The Brewsletter

July 2009

 

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

www.hrbts.org

 

President’s Podium – Jonna Walker

 

We finally decided on the date for our "Summer Picnic/Campout"--Aug 21 &22.   A few members plan on staying for two nights (Will & I among them).  Most members are going for just Saturday and Saturday night.  Some people will only be there for the afternoon/evening Saturday (hopefully they will have designated drivers!).  We will all have a blast.  Be sure to bring swim suits for pool and boating activities!   Everyone has, hopefully, already started brewing for this picnic.  The club will be providing burgers, hot dogs, etc.  We will discuss this more at the next meeting. 

 

 Below I have included a couple of articles I have received via email.  One is about the International Berlin Beer Festival Aug 7th -9th.  The other article is about the 2009 MASHOUT, which conflicts with our picnic, but I included it for those members not planning to picnic with us!!!! (one or two)

 

This year Will and I are attending Oktoberfest in Munich again, maybe some of you would like to join us.  It is not too early to plan for this event.  You must make hotel reservations this early, just to assure you will have one!  The first day, Sept 19 is the day to be there.  The Mayor opens the taps at noon.  Oktoberfest is always the last full week in September; it began as a wedding celebration.  Don't worry; we will be home two weeks prior to HRB&TS Oktoberfest Party which is always held at the Walker residence for our October meeting.

 

Thanks to Terri and Mike Connell for hosting the June meeting.

 

Hope to see everyone at the July meeting,

 

 

 

This article is from "Belgium Shop" newsletter":  Drinking Belgian beer in Germany

Your favorite Belgian beer may acquire a new hint to its taste when consumed in a different country.

From 7th to 9th August 2009 the International Berlin Beer Festival is taking place for the 13th time. For the second time the festival is putting a special country into the focus of its attention. This year the traditional beer mile in the centre of Berlin is going to have "beer land Belgium offers the very best" as its motto.

Belgian people are beer lovers and they are brilliant at connecting this pleasure with the superb Belgian cuisine.

Already when the ancient Romans met the Belgae on their way to the north they came to appreciate the latter's art of brewing beer. During the Middle Ages above all monasteries took over and cultivated the tradition of brewing.

Michael Jackson, the internationally renowned beer expert, known as the "beer hunter", was also a great lover of Belgian beers.

It's a fact that Belgium is a nation with the biggest beer varieties collection worldwide. Apart from the two biggest breweries AB InBev and Alken Maes, there are further 115 breweries in the country producing more than 1000 different brands of beer.

Come and try some of Belgium’s most delicious beers at the festival in Germany!

 

 

To All Mid-Atlantic Area Homebrew Clubs:

The 22nd Annual Mid-Atlantic States Home brewers CampOUT, better known as
MASHOUT, will once again be coming to Popenoe Mountain near Cumberland, MD
in August. The dates are Friday, Aug 21 through Sunday, Aug 23. Loads of fun
events will be in store at MASHOUT, including the traditional barbecue
dinner on Saturday (You will be asked only to contribute an appetizer, soup,
salad, side dish, or dessert), and pancake breakfast on Sunday morning.
Regional beers will also be featured along with homebrew. A number of great
breweries from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region support the event each
year with beer contributions. However, the emphasis is always on homebrew,
and we hope you'll bring at least a keg or case of your best to share with
200 of your best friends on the mountaintop.

Registration for MASHOUT will officially open on Wednesday, July 1. Full
details on the event can be found at that time on the Brewers United for
Real Potables (BURP) website at http://burp.org. Just follow the link on the
site to the MASHOUT 2009 homepage. The Frequently Asked Questions page will
provide you with full details on the event, which will also include a
homebrew competition as well as the return of the annual Popenoe Mountain
Pub Quiz. The great Tom Principato Band will also be performing again at
MASHOUT on Friday evening starting at 8:00 PM.

Registration acknowledgements will be slightly delayed this year but should
be going out via e-mail on or around July 10.

I look forward to seeing you at MASHOUT 2009, the largest and best outdoor
homebrew event in the country!

Bill Ridgely
MASHOUT 2009 Coordinator

 

Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro

 

I’m pretty excited that our July 1 meeting will be at the Kempsville home of Ron and Jeannine Jones.  Their inviting in-ground swimming pool, a bunch of meads, homebrews of various persuasions, and thou…..a great  to kick off July!   Bring (or wear) your swimsuit and a towel and join those of us bobbin on the big noodle in the pool! Whether you don those ancient Birdwells, your 2003 tankini, your new black burqini....or dust off that red Speedo your ex hated….it’s all good! Perhaps you’ve heard of mead goggles???

 

The meeting will commence at 7:00 pm. The grill will be grilling, and HRB&TS will provide burgers for both carnivores and vegetarians, along with condiments. If you’d like to contribute a side dish or munchie that’s great.  Most importantly, bring mead, homebrew, or some tasty commercial microbrew to share with your parched beer brethren. And do bring an extra brew to bestow on our hospitable hosts, Ron and Jeannine. We are fortunate indeed to have such a sweet location for our July meeting!

 

Directions:  Only 5 minutes from the Independence Blvd exit off of I-264! Ron and Jeannine’s address is 4769 Cranbrook Ct. Phone number is 467-0520. ***If you come directly into the backyard, close the fence-door and don’t let the dog out!!!***

 

From Norfolk, most of VA Beach, and the Peninsula

Take I-264 East to the exit for Independence Blvd South (toward Princess Anne).

Upon exiting, bear right to get on Baxter Road. Take Baxter Road to Princess Anne.

Left onto Princess Anne Rd. In a few minutes, turn right onto Edwin Drive. Cranbrook Ct is the 3rd right turn off Edwin Dr.

 

Chick’s Beach people – You might want to simply take Independence South to Baxter Rd or Edwin Drive, and follow directions above.

 

From Southern points:

Take Rt 168 North to Kempsville Rd (Va 190). Stay on Kempsville Rd for about 7 miles.

Turn right on Providence Rd. In less than a mile turn left on Edwin Drive.

Cranbook Ct is the 5th left turn off Edwin Dr.

 

Competition Corner – Tom Byrnes

Well mead day is always a contest to look forward to and this was no exception. We had 8 different meads competing for top honors and despite the rain and short power failure, the honey managed to shine forth. You could say these meads were so good that they shot the lights out of ocean view. Our 4 judges: Tina, Diane, Will, and Doug, were treated to a wide variety of all things honey, most were traditional, two fruit, one spice and one specialty (maple).  The scores ranged from 25.5 to 33.0.  The winners of this field were CJ/Diane taking first place (33.0) and JP continued his return to glory with  second place (32.25) and I took third (31.25). This month we also have an honorable mention, we judged a mead made by Cameron, a friend of Kasey and Tina, who brewed a fantastic sweet traditional mead that scored 30.5, my understanding is that this was one of his early meads. If Cameron was a member, this mead would have placed third.  Keep up the great brewing Cameron, we look forward to meeting you sometime in the future and yes bring more mead!!

 

Brewing points are listed below:

 

2009 HRBTS CUP STANDINGS

Name of Brewer

Points Accumulated

Tom Byrnes

12

JP Messier

 10

Doug Boyd

 8

Jason Kuller

 5

Gus Gustafson

4

C hris Jones

3

This could easily be you….

…if you get brewing!

 

This contest has always been close but it just got a whole lot closer and more exciting. The only thing that confuses me is why we don’t have more members entering. All members are encouraged to join in on the fun and brew, brew, brew!!! Next month your name could be here, we even reserved a space just for you. The next competition will be Fruit Beers will be held on July 23@ 7:30.  The location will be determined later. 

 

Our president has once again authorized that if you brew 5 gallons of beer for the picnic, you will get the equivalent of a first place finish. That’s 3 points in a close race that could make for a closer finish. I’ll venture to say that there will be plenty of beer at this picnic.  I’m committing to making a Stone Calibelgique clone once I complete my research. So look for the date in this newsletter and mark your calendars now!!!

Below you will find our brewing schedule for 2009. I think you will find something for every type of brewer. Tomorrow is supposed to be 95 degrees marking beginning of the dog days of summer, the perfect weather for brewing a Saison for September. Also there is still time to brew your secret spice entry for our August judging.  Now is also the time to start your smoked porters and Belgian strong ales for winter judging.

 

 

2009 HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE

Month

Style

Category/Sub

AHA Event - Deadline

August

(July 23)

 

Fruit Beer

 

20

 

September

(August 20)

Unique Spice/herb in aroma and flavor

Loosely based on 21 A, B

 

October

(Sept 24)

 

Saison

 

16C

 

November

(Oct 22)

 

Belgian Strong

 

18 A-E

 

Nov/Dec 09

December

(Nov 19)

 

Smoked Porter

22B with base style in 12

 

 

 

2010 HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE

Month

Style

Category/Sub

AHA Event - Deadline

January 2010

(December 17)

 

English Brown Ale

 

11 A,B,C

 

February 16,  2010

February 2010

(Jan 21)

 

American Ales

 

10 A,B

 

March/April 2010

March 2010

(Feb 18)

 

Braggot

 

26B

 

 

We really need 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: 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.

1st Place – HRBTS Cup June 2009, Brewer: Chris Jones

 

2nd Place – HRBTS Cup June 2009, Brewer: JP Messier

3rd Place – HRBTS Cup June 2009, Brewer: Tom Byrnes

Bicycle Beer Delivery from East End Brewing Co. in Pittsburgh, PA   by Eric Gold
 
 
 
 

 

I had the wonderful opportunity May 15th to join another 500 Cyclists in Pittsburgh, PA on a meandering journey through the city to deliver first batch of the seasonal “Pedal Pale Ale” made by East End Brewing Company.  I found myself in Pittsburgh to attend my brothers PhD graduation from Carnegie Melon and we immediately grabbed the bikes and headed down to the brewery. 

 

Organized by the East End Brewing Company and Bike Pittsburgh, the idea of the ride is to deliver the first batch of East End’s “Pedal Pale Ale” by bike!  This year’s trip coincided with both the Bike to Work Day events as well as American Craft Beer Week. The event also meshes well with East End’s mission to produce beer in an environmentally responsible way. All riders who complete the journey to deliver the first keg are given a free pint of this delicious American Pale Ale.  Special keg trailers are employed for the journey, and three half barrel kegs were towed in order to serve all of the thirsty riders.

 

East End Brewery has been making quite a name for itself for several years in and around Pittsburgh making true craft beer.  The brewery can produce about 700 barrels a year and because of their size they are able to experiment constantly. They offer weekly “Growler Hours” and pour both year round (try the Big Hop IPA and anything from their Session Ale series) and unique seasonal offerings (such as Big Hop Harvest, which is wet hopped, and Homewood Reserve is a Black Strap Stout aged in oak). 

sunset

We rode from the brewery in the neighborhood of Homewood to the Over the Bar Bicycle Cafe in the South Side of the city.  The seven mile trip took several unique turns to take the opportunity to show off several new bike lanes and eventually ended up on the Eliza Furnace Trail which parallels the Monongahela River.   In order to make it over to the Southside of Pittsburgh, a route over the Hot Metal Bridge was chosen; where we fortunately were greeted by an absolutely incredible sunset.  

 

The Pedal Pale is a traditional American Pale Ale with a generous dosing of both Amarillo and Chinook.  It was the perfect beer to complement the ride and a wonderful evening celebrating my brother’s graduation.  If you find yourself in Pittsburgh, be sure to check out East End Brewing Company!

 

 

 

HOBBS-FEST SPRING 2009  by Tom Byrnes

 

Recently Gus and I ventured north to visit Tim Hobbs and once again explored the world of German Lager beer and hookahs. Despite working long hours the night before, the flavor of the pacaderm helles (Tim’s house specialty) and the aroma of fruit shisha quickly reenergized Gus. Both of us were surprised to see that Tim had a British bitter on tap along with an Oktoberfest, Wit, and of course the Pacaderm. His bitter was lager clear with a subtle hint of caramel, kissed ever so slightly with a british hop presence, in a word, delicious. Tim tasked us with the responsibility of emptying two of his kegs to make room for future beers and we were happy to comply. Saturday started with the traditional 7:00 AM mash in and a mere 4 hours latter lemongrass wheat was born. The afternoon brought a trip to Maryland and the BURP lager meeting. I have always heard many good things about this beer club and yes they are all true. Judging consisted of 18 lager entries while the meeting featured many kegs, delicious food and a lively beer conversation. It didn’t hurt that both Gus and myself won a raffle gift. Many thanks to Allen, June and the BURP members who made us feel as if we were long time members of this organization. Think I’ll be attending another meeting very soon. Nightfall brought us back for some commercial beers, hookah and a chance to reflect on our day. I was really amazed by the number of brewers and the quality of the feedback offered on our homebrewed beers.  Sunday brought the usually early mash-in and Tim was brewing an Irish Red. What another ale; is the king of all things lager converting; only time will tell. Hobbs-fest also had official hats courtesy of Eva but unfortunately the pictures did not arrive in time for this newsletter. On the way home we discussed how much we missed Tim and Mini but looked forward to our return trip. Members going to SAVOR will get to see them and maybe attend a Sunday brewing session at the house of Hobbs. Thank you to Tim and Mini for your hospitality.

 

 

 

 

 

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.