The Brewsletter
MAY 2010
The Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB&TS)
President’s Musings – C. J., aka. Chris Jones
Well, since the last time we chatted, Diane and I have had some eventful moments in beerdom. We’ve experienced first-hand the upswing in prices in Belgian ales at one of our favorite watering holes, the Boot, which now charges $11.00 for a bottle of the Duchesse du Bourgogne; eeek! We meant to go to the NATO Beer Festival in Town Point Park, but alas, were overwhelmed by events; bummer! We got a quick look at O’Connor Brewing, Norfolk’s newest (and only) brewery, where we had a chance to test drive their first three commercial releases; interesting! And finally, we walked across the street and participated in our Club’s first Gluten-free beer judging, a contest truly designed for some out-of-the box brewing; unusual!
I hope your malt-moments were as fun as ours.
In the next few weeks we will etch in stone our Summer Picnic site, picking a date when it is guaranteed to rain and/or be ridiculously hot. We’ll also try to line up a visit to Williamsburg Brewing, and once O’Connor assembles a tasting room, a visit there, too. Stay tuned.
Our next collective ale adventure will be in a couple of days when we go to Jodi and Rob’s house for our May meeting. Good beer and good compatriots to share them with, well, it just doesn’t get any better than that. See you on Wednesday.
One late news item that’s noteworthy – Anchor Brewing has been sold. Fritz Maytag, who bought a controlling interest in that brewery back in 1965, sold the business to the two guys that make and market Skyy Vodka. They say they plan to expand the business. Vodka, as you know, is designed to be tasteless. Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen to Anchor beers.
C.J, President HRB&TS
Meeting Location – Diane Catanzaro
Spring has sprung, and our first outdoor meeting of 2010 will feature bucolic backyard blossoms and beneficent beer at Rob and Jodi Sisson's! Meander along the nature path for some lakefront lager-lapping as lily pads lurk Monet-like in the low light and liquid libations flow. Lucky we are that Jodi will host the HRB&TS May meeting in their bangin' backyard for the sixth year in a row!
The HRB&TS will provide a main course, but a side dish or nosh to share are heartily welcomed. 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. I have an idea.....if everyone brings an umbrella we should be assured of a dry night (except for the beer, of course). Feel free to bring the kids, as there is plenty of space to run around and play. Of course bring some beers to share….homebrews and/or commercial beers….all good. Gluten-free beers brewed by your fellow HRB&TS-ers will be shared, but please bring homebrew or some of your favorite or newly discovered commercial beers to turn on your fellow brewers & tasters. And pop an "extry" in the bag for Rob and Jodi as a token of appreciation for the 200+ hours of yard-work they put into having their little acre of paradise ready for visitors! See you on Wednesday.
Competition Corner – Eric Gold
Hard to believe that another month has gone by... We gathered this month at Casey and Tina's in Norfolk to test our take on gluten free beers. The group learned that all of the Gluten Free beers we made had bolder flavors that their commercial counterparts. Flavors that melded well with base sugar source (sorghum or rice) did the best, as several beers used fruit and other spices. JP Messier had the best beer, and scored a 33.25. Tom took second place with his 27.75 scored entry, and CJ and Diane rounded out the bill with their Raspberry Rice beer and a score of 25.5. Thanks again to our hosts, and judges Diane, Tom, Will, Tina, and JP. I look forward to sharing more gluten frees, they were a unique challenge and it was fun to see the direction each brewer took with their beer.
Updated Brewing points are listed below!
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2010 HRBTS CUP STANDINGS |
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|
Name of Brewer |
Points Accumulated |
|
Tom Byrnes |
8 |
|
Eric Gold |
7 |
|
JP Messier |
7 |
|
Chris Jones & Diane Catanzaro |
5 |
|
Mark Johnson |
3 |
|
This could easily be you …… |
If you get brewing ……. |
Next up, the June competition, we'll taste Wheat beers, perfect for this time of year! The competition will be held on Wednesday May 19th@ 7:30pm
IT'S STILL NOT TOO LATE to reserve the month matching one of your favorite styles! If you are willing to host a monthly judging competition, please email me at egold@vt.edu to reserve your month. We bring beer to your house :)
Below you will find our brewing schedule for 2010.
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2010 HRB&TS CUP BREWING SCHEDULE |
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Month |
Style |
Category/Sub |
AHA Event - Deadline |
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 2010 (May 19) |
Wheat |
15A/B/16A |
|
|
July 2010 (June 23) |
Mead |
24,25,26 |
August 2010 |
|
August 2010 (July 21) |
Sour |
17 |
Sept/Oct 2010 |
|
September 2010 (Aug 18) |
Fruit |
20 |
|
|
October 2010 (Sept. 22) |
Strong Ale |
19 |
Nov/Dec 2010 |
|
November 2010 (Oct. 20) |
Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale Clone |
10 A |
|
|
December 2010 (Nov 17 ) |
Christmas Winter Spiced Beer |
21B |
|
|
January 2011 (Dec 22) |
Imperial Stout |
13F |
|
|
February 2011 (Jan 19) |
Belgian and French Ale |
16 A-D |
|
|
March 2011 (Feb 16) |
Bock |
5 |
March/April 2011 |
May Winners:
1st Place – HRBTS Cup May 2010, Brewer: JP Messier
2nd Place – HRBTS Cup May 2010, Brewer: Tom Byrnes
3rd Place – HRBTS Cup May 2010, Brewer: Chris Jones & Diane Catanzaro
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.