Lawrence Brewers Guild

For those of you that plan out your brews ahead of time, what's your plan for 2008?

This will be the first time I'm actually going to plan out some brews and get them ready to go in advance.

Here is my list of brews that I want to get done this year, outside of my usual pale ale, porter and stout brews:

• ?Pilsner
  ?Light Lager
  ?Blonde Ale or K?lsch
  ?Bock
  ?Some sort of sour beer, maybe a Lambic?
  ?Barley wine
  ?Russian Imperial Stout or a very strong Porter, something to age for a bit

The Pilsner, Blonde and Lager are mainly to find something that my Dad will drink, Bock is because I've never made one, Lambic/Sour beer is for Monette and the Barley Wine and RIS because I wanted to have something that I can age and be able to taste for more than a month or so

I'm going to be asking many of you for tried and true recipes for the above brews... so beware.

What about the rest of you? What do you want to knock out for 2008?

Most likely the entire BJCP styles in the guidlines.

Blktre wrote:Most likely the entire BJCP styles in the guidlines.

Easy there birthday boy. Not all of us are brew maniacs. Are there any styles you haven't brewed yet Andy?

I'll need to pick your brain for a good Pilz or light Lager for my old man.

Bill wrote:

Blktre wrote:Most likely the entire BJCP styles in the guidlines.

Easy there birthday boy. Not all of us are brew maniacs. Are there any styles you haven't brewed yet Andy?

I'll need to pick your brain for a good Pilz or light Lager for my old man.

German Pilsners are the best, but if you hang out a little NORTH of me, theres a guy that cant get enuff Maize in his Pilsners!

Ohhhhh, this has been a mantra of mine for ohhhhh so long!!!!! I think the club should set up a calender of brews for each month for the year (or more) in advance. A member could jump in whenever and wherever they want. The styles could be coordinated through the Brewmiester, so the calender (60 to 90 days out) would match the commercial style for the appropriate month. Members then could have their version for comparison\discussion as well. This would focus the club on brewing different styles and exploring different components and techniques. I think this would be a great way to take our club on a tour of styles and ideas that would benefit all, weather they are a particular favorites or comfortable styles.

Jensen wrote:I think the club should set up a calender of brews for each month for the year (or more) in advance. A member could jump in whenever and wherever they want. The styles could be coordinated through the Brewmiester, so the calender (60 to 90 days out) would match the commercial style for the appropriate month.

I'm in full agreement. I thought that this was "in the works" at one point, but I may be wrong.

I don't think that the majority of the Guild could brew a batch of beer every month to match the tasting, but anyone could join or drop as they see fit. Maybe something like the Beer Pass on the green board (or any other brew board ).

What office are you going to bid for Jeff?

Love the idea of the brew calender. Last year was my first year brewing and one of my many learning experiences was planning ahead so I could actually drink my beers in season. Something about drinking witbier in the fall reminds me of eating tomatoes in the spring, it just doesn't make sense.

I plan to brew some fun stuff:

-Saison - inspired by boulevard smokestack
-Belgian Sour Brown
-Alt
-Oktoberfest
-Braggot - all-grain no extract
-Mead

I'll finally get to try my hand at lagers this year. Anybody else doing something new and exciting?

One Bluesblaster ginger porter/stout brewed with chopped ginger root, chocolate & roasted malt and buttloads of cascade hops

One Cherryball porter/stout brewed with cherries from the backyard tree, black patent & roasted malt, chinook, centennial & spalt hops

......and then the decision whether or not to get out of homebrewing.....


I'll keep you posted....



Bottled & drinkable now:

Rock 'N' Billy bitter from '07
Mr. Blues Brown from '07
Bluesblaster from '07

Cherryball from '06
a few Hey! Mr. Porter (spiced porter) from '06

a few Brads' Roasted (Bluesblaster cobbled together with more roasted malt than normal 'cause that's all I had but it turned out great!) from '05

a VERY few Bluesblasters & Cherryballs from '05


Bottled & aging since 12/07:

Holiday Humbug Mojo




Bottled & aging since either 1995 or 1996 I'm not sure:

Straight mead & (maybe) a cascade braggot [I think there's 32 twelve ounce Carta Blanca bottles of the original batch and 9 sixteen ounce Grolsch swing top bottles of the braggot]

Shoot folks, this stuff scares ME as the last time I tried any of it (2-3 years ago) it was a crapshoot whether or not I capped it good enough to hold carbonation but DAMN the hangover the next morning! Anywhere from 9-11% if I remember correctly and after reading the recipe notes from 12-13 years ago YOU figure it out as the original batch started out at 1.077 & ended up at 1.002 (9.7%) and the braggot started out at 1.086 and ended up at 0.996 (11.6%) and that was before the addition of corn sugar for carbonation. I had two batches of melomel (orange & raspberry) that were 13-14% but I think those were consumed, I don't know, THIRD BASE, anybody out there brave enough to do a tasting so long as we've got designated drivers?!?!?

Even better, I'm willing to bring the whole shootin' match to a guild meeting so long as somebody picks me & the dynamite up & carts me home. The bottles stay & either get thrown out, recycled or used by someone else. It could be a total waste of time & bad mead flushed down the drain or one big, fat Dionysian experience never to be repeated, who knows?

Anybody?

A brewing schedule tied to the monthly tastings was something that Dale and I spoke about just the other night at the meeting (after I threw my hat in the ring for the office). It's something he had wanted to do, and I love the idea.

If elected to the Biermeister position, I plan to make it happen.

I would plot out 12 months of tastings in advance, each month's style being something appropriate to the season. I would then post this schedule to the forum, and encourage everyone to brew a batch that will be ready for the next meeting (or in the case of styles that require aging, two or three meetings later, etc).

I would set up a list somewhere so members can pledge beers for tastings in advance, so we know what we'll have, and limit the commercial examples to one or two so that we can use them as examples for comparison, not just examples of style. I would love the tastings to be as much about homebrew as possible.

I think this can be done, but it will require people to step up. I don't think it's too much to ask for a growler or six-pack though. I realize it's hard for some people to brew more than once a month, but that's something to work towards isn't it? In the meantime, you could pledge for the tasting when you can, and just bring to the meeting when you can't. It should work out, as long as there's even just a couple of people who step up each month. I know we can manage that.

I'm definitely open to suggestions for "beer of the month" as I work up the schedule, if anyone has any favorites to recommend (or know for a fact that they will have a style ready for a certain month -- especially the first few as those will be the most difficult, since there's no prep time.

...that is, assuming I get the job. :)

Matt

The beauty of this idea, and the drinking of more home brewed examples of a particular style is: not everyone needs to brew every month (of course we should all strive for that - as you said Matt). With over 75 members in the club, and some one reigning and corralling the calender of styles, I bet it would not be surprising to see at least 6 beers show up each month. That is one way that gets us more congealed as a home brew club, because the thoughts, tastes, techniques, and brewing ideas will be more focused on a particular style for each meeting.





.

Can dig it

Mr. Blues wrote:I don't know, THIRD BASE, anybody out there brave enough to do a tasting so long as we've got designated drivers?!?!?

Anybody?

*points to self with both thumbs up*

THIS GUY!

Always up for Braggot and mead tasting.

Oh, and Bill, I'll definitely second John's enthusiastic response regarding mead and braggots, and anything else you've made. I definitely have meads in mind for one of the 12 months on the aforementioned tasting calendar. I know several people have made some with John's help or on their own lately... think some of it might be dangerously drinkable by next winter.

But if you'd rather not wait that long, I'm sure many of us would be happy to drink it sooner. Yours has laid down long enough!

Matt

Right-O!

Could probably do the Feb., March or April meeting easy enough.

Just remember, it might be anticipating a huge letdown depending on the (lack of) carbonation but what the hey?!?

Well, I could bring a bottle of the mead I made two Mead Day's back, and without volunteering anyone, I'm just hoping maybe John has one he'd like to show off (and/or a braggot maybe?), and a third offering would make for a pretty decent tasting, even if yours were less than you'd hoped for. Add a commercial offering for comparison, and it would round out nicely.

A friend of mine is working right now towards starting a new meadery in Missouri, and he's medaled quite a bit with his stuff. I'll see if I can't get a bottle or more from him.

The potential is there for a really great mead/braggot tasting.

ON that subject, if John, Jeff or anyone else who's knowledgeable about meads could suggest some good commercial offerings that I can find without a major hunt (ie - without leaving Lawrence), that would be great.

Matt