17 - Place
Victor Perotti	13 - Show
Phil Swanson	7
Tom Byrnes	6
The OVBC	5
Richard Pigeon	5
Paul Shurke	3
Bill Berry	3
Cory Pettiford	1
Doug Boyd	1
Will Walker	1
Next Year this could be You ….	…. If you get brewing

Recipes of the Month – Will Walker

An extract brew and an all-grain example, excerpted from the Beer Recipator website. Happy Brewing!

HARDBALL I²PA

Brewer:

Holland Brothers

Email:

Beer:

Hardball IIPA

Style:

American Pale Ale

Type:

Extract w/grain

Size:

5 gallons

Color:

22 HCU (~12 SRM)

Bitterness:

154 IBU

OG:

1.094

FG:

1.023

Alcohol:

9.2% v/v (7.2% w/w)

Water:

bottled spring water

Grain:

1 lb. American crystal 10L
8 oz. American crystal 60L

Steep:

steep 'till boil

Boil:

90 minutes

SG 1.094

5 gallons

10 lb. Light dry malt extract

Hops:

2 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 90 min.)
2 oz. Northern Brewer (8.5% AA, 90 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Northern Brewer (8.5% AA, 60 min.)
2 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 30 min.)
2 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 15 min.)

Yeast:

WLP007 Dry English Ale

Old Kracker Imperial Stout

After over 6 months in the bottle after 2+ months in secondary, this started to reach its peak. It's a rich, smooth imperial with balance tipped towards malt, although hops provide a citric contrast.

Brewer:

Marc Rehfuss

Email:

myr3838@ksu.edu

Beer:

Old Kracker Imperial Stout

Style:

Imperial Stout

Type:

All grain

Size:

5 gallons

Color:

234 HCU

Bitterness:

72 IBU

OG:

1.105

FG:

1.030

Alcohol:

9.7% v/v (7.6% w/w)

Water:

2 tsp CaSO4 added to bottled, soft spring water.

Grain:

13 lb. British pale
3 lb. Belgian Munich
.5 lb. British brown
1 lb. Belgian CaraMunich
1 lb. Belgian chocolate
1 lb. Roasted barley
.5 lb. Flaked barley

Mash:

72% efficiency

120 min at 152 deg.

Boil:

90 minutes

SG 1.075

7 gallons

Hops:

1 oz. Columbus (17.8% AA, 60 min.)
.25 oz. Perle (8% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 20 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (16% AA, 10 min.)

Yeast:

Wyeast 1028, stepped up from slant. 4000 ml starter, slurry only.

Log:

Primary fermentation 2 weeks. Massive blowover left my fridge a mess. Ambient was ~60 degs. Secondary for two months in lower 60's/

Tasting:

Deep chocolate and coffee character, without any astringency. Hint of diacetyl. Full, dextrinous body. Upfront chocolate sweetness yields to firm, clean hop and roasted grain bitterness. Very tasty. If anything, I'd up the roasted barley to 1.5 lbs next time.

About the HRB & TS

The Hampton Roads Brewing and Tasting Society is dedicated to promoting the enjoyment of home brewing. The annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 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.