February 2003

[Greenblood]

Announcements

KCBM 20th Annual Homebrew Competition-The Kansas City Biermeisters are holding their 20th Annual Homebrew competition on February 21st and 22nd at the Holy-Field Winery in Basehor. Entries are due by February 8th.

Pachamama's Beer Tasting-March 7th featuring the Trappist Ales of Belgium.

Brewers' Association of America Honors Boulevard Brewing Company-Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Company was presented the 2002 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award by the Brewers' Association of America, the nation's oldest association of commercial brewers. According to a statement issued by the BAA, Boulevard earned the award through "effective, efficient market penetration. Far from simply saturating the market, Boulevard has, over the years, put the right pieces in the right places so they endure beyond a promotion season. They stand as an example of marketing excellence for all small brewers."
Message From The President

As the newly elected President of the Lawrence Brewer's Guild, I though it would be appropriate to give a small State of the Guild type message. No, I won't urge you to bomb or invade anyone, but rather put forth a few ideas for the year ahead.

First, I would like to say that I'm honored to fill a position that has been held by a lot of brewers that I respect. From Doug Holub back in the days of the Lawrence Brewer's Supply to Joe Yoder's last two years and everyone in-between, these are some big shoes to fill.

I think last year was a pretty good one for the Guild. The BrewFest was a great success that put us on solid financial footing. Everyone worked really hard (especially Jeff Jensen) to put on a great day of beer, food, and music. We set a high standard to match, but I'm sure we can do it.

That being said, there are a couple of things that I would like to help accomplish this year.

1. Increase the membership of the Guild. We know there are more brewers out there in Lawrence. Let's try to get the word out about the Guild in an effort to attract some more members. We have a good core of people who put a lot of effort into the Guild. It would be nice to have a few more committed members to help keep the club fresh. We should get our flyers out at the homebrew shops, take advantage of club listings in papers and online, as well as being visible at beer and brewing events.

2. Have a seminar every month. I think this could also help with number one. Maybe people would be more inclined to join the club if they felt that they were gaining beneficial knowledge from being a member. I know some members don't care to attend meetings without seminars. We have a lot of experienced brewers and other local sources to draw from, so if you have an idea for a seminar bring it up.

Well, I'll get off my soapbox now and get back to the really important work of auditioning presidential interns. See you at the next meeting.

Pete Clouston

Minutes of the January 9th meeting
Clean-Up: Xan

Attendance: Rob, Douglas, Barry, Pete, Ken, Dale, Xan, Ellen, Joe and Jim

Beer Contributions: Ellen & Xan-Arachnid Chocolate Porter; Pete-Stout and Cider (which was awesome); Joe, steam beer

Treasurer's Report: As of Dec. 31, we had $1,302.24 in the bank and $181 in petty cash.

New Officers: We elected new officers at the January meeting, as follows:

President-Pete Clouston
Vice President/Librarian-Rob Dewhirst
Secretary/Treasurer-Dale Wheeler
Biermeister-Joe Yoder

Congratulations to our new officers!

Old Business
Competition Reminder: Need to enter 6 bottles at March meeting so there is enough for judges as well as for post competition tasting.

BrewFest: We have a date for the 2003 BrewFest! It is June 7-the first Saturday in June. Joe is going to try to reserve Site 7 again.

BBQ: Pete and Joe, with some supervision from Dale, are going to man the smoker.
Music: Possible bands that various members are looking into are Arthur Dodge, Bluestem and Mid Day Ramblers

In the next couple of months, we will also need to think about tickets, side dishes and, of course BEER!

New Business
Seminars:
February-Hops with Barry
March-Top Secret Topic by Dale

Possible topics for future seminars that various members are looking into: Tony Kugler talking about his vineyard/wine; post-competition taste; new brewer at Free State Brewery talking about his past experiences at Pike Place Brewery as well as new experiences at our beloved FSB.

Bourbon Barrel-Big Brew: At the Christmas party, there was talk of getting a bourbon barrel for the Big Brew this year. We decided that our group would brew a stout and combine our batches in the barrel in the secondary. Big Brew usually is in May. The Beertown Web site was under construction, so couldn't find dates as of publication. More details later.


Commercial Tasting: Belgian Ales
Beer #1 turned out to be Duvel. It tied for first place.

"Head looks like meringue"
"Very light, clear"
"Banana in nose"
"Very sweet, good"
"Taste banana, clove"

Beer B was Rare Vos from the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY. It also tied for first place.

"Banana, malty nose, clove"
"Lot of clove, even the aftertaste is clovey"
"Nice crispness, acidity you get from natural fermentation, clean finishing"

Beer III was not popular but turned out to be Chimay Cinq Cents.

"Much cloudier"
"It's got the funk"
"Holy cow, that's very sour"
"Right from the Monks' backyard"
"Smells like sour milk"
"Finishes sweet"
"Mildewy taste associated with corked beers"

Ellen Jensen-Secretary


Recent Beer News from RealBeer.com
French tax threatens Belgian brewers
JAN 22, 2003 - Duty on high alcohol Trappist beers would add $1.60 per 750ml bottle

'Discover the Flavors of Independence'
JAN 21, 2003 - New slogan ready for American Beer Month in July

Beer honors Colorado pioneer
JAN 20, 2003 - 'Imperial IPA' pays tribute to Gordon Knight

Seven Bridges earns organic stamp
JAN 15, 2003 - California supplier believed to be first homebrew retailer to be certified

Copyright 2001 by Real Beer, Inc.


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