August meeting at Byron’s

August 11-7:30 pm
2615 S. Center St. Arlington
(between Williamsburg and Arkansas Ln.)
276-1370

Officers
President J.B.Flowers
V.President Tom Brooks
Secretary Karl Williams
Treasurer Jim Case
Competition Chm. Richard Graham
Newsletter Editor Steve Wesstrom
 
 

Summer Club Events:

September 1999 -- Tri-County Home Brew Picnic

Event still being formulated. Likely at the Lockheed Recreational Area at I/S 20 in S. Ft. Worth. Brewing Demos,Softball, Volleyball, BBQ, Picnic Time!

Fall Event: a brewin using several of the members systems- possible 3 or 4 units- JB, Byron and Steve have 2 tier RIM systems we can use in a joint brewin

Big Horn Brewery:
Thanks to Alan and Zack and Rocky for their efforts at last months meeting!

Improve your beer series!

By Just Dave

We’ve written and discussed during meetings many technical issues for the improvement of your Homebrew over the years. As our membership continues to rotate and grow however, these direct techniques will continue to be revisited and improved upon! I would like to go low tech this month in something I call…. Getting over the Hump.

Most of us agree that the best ways to improve the quality of your HomeBrew are 1) Using a Yeast Starter (if your fresh wort starts to ferment quicker, you keep other microbes from eating and hence infecting your beer! 2) Using liquid yeast (fresh single strains of yeast of the type of brew that you may be trying to replicate!) and 3) Keeping the fermentation temp cool (= 70 degrees and below!) The next two areas to improve your brewing technique are arguably 4) Mashing grain, a partial mash to get your feet wet leading ultimately to the full meal deal and 5) Aging your brew, the area that I will discuss at this time.

They say that time heals all wounds. You will find that Time is also your ally when it comes to improving the quality of your beer. With a few notable exceptions, our HomeBrew tends to taste better when it gets 2-3 weeks in the secondary than 2-3 days (bulk aging is important!). How many times have you had the last few bottles of a batch of beer (all of 6 weeks old maybe) and exclaimed that those were the best bottles of the batch! Yes, 2 months or more in the bottle (or keg) tends to produce better results than 2 weeks in the bottle. Give your beer some time to mature, you will be rewarded for the effort!

Proper maturation of your HomeBrew is roughly correlated to its alcoholic strength. Lighter beer styles can be fully ready to consume in 1 months time. Wine however, approximately 3 times the alcoholic strength of beer, takes a minimum of 1 year to reasonable maturity (yes we have to wait dearly for proper Meads!). Whiskey, beer’s distilled cousin, takes a minimum of 4 years to mature and is better yet at 8-12 years old! Give your brew some time to age, mellow and blend.

So anyway, how do we get "Over the Hump". It is easier said than done but giving your beer the proper time to age is a matter of a ONE TIME Production adjustment. 95% of the time, the reason that we drink our HomeBrew TODAY is that we have no other beer on hand to consume hence we grab a bottle our just capped batch. If you can brew just 3-4 batches in a short period of time, you will Forever be "Over the Hump" and from that point forward, you simply maintain your normal brewing schedule. For Just Dave, my normal schedule consists of brewing one 10 gallon batch each month. This keeps me well stocked year round. Despite only doing about 12 batches per year, my average brew is 4-6 months old before it is being tapped for the 1^st time. As I finish up my Oktoberfest from 4 batches ago (and brewed another since then…), the IPA is ready to drink! While I’m waiting another month or two for that Bock to round out and mature, my 3 month old Stout is just prime time! As long as I have "old" beer on hand, other than a sip here and taster there, I have no need to crack into the new stuff and can let it age properly for Style.

Once you get "Over the Hump", if you fall behind in your brewing schedule a little bit, Relax, Don’t Worry and brew a "quick" maturing Ale, Stout, or Wheat beer prior to making that longer maturing Bock or Barley Wine. Again, it is a one time mass production fest that will get you "Over the Hump". After that, if you normally have a least a few bottles on hand by the time that your next HomeBrewed batch is ready, your regular brewing schedule will keep you ahead of the game and let you enjoy the fruits of your 4 months ago labor! A better product you’ll agree than your average 4 week old effort. So plan ahead, get a burst of brewing energy and get "Over the Hump", your efforts will indeed be rewarded time and time and time again!

Until Next Time, Happy Brewing

Just Dave

The next committee meeting will be at J.Gilligan's in Arlington at 1:00pm on Sunday, August 29th

Notes from July 18 meeting

I attended the first Bluebonnet Committee meeting held atThe Gingerman in Dallas. And here are some of my notes.

Rett's major objective is to make the Bluebonnet Contest more nationwide, homebrew clubs around the country will be e-mailed about the contest. And clubs should encourage their members to enter in many competitions around the country, this will attract attention from afar.

-there will be new guidelines, since the AHA and the BJCP are combining both of theirs.

-bids are opened until the Sept. meeting (Sunday, the 19th) for the T-shirt, pint glass, stein,and poster logo designs. Which it was voted on and approved that all of them will feature the same design, instead of merely changing the date on the glasses for example. Also there was a proposal for awarding a medalion along with the ribbon for those who place.

-Committee members expressed a concern that too many of the second-round judges were novices, so I will try to get a BJCP exam organized for October. So that the pool of reconized judges will be greater, in addition to my original idea of an exam during the Contest.

-Ideas for speakers are: Ray Danials, Greg Noonan, Charlie Papaizan, Fritz Maytag, Fred Ackers. Choice #1 is Pete Slosberg( forgive my spelling, of Pete's Wicked) and #2 Jim Koch of Sam Adams

-seminar speakers could include: brewer from New Belguim, George Fix, AHA rep, Brock Peters of St. Arnolds

-The Tasting is on, instead of a Friday Night Party with band. But it will not be Lambic, since Charlie is not going to Belguim this year.

-the Room Crawl after midnight will be an official event. Clubs are suggested to get adjacent suites.

-Al Kinchen will definely be invited to bring himself and his beer on Friday Night.

-there will be a Thrusday Night party for Committee members and guests to have a last horah, before the big show.

-The NET Hoppers are full committee members, they will inherit hosting the 2001 Bluebonnet.

-the idea was brought up that there should be a giant stein-trophy that the winning club would get and next year it would go to that year's winner; much like The Stanley Cup in hockey

-the recipe form on the entry is to be eliminated

-all sponsorships of categories on the program will be sold, and sponsors will get two lines and the price will be $20. Homebrew shops will get first priority on grand prize sponsorships(ie. best of show) for a higher price, of course.

-Members are a bit tired of the DFW(South) Holiday Inn, Rett is trying to get the Embassy Suites in Grapevine. This is a brand-new facility with an adjacent Brewpub.

-all first-round entries will be disposed of at the end of the first-round judging, no more hauling entries all over the Metro-plex only to be given away later. Also at the awards ceremony, there will be professionally made beer available not just the first and second-round homebrew.

-The contest will be held on March 24,25 instead of the 17th and 18th so to give an extra week to take care some loose ends if needed and it is too close to St. Patrick's Day, if held on the third weekend. So, first-round is March 11 and 12.

And entries are due Feb 26th(Saturday), late entries Mar 4th.

-Coors in Ft. Worth was a excellent first-round place, also looking into brewpub in the Embassy Suites.

-And lastly a reminder that the next committee meeting will be at J.Gilligan's in Arlington at 1:00pm on Sunday, August 29^th all members are welcome to attend.

KOBB/AHA Club Only Competitions

Upcoming Club Events and Competitions:
 

September:

September 1999 - Porter! For Oct AHA (Club Only)
entries due by time of Club Meeting.
If late, contact Richard Graham

Second Annual Cactus Challenge. Sponsored by the ALE-ian Society Homebrew Club, Lubbock, Tx., September 23rd. Early entries - $7 @ due September 13th. Late entries - $9 @ due Sept. 20th. Eleven styles: Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Scottish Ale, Porter, Stout, Dark Lager, Light Lager, Wheat Beer, Mead, and Other. See Richard Graham or Mike Porter at the Homebrew Store for entry forms and style guides. More information to follow. lubbock.homebrew@door.net. Any one have beer or mead left over from the Celtic?

The 16th Annual Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition. Sponsored by the Foam Rangers, Houston, Tx. Last leg of the Gulf Coast Challenge. Awards/party 22 & 23 October. $6.00/entry before Oct. 10th- $10/entry up to Oct. 15th. For more info and styles see - http://www.foamrangers.com/.

November 1999 - Winter Warmer.While this implies "specialty" to me(and we may want to add that catagory...)the AHA is seeking Category 10 = ...English and Scottish Strong. That'll warmya for sure! Entries due by meeting of course. (Club Only)

NET Hoppers Fall Brew-Off. Probably will not be held in 1999. They felt they needed more time to prepare for their first contest. (Sounds like a possible host for the 2000 North Texas State Fair to me - NET Hoppers are you listening?) NET Hoppers Homebrew Club of NE Tarrant County web page at: http://welcome.to/nethoppers.

AHA - Winter Warmer (Strong English/Scotch Ales)/ KOBB Holiday Cheer (spiced beer/cider). Style numbers 10, 22, and 28d. This is the final competition for the KOBB Master Brewer of 1999. Entries due at the November meeting. (Club Only)
 

From the Editor

This is a long hot summer, If you are travelling on vacation and come across some great brewpub or other interesting location , write it up, and let us know about it…I’m off to the land of beer and brats. Newsletter articles are welcomed, and requested. Steve 817-229-3500

Email steph10344@aol.com
 
 
 

From a neat brewery that I visited in Hartford Wisconsin, the specialty - Rausch bier- lager!

Thank you to Robert and Margaret Wilber, and Jim Meyers for their hospitality.