Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review  (Read 14510 times)

Offline pmcgrew

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #60 on: June 17, 2014, 04:55:47 pm »
I've noticed several people asking about the lack of final round beers on Saturday evening. Most of my club didn't have tickets for the banquet, but we wandered back over specifically to try and hunt down my beer and two others from my club that made the final round. We asked one of the AHA staff and he was surprised they weren't out and left to go check on it. He came back and said it was because of Michigan laws and all the beers would likely be disposed of. I cringed at the thought of that many bottles going to waste, but if it really was laws, not much you can do. Shrug.

Offline udubdawg

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1081
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #61 on: June 17, 2014, 05:04:05 pm »
I've noticed several people asking about the lack of final round beers on Saturday evening. Most of my club didn't have tickets for the banquet, but we wandered back over specifically to try and hunt down my beer and two others from my club that made the final round. We asked one of the AHA staff and he was surprised they weren't out and left to go check on it. He came back and said it was because of Michigan laws and all the beers would likely be disposed of. I cringed at the thought of that many bottles going to waste, but if it really was laws, not much you can do. Shrug.

I cringe at the thought of the third bottle of Doug Karp's silver medal cream ale being poured out.  And 55 other medal winners.  Ugh.
curious what is against the law - us taking bottles, or us opening bottles?  How were we able to legally open the ones in the competition?  Hmm...

Offline guido

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 343
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #62 on: June 17, 2014, 09:14:48 pm »

Dislike = The $40 cab ride from the airport to JW Marriott.



I wasn't keen on dropping a Benjamin for cab fares for the week.  I tried my best to suck it up and be a man with no whining.
Well...I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer

     -"Roadhouse Blues,"  Jim Morrison

Offline mklawz

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #63 on: June 17, 2014, 09:44:28 pm »
Believe me, I've emailed the folks at the AHA about the BN thing.  (I also voiced my opinion to them back in 2011 when they won in San Diego too).   I haven't received a response yet.

My email to them the other day is this....

Gary - great conference.  Thanks for putting on an event for our crazy community of homebrewers!   Everything was great, and Grand Rapids was a great location for the conference.   The hotels and breweries were within walking distance, what else could you ask for?!

My only complaint is this whole Brewing Network thing as COTY.  To be blunt, it's shocking and disappointing that the AHA allows this. I dont use their site or listen to their broadcasts (I'm all forum'd out after years of participation),   but I understand they are a valuable resource.    But they simply are not a homebrew club in the traditional sense.     If local homebrew clubs could recruit across the country I'm sure they would score more points too.  But they can't because they are local homebrew clubs!   

Offline theDarkSide

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3041
  • Derry, NH
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #64 on: June 18, 2014, 06:08:57 am »
Believe me, I've emailed the folks at the AHA about the BN thing.  (I also voiced my opinion to them back in 2011 when they won in San Diego too).   I haven't received a response yet.

My email to them the other day is this....

Gary - great conference.  Thanks for putting on an event for our crazy community of homebrewers!   Everything was great, and Grand Rapids was a great location for the conference.   The hotels and breweries were within walking distance, what else could you ask for?!

My only complaint is this whole Brewing Network thing as COTY.  To be blunt, it's shocking and disappointing that the AHA allows this. I dont use their site or listen to their broadcasts (I'm all forum'd out after years of participation),   but I understand they are a valuable resource.    But they simply are not a homebrew club in the traditional sense.     If local homebrew clubs could recruit across the country I'm sure they would score more points too.  But they can't because they are local homebrew clubs!   


I sense an AHA survey in our future...

I'd be curious to see the rosters of the local clubs to see if all their members are local.  Looking through the first round results, I saw a member of QUAFF who lives in AZ.  Not exactly local but not nothing their situation, I cannot pass judgement.  And let's not bring up the whole Gordon Strong/St. Paul B.S...I never had a problem with that.  I'm pretty sure I could become a member of DOZE or QUAFF if I paid my dues.  Again, I've entered under the BN before when I wasn't part of a club, but now I enter under my local club even though I know we'll never get COTY (I'm the only one who enters Nationals on a regular basis).

If they decide (hopefully by getting input from the members and not making some totalitarian decision) to disqualify the web-based clubs, they will make changes to the COTY award so it doesn't become the QUAFF/DOZE/STPAUL award every year.

Also, you need to remember that the Brewing Network and The Brewing Network Club are totally separate.  Yes, the BN gets the recognition and the grief, but it is a separate entity, not controlled by Justin or the BN staff.  And by disqualifying them, you also need to disqualify "club" like Chop and Brew and Homebrewtalk.

I wonder if the AHA can do an analysis of the points earned by each club to see where they came from.   Since the Club-Only comps are no longer included after this year, I wonder if that's where the BN got a lot of their points.
Seacoast Homebrew Club - Portsmouth, NH
AHA Member
Stephen Mayo
------------------------------------------------

Offline Stevie

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 6858
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #65 on: June 18, 2014, 06:19:40 am »

I'd be curious to see the rosters of the local clubs to see if all their members are local.  Looking through the first round results, I saw a member of QUAFF who lives in AZ.  Not exactly local but not nothing their situation, I cannot pass judgement.

2,000 miles and 2 years later, I still belong to my old club.

Offline klickitat jim

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8604
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #66 on: June 18, 2014, 06:34:50 am »
Read this whole thread. Decided to go to Montana on the Hog instead of San Diego next year.

Offline dkfick

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1054
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #67 on: June 18, 2014, 07:13:04 am »
Read this whole thread. Decided to go to Montana on the Hog instead of San Diego next year.
Bummer because it was a blast.
BJCP A0936 National Beer Judge and Mead Judge
Cicerone Certified Beer Server
AHA Member
CRAFT Homebrew Club
Sons of Liberty Homebrew Club
HBT "mors"

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3643
  • Delaware
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #68 on: June 18, 2014, 07:52:56 am »
Read this whole thread. Decided to go to Montana on the Hog instead of San Diego next year.
Bummer because it was a blast.
NHC is great. Reading too much into complaints would be not seeing the beer through the barley. ;)
Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline kramerog

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2262
    • My LinkedIn page
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #69 on: June 18, 2014, 07:56:49 am »
Re: the sound...if they would have flown a small line array to focus the sound it would have gone a long way.  The small JBL speakers they had distributed around the room just made things worse.

One person reoriented one of the JBL speakers apparently because it was too loud for him as he was sitting next to it.  For most of the Banquet, I couldn't understand a thing; all I could here was echoes.  When the speaker was reoriented, I could suddenly understand everything.

Offline hopfenundmalz

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 10680
  • Milford, MI
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #70 on: June 18, 2014, 08:33:45 am »
Believe me, I've emailed the folks at the AHA about the BN thing.  (I also voiced my opinion to them back in 2011 when they won in San Diego too).   I haven't received a response yet.

My email to them the other day is this....

Gary - great conference.  Thanks for putting on an event for our crazy community of homebrewers!   Everything was great, and Grand Rapids was a great location for the conference.   The hotels and breweries were within walking distance, what else could you ask for?!

My only complaint is this whole Brewing Network thing as COTY.  To be blunt, it's shocking and disappointing that the AHA allows this. I dont use their site or listen to their broadcasts (I'm all forum'd out after years of participation),   but I understand they are a valuable resource.    But they simply are not a homebrew club in the traditional sense.     If local homebrew clubs could recruit across the country I'm sure they would score more points too.  But they can't because they are local homebrew clubs!   


I sense an AHA survey in our future...

I'd be curious to see the rosters of the local clubs to see if all their members are local.  Looking through the first round results, I saw a member of QUAFF who lives in AZ.  Not exactly local but not nothing their situation, I cannot pass judgement.  And let's not bring up the whole Gordon Strong/St. Paul B.S...I never had a problem with that.  I'm pretty sure I could become a member of DOZE or QUAFF if I paid my dues.  Again, I've entered under the BN before when I wasn't part of a club, but now I enter under my local club even though I know we'll never get COTY (I'm the only one who enters Nationals on a regular basis).

If they decide (hopefully by getting input from the members and not making some totalitarian decision) to disqualify the web-based clubs, they will make changes to the COTY award so it doesn't become the QUAFF/DOZE/STPAUL award every year.

Also, you need to remember that the Brewing Network and The Brewing Network Club are totally separate.  Yes, the BN gets the recognition and the grief, but it is a separate entity, not controlled by Justin or the BN staff.  And by disqualifying them, you also need to disqualify "club" like Chop and Brew and Homebrewtalk.

I wonder if the AHA can do an analysis of the points earned by each club to see where they came from.   Since the Club-Only comps are no longer included after this year, I wonder if that's where the BN got a lot of their points.
Talking to Gordon some years back, he said he was in Minneapolis/St. Paul once a month for a business trip, and started going to the St. Paul clubs meeting. Then Kurt Stock said if you are going to hang around with us you need to compete with us.

Jamil competed with Quaff, even though his address was near Sacramento, which is not exactly close to SD.
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline denny

  • Administrator
  • Retired with too much time on my hands
  • *****
  • Posts: 27093
  • Noti OR [1991.4, 287.6deg] AR
    • Dennybrew
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #71 on: June 18, 2014, 08:34:38 am »
Read this whole thread. Decided to go to Montana on the Hog instead of San Diego next year.

If you're serious, then you're really misinterpreting the comments here.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline dkfick

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1054
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #72 on: June 18, 2014, 08:40:37 am »
Anyone else get a really sore throat after the conference followed by sickness?  Seems several people I know did... Someone was the Outbreak monkey this weekend.
BJCP A0936 National Beer Judge and Mead Judge
Cicerone Certified Beer Server
AHA Member
CRAFT Homebrew Club
Sons of Liberty Homebrew Club
HBT "mors"

Offline ajk

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 279
  • Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #73 on: June 18, 2014, 08:48:17 am »

Anyone else get a really sore throat after the conference followed by sickness?  Seems several people I know did... Someone was the Outbreak monkey this weekend.
Not I, some increased seasonal allergy symptoms, I guess from all the pollen up there.

I'm amazed I didn't catch something from Ken Schramm's honey-tasting seminar. :-)

S. cerevisiae

  • Guest
Re: 2014 NHC Grand Rapids Review
« Reply #74 on: June 18, 2014, 08:53:30 am »
Dislike = The $40 cab ride from the airport to JW Marriott.

In my humble opinion, a good public transportation system should be a requirement for hosting NHC from this point forward.  The better part of a c-note is too much for ground transportation to and from the airport. One can ride the light rail from BWI Airport to downtown Baltimore for a few dollars.

Quote
The dinner was fantastic. Good choice of beers with dinner.

Note to self:  You do not eat pork, diary, or eggs; therefore, order a special entree, salad, and dessert next time.