July 2003

Editors Note: [Please submit any beer related information or articles to the newsletter editor at m@ttjarvis.com or call me at 342-2203. The ‘deadline’ is the 3^rd Sunday of the month.]

Last Meeting: [by Matt Jarvis]

The last club meeting was held out at Kent & Janie’s place in Veneta, and given the number of tents/trailers parked overnight - it appeared that a lot of folks had a pretty darned good time!!! To be honest, I came late (due to other commitments that night) but arrived to find things in full swing and people enjoying themselves…. a trip through the food line displayed acres of crawfish, mounds of side dishes, and beer beer and more beer! The fundraiser raffle that Janie had organized showered us with prizes (I got a really cool Rogue T-shirt and other goodies!!) and the youngins’ in attendance didn’t look too bored so there must have been some good clean fun for them just before my arrival. Thanks a bunch Kent & Janie!!!!

Next Meeting:

August 8^th - Club Campout - CANCELED

Due to raging fires and the unpredictable nature of such things, we are working on possible alternatives. As of this moment, the campout is CANCELED. Please stay tuned for more information later on. Bummer….

August 16th (Sat) The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2003 (moved from the original date of August 18) starting at 4:00 PM at Russ and Ambers, located at 639 Kourt Drive. Come and meet Cole the new addition to Russ and Amber's family and learn about alternate beverage making. This will be a combined technical and social meeting. The technical portion of the meeting will start at 4:30 and cover an introduction to fermented beverages other than beer, such as Wine, Cider, and Mead. During technical portion we will discuss how to get started and go through some winemaking procedures. After the technical portion, we can have a potluck (please bring a dish, a BBQ will be available) and drink summer type beers (please bring a summer homebrew beer, such as pilsner, wit, weizens, fruit beers, etc..). If you have any questions or need directions, please call Russ at 461-1548.

Upcoming Meetings and Events:

August 8^th - Deadline for beer entries for Oregon State Fair - Some more info: (From Dave Wilson)

My name is Dave Wilson. I am the superintendent of the Oregon State Fair Homebrew Beer and Soda Contest. Per my telephone call to Robin, I am mailing entry forms to Robin, and they are available now at the Home Fermenter Center and Valley Vintner and Brew. Additionally, entries may be dropped off with Jim at Home Fermenter Center .

To see the entry form online, please see:
http://www.oregonstatefair.org/Fair/Competitions/Beer.pdf

Entries are due by Friday August 8. Preliminary judging will take place on Wednesday August 13, and completing on Saturday August 16.

Why Enter The Oregon State Fair Contest?
-First place in each category wins a great prize from one of our sponsors.
-Every winner gets a rosette ribbon.
-We judge all AHA categories.
-We also have additional categories including soda, clone brews, and a label competition.

Why Judge At The Oregon State Fair Contest?
-All judges (on August 16) receive a gift pack that includes beer, cider, and passes to the 2003 State Fair
-We have some of the best judges at any contest, including the 2002 & 2003 AHA Ninkasi Winner, and 2002 Homebrewer of the Year.
-We offer a training class prior to preliminary judging.

If you would like more information, kindly contact me. Cheers, Dave

September 6^th - 7^th: Hop Madness Festival - Willamette Mission State Park, near Salem - Stay tuned for more details!!! (Check out www.hopmadness.com) See below for more info!

Bus Trip

Stay tuned……

And Now a Word from President Robin Chitwood:

Karen and I flew back to New York at the end of June to visit my sister. It is always with some trepidation that I leave the land of microbreweries and go to a place where Budweiser is king. I have always considered New York a third world country when it comes to beer. The first commercial brewery appeared in lower Manhattan around 1612. A century ago there were 48 breweries in Brooklyn. Prohibition wiped out most of them. The last of the great Brooklyn family breweries, Schaefer and Rheingold, closed down in 1976, ground under by mid-western giants. But hope springs eternal. Since its humble beginnings in 1984, the goal of the Brooklyn Brewery’s owners was to bring good beer back to New York City. They sought out fourth-generation German brewer William Moeller who contract brewed “Brooklyn Lager” from his grandfather’s recipe. In 1994 they hired New York brew master Garret Oliver to set up the new Brooklyn plant, which opened in 1996. At the GABF the Brooklyn Brewery took bronze medals for it’s brown ale in 1991 & 1992 and a gold medal in 1992 for “Brooklyn Lager. They also make a luscious “Black Chocolate Stout”, a great IPA and a traditional German Weisse. This isn’t your yuppie brewpub either. Picnic benches in one end of the old brick building keep the drinkers separate from the equipment, and the cool interior looks and smells like a brewery. Don’t look for their beers here, though. They don’t distribute in the west coast yet. Anyway, it’s good to see east coast breweries like this offering quality beer. And if you’re ever there, hoist a couple of beers and then get over to Junior’s on Flatbush Avenue for the best cheesecake in the universe.

The woods are on fire as I write. I’m sure many club members already know that the campsite we had reserved for the August camp-out almost burned up. As far as I can tell the old buildings were saved as well as most of the trees around them. But the fire burned Bedrock Camp, just to the east. Because we can’t be sure the campground will be comfortable to camp in even if it is open, and because we have to cancel within fourteen days of the reservation date to get our $300.00 refunded, we have decided to cancel. Chip, Kristina, Kent and I are currently looking for a suitable substitute. So it goes…

Cheers, RC

And Now a Word from President Kent Macdonald:

Did you miss the annual BBQ? Too Bad! All of those who did attend will attest to the abundance of great beer, the magnitude of wonderful Cajun BBQ and the fantastic side dishes. And those crawdads were awesome. It was very Bon Appetite! Everybody enjoyed badminton, horseshoes and the kids had a rousing treasure hunt. We also made $97 on the raffle. Kudos to Chuck Link for all the great prizes that he had rounded up. Thanks also to everybody who contributed food and brews and to all those who helped to clean up. Most of all I want to thank my wife Janie who organized every detail--and drove me crazy in the process! Thanks Babe.

The annual Clarke Creek Campout has been cancelled due a fire in the area. We could not find another campsite large enough to accommodate our group, but Kristina is already busy securing one for next year.

I hope everyone really tries to make it to Hop Madness on Sept. 6th and 7th. This looks to become an incredible annual event. (Look for more info in this newsletter).

So I guess I will see all of you at Russ and Amber's for mead and wine night. Drink up shriners!! Kent

P.S. Janie just told me that everyone has paid their dues-Thanks.

Other News: [Matt Jarvis]

Hop Madness!! Hop Madness!! Hop Madness!! Damn - I get goose bumps just thinking about it! And it’s almost here!!! This is the event that I wrote about and got published in last November’s issue of Zymurgy….

Here is the official Press Release:

Hop Madness, a celebration of hops and their role in beer, is coming to the Willamette Valley. Homebrewers from all over the country are invited to come enjoy all that hops can offer. >From brewing FRESH-hop harvest ales to touring hop farms in active harvest, homebrewers can revel in all of the madness that is Hops!

The Madness runs from noon Sept. 6 to noon on Sept. 7 at the Willamette Mission State Park smack dab in the middle of Oregon's premiere hop growing region (just outside of Salem, Ore.).

Activities include harvest ale brewing, tours of a hop farm during harvest, live music by Los Mex Pistols, a bicycle tour though the hop farms in the area, and the Best Damn Hoppy Beer homebrew contest.

Hop Madness is targeted at homebrewers, but anyone that wants to worship hops is welcome to join in the celebration. Overnight camping is recommended. This is a Bring Your Own Everything event. Bring your own food, homebrew and other refreshments, tents, lawn chairs, brewing equipment, sunscreen and bicycles. Freshly picked hop bines and water will be available for harvest ale brewers. The entrance fee is only $3 per day to cover the Oregon State Park's day use fee.

Hop Madness is sponsored by FresHops, the Willamette Valley Homebrewing Clubs (Cascade Brewers Society, Strange Brew, Heart of the Valley Homebrewers and the Oregon Brew Crew), Oregon Trail Brewery, Tastybrew.com and the Oregon Brewers Guild.

Visit the Hop Madness (www.hopmadness.com) Web site for more details on activities, directions, reviews of last years events, and sample music from Los Mex Pistols.

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 Kent Macdonald at 935-5711 or Robin Chitwood at 342-2397.