Home Imbrewment

The Brewsletter

May 2006

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

www.hrbts.org

The President’s Podium – Tom Byrnes

May brings a variety of beer related activities. First, we had 8 entries that I know about that were sent to National Homebrew Competition Round 1 and are awaiting the results. Congratulations to all who entered! Members who enter contests should consider taking advantage of the Homebrew USA group ship; it was very convenient. You bring your entries, paperwork and entry fee in, they do he shipping a bill you for a portion of the shipping charge based on the number of entries. The next contest coming up will be the Dominion Cup, sponsored by the James River Homebrewers, which will be help on June 3, 2006. Entries will be due between May 15 and the 31^st. So keep listening for group ship information.

Locally we have two brewing events this month. First is Big Brew scheduled on May 6,2006 which is also National Homebrew Day. Homebrew USA will sponsor a group brewing session in the parking lot. Call Mike and Mellissa to find out about this year's details. You will recall that I listed the recipes in lasts month’s newsletter, but feel free to brew anything you want. It would be nice to have a nice club turnout for this event. Since I will be in Key West, I have arranged to celebrate the day with the local beer club called Island Brewers. In any event, take a moment and contemplate participating in the hobby that we all enjoy. After Big Brew, you will have a week to recuperate before the Town Point Park Beer Festival. Jason Kuller has graciously volunteered to take the leadership role on this since I will be in Florida. Thanks, Jason, I really appreciate your efforts. Basically Homebrew USA has offered us a table again and we will have a display similar to last year. At the May meeting, we will be asking members to sign up to staff the table for 1 hour. Last year we had 2 people each hour and things went smoothly. We are also encouraging members to donate beer for the event to give people a real taste of homebrew. HomebrewUSA will have the capability of dispensing four kegs at once and will also supply the CO2. Contact Jason at jasonkuller@yahoo.com for information on drop off details and event specifics. We will discuss this at our meeting as well.

April Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” [Henry Van Dyke]

“Let us go then, you and I, while the Spring sunset tarries in the sky, like a drunken sailor at last cal”l...... [D. Catanzaro, with serious apologies to T.S. Eliot)……..

……..to the May HRB&TS meeting at the home of Rob and Jody Sisson, in bucolic Chic’s Beach. Spring’s new life somehow inspires poetry, and the azaleas and bountiful blooms around the lake will provide the perfect setting to welcome the spring brewing and tasting season. Dress for outdoor weather! Thanks a great deal to Rob and Jody for hosting this meeting in their Shangri-la-like yard; bring ‘em a bottle of homebrew or craft beer to show your appreciation!

All winter long we meet in restaurants. Nice, but we aren’t allowed to bring commercially brewed beers. Come warmer weather, the club can meet in members’ backyards, decks, and courtyards. This means that, in addition to homebrew, WE CAN BRING store-bought CRAFT BEERS TO MEETINGS!!! Why bring “store-bought” beer to a homebrew club meeting? Well, don’t forget we are a brewing and TASTING society. Tasting craft beers is one way we learn about the interesting, unusual, and flavorful beers being brewed by craft brewers in the U.S. and around the world. It was at HRB&TS meetings that I tasted my first Belgian gueuze, my first Imperial IPA, my first Trappist ale, and my first Berliner Weisse. All of these were store-bought beers that club members brought to a club meeting and were kind enough to share.

At our restaurant meetings all winter long, those who enjoy the club but do not brew (ie.: tasters, former brewers, future brewers…) get to taste the great beer being brewed by the homebrewers in the club. When our meetings are held at private homes, those who do not bring homebrew to club meetings can return the favor by bringing interesting store-bought microbrews to share!

See a beer at your local retailer that looks interesting that you’ve never tried? Bring a bottle to share! Find a beer while traveling that we don’t get in these parts? Bring a bottle to share! Have a favorite beer that you think club members might enjoy? Bring a bottle to share! Unsure of what to bring? Since this month’s style is wheat and wit, consider bringing a bottle of Allagash White, Flying Dog’s In Heat Wheat, Three Floyd’s Gumball Wheat, Aventinus, Avery’s White Rascal, Ommegang Witte, Unibroue Blanche de Chambly, or Weihenstephaner, Paulaner, Schnedier, Maisel’s or Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse. Richmond’s Legend Brewing’s Dunkelweizen is now available also, according to their website. Last season they made an excellent hefeweizen and an outstanding wit.

Don’t feel limited to the style of the month however! Craft and microbrewed beers of any style are welcome. Still confused? Ok, bring anything by Stone, Avery, Allagash, Dogfish Head, Three Floyds, St George, Legend, Rogue, Old Dominion, Flying Dog, Ommegang, Unibroue…..WHAT??? Where you shop for beer they don’t have anything by these breweries??? Sounds like it’s time to shop somewhere else!!! Try Total Wine (all over), the Bon Vivant (Smithfield), Coastal Wine Connection (Newport News), or Gene Walters’ Marketplace (Norfolk-Ghent).

Directions to the meeting: From just about anywhere in Hampton Roads.....

Competition Corner, December 2005 “C.J.” Jones

Our monthly contest results: On April 19, we had a judging session at the house of Tom and Kate Byrnes, where we gathered to judge wheat beers. Seven entries in two different styles were lined up, and four folks, Tom Byrnes, Tim Hobbs, Paul McCune and J. P. Messier, stepped up to the plate to decide which was most righteous.

When the chaff was separated from the wheat, here’s how things stacked up:

First Place, J. P. Messier, with Blanc Solstice, a Belgian Wit, good for three HRBTS Cup points;

Second Place, Brian Edgar, with an Coastal Wheat hefeweizen, good for two HRBTS Cup points; and

Third Place, Jason Kuller, with a Weizen Up 2 hefeweizen, good for one HRBTS Cup point.

Here’s the current HRBTS Cup Standings:

2006 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS (as of 27 April 2006)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
Jason Kuller	8
J. P. Messier	7
Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro	6
Brian Edgar	6
Victor Perotti	5
Tom Byrnes	5
Phil Swanson	4
Mike and Melissa Pensinger	4
Richard Pidgeon	3
Bill Berry	1
This could easily be you ….	…. if you get brewing

See you at the May meeting.

2006 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 (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

Recipe of the Month – Tom Byrnes

Since this is wheat beer month and our club is full of hops heads, I wanted to share this recipe for Gumball Head by Three Floyds brewing company. I recently found this on brew board. Many thanks to “stout guy” for providing the research. His notes indicate that it is close in flavor but perhaps a little dark in color. This could be a big brew recipe contender. So check it out!

Competition Corner, December 2005 “C.J.” Jones

2006 HRB & TS Beer of the Month Schedule – C.J. Jones

Grain:

6.75 lbs wheat malt

4.25lbs Pale Malt

0.50 Caravienne