Announcements
Lift Bridge Brewing Company is inviting members of the Minnesota Home Brewers Association to enter beers in their 3rd annual 2016 Home Brew contest. One lucky winner will have his/her entry selected to be brewed at Lift Bridge and entered into the GABF PRO-AM contest in Denver 10/6-10/8!
Lift Bridge is excited to include the MHBA Homebrew Club! They are hoping up to 10 of the 50 total entries will come from MHBA members. The MHBA will be selecting entries for members on a first-come, first served basis. Entrants must be a dues-paid member of the MHBA.
Here are the short details:
- Entries will need to be entered into the website and delivered to Lift Bridge Brewing Company between (and not before or after) 5/7 and 6/11.
- Brewers will be allowed to enter two entries, but may only represent one club (even if they are members of more than one club). This also means that if a club submits 10 entries, they should come from at least 5 brewers.
- The entries will be judged on 6/18. Gera Exire La Tour will be the Organizer of the competition, following BJCP guidelines.
- Any beers scoring 36 or higher on the BJCP scale of 50 will receive a ribbon.
- The Brewer’s Choice may or may not be the Best of Show winner.
- The winner is encouraged to join the Head Brewer in brewing the winning recipe at Lift Bridge.
- The winner’s beer will be released commercially and entered into this years GABF PRO-AM competition (space allowing). Lift Bridge will provide one “all session” entry pass to GABF, though the winning Brewer will be responsible for all travel expenses if they choose to attend.
If you have competition questions, feel free to contact the competition organizers with any questions you may have! Please direct inquiries to [email protected] or Gera at [email protected].
To enter, visit the MHBA Lift Bridge Competition Sign-up form
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Not that you need it, but if you need an extra enticement to come out to Big Brew on May 7th, the MHBA has about 15 lbs of Organic, Crystal 15 malt donated by club Summit Brewing and club member Chip Walton. They couldn’t use it but it’s top quality malt and it’s looking for some home brewers to play with it. If you are interested, talk to club leadership at Big Brew day on the 7th! Malt will be available on a first-come, first served basis.
Read MoreBig Brew Day — Saturday, May 7th: 8AM – 5PM
Come out to North Loop BrewCo’s (the brewery formerly known as LUCID) Minnetonka facility on May 7th and bring your brewing gear! 6020 Culligan Way, Minnetonka, MN 55345
(From North Loop’s Facebook invitation) Each year we invite homebrewers from all over to take over our parking lot, use our hot water, and share a few brews with us. If you’d like to participate in the big brew, please email or direct facebook message us to be sure we get an appropriate head count. We will accommodate as many brewers as we can fit.
We’ll be here starting at 8AM. We provide hot and cold water to get you going. You provide equipment and ingredients.
Want to brew? — contact us on this Facebook event page (North Loop BrewCo).
(John Longballa here)–Please let North Loop know if you plan to attend. A food truck is in the works for the event. We will participate in the national toast at noon CST.
Also–as part of the Iron Brewer meeting in September, the club will be awarding prizes to the two best beers that adhere to the recipes suggested by the American Homebrewers Association for the 2016 Big Brew. The beers need not be made at the event, but will be judged according to the recipes.
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/national-homebrew-day/#Recipe
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You know the drill by now. You ignore the dreary grey sky, the lack of anything green in the yard, the feeling that Apollo doesn’t love Minnesotans any longer, and you dream of a not-so-distant future day, sitting in the sun with all your homebrewer friends, grilling meat and drinking beer, awaiting a warm evening game of baseball.
What will assist you in your dreaming is buying some tickets to the club’s annual tailgating party at the Saints game, which this year will take place on Monday, June 13th. (sorry, AHA travelers!)
Tickets will be $18 each, and include a reserved infield seat at the new stadium and some freshly-grilled meat. Members typically bring all kinds of delightful foods and beverages to share at this family-friendly event. We’ll all gather in the DART parking lot, beginning at 4:00.
You’ll want to purchase your tickets with a credit card, using the link below. We probably cannot purchase extra tickets come May, so step forward now to give us an accurate head count, please.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Ives
Photo courtesy of Courtney Ives
Photo by Audrey Royer
One last reminder that the Homebrew Fest is coming up tomorrow, Saturday April 2nd. Check out the previous message and the calendar event page for further details.
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It’s almost April and that can only mean one thing…it’s time for the best Homebrew Festival around! Come out to the beautiful Northern Brewer Warehouse on Saturday April 2 and join us for the 7th annual MHBA Homebrew Fest!
This has been a very popular event and last year we had over 70 different home brews to try. It is a great opportunity to share your beer, mead, or cider with your fellow members. There will be prizes for People’s Choice Best Beer and another for People’s Choice Best Mead/Cider. You can bring bottles, growlers, or kegs—any amount, but try to bring enough so you can share.
We will have the club Jockey Box for up to 5 kegs available. If you want a spot, contact Gera, the organizer.
This is also a great event to bring a friend who is contemplating getting involved in either homebrewing or joining the MHBA. Hope to see you there!
For event details, like address and time, check out the event listing in the calendar. Note the postcard incorrectly listed this on April 4th. The event is Saturday April 2nd.
April 2015 Homebrew Fest – Photo by Chris Smith
Sunday, February 28 saw the annual election/business meeting for the club merge with the 13th annual chili cook-off. Bob Norman’s El Diablo chili won a $30 Penzey’s gift card in the Red Chili with Beans category, while the open category featured an old favorite as its winner, Gera Exire LaTour’s famous Chili Verde. Gera went home with a gift card, and took Chief Chili Pepper with her for the fifth time in the past eight cook-offs, as the Chili Verde was the overall chili champ. For those who don’t know, Chief Chili Pepper is the traveling trophy for the cook-off.
In other, non-food voting, Brett Glenna stepped aside from the president’s post, and we send a hearty “thank you” to Brett for his excellent years of service to the club. John Longballa, who had been vice-president, was elected president, a position he held back in 2005-2006. Matt Wiede, whose board member at-large term was expiring, was elected vice-president. Gera Exire LaTour, who gave a detailed account of the club’s finances, was re-elected treasurer, while Dave Royer, who detailed the current state of memberships, was re-elected secretary. Chris Smith was re-elected to his board member at-large position, and Dave Matson was elected to fill the post vacated by Matt Weide. Paul Illa’s and Dan Dugan’s board member at-large positions were not up for election.
The meeting was graced by the presence of Wayne and Noah Marklowitz from RF Doering Hop Farm. They provided a presentation on the state of their newer farm and hop processing business, and fielded many questions from members.
The next meeting is the annual Homebrew Fest, Saturday, April 2nd at Northern Brewer Warehouse.
It’s that time of year again. Chief Chili Pepper is coming out of hiding and that means it must be time for the Annual Chili cookoff with the MHBA!
This Sunday we will host the annual event at the CSPS hall in St Paul in conjunction with the election of club officers and a special presentation by Wayne Marklowitz of RFDoering Hop Farm. Hops, chili and homebrew…what else do you need?
Here is the low-down on the event, what’s happening when and what you need to bring.
Schedule
Here is the approximate schedule. Don’t get upset when this changes a bit.
- 12:00 – Arrival and social hour.
- 1:00 – Potluck chili showdown.
- 2:00 – Presentation by Wayne Marklowitz of RFDoering Hop Farm.
- 2:30 – Election of club officers and treasurer’s report.
- 4:00 – Adjournment.
If you’ve wanted to get involved with the club in a leadership capacity, well, here’s your opportunity! We will be voting on president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and two at-large board seats. Not everyone is wanting to continue his/her position, so please consider tossing your hat in the ring!
Chili Contest
Break out your best chili recipe, and if you win the people’s choice award, you can take home Chief Chili Pepper! There are three categories you may enter:
- Red Chili – meat, but NO beans
- Chili with Beans
- Open – green, vegetarian, white, whatever
Homebrew, mead, and cider are encouraged, especially those that go well with chili. If you bring at least a six-pack’s worth (or one growler, or one keg) of one style for group tasting, then you will receive credit for that style in the Brewers of Fame program.
What to Bring
YOU should bring your chili ready-to-eat, in crockpots, along with extension cords, power strips, and serving utensils. Bring a sample glass and some homebrew to share. Bring the family too!
The CLUB will provide bowls, spoons, and napkins.
Chief Chili Pepper is the traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the chili contest!
Do you have a fantastic chili recipe that you need to show off? How about a new experimental recipe that pairs great with your latest homebrew? It’s time for the MHBA annual chili cookoff competition!
The February MHBA meeting is our combination Chili cookoff and Club Officer elections. Bring your favorite chili, bring your homebrew and get ready for a fun time!
Read MoreAre you ready to show off your mad bowling skills while sharing some homebrew?
Monday, January 25th, at 7:00, the club will take over the six lanes and party space at Saint Francis Bowling Center, located in the St. Francis school building at 426 S. Osceola Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102, just one block north of the intersection of Randolph and West 7th. The space can accommodate only 40 people, so please e-mail John Longballa at [email protected] to reserve your space at the party. Homebrew, other beer, and food are welcome and encouraged! The entrance to the lanes is through the back parking lot of the school. We can enter any time after 6:45. Shoe rental is $1, and is up to the members to pay. Children are welcome, and we’ll probably set up a lane with gutter guards (perhaps not JUST for the kids!).
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