It's the End of the World As We Know It
Greetings and salutations from the new Prez.
Not being overly opinionated about politics (rather cynical, actually), I find it a tad ironic that I am now the newly elected president of our beloved Lawrence Brewers Guild. And with this new found position, I felt that I should have some sort of kick-off statement; a State of the Wort-something-or-other.
To start, I'd like to thank you all (that voted anyway) for your support and confindence to put me in such a trusted and esteemed position. Even though I made no campaign promises, I hope I don't let you down. To improve the chances of that, l'd like to encourage you to feel free to talk to me about anything on your mind regarding the LBG. Keep your personal problems to yourself. Secondly, I would again like to thank Doug Holub for a great two year run as prez. You did a great job Doug, and leave me with big shoes to fill. What are you anyway? A size 12?
So there I am, basking in the afterglow of my newfound status, when I started thinking... who was the second president of the United states anyway? Now I know I'm a bit rusty on some of those important facts that I learned in the third grade, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought "Who knows? Who cares? What a jip!" As far as presidents go, the first (that would be George Washington, for all you who are rustier than I at American history) got the real deal. He's associated with monuments, money, mountains, rivers, thoroughfares and all kinds of cool stuff besides politics. He definitly is a good example of the value of being first.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm more than happy to lead the homebrewers of Lawrence to the bridge of the next century. But in terms of history, I don't stand a chance. Unless, of course I was involved in some kind of scandal or heaven forbid, even assasinated.
Figuring that even if I did embezzle our bank account, it would only get me as far as Topeka for a long weekend. Depressed and paranoid, I soon was scanning the tree tops in the backyard for snipers. While I was hiding behind the coat rack, my non-beer-drinking wife, Lori (uh oh. Scandal waiting to happen.) comes skipping into the room. Pulling a blazer off my head, she beams as she shows me a pearl necklace and pillbox hat. "If I'm going to be the First Lady of Beer, I have to look the part!" she says as she bounces off to look for a pair of white gloves.
As I watched her go, I realized I had it all wrong. She was living in "the now" and having a blast. Fully embracing all the joys and sorrows of her new politcal life, she opened my eyes to what was really important. Did I really care what future generations of LBG members will think of me and my administration? Heck no. I just cared about doing a good job and having a good time while doing it. And that's what I'm gonna do.
Just out of curiosity, how much do bodyguards cost anyway?
Barry Fitzgerald
Minutes of the February 12th Meeting
Seminar: Round-robin discussion on all-grain mashing, led by Robb Hensleigh. Robb described his own methods, equipment and experiences of all-grain brewing. Discussion began with the pro's and con's of mashing and the various equipment required and used. Jeff Jensen, Dwight Burnham, and Robert Johnson added some opinions from time to time, including personal methods and equipment as well as differing theories on the importance of water in brewing. All around, it was an informative and pleasantly interactive format-different from the usual lecture-type presentation.
Some links to Mashing related sites:
Brewing Your First All Grain Beer
Collection of label scans from Links to Mashing Related Sites at The Brewery.
The business meeting began (late) with a check of attendance and the customary introductions, followed by the mandatory selection of a clean-up crew.
Clean Up Crew: Thanks to Dwight Burnham and Robert Johnson for volunteering, and to the others who stayed and helped clean up after the meeting.
Members in Attendance: Tim Baroni and Jamie Rusconi, Dwight Burnham, Pete Clouston, John Falley, Barry Fitzgerald, Robb Hensleigh, Doug and Shrerry Holub, Jeff and Ellen Jensen, Robert Johnson, Bob and Jean Lewis, Derek Osborn, Bob Oswald, Lisa and Andrew Suddith, Dale Wheeler and Joe Yoder. Guest at the meeting were Brad Auchenbach, Galen Graves, Joe Lunn, and two babes in arms.
Joe Yoder reports that as of the 12 February, we have 15 paid memberships, four of which are family memberships.
Old Business:
The newly elected Grand Poobah (sorry, Doug- but you'll always be Poo in our hearts) Barry Fitzgerald, began by politely demanding that members pay their annual dues. The issue of new membership cards was raised and tabled to the President and Treasurer for discussion. The President announced that he has silk-screens for the production of Guild posters and bag-stuffers. The bag-stuffers, to be distributed at Lawrence Brewers' Supply and Jensen Retail Liquor, are all done and ready; while the posters are soon to be completed.
Newsletter: All contributions have been deemed honorable and worth many good karma points! Contributions are due by the first of the month, so.. . send whatcha got.
Look for Robert's two proposals in the March newsletter.
LBG on the WWW: The page is getting more hits after being listed on Yahoo!. We also have been linked on the Kansas City Bier Meisters Web Site. Check out the pictures from the February meeting in the new Gallery section. If you have any recipes, links, etc. to contribute just contact Pete Clouston with your info.
Treasurer's Report: Joe "the Yodeller" Yoder, Guild spendthrift (we hope ... ), reported twelve new memberships and a mysteriously low account level at $397.64. Perhaps not surprisingly, the treasurer was not able to produce any receipts. After a brief scuffle with the former Poobah and First Lady, who are still under investigation concerning missing revenue from last summer's Brewfest, the meeting moved to new business.
New Business:
WARNING: Barry would like to plant seeds in our brains(!?!) Brewfest '98 is right around the corner. We need to start thinking of ideas. Next month, we should start forming committees.
Kegs: Ball-lock cornelius kegs are available at Hijinks, back of the Cigar Bar (the old Hideaway), for $10 a piece. Ask for Stuart, say that Barry sent ya.
Kansas City Bier Miesters' Homebrew Competition: Entries were due February 7, judging is the 20th and 21st. Two Lawrence Guild members entered: Dale Wheeler and Pete Clouston. Pete's a returning ribbon-winner. Good luck, boys!
Monthly Tasting
February's beer style was Bock.
Berghoff-Bock from Wisconsin (0 votes, only guffaws)
"Yuck"-Barry Fitzgerald
"Don't like the aftertaste"
"No"
Augsberger-Bock from the Northwoods again (0 votes, slight nods)
(many "No" comment's)
"Too thin, but better than the Berghy"
"Better, more balanced . ..[but] slightly over-carbonated, too fizzy"
Spaten Optimator-Doppelbock: (das ist ein Spaten, ja?)- Five hearty yeas
"Yum"
"Ditto"
"Finely, a German bock"
"Danke, mein herr"
"That"s a bock- sweet, malty"-Dwight Burnham
"Almost a port! finishes with a sherry-like quality"-Jeff Jensen
"Maltier, sweeter- it sure lingers..."-Barry
"Oh, man! malty nose"
Goat's Breath-Bock contract brewed in Monroe, Wisc. (5 votes for best American bock)
"A little toasty"
"Better than the other two Americans, good for the money"
"More drinkable, more malt [than Augsberger or Berghoff]"
"Sasparilla?"-Dwight
Sam Adams Longshot's Bock (Ten votes for best American bock) Last year's world homebrew contest winner.
"Best beer Sam Adams ever put out"
"Too sweet"-Galen
"Actually a little hoppy, I like it"
Paulaner Salvator-Dopplebock (hands-down winner! best of show) Original bock recipe [?], brewed at the Paulaner monastery.
"All the qualities of the Spaten, but finishes without the sherry taste"
"Spicy, tangy"
"Oh, I like this one"-Jean Lewis
"Best of Show"
Robert Johnson
Secretary
March Beer Tasting to be Marzen/Vienna/Oktoberfest
A wonderful caramelly sweetness characterizes these festival beers. Typically these beers are somewhat high in alcohol and deep copper in color. Brewed in the spring, lagered in caves for the summer, and served in October, Marzen and Oktoberfest were traditionally consumed at the world famous Oktoberfest in Munich.
Viennas are somewhat lower in alcohol than Oktoberfests and Marzens, and a little bit lighter at their maximum color. Careful conditioning, which produces a beautiful head and small bubbles, is also an attribute of these brews
AHA National Homebrew Competition Style Guidelines
a) Vienna-Amber to deep copper/light brown. Toasted malt aroma and flavor. Low malt sweetness. Light to medium body. "Noble-type" hop bitterness low to medium. Low hop flavor and aroma, "noble-type" OK. No fruitness, esters. Low diacetyl OK.
b) Marzen/Oktoberfest-Amber to deep copper/orange. Malty sweetness, toasted malt aroma and flavor dominant. Medium body. Low to medium bitterness. Low hop flavor and aroma, "noble-type" OK. No fruitiness, esters, or diacetyl.
O.G. (Plato) Percent alc./vol. IBU's SRM
Vienna 1.048-55 (12-13.5) 4.4-6% 22-28 8-12
Marzen/Oktoberfest 1.052-64 (13-16) 4.8-6.5% 22-28 7-14
Proposals for 12 March LBG Meeting
Proposal 1
Addendum to By-laws: That, in case of dissolution of Lawrence Brewer's Guild, any Guild funds or revenue, in addition to any Guild purchases, property or the revenue from the sale of these, would be donated to a charity to be designated by majority vote of the Guild members present. For example, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Proposal 2
That a Guild lending-library be created in conjunction with the Guild Archives, using funds available from the previous Brewfest in June 1997.
Books: For the purchase of five brewing, beer, wine or mead-related books; the Guild lending-library committee (Robert Johnson, Joe Yoder, Ellen Jensen, and Jeff Jensen) chose five books as possibilities:
* Miller, "Brewing the World's Great Beers"
* Turczyn, "A Year of Beer" (see November newsletter)
* Noonan, "New Brewing Lager Beer"
* Daniels, "Designing Great Beers"
* "The Encyclopedia of Beers"
Policy
1. One-month lease would require current, paid Guild membership and a deposit of $20 per book, $5 per magazine.
2. No more than one book, or one to two magazines, would be lent to any Guild member per month.
3. Borrowing any additional books or magazines would require the return of previously borrowed titles and payment of any fines.
4. Books and magazines would be lent from and returned to the Archivist only at monthly meetings.
5. These would be filed alphabetically by title in a portable case brought to and from the meetings by the Archivist.
6. The deposit cost would be attached with the borrower's name in place of the borrowed book or magazine.
7. All deposits would be required to be in cash (in American legal tender.
8. Reservations could be made if the book had already been checked out. The reservee's name would be placed on a list in order of reservation and attached to the deposit card filed by title. The member with the most recent reservation would be given the first opportunity to borrow the title.
9. The Lawrence Brewer's Guild lending-library would be available only to current Guild members in good standing (those who have paid their annual membership dues).
Fines: To ensure the return of books and magazines in good condition and in a prompt fashion, a three dollar late fee per month (dime-a-day) would be deducted from the deposit upon return of the book or magazine(s) at the following meeting. Although books could be returned to the Archivist at his residence in the event of not having brought the book or magazine to the monthly meeting, a late fee would be charged for the full month if the meeting had already transpired.
Robert Johnson
Cooking With Beer
Hopefully this will be the start of a regular monthly column (If I can find enough recipes). I got this one from the Kansas City Star a few years back. It's a great dish for hearty winter time eating. It uses a dark beer (porter, stout, or brown ale) that cooks down with the onions into a rich sauce. I used Boulevard's Bully Porter, although I think a stout would work well also.
Porter Pot Roast
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 chuck roast, bottom round, or rump roast (4 to 5 lbs) boned and tied
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried thyme and ground sage to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon molasses
4 bay leaves
2 bottles (12 ounces each) porter, stout, or brown Ale
2 tablespoons Dijon or coarse grained mustard
1 tablespoon malt or red wine vineagar (or to taste)
Season meat generously with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy Dutch oven or casserole large enough to hold meat. Put in roast and sear on all sides. Remove roast and add onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and molasses. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes until onions are soft. Put meat back in and add bay leaves and beer. Cover and cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours over low heat until meat is tender. Remove meat and keep warm. Degrease liquid in pot, stir in mustard and vineagar. Boil sauce, uncovered, until it becomes syrupy. Taste for salt and pepper and vinegar. Slice roast. Pour some of sauce and vegetables over meat and serve. Pass remaining sauce seperately.
If you have any good recipes featuring beer, pass them on and we'll get them in the newsletter.
Pete Clouston
Book Review
Brew Ware: How to Find, Adapt & Build Homebrewing Equipment
Karl F. Lutzen & Mark Stevens, Illustrated by Randy Mosher, Story Communications, Inc. Schoolhouse Road, Pownal, Vermont 05261 - ISBN 0-88266-926-5
There's nothing that quite matches the satisfaction of having just the right tool or equipment to perform a task-and brewing tools are no exception, especially when you've created or adapted them yourself. Homebrewing authors Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens offer great ideas, from home-sized versions of commercial brewery equipment to simple gadgets that make brewing easier or safer. To help brewers choose the best tools, they offer a balanced evaluation of the advantages and drawbacks of each.
Brew Ware contains step-by-step projects and devices for: Ingredient processing and storage; working with wort; chilling and aerating wort; fermenting; measuring; bottling; kegging; mashing.
Here a short quote from the end of their book.
People have been brewing beer for thousands of years. You'd think we'd have had time enough to think of every possible gadget or brewing approach imaginable, yet a look through recent homebrewing supply catalogs, brewing magazines, and other literature shows that the homebrewing gadget market is about as quiet as a three-ring circus.
As we go to press in early 1996, we see that within the short time taken to produce this book, there have been innumerable great new gadgets on the market that we only wish we could have had an opportunity to review. A couple of the most promising gadgets that have come to our attention in the last month or so include a very small refrigeration unit that's perfectly suited to a single soda keg, and a very sporty brewing stand that features a top platform that can actually be raised and lowered.
The appearance of such brew ware demonstrates how very much alive the spirit of inventiveness and ingenuity is in the homebrewing community. There are countless innovations in equipment approaches and adaptations. Some are wonderfully ingenious, and others, well, let's just say they have potential to grow to great ideas as their inventors gain experience with the hobby. Throughout this book, we've shared out own ideas and views on various approaches. In some cases, out views reflect our own experiences and preferences, which may not match your own. Approaches that we didn't like may work well for you. Be open to trying other ideas, and maybe coming up with some new gadgets yourself.
Enjoy yourself. Cheers!
Beer Blast The Bizarre Battle of Big Brewers to Get Your Money
Philip Van Munching (Times Business Random House, New York, 1997), 309 pages, $24, hardback.
Beer Blast details how the U.S. beer industry began, how it changed over the years, and (especially) how the marketing game became so competitive. Much of the information is that which only someone with intimate knowledge of the industry could possibly know. The book contains 16 chapters divided into 5 parts.
March 1998
Moderator: Officers