The Brewsletter

February  2011

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

www.hrbts.org

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

Well, I finally brewed my first batch of beer for 2011, an extract hefeweizen, so I’ve become the third person in the J. L. Lyon Project to brew in this New Year; thank goodness I wasn’t the last person in the band to brew.  Alas, my blue enamelware brew pot for the last ten years has finally succumbed to old age, having scorched another six pounds of extract on its bottom for the last time.  A replacement 34 qt pot runs around $70.00, so seven bucks a year in equipment costs is pretty insignificant.

If you were fortunate enough to have made it to Delaware with your club brethren a few weeks ago, you had a good time.  If you didn’t, here’s what you missed:  there was lots of beer, both at the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton and the brewpub in Rehoboth; there was food in the pub; there was hot tubbing at the  Boardwalk Plaza; followed by live music at the brewpub, more beer, sleep, then shopping for, among other things, beer, the next morning.  It was righteous!  More beer-fueled hijinks may occur in mid-February as many of us venture forth to Baltimore for the Max’s on Broadway Belgian Beer Festival.  My guess is that our Max’s trip should have a similar outcome as did our Dogfish Head trip, but without the hot tubbing.

Our HRBC Cup competition rules have had all of the eyes dotted and the tees crossed, and they are available elsewhere in this newsletter and on our web site.  We’re hoping that asking members to brew four times a year instead of twelve times will result in greater numbers of club members participating in our contests; whether or not that happens is pretty much up to us, eh?

On a sad note, one of our cats, Chimay, was laid to rest this week.  She was with Diane and me for ten of her sixteen-plus years, and was as wonderful as the Trappist beers she was named after.  She was a great friend to have had all that time, and like a favorite publican (publican, not Republican), was always happy to see us and listen attentively as we waxed poetically about ales.  Next time you hoist Chimay, the beer, please toast Chimay, the cat.

See you Wednesday!

Meeting Location     Diane Catanzaro

On February 2 the HRB&TS will meet at La Bodega,  22 Wine Street, in downtown Hampton. The meeting begins at 7:30, but you can show up as early as 6:30 and get your sandwich order in, peruse the beer selection, and socialize with your fellow club members. We have the whole bodega to ourselves! Our late, great friend and fellow HRB&TS-er Mike Quanty was a regular and big fan of La Bodega.

Bodega is wine and beer shop with ample seating, and  carries deli items and makes fresh sandwiches to order. Owner Luis is kind to stay open especially for the HRB&TS; La Bodega usually closes at 6 pm. So, buying a tasty sandwich (under $7.00!) and a beer is a nice way to show your appreciation for Luis and his staff for staying open and letting us meet at La Bodega. It's also a pretty darned tasty dinner.

If desired, you can check out the various sandwiches and such on the web, then call ahead and place your order to save time and help them provide faster service.

The website and phone are:

http://www.labodegahampton.com/deli.asp

757-722-8466

On the website you will see examples of their tasty signature sandwiches on French bread, including the King George, with country ham, brie, red onion, and house dressing, and the Navigator which has smoked turkey, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked gouda, and house dressing. The Prince Edward is rare roast beef, brie, red onion, and house dressing. They also have chicken salad, tuna salad, veggie sandwiches, and so forth. All the signature sandwiches are available every day of the week.

La Bodega has a variety of beers; English ales are most heavily represented but they also have Legend and St. George. And...very important..... don’t forget to bring homebrew to the meeting!! No commercial beers, just homebrew! See you on Wednesday!

Directions: La Bodega is in the "Queensway" area of downtown Hampton,  at 22 Wine Street (722-8466). Take Rt 64 to the County St/Hampton University exit (rt 143). Merge onto Rt 60/Settler’s Landing Road. After you cross the water (there will be a bridge under you!), just before the Air and Space Museum, take a right on Wine St. La Bodega at 22 Wine Street is on the right about a block down the road. They have a parking lot right beside the shop.

Competition Corner – JP Messier

Competition Rules:

1. The competition is open to “paid” members of Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRBTS) and Beer & Ale Research Foundation (BARF).

2. The competition will run from 01 January 2011 until 31 December 2011 with quarterly competitions to be held on 16 March, 15 June, 21 September, and 21 December unless mutually changed by HRBTS and BARF clubs.

3. The Brewer who accumulates the most points for the year will win the Competition!  (There is also a 2nd and 3rd place finish for the year.)

4. In the case of a tie for any finishing place at the end of the year, the most finishes at the highest place in each competition will be counted, until a tie does not result. For example, a tie would result in counting most first place finishes, if still a tie, count second place finishes, and so on. No resolution will result in a grand brew-off as directed by the Competition Coordinator.

5. Members will accrue points through entries placing in the Quarterly Competition on the following basis:

• 5 points for 1st place;
• 4 points for 2nd place;
• 3 points for 3nd place; and
• 1 point for entry if the entered beer meets two criteria: the beer is an appropriate entry for the style; and the beer is rated “good” (21 points), at minimum, using a BJCP Beer Score sheet.

6. Judging will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month beginning at 7:00 to 7:30PM, locations to be determined.

7. Entries are due at time of judging.

8. The entry limit for each competition is one entry per brewer per Club.

9. Each bottle shall have an ID label attached with a rubber band. The BJCP ID label can be found at: http://www.bjcp.org/compcenter.php

10. Entries shall be judged in accordance with the 2010 BJCP Style Guidelines found at http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php

11. 1 point will also be awarded for brewers who enter the annual CASK Beer Blitz.  This is 1 point per brewer, not per entry.

12. Each entry shall consist of two (2) 10-14 ounce bottles, or one (1) 22 ounce bottle. The use of brown glass bottles is encouraged. 

13. During judging, Assessors will dicker on scores to be within seven points from the lowest score to the highest score.  An Assessors final score must be within seven points of the average score of all participating BJCP judges.

14.  Award of the HRBC Homebrewer of the Year shall be at the January 2012 HRBTS Club meeting.

15.  The HRBTS Competition Coordinator is the final arbitrator of all HRBC competition disputes.

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)

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.