The Brewsletter

April 2011

 

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

www.hrbts.org

 

Presidential Pontifications -  C.J., aka. Chris Jones

 

Well, March was an interesting month for beer.  We managed to get through the obligatory fake Irish beers associated with the "greening" of this and that, the shamrock thing, and all other things commercially tied in to St. Patrick's Day. And that's a good thing, because now we can go back to drinking beers as directed by our palates, and not by a calendar.

 

We had our club contest to judge robust Porter in March which was pretty cool.  We had around a dozen entries, judged in two sessions, and dang, I didn't win, but an HRBTS member did, so, yah, that's one for us, and one for those other kids (there's more info on this elsewhere in this issue).

 

Our next meeting is going to be held at O'Connor Brewing in Norfolk, and that should be great fun; if we're lucky, they'll have growlers available and we can take some home with us.  Remember, you cannot bring commercial beer to the meeting at O'Connor, but you can bring all of the homebrew you can carry ... so bring some.

 

Speaking of beer, four HRBTS club members, Mike Connell, J.L. Lyon, Frank Tiffany and my bad self are heading into a recording studio this week to record a handful of songs, including four about beer (yes!).  Soon you'll have new music to drink beer by, and at a modest price.  Won't that be grand!

 

See you in a few days,   

 C.J.

 

Meeting Location -   Diane Catanzaro

 

The Wednesday, April 6 meeting of the HRB&TS will be at the O'Conner Brewing Company, at 521 West 25th Street in Norfolk. The meeting will begin at 7 pm.

Owner Kevin O'Conner and Head Brewer Chris O'Conner have been improving Norfolk beer culture for over a year, and it's time we paid them a visit! With Assistant Brewer Jimmy Walsh, these folks are rocking Hampton Roads with beers whose monikers reflect the region, such as the Green Can Golden Ale and Red Nun Red Ale which are named for buoys that guide sailors to and from Hampton Roads, perhaps for a day of fishing in the offshore Norfolk Canyon, which is on nautical maps and lends its name to the Pale Ale. The Great Dismal Black IPA's moniker is a homage to our favorite local swamp. These beers are like a liquid geography class! Come to the meeting and you'll get extra credit!

 

The club will spring for some pizzas to nosh on. You can bring homebrew or other beer to share and sample with club members. The club will provide tasting cups. I am not sure if we can bring our own growlers to purchase beer (or if they have their own growlers yet) but it may be possible. I will send a club email once I find out if we can bring growlers to buy for take-home.

 

The brewery is in the "industrial section" between Ghent and the ODU area, at 521 West 25th Street in Norfolk. It is between Colley Ave and Colonial Ave. There is on-street parking that is fairly flexible in the evening as most of the businesses are closed, according to Kevin.  Hope you can make it out to our first club meeting at Norfolk's finest brewery this Wednesday. Below is a map-link and directions.

 

http://www.oconnorbrewing.com/maps_hours.html

Directions to 521 West 25th Street in Norfolk:

From the Peninsula: Take I-64 East, cross the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, and take the Granby Street exit. After about 3 lights you'll cross the Granby Street Bridge, you can bear right at the gas station to get on Llewellyn Ave, or stay on Granby St. Turn right on W 25th Street and it is on the left after you cross Colonial Ave.

 

From VA Beach and other parts: Take I-264 West, exit at Waterside Drive, continue on Waterside. Waterside Drive turns into Boush and then Llewellyn. Follow Llewellyn through Ghent, cross the tracks, then turn left on W 25th street. The brewery is on the left after you cross Colonial Ave.

 

Brewing with JL and Eric – Frank Tiffany

 

Dateline:  Saturday March 19, 2011.  HRBTS members gathered to practice the craft.  JL Lyon and Eric Gold got started early on their epic adventure.  They are calling it a Belgian Creek New World Lambic.  On our last wine tasting near Charlottesville, JL bought a 60 gallon wine barrel from Naked Mountain Winery.  He then had to build a portable cradle that could support the 500+ lbs of beer and wood.  Then he had to humidify the barrel until the wood swelled enough to stop leaking.  By 2:00 pm on Saturday the barrel was ready to start receiving the mix of turbid mash, wheat, dextrin, malt, and german pilsner malt.  It wasn't until 10:00 p.m. that the barrel was full and the bung could be hammered in.  The beer will sit for a year before cherries are added.  In all it will require three years of patient neglect.  Just like the Belgians do it.  The barrel will sit in JL's garage with no air conditioning or heat in order to create an unique taste.

 

If fifty gallons weren't enough, a couple of more brews were in the making.  Frank brewed a batch of light (est. 7.5% ABV) stout made from Homebrew USA extract and Kent Golding's hops for Joann's birthday.  Phil brewed five gallons of a fizzy yellow summer hybrid ale made with rye and pilsner malt (est. 5.0% ABV).

Like moths to a flame, many HRBTS members were drawn to the spectacle.  In attendance were Jennings & Patty Lyon, Eric Gold, Frank & Joann Tiffany, Tom Burns, Mike Connell, and Cindy Craig.  Vaughn from CASK (Colonial Ale Smith and Keggers) and Greg Bullis also made it to the show.  No turtles were harmed in the making of these beers.

 

Competition Coordinator Corner – JP Messier

 

Brewing Competition

 

We had our first joint competition for the Hampton Roads Brewers (HRB) Cup between HRBTS and BARF on Wednesday, March 16th!  This was a showdown of Robust Porters, BJCP Category 12B.  This monumental event was held at HomeBrewUSA in Norfolk, VA.  Thanks to Elizabeth and Neal Erschens for opening their store for us and being such awesome hosts! 

 

A fierce and competitive competition was had by all.  It was a balanced match up of home brewers from each club coming out to judge and also from the entries themselves.  We started off by sampling a few calibration beers amongst the group and discussing our views on the parameters for the Robust Porters against that sampled beer.  Our group was then divided into two (2) teams to judge the 13 entries.  Team A was comprised of Tom Byrnes (HRBTS), Dan Tully (BARF), and Douglas Boyd (HRBTS).  Team B was comprised of Diane Catanzaro (HRBTS), Chris Knight (BARF), Justin Crandall (BARF), and Jason Kuller (HRBTS).  Both teams slurped, eyed, sniffed, and analyzed each of the entries.  A Best of Show was conducted with the Top Two entries from each team, along with two judges from each team – with two of the judges being BJCP certified.

 

After a short throw down in the cage, the Robust Porter (March 2011)  infused judges chose the winners!

 

1st Place:    Lee Dodd, HRBTS

 

2nd Place:    Andrew Jackson, BARF

3rd Place:    Chris Knight, BARF

 

Great effort by all our home brewers from both clubs.  Thanks for everyone’s efforts and entries.  We are off to a great start on our new joint competition and look forward to the coming events.  Our next event is on June 15th with the celebrity beer being Hefeweizens.  A superior summer beer, very easy to brew, and enjoyed by most all of our home brewers and tasters out there.  So bust out your brewing equipment and brew up your award winning entry. 

 

 

 

 

2011 Hampton Roads Brewers Cup Standings

Brewer

Club

Points

Lee Dodd

HRBTS

6

Andrew Jackson

BARF

5

Chris Knight

BARF

4

Dan Tully

BARF

1

Doug Boyd

HRBTS

1

Jennings Lyon

HRBTS

1

Rob Pearson

BARF

1

Steve Clark

BARF

1

Jason Kuller

HRBTS

1

Paul Hutchings

HRBTS

1

Chris Jones & Dianne Catanzaro

HRBTS

1

Justin Crandall

BARF

1

JP Messier

HRBTS

1

This could easily be you ……

 

If you get brewing …….

 

Below is the schedule for the year.  Plan ahead and brew with us.  There are many great brewers in our ranks and we need you to make this competition successful.

 

 

2011 HAMPTON ROADS BREWERS CUP SCHEDULE

Month

Style

BJCP Category and Sub Category

16 March

Robust Porter

12 (B)

15 June

Weizen

15 (A)

21 September

American IPA

14 (B)

21 December

Belgian Tripel

18 (C)

 

Commercial Beer Judging

 

For the month of April (Wednesday, April 20th to be exact), we are brainstorming on what we could do to enhance our participation in these events, help our club members learn about the art of home brewing, and bolster participation.  We would like to open that slate for you and hear back your thoughts on what types of events, training, and gatherings we could have in for the April, July, and October months? 

 

The month prior to each of the HRB Cup events, we will conduct a commercial beer tasting as was done last month but in the style of that next event.  So look ahead and come on out and join us learn about the styles, hone our judging skills and share in a club event.  This next event will take place on Wednesday, May 18th and we will be learning about Hefeweizens; BJCP Category 15A.  Mark it down on your calendar.

 

Step up and actively help us out with our Club and make it what we all want!

 

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.