Topics

1

Homebrew Competitions / Announcing the 3rd Annual German Fest Stein Challenge

« on: May 05, 2013, 11:53:21 am »

Attention Homebrewers (especially those that lager)!

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee and German Fest are very pleased to announce that the 3rd Annual German Fest Stein Challenge will be taking place on July 25th and 27th, 2013. This BJCP registered, German bier style only competition, is held in conjunction with the 32nd annual German Fest which will be taking place on the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee July 25th through the 28th.  Entries will again be limited to 300 this year.  Proceeds from the competition will go towards the newly established Midwest Brewer Scholarship Fund.

Registration opens on June 15th and will be coordinated through the competition web site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org.  Entries will be accepted June 15th through July 13th at homebrew supply stores in Milwaukee, Madison, and Northern Illinois.  Entries may be shipped to Northern Brewer in West Allis WI.  Please see the competition web site for participating shops and locations.

Judging will take place on July 25th and 27th and the awards ceremony will take place at German Fest on the Summerfest grounds on July 28th.  First, Second, and Third place medals will be awarded to the category winners.  Steins will be awarded to the First, Second, and Third place Best of Show winners.  Finally, one entry from the best of show round will be chosen by the Milwaukee Brewing Company to be ramped up and served at the Milwaukee Ale House!

Accepted categories and additional details can be found on the competition web site.  Periodic updates will be posted to the competition Facebook page.  Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities will be sent out shortly.  Please pass this information on to your fellow homebrewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact.

Best of luck to all that enter!

German Fest Stein Challenge Organizing Committee

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Homebrew Competitions / Fourth Annual Midwinter Home Brew Competition

« on: December 06, 2012, 03:52:22 pm »

Hello fellow Home Brewers!

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee are very pleased to announce the fourth annual Midwinter Home Brew Competition will be taking place on February 15th and 16th, 2013. This competition is held in conjunction with the 16th annual Midwinter Brew Fest at the Milwaukee Ale House, and is a circuit qualifying event for both the Master Championship of Amateur Brewers (MCAB) and the Midwest Home Brewer of the Year.  The competition will be limited to 800 entries.

Participant, judging, and steward registration for the competition will be coordinated through the web site at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org.  Entries will be accepted December 29th through February 2nd at 11 different locations in WI, IL, & MN.  Shipped entries should be sent to Northern Brewer in West Allis, WI.  Please refer to the web site for drop off location cut off dates and addresses.

1st, 2nd, & 3rd place awards will be issued for each category.  Each award will consist of a medal and a gift certificate to Northern Brewer (Gold - $25, Silver - $15, Bronze - $10).  Beer Best of Show, Beer Best of Show Runner-Up, and Mead / Cider Best of Show will receive engraved barrel head awards.  Also, one of the winning Brown Ale entries (BJCP categories 10C, 11B, or 11C) will be chosen to be ramped up by the Milwaukee Brewing Company for serving at the Milwaukee Ale House.

Awards will be announced and presented to participants at Revere’s Wells Street Tavern on February 16th at 8:00 PM central time.  Results will be posted to the competition website shortly after the conclusion of the awards ceremony.

Additional details can be found on the competition web site, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages.  Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities will be posted shortly. Please pass this information on to your fellow home brewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration page at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact



Thanks and best of luck to all that enter! - MWHBC Organizing Committee

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Homebrew Competitions / Brew Competition Online Entry & Management Updated Released

« on: September 27, 2012, 07:38:46 am »

For all you competition coordinators and organizers out there, a new version of BCOE&M has been released with some really nice add on features and changes:

• Added the ability to cap the number of entries.
• Added custom winning category functionality.
• Added registration windows for judges and stewards (now separate from regular entrants). Comps can now register judges and stewards before and after the entry window.
• Added a new public page: Volunteer Information.  Communicate directly to the Volunteers in addition to the Entrants.
• Accept payments via Google Wallet (in addition to PayPal).
• Added another bottle label option that includes special ingredients (if any) on the label itself. Useful for Category 23, for example, and custom categories.
• 16 other fixes.

I personally coordinate two competitions (Midwinter and German Fest Stein Challenge) and webmaster another two (The Schooner and Belle City Winter Warmer) using this package and it saves us a ton of time over paper form submissions, managing a competition, and communicating to everyone involved. 

http://www.brewcompetition.com/

4

Wood/Casks / Cask Bung / Shive Removal

« on: June 30, 2012, 07:51:04 am »

Anyone find a good method yet for extracting bungs or shives from empty casks?  I asked a few people at NHC and no one has found a really good removal method.  I found the following on UK Brewing Supplies but was wondering if anyone else had a different suggestion.

http://asmej.mxudz.servertrust.com/product_p/11090.htm

5

Homebrew Competitions / Announcing the 2nd Annual German Fest Stein Challenge

« on: June 07, 2012, 10:16:23 pm »

Hello Fellow Homebrewers!

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee and German Fest are very pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual German Fest Stein Challenge will be taking place on July 27th and 28th, 2012. This BJCP registered, German bier style only competition, is held in conjunction with the 31st annual German Fest which will be taking place on the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee July 26th through the 29th.  Entries will be limited to 300 this year.  Proceeds from the competition will go towards the newly established Midwest Brewer Scholarship Fund.

Registration opens on June 23rd and will be coordinated through the competition web site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org.  Entries will be accepted June 23rd through July 14th at homebrew supply stores in Milwaukee, Madison, and Northern Illinois.  Entries may be shipped to Northern Brewer in West Allis WI.  Please see the competition web site for participating shops and locations.

Judging will take place on July 28th and the Best of Show will take place at German Fest on the Summerfest grounds on July 29th.  An awards ceremony will follow the Best of Show judging at German Fest.  First, Second, and Third place medals will be awarded to the category winners.  Steins will be awarded to the First, Second, and Third place Best of Show winners.  Finally, one entry from the best of show round will be chosen by the Milwaukee Brewing Company to be ramped up and served at the Milwaukee Ale House!

Accepted categories and additional details can be found on the competition web site.  Periodic updates will be posted to the competition Facebook page.  Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities will be sent out shortly.  Please pass this information on to your fellow homebrewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact.

Best of luck to all that enter!

German Fest Stein Challenge Organizing Committee

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Homebrew Competitions / 2012 Midwinter Home Brew Competition Registration Now Open

« on: January 01, 2012, 09:18:47 pm »

Hello fellow Home Brewers!

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee are very pleased to announce that registration for the third annual Midwinter Home Brew Competition is now open.  Judging will be taking place on February 17th and 18th, 2012. This competition is held in conjunction with the 15th annual Midwinter Brew Fest at the Milwaukee Ale House and is a member of the Midwest Home Brewer of the Year circuit.

Participant, judging, and steward registration for the competition will be coordinated through the web site at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org.  Entries will be accepted January 1st through February 5th at 11 different locations in WI, IL, & MN.  Shipped entries should be sent to Northern Brewer in West Allis, WI.  Please refer to the web site for drop off location cut off dates and addresses.

In addition to the category and Best of Show awards, one of the winning English Session entries (BJCP categories 8A, 8B, or 11A) will be chosen to be ramped up by the Milwaukee Brewing Company for serving at the Milwaukee Ale House.

Awards will be announced and presented to participants at the Milwaukee Ale House on February 18th at 6:00 PM central time.   Winners will be posted to the competition website shortly after the conclusion of the awards ceremony.

Additional details can be found on the competition web site and our Facebook page.  Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities will be posted shortly. Please pass this information on to your fellow home brewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration page at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact

Thanks and best of luck to all that enter!

MWHBC Organizing Committee

7

Homebrew Competitions / Registration Now Open for the 2011 Schooner Homebrew Championship

« on: August 15, 2011, 10:43:04 pm »

It is our pleasure once again, to announce that registration is now open for the 2011 Schooner Homebrew Championship. This years entries will be accepted between August 15th through September 3rd.

The competition is a BJCP Registered and Sanctioned event, judging all BJCP styles using the 2008 BJCP guidelines. The Schooner is one of the Midwest's largest competitions that is held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Brewfest and is a participant in the Midwest Home Brewer of the year circuit.

Additional details can be found at the competition web site at http://www.theschooner.org/

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Club Leadership & Organization / Club By Laws / Constitution Examples

« on: June 20, 2011, 10:17:01 pm »

People were asking about examples of these at the discussion during the conference.  Here is the link to the Barons.  There is a PDF that can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.  When you incorporate don't forget the non-discrimination clause!

http://beerbarons.org/about/constitution.html

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Homebrew Competitions / Announcing the Inaugural German Fest Homebrew Competition

« on: April 17, 2011, 09:14:24 pm »

Hello fellow Homebrewers!

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee and German Fest are very pleased to announce that the inaugural German Fest Homebrew Competition will be taking place on July 30th and 31st, 2011. This BJCP registered, German bier style only competition, is held in conjunction with the 30th annual German Fest which will be taking place on the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee July 28th through the 31st.  Proceeds from the competition will go towards the newly established Midwest Brewer Scholarship Fund.

Registration opens on June 18th and will be coordinated through the competition web site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org.  Entries will be accepted June 30th through July 17th at Brew & Grow in Waukesha WI, Northern Brewer in West Allis WI, & the Purple Foot in Milwaukee WI.  Entries may be shipped to Northern Brewer in West Allis WI.

Judging will take place at the House of Hamburg on July 30th and the Best of Show will take place at German Fest on the Summerfest grounds on July 31st.  An awards ceremony will follow the Best of Show judging at German Fest.

Accepted categories and additional details can be found on the competition web site.  Periodic updates will be posted to the competition Facebook page.  Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities will be sent out shortly.  Please pass this information on to your fellow homebrewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration site at http://germanfesthbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact.

Best of luck to all that enter!

German Fest Homebrew Competition Organizing Committee

10

Homebrew Competitions / Announcing the 2011 Midwinter Homebrew Competition

« on: December 15, 2010, 12:21:03 am »

Hello fellow Homebrewers!

The Milwaukee Ale House and the Beer Barons of Milwaukee are very pleased to announce that the second annual Midwinter Homebrew Competition will be taking place on February 18th and 19th, 2011. This competition is held in conjunction with the 14th annual Midwinter Brew Fest which will be taking place at the Milwaukee Ale House on February 20th. Proceeds from the brew fest and the competition will go towards the MACC Fund.

Registration opens on January 1st and will be coordinated through the competition web site at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org. Entries will be accepted January 15th through February 6th at Northern Brewer in West Allis, WI.

We are also very pleased to announce that starting this year the competition will be a part of the Midwest Home Brewer of the Year circuit.

In addition to the category and Best of Show awards, one of the winning Bock entries (BJCP categories 5A, 5B, 5C, or 15C) will be chosen by the Milwaukee Ale House to be brewed commercially by Milwaukee Brewing Co. The chosen entry will then be tapped during a special event honoring the entrant at the Milwaukee Ale House.

The Best of Show Brewer will also be featured at the 2011 World of Beer Festival along with one of their creations.

Additional details can be found on the competition web site and our Facebook page. Information regarding judging and stewarding opportunities are to come. Please pass this information on to your fellow homebrewing friends and direct any inquiries to the Contact page on the registration page at http://midwinterhbc.beerbarons.org/index.php?section=contact

Thanks and best of luck to all that enter!

MWHBC Organizing Committee

11

WI / Milwaukee Area - Basic Brewing and Intro to Cider Making

« on: October 24, 2010, 11:55:08 am »

What: Basic Brewing and Intro to Cider Making
When: November 6th, 2010
Brewing: 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
Cider Making: 10:30 a.m.
Where: Northern Brewer - 1306 S. 108th Street, West Allis, WI
Cost: FREE!!!

In honor of AHA Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day we thought it would be very appropriate to hold a homebrewing double header.  Both classes together at the same time and hosted by our Brew U and the Northern Brewer staff. 

The first of three Bare Bones Basic Brewing Sessions will kick off at 10:30 a.m. with one of the different American Pale Ales that we’ll be making that day.  We’ll take you through the process of making the wort and pitching the yeast. No super technical jargon, no advanced homemade brewing equipment, and no complex beer recipes.  We’ll make simple American Pale Ale without the geek speak and use basic equipment from a starter kit.

The Bare Bones Cider Making Session will also be kicking off at 10:30 a.m. starting with the pressing of the apples.  Cider making is extremely easy and we’ll cover everything from creating the must all the way up to pitching the yeast. 

Come see how both extract brewing and cider making are done and participate in discussions with experienced home brewers.  The end result of the batches will be served at an upcoming Baron meeting.  All beer made that day will be tracked in the Baron BrewBlog under the featured brews section on the Club Brews page – http://brewblog.beerbarons.org.

No sign up is required, but you must be of legal drinking age to attend.  Like all Brew-U events there will be some homebrews available for sampling.  Do you have a homebrew?  Bring it!  We’d love to try it.  Questions about the event - email us at brew.u.staff@beerbarons.org.

Prosit, Sláinte, Salute, Na Zdravi, Cheers!- Bruce Buerger
Beer Barons of Milwaukee - beerbarons.org & worldofbeerfestival.com
bbbrew.com

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Ingredients / Leaf growing out of a hop cone

« on: August 22, 2010, 11:28:38 am »

I've never seen this before with my home grown hops.  Is this okay to use?  The leafs are coming out from inside the cone.