The Brewsletter
JANUARY 2009
The
Official Newsletter of the Hampton
Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB&TS)
www.hrbts.org
President’s Podium – Jonna
Walker
Well it’s another New Year and
HRBTS is under new leadership! Jason did
a great job for the past two years, but we could not persuade him to continue. He wants time to brew beer, create his art
master pieces and even work at his full time job. Go figure? Thank you, Jason and Laci, for putting up with
it all.
I am hoping this year we will
have more people brewing. J.P. needs
competition. It would be very nice if we
could have more brew sessions such as Victor’s Christmas Brewing Event. A time where all club members are invited to
watch, learn, participate or brew their batch. Everyone has fun at these gatherings. Help us plan more.
To start the year off we have a
trip planned on Martin Luther King Weekend (Jan 16, 17, 18 & 19 for the
group, to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
New people may ask,”Why?” Well, it’s because “Dogfish Head Brewery” is
located nearby, in the town of Milton, Del. In the past we all had to rush up on Friday to
try to catch that one and only 4PM
tour. This year they added two Saturday
tours and our group is going to the 4PM
tour. Some of us are still going up
Friday (but no hurry!). Others will be
going up Saturday. We have decided to stay at the “Avenue Inn & Spa”, so
bring those swim suits. We will try to
all go to dinner on Saturday night at the “Dogfish Head Pub”, within walking
distance of hotel. If I know how many
people will be going, I can try to make a reservation for dinner, possibly? Only a couple of people have let me know they
will be joining us, but 24 have signed up for the 4 PM tour!
If you have not decided to go yet
and still want to, please make your own tour reservation on the Dogfish Head
Brewery website www.dogfish.com (as of
01/02/09 only 11 spaces left for 4 PM, but there is a 3 PM tour with 23
spaces left) and your own hotel reservations on the hotel website. There are cheaper hotels and places to stay in
Rehoboth Beach. Check it out below:
Many hotels in Rehoboth
Beach are closed for the
winter!
I went on line and checked availability of several within
walking distance of the Dogfish Head Brew Pub (we will not want to be driving!)
Summer Place starts @ $39 (guest house with 23
rooms) www.rehobothsummerplace.com 302-226-0766 (.5 miles 9 minutes to
walk)
Avenue Inn& Spa starts @$89 www.avenueinn.com 302-226-2900 or 800-433-5870
(.5 miles 9 minutes to walk)
Atlantic Sands starts @ $110 www.atlanticsandshotel.com 302-227-2511 or 800-422-0600 (1.6
miles 30 minutes to walk)
Boardwalk Plaza starts @ $126 www.boardwalkplaza.com 302-227-7169 or 800-33-BEACH (.6
miles 12 minutes to walk)
Hotel Rehoboth starts @ $169 www.hotelrehoboth.com
302-227-4300 or
877-247-REHO (.1 miles 2 minutes to walk)
Next month, our club outing will be
to Baltimore, Md.
for ”Max’s for 72 Hours of Belgium”.
Last year Will and I flew up on Friday night
(cheap Southwest airline tickets) and back on Sunday. Parking is expensive and you will not want to
drive home Sunday after this fest!!! We had a blast! Too bad we will not be in town for this one. Great hotels are in walking distance (more
later).
Yours Truly,
Jonna-Dawn Walker President HRBTS
Meeting Location – Diane
Catanzaro
Gordon Biersch
January 7th at 7:30 p.m.
Thank goodness it is finally 2009!! Is anybody else
relieved? I thought this month I’d use this bully pulpit to address a few local
and global issues that have been on my mind. Somehow this relates to the
meeting location.
The market is down, but down at the market I’m seeing a lot
of great beers from folks like Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, Legend, and Bell’s. Just a few years
ago it was HARD to find great beer in Tidewater. Fortunately, the tide has
turned. Support our local retailers and
restaurants that carry (or brew) craft beer!
Stocks are tanking, but stock ales are fermenting in the
tanks of homebrewers everywhere. What better way to beat the recession than to
brew your own beer? And if you have not yet brewed all-grain, this is the
thriftiest way to go. To compound your savings, do a second running through
your mash and get an additional batch out of it, sometimes called two-penny
ale. The second batch could be the base for a completely different beer
depending on hops, spices, fruit, and yeast you use. Learn how to brew
all-grain if you aren’t already, by talking with fellow HRB&TS-ers who brew
all-grain. The more you brew the more you
save!!!
People are saving money by cutting back on
crap they don’t need. Bravo! Better for your savings account and better for the
environment. However, craft beers sales are up! Quality craft beer is a “pour”
man’s luxury item…. cheaper than a mediocre wine and more fun! Think quality
over quantity. Use a fancy glass. Sip slowly and savor. Ahhhh!!!!!!!
Homebrewing used to be illegal and still is against the law
in several states right here in the good ‘ol USA
as well as many countries in the Middle East.
Flaunt your freedom by brewing a batch in honor of those victims of government
oppression in the U.S.
and abroad who do not have the legal right to brew a batch of beer in their
home. BREW FREE OR DIE!!!
Share your own beer ‘n brewin thoughts and ideas with
fellow homebrewers and beer appreciators as the HRB&TS rings in the new
year with some German-style lagers at the Gordon
Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Virginia Beach’s Town Center. We have the
private dining area just ahead and to the left as you enter. BRING HOMEBREW of
course, but no commercial beers.
Come early (around 7
pm) and join fellow club members as we have a bit to eat and work
our way through the German lagers for which Gordon Biersch is known. Sip the
heavenly hefeweizen, marvelous maarzen, salubrious schwarzbier, or another of
their brewed-on-premises beers. The beers are well crafted by HRB&TS
charter member Allen Young, and every beer is dead-on true to style. I
personally am a big fan of the hefeweizen.
Please join us for
dinner! Gordon Biersch has food that even attracts those who (strangely,
and sadly) don’t like beer! Save your appetite and join us around 7 pm in the private dining area,
because there are lots of tasty choices at VERY reasonable prices. Chicken
wings, sliders (no need to find a White
Castle!), all kinds of
salads (chopped, Caesar, Cobb, spinach) topped with all kinds of things
(salmon, chicken, cashews, pears, hummus, goat cheese), creative pizzas, and
all-beef burgers. They have lots of sandwiches (roast turkey, corned beef,
reuben, chicken, pulled pork, and mahi for under $10! They have some foods made
with their beer, such as maarzen barbeque ribs and chicken and beer battered
fish & chips. These are all in addition to the pasta, seafood, and steak
entrees available. Also, the garlic fries are pretty darned tasty as long as
your close friends are sharing some!
So, see you on Wednesday! Meeting
starts at 7:30. Gordon
Biersch is 4561 Virginia Beach Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA 23462, phone:
757-490-2739. http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/index.php?pg=location&sub=loc&location_id=29
Directions
from everywhere: Take I-264 to the Independence
Blvd - Pembroke exit in Virginia Beach. Navigate Independence Blvd
for about 1/2 mile, then turn right at the big intersection onto Virginia Beach
Blvd. Down a block or two, when you see Gordon Biersch on the corner, if you
turn right onto that very street (and into the Town Center complex) there are
ample parking lots and garages as well as on street parking.
Competition
Corner – Tom Byrnes
We had our first judging of the
2009 brewing season. Thanks to our King of Stout, Doug Boyd and Diane for
hosting this meeting. We had four homebrewed stouts and 1 benchmark to judge.
This month’s judges were Diane, JP, and Doug. The benchmark was Sam Smith’s
Oatmeal Stout, recognized as a good example of the style, scored 28 by our
judges. First place was secured by Doug
Boyd (32.0) who proved that he can brew stouts as well as drink them. The runners–up were Tom in 2nd
place (31.3) and JP in 3rd (29.5).
|
2009 HRB&TS CUP STANDINGS
|
|
Name of Brewer
|
Points Accumulated
|
|
Doug Boyd
|
3
|
|
Tom Byrnes
|
2
|
|
JP Messier
|
1
|
|
This could easily
be you….
|
…if you get brewing!
|
It’s still early to get in on the
brewing action and all members are encouraged to brew. The next competition
will be Scottish 60, 70, 80 Ales and is scheduled for January 22 @ 7:30. The location will be
determined later. Belgian Blondes will
be judged in February. If you brew now
it is possible to have a Belgian blonde ready for February. We will publish the
rest of the brewing scheduled once it is determined by our officers.
We are also looking for members who would be willing to host
a judging at their home. Judging will be held on Thursday’s two weeks before
each HRBTS regular meeting. The dates
will be:
January 22, February
19, March 19, April 23, May 21, June 18, July 23, Aug 20, Sept 24, Oct 22, Nov 19 and Dec 17 (3 weeks prior due to
Christmas)
If you are willing to
host please email me at tombyrnes@verizon.net
to reserve your month.
|
2009
HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE
|
|
Month
|
Style
|
Category/Sub
|
AHA Event -
Deadline
|
|
January
(Dec 17)
|
Oatmeal Stout
|
13C
|
---
|
|
February
(Jan 22)
|
Scottish 60, 70, 80
|
9A, B, C
|
---
|
|
March
(Feb 19)
|
Belgian Blonde
|
18A
|
---
|
Beer Recipes
1st Place – Oatmeal Stout – HRBTS Cup
January 2009, Doug Boyd
Extract w/ specialty grains
SG: 1.045
FG: 1.015
Boil: 60 min
Primary Fermentation: 7 days
Secondary Fermentation: 10 days
8 lbs Liquid Malt Extract (Dark)
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
1/2 lb Black Patent Malt
1/2 lb Roasted Barley (unmalted)
1 lb Rolled Oats
3 oz Fuggles hops (pellet)
White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast in a 1 quart starter.
¾ cup priming sugar for priming
Heat 2 gallons of water to 150 degrees. Steep grains in a grain bag for
45 minutes. When done pour 2 quarts hot sparge water over the bag
then discard. Add liquid malt extract and another 2 gallons of water to
brew pot to give you around a 4 gallon boil and bring to a slow boil for
60 minutes. Add 1 oz hops at the beginning of the boil, 1 oz with
45 minutes left, 1/2 oz with 30 minutes left and 1/2 oz with 15 minutes
left.
Add water to bring volume to 5 gallons.
Chill wort to 75-80 degrees, move to fermenter and pitch
yeast. Shake vigorously to aerate.
++++++++++
2nd Place – Oatmeal Stout – HRBTS Cup
January 2009, Tom Byrnes
Not
available
++++++++++
3rd Place – Oatmeal Stout – HRBTS Cup
January 2009, JP Messier
|
Batch Size (Gal):
|
5.00
|
Wort Size (Gal):
|
5.00
|
|
Total Extract (Lbs):
|
11.50
|
|
|
|
Anticipated OG:
|
1.072
|
Plato:
|
17.61
|
|
Anticipated SRM:
|
51.7
|
|
|
|
Anticipated IBU:
|
45.6
|
|
|
|
Wort Boil Time:
|
60
|
Minutes
|
|
|
%
|
Amount
|
Name
|
Origin
|
Potential
|
SRM
|
|
8.7
|
1.00 lbs.
|
Flaked Oats
|
America
|
1.033
|
2
|
|
69.6
|
8.00 lbs.
|
Generic LME - Dark
|
Generic
|
1.035
|
25
|
|
4.3
|
0.50 lbs.
|
Biscuit Malt
|
Belgium
|
1.035
|
24
|
|
4.3
|
0.50 lbs.
|
Black Patent Malt
|
America
|
1.028
|
525
|
|
4.3
|
0.50 lbs.
|
Malto Dextrin
|
Generic
|
1.033
|
2
|
|
4.3
|
0.50 lbs.
|
Chocolate Malt
|
America
|
1.029
|
350
|
|
4.3
|
0.50 lbs.
|
Roasted Barley
|
America
|
1.028
|
450
|
|
Amount
|
Name
|
Form
|
Alpha
|
IBU
|
Boil Time
|
|
2.00 oz.
|
Fuggle
|
Pellet
|
4.75
|
42.1
|
60 min
|
|
1.00 oz.
|
Fuggle
|
Pellet
|
4.75
|
3.5
|
1 min
|
White Labs WLP004 Irish Stout
|
1 tsp crushed star anise at SD
|
|
|
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.