The Brewsletter

May 2008

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

www.hrbts.org

The President’s Podium – Jason Kuller

First off I would like to give a big THANKS to the kind folks at LUBO Wine Bar and Café for hosting our April meeting in the private upstairs dining area. The food was great and the beer list was unexpectedly amazing especially for a wine bar. I hope everyone’s spring is off to a great start as the temperatures begin to rise and the landscape is transformed with all kinds of flowers and foliage (and even hop sprouts in my yard). Speaking of rising temperatures, it seems that many home brewers slow down or cease their brewing operations in the summer because they don’t have a way to control the temperature of their fermenting beer and don’t have the money or room for an extra fridge just for beer. This is no longer a good excuse, with a small investment of under $50 for a 60 quart Igloo cooler and some frozen water/soda bottles you can quickly and easily make your own fermentation cooler that can easily hold ale temperatures and with just a little more effort even get down and maintain lager temps. I have successfully used Tom’s cooler and am making my own so if you are interested you can find detailed instructions for the project at http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=60288

By the time this newsletter goes out, the 11^th annual AHA sponsored Big Brew – National Homebrew Day will be in the books, but it is not too late to enter the Big Brew – You Tube contest where there will be several prizes given for Big Brew related You Tube videos. For the full scoop check out http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/index.html and thank you to Homebrew USA for hosting a local Big Brew event in their parking lot (call 459-BREW for more details).

Finally May 12^th-18^th is American Craft Beer Week and many of us will be celebrating in style at the 7^th Annual Virginia Beer Festival on May 17^th from 2pm-6pm at Towne Point Park in Downtown Norfolk. This year’s festival will feature 62 breweries (according to the Festevents site as of 4/29/08) including some new breweries and many of our favorites such as: Anderson Valley, Dogfish Head, Oscar Blues and Victory as well as live music for our entertainment pleasure! Once again I would like to thank the members of our club who have graciously volunteered to brew and serve beer in support of the Homebrew USA tent at the festival (you know who you are). If you are brewing a batch please contact Homebrew USA to coordinate getting your beer to them and if you are volunteering to pour get with them to figure out when they can most use your help (for about 1 hour of the festival). As far as I know Homebrew USA is still looking for 1 more volunteer to brew a batch of beer at the festival so if you are interested let me know or get with them ASAP. Have a great month!

(Pictures from April meeting – Beer trick, new attendees Sean and Craig & Cindy).

Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

Wednesday, May 7 at 7 pm

Beer-love feelings flow
When I fall under your spell
Spring-King Gambrinus!

Spring has sprung, and after a winter’s worth of meetings at some of our region’s most beerific restaurants, it’s back-to-the-backyard as the HRB&TS can now meet in nature’s glory, outdoors under benevolent skies blessed by Ninkasi, St Arnold, King Gambrinus, and Doppler Radar. Meetings at members’ homes are also blessed by our ability to bring commercial, store-bought beers to share with fellow HRB&TS-ers…something we can’t do at restaurant-based meetings. So bring homebrew if you have some, but those who don’t have homebrew are encouraged to bring some great commercial craft beers.

Our first outdoor meeting of 2008 will be in the idyllic backyard wonderland of Rob and Jodi Sisson. Come sip some ales among the azaleas and enjoy a lakeside luau with the HRB&TS. Come hungry! We're cookin' out! The club will provide burgers, veggie burgers, buns, and basic condiments for the grill. Feel free to bring a side dish or munchie, or anything else you would like to grill.

Note that you can arrive as early as 7 pm! Also, dress for outdoor weather…a light sweater or jacket is often needed this time of year once the sun sets. You may wish to bring a lawn chair. Family-friendly….kids are welcome. There is plenty of space for kids and grownups to run around and play. Please bring an extra homebrew or nice craft beer for Rob and Jodi to thank them for their great hospitality in hosting the HRB&TS!

Why bring store-bought beer to a homebrew club meeting? Well, don’t forget we are a brewing and TASTING society. Club members who don’t brew or who haven’t brewed for a while can bring beer to share. Also, this is part of all members’ beer education. It was thanks to HRB&TS-ers sharing store-bought beers that I tasted my first gueuze, rauchbier, barleywine, etc. When members travel they may bring back beers not available in this market, and sharing these at a club meeting helps us learn about what’s out there in the larger beer-world. Plus, there are some damned good beers being brewed by craft brewers in our region and around the world!! We should be tasting them!!! So, it is great to have spring and summer to meet in members’ homes and backyards with no restrictions on the type of beer we can bring to meetings!

Suggested places to find great craft beers are the Grape and Gourmet at Loehmann’s Plaza in Virginia Beach, The Bon Vivant in Smithfield and in Suffolk, and Total Wine and More stores throughout Hampton Roads (I am told the Ghent location, on 21^st Street in Norfolk, has one of the best selections of this chain).  

Competition Corner – Patti Messier

This month’s judging was held at the home of Jason & Lacy Kuller! Our talented group of judges (Jason Kuller, Doug Boyd, Tom Byrnes and J.P. Messier) had a unique task this month! This month’s competition was to create a clone of St. George’s IPA. They first sipped some fine St. George’s IPA. Then they continued to sip it while comparing this month’s entries to it to see which beers came the closest to cloning it. They looked at color, clarity, carbonation, taste, etc and it was an intriguing experience. At the end of the night they picked the top three beers to represent our club. These beers were then sent to Andy, head brewer at St. Georges, to judge. Andy will rank these beers as first, second and third place and then we will have our winners! The three beers sent on belonged to Tom Byrnes, Jason Kuller and JP Messier. At this time, I am still awaiting the final results. I will forward them on when I receive them!

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 …7 more judgings to go… it’s still anyone’s cup!!! Start brewing now!

2008 HRBTS CUP STANDINGS (as of March 30)

Name of Brewer(s)	Total Points Accumulated
J. P. Messier	13
Tom Byrnes	4
Jason Kuller	4
Doug Boyd	3
Chris Jones/Diane Catanzaro	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	---

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

Garlic Cheddar & Stone Ruination IPA Soup

From Stone World Bistro and Gardens, Escondido, CA

Beer Pairing Suggestion: American Imperial India pale ale

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped yellow onions

½ cup minced garlic

3 cups vegetable stock

10 oz India pale ale, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

½ cup roasted and mashed garlic (3 bulbs, coated in oil, wrapped in foil, 325 F until tender)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground white pepper

1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

2 ½ pounds white cheddar cheese grated, at room temperature

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together oil and flour. Cook and stir until a paste forms and mixture begins to bubble and turns golden. Add onions and garlic and cook until golden roux is formed.
2. Slowly add vegetable stock by the half cupful, followed by ale and cream, whisking constantly. Whisk in roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Reduce heat to low and bring to simmer.
3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in cheese, about ½ cup at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. If soup seems too thick, thin with a bit of warmed ale to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately.

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.

…Tim Hobbs

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

I first brewed a German Schwartzbier, and it turned out pretty well. I was introduced to brewing by a fraternity brother who helped me brew the first batch. This was in Florida, so I had to use his converted freezer to lager. I know, a lager for the first time? If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space!

2. How long have you been brewing?

I have been brewing since September 2001 (actually, the weekend after the terrorist attacks). Seems like a lot longer than 7 years.

3. What is your favorite beverage to brew?

I really like brewing German biers since I know what they are supposed to taste like and adore the flavors. My favorite of the German brews is undoubtedly Hefewiezen – when I first tried it in Munich, I was hooked!

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

For five years I brewed partial mash, but have since built my all-grain system, “The Tower of Power”. I really prefer all-grain as I can really control the flavor of the wort and enjoy the freedom of choice in varied ingredients. Additionally, I am a traditionalist to the core – if beer has been produced in that manner since it’s conception, then that’s how I’m going to do it (Vorläufiges Deutsches Biergesetz! (Provisional German Beer Law of 1933)). Since I have built the “Tower of Power” I am hooked on all-grain brewing like it was crack.

5. What should every brewer have?

Every brewer should have a dedicated refrigerator for temperature control. I have found that temperature control, more than any other factor, affects the quality outcome of the product. If I had the choice of other gadgets now or saving up for a temperature-controlled cooler, I would save and wait!

The other thing a brewer should have is a brewing pal. I love to brew with others, it just makes the experience more enjoyable. Camaraderie is everything. I really like brewing with several different folks that I invite to my place on a regular basis. Tom Byrnes seems to find his way over to my garage often, which is a blessing since he really makes me sharper in my brewing techniques and knowledge. Open invitation: if anyone wants to brew with me, please let me know, it would a pleasure to share!

6. Have you ever had a brewing disaster and what did you learn from it?

Oh yeah. TWO very phenolic Belgian Wit batches, back to back. Back in 2003, I was living in a restored Victorian in Florida; very hot and difficult to control temperature in the house. I tried to keep the fermenting beer cool by the ‘ol wet-towel-in-a-tub method, but that was useless. I couldn’t even stand to sip it and was going to toss it, but my neighbor, who was a hard-drinkin’ redneck, and his buddies said “hold it right there!,” and drank both batches in one weekend! They said it was “alright”, but that’s because it gave them the requisite buzz. The next weekend I went out and bought my chest freezer and a Johnson Controls Temperature controller. No serious problems since.

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

I am either working, driving, or smoking one of my hookahs. Since I work in Northern Virginia and my family is in Suffolk, I have time on my hands to smoke hookah after work. On weekends I drive home to Suffolk, and back to DC for work.

8. What are you drinking now?

“Hobbs Fest Hefewiezen”. Smooth as silk, no bite, perfect blend of banana and clove esters. Fermented at 62 °F. Brewed it a month ago with a bunch of HRBTS members – lots of drinkin’ of good German biers, and I served up authentic German sausages and sides, and hookah too. It was a really good time, and they coined the event “Hobbs Fest” (see the picture’s on the HRBTS website). I think I’ll have it next year too – but invite everyone and make it an annual event – even after we move to Northern Virginia.

9. What question should we ask other HRB&TS members?

When are you brewing next, what are you going to brew, and, most importantly, who are you going to brew with?

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.