The Brewsletter

June 2007

 

 

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

www.hrbts.org

 

 

The President’s Podium – Jason Kuller

 

            WOW!  What a wondrous time of year!  There is so much to get out and do locally and regionally with respect to our favorite bubbly beverage.  Before I get started, I would like to thank Rob & Jodi for hosting our last meeting in their breathtaking backyard.  It was great even though the rain dripped and drizzled and finally drained the clouds and forced us inside.  A great time was had by all and we thank them for their hospitality and flexibility with the weather.

            First off, the Virginia Beer Festival was excellent, even if a little more crowded than last year.  The weather was absolutely amazing and the selection of fine beers was just as good.  It was a terrific way to bring a close to American Craft Beer Week which was observed from May 14th-20th.  Everyone in attendance seemed to be having a great time and I can’t wait for the fest next year. 

Speaking of beer festivals, mark your calendars for the River City Beer and Seafood Festival on Brown’s Island in Richmond.  This sounds like a great day of beer, seafood, music and fun on June 9th from noon to nine.  Admission is free, and on the off chance that you want to taste some brews while you’re there, they sell 6 oz souvenir tasting mugs for $25.  If you want to make a weekend out of it, Keller Williams is playing a free concert in Richmond the night before at Richmond’s Friday Night Cheers.

On a final note remember that the 20th Annual Mashout Homebrew, Camping and Music event extraordinaire will be Aug 17th-19th on Popenoe Mountain near Rocky Gap in Maryland.  I have not yet been but hope to attend, as it sounds like an awesome weekend and for the 20th anniversary, they even have a special guest blues performer, to round out the festivities.

Cheers!

Jason

 

March Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

 

The June 6 HRB&TS meeting will be held at the home of Club President and First Lady Jason and Lacy Kuller. The weather should be great this time of year for an outdoor meeting in the deeply wooded wilds of Chesapeake. Feel free to show up as early as 7 pm; the meeting begins after 7:30.

 

We’ll start in the backyard….dress for outdoor weather and consider bringing a lawn chair.  Snacks, homebrew, and commercial brew are all welcomed. Don’t forget to pop an extra in the cooler to leave with our gracious hosts as a thank-you for hosting the meeting! While the Beer of the Month is German-style wheats, any style is welcome at the meeting. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available also. The drive involves dark and winding country roads; remember that drinking and driving don’t mix, and plan accordingly.

 

Jason and Lacy will put a sign in front of the house.

 

 

Beer and your health in the news – W. Walker

 

Hops found to help treat hay fever

Japanese researchers are reporting that hops, which give beer its bitter taste, are effective in mitigating various symptoms of hay fever, Quad-Cities Online published on January 12. While hops were known to be effective for the treatment of tumors, the joint research found for the first time that they also are effective for alleviating the symptoms of some types of hay fever.

The team, researchers from the Wakayama Japanese Red Cross Medical Center and Sapporo Breweries Ltd., reported on its findings at an annual meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry, held in March in Tokyo. The research team said that extracts of hops suppress histamine - a substance that causes symptoms of hay fever such as sneezing and a runny nose - being released by the body's immune system.

From January to April, when there was a high pollen count, the team conducted an experiment on 40 hay fever sufferers who the team divided into two groups. One group was asked to drink a sports drink containing hops extracts, while the control group was given a regular sports drink. The team monitored the two groups and found that, even in the first few weeks, the symptoms of people in the group that took the extracts were mitigated and that after 10 weeks drinking the sports drink containing hops, the symptoms of all members of that group had been alleviated. The mitigation of the symptoms was most obvious on days when there was a lot of pollen in the air.

However, the team said beer does not have any alleviating effects on hay fever. The team now aims to develop products using hops extracts, such as a sports drink.

"Hops can be effective for treating hay fever caused by the pollen of trees in Japanese cedar and cypress families," said Tadao Enomoto, chief of the otolaryngology department at the center.

 

Beer - the remedy for all sorts of ailments  

In Babylon and Egypt, long considered as the birthplace of beer, the drink was offered to the gods and was mainly used by kings and at important festivals. The Egyptians also attributed a therapeutic effect to beer, and women of the upper classes used it for cosmetic purposes, i.e. to freshen their skin and reduce the risk of certain skin conditions.

In ancient Greece Hippocrates used beer as a remedy to facilitate diuresis and the drink was also considered to act against fever. Alcohol was also used at this time to heal wounds. Aretus of Capadocia recommended it for diabetes and migraine. In the Middle Ages beer was used as a stimulant to improve mood. Appetite generating and calming properties were attributed to the hop, a component of beer. Up until a hundred years ago, hop-filled cushions were recommended for sleeping disorders.

In the beginning of this century, the harmful consequences of alcohol abuse came to light, and medicine adopted a sceptical attitude towards alcoholic drinks, including beer. The emergence of powerful medicines further pushed out the use of alcohol as a remedy. It is only in the last few years that there has been renewed interest for the beneficial effect of alcohol on health.

Source: Beer & Health

 

 (Article copyright Belgianshop.com, 2006)

 

 

Competition Corner, June 2007 – Patti Messier

 

Our monthly judging took place on May 16, at the home of Tom and Kate Byrnes.  Thanks again for offering up your lovely home when I was in a bind!!

 

This month’s category was German/American Wheat & Rye (6D & 15).

After the deliberations, the results were as follows: 

First Place, Gus Gustavson with his Wichita Wheat , good for three HRBTS Cup points; 

Second Place, CJ Jones and Diane Catanzaro with their German Wheat,  good for two HRBTS Cup points;  and 

Third Place, Victor Perrotti with his Wheatsworth, earning him one HRBTS Cup point.

 

Our next monthly judging (June 20) will be for meads.  Choose 2, and only 2, of your favorite meads and enter them this month!  With 6 more competitions to go, it’s time for YOU to step up and brew some amazing beers!   It’s still anybody’s game!  Give these guys a challenge!  Look and plan ahead so you too can enter these monthly challenges and join the competition!

 

The current HRBTS Cup standings are in the table, following this text.  Extra congratulations to Gus Gustavson on his first ever ribbon, and it’s a blue one at that!  Enter some beers and join the ranks!  

 

 

 

2007 HRBTS CUP STANDINGS (as of 16 May 2007)

 Name of Brewer(s)

Total Points Accumulated

 

J. P. Messier

13

Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro

9

Tom Byrnes

7

Brian Edgar

4

Victor Perrotti

3

Gus Gustavson

3

This could easily be you ….

…. if you get brewing

 

 

 

Quit throwing away your used yeast vials! – Patti Messier

 

Hey, all you brewers out there!  We need you to save your used White Lab Yeast vials HRBTS will begin collecting your empty vials and redeeming them with White Labs to earn some great prizes for our raffles.  JP Messier will be collecting them at the monthly meetings as well as the judgings.  So gather those empty vials and hand them off to JP at the next meeting!

 

 

2007 HRB & TS Beer of the Month Schedule – Patty Messier

 

Month

Style

Category

Judging

AHA

January

Holiday Season

21B

Dec 20th

 

February

Barleywine

19B,C

Jan 24th

 

March

Scottish Ale

9A,B,C

Feb 21st

Y

April

Extract

All

Mar 21st

Y

May

India Pale Ale

14A,B

Apr 18th

 

 

June

German/American Wheat & Rye

 

6D, 15

 

May 16th

 

July

Meads

24,25,26

Jun 20th

Y

August

Fruit Beer

20

Jul 18th

 

September

Belgian Strong Ale

18

Aug 15th 

 

 

 

October

 

European Amber & Dark Lager, Bock

 

 

3,4,5

 

 

Sep 19th

 

 

November

Smoke-Flavored & Wood Aged

 

22

 

Oct 24th

 

 

December

Spice, Herb, Vegetable Beer

 

21

 

Nov 21st

 

January

Stouts

13A,B,C

Dec 19th

 

 

February

Strong Ale & Russian Imperial Stout

 

13F, 19

 

Jan 23rd

 

 

 

Recipes of the Month – J.P. Messier

 

3rd Place American and German Wheat & Rye

Victor’s  - Wheatsworth Wheat Beer

 

OG         1.054

FG          1.014

Alc%      5.2

IBU         25.5

SRM       6.9

 

Ingredients:

5 lb         Pale Ale Malt

5 lb         Wheat Malt

.5 lb        Aromatic Malt

.5 lb        Crystal 20L

1.5 oz     Saaz 4.2% Boil 60 min

.5 oz       Saaz 3.8% Boil 30 min

White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV

 

Mash for 90 min at 152 F

Sparge with 5 gal

Boil 90 min

 

7 days in primary

7 days in secondary

force carbonate

 

 2nd Place American and German Wheat & Rye
CJ & Diane’s  - DC & CJ Hefe

5.75 # Muntons dry wheat malt extract, boil, 60 minutes

1 oz Hallertau hop pellets, boil, 50 minutes

Wyeast 3068, Weihenstephen liquid yeast

 

1st Place American and German Wheat & Rye
Gus's - Wonderful Wichita Wheat
 
MALT - 7Lbs Wheat LME
HOPS - 1/2 oz Perle (:60)   1/2 oz Saaz (:05)
Yeast- WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
 
Pitch/Ferment @ 68-72F
And add priming sugar
 
Original Gravity-1.048      
IBU's - 14       
Color - 13.7
Alcohol - 4.7% ABV

 

 

 

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.  Visit the HRB & TS online at www.hrbts.org.