January 2000

[Greenblood]

Minutes of the December Meeting

Cleanup Crew: Joe and Pete-Thanks guys! As far as cleaning goes... Doug said that the minister asked that we pay a little more attention to our clean-up duties. Although he didn't exactly complain.... we need to make sure we do a thorough job.
Treasurer's Report: $474.06, not counting two checks that came in for 2000 dues.

Old Business
Dues: It's that time again. $16 per person/$22 per family. Joe is going to do membership cards.

Library Books: Those of you that have library books outstanding, please return them.

Chuck suggested Beer & Health

Joe is supposed to come up with a proposed budget for books.

New Business
BrewFest: The date is Sat. June 3. We may have two bands. Doug was talking about a band that will play for some good barbecue, and we've got that since Dale volunteered to handle the food again. Three cheers for Dale!

BrewFest committee was formed: Barry, Joe, DOug, Chuck

Seminars: Doug & Andrew are doing the January seminar on yeast. We will form a seminar committee in January to handle the rest of the year.

Yeast Bank: Andrew and Doug have the yeast bank up and running.

We unanimously passed a motion that they could buy yeasts that we don't have in the bank yet and get reimbursed by the club. Likewise, if you have a yeast that is not in the bank, you can donate it to the cause. Just see Andrew or Doug. Motion was also passed that they could buy some malt extract for making the starters for brewers' requests.

Beer Contributors:
Pete: Bald Eagle Brown ale, mead
Jeff & Ellen: Sierra Nevada
Dwight: Hefeweizen
Joe: America's Best IPA, Brand New Stoud
Barry: Very Cherry Wheat
Dale: Black Ale, American Pale Ale

Meeting Adjourned.


Commercial Tasting: Holiday Brews
Boulevard Nutcracker

"This sucks."-Barry
"This is great."-Dale
"This has a Belgian taste. If they're doing a Belgian thing, then they ought to say so."-Jeff and some others that I don't remember.
"Tastes like socks."-Sherry

Pete's Winter Ale

"Lots of raspberry."
"Too fruity."
"Tastes like Dr. Pepper."

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

"This rocks."-Jeff
"Oooh, hoppy. I like that. It's yummy."- Xan
"Great malty front and then it's hop-back."-Barry
"Clean. That is clean."-Dwight

Ellen Jensen
Secretary


Hail to the Yeast
All you wanted to know about yeast but were afraid to ask. Join us on Jan. 13 as Doug and Andrew give us a tutorial on growing and maintaining yeast cultures.

7:30 Ecumenical Christian Ministries


Homebrew Competition
The Kansas City Bier Meisters 17th Annual Homebrew Competition is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn, Ltd. and sanctioned by the American Hombrewers Association as a regional competition. It is also a qualifying event for both the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing and High Plains Brewer of the Year.

First-round judging will be Feb. 18, and second-round and best-of-show will be on Feb. 19 at the Pony Express Brewery in Olathe, KS.

Entry Fee
1-6 entries-$6/entry
7 or more-$5/entry

Bottles must be free of labels or other identifying marks. A minimum of three 10-16oz. brown or green crown capped bottles are required with each entry. A copy of the official registration must be attached to each bottle with a rubber band. No tape, please. Also, a recipe form must be submitted with each entry.

Entry deadline is Feb. 5, 2000. Deliver to Bacchus & Barleycorn.

I have the registration and recipe forms, so we can make copies if anybody needs them. Just let me know.

So start brewing!


A Short Tour of Colorado Beers
Just a few items from our vacation trip to Colorado last week.

The first was a tour of the Coors brewery. I would recommend this free tour to anyone interested in brewing and drinking beer. While the tour is necessarily geared to those with less beer savvy than most homebrewers, it is well worth the time. Where else would one see 300,000 plus pounds of malt in one kiln? Yes, they still offer free samples in the hospitality lounge. Yes, the tour is free. Phone number is 303 277-BEER The three non-brewers in my family gave this side trip high marks.

Another notable stop was lunch at the Steamboat Brewery and Tavern in Steamboat Springs. We enjoyed sampling several beers brewed on site. Scottish ale, altbier, stout and alpenglow. Except that the stout was a little light on body, these were all pretty good. The boys enjoyed the house root beer, and the food was great, especially the Reuben sandwich.

Also tasted a local brew in Castle Rock called Jarre Creek Ranch. Better than Schlitz.

Robb Hensleigh


Cooking With Beer

Chocolate Stout Silk Pie

We brought this to the Holiday Party. It didn't get enough time to set, so it resembled chocolate soup more than pie. It still tasted good.

Kendra did not mix it in a blender. She melted the chocolate, marshmallows, salt, and evaporated milk. Then added the stout, vanilla, and creme de cacao.

Crust
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling
12 oz. semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips work well)
24 large marshmallows
pinch of salt
2/3 cup stout
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. creme de cacao (light or dark)

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Add melted butter to crushed graham crackers and mix well until blended. Using fingers, press crust mixture into bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. Bake crust for about 6 minutes until set. (You could also use a ready made graham cracker crust.)

Place chocolate, marshmallows, and salt in a blender. Blend until well-mixed and chocolate is finely ground.

In two seperate saucepans (in order to prevent curdling), heat stout and evaporated milk until very hot, but not boiling.

Pour stout and milk into blender and blend for one minute. Add vanilla and creme de cacao and blend. Pour into the crust and refrigerate overnight. Garnish with whipped cream.

Pete Clouston


Beer Made from Glacier Water
From BEERWeek
iceberg1.jpg

DEC 21, 1999 - Beer maker La Brasserie Fischer has rolled out something new for the millennium. The French brewery is selling 1,000 3-bottle boxes of a special beer called 63?N46?W. It is made from water taken from ice the brewery says could be up to 250,000 years old.

The ice blocks were acquired during an expedition into Greenland headed by glacionaut Janot Lamberton. They were taken at 63? Northern latitude and 46? Western longitude - thus the name. Each bottle is numbered and dated.

Fischer promotes this as a beer to taste "at the dawn of the millennium" and claims the water is free of pollution because of arctic cold. The pale beer contains 5% alcohol by volume. 63?N46?W is on sale only at a special Internet site - www.63n46w.com, which is in French. The beer is sold by the box, with each box containing three 33 cl bottles. The cost is 170 Francs ($26 US), with shipping to most places in the world additional.


July is American Beer Month
From BEERWeek

DEC 20, 1999 - The Institute of Brewing Studies and brewers guilds across the nation have selected July 2000 for the first American Beer Month. American Beer Month is a national promotional campaign designed to raise awareness of the variety and quality of American craft beers.

American Beer Month will provide many different avenues for celebration and promotion. State brewers guilds will organize beer festivals and beer dinners. Individual brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional breweries will organize their own events, inviting other restaurants and breweries to partner with them, or will highlight their own examples of American brewing and American beer cuisine.

The IBS hopes that companies in the business of selling beer, such as wholesalers, taverns and beer retailers will participate. All events will be united under the American Beer Month umbrella.

American Beer Month was created last October during the Great American Beer Festival when IBS members and state craft brewers guilds met to brainstorm possibilities for a national craft beer advertising campaign.

The IBS will promote American Beer Month by working with other associations, including brewers associations and state brewers guilds, but also wholesaler, retailer, and restaurant associations; barley and hop growers; and suppliers of packaging materials.


Discount Days at Bacchus & Barleycorn
LBG members receive a 10% discount from Bacchus & Barleycorn, January 10-15. Please show membership card or bring newsletter. Bacchus & Barleycorn is located at 6633 Nieman Rd. in Shawnee (913-962-2501).