Kevin Meintsma
R U Redy?
No? Neither am I, but I will be when we meet tomorrow!
MHBA HOLIDAY PARTY!
This is our annual event, and it’s not to be missed without an EXCELLENT excuse.
Saturday, January 14 – 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Forgotten Star Brewing Co.
38 Northern Stacks Dr,
Fridley, MN 55421
The party is in the private room at the NORTH end of the building. You may enter through the brewery main entrance or directly into the private room from the north entry door.
Setup will start around 5:00 pm with teardown at 9:30 pm
Socializing will be from 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Buffet-style food service will begin at 7:00 pm
Raffles with gift cards occurring throughout the night
What to bring
Food: Come with a potluck dish to share (bonus points for being prepared with a beer, cider, or mead). Make sure to bring serving utensils and an extension cord if needed.
A “People’s Choice” award will be given for the best potluck dish with beer, cider, or mead as an ingredient with voting going on throughout the night.
Plates, napkins, and silverware will be provided.
Beer/Cider/Mead/Wine to share: Bring any beer, mead, or cider that you wish to share. Bottles, growlers, and kegs are welcome. Don’t forget a small tasting glass—some plastic glasses will be available in case of emergency. The club will provide our jockeybox for use.
What? Remember to bring a tasting glass. Really. You should bring a tasting glass.
Even better if you put your name on it for the inevitable “I lost my 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 homebrewing or beer. 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.
We’ll see you tomorrow!
Kevin Meintsma – MHBA Secretary
Read MoreIt’s been a couple of years due to Covid restrictions, but IT’S BACK!
Brew For Good is a Beer/Mead/Cider sampling festival.
It will be on September 18th, from noon to 4pm at Forgotten Star Brewery in Fridley.
It raises funds through free will offering to support a local non-profit partner:
East Side Neighborhood Services.
For more information, please check out https://linktr.ee/brewforgood
The way this festival works:
MHBA and Primary Fermenters each get a “booth” (table) in the event space at the brewery We bring OUR beer/mead/cider to serve to members of the public in attendance at the festival. It’s a great way to raise money for a good cause and to showcase your talent and your beer/mead/cider to friends/family/public. Many people in both clubs have done this in the past, and it’s a BLAST!
Let the club leadership know you are participating so we get a solid idea of our capacity, and then get busy, finish your beverages, and sign up with your “brew” information here: https://goodcompanybrewing.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ea219b2d804e2dd729f6d4417&id=bcd0e6cc2b&e=9889974183
Please let us know on Facebook, or via email (use the form on the website: https://mnbrewers.com/about-us/contact-us/) to let us know what you are bringing!
Read MoreALL-CLUB CAMPOUT is just under 3 weeks away!
August 4th – 7th
At camp Nushka on Cass lake, between Bemidji and Lake Winibigoshish
This is it! The All Club Campout starts Thursday, and goes through Sunday. This is one of the great events of the summer and we hope to see you there.
In case you didn’t catch that, it’s at camp Nushka. This is a change of location due to tornadoes that damaged the original campground chosen for our weekend campout.
Come for one night, two nights, or three! Open to any homebrewer and their family. Loosely-structured weekend of sharing beer around the fire. We have rented the two pavilions and the entire 26-acre campground, located in a remote area right on the shore of Cass Lake.
Saturday’s festivities include a fun club vs. club homebrew competition and a Sour Hour (bring your homebrew and open up your cellar – these are the people that you want to share with!), complete with trumpet fanfare. The MHBA will provide the Saturday evening feast.
Tents and small campers welcome. Well-behaved dogs and acoustic instruments also welcome (no radios or amplified music, please). You must let John Longballa know you’re attending. The cost depends a bit on the meal, but should be around $30/adult; kids are free.
Water is available onsite, with pit toilets that Jim Longvaala has volunteered to clean.
This outing is not to be missed!
You must let John know you are attending via email: jlongballa “AT” netzero.net
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=camp+nushka+cass+lake&ia=web&iaxm=maps
Read MoreALL-CLUB CAMPOUT is just under 3 weeks away!
August 4th – 7th
At camp Nushka on Cass lake, between Bemidji and Lake Winibigoshish
In case you didn’t catch that, it’s at camp Nushka. This is a change of location due to tornadoes that damaged the original campground chosen for our weekend campout.
Come for one night, two nights, or three! Open to any homebrewer and their family. Loosely-structured weekend of sharing beer around the fire. We have rented the two pavilions and the entire 26-acre campground, located in a remote area right on the shore of Cass Lake.
Saturday’s festivities include a fun club vs. club homebrew competition and a Sour Hour (bring your homebrew and open up your cellar – these are the people that you want to share with!), complete with trumpet fanfare. The MHBA will provide the Saturday evening feast.
Tents and small campers welcome. Well-behaved dogs and acoustic instruments also welcome (no radios or amplified music, please). You must let John Longballa know you’re attending. The cost depends a bit on the meal, but should be around $30/adult; kids are free.
Water is available onsite, with pit toilets that Jim Longvaala has volunteered to clean.
This outing is not to be missed!
You must let John know you are attending via email: jlongballa “AT” netzero.net
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=camp+nushka+cass+lake&ia=web&iaxm=maps
Read MoreThey are looking for case boxes to hold your entries and get them distributed for judging.
If you have some, or would be willing to get a few 24 bottle case boxes from your local liquor store, please contact Patrick Curme with a text message at 612.889.9199 so he can arrange for a pickup. They need 30-40 boxes so anything you can do will help!
Read MoreWheat Beer!
Remember when we all got together at The Lab to share, brew, and bring home a wheat beer base to ferment? I do, and it was a fun day!
Well… it’s time to get together again to share the results of that Big Brew Day wort share!
We will have a little friendly competition with the wheat wort results (it could be a beer, a braggot, or some other wild and crazy thing you did with it), and we’ll share some beer at the brewery.
Join us at The Lab, June 17th, starting at 4pm and ending ????
We’ll begin the competition portion of the evening promptly at 6pm.
See you there!
Read MoreAll Club Campout!
August 4 – 7
Old Wadena Park located between Brainerd and Wadena
13491 Old Wadena Cir, Staples, MN 56479
- Come for one night, two nights, or three!
- Open to any homebrewer and their family. Loosely-structured weekend of sharing beer and mead around the fire. We have rented the entire campground and pavilion.
- Saturday’s festivities include a fun club vs. club homebrew competition (bring at least 2 bottles of anything you want to enter) and a Sour Hour, complete with trumpet fanfare.
- The MHBA will provide the Saturday evening feast.
- Bring food for all other meals during your stay, along with whatever preparation gear you need. Pull those special bottles out of your stash – THESE are the PEOPLE you save them for – it’s your opportunity to share!
- Tents and small campers welcome. Well-behaved dogs and acoustic instruments also welcome (no radios or amplified music, please). You must let John Longballa know you’re attending. The cost depends a bit on the meal, but should be around $30/adult; kids are free.
Facebook event page is located here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/4948590041924395/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22group_featured_unit%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22group%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
Read MoreNews Flash!
You can purchase your very own MHBA T-shirts, sweatshirts and more, using the link below! No minimum order.
Get yours now!
https://mhba.myspreadshop.com/all
Read MoreBIG BREW DAY 2022
Here’s the skinny on the Brew for those of you that signed up and paid for wort. Make your final adjustments to your plans, and we’ll see you on Saturday.
When exactly?
9 am to (potentially) 9 pm.
Bring a sanitized NON GLASS fermenter with at least 5 gallon capacity.
Check in with Kevin Meintsma for wort runs from 1 pm to 3 pm, pick up runs from 4 pm to 5 pm.
Where is this?
THE LAB – Powered by BevSource
767 N. Eustis Street, STE 115
St. Paul, MN 55114
651-313-6888
Brewing On Premises:
- Brewers can start setting up at 9 am.
- Bring hoses, distributors, all other equipment, tables, towels, etc. that you need to brew.
- Bring a chair – there may not be enough to go around from The Lab.
- Bring food, homebrewed beer/cider/mead/wine to share.
- Food truck WILL be available.
- Beer will be available from The Lab taproom.
Wheat Beer Wort:
- OG-12 °P
- ABV- 5% (somewhat dependent on yeast)
- Color- 4SRM
- IBU- 13
- 34% 2-Row Base
- 57%- White Wheat Malt
- 7% Torrified Wheat
- Hops per gallon
- .21g Cascade 6.8α @ Beg Boil
- .41g Willamette 3.5α @ 30min
- .41g Cascade @ 30 min
- .63g Willamette @10min
- .63g Cascade @ 10min
- 1.04g Cascade @ WP
- Boil 60min
MHBA Visit to Barrel Theory Brewery 11am, Saturday April 23, 2022
Make sure to come to St. Paul with us on April 23 when Barrel Theory will be hosting the club for a visit! Learn about what they are doing, trying some beers, and have a good time with club friends.
FB Event: https://fb.me/e/4pF0ggPkt
MHBA welcomes members of the Primary Fermenters
Our friends and neighbors are welcomed into the MHBA with multiple opportunities to participate in events, brewing opportunities and education. If you are a member of the Primary Fermenters club, please contact an MHBA officer – we are providing member cards that you can use at your local homebrew shop for discounts and benefits.
Big Brew Day at The Lab, May 7th from 9am to 9pm
The wort share purchases have been completely filled. Our thanks to The Lab for providing a Wheat beer/Hefe base for this sharing opportunity.
If you want to brew with us:
Please sign up here so we know how many to expect
Bring your brewing system and make beer with us (LOTS of room!)
Doesn’t matter if you’re all grain or extract – ALL are welcome!
Beer may be purchased from The Lab
Food truck will be onsite, or bring your own food
Plenty of shelter is available in case of inclement weather for brewers and attendees
RO water and Saint Paul water is provided
Electricity is available (no 220)
Grain disposal is available
Homebrew sharing is permissible
FB Event: https://fb.me/e/1fxZMQyKQ
In With the New: Welcome your new leadership team!
The MHBA held elections on (yes really) Friday April 1st. Please welcome your officers, and as always, please share ideas, needs and interests with any of the leadership team:
- President – Nick Aschbrenner
- Vice-President – Matt Johnson
- Treasurer – Jon Hunter
- Secretary – Kevin Meintsma
- Member At-Large – Al Boyce
- Member At-Large – Adam Bystrom
- Member At-Large – Kurt Lawton
- Member At-Large – Abby Rouster
Our effort is directed along several focus areas:
- Social (led by Matt Johnson): responsible for planning monthly FFS, the holiday party, and other social activities like brewery tours
- Beer and brewing: (led by Kevin Meintsma and Nick Aschbrenner) responsible for Big Brew Day, Spring Homebrew Review, and Beer Dabbler Homebrew Contests
- Education (led by Nick): responsible for BJCP prep class
- Not Beer: (led by Abby Rouster and Dave Mattson) responsible for the Club Cider Buy
- Dave Royer is the technical wizard behind the MHBA that keeps us connected
Brave Noise Collaboration
The MHBA signed onto the Brave Noise Collaboration. What this means is we have a code of conduct and pledge to treat other people with respect.
It also means we get to brew beer and make a difference!
- Brew the all-grain or extract recipe (en español)
- The MHBA will donate a Tubman ($20) for every dues-paying member who brews Brave Noise in 2022 to the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild Diversity in Brewing Scholarship to attend the Dakota County Technical College Brewing and Beer Steward certificate program
- You can make your own donations to their scholarship fund here
- Pledge to treat everyone with respect and let us know you brewed it here
Test Anxiety
Al Boyce is hosting a BJCP mead tasting exam on September 8 just prior to Valyrie’s Horn Mead Competition. It costs $40 if you’re new to the BJCP and $25 if you’ve already taken a BJCP tasting exam. You also have to get a passing score on the BJCP mead entrance exam. Only 12 seats are available so sign up ASAP!
Nick is hosting a BJCP written exam on October 15. To take it, you must have a BJCP beer tasting exam score at or above 80 and at least 10 judging points.
Let us know if you’re interested in taking either exam!
MHBA Flight Log
- Al Boyce was recently promoted to Grand Master IX judge by the BJCP (third highest-ranked BJCP judge in the world after Gordon Strong and Steve Piatz)
Hearing Voices
The following is a curated list of what we’re reading, listening to, and thinking about in the world of beer, mead, cider (and wine) this week:
Read More