March 2003

Monthly Meeting Minutes will be posted here.

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Greenblood
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Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:22 pm
Location: Lawrence

March 2003

#1 Post by Greenblood » Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:28 am

Announcements

AHA National Homebrew Competition: The National Homebrew Competition is a national competition sponsored by the American Homebrewers Association that recognizes the most outstanding homebrewed beers being produced by amateur brewers from around the globe

Entries Due: April 9-18, 2003
First Round: Judging at regional sites from April 25-May 4, 2003
Second Round & Awards Ceremony: June 19-21, 2003 at the AHA National Homebrewers Conference, Chicago, IL


Minutes of the February 13th meeting
Treasurer's Report: Account balance as of February 13: $1418.52

Old Business
Stout Competition: Joe recommended no prizes be awarded for contest winners, since some of the prizes were not accepted last year.

It was decided to have the contest as part of our April meeting. Stouts are due at that meeting and must be chilled.

Andrew Suddith will run the contest. Jeff will contact Richie and Steve to help with judging and Rob will contact Ed.

BrewFest: The shelter is reserved for June 7th, same one as last year.

Several bands have been contacted but none have committed yet:

Arthur Dodge - probably not avail.
Loose Knit String Band - may be available
Mid Day Ramblers - Rob will contact.

Ticket price: $15 in advance, $20 after May 31.
Joe will have tickets available for members to sell at the March meeting. He will print 170 and members are to sell a maximum of 150.

Big Brew: The date is May 3rd. We agreed that all participants will brew stouts, then we will age them in an oak keg. Dale will call John Tomay at Boulevard Brewery to get the keg.

Upcoming Seminars:
March: Dale will give a seminar on creative uses for kegs.
April: Judging will take the place of the seminar.
May: Rob will call Tony at Kugler Vineyards to ask him to present a seminar on winemaking.

New Business
Independence, Inc. Fundraiser: Andrew reported that Independence, Inc., is having a wine tasting fund raiser February 28 at the Marriott. They also expressed interest in having a local beer tasting/judging in the fall.

Pete provided information flyers about our group. Members can post these to get the word out.

Dave suggested that we get a membership with other area homebrew groups so that we can stay better informed of their events and activities.

Dale Wheeler-Secretary


Commercial Tasting: IBU Challenge
This month's tasting asked members to try and guess the IBU (International Bittering Unit) level of various commercial beers. The first two beers were on opposite ends of the scale. Biermeister Joe Yoder supplied the IBU levels of these beers to give the tasters a reference point. I didn't get tasting notes this month, sorry.

Beer #1: Beck's-23 IBUs.

Beer #2: Anchor Liberty Ale-54 IBUs.

Beer #3: Free State Copperhead Ale-54 IBUs.

Beer #3: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale-30 IBUs.


Free State Beer Banquet Report
The Free State Brewery held their annual anniversary banquets on February 4th and 18th. This event pair beers from around the world with a special menu prepared by the Free State chefs. After hearing Guild members rave about these dinners over the past few years, I was excited to finally be able to attend.

The banquet was held in the beer garden with seating in both the upper and lower levels. Head Brewer Steve Bradt was the master of ceremonies for the evening. We sat down at our table and were greeted by an iced tub filled with the evening's beer selections.

The sound of popping corks announced the evening's first beer, Don de Dieu from Quebec's Unibroue Brewery. Pale colored with an abundance of carbonation, this Belgian style beer had a warming alcohol presence and a spicy finish.

The first course was Bourbon cured smoked salmon with Dijon sauce. I could smell the smoke aroma from the next table as they were served. The salmon tasted as good as it smelled. The smoke wasn't overpowering and the Dijon sauce had a hint of lemon. This course was paired with Goose Island's Pils. Very crisp with nice hop bite, it held it's own with such a flavorful dish.

Radegast Czech Lager accompanied a salad of mixed greens served with raspberry vinaigrette along with walnuts, Herkimer cheddar and figs. The Radegast featured a soft, fruity malt flavor, not quiet as hoppy as a typical Czech beer. The Herkimer cheddar in the salad was a surprising treat.

After the salad, we sipped on Paulaner's Original Munich lager and were serenaded by one of the Chef's on accordion. The Original Munich was a malty offering with a nice noble hop finish.

Pitchers of Free State's #1073 Prairie Stout appeared to accompany the entr?e of Roast Bison loin over Balsamic glace with roasted Yukon potatoes and marinated julienne zucchini and carrots. The Prairie Stout is brewed with toasted malt and dark molasses. The molasses flavor really came through. The bison was rubbed with coffee and pepper before roasting. Served rare, it was sliced thin and very tender.

As the wait staff cleared our plates, we cracked open the Lomza malt liquor. This Polish beer was a very clean lager with some alcoholic strength. No, it wasn't served in a 40 oz. bottle.

Another Unibroue offering and an incredible dessert of white chocolate mascarpone custard in a phyllo cup with granny smith apple sauce finished the night off. The beer was Trois Pistoles, a dark, strong malty ale. The rich custard and sweet phyllo were another highlight of the evening.

I can't say enough about this dinner. The beer choices were interesting, and the food was incredible. If you've never attended one, you should definitely plan on going next year. They fill up fast, so make your reservations early.

Submitted by: Pete Clouston


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Copyright 2001 by Real Beer, Inc.


Discount Days at Bacchus & Barleycorn

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

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