The Brewsletter

September 2007

 

 

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

www.hrbts.org

 

 

The President’s Podium – Jason Kuller

 

            I hope everyone is having a terrific summer and taking advantage of all of the fun things to do in our area.  Thanks to Ron & Jeanine for hosting our second annual pool party in their backyard, complete with grilling out, enjoying homebrew and of course dippin’ in the pool.  We also give a big thanks to J.P. & Patti for offering up their backyard, home and neighborhood clubhouse to us for our annual club picnic.  I think the picnic was a great success as we easily had 8-10 different kinds of homebrew, including several kegs and a variety of bottles for our tasting pleasure.  Thanks to all the club members who were kind enough to donate homebrew for the cause!  In addition to grilling out and playing badminton at the clubhouse we also got to go swimming in the neighbors pool (way cool) and have a fire in J.P. and Patti’s back yard (way cool too).  Overall it was a great time at superb location and I would vote to hold it there next year if they want to put up with us again.

            Well, personally, I am stoked about September!  First off, I get to go to Lake Gaston for some much needed relaxation and boat riding after a very busy summer.  Then, later in the month, I will be doing brewing demonstrations and getting funky at the 1st annual Capitol City Carnival in Northern Virginia.  This event promises to be an absolute blast and the first event of this theme and caliber that I have ever heard of.  Imagine…Out of this world music provided by none other than the Godfather of Funk, George Clinton and P-Funk, as well as Indecision, The Avett Bros. and many more…take that put it in your brew pot, then add some carnival type rides and amusements and a genuine circus sideshow…get that up to a nice rolling boil then top it off with a unique beer festival complete with a Virginia Beer Section, a European Section, East Coast, West Coast…over 50 breweries and 100 beers to tantalize your tastebuds while enjoying the rest of the party. 

 

If this sounds like fun, then check out the website at www.capitolcitycarnival.com, or, get in touch with me and I can give you more info.  If you aren’t tempted yet, I heard a rumor the Beer Drinker of the Year (aka Diane Catanzaro) will be making a personal appearance for her legions of loyal fans.  There may even be a chance to throw cream-stout pies at her before she is dropped in the dunktank!

            While George Clinton and an incredible beer selection is sure to take us out of this world, if you opt for a more local and possibly mellow vibe or if you don’t feel like driving to NorVa, be sure and check out the Ales For Archeology event that is being held at Endview Plantation.  They will have 14 different breweries and music by our very own Chris Jones and Fat Tony.  Whatever you choose to do it is bound to be a great time and, hey, you never know, with the chance of seeing a pie in Diane’s face, C.J. might even skip out and make an appearance at the Carnival!  Have a great month!

 

Cheers

Jason

 

 

March Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

 

Culinary cultural delights await HRB&TS’ers at our September 5 meeting at the House of Hobbs (otherwise known as the home of Tim and Mini) for what promises to be part HRB&TS meeting and part Bombay banquet (or, Mumbai munchout).

Tim and Mini will prepare foods in their Tandoor oven…things like chicken kebabs, tandoori shrimp, naan bread (and maybe eggplant bharta).  Members are welcome to bring any dishes they may like, including meats they may wish to cook on one of the two grills. There is plenty of room on the spacious deck, framed by a peaceful wooded view. 

I am thinking I may try my hand at preparing some type of Indian dish to bring, and pairing it with some type of groovy beer. Of course for Indian food you will likely think of drinking India Pale Ale; this would go well with spicier Indian preparations. Garrett Oliver, who wrote the definitive volume on beer-food pairings, The Brewmaster’s Table, says Belgian Strong Golden Ales (like Duvel, Piraat, Delerium) goe well with many traditional Indian dishes. Guess what, these are one of the beers in our BOTM category! Such perfect timing! For Tandoori chicken Garrett recommends American Pale Ale, saison, and Belgian strong golden ales.

My favorite Indian food and beer pairing was one that came about by accident. Chris and I were pouring Old Chub at the World Beer Fest in Raleigh last year. Chris bought a plate of some type of spicy vegetarian curry from an Indian restaurant serving thirsty beer-festers. At first I thought the curry would overpower the beer….. I was soon enlightened. The fragrant, spicy curry sauce shook hands with the smoky chocolate malts of Mr. Chub and soon they were locked in a deep and passionately flavorful embrace. It was a mystical, cosmic, tantric taste-pairing. If an Indian restaurant ever decides to serve Old Chub they will have me beating a door to their path! That’s how crazy excited I would be……I’d probably get arrested for assaulting an innocent door. Honest, officer, if only more Indian restaurants would serve amazing craft beer this never would have happened!

So, bring your homebrew or store-purchased beers to the September meeting and we’ll sikh to discover our own pairings of beer and food! Bring an extra homebrew or commercial exotica to thank Tim and Mini for their kindness and hospitality in hosting the HRB&TS.

The meeting will be out on the deck, weather permitting.  Hookahs later in the evening. You are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 to watch Tim cook the naan bread in the 600-degree tandoor.

 

 

The passing of Michael Jackson – T. Wagner

Michael Jackson, a leading world beer critic who praised the brews of Belgium and acknowledged he would never be as famous as "that Michael Jackson," has died. He was 65.

Jackson, known as "the beer hunter," died Thursday of a heart attack at his home in west London. His body was found by his house cleaner, Paddy Gunningham, his long-term partner, said Friday.

She said he had kept writing and traveling, despite suffering from Parkinson's disease, and that he planned to write a book about the ailment.

"He was simply the best beer writer we've ever known," said Tim Hampson, chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers. "He told wonderful stories about beer, breweries and far away places. He told the story of beer through people, and he was humorous and erudite at the same time," Hampson told The Associated Press.

Jackson especially loved Belgian brews. His books "The Great Beers of Belgium" and "World Guide to Beer" introduced them to many export markets, including the United States.

By identifying beers by their flavors and styles, and by pairing them with particular foods and dishes, Jackson helped give birth to a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide that began in the 1970s, including the North American microbrewery movement.

His TV documentary series, "The Beer Hunter" — which popularized his nickname — was filmed around the world and shown in 15 countries.

He worked as a beer critic for more than 30 years, writing in newspapers and gastronomic magazines, holding seminars and giving speeches, appearing on U.S. talk shows and writing books about beer and whiskeys published in 18 languages.

Jackson knew he would never be as famous as Michael Jackson the rock star, and that was reflected on the beer critic's Web site. "Hello, my name is Michael Jackson. No, not that Michael Jackson, but I am on a world tour. My tour is in pursuit of exceptional beer. That's why they call me the Beer Hunter," it says.

 

 

Competition Corner, September 2007 – Patti Messier

 

Our monthly judging took place on August14, at the home of CJ and Diane.  This month our esteemed panel of judges (Tom Byrnes, Ron Jones, Diane Catanzaro and J.P. Messier) had the honor of tasting some amazing Belgian Strong Ales!  They sipped a wide variety of these ales and had a grand old time!

 

After the deliberations, the results were as follows: 

First Place, JP Messier with his Belgian Strong Ale, good for three HRBTS Cup points;  

Second Place, Gus Gustafson with his Belgian Blonde Ale, good for two HRBTS Cup points;  and 

Third Place, Tom Byrnes with his Dubbel, earning him one HRBTS Cup point.

 

Our next monthly judging will be held on Wednesday, September 26.  Please note that this is the fourth Wednesday of the month, not the third.  This differs from our original schedule.  This month we will judge European Amber & Dark Lager, Bock, categories 3, 4, and 5.  Choose 2, and only 2, of your favorite brews and enter them this month!  With 3 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.  Enter some beers and join the ranks!  

 

 

2007 HRBTS CUP STANDINGS (as of 30 August 2007)

 Name of Brewer(s)

Total Points Accumulated

 

J. P. Messier

20

Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro

17

Tom Byrnes

12

Gus Gustafson

5

Jason Kuller

5

Brian Edgar

4

Victor Perrotti

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!

 

 

 

Allagash Beer Tasting At The Coastal Wine Connection – C.J. Jones

 

On August 7, Diane and I drove up to the Coastal Wine Connection (www.coastalwineconnection.com) for what looked to be a fine evening of beer sipping – a tasting of multiple products from Allagash Brewing (www.allagash.com/home.htm).  We walked into the establishment, grabbed our complimentary Allagash Belgian style sipping glass (very cool!), and settled in for an hour or two of fun, test-driving six beers produced at the Portland, Maine brewery.

 

Beer number one, the Allagash White, their wit beer.  Coming in a 5% ABV, it was the lowest ABV beer of the evening – good news and bad news if you sipped too many.  I found it very tasty; not quite a Hoegaarden, but tasty.  Reportedly, Rob Todd, the Allagash brewer and driving force, created this recipe when he was a mere lad of 22.

 

Beer number two, Allagash Dubbel.  This beer rocks!  Rolling into your mouth at 7% ABV, this is a very malty, absolutely delicious, beer, and would be a perfect compliment to grilled salmon, steaks, burgers, and those sorts of main courses.  If you haven’t had one in a while, go get one.  This is Rob Todd’s second creation, and one that absolutely tantalizes the tongue.  Diane asked the rep if any area restaurants carry this beer; you’d think that they would since it goes so well with many dishes.  Alas, you know the answer – nope, because most of our restaurants have a beer lists that date back to the 1970s when the most ambitious beer you could find was Michelob.  That is so sad.

 

On to beer number three, Allagash Tripel.  Here it comes at 9% ABV, and it is delicious.  If you age this tripel in a Jim Beam barrel for eight weeks, you have an Allagash Curieux, which is even higher in alcohol (9.5 0 10.5 ABV) with hints of vanilla, making it even more righteous.

 

The fourth and fifth beers in our tasting session were two of Allagash’s tribute series, Allagash Victoria and Allagash Victor.  Victoria is a beer made with Chardonnay grapes, a mere 9% ABV, while the Victor is beer made with red chancellor grapes, arriving on your palate at 10.4% ABV.  Victoria is named after a Portland, Maine mansion, and a dollar from every bottle sold goes to the mansion’s restoration.  I found the taste of the Victoria to be subdued, and it was not nearly as distinctive as the dubble or the tripel. The Victor has a bit more presence, and it has a really interesting burnt sugar aroma. 

 

The last and final beer in our tasting session, number six, was the interestingly named Hugh Malone.  No, this is not named after anyone named Hugh Malone, but once sip of this beer releases those hop-borne humulones on your tongue, and you realize why the beer is named such.  Man, that’s hoppy.  Rolling in at 8.5 ABV, it packs a moderate punch, but it is swimming in Simcoe hops for that nice, resinous aroma and flavor.  Allagash Brewing Company donates one buck “from every bottle of Hugh Malone sold to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), the country’s oldest and largest state organic farmer coalition” according to their web site.  Those MOFGAs are lucky MOTHAS if you ask me.  This is one of the most expensive beers you’ll ever purchase.  It’ll set you back around $19.00 for one 750 ml bottle, which works out to be approximately $60.00 a six pack.  Sixty bucks!  It’s pretty good, but I don’t know if I’d buy it more than once at that price.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

HRBTS Summer Picnic in California – C.J. Jones)

 

Saturday, August 4, found us in great spirits as Diane and I (well, mostly me) packed up our car for the 36 hour drive to the HRBTS Summer Picnic, which was held this year, as you all know, in California. 

 

Not really California, but it sure seems some of you think that is where Currituck County, NC is - on the other side of the continental USA.  Folks, Currituck County is in the ‘hood; it is less than an hour from my Norfolk address.  NC is an abbreviation for “North Carolina”, not “ ’nother country”.  Sheesh.

 

For those of us that dared to drive 60 minutes or less, we were treated to one of the best picnics we’ve ever had – wonderful accommodations from 2:00 PM Saturday until the next morning, great, although toasty, weather, plenty of food, vast quantities of beer, feedback, trash talk, a pool, a drizzled juice box, and an all around great time.

 

The location was great, a clubhouse in the residential community where the Messiers live.  Most of our time was spent underneath a tree in front of the clubhouse to get out of the sun, lounging around listening to 70s music that for some unexplainable reason, is adored by J.P. and Patti’s children.  From around 2:00 PM until around say 9:00 PM, we ate, sipped beer, and shot some killer breeze.  The beers were great.  J.P. brought a lemongrass/ginger Belgian wit which tasted pretty good to me until Brian (the tall Brian) said it tasted like Windex – a great idea if it did, since it would cleans your glass as you empty it, I suppose.  J.P. also brought a delicious cherry porter and a strawberry hefeweizen.  Diane and I brought a saison, and an assortment of bottled homebrew.  Jason, our King, brought an apricot vanilla ale which hit the spot.  “H.P. Brian”, Brian Watson, arrived later in the afternoon with keg in hand, so that was greatly appreciated.  There may have been another keg there, and if so, I apologize for not taking better notes. 

 

At some point, there was a perceptible malaise that had settled upon us as we were all tempted to perhaps take a siesta underneath that tree, when J.P.’s neighbor, Roy, said “Say, I have a pool across the street if you’d like to go check it out.”  Would we?  Heck yeah, and off we went with towels, and beers, in hand. Dipping into that pool was a glorious experience.  That water must have been maybe 60 degrees, and the air temperature was in the upper 90s.  There you were, sipping a cold beer in a cold pool on a hot day having a hot time.  That rocked.

 

Now there was some trash talked over the course of the day.  “You’re too uptight. - It’s not my party - Drink this right now - That was out - I’ve had my car up to 163 miles per hour - You’re not concerned that your veggie burger was cooked on the same grill as the ground beef, are you?”  It was the usual banter around the keg.  It wasn’t until much later in the evening that the conversations headed in a more colorful direction.  Someone spilled a juice box beverage down his wife’s blouse, and then offered to clean up said juice in an inefficient, but perhaps amusing, fashion.  She demurred. Munchies and the desire for more and more beer were satisfied under a sky filled with more stars than I’ve seen in quite some time. 

 

And how did we close the evening?  Brothers and sisters, we all took advantage of the Messier family hospitality and either slept indoors in air conditioned comfort, or in an RV parked on their driveway.  OK, we did try to sneak into the house while Curt Aasen went to his car and pull the old “no one’s home” trick, but he was so persistent in ringing doorbells, hollering, and throwing a pillow against the window that we just had to let him in.

 

Was that it?  Nope, there was more.  We had a fine continental breakfast in the AM at the house of Messier, great company, and a trip to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for lunch and a couple of beers made on the premises.

 

That picnic RULED!  I’m jotting down “Don’t Miss The HRBTS Picnic” in my 2008 Day Timer right now.  You should, too.         

 

 

Recipes of the Month – J.P. Messier

 

Belgium Golden Strong Ale – JP Messier, August BOTM 1st Place

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

18-D Belgian Strong Ale, Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Min OG:

1.070

Max OG:

1.095

  

Min IBU:

25

Max IBU:

35

  

Min Clr:

4

Max Clr:

6

 Color in SRM, Lovibond

 

Recipe Specifics

 

Batch Size (Gal):

5.00

Wort Size (Gal):

5.00

Total Extract (Lbs):

10.75

  

  

Anticipated OG:

1.080

Plato:

19.25

Anticipated SRM:

5.0

    

  

Anticipated IBU:

35.0

  

  

Wort Boil Time:

60

 Minutes

  

 

Grain/Extract/Sugar

 

%

Amount

Name

Origin

Potential

SRM

9.3

1.00 lbs. 

Alexander LME - Wheat

America

1.037

4

9.3

1.00 lbs. 

Turbinado Sugar

Generic

1.046

0

74.4

8.00 lbs. 

Alexander LME - Pale

America

1.037

2

4.7

0.50 lbs. 

Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt

  

1.033

2

2.3

0.25 lbs. 

Aromatic Malt

Belgium

1.036

25

 

Hops

 

Amount

Name

Form

Alpha

IBU

Boil Time

1.00 oz. 

Saazer

Pellet

4.30

9.4

30 min

1.00 oz. 

Saazer

Pellet

4.30

3.1

5 min

1.00 oz. 

Styrian Goldings

Pellet

5.25

22.5

60 min

 

Extras

 

Amount

Name

Type

Time

0.15 Oz 

Grains of Paradise

Spice

9 Min.(boil)

0.50 Oz 

Irish Moss

Fining

30 Min.(boil)

0.50 Oz 

Corriander Seed

Spice

9 Min.(boil)

0.50 Oz 

Sweet Orange Peel

Spice

9 Min.(boil)

 

Yeast

White Labs WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale

 

Gus's First Time Belgium Blonde

 

6 # Pale LME

1 # Wheat LME

1 # Flaked Maize

1/2 # Aromatic

1/3 # Biscuit

1/4 # Honey Malt

1/2 # Sugar (get priming sugar)

Belgian Abby Ale Yeast

1 oz. Styrian Goldings at 60 mins.

0.5 oz. Styrian Goldings at 15 mins.

Ferment 7 to 10 Days.

Secondary 5 Days.

Bottle and enjoy.

 

 

Third Place           Tom Byrnes          Dubbel

19-E  Belgian & French Ale, Belgian Specialty Ale

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal):         5.00   

Total Grain (Lbs):       19.13

Anticipated OG:          1.109    Plato:              25.7

Anticipated SRM:          30.5

Anticipated IBU:          33.7

Brewhouse Efficiency:       75 %

Wort Boil Time:             60    Minutes

 

Pre-Boil Amounts:

Pre-Boil Wort Size:    5.88    Gal

Pre-Boil Gravity:      1.093

 

Grain/Extract/Sugar:

%           Amount                  Name                      Origin                   Potential SRM

83.7        16.00 lbs.              Pilsener                                Belgium                                                2

2.6          0.50 lbs.                 CaraMunich         Belgium                                                75

1.3          0.25 lbs.                 Aromatic Malt      Belgium                                                25

1.3          0.25 lbs                  Biscuit Malt        Belgium                                                24

0.7          0.13 lbs.                 Chocolate Malt     America                                350

2.6          0.50 lbs.                 Honey Malt           Canada                                   18

2.6          0.50 lbs.                 White Wheat        Belgium                                                3

5.2          1.00 lbs.         Candi Sugar (dark)   Generic                   275

 

Hops:

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  0.50 oz.    Wye Challenger                    Pellet   7.50  14.3  60 min.

  0.75 oz.    Styrian Goldings                  Pellet   5.25  15.0  60 min.

  0.50 oz.    Styrian Goldings                  Pellet   5.25   2.7  15 min.

  0.50 oz.    Styrian Goldings                  Whole    5.25   1.8  10 min.

 

Yeast

White Labs WLP575 Belgian blend

 

Mashing Details

Total Grain Lbs:   18.13

Total Water Qts:   18.13 - Before Additional Infusions

Total Water Gal:    4.53 - Before Additional Infusions

 

Notes:

OG was 1082

FG was 1018 bottled 10/23/05

 

 

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.