The Brewsletter

March 2008

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

www.hrbts.org

The President’s Podium – Jason Kuller

I hope everyone’s year is off to a great start as winter winds down and the first signs of spring start to pop up, make sure and get brewing before the oppressive heat overtakes us again. I would like to give a big Thanks to the kind folks at The Boot for graciously hosting our Febrewary meeting. This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat out on the Southside. It is located on 21^st street in Ghent and boasts a killer beer selection with a progressive menu featuring mostly local and organic ingredients. Make sure and visit them again and go often because their seasonal menu changes as fresh stuff becomes available. Speaking of availability, you might have thought that a small chunk of Belgium landed in Fells Point a couple of weeks ago by the huge number of Belgian beers available as Max’s hosted 72-hours of Belgium.

For those that were not able to make this trip, it is definitely worth the short drive up to Baltimore to experience Belgium without the passport. Luckily they accepted dollars so we could drink the difference we would have spent by converting to Euros! We had a good turnout of club members who made the journey to experience the hundreds of draft and bottled Belgian beers that were at our fingertips. Max’s also offered something like a six ounce “sample” glass of pretty much any draft for only $3 so we got the chance to taste quite a few of the seemingly endless selection of great beers. There were so many choices in fact, that Will and Jonna took a menu back to their room on Friday to study up and be prepared to get the best beers before they were gone on Day 2 of the festivities. The trip was definitely a lot of fun and a very memorable experience except for a few fuzzy spots that at least a few of us can attest to.

While Max’s 72-hours of Belgium was a blast, it was only the beginning of the festival season and we have got a few great events coming up. First we have the Virginia Beer Festival coming up on Saturday May 17^th at Town Point Park as well as the first annual (Savor) an American craft beer and food experience which is taking place in D.C. on Friday May 16^th and Saturday May 17^th. If you are really devoted you could probably hit up Savor on Friday and make it back it time to catch some of the Virginia Beer Fest on Saturday -- but your liver may end up hating you. Regardless of which festivities you decide to partake in, if you are a brewer WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We need HRBTS members to get involved and help out with the Homebrew USA (under new ownership) tent at the Virginia Beer Festival at Town Point Park in Norfolk (May 17^th from 2-6 p.m.). Homebrew USA is looking for volunteers to help out with a few things in preparation for and during the festival. They need a few people to brew kegs of beer to give out to thirsty festival goers, as well as a person or group to do a brewing demonstration on site (they will pay for ingredients for both). They are also looking for people to help throughout the day with pouring beer, chatting with people about beer and answering questions about or related to (yep you guessed it) beer. If you would like to help out or have any questions please email me at president@hrbts.org or JP at vicepresident@hrbts.org we are looking forward to another great beer fest in downtown Norfolk.

Finally I want to urge any of the new or aspiring brewers in our club to get with it and brew up an extract batch for our upcoming extract judging next month. This is a wide open category and you can brew anything that makes you happy, if you have questions or need assistance email me at president@hrbts.org and I will do whatever I can to help out. Have a great Month!

Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

March 5 at 7:30 pm

St. George Brewing Company

HRB&TS Members Only

The March 5^th meeting of the HRB&TS will be at the St. George Brewing Company in Hampton! The meeting is from 7:30 – 10:00 pm, but feel free to show up anytime after 7 pm. We can bring snacks/food items to share as well as homebrew, but not commercial ales.

The folks at St. George Brewing Company are kind to host the HRB&TS. At St George’s request, this meeting will be limited to HRB&TS members only! Just one of the many benefits of your HRB&TS club membership! So exclusive!!!

If you have not renewed your club membership for 2008, please download and print the application form at http://www.hrbts.org/MemApplication.htm. Fill it out, sign it, and bring it with your check for $20 (individual) or $25 (family) to the meeting Wednesday at St. George Brewing! This will enable you to slip past the fire-breathing dragon at the door and enjoy the tasty hospitality of our slayin’ local craft brewery!! J

As HRB&TS members are aware, St. George is Hampton Road’s very own local brewery and makes excellent beers. Their India Pale Ale won the Silver medal in the 2002 World Beer Competition, and their tasty Golden Ale and Pilsners have also won awards. St. George started as the innovative “brew on premises” B. A. Brewmeister in Virginia Beach in the 1990s, where you could brew your own beer using their well-equipped facility. After several years, the owners decided to channel their efforts into a bona fide brewery, and founded the St. George Brewing Company in Hampton. After fire damaged that facility, St. George moved to a new location in Hampton and built the current modern brewery where they make their fine British style ales and also some tasty German style lagers. (http://www.stgeorgebrewingco.com)

AND don’t forget that the HRB&TS April 23^rd club competition, the style to be judged is “St. George India Pale Ale Clone”! The March meeting is an opportunity to “research” this style in depth, and then brew your clone to enter in the club contest!!

Think globally, but drink locally.…every time that you pick up a St. George six-pack or two at your local Farm Fresh, Harris Teeter, or Total Wine, or order St. George at a restaurant like The Boot, Bardo, Kinkaid’s, 99 Main Street, Marker 20, the Crab Shack, the Taphouse, Chick’s, Bubbas, and many others, etc., you are helping to support a regional craft brewery that is making wonderful beers right here in Hampton Roads. When you visit ANY restaurant, why not ask if they have any beers from our local microbrewery, St. George? Even if they say no/who?/duh, you are letting them know there is customer demand for great beers from our local craft brewery!

St. George’s brewer Andy Rathman will be available to show us around and answer questions about the brewing process at St. George, their beers, etc. It would be a thoughtful gesture to bring an extra homebrew for Andy as a way of showing appreciation for his support of the club and hosting our meeting! You may bring homebrews to the meeting, but NOT commercial beers.

Directions:

From Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and other points SOUTH of Hampton,VA:

• Follow Interstate 64 West (through the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel) to exit 262-B, Magruder Blvd., head east towards NASA/Poquoson.
• Turn right onto Semple Farm Rd, go the next light
• Turn left onto Wythe Creek Rd., go approx. 1/4 miles
• Turn left onto Voyager Drive, the brewery is on your immediate left on the corner of Voyager Drive and Challenger Way.

From Newport News and other points NORTH of Hampton,VA:

• Follow Interstate 64 East to exit 256B, Victory Blvd east towards Poquoson.
• Merge onto Victory Blvd.
• Turn right onto VA-134S.
• Turn left onto Semple Farm Rd, go the next light
• Turn left onto Wythe Creek Rd., go approx. 1/4 miles
• Turn left onto Voyager Drive, the brewery is on your immediate left on the corner of Voyager Drive and Challenger Way.

From Chesapeake:

• Depending on where you live and traffic at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (call 640-0055 for tunnel traffic reports) you may want to take I-64 West, cross the HRBT, exit at Magruder, and follow the directions for VA Beach (above), OR take I-664 to the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel, exit onto I-64 West, then take Magruder Blvd, and follow the VA Beach directions.

From Suffolk and such:

• Take I-664 North toward Hampton/Newport News.
• Go through Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-tunnel
• Exit onto I-64 West toward Newport News.
• From I-64, exit onto Magruder Blvd exit 262-B.
• Continue following the ‘From VA Beach’ directions from Magruder Blvd.

Competition Corner – Patti Messier

This month’s judging was held at the Oceanview home of Kate and Tom Byrnes! Our extraordinary panel of judges (Diane Catanzaro, Tom Byrnes, Jason Kuller, Will Walker and J.P. Messier) enjoyed several calibration beers then got down to business! Our judges commented often (Band-aid flavored beers?) and some beers mimicked Old Faithful but after the deliberations, the results were as follows:

First Place, JP Messier with his Brown Porter, good for three HRB&TS Cup points;

Second Place, JP Messier with his Robust Porter, good for two HRB&TS Cup points;

Third Place, Jason Kuller with his Robust Porter, good for one HRB&TS point.

So the race has begun again and the cup is back up for grabs! It is time to start thinking about the 2008 competition year. Start planning now …9 more judgings to go… it’s still anyone’s cup!!! April is extract month so anything goes! It’s a great month to enter something you have on hand! Start brewing now!

2008 HRB&TS CUP STANDINGS (as of February 29)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
J. P. Messier	10
Tom Byrnes	4
Doug Boyd	2
Chris Jones/Diane Catanzaro	1
Jason Kuller	1
This could easily be you ….	…. if you get brewing

2008 HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE
Month	Style	Category/Sub	AHA Event - Deadline
January (Dec 19 )	Stout	13A, B, C	---
February (Jan 23)	Strong Ale Russian Imperial Stout	19, 13F	---
March (Feb 20)	Porter	12	Yes 03/21/2008
April (Mar 19)	Extract	All	Yes ~April 2008
May (Apr 23)	Clone – St. Georges Brewing India Pale Ale (IPA)	14	---
June (May 21)	Weizen/Weissbier	15A	---
July (June 18)	Mead	24, 25, 26	Yes 07/25/2008
August (July 23)	Lawnmower Beer	2, 6B, 6C	---
September (TBD)	Imperial Anything	All	Yes ~September 2008
October (Sept 17)	Dopplebock	5C	---
November (Oct 22)	Extra Special/Strong Bitter	8C	---
December (Nov 19)	Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced – Must Use Cinnamon	21B	---
2009 HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE
Month	Style	Category/Sub	AHA Event - Deadline
January (Dec 17)	Oatmeal Stout	13C	---
February (Jan 21)	Scottish 60, 70, 80	9A, B, C	---
March (Feb 18)	Belgian Blonde	18A	---

Recipes of the Month –

Brown Porter – JP Messier, 1^st Place

OG: 1.065

SRM: 40.9

IBU: 54.5

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM

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

60.0 6.00 lbs. Generic LME - Pale America 1.037 2

10.0 1.00 lbs. Crystal 80L 1.033 80

5.0 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt Belgium 1.030 500

5.0 0.50 lbs. Black Patent Malt America 1.028 525

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

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

0.75 oz. Chinook Pellet 13.00 44.7 60 min.

1.00 oz. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.75 5.8 15 min.

0.25 oz. Chinook Pellet 13.00 4.0 15 min.

Yeast

White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

Robust Porter – JP Messier, 2^nd Place

OG: 1.061

SRM: 42.3

IBU: 57.7

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM

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

52.6 5.00 lbs. Generic LME - Pale America 1.037 2

10.5 1.00 lbs. Generic LME - Wheat America 1.037 4

5.3 0.50 lbs. Black Patent Malt America 1.028 525

7.9 0.75 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350

10.5 1.00 lbs. Crystal 105L Great Britain 1.033 105

5.3 0.50 lbs. Munich Malt Great Britain 1.037 6

5.3 0.50 lbs. Caramel Pils Malt Belgium 1.034 2

2.6 0.25 lbs. Aromatic Malt Belgium 1.036 25

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

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

1.00 oz. Northern Brewer Pellet 9.00 41.9 60 min.

1.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 5.00 11.9 30 min.

1.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 5.00 3.9 5 min.

Yeast

White Labs WLP013 London Ale

Notes:

1 oz. Golding 4 dry hopping

1 tsp each of gypsum and salt

1 ounce licorice root into boil and secondary

Deep Powder Porter – Jason Kuller – 3^rd Place

Deep Powder Porter Mini Mash Recipe

Ingredients

6 lbs light/amber extract 1 ½ oz whole leaf Galena Hops

2 ½ lbs Am. 2 row 1 oz Fuggles

1 lb Aromatic 1 oz Cascade

1 lb Black Patent 1 tbs Irih Moss

1lb crystal 80 ½ lb Black Roasted Barley

½ lb Chocolate Malt 1 vial White Labs Burton Ale Yeast (Started night before)

½ lb Carapils

Mini Mash Recipe

Bring 1.5 gallons H2O to 170 degrees add all grain and mash about 45 min. (temp should be 145-150)

Bring 2 gallons to 175 degrees and sparge grains about 45 min

Add 2.5 gallons to wort from sparge and bring to a boil

At first boil add extract and 1.5 oz Galena

Bring back to boil and boil 40 min then add 1oz Fuggles, Chiller and Irish Moss

With 3 min left add 1 oz Cascade

Pitch yeast at about 70 degrees

OG – 1.065 FG – 1.02 ABV 6%

Beer/Food Pairing - from The Best of American Beer & Food by Lucy Saunders

Free State Brewing Company Fig and Balsamic Salad

Rick Martin demo’d this at GABF

Beer Pairing Suggestion: American Porter

15 dried black mission figs

1 pound baby arugula or mixed mesclun greens

3 tablespoons olive oil or basil oil

Sea salt

6 oz. crumbled Maytag blue cheese

½ cup toasted walnuts

6 oz balsamic vinegar

Reduced to 2 oz syrup, at room temperature

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Hold figs by the stem and slice into thin rings; discard stem. Set aside.
2. In large salad bowl, toss arugula greens with about 3 tablespoons of oil until slightly coated, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
3. Arrange a tight mound of greens on 4 salad plates, then sprinkle each with figs, cheese, and walnuts. With a small spoon, drizzle a ribbon of balsamic reduction over each salad. Top with a grind of black pepper, if desired.

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 HRB&TS 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!

Highlight on Members….

Each month we will ask a HRB&TS member or two to fill us in on their brewing life. If you’d like to share your experiences, please email your answers to the questions below to editor@hrbts.org.

…Skip Sharp

1. What was the first beverage you brewed and how did it turn out?

A John Bull Porter from an old (real old) kit. It turned out surprisingly good.

2. How long have you been brewing?

Since May 2000.

3. What is your favorite beverage to brew?

Ale.

4. All grain, partial mash or extract? – why?

Partial mash and extract- because all grain takes too long and I get drunk before I finish.

5. What should every brewer have?

A hydrometer and a note book.

6. Please describe a brewing disaster and what you learned from it.

Once I made a wort and did not pitch the yeast for 24 hours. Well, I pitched the yeast and the fermentation seemed to go well. A couple of weeks after I bottled it every one would boil over when I opened it and it tasted terrible. The lesson is chill, aerate and pitch the yeast as soon as possible after the boil. Also measure the O.G. and record it.

7. What do you do when not brewing or tasting?

Drinking beer in my brew house (see picture) or drinking beer in one of my favorite pubs.

8. What are you drinking now?

Porter.

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.