The BOILER Swally's World: a letter from the new Prez (Picture) Thanks to everyone who voted for me at the Feb. MhBA meeting. I've been brewing for four years now. Since I joined, I have had a great time being in our homebrew club: sampling homebrews at our meetings, talking to other homebrewers, exchanging home brewing knowledge, experiences & the dedication to making great beer. I'm looking forward to another fun year in our club, socializing with other homebrewers and more sampling of great beer. If anyone wants to get more involved in the club please let me know. I'm also looking for any ideas for upcoming meetings, including: meeting locations, speakers, topics, set up, promoting homebrew competitions, club bulk buys, new T-shirt design, competitions, raffles, picnics, camp outs, pot lucks, pub crawls, newsletter articles, equipment swaps, etc. At the March meeting we met at the Walker church in Mpls. Thanks to the following people who made it go well: Mike Valentiner who did an excellent job on explaining yeast washing & starters, Ray Estrella who was very knowledgeable with wort aeration/oxygenation and to Jim Ellingson for the huge grain buy & delivery. Our next meetings are: April 15th at O'Gara's We will be able to bring homebrews. There will be a tour & some beer to sample. Mike Valentiner asked Karl Bremer to bring his cases of 22 oz. bottles of St. Croix Maple w/expired dates for $4.00/ case. May 5th at Great Waters Brewery Co., a new brewpub in St. Paul. Tour, etc. June 7th at James Page Brewery, Tour, etc. See Calendar for specific details. I hope everyone gets a chance to enter a few beers & do some homebrew judging at the St. Paul Brewing Competition, sponsored by Mill Street Brewing Co. & Northern Brewer. Entries are being taken April 2 through 16 at Northern Brewer. Best of show will be on May 3rd, 3pm to 5pm, at Mill Street on Grand Av & Hamline, in St Paul. There will also be a beer tasting 1-3pm for $10 advance/$12 at the door. The "Reader Beer Fest" has changed to the "City Pages Beer Fest" this year because of new ownership and will be on May 16th, Friday, 5:30 to 10:00 at the MPLS Convention center. The cost will be $17 advance/ $20 at the door. Let me know if you're interested in volunteering to pour beer at the event, through the St. Paul Jaycees. The AHA Club-Only competition for May is "Bock is Best" includes: Traditional bock, German- Style Helles Bock/Maibock, Dopplebock & Eisbock. We will collect beers from club judging and select 1 entry to send to the AHA. They need to receive our entry by May 19th. Give me a call if you want to enter. Mark your calendars for the Inter-club camp out which will be held by the Minnesota Timberworts (Rochester JC) homebrew club the weekend of August !6th in Blooming Prairie. There will be more information in the June/July newsletter. I'll see ya soon, eh! CHEERS! Mike Swalinkavich, MhBA President, (h)854-7658 swally@wavetech.net --- February Meeting: Swalinkavich Voted In without Incident In a swift display of political prowess, former MhBA president, Michail Valentiner, pushed forward his agenda to pass the reins of responsibility to his hand-picked successor, Mike Swalinkavich. Riot police were unnecessary as Swalinkavich, not in attendance at the meeting, was nominated with standing vice president, James Lee Ellingson, also absent. Rounding out the unchallenged ticket were veteran treasurer, Bruce Benson, and new secretary, Scott Christensen, who later said, "It should have occurred to me to nominate some challengers, but everything happened so fast." The process lasted approximately four minutes. Voter Apathy Plays a Role According to exit surveys, less than half the voters who came to the polls, bothered to participate in the show of hands vote, most lured there by the promise of free beer. Of those with their hands in the air, it was difficult to tell exactly how many were merely signaling for a refill. To their credit, it was a very peaceable assembly. Free Beer Arrives Karl Bremer, president of St. Croix Beer Company, gave a fascinating talk about the trials and tribulations of a homebrewer turned professional. He brought a draft set-up to serve samples of his St. Croix Maple Ale, and discussed the process of its transformation from a medal winning homebrew at the 94 MN Brewfest, to its current struggle for market share. Along the way, he has been threatened with legal action from Fritz Maytag at Anchor Brewing Co, over the beer's original name,"Steam Maple Ale." He also had his idea for maple ale outright stolen by Point Brewing Co, whom he offered the original contract to brew St. Croix Maple. They said no thanks, but months later came out with Point Maple Wheat. Karl says in retrospect, he should have made them sign a con-compete clause, but he didn't know it at the time. Opportunity for Homebrewers St. Croix Maple is fazing out their 22oz bottles and switching to 6-packs only. They have some 22oz bombers which are about a year old, that will be offered at the April meeting for $4/case. Karl says it's still drinkable, but past the freshness date. Even if the ale has deteriorated since February, $4/case is less than most homebrew shops charge for a case of new, empty 22's, so if you're in the market for bottles...check it out. Thanks to Karl for his interesting presentation and beer. "D'oh!" says Ellingson This when he arrived to the meeting late and was told he'd been re-elected VP. He went on to discuss the upcoming planned bulk grain buy, and took orders for 50lb sacks of De Wolf Cosyns and Schreier malts to be delivered at the March Meeting. --- March Meeting: Rock Bottom Tasting Review (pictures from tasting) On Feb 17, MhBA members met at Rock Bottom Brewery to critique and fill out judging sheets on five RB products. Most agreed that the beers have improved markedly from their early days. Thanks to Rock Bottom for providing good clean beer and good clean fun. St Paul Brewing Competition Discussed Some of the dates for entry deadlines, and judging are apparently wrong on the entry form. Call Northern Brewer 291-8849 for correct info, or if you want to help judge. Yeast Ranching Demonstration Former MhBA President, Mike Valentiner, gave an informative talk/demonstration on yeast washing for repitching and the preparation of yeast starters. A lively discussion followed as other members shared their methods. Thanks Mike. Wort Aeration/Oxygenation Compared Ray Estrella discussed various methods used by homebrewers to introduce an essential ingredient, oxygen, to wort at the start of fermentation. 1- Splash & Shake: Free, but not very effective. Active fermentation within 12-36 hours in Ray's test cases. 2- Aquarium Pump w/air stone: Costs a few dollars and is somewhat more effective if done for 30 minutes continuously. Active fermentation in 6-14 hours in his tests. A problem is that wort foams up in the carboy, making it impossible to go 30 minutes with typical carboy headspace. 3- Pure Oxygen: Best, but most expensive method. Typical start-up cost is $40-50 at the homebrew shop. Those with access to welding oxygen can manage much cheaper. Active fermentation in 2-6 hours according to Ray. This is with one minute of bubbling through the air stone. Of course, shortening your lag time lessens the opportunity for bacteria to multiply in your beer. Less bacteria in competition with your yeast means cleaner tasting beer. Thanks Ray. 4450 lbs of Malt Delivered MhBA Vice President, Jim Ellingson, leading a group of dedicated malt heads, arrived at the March meeting to distribute the 89 sacks(50lbs each) of Belgian and domestic malts ordered by club members. Discussions paused as grateful homebrewers filed into the street to carry the magic grain from truck to truck or car, etc. A funny sight, and a fabulous feat. Jim hopes to make this an annual club event each fall. Thanks to Jim and all who helped. --- MhBA CALENDAR: April 12 (Saturday) 6pm Kactus Pico Centennial Brewfest Celebrating 100 batches of homebrew made. RSVP to John Katics 825-8055 for directions April 15 (Tuesday) 7-10p.m. O'Gara's Garage 164 N. Snelling Av, St. Paul--tour & samples, sale of St. Croix bombers, bring homebrew! April 17 (Thursday) 7:30p.m. West Side Meeting Lake Fellowship Church on Glen Rd in Shorewood. Off County Rd 19, off Hwy 7 in Excelsior May 3 (Saturday) 3-5p.m. Best of Show-St. Paul Brewing Competition Across from Mill Street Brewing, 1342 Grand VA, St. Paul. (Beer Tasting 1-3p.m. $10 adv/$12@door). Entries due April 2-16 at Northern Brewer. May 5 (Monday) 7-10p.m. Great Waters Brewing Co. 426 St. Peter St., St. Paul--tour & samples, bring homebrew! Club-Only "Bock is Best" judging. Bring entries! May 9 DEADLINE: First round entries to AHA Nationals May 15 (Thursday) 7:30p.m. West Side Meeting Lake Fellowship Church on Glen Rd in Shorewood. Off County Rd 19, off Hwy 7 in Excelsior May 16 (Friday) 5:30-10p.m. Reader Beer Fest (formerly City Pages...) Mpls Convention Center $17adv/$20 door, talk to President Swally if you want to pour (get in free?) 854-7658 June 7 (Saturday) 1-5p.m. James Page Brewery 1300 NE Quincy St, Mpls--tour & samples, bring homebrew! June 19 (Thursday) 7:30p.m. West Side Meeting Lake Fellowship Church on Glen Rd in Shorewood. Off County Rd 19, off Hwy 7 in Excelsior July 17 (Thursday) 7:30p.m. West Side Meeting Lake Fellowship Church on Glen Rd in Shorewood. Off County Rd 19, off Hwy 7 in Excelsior Directions to Lake Fellowship Church: -I-494 to Hwy 7 westbound -Hwy 7 to (through?) town of Excelsior -Right onto County Rd. 19 (about 2 miles to STOP sign, Oasis Market) -Continue on 19 (about 1/2 mile) to Glen Rd. Lake Fellowship 24575 Glen Rd. --- Treasurer's Report As of 3/16/97 the MhBA had a cash balance of $1,662.05. Total number of current memberships was 118. A detailed breakdown of income and expenses for 1997 will be listed in the next newsletter. As always, complete financial details can be obtained from me at any meeting, or by e-mailing me at AKBBENSON@AOL.COM. Please check the membership expiration date on your mailing label. If your membership has expired, please renew your membership by mailing $10 to MhBA, c/o Bruce Benson, Treasurer, 6632 Clinton Av. S., Richfield, MN 55423. If your mailing label does not list an expiration date, you are receiving a complementary copy of this newsletter. Complementary copies are sent to area homebrewing retailers, breweries, and other friends of the MhBA. If you receive an electronic copy of this newsletter you will be notified by e-mail when your expiration date approaches. -Bruce Benson, MhBA Treasurer --- Correction: In the last Boiler, I reported in error on the Westies' Competition to celebrate 18 years of legal homebrewing in the US. The 18 different ingredient rule still stands, but the 1 oz. minimum is only for grains, sugars, and other fermentables. Finings, yeast, nutrient additives and water treatments don't count, and there is a 1/4 oz. minimum for hop additions. Herb and spices count in amounts of at least a pinch. The judging will take place at the Sept. 18 meeting. Good luck! FFI Gary Sinnen 443-2015. --- Welcome New Members Here's a list of new club members since 1/1/97: Roger Coon, Brian Barringer, Tom Kemp, Rollie Johnson, David Miller, Kevin Stookey, Amy Powers, Nick Rank, Pete Newman, Harris Goldstein, L. Peter McDonagh, Bill Ballhorn, Dan Thurk, and John Gleason. Glad to have you aboard. --- BJCE Study Class Wednesdays Those interested in studying to take the Beer Judge Certification Exam (BJCE) in June(?) are studying every Wednesday night at 7pm at Northern Brewer. I have suggested a weekly update on the Homebrew Hotline 229-5129 so people know what style to bring if they miss a meeting. Northern Brewer 291-8849 might know as well. This is a great opportunity to study beer styles with Certified BJCP judges, and hone your tasting skills. Check it out, if you're even just thinking about taking the exam. --- Did You Know? The MhBA has an e-mail list server called "My Beer Alias." It's a discussion forum for (mostly) MhBA club members to share beer info. (see Half Pints) To subscribe, send the message: "subscribe mba name@machine.place.class" to: majordomo@thebarn.com Note: You can only subscribe from the address that you're sending the request from, and the address in the request must match the "From" address. majordomo will respond with a mail message saying that your request either "succeeded" or "failed". --- Kactus Pico Centennial Brewfest MhBA member, John Katics, is celebrating his 100th batch of homebrew since 1990, by throwing a party on Saturday April 12, and you're all invited! Kegs and buffet will be tapped at 6pm sharp, featuring: hors d'oeuvres, buffet, "Centennial Czech Pilsner", "Half Century Canadian Lager", "Would-Chuck? Sparkling Cider", and "Chocohol Brown Ale." Please note: Security will frisk everyone at the door for hazardous items such as Bud, Miller and other Macro Brews. Anyone with a Women's Temperance Union membership card will not be admitted. Those who can bring CO2 w/a ball-lock fitting get extra points. Please RSVP to John at 825-8055 FFI. --- Plan Now for MN Brewfest From: Steven Piatz Just so everyone can plan way, way in advance. This year's Minnesota Brewfest will be the weekend of October 10th through the 12th. We will probably have preliminary judging the week before that (Saturday October 4th/Sunday October 5th). More details as we get closer. New guidelines If you are planning to brew a beer for the 1997 Minnesota Brewfest at Sherlock's Home I suggest you take a look at the BJCP style guidelines at: http://www.execpc.com/~ddavison/bjcp.html The BJCP style descriptions are different from the ones AHA published in Zymurgy. I am updating the style guidelines for this year's competition to use the BJCP descriptions. I am using the BJCP descriptions since we as brewers have a chance to influence the BJCP descriptions - the AHA isn't very responsive to changes in the descriptions. --- Generous Homebrewer Offers Rhizomes to Club Members From: Rick Larson Anyone wanting *free* rhizomes, I'm the guy. I have Fuggles, Cascade, Saaz, Northern Brewer, and Willamette. Stop by when the snow melts for as many and as much as you want. Donations cheerfully accepted, --- "I'll Just Have a Beer" Dept. From: Jim Ellingson I got this from a friend of mine. Macallen is one of the very best single malt Scotches. That Jackson Guyx rates them in the low 90's on his 100 point scale. They're aged in sherry casks. Cheers. Forwarded message: Tue Feb 25 The front page of today's Wall Street Journal reports that 4 of the 6 nosers, including the chief noser, at the Macallan distillery have been fired. Macallan-Glenlivet was recently purchased by a joint venture of Highland Distilleries and Suntory. They plan to increase sales and production of the Macallan by six times. The nosers, who are responsible for ensuring quality, apparently did not fit into the new owners' plans. --- BURP Competition: BURP's fifth annual Nation's Capital "Spirit of Free Beer" homebrew competition will be held June 7 in Vienna VA. Entries will be due by May 30. This is a BJCP sanctioned competition. All major beer styles, plus cider and mead are eligible. BURP always awards great prizes to all of the winners. Both ribbons and prizes will be awarded to all category winners with the best of show winner earning the chance to scale-up and brew a batch of the winning recipe at the Virginia Beverage Company. We're also looking for judges. All BJCP judges are invited to come judge with us. We're a fairly easy drive from NC or PA. BJCP judges who would like to judge at this competition should contact Greg Griffin (gmgriff0@wcc.com). Entry packets will be mailed in early April. Anyone who would like to request a packet should contact Mark Stevens (stevens@stsci.edu). You can also get more information at http://www.burp.org END of Boiler