Minutes of the May Meeting
Clean Up Crew: Thanks to Jeff Jensen and Sherry Holub for volunteering.
Treasurer's Report: $35 to secure shelter at Clinton for BrewFest; $937.12 in account.
Joe Yoder
Old Business:
AHA News: If we join through Bacchus & Barleycorn, we get more free stuff! For those interested, please write your check to Lawrence Brewer's Guild and give to treasurer at or before the June meeting. The June meeting is the absolute deadline for joining!
New Meeting Place Possibilities:
1. Shawn Schlegle at Brown Bear Brewery gave the OK for the second Thursday of every month-free of charge.
2. West Coast Saloon: First time $10/hour (impression: might decrease in cost as they see us spend money there.)
3. Ecumenical Ministries (just off campus, across from Yellow Sub): Free of charge (would appreciate donations), alcohol no problem, but no air conditioning.
4. Fraternal Order of Eagles: No outside liquor.
Decision: tentatively plan on Brown Bear, but will keep looking for other places.
New Business:
BrewFest '98: T-shirts, $10 for general public, at cost for Guild members. White shirts with Guild logo will be available for general sale, and Guild workers will wear green shirts with Guild logo. Flyers and tickets were distributed for sale by members: Adults $10, Children 11 & under $5. Live acoustic music will be provided by Rhubarb Pie (thanks to Joe Yoder). Derek Osborn called for more beer donations (to be dispensed at the 'Fest). Each five gallons of beer donated earns one free ticket.
Important News: Bacchus & Barleycorn, 6633 Nieman, Shawnee, KS has guaranteed one-day delivery to Lawrence for homebrewing supplies.
Commercial Tasting-The American Northwest
The format for the rest of the year will be beers by region. Each month, members present will vote the best from that region and, in the last month, all of the winners will be retasted and members will pick the world's best. This month: the American Northwest.
Portland Brewery-Oregon Honey Beer (0 votes)
"Good honey flavor."
"Good start; abrasive finish."
"Tangy, Bud with honey."
Oregon Brewing Co. (Sam Adams' West Coast Brewery)-India Pale Ale (4 votes)
"Hoppy time two."
"Hoppy up front, bitter finish. Ya gotta wait on it, but it'll come and stay."
"A bit thin, could use more mouth-feel."
"Fruity up front, almost spicy."
"Not bad for a pale ale."
"Better than honey."
Red Hook (Seattle)-Rye (Winner with 10 votes)
"Bottle conditioned-there's yeast in the bottle."
"Rye sweetness comes through."
"Fruity nose."
"Yeast bite at the end if shaken."
"Good beer, nice"
Rogue-Young's Special Bitter
"Mmm, great malty nose."
"Ohhhh."
"Great balance of sweet front, malty middle, malty-caramel nose."
"Nice bronze color profile."
"Estery citrus notes."
"Whoa! It tastes oxidized, like wet cardboard. Diacetyl too.
"Bottle-to bottle variation-somethings weird. Maybe bad bottle seal."
Robert Johnson-Secretary
My German Vacation
My friend Lisa and I traveled to Germany and Austria this past March. What a time we had! We climbed cathedrals, hiked Black Forest trails, explored quaint litte medival towns, investigated castle ruins, consumed massive and varied culinary delights, and even luxuriated in a Roman-style spa. But I'm sure you're all wondering the obvious, "How was the beer?"
The beer generally was pretty good. Some was the best ever; others were obviously produced cheaply, in quantity, for the masses. Following is a fairly complete list of those we consumed.
Augistiner Brauhaus (Munich): Tucher weizen and a Munich dunkel. Looking back in our diary, Lisa noted that I was impressed by the dunkel's aroma.
Ratskeller Munchen (Munich): Lowenbrau dunkel. Good accompaniment with our meal of pork medallions and spatzel. Paulaner helles: consumed on several occasions, washing down a variety of sausages. Fresh, but I did not think it was any better than what we can buy in the United States. Still, way better than Bud.
Andech's Monastery Brauhaus (Near Munich): Bock. The single best beer I had. Incredibly malty, hearty, wonderful aroma. Dark copper in color, lots of warm alcohol sensation. Brewed and served from giant oak barrels.
Hofbrauhaus (Munich): The Mecca of beer drinking the world over. Rowdy, touristy, lots of spontaneous singing. Lost track of the beers I drank. Sorry.
Weisses Brauhaus (Munich): Weisbeir. The weisbier was clovey with hints of banana and citrus. The best I had of this style. I've never had one this good in the U.S. Starkbier (Strong beer): highly alcoholic, dark, warming. I really don't recall how many I had (or much else later that evening). This was my favorite beer hall in Munich.
Guiness-at a Vienna Irish pub: Guiness is all the rage there. The toughest bar to get in to, it was very crowded. Guiness is always good anywhere.
Hallstadt, Austria: Stiegle lager. I was not too impressed with this beer. It did not taste much better than weak American light lagers. It didn't go well with liver dumplings anyway. This was near the end of our journey. I was already missing the Munich beers.
A note: I actually was most impressed by the coffee. It took a little getting used to but by the end of the trip, I was totally addicted. Typically, it is very strong but not overly bitter. It is often served with whipped cream and a heavy slice of chocolate Black Forest cake. What a pleasure. The only coffee I've found back here to match it is a "Shot in the Dark" served at Milton's in downtown Lawrence.
So, there are my best recollections of the beers I enjoyed. These beers, combined with the other tastes, sights, and sounds of southern Germany are permanently etched in my memory. I'm hoping to add more to my memories of this region in another year or two.
Dale Wheeler
1998 National Homebrewers Conference
The 17th annual American Homebrewers Association National Homebrewers Conference is July 22-24 in Portland, Oregon, the heart of hop country. Oregon is one of only two hop growing regions in the United States. It produces 16% of the hops in the United States and 4% in the world. In 1996, Oregon produced almost 12 million pounds of hops (a farm gate value of nearly $22 million).
To help celebrate the AHA's 20th Anniversary, the conference will include a (roast?) of the dean of American beer writers, Fred Eckhardt. Brewers will share their favorite Fred stories and the AHA will present Eckhardt with a Golden Key to every brewpup in the United States.
Following the conference is the 11th annual Oregon Brewers Festival, one of the largest indoor beer festival in the United States, July 24-26.
For more information, contact the AHA at P.O. Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306. Call 303-447-2825 or visit their web site.
June 1998
Moderator: Officers