The Brewsletter
September 2011
The Official Newsletter of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society (HRB&TS)
Presidential Musings - C.J., aka. Chris Jones.
Another month of beers gone behind, another month of beers ahead; your next beer could be your last beer, so make sure it’s a good one.
Our August meeting was wonderful – a pool in August, sweet, along with a heavy dose of humidity, along with ample things to eat and drink; many thanks to Kelly Warren for being such a gracious host.
Our summer picnic killed, and couldn’t have been much better; many thanks to Phil and Erin (or “Earn” as she’s known in some parts) for their hospitality, and to O’Connor Brewing for the help with our empty growlers.
August saw the Tidewater area rollout of New Belgium Brewing ales, and they are everywhere. The Triple is pretty nice, haven’t tried the Fat Tire yet but it is what it is, and the Ranger IPA is dee-licious.
Saturday, August 3, marked the start of ODU’s 2011 football season, and among the ales spotted in our tailgate session were Racer 5 IPA, Avery’s “Joe” American Pilsner, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, Yuengling lager, and Widmer Hefeweizen, which isn’t too bad for the first game.
The Redskins season starts next weekend; there probably isn’t enough beer to help us as we squirm uncomfortably in our burgundy and gold for a 16 game season.
Club members J.L. Lyon and world-traveler Eric Gold have collaborated on a lambic. A labor-intensive exercise involving brewing 55 gallons of beer, buying one or two wine casks, and building a rack that will hold over 400 pounds of evolving beer for a year. For you impatient corner-cutters out there, I’ve included a recipe for five gallons of extract-based lambic that you can whip up in two to three weeks.
And just for fun, I’ve included a recipe for a heavily hopped session ale, too; well we all need someone we can lean on … and we also need a low alcohol hop-bomb as well.
The next HRBC contest is for American IPAs; the calibration tasting will be on Tuesday, September 13, and the judging will be on September 21; more info on this elsewhere or forthcoming, or both.
See you in a few days, C.J.
Meeting Location - Diane Catanzaro
The Hampton Roads Brewing and Tasting Society's September 7 meeting will be in a former horse pasture!
Ignore the 'neigh-sayers', because this is very appropriate; horses played an important role in brewing history. Does anyone know the answer to the puzzler that follows?
Did draft beer get its name because it was delivered by draft horses, or did draft horses earn the moniker by pulling wagons laden with draft beer? (I don't know the answer, that's why I'm asking!)
Either way, beer and horses go way back in helping humans who did not brew at home (poor things!) to have beer, which was of course safer than the contaminated water people would have had to drink otherwise. It is not a stretch to say that beer and horses saved countless human lives throughout the ages. At the Heineken Experience Museum in Amsterdam there is a small stable with about a dozen pampered draft horses that get trotted out for special events (see photo) . And of course the Budweiser Clydesdales are featured in parades, commercials, and other dog-and-pony shows (these massive Clydesdales are hardly ponies, but you get the idea). Regardless of what you think about the beer, those Clydesdales are superstar steeds wherever they go.
So, where is the club meeting? In Virginia Beach, Horse Pasture road is the home of Hampton Roads' newest and smallest brewery. With beers like Hurricane, Hoptomus, Bullhead, and Killer WhALE you can imagine riding your horse on a windswept beach to a secluded spot to sip a cold ale. Ok, now you have likely figured out that our meeting is at Beach Brewing. Located not far from Lynnhaven Mall in a former horse pasture, Beach Brewing is the newest and smallest brewery in our area but is turning out some delicious beers....if you have not tried them fresh from the brewery tap you have been missing out! Owner Justin MacDonald and Head Brewer Dan Yarnell (whom many of us met at the meeting at La Bodega in Hampton) will be there to talk about the beers and to meet folks. Please BRING HOMEBREW if you are a brewer! Please don't bring commercial beers, as there are ABC-related concerns about whether that is permitted.
This meeting is a private event open to HRB&TS Club members and serious prospective members only. The tasting room is fairly small, and they are opening just for us! The club will provide pizza, perhaps the perfect food to accompany beer. No need to bring other food items this month...we're keepin' it simple! You CAN bring a growler from another brewery to purchase beer to take home, or you can buy a refillable growler from them directly.
Directions to our meeting at 2545 Horse Pasture Road, VA Beach, 757 563-BEER.
From the Peninsula: I- 64 East to I-264 East toward Va Beach. From I-264, take Independence Blvd South exit, and in a couple of miles bear left onto Holland Rd. Follow Holland Rd several miles and then take a left onto Dam Neck Rd. In a few minutes, take a left on Taylor Farm Rd, then a right onto Horse Pasture. The brewery is on the right in about 30 seconds in a small cluster of businesses.
From Norfolk and most of VA Beach: Same as above, but you will start out on I-264 East. After you cross the intersection with Holland Rd, Taylor Farm Rd will be the fourth left turn. Take Taylor Farm Rd, then right onto Horse Pasture.
From Chesapeake/Southern parts: Take Cedar Road, Battlefield Blvd, or the 168 bypass to Mount Pleasant Road (Rt 165) Westbound. Turn left/North on Centerville Turnpike. Hang a right/Eastbound on Elbow Road, which turns into Dam Neck Rd
From
Sandbridge/Oceanfront: check the google map if you don't already know the way!
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2585+Horse+Pasture+Road,+Virginia+Beach,+VA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&
Competition Coordinator Corner
Thanks for everyone’s efforts and entries. We are off to a great run on our new joint competition and look forward to the coming events. Our next event is on September 21st with the celebrity beer being American IPA’s. A superior categorical beer, somewhat complex 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 |
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|
Brewer |
Club |
Robust Porter (12B) March 2011 |
Hefeweizen (15A) June 2011 |
American IPA (14B) September 2011 |
Belgian Tripel (18C) December 2011 |
Points |
||
|
Chris Knight |
BARF |
4 |
6 |
|
|
10 |
||
|
Lee Dodd |
HRBTS |
6 |
1 |
|
|
7 |
||
|
Chris Jones & Dianne Catanzaro |
HRBTS |
1 |
5 |
|
|
6 |
||
|
AndrewJackson |
BARF |
5 |
1 |
|
|
6 |
||
|
Paul Hudgins |
HRBTS |
1 |
4 |
|
|
5 |
||
|
Doug Boyd |
HRBTS |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
||
|
Jennings Lyon |
HRBTS |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
||
|
JP Messier |
HRBTS |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
||
|
Dan Tully |
BARF |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
||
|
Jason Kuller |
HRBTS |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
||
|
Rob Pearson |
BARF |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
||
|
Steve Clark |
BARF |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
||
|
Justin Crandall |
BARF |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
||
|
Joe Graves |
HRBTS |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
Skip Sharp |
HRBTS |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
Elijah Roberts |
BARF |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
Corey Basely |
BARF |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
Thomas Wright |
BARF |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
Ben Powell |
BARF |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
||
|
This could easily be you |
|
If you get brewing ……. |
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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 |
|
21 September |
American IPA |
14 (B) |
|
21 December |
Belgian Tripel |
18 (C) |
LAMBIC - C. JONES
4 # Muntons dry plain wheat extract
2 # Muntons dry extra light malt extract
0.25 oz Saaz pellets (5.2 AAU/oz)
0.25 oz Hallertau pellets (3.8 AAU/oz)
Williams Brewing 3278 liquid limbic blend yeast
Lambics are very low in hops, and sour; brewed it in June 2007, split it into two secondary fermenters, left one as is, added 4.5 quarts of Trader Joe’s Sour Cherry Juice to the other; both were great.
Try it!
59 Minute Pale Ale - C. Jones
5 # Muntons dry extra light malt extract
1 oz Amarillo hop pellets (8.4 AAU/oz)
1 oz Simcoe pellets (13.4 AAU/oz)
1 oz Columbus hop pellets (15.6 AAU/oz)
Mixed all the hops in a bowl, added around 2 tablespoons of mixed hops at 50, 30, 15 and 0 minutes of rolling boil time.
White Labs East Coast ale yeast, second run
Brewed in August 2011, this is a variation on the 60 Minute IPA recipe in the “Extreme Brewing” book – turned a big IPA into a low alcohol, hop-forward session ale, a lawnmower beer that scares the lawnmower!
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.