David Royer
Remember that your MHBA club dues expire at the end of the year. If you are planning on renewing at the 2014 Holiday Party, we encourage you to renew ahead of time so we have a chance to get your membership card printed before the event. We will only have membership cards available for people who have renewed their membership by Wednesday, December 17. If you renew after December 17, including at the party, your card will be mailed with the January printing.
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Once again the Minnesota Home Brewers Association has been voted “Best Homebrew Club” in The Growler’s “Kind-of-a-Big-Deal” 2014 Awards. This is our third year in a row winning this title. Thanks to all our members for making this club great! You can find us on page 3 of the announcement!
Congratulations to all the “Kind-of-a-Big-Deal” 2014 Award Winners!
A.K.A. The MHBA December Meeting
Quick Info
- When: Friday, December 19th – 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Address: CSPS Hall, 383 W Michigan St, St Paul, MN 55102 – above the Glockenspiel Restaurant
What’s Happening
- Socializing will be from 6:00 – 7:00 pm
- Buffet-style food service will begin at 7:00 pm
- Setup will start around 5:30 pm and teardown at 9:30 pm
- Again this Year: The club is providing a 5-gallon keg of commercial beer.
What to bring
Food: The theme is dishes prepared with BEER, so come with a potluck dish to share—also bring copies of the recipe, serving utensils, and extension cords (if necessary).A “People’s Choice” award will be given for the best potluck dish with beer as an ingredient. Plates, napkins, and silverware will be provided.
Beer to share: Bring any beer, mead, or cider that you wish to share. There will be a “Peoples Choice” award given for the best beer, mead, or cider. Bottles, growlers, and kegs are welcome, and the club jockey box will be available. Don’t forget a small tasting glass—some plastic glasses will be available in case of emergency.
Remember to bring a tasting glass.
Family and Friends: This is a family-friendly event, so bring your significant other, kids, and/or any friends/family that have ever expressed an interest in hoebrewing or beer. Just to be clear: you and your guest don’t have to be club members to attend, but we encourage everyone to sign up for 2015 membership to support club activities in the future.
As this is one of the most attended gatherings of the year, it’s a great opportunity to get out and meet your fellow homebrewers. If you have not made it to a meeting or would like to join the club, the Holiday potluck is a perfect chance to try some great homebrew and delicious food, and exchange homebrew with others.
Membership Renewal/Signup Note
Membership renewal or new member sign-up: If you would like to sign up for or renew club dues, this is the primary meeting for memberships— In order to receive your laminated card at the Holiday Party, you MUST renew online BEFORE December 17th. If you choose to renew at the Holiday Party or until December 31st, your laminated card will be mailed sometime in January —for those who don’t know, those cards are good for a 10 percent discount at local homebrew shops Northern Brewer, Midwest Supply, Brew & Grow, & Still-H2O.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Brett Glenna
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Our next club meeting is coming up on December 19. This is our annual Holiday party and an event you do not want to miss. Stay tuned for more details but make sure you have the 19th blocked off on your calendar. 
As always, friends and family are encouraged to come so pleas pass the word!
A huge thank you goes out to Matt and Howard and the entire Bauhaus Brew Labs family for hosting us last week. We had a great turn out, with lots of newer and seasoned club members all stopping out to try some of Bauhaus’ beers and to learn about their process. We were able to sneak our tour in during their brew day while their IPA was boiling away.
Photo by Dave Royer
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One final reminder that there is a social event tonight at Bauhaus Brew Labs tonight, November 13. We’ll start gathering around 6:00 and have a tour of the facility at 6:45. Please bring your homebrew questions and ideas to chat with everyone about. For this event, we will leave the homebrew itself at home.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to join us for the MHBA Learn to Home Brew meeting on Saturday at Barley John’s Brewpub. Despite the cooler weather, we had an excellent group and a fantastic time!
Photo by Dave Royer
HUGE thanks to Barley John’s and their fantastic staff who allowed us to hang out on their patio again this year. Not only do they open early for us, but they also make sure we can get a hearty breakfast (egg bake is a special menu item for our event) and plenty of beer.
Even after all these years, it is surprising how much effort goes into making this event a success. It is not just one person, but rather a team working together. So thanks need to go to Gera Exire LaTour, Brett Glenna, Dave Royer, and John Longballa (who originally started working with Barley John’s to make this happen). (more…)
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It’s been a while since we had a social meeting so next Thursday, November 13th we will be heading over to Bauhaus Brew Labs to talk about what we have been brewing lately and for a private tour. Swing out around 6:00 or so to grab a beverage from the tap room. Join us around 6:45 for the tour! Look for the MHBA logo on one of the tables to find us.
Come join us this Saturday, November 8 from 10:00am until 2:00pm at Barley John’s Brewpub in New Brighton for the annual Learn To Brew Day celebration! We’ll have brewing demonstrations, prizes, homebrew, prizes, awesome food and beer from Barley John’s, prizes and lots of fun people! Bring your friends and family and come out and join us!
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This is a “getting started” guide to making hard cider for home brewers by the Minnesota Home Brewers Association. The goal of this guide is to walk you through the steps for making great hard cider and to help you learn about the decisions needed at each point in the process.
When making cider, there are many opinions as to what makes great cider, but there are three things that nearly everyone agrees are critical to keep in mind. The first is to start with good juice. The second is to use good yeast. The third is to have patience. If you start with these three items, you will have a better chance of success.
Photo by Dennis Wilkinson, Creative Commons
Terminology
Must : A term from winemaking referring to unfermented, sweet juice akin, to “wort” in brewing.
Getting started quickly
Are you looking to just get started and make some great cider? There are lots of options to consider but if you want a simple place to start, try this.
What you will need
- 5 gallons of preservative-free cider
- Campden tablet – If the cider has not been pasteurized
- Yeast Nutrient
- Yeast Energizer
- 2 Lbs brown sugar
- White Labs English Cider Yeast WLP775
- Potassium Sorbate or an extra Campden tablet