In With the New: Club Elections x BlackStack
When: Friday, April 1 (not a joke) at 8:30 pm
Zoom information: meeting ID 882 5897 2798, password 488450
The MHBA is holding club elections Friday April 1 before our (Almost) Final Friday Social with the ur-murk merchants BlackStack. We will be voting on the following positions:
- president (currently Nick Aschbrenner)
- Vice-President (currently Josh Mahoney)
- Treasurer (currently Jon Hunter)
- Secretary (currently Matt Johnson)
- Member At-Large (currently Adam Bystrom)
- Member At-Large (currently Nathan Steigman)
Please help row our little Viking ship. The Minnesota Home Brewers Association needs you to help propel homebrewing in Minnesota into the future. Your voice matters.
What do these positions do? Well, the 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: responsible for Big Brew Day, Spring Homebrew Review, and Beer Dabbler Homebrew Contests
- Education (led by Nick): responsible for BJCP prep class
- Not Beer: responsible for the Club Cider Buy
Thank you to everyone who served on the Board! If you’re not in the room where it happens, here is a very brief highlight reel:
- Josh kept the club running and moving forward when I had to be out of the state for two months last year
- Jon not only stays on top of club finances, but he has nothing but good ideas. For example, we brought back the Beer Dabbler Homebrew Contests as a way to reach craft beer fans who want to take their hobby to the next level by making craft beer at home
- Matt, as the social organizer, is the reason why fun stuff has happened last year, from arranging the holiday party to getting some awesome social events lined up!
- Adam did a great job running our Spring Homebrew Review last year
- Nathan Steigman raises the profile of the MHBA with his competition dominance, is full of wisdom, and has made me a better person. And he made an awesome video for the club
- Dave Matson organized the cider buy last year and it was the best one yet
- Dave Royer is the technical wizard behind the MHBA that keeps up connected
After we get our leadership team voted in, we will be having an exciting Final Friday Social with BlackStack! If you’re able, pick up some of your favorite BlackStack beer to enjoy on the Zoom.
Big Brew Day and Wort Share with The Lab
When: Saturday, May 7 from 9 am to 9 pm
Where: The Lab (767 N Eustis St Suite 115, St Paul, MN 55114)
The Minnesota Home Brewers Association is celebrating Big Brew Day on May 7 at The Lab in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
If you are an MHBA dues-paying member, you can buy five or 10 gallons of wort here. (Not a member yet, sign up now!) The wort type will be announced soon. Non-glass containers must be dropped off between 1 and 3 pm, and must be picked up between 4 and 5 pm. Glass containers will absolutely NOT be filled for your safety and ours. No exceptions.
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
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, and cider this week: