February 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.]

Welcome to February, a time of groundhogs predicting the weather, and W2 forms in the mailbox.

This month there are a few extra goodies for the newsletter. We have a book review of Travels With Barley written by Scott Miksch. A slide show, though a bit late, from the 2003 pub crawl from Matt Jarvis

Nate Sampson; On tap, Rochefort 8 clone (that doesn't taste like Denny's), A quad, Rye Pale Ale. In bottles, Rye Barley Wine, XXXmas WaHoozle (spiced xmas Belgian), Rye Imperial Whiskey Barrel Stout. In the fermenter; A Spiced Belgian Corn Tripple. Next brews; a Pilsner, and an IPA.

Check out the club web site, Denny has updated the club calendar with the years events and meetings.

On a more somber note; Adam Kerchaval died on Wednesday January 25^th after a serious car accident early Monday morning.

Adam was a longtime brewer at Alameda Brewhouse and Hair of the Dog, before moving to Hawaii a couple of years ago. Adam recently returned to Oregon and was the beer buyer for Whole Foods.

For those who knew Adam and would like to help out, you can make a donation to the Martin family Bevevolent account at Washington Mutual, account no. 1812012407.

Last Meeting: (by N8)

Our last meeting was held at Robin and Karen's place. The subject: brew systems. Robin, Russ, and Denny explained their own personal brewing set ups which was very well received by all. A great turn out with plenty of homebrewed beer to go around. Also at the meeting a new member, Les Johnson, who joined that night. Welcome Les. Thanks to Robin and Karen for the hospitality.

Next Meeting(s):

The next scheduled meeting is for tasting beers for those interested in judging. The date has been moved to February 19^th. We still don't have a host, so if you would like to host this upcoming event, or others contact Robin or myself. An announcment will be made as to where the meeting will take place at a later date.

Also, February 11^th and 12^th at the Lane County Fairgrounds is the KLCC Brewfest and homebrew competition. Deadline for entries is February 7^th at Valley Vintner and Homebrew. If you are interested in judging the competition contact Jamie Floyd at jamiesfloyd@comcast.net.

A Review of _Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America_,
by Ken Wells ©2004
     All, in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I heard a short
interview with author Ken Wells on NPR last November, I pegged its theme as:
"Good Ole Boy Drinks Beer From Coast To Coast, Then Writes About It". And this
description is not far from the truth--but Wells takes many wonderful side
trips, and this makes the all difference. It's not often that a book published
outside the "beer geek universe" covers the craft brew universe so completely--
after all, what other mainstream book offers an entire section dedicated to
Extreme Beer, or a chapter called "At Last, Beervana, Portland, Ore."?
     Wells has structured his book around a three-week drive along the Mississippi in
September 2002, from Minnesota to the Gulf, and many research trips he took over
the past few years, including one to Portland for the Oregon Brewer's Festival.
His book is part travel log, part interview, and part a history of beer in
America.
     Wells uses his formidable journalistic skills, honed through decades of work for
the _Wall Street Journal_, as he interviews everyone from bartenders to
Budweiser executives, as well as homebrewers, brewpub crews, and craft brew
luminaries like Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhard. The one-on-one discussions
are often fascinating: I found his chat with yeast-rustling pioneer Maribeth
Raines-Casselman especially interesting). There are some sections, however,
that read like a long-winded feature article, with interviews overlapped so
densely that you need a score card to remember who he's talking to from
paragraph to paragraph.
     Also, a warning to fellow Beer Geeks: Wells occasionally exhibits his "newbie"
status as good beer aficionado. For example, it's a bit jarring to read that
Wells thinks that "finishing hops" are the same as "noble hops", or that "a
session beer [is] beer-speak for a beer like Bud, Miller, or Coors". But
again, the author is generally positive in his assessment of microbrews and
homebrewing: early on he starts calling himself a "hophead" and searches out
good IPAs whenever he can.

     All in all, the book is an interesting read, especially when Wells steers clear
of interviewing corporate shills for industrial beer, talking with fans of
particular brands of yellow beer about why Bud is better than Coors (or vise
versa), or ogling women that he dubs "Beer Goddesses" . _Travels with Barley_
is a good introduction to craft brew, and would make a nice gift for that
special someone who likes Bud but is open to new ideas about his or her
favorite alcoholic beverage. For beer geeks, if you can get past the problems
outlined above, you will find plenty of interesting information on the
wonderful world of craft beer.

Scott Miksch is a member of the Cascade Brewers Society, a homebrewer since
1992, and an freelance writer on the craft beer revolution. He can be reached
at <scottm@riseup.net>

And Now a Word from President Robin Chitwood:

January 17, 2005

The January planning meeting was a success for the most part. We have six club brew sessions on the calendar this year. That’s two more than last year. We have three style nights planned and two technical meetings. The pub-crawl happens in April. The campground is already reserved for August. John and Kelly Wilson will host a pizza feed in September and Mark and Rose Smith will have the chili cook-of in November. Russ and Amber Kazmierczak are putting on an authentic German style Oktoberfest in September and Christine Jump will have the Christmas party this time. And it is quite likely there will be additional events added during the year. Thanks to all those who came to the planning meeting and volunteered to host these events.

Our ranks have swelled considerably in the last two or three years. Yet it is the same one fourth of our members who host our meetings each year. Many homebrew clubs around the country are sponsored by their local homebrew stores. These vendors offer a place to have meetings and also participate in club activities. As long as this brings in customers they maintain support for the club. Our club has preferred to maintain its independence from commercial interests. While we appreciate the occasional support we get from the breweries and homebrew stores we buy from, we’re more comfortable meeting in our own homes. And clubs larger than our own are still meeting this way. We still need volunteers to host events. If you’re not scheduled to host an event check Nate Sampson’s e-mail regarding the events we still need a home for. Please try to think of how you could host one of these.

For new members I would like to explain what our style nights are about. A style night is a beer tasting that showcases a particular beer style. Members will bring their homebrewed examples as well as commercial samples to compare. Someone usually gives a presentation explaining the style guidelines including ingredients and brewing procedures. Understanding the styles and how to brew them is a major focus of the club.

The subject of our meeting for February, slated for the 26^th, was to be how to taste and evaluate beer for those interested in becoming beer judges or who simply want to tune their taste buds. At this time we have no one to host the meeting. We may have to cancel this event if no one offers between now and then. That would leave the KLCC homebrew competition as the only event for February. We can, of course, always meet for a beer at one of our favorite watering holes. And check our website for the 2005 calendar of events which will be coming out soon. Cheers, RC

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.