January 2005

Editors Note: [Please submit any beer related information, jokes, comments, smart remarks, or articles to the newsletter editor at insubordin8n@gmail.com or call me at 688-8979. The ‘deadline’ is the 3^rd Sunday of the month.]

Special Note: Something I would like to start with this years newsletter is a section I'll playfully call, “What's on Tap”. It consists of reporting what's on tap at local pubs, particularly the ones with rotating taps. I would like to also include happy hour prices, specials, and non happy hour prices.

I would also like to include what we homebrewers have “on tap”. Mostly to keep in touch, and as a reference if someone is wanting to brew a particular style and would like to find out if there are some good recipes and/or advice on the style. Besides, this IS a homebrewing club, right?

If anyone would like to lend a helping hand with keeping in touch with pubs, send me an email or give a call. I'll also try to talk to homebrewers about there lastest and greatest via phone or email.

I would also like to add that Denny is still looking for more people to get in on his “Great Decoction Experiment”. See his note below.

If anyone has any other ideas for fun and/or informative bits to share, contact me.

Last Meeting: (by N8)

Christmas Party – This years Christmas party was held at Mark and Lisa Dillon's house. See Robin's note below.

Here is a link to pics from the Christmas party from Jerry and Lori Liudahl.

http://www.oldirish.com/cbs/xmas04.html

Planning Meeting @ Rogue – The planning meeting, at Rogue public house held a few surprises. Mainly a special thanks to Chuck Link for his outstanding contributions to the club with special items for fund raising events. He now has a fine plaque to adorn his personal beir hall at home.

We also had the chance to meet the new brewer for Eugene's Rogue Pub, Arlen Harris. From the La Conner Brewing Co. in Washington, he is a great guy ready to geek out over beer, always a plus in my book. He has a few of his own crafted beers on tap, Track Town IPA, a Coffee Stout, and Matt's fav. the Honey Orange Wheat. Arlen said he will soon have a Saison ready for consumption in the coming weeks. So come welcome Arlen to Eugene and try one of his well brewed beers.

The years events, or at least most of them, were penciled in for what looks to be an exciting year for the club. I will get the online calendar updated as soon as possible.

There were also a few changes in the office. Robin will remain as President, and Mark Smith as Vice President. Denny Conn will also remain as Tech Czar. Debbie has handed the office of Treasury over to Lori Liudahl, and Matt has thrown the duties of Newsletter Editor at me, then he ran like hell screaming in the night.

There is a dues increase for this year. It is now $20 per household. So get those turned in to Lori as soon as possible.

If you are wanting a hardcopy of the newsletter mailed to you, let me know via email or phone and I will add you to the list. The club will absorb the cost of postage, so there is no additional fees for a mailed copy of the newsletter.

Next Meeting(s):

Saturday, January 22nd, 6:30pm. Tech Night: It will be held at Robin and Karen's house 2656 Potter St. 342-2397. We will do a sort of round table discussion of brewing systems and techniques. If you would like to talk about your personal brewing system, bring a rough drawn diagram of it for us to disect and criticize, and there will possibly be a bit of discussion on it as well. Also bring munchies and, of course, beer.

And Now a Word from President Robin Chitwood:

December 28, 2004

Once upon a time the citizens of ancient Rome used to have a weeklong festival near the end of December each year. It was called Saturnalia in honor of the Roman god of planting and harvest. Feasts were held, gifts were exchanged, prisoners were freed and the Roman armies were forbidden to start any new wars until after the holiday. Wine was the Roman’s beverage of choice. Beer was thought to be a vile swill brewed by their barbarian neighbors the Germans and Scandinavians.

Had they appreciated beer perhaps their civilization would not have declined. For whatever reason you chose to celebrate this time of year I hope you and your family had an enjoyable holiday season.

There was no question about our favorite libation at Mark and Lisa’s
Christmas party on the 18^th. Some notable brews were Chuck Link’s smooth and sneaky “Belgian Quad” and Russ Kazmierczack’s “Dopplefest” a nicely hopped hybrid lager. Nate Sampson had a “Whiskey Barrel Imperial Stout and a La Chouffe clone, both outstanding. It was good to see some of the folks we don’t see very often at this last big club event of the year. Thanks Mark and Lisa for hosting an excellent party.

It’s been an activity filled year for the club. There was an exponential increase in the number of technical meetings and brewing events thanks to Denny Conn our technical czar. The brewing events were linked to our club-only competitions and to the AHA competitions. [Also the Lane County Fair was BJCP sanctioned for the first time – ed]. Russ put together a terrific pub-crawl in Portland with some great brewery tours. There was a sizeable turnout for Big Brew Day at Denny’s in May. The AHA conference in Las Vegas in June was one to be remembered and July brought 103-degree heat under the tents at the OBF in Portland. The Sasquatch festival on the downtown mall seemed to come together without a hitch and raised some serious money for the scholarship fund. In August the club returned to Clark Creek Campground for the annual campout after a forest fire kept us out the previous year. The camp was unharmed except for a few crisp fir trees around the perimeter. We all thought the Hop Madness festival was doomed to extinction but it was revived at the last minute when Brooks Tree Farm near Salem offered the use of their land and facilities for the event. They’ve offered their place again this year.

Most of us were distressed at the closure of two of our favorite watering holes during the year. The Wild Duck brewed its last batch of beer in April and West Brothers some months later. But good beer is once again brewing in Olive Street in what is now a Rogue pub. Well, if it’s not a locally owned brewery at least it’s owned by one of Oregon’s best. And Bob Jensen of the Wild Duck is still considering another brewing operation in Eugene.

We added a lot of new members during the year and there are more who want to join. People are already talking about next year’s events. We did some successful fund raising and will carry forward a good cash reserve to finance up-coming activities. Thanks to all those members who hosted meetings and parties at their homes and who volunteered as officers, brew coaches and event planners. That’s the kind of energy and enthusiasm it takes to keep a brew club like ours going. Cheers, RC

The Great Decoction Experiment - From Denny:

I'm organizing an experiment to attempt to determine the flavor effects of a decoction mash. In short, the experiment involves brewing 2 batches of the same recipe, one decocted and the other infusion mashed. Then doing a blind tasting to compare results. I hope to publish the results in Zymurgy

next year. I've got homebrewers from all over the world enlisted already, but I'd love to have some CBS people involved, too. If anyone here would like to participate, see the webpage at www.hbd.org/cascade/decoction and shoot me an email via the link there.

PLEASE PAY YOUR DUES !!

Haven't paid your dues this year? Please send a check for $20 (per household) made out to "Cascade Brewers Society" to Lori Liudahl, c/o CBS, 1037 Berntzen Rd. Eugene, OR 97402.

Also, don’t forget that our club website is growing bigger every day! See what Denny has done with www.hbd.org/cascade

Club Information: For over 20 years, Cascade Brewers Society is a sometimes formal, but mostly informal club devoted to the appreciation and art of creating fine alcoholic beverages (you know; beer, mead, cider, and wine). For more information regarding the Cascade Brewers Society, please contact Robin Chitwood at 342-2397.