Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Introducing the AHA Research & Education Fund (R&EF)

« on: April 29, 2013, 10:32:12 am »

Well, it hasn't even been a full month since the announcement of the launch of Research & Educational Fund, and we have already received several requests. These cover the gamet of water chemistry and its effects on mead production, cask ale production research, a cider experiment and a proposal involving hop cultivation.

Each proposal is being spearheaded by a specific coach. Coaches are members of the R&EF sub-committee (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/membership/aha-governing-committee), and they are responsible for communicating with the applicant from start to finish. Coaches will ensure that requests employ good scientific methodology, answer any questions and provide appropriate feedback.

The initial proposals are creating the opportunity for the sub-committee team to build and structure a better mousetrap as we go along. Some of the early proposals are very broad, and part of the coaches responsibilities include helping members narrow down proposals focus to ensure the greatest possibility of successful outcomes.

These are exciting times for the AHA, and the R&EF is a terrific member benefit. As these proposals grow into outcomes, the results will be shared with AHA members through the Forum, at conferences and possibly even in Zymurgy. We hope to see many more well thought out requests and sharing the results when they come in!

2

Events / Big Brew (celebrated one week early)

« on: April 29, 2013, 09:15:18 am »

300 homebrewers converged this past Saturday at the Rochester Mills Production facility and collectively brewed 122 batchs for a total of 1012 gallon of homebrew. RMBC has been offering an early celebration of National Homebrew Day /Big brew activities so as not to interfer with local clubs and homebrew supply shop efforts slated for the big day. All ingredients were donated, we had a sunny, mid-70's beautiful day, and all was good.

Many thanks to the fine folks at RMBC and the volunteers that made this such a well run event. Participants can enter their creations into a homebrew contest that will be held June 1st, and the winner gets to have their recipe brewed at thei facility.

Looking forward to more Big Brew activities next Saturday. Here is our early toast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViyjvLP_jVg

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Ingredients / Re: Belma Hops?!?!?

« on: January 02, 2013, 02:00:40 pm »

I brewed the 2008 Big Brew recipe (Fill in the Hop Blonde Ale) a few days ago.

For 12 gallons I added one ounce at 60 minutes, 2 ounces at 3 minutes and 2 ounces at knockout. I have found that I get a fair amount of flavor even with the very late additions as my wort chiller takes almost 15 minutes to cool everything down.

I will rack it over in a week and determine at that time if it should be dry hopped, or even just dry hop one of the carboys and not the others.

Will provide tasting notes at that time.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Craft versus crafty? Consumers deserve to know the truth

« on: December 13, 2012, 07:57:18 am »

An editorial in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/craft-or-crafty-consumers-deserve-to-know-the-truth/article_e34ce949-d34a-5b0f-ba92-9e6db5a3ed99.html) states that if you think craft breweries are a good force in America, then take the time to familiarize yourself with who is brewing the beer you are drinking and support them.

 “It makes a difference. By supporting small and independent craft brewers across the country, we are giving them a chance to thrive in business, create more jobs, boost the economy and compete against the massive corporations that have controlled the market for so long.”

Just two international conglomerates (SAB Miller – London, and A-B InBev - Belgium), control most of the 2nd tier of beer distribution. AB InBev is attempting to expand its reach with a deal that could result in 80% of all U.S. beer distributors being controlled in one fashion or another by these two.

As homebrewers, it may not seem intuitive that we have any “skin in the game”, and perhaps we don’t in the same context of the 2,100+ craft brewers in the US. But as the pipeline for future craft brewers, and as some of the most passionate Evang-ALE-ists, we can and should be concerned about the issues presented in this piece, and we should definitely consider how we support our brethren who wear rubber boots!

If you agree with this sentiment, please read the article and chime in with support. Share it via Facebook, Twitter and amongst your friends and others who you believe this message resonates with.  Make an extra effort this holiday season to visit one of your local, small, traditional and independent craft brewers. Support them and share instagram photos drinking a true indie craft beer. Demand indie craft beer choices at the stores and restaurants you frequent.

I believe that this matters to homebrewers, beer enthusiasts, and to the long term health and diversity of craft brewers here in the US.

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Homebrew Competitions / Congratulations to the AHA COC Ant Hayes Memorial Burton (Old Ale) winners!

« on: November 18, 2012, 05:11:18 pm »

Forty two entries from 22 states were entered into the 2012 AHA Club Only November/December Competition that was judged this past Saturday, November 17th at Liberty Street Brewing Company in Plymouth, Michigan. The competition was hosted by the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild, and was assisted by The CRAFT Homebrewers Club as well. The Ant Hayes Memorial Burton (Old Ale) competition paid homage to our dear friend, Ant, who himself “went for a Burton”. All entries were 19-A, Old Ale.

Congratulations to the following winners:
•   First Place: Darren Bystrom and his assistant Nick Crabb of Pullman, WA, representing the Homebrewers of the Palouse, with a 19a Old Ale, “Mash of the Titans”.
•   Second Place: Nate Nowak of Cordova, TN, representing the Bluff City Brewers and Connoisseurs, with a 19a Old Ale, “Old Kerfuffle”.
•   Third Place: Roger Masson of Oak Park, IL, representing the Brewers of South Suburbia, with a 19a Old Ale, “Piloncillo Old Ale”
•   Honorable Mention was given to both Geoff Bragg of Livermore, CA, representing the Mad Zymurgists with his “Ye Olde Ale’, and Brian Hoesing of Lincoln, NE, representing the Lincoln Lagers, with his “Old Man River” Old Ale.

During the Best of Show judging, Jeff Renner received a phone call from his friend Llewellyn Janse van Rensburg in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Llewellyn was a friend of Ant Hayes, and the two of them organized the first BJCP exam outside of North America in Johannesburg, which Jeff administered.  Llewellyn wanted to let the AABG that he was thinking of us and of Ant during the judging.  On the anniversary of Ant's death this past May, he impulsively took the day off of work and brewed Ant's "Absent Friends" Burton Ale recipe.  He said that he was about to open a bottle.

It was good to feel that Ant was present in the memories of those across the world who knew him and who miss him.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 11/2 Edition

« on: November 03, 2012, 04:25:23 am »

Brewing 12 gallons of Belgian Dark Strong for Learn to Homebrew Day at Adventures in Homebrewing in Ann Arbor. Then, on Monday it is 12 more gallons of a Flanders Red for our annual dump/fill of a club barrrel. Finally, since my employer gives us Election Day off, I will vote then brew 12 gallons of Batch #59 of my Nearly Nirvana Pale Ale (Big Brew recipe back in 2000) to celebrate the last of the political ads! Time to make the doughnuts!

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Homebrew Competitions / AHA COC Only competion (Nov/Dec) Old Ale - Entries are due

« on: November 02, 2012, 09:18:52 am »

The November/December Club Only Competition is coming up. In fact, entries from participating clubs are due by November 10th, so if you are interested, here are the details:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/competitions/club-only-competitions/schedule/2012-2013-competition-year

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 5/4 Edition

« on: May 03, 2012, 09:39:11 am »

The Ann Arbor Brewers Guild will have 14 different brewing systems going on Saturday. We will be meeting at Adventures In Homebrewing's Ann Arbor, MI. location.

Personally, I am brewing 12 gallons of a Belgian Triple, and then rinsing out 5-6 gallons of a Belgian Single with the second running's. With 35 pounds of grains and 4 pounds of candy sugar (and a 5th for the Single), I should get around a 1.100 starting gravity for the big beer, and then about 1.036 - 1.040 for the second. I have been building starters of 3787 and 1214 since Sunday, and I will likely crash cool them tonight, take them out tomorrow, and feed them one more time Saturday morning to ensure a ripping healthy starter.

National Homebrew Day / Big Brew is a chance to get the homebrewing tribes out in force and celebrate and demonstrate our passion to the public. Not only is it a terrific communal event, but it also allows fellow homebrewers to learn from one another and challenge each other to better understand why we brew the way we do.

Enjoy the day and be safe. I love to say that with a hobby that combines compressed gas, boiling fluids, electricity, alcohol, open flame, hey, what could go wrong? Don't perform any Stupid Brewers Tricks, relax, don't worry, and easy on the homebrew until you start chilling the wort :-)

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: To our Governing Committee

« on: April 27, 2012, 01:02:06 pm »

As Denny stated, the process has been reviewed for several years now, and continues to be a challenge. Changes have been made to try and accomedate the increases in entries. Up until now, there has been a aversion to placing caps on entries, but as an option it is not off the table.

One of the primary hurdles has been the number of available qualified judges. While it is easy to say just add some more regions, or add more enteries per region, there are only so many judges in the available pool. The NHC is the largest homebrew competition in the world, and it had to be capped or the results would have been either rushed and/or incomplete feedback - an undesirable outcome.

I favor limits, and I have voiced this in the past. However, if I recall correctly, we learned last year that if the number of enteries were to have been capped to 10 per member, we would have gained something in the neighborhood of 2% - 4% more availablity. While thats an improvement, in the scale of things, it wasn't seen as a solution.

In the long run, I would encourage members who are not already BJCP certified to go to www.bjcp.org, look it over, and consider going through the learning process and becoming a judge. After 18 years of brewing that is what I did last year. I was likely one of the last groups to test out under the old method. Once I get a few points under my belt I will be Certified and I can become a small part of the solution.

And as an added bonus, I learned more about brewing, history of brewing, beer styles and general beer information last year than I had in several years. I believe by studying for and taking the exam, I have incrementaly improved my knowledge of the brewing process and how to make better beer.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Congratulations to the newly elected AHA GC members, and thank's to all that ran

« on: April 06, 2012, 05:21:55 am »

Ha! Seeing those gothic looking gathering made me laugh! Yeah, somewhere between Animal House and herding cats is really closer to reality.

Seriously, the men and women of the AHA GC each comes with their own unique talents, insights and they all share the passion of learning about, and sharing their knowledge of homebrewing, and the common desire to ensure the hobby's health and the desire to make the AHA the best it can be.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Congratulations to the newly elected AHA GC members, and thank's to all that ran

« on: April 03, 2012, 11:00:02 am »

I want to thank everyone that ran for this year’s AHA Governing Committee election.

By doing so, they demonstrated their desire to serve the greater homebrewing community. The candidate statements made it is clear that they already do this in a number of ways. From organizing and/or judging homebrew competitions, providing leadership to their local clubs, actively working to change onerous legislation to improve the legislative climate for homebrew legislation, providing retail opportunities for homebrewers and a myriad of other ways, they demonstrate their commitment.

In their candidate statements they shared their life experiences and how they could benefit the AHA GC.  From relevant technical experience and/or skill sets they have picked up over the years, Boards they have sat on, jobs they have held, charities they support, leadership skills they have demonstrated, they explained why they were running and what they felt they could contribute.

Collectively, all of them demonstrated their passion for the hobby and those involved. Along with the explosive growth in both the hobby of homebrewing and the craft brewing community, we have enjoyed an unprecedented slate of candidates filled with depth and experience. It is unfortunate that we couldn’t bring all of them on board and tap the collective wisdom and experience that they all bring to the table.

Debbie Cerda and Ron Price, welcome to the AHA GC; Denny Conn– welcome back. 

And to, Bruce Bueger, Terry Denham Dave Dixon, David Kidd, Terry Parker and Curt Stock - thank you for offering to serve on the AHA GC this year, and keep doing all the good things you do for the hobby and its community!

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: AHA Governing Committee Election - Last Chance

« on: March 30, 2012, 06:12:04 am »

I concur with what Gary said. While it does require members to invest some time to review the candidate's statements, please take a few minutes this weekend to vote if you haven't done so already.

I have served on the AHA GC since 2004, and I have learned the GC does provide valuable insights, creative inputs and really makes a difference with regards to the AHA direction, utilization of resources and a host of other decisions.

To accomplish this, AHA GC members volunteer their time participating in monthly conference calls, initiate and respond to a myriad of issues as they pop up via streams of emails, give up part of the day before the National Homebrewers Conference to deliberate and guide the AHA with the identification and delivery of key goals the next year, volunteer during the conference to introduce speakers, participate in the members meetings, participate in various sub-committees, moderate the Forum and take on other responsibilities as needed. 

And yes, as a volunteer group, we also like to have some fun, crack some jokes and share a few beers. Shocked? Come on...!

Voting for the AHA GC elections has increased considerably over the last several years, and that has been a positive development. But it still only represents less than 10% of the current membership.

There have been a notice in the most recent Zymurgy, postings on the Forum, mentions of the elections in two separate member email updates, discussions on BrewTechTalk, as well as the fact that it has been one of the lead stories on the website for several weeks. These are the "properties" that the AHA has at its disposal, and collectively they are the mechanisms available to get the message out. We sure would like to see more of the membership participating and letting their voices be heard.

So, spend 15-20 of your time and go to http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/news/show?title=vote-for-your-aha-govering-committee and take a good look at the candidates running this year. Then make a decision and vote for those whose message and/or experience moves you. And hey, one lucky voter will be eligible for an additional entry in the Lallemand Scholarship drawing for the Siebel Institute's two-week Concise Course. This is an uber cool and valuable prize (and one which AHA Governing Committee members are not eligible for :-(

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 3/30 Edition

« on: March 29, 2012, 12:43:17 pm »

For April Fools Day (Sunday), I will brew my 58th iteration of my house favorite - Nearly Nirvana Pale Ale. This was the beer that really got me deep into the hobby. Some 15 years ago I was enjoying a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and I first asked myself how I might go about cloning it. After 9-10 trys, I had it pretty dialed in and I then thought, how can I make this "my beer"? What would I like to change? So I started changing one facet of my brewing process at a time. Doubled the Crystal, removed the Crystal. Substituted Munich, then tried Veinna, CaraPils, Cara Munich. Or used a different mash temp, added more base grains, used different yeasts, etc. I learned more by doing this than a lot of reading.

This weekend it will 20 pounds Marris Otter, a pound of Munich, Vienna, Wheat and Crystal 60o. Perle hops for bitterness and Cascade for flavor and aroma. Likely dry hop for a few days with something playful (Citra? Amarillo?). I'll split a 12 gallon batch and use WYeast 1056 in one, and the new White Labs San Diego yeast in another. I will keg up one for National Homebrew day and likely bottle up the rest for gifts and club meetings.

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Events / Re: NHC Guide and Tips for a Newbie

« on: February 14, 2012, 01:26:08 pm »

Yes, but it is a sacrifice we willing and knowingly make.

And indeed, the Vitamin B/Propel trick is one I learned from you, as you always seem so refreshed after these long evenings 

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Events / Re: NHC Guide and Tips for a Newbie

« on: February 14, 2012, 09:17:22 am »

Fred is correct. The AHA Governing committee, in concert with the AHA, spent a fun week or so exchanging emails and building a document about lessons learned from what collectively is probably over 100 years of AHA NHC experience 

Your email is on the right track on several key tips. Once the conference has started, one rarely needs to leave the hotel. Drink lots of water. Yeah, a big greasy breakfast sure seems to help. So does Vitiman B and asprin.

Anyway, it will be posted to the conference website prior to the actual event with these and several other good tips. See you there!