The Brewsletter
February 2006
The Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB & TS)
The
President’s Podium – Tom Byrnes
Well, 2006 is shaping up to be an exciting time for HRBTS. Our new group of officers has completed a brewing schedule that reflects almost all of the clubs favorite beer styles. The club will also participate in almost all of the AHA contests for 2006. We hope that you will enjoy brewing them. Judging from the number of entries in our recent BarleyWine/Dopplebock contest, we are off to a good start in our club competitions. We would also encourage members to enter contests that occur elsewhere in our region and of course the AHA National Competition.
This newsletter also brings the final preparations for our club’s return to the national competition scene. Showdown 2006 will be judged at St. George brewing on February 18, 2006. This is a unique opportunity for members of our club to get involved in the judging and stewarding of BJCP-sanctioned competitions. If you’re curious about what goes on in the competitions or perhaps are interested in becoming a judge, this is your chance to get involved. Interested parties should contact Diane at judge@hrbts.org to get on the list. Can’t volunteer your time; don’t forget to enter this showdown between American and British beers. Entry information can be found on the Showdown link on our website and the entry deadline in February 11, 2006.
I also want to solicit your opinions about your perceptions of our club and suggestions for ways to improve. As your president, I will assure you that I will join the other officers to work hard to make this a new and exciting year. But we realize that the “heart and soul” of this club is you, the member, so please feel free to share your ideas regarding the direction of the club this year. I am specifically interested in if the current meeting format is meeting your needs or if you would like to see additional offerings. My email address is president@hrbts.org and your opinions are always welcome.
Finally I wanted to congratulate CJ and Diane for winning the HRBTS Cup last year.
February
Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro
Alle ist gut! Festhalten Ihren leiderhosen (hold on to your leiderhosen!) The Wednesday, February 1 meeting of the HRB&TS will be at the German Pantry in Norfolk. This venerable restaurant is under new ownership, with Irene and Rich taking the helm. It is still family-run and a friendly place where regulars and newcomers all feel at home instantly.
The Germany Pantry has many bottled German beers available and several on tap, including a Hefeweizen (Paulaner or Hacker-Pshorr), Warsteiner, and Allgauer Cambinator Dopplebock. They have a great menu with all kinds of German fare, from wursts to five kinds of schnitzel to hamburger and fries. (You may be aware that the precursor of modern day hamburgers originated in Hamburg, Germany). Come hungry!
Of course, BRING HOMEBREW if you have some!!! No commercial beers are permitted when we meet at restaurants, but homebrews are welcomed for sampling. If you don’t have any homebrew to bring then consider buying some of the German Pantry’s groovy bottled beers and offer small (2 ounce) sampling pours around to fellow club members in the tasting cups. That way people can try a small amount of a variety of beers and our collective beer knowledge is enhanced.
The location is really easy to get to from anywhere in the greater Hampton Roads area….only a couple of minutes off I-64 and I-264.
Address: 5329 Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk, 461-5100.
www.thegermanpantry.com
Directions:
From the Peninsula or Ocean View: Take I-64 East to Military Highway South exit. Follow Military Highway about a mile or two. Turn right onto Route 58/VA Beach Blvd. The German Pantry is on the left in just a minute.
From Norfolk, VA Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Currituck – Take I-264 toward Military Highway. Take the Military Highway North exit. About a mile down the road is the big intersection with Route 58/VA Beach Blvd. Take Rt 58/VA Beach Blvd westbound, toward Norfolk. The German Pantry is on the left in about a minute.
2006 (and early 2007) HRB & TS Beer of the Month
Schedule
Cut this out and tape it to your refrigerator along with those pictures drawn by your children!
|
Month (2006 unless stated otherwise) |
Beer style name (and 2004
BJCP beer style category number) |
Beer judging date ;
usually two weeks before Club meeting) |
Winner goes to an AHA Club
Only Contest? |
|
January |
Imperial
Stout (13F) & Imperial Pale Ale (14C) |
21
December 2005 |
|
|
February
|
Doppelbock
(5C) and Barleywine (19B & C) |
18
January 2006 |
|
|
March |
American
ale (10) |
15
February 2006 |
|
|
April
|
Extraction
(extract recipes only) |
22
March 2006 |
Yes |
|
May |
Wheat
and Wit (6D, 15, 16A) |
19
April 2006 |
|
|
June |
India
Pale Ales (IPA) (14) |
24
May 2006 |
|
|
July |
Meads
(24, 25, 26) |
21
June 2006 |
Yes |
|
August |
Stouts
(13) |
19
July 2006 |
Yes |
|
September |
Fruit
beers (20) |
23
August 2006 |
|
|
October |
Octoberfest
(3B) |
20
September 2006 |
|
|
November |
Thanksgiving
Ales (an ingredient is associated with the Thanksgiving holiday) (23) |
18
October 2006 |
|
|
December |
Belgian
(16, 17B-F, 18) |
15
November 2006 |
|
|
January
2007 |
Holiday
Season beers (21B) |
20
December 2006 |
|
|
February
2007 |
Barleywines
(19B & C) |
24
January 2007 |
|
|
March
2007 |
To
Be Determined (TBD) |
21
February 2007 |
|
Competition
Corner, February 2006 – “C.J.” Jones
In early January, we judged barleywines (both American and English) and doppelbocks at our house. This judging was a very serious, long event. There were fifteen entries, so we divided that number in two, and had two panels of three judges each evaluate them. There was a lot of quality homebrewed product on the table: the Pensingers had three big barleywines in the mix; Victor had the legendary Barleywhale in the contest; Jason Kuller and Doug Boyd each had a doppelbock in front of the judges. Which beverage would be crowned King /Queen for the evening?
The judges, all having tasted a barleywine of two to calibrate their palates, stepped up to the table. Doug Boyd, Tom Byrnes, Diane Catanzaro, Paul Shurke, Rob Sisson, and Will Walker each hung in there until almost 11:00 PM, judging beers.
The contest was tight, with six of the entries earning an average score of thirty or above. When the last of the glasses were lowered, here’s how things stacked up:
First Place, Tom Byrnes, with a (very delicious) English Barleywine, good for three HRBTS Cup points;
Second Place, Mike and Melissa Pensinger, with a robust American Barleywine, Fat Boy 2002, good for two HRBTS Cup points; and
Third Place, a two person tie, between Victor Perotti, with an American Barleywine (the infamous Whale), Entry#1, and Brian Edgar, with a bodacious English Barleywine, good for one HRBTS Cup point.
2006 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS (as of
24 Jan 2006)
|
Name of Brewer(s) |
Total Points Accumulated |
|
Jason Kuller |
4 |
|
Tom Byrnes |
3 |
|
Brian Edgar |
3 |
|
Mike and Melissa Pensinger |
2 |
|
Victor Perotti |
1 |
|
This could be you …. |
…. if you get brewing |
See you at the February meeting.
Beer Bits – C. J. Jones
C.J. and Diane make
the Wynkoop’s 2006 Beerdrinker of the Year Semifinals. That’s right, sports fans, the two of us
made the semifinalist list for the second year in a row. Diane’s beer resume contained a “Top Ten
Reasons Why I Should Be The Beerdrinker of the Year”, and it included “On State Department “watch list” for
transporting a loaded Randall across state lines.” That’s a good reason to pick her as the winner, hands down.
My resume contained this truism: “Beer is the perfect accompaniment to a Redskins victory over the Cowboys, and I’m pretty sure that if you have enough beer, watching C-Span could be an enjoyable experience.” OK, maybe I stretched the truth on that. We both win a t-shirt that you cannot wear when driving, a black shirt with bright yellow letters proclaiming “Beerdrinker of the Year Semifinalist 2006”, a shirt that’s guaranteed to draw attention when you’re behind the wheel. A panel of esteemed beer experts will review the ten semifinalist’s resumes, and select the final three contenders, each of whom is flown by the fine folks at the Wynkoop to Denver at the end of February for an intensive interview and evaluation. If you win, there’s free beer for life for you at the Wynkoop in Denver. Why that’s enough to almost make you move there, isn’t it? For more information on the contest, go here www.wynkoop.com.
Looking for a new book about beer? How about grabbing Lew Bryson’s new book “Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Breweries” (Stackpole Books, 266 pages, $16.95). IF you get a copy, you can find an HRBTS member, Mike Pensinger, quoted within. "Mike’s particularly happy with the free license to brew whatever he wants. "Within reason," he adds, though even that seems pretty broad when you learn that it apparently encompasses Mike’s Over The Top IPA, a 7.5% ABV hop monster that Mike claims rings in at a terrifying 147 IBU. "Arrogant Bastard has nothing on me," he proudly stated." That’s pretty cool.
Williamsburg Brewing is closed. Hugh Burns’ brewing efforts came to an end in December, or thereabouts. Reportedly someone is interested in buying the equipment and giving it another go, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Dogfish Head Fort is at the Bon Vivant. Dogfish Head Brewing’s Fort, and 18% ABV beer made with raspberries, is available at the Bon Vivant in Smithfield. That beer isn’t available at the brewery of brewpub in Delaware, but it is available in our own backyard. Diane has sipped some at BV, and said it was delicious. At $16, it may appear pricey, but that is about what you’d pay for a good bottle of wine at your local grocer, but this beer is stronger by around fifty percent. Go get some.
Legend Hop Fest is at the Total Wine store in Ghent. That is one hoppy rascal …
Recipes
of the Month – Tom Byrnes & Will Walker
An extract brew from Tom Byrnes and an all-grain example, carefully selected from the Beer Recipator website by your Editor. Happy Brewing!
Tom’s recipe:
Listed below is the barley wine recipe I entered in the January 2006 club
judging contest.
[..and won 1st
place! Ed.]
Malt/Grains:
16ozs Crystal 60 steeped in 150-degree water for 50 minutes
16ozs Wheat malt steeped in 150-degree water for 50 minutes
13.2 lbs of Pale Liquid Malt Extract. I used the Canadian Extract sold in bulk at Homebrew USA
3 lbs Mutton Fison Light Dry Malt Extract
8ozs Lyle’s Golden Syrup in boil
Hops:
5 oz East Kent Goldings, 5.0 AAU/oz – 60 min
1 oz East Kent Goldings, 5.0 AAU/oz – 15 min
1 oz East Kent Goldings, 5.0 AAU/oz – 3 min
1 oz East Kent Goldings, 5.0 AAU/oz – Dry Hopped for 10 days
Other Stuff:
1 whirlfloc tablet 15 min
WLP 007 Dry English Ale yeast in 2000ml starter in primary
WLP 007 Dry English Ale yeast in secondary 3 days prior to bottling.
Prime with 3/4-cup corn sugar at bottling
Brewed – MLK Day04
Secondary 1/27/04
Bottled – 4/27/04
Tasting Notes: After a year in the bottle with no carbonation I decanted it, mixed with fresh WLP 007yeast and rebottled on 4/19/05. O.G 1.118 and F.G 1.029. Age at judging was almost 2 years.
2005bw
|
Brewer: |
Jim Johnson |
Email: |
|||||
|
Beer: |
2005bw |
Style: |
Barley Wine |
||||
|
Type: |
All grain |
Size: |
5 gallons |
||||
|
Color: |
|
Bitterness: |
141 IBU |
||||
|
OG: |
1.102 |
FG: |
1.025 |
||||
|
Alcohol: |
10.0% v/v (7.8% w/w) |
||||||
|
Grain: |
18 lb. American 2-row |
||||||
|
Mash: |
70% efficiency |
||||||
|
Boil: |
90 minutes |
SG 1.079 |
6.5 gallons |
||||
|
Hops: |
2 oz. Warrior (15% AA, 60 min.) |
||||||
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.