The Brewsletter

July 2006

 

 

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

www.hrbts.org

 

 

The President’s Podium – Tom Byrnes

Welcome to Mead month, one of the most popular times in HRBTS.  Yes, HRBTS folks love their mead, and this month’s meeting should feature a wide variety of this honey elixir based on the 13 entries recently judged.  It also appears that members in our club have also perfected mead blending or what is typically called “split–batch”, where a base mead, usually traditional, is divided into smaller batches with different types of fruit and spices for secondary fermentation. The result is several different meads from one primary batch and a wider variety for members to sample at the meeting.  I will also have handouts available on making mead at the meeting for those members that have always wanted to make mead but never quite made it. At any rate, this is one of our best meeting and you won’t want to miss it.

 

Those of you who ventured out to Tim and Minni’s house for the IPA meeting were amply rewarded.  Our hosts featured a large sampling of Indian cuisine, the IPA’s, both commercial and homebrewed versions, were flowing and the raffle prizes included 2 tickets to the Dominion Brewing Beer fest in Ashburn Virginia.  JP and Patti were the lucky winners of this prize. Thanks again to Tim and Minni for a fabulous evening.

 

We decided to combat a slow summer brewing month with a major announcement more powerful than one of Jason Kueller’s continuously hopped ales.  This alone could be worth the price of club membership.  Mike, owner of Bon vivant Market in Smithfield, has extended a 10% discount on beer purchases at the Smithfield location only.  Typically, he discounts when you buy 6 or more bottles, but mention HRBTS membership and he’ll take 10% of the entire beer purchase.  Located 1504 S. Church St Smithfield, VA,  757-365-0932, his beer selection is worth the drive.

 Mike simply has the most extensive beer offerings in this area, which now features the likes of Avery, Russian River, Bear Republic, Oskar Blues and Unita on top of the solid selection of east coast breweries. He also features a wide variety of imports from Belgium, Germany and Great Britain.  His beer selection is too extensive to mention here so check out http://www.bonvivantmarket.com/. Please remember to thank Mike for his generosity and mention the club on your next visit.  Also club members are encouraged to support those local merchants that support you through the club discount program.

 

 

 

This Month’s Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

 

Get ready for big fun sugarlips…..it’s the HRB&TS’ annual MEAD-ing!!! Our July 5th meeting will be a celebration of the fruit of the bee, the elixir that put the honey in “honeymoon”, that medieval honey wine that created such a buzz in the days of Beowulf…..

 

We will meet at Tom and Kate Byrnes' home in Ocean View, on their porch, which is blessed with a lovely bay breeze.  Thanks once again to Tom and Kate for hosting our annual tribute to the elixir of the gods and goddesses.  A bottle of your finest mead or homebrew would be a lovely token of esteem for our noble hosts.

 

Whether you like it sweet, dry, spiced, fruity, tart or traditional…. methoglin or melomel….still or petillant…..braggot or pyment (that’s fancy mead talk)…..you may just meet the mead of your dreams....Also, nothing wrong with bringing some commercial mead, homebrew, or commercial beer. I have begun to see different types on commercial products available. Bonvivant Market in Smithfield currently feature 3 offering from Redstone Meadry: the traditional, blackberry and raspberry. Also featured is the classic Chaucer mead complete with mulling spices. After a bunch of mead you might want a little hops to balance things out!

 

 

A Little Beer History – Will Walker

 

In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV codified the right to pure beer for all Bavarians
by establishing a brewing standard called Reinheitsgebot. Reinheitsgebot is
a document that sets parameters for the ingredients as well as pricing.
Acceptable ingredients were: water, malt (barley and wheat) and hops.
Interestingly, yeast was not on the list because its role in brewing was not
discovered until the 1870s by Louis Pasteur.

Over the years several advances have changed the process of brewing. The
introduction of refrigeration plants in the early 1860s in Germany created
an environment where brewers could produce beer year-round instead of just
in the fall and winter months. Controlling the temperature also meant they
could produce more temperature-sensitive beers, and could transport beer
over long distances.

In Colonial America, the first brewery was in place by 1637, started by
Captain Sedgwick of the Massachusetts colony. Colonists often used alcohol
(beer, wine, distilled spirits) as barter because coinage was in short
supply in the New World. By 1790, the estimated per capita alcohol
consumption level had reached nearly six gallons per year. However, the
mid-1800s saw a change in drinking habits, due to temperance reform
organizations, the industrialization of society and the establishment of a
uniform currency. It was during this time that abstinence laws began to pop
up at local and state levels and the thoughts of alcohol prohibition began
to fester.

But in the Wild West, those laws could not prevent the inception of large
brewers such as Budweiser, Pabst and Schlitz. Advents of refrigeration,
pasteurization and improved transportation in the late nineteenth century
helped the proliferation of beer consumption. Saloons and alcohol became
part of everyday social and business life in the West as the breweries
flourished.

Abraham Lincoln, noting the lack of funds to support the Civil War, began to
tax alcohol, lending an air of legitimacy to the industry. The government,
in post-war times, also began to rely on the healthy tax to fund other
programs. But the grass-roots religious and abstinence organizations that
protested alcohol consumption persuaded the public as well as government to
consider options to curb drinking, namely total abstinence. The outcry began
in 1829 in Maine and continued through Oct. 10, 1919, when the United States
Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, commonly known as the Volstead
Act, banning alcohol consumption and outlining penalties. By the time this
act was passed, 33 states had already passed similar measures.

 

(To be Continued…)

 

 

 

 

Competition Corner, June 2006  -  Tom Byrnes

 

Our monthly contest results:  On June 21st 4 brave judges, Tom Byrnes (BJCP), J.P. Messier, Victor Perrotti and the newly-married Doug Boyd accepted the awesome task of judging the club’s 13 mead entries.  Greg Hood also tried his hand at judging relieving Victor. Many thanks to our vice president, Jonna Walker, and Patti Messier for running this competition. It was a tough job but we were done by 10:30. Based on this performance it seems that once again there will be some excellent meads at the upcoming meeting. CJ and Diane’s entry will represent the club at the Mead club only.

 

First Place, Diane/CJ in category 25C, good for three HRBTS Cup points;

Second Place, Tom Byrnes with a maple mead in category 26C, good for two HRBTS Cup points; and

Third Place, a tie:  Diane/CJ with a still mead in category 24C and Brian Edgar in category 25C good for one HRBTS Cup point.

 

Here’s the current HRBTS Cup Standings: As you can see this competition remains very close.

 

 

 

2006 HRB & TS CUP STANDINGS (as of 21 June 2006)

 

Name of Brewer(s)

Total Points Accumulated

 

Jason Kuller

11

Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro

10

J. P. Messier

8

Tom Byrnes

7

Brian Edgar

7

Victor Perotti

5

Phil Swanson

4

Mike and Melissa Pensinger

4

Curt Aasen and Ron Jones

3

Richard Pidgeon

3

Bill Berry

1

This could easily be you ….

…. if you get brewing

 

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?

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

 

 

Mead Primer

 

For those members new to mead, here are a list of terms and classifications that you’ll likely experience at the next meeting. The best book on the topic is The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm. There are numerous websites and list-serves devoted to this topic. Check out the mead lovers digest http://www.talisman.com/mead/ or http://www.gotmead.com/ for more information. The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) also has a list dedicated to historical meads at http://sca_brew.homestead.com.  This site also has a yeast survey listing the strengths and weaknesses for yeast used in mead brewing.

 

Mead ranges from very dry, dry, medium-sweet, sweet, very sweet. Some products are carbonated like champagne, while others are still like white wine. Plus you can add fruit, herbs, vegetables or spices to fermented honey and it is still considered mead. (As long as it is fermented from at least 50% honey) 

Bracket or Braggot - Honeywine made with malt, must be at least 20% honey

Cyser - Honeywine made with apple cider, apple juice or apples

Melomel - Honeywine using fruit excluding apples or grapes. This category also includes vegetable meads

Metheglin - Honeywine made with any herbs, spices

Pyment - Honeywine made with grapes/grape juice

Specialty - Any Honeywine (fermented from at least 50% honey) that does not fit into any other category, including a combination of two or more categories

Tej – Proving that Europe is not the only place for mead. This honey wine made with gesho plant leaves and traditionally resulting from spontaneous fermentation. This is found in Ethiopia and was featured in Zymurgy last year. If any member knows of any markets that may carry gesho, let Tom know because I would like to make this.

Traditional - Honeywine not from a single variety of honey (see "varietal"), no fruits, herbs or spices added

Varietal - Honeywine made from single-bloom or varietal honey; no fruits, herbs, spices or other major flavor ingredients

 

Beer Theories - Collected by Rob Sisson


Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed.  Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams.  If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered.  I think, "It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."

Babe Ruth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink.  When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."

Lyndon B. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

Paul Hornung
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case.  Coincidence?  I think not."

H. L. Mencken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When we drink, we get drunk.  When we get drunk, we fall asleep.  When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.  When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.  So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"

George Bernard Shaw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Benjamin Franklin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.  Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

Dave Barry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BEER: HELPING UGLY PEOPLE HAVE SEX SINCE 3000 B.C.!

W. C. Fields
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember "I" before "E", except in Budweiser.

Professor Irwin Corey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group.  Salvation in a can!

Leo Durocher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One night at Cheers, Cliff Calvin explained the" Buffalo Theory" to his buddy Norm:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this.  A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo.  And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members!  In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells.  Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells.  But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first.  In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine!  That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
 

 

 

 

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.