Minutes of the March Meeting
Clean-Up Volunteers: The Holubs, Thanks!
Seminar: by Barry - Hops Baby!!!
Treasurer's Report: paid out $99 check to Post Master for stamps to cover 1999 newsletter; reimbursement to Ellen for 1998 newsletters and reimbursement to Jeff for Guild library books.
Old Business
Dues: If you haven't renewed your dues, it is time to do so. $16 for individual memberships, $22 for family. We pro-rate dues for new members.There are many past members that have not renewed. Please do so. We miss you.
AHA Conference: Will discuss next month.
BrewFest Committee: Needs to meet. See details.
Post St. Patrick's Day Stout Bout - March 20, 7 P.M.-11 P.M. at the Flying Monkey Brewery, $5 per person. ZZ Hops, KC Biermeisters and LBG members. Each family brought a side dish.
New Business
Yeast Exchange: Doug in charge. He suggested we keep a list on the web site and members can share as people need a particular yeast. Joe will start Listserv, a universal list maker for club members; he needs updates on member e-mails.
Child Care: Jamie arranged for a couple of trusted babysitters to watch children during the meeting. The LBG will donate $20 per meeting, and parents will kick in $4 per child.
Schmitty's is closing: - Close-out sale.
Big Brew '99: May 1 at Dwight's - Milk Stout. See details.
Commercial Tasting: Four St. Patty's Day Stouts
Sheaf Stout-Australia (0 votes)
"Smells Good; no flavor." - Lisa Suddith
"Does this taste like kerosine?" - Jeff
"Tastes like licorice."
"Infected?"
New bottle was better.
Free State Oatmeal Stout-Lawrence, KS (2 votes)
"Mmmmmmm." - Jamie
"Hops poppin' Out." - Lisa
"Malty, even bicuity." - Barry
"Burnt/bitter." - Sherry
"Toasty flavor." - Joe
"Smoooooth." - Ellen
Beamish Draught Stout-Ireland (6 votes, tied for 1st place)
"Seems light." - Jamie
"A lot milder, very smooth. Nice roasty finish." - Barry
"Kind of nutty." - Lisa
"Where's the flavor?" - Andrew
Guinness Draught Stout-Ireland (6 votes, tied for 1st place)
"Smooth." - Lisa
"Too much roasted flavor, maybe it's the sourness." - Doug
"No body." - Andrew
Ellen Jensen
Secretary
Hopworthy
Barry gave a most informative seminar on hop growing at the March meeting. He held his audience captive for a complete 30 minutes. Not a peep was heard. He spoke about when to plant, where to plant and how to plant. He also gave tips on organic means of beating the pesky bugs and keeping the plants healthy. If you are interested in the information but were unable to attend, you might ask Barry if he has an extra copy of his presentation.
Beer Chemistry 101
Timothy E. Baroni, Ph.D. will give us a crash course on the scientific aspects of brewing. If you don't show up, you must have a signed excuse from your doctor. 7:30 Ecumenical Christian Ministries
Big Brew '99
Dwight has offered his home as the LBG site for Big Brew '99 on May 1, the purpose of which is to celebrate the 11th Anniversary of National Homebrew Day and the 21st Year of the American Homebrewers Association; to promote and encourage all levels of homebrewing by any and all homebrewers; and to organize an event where homebrewers can stand up and be counted as part of a large homebrewing community.
Starting Times:
Eastern Time 2:00 PM
Central Time 1:00 PM
Mountain Time 12:00 Noon
Pacific Time 11:00 AM
Alaska 10:00 AM
Hawaii 9:00 AM
The guidelines of Big Brew '99 have been relaxed from the previous year's rules. The site directors from last year were asked to make suggestions and vote on the changes. We think these changes will encourage more participation and camaraderie.
The only requirement needed to participate in Big Brew '99 is:
1) The "Brew Beer on National Homebrew Day" Rule: In order to officially participate in Big Brew '99, you must brew beer anytime on National Homebrew Day, May 1, 1999. Of course, we would like to know about your participation, so we request that you register your brewing site on our webpage.
That, truly, is the only "rule" this year. There are a few more options included this year, however, to add more excitement and the sense of community for all the Big Brew '99 sites. While they are not required in order to participate and be counted in Big Brew '99, we encourage you to include as many options as possible.
The Options for Big Brew '99 are:
"Same Recipe" Option: How many gallons of the same recipe can we brew? This year the recipe that we will use is the Collaborator Milk Stout. While it's not a requirement, this is one of the records from last year that we would like to surpass this year. Go for it, it's a great recipe.
"Same Time" Option: There were many Big Brew '98 participants who commented that by everyone starting their brewing at the same time, they felt more a part of a homebrew community. While the time may not be ideal for some participants, we wanted, at least, to make it an option for those who do want to participate in a synchronized brew. The time for everyone to light their burners is 12 noon (Mountain Time) or immediately after the Synchronized Toast.
"Big Brew Toast" Option: New for Big Brew '99! There were a few brewers participating last year that had trouble with the time set to synchronize their brewing with the other participating sites. This year, we've added a compromise; A Synchronized Toast! At exactly 12 noon (Mountain Time), we will all raise a glass to toast other homebrewers everywhere!
"Teach Someone to Brew" Option: Another new option for Big Brew '99! Let's see how many new brewers we can introduce to the rewarding hobby of homebrewing by inviting them to participate in Big Brew '99. As all of us know, the more people there are homebrewing, the healthier the homebrewing community. We'll be collecting the number of first-time brewers at each site.
The Recipe: Collaborator Milk Stout
All-Grain Version
Ingredients for 5 U.S. gallons
6 lbs. Pale Malt
1 lb. Wheat Malt
1.5 lb. Caramel Malt (60L)
1 lb. CaraPils Malt
5 oz. Black Patent
12 oz. Roasted Barley
12 oz. Flaked Oats
1 lb. Flaked Barley
1 lb. Lactose (added to Kettle)
3/4 oz. Centennial, 10.1% alpha (75 min)
1/2 oz. Willamette, 5.1% alpha (5 min)
Wyeast #1742 Swedish Porter Yeast
Original Gravity 1.061 (15.2 oP)
Final Gravity 1.032 (8.0 oP)
Extract/Partial Mash Version
Ingredients for 5 U.S. gallons
5 lbs. Pale Malt Extract
1 lb. Wheat Dry Malt Extract (55%)
1.5 lb. Caramel Malt (60L)
1 lb. CaraPils Malt
5 oz. Black Patent
12 oz. Roasted Barley
12 oz. Flaked Oats
1 lb. Flaked Barley
1 lb. Lactose (added to Kettle)
1 oz. Centennial, 10.1% alpha (75 min)
1/2 oz. Willamette, 5.1% alpha (5 min)
Wyeast #1742 Swedish Porter Yeast
Original Gravity 1.061 (15.2 oP)
Final Gravity 1.032 (8.0 oP)
St. Patty's Day Stout Bout
On March 20, several Guild members journeyed to Merriam, KS, to the Flying Monkey brewery for a gathering of the brew clubs. Doug, Sherry, Jeff, Ellen and Chris traveled in style in Doug's cool '63 Caddy. We were the envy of all. Andrew and Lisa met us there (not without a little difficulty in finding the place, but that's another story.)
A good time was had by all who attended, although the crowd was a little slimmer than the planners hoped. Only three stouts were entered in the contest, so we punted on the voting and prizes and just enjoyed the brew. Also on tap was a wit bier and four Flying Monkey selections: Four Fingers Stout, an amber, pale ale and wheat. ZZ Hops, LBG and the KC Biermeisters were represented, and the total attendance was roughly 25-30. I forgot to count, so I'm just estimating.
The food was excellent. Lots of tender corned beef and cabbage, as well as Doug's awesome German potato salad, and yet more potatoes with Ellen's cheesy potatoes, which were a hit as well. We also had a couple of salads and a good soup.
At the end of the evening, the consensus was that these get-togethers were a good idea and that we should continue them. The Lawrence Brewers Guild is in charge of planning the next one to be held sometime this summer or fall, and then ZZ Hops will host the following one.
Ellen Jensen
BrewFest '99
The BrewFest Committee had decided on June 5, and although we had agreed that because we got a late start that we should just pick a date, it came out at the St. Pat's Day Stout Bout that many people would not be able to make it on that date, so it was decided to put off the decision until the April meeting and take our chances on getting the site on our chosen date. We had also decided to raise the price to $15, which we though was still a good deal, but there was some rather vocal opposition to that as well, so we have a lot to discuss concerning the BrewFest at the April meeting.
Guinness Milk Shake
This may sound pretty strange, but you really should give it a try. The roasted barley gives it a coffee flavor, and the hops add a little bite in the finish.
Makes one serving.
2 cups of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Guinness Extra Stout
Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix to desired consistency. I've also heard of people making Guinness ice cream floats.
Pete Clouston
Shirts, Anyone?
We need to get a vote on how many people would be interested in polo shirts with the LBG logo embroidered on the front that we could wear at events or just when a few of us are together at the same place. It could also work as an advertisement for the club. Xan said she would check into some prices, so be thinking about whether you're interested.
Xanthippe Stevens
Doctor, Doctor
Jamie Rusconi defended her dissertation (with honors) on Feb. 17, so she is now officially Dr. Rusconi, or Jamie Rusconi, Ph.D. Congratulations, Jamie. We are very proud of you. Sherry pointed out that the number of total science nerds is becoming proportionately high and we need to recruit some "normal" folk to balance out the disparity!
CO2 Refills
I called around and got a couple of comparisons for CO2 prices. I now know why I thought Kirk was so high - I had only been refilling 5-lb. cylinders.
Kirk:
5 lb - $6.97 - $1.40/lb
20 lb - $11.90 - $0.59/lb
50 lb - $19.40 - $0.38/lb
Heartland Fire and Safety:
5 lb - $11.00 - $2.20/lb
20 lb - $14.00 - $0.70/lb
50 lb - don't generally refill
Rob Dewhirst
Beer Is Good
A herd of buffalo can move only as fast as the slowest buffalo. When the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first (unless, of course, Jeff is hunting with his 30.06, complete with special loads and high-powered scope.) This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular culling of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, we all know, kills brain cells, but, naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.
April 1999
Moderator: Officers