Posts
Celebrating the Release of Spring Peeper
The club held a Happy Hour at Forgotten Star Brewery to celebrate the release of Spring Peeper, a Saison brewed by our very own member Soren Jensen. Those who were lucky enough to make it out to the brewery got to try both Spring Peeper Saison and a special keg of White Peach infused Spring Peeper Saison. Members who tried them said they were fantastic, with one member saying “It was quite tasty. Very dry, crackery malt, with moderate white pepper phenols and low stone fruit”. Thanks to Forgotten Star Brewery for hosting the Iron Brewer competition and congratulations Soren and look forward to future beers from you!
June Final Friday Social with Spilled Grain Brewhouse
1. Order your beer directly from Spilled Grain (https://spilledgrainbrewhouse.square.site/) and add a note saying you want it included in the MHBA pickup
2. Let us know what you ordered (https://forms.gle/zs8SvrCGxYbfQTfz7)
3. Pick it up in Saint Paul or Saint Louis Park next week
Reminder: Sinning with the Saints – August 22, 2021
Reminder: All Club Camp Out – August 6 – 8, 2021
Questions From the Community
No Questions Yet! Don’t forget that the Minnesota Home Brewers Association offers the Hive Mind as an option to ask questions from experts the community.
In order to submit a question, fill out the form here. The information is then anonymously sent to the experts who will provide their answer(s) based on years of expertise and studies. The answer(s) will then be collated and sent back to you – its that easy! At the end of every newsletter we will include the anonymous questions and answers for everybody else to see in order to spread the wealth of knowledge.
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:
- Don Tse of Beer and Brewing discusses malts evolution and focus on new varieties as the industry is responding to independent breweries
- Good Beer Hunting walks through some of the difficulties of being a women in the beer industry and the physical, psychological, and financial toll it takes
- Charles Spence of Oxford and Carlos Velasco of the Norwegian Business School talk about how the sound of beer influences our perceptions on NPR All Things Considered.
- Michael Agnew waxes poetic about witbier in the Star Tribune.
It is not every day that one of our own members is able to brew their beer in a commercial setup; however, the winner of this year’s Iron Brewer challenge Soren Jensen got to do just that. This year’s Iron Brewer challenge was all about Saison, and MHBA member Soren Jensen made a fantastic one! Come celebrate the release of Spring Peeper on June 11 from 5 to 8 pm at Forgotten Star Brewing. Soren beat out the Saison’s of other members in order to brew with Forgotten Star Brewing, so it is not to be missed! More information about the event can be found here.
Read MoreBrewing in the Summer has a different feel to it. The warmer temperature makes brew day sessions more enjoyable with the sun shining down on you and the new season bringing a refreshed look to everything. It also brings opportunities as you look for changes in your brewing process, whether that is an upgrade on your mashing equipment or bringing in a kegging system. While bottling my Tripel this weekend and thinking “what are the chances of a bottle bomb”, I have started to do an evaluation of potentially kegging beers (non-Belgians) in the future. What opportunities this Summer are you taking to improve your brewing process?
Reminder: Sinning with the Saints – August 22, 2021
The Minnesota Homebrewers Association is excited to announce that we will be taking over part of CHS Field to watch a St. Paul Saints Ballgame! On August 22, 2021 the club will be attending the game to watch the Saints take on the Iowa Cubs. If you would like to join the club in enjoying a good old fashioned ballgame, you can reserve and pay for tickets here. Tickets are $20 and include admission to the game and a fun afternoon with the MHBA!
All Club Camp Out – August 6 – 8, 2021
May Final Friday Recap
Sugarbelt Mead Festival – Field Report
Josh Eckton shares his experience from the Sugarbelt Mead Festival, which was held in Crown Point, IN on May 22:
“The Sugarbelt Mead Festival was such a wonderful experience. With over 21 meaderies in attendance, serving between two and eight meads each it was quite a taste sensation. From Mead slushees to session meads there were quite a variety of meads and creative ingredient combinations from green tomatoes to ghost pepper. Looking forward to going back next year to represent White Bear Meadery and partake in such a mead centric experience!”
Thanks Josh for sharing your experience at the festival!
Questions From the Community
No Questions Yet! Don’t forget that the Minnesota Home Brewers Association offers the Hive Mind as an option to ask questions from experts the community.
In order to submit a question, fill out the form here. The information is then anonymously sent to the experts who will provide their answer(s) based on years of expertise and studies. The answer(s) will then be collated and sent back to you – its that easy! At the end of every newsletter we will include the anonymous questions and answers for everybody else to see in order to spread the wealth of knowledge.
MHBA Honor Roll
- A member of the club, Soren Jensen, was able to brew his Saison with Forgotten Star Brewing after winning the Iron Brewer competition. Great work Soren and keep an eye out for Spring Peeper Saison on tap!
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:
- Good Beer Hunting walks through some of the difficulties of being a women in the beer industry and the physical, psychological, and financial toll it takes
- Charles Spence of Oxford and Carlos Velasco of the Norwegian Business School talk about how the sound of beer influences our perceptions on NPR All Things Considered.
- Michael Agnew waxes poetic about witbier in the Star Tribune.
Reminder that next week, May 21, is the Penultimate Friday Social with Venn!
Also, do not forget about the Saints Game on August 22! Join us by purchasing your tickets here.
Looking outside I can see my raspberry bush already coming in and the flowers in the garden already starting to bloom. The smells of Summer can inspire us as we brew. The wildflowers can remind you of a traditional mead, the fresh mowed grass can bring back memories of an IPA, or maybe the flowers bring out the floral notes in an British Ordinary Bitter. Stop and smell the roses can take on a whole new meeting when it comes to home brewing. Next time you are sitting on the patio, stop and take in the aromas of Summer to motivate your next recipe.
Sinning with the Saints – August 22, 2021
The Minnesota Homebrewers Association is excited to announce that we will be taking over part of CHS Field to watch a St. Paul Saints Ballgame! On August 22, 2021 the club will be attending the game to watch the Saints take on the Iowa Cubs. If you would like to join the club in enjoying a good old fashioned ballgame, you can reserve and pay for tickets here. Tickets are $20 and include admission to the game and a fun afternoon with the MHBA!
May Final Friday Social – May 21, 2021
Make sure to mark your calendars for May 21 to join us for our May Final Friday Social. This month’s will be featuring Venn Brewing! Stay tuned for more information.
April Final Friday Recap
Questions From the Community
No Questions Yet! Don’t forget that the Minnesota Home Brewers Association offers the Hive Mind as an option to ask questions from experts the community.
In order to submit a question, fill out the form here. The information is then anonymously sent to the experts who will provide their answer(s) based on years of expertise and studies. The answer(s) will then be collated and sent back to you – its that easy! At the end of every newsletter we will include the anonymous questions and answers for everybody else to see in order to spread the wealth of knowledge.
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:
- Ale Adventures discusses some of the Minnesota breweries that have joined the campaign to bring mental health awareness through the “Things We Don’t Say” IPA
- Steal This Beer chats with Zach Nichols (Cellar West Artisan Ales) about his journey from small bottle shop in Madison, WI to starting his own beer company
- Michael Stein from Good Beer Hunting unravels the history of Culmbacher, an extinct American dark lager
As the season changes, so does most of our brewing tendencies. As the weather warms up and we can see some sun / warmth on the horizon, I know I am starting to look at some of the lighter styles that go well after a day outside. After finishing up an oak Dubbel, I am now planning on some lighter, refreshing beers that can be enjoyed after spending the day getting the yard ready for the greener days ahead. Potentially a Kolsch, maybe a Cream Ale, or perhaps an American Wheat Ale – any favorite summer beers folks are planning?
April Final Friday Social Reminder
- Northwest Session IPA – a NW-style IPA brewed to meet our refined Minnesota palates. Can you guess how they managed such a feat? (Wrong answers only.) This beer is available in cans.
- Brut IPA. For every action there is a reaction. This style was a refreshing but brief reaction to the rise of NEIPA. Deb will offer advice on brewing this style. This beer is available in crowlers at the brewery.
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Passcode: 738344
MHBA Spring Home Brew Review Recap
Another Home Brew Review is in the books! On Saturday April 17th some of the best home brewers in Minnesota came together to share, sample, and learn about the beers / meads / ciders that everyone has been making at Forgotten Star Brewing. With both veteran MHBA and new joiners coming together under one tent, everyone voted on their favorites of the afternoon.
The People’s Choice Winners were:
- Beer: Kevin Meintsma’s English Barleywine
- Mead / Cider: Kevin Meintsma’s Black Currant Barrel Aged Mead
Now Introducing, Ask the MHBA Hive Mind!
The hive mind of the Minnesota Home Brewers Association has come together to offer their collective expertise to you! Any and every question is welcome, from what temperature should I ferment my Tripel at to what schedule of staggered nutrient additions should I use in my Traditional Mead.
In order to submit a question, fill out the form here. The information is then anonymously sent to the experts who will provide their answer(s) based on years of expertise and studies. The answer(s) will then be collated and sent back to you – its that easy! At the end of every newsletter we will include the anonymous questions and answers for everybody else to see in order to spread the wealth of knowledge.
MHBA Honor Roll
Nathan Steigman joined The Mean House podcast to discuss his dedication and willingness to fail only to go back through the notes and do it again differently, which creates some of the best tasting homemade meads. Give it a listen here!
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:
- Steal This Beer chats with Zach Nichols (Cellar West Artisan Ales) about his journey from small bottle shop in Madison, WI to starting his own beer company
- Michael Stein from Good Beer Hunting unravels the history of Culmbacher, an extinct American dark lager
- USA Today Readers’ Choice awards crowned Milk and Honey Ciders the best cidery in the US in 2021
Even though its only 25 degrees right now, we are looking forward to warmer weather with temperatures jumping into the 70s this weekend in my household. It is looking like it might finally be time to break out the smoker, sit on the patio, and enjoy a home brew in the sun. The summer season home brews I will be pulling out this weekend include a gose and a raspberry saison. The raspberry saison is a small batch off of a larger saison recipe and it will be interesting to see how the raspberry flavors come out, balanced by the fruity / spicy yeast character of the base beer, in comparison to the regular non-fruited saison. If interested to be able to share and try the amazing beers of the club, see below!
MHBA Spring Home Brew Review
Come celebrate the changing of the seasons the best way we at the MHBA know how, by sampling home brew at our annual Spring Home Brew Review!
The great folks at Forgotten Star Brewery just North of the cities in Fridley have been gracious enough to let us host our event with them this year. We’re planning for this to be an outdoor event, but if mother nature turns sour then there will be a large event space available to move to in doors.
Starting at 11am on Saturday, April 17th you’ll be able to sample your fellow home brewers libations and have them sample yours! We’ll have tables set up for anyone willing to pour and show off their latest, greatest (or even most questionable) fermented beverage. Feel free to bring as much or as little as you’d like; bottles, can, or kegs.
This is an excellent opportunity to get advice from seasoned brewers and to also get ideas on what to brew next! We’ll be giving away door prizes as well as voting for our favorite home brewed beverage — so you won’t want to miss it. Hope to see you there!
Stay up to date on the discussion about the event and RSVP on the Facebook event.
April Final Friday Social
For this edition of Final Friday Social we will be having Deb Loch from Urban Growler join us to discuss their amazing Cowbell Cream Ale. Stay tuned for more details as the event gets closer!
MHBA Honor Roll
Matthew Weide returned to The Mead House podcast today to discuss pandemic brewing and Valkyrie’s Horn. I found his concept of victory garden meads especially inspiring. Give it a listen here!
March Final Friday Social Recap
On March 26, 18 intrepid home brewers joined Utepils Head Brewer Eric Harper for a guided tasting of Springbok which I found out is totally a real animal. Eric also lead the mother of all technical discussions regarding sauergut as a pillar of German brewing and the virtues of serving Altbier vom Fass. Two lucky club members also won $25 gift cards to Utepils. Thank you to Eric and Utepils Brewing for joining us and sharing your love of European brewing!
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:
- Steal This Beer chats with Zach Nichols (Cellar West Artisan Ales) about his journey from small bottle shop in Madison, WI to starting his own beer company
- Michael Stein from Good Beer Hunting unravels the history of Culmbacher, an extinct American dark lager
- USA Today Readers’ Choice awards crowned Milk and Honey Ciders the best cidery in the US in 2021
It’s the first day of spring as I write this and a perfect day for brewing. Only the kids haven’t adjusted to our collective spring forward yet, and to be honest neither have I. There’s comfort in keeping things as they are, but we always keep moving forward into uncertainty. Instead of brewing the brown ale I wanted, I bench trialed some ideas for a mead I have in repose. Things didn’t work like I imagined, so I’ll keep thinking and working at it until I get it right. I went all-in and made five gallons because I trusted my process and technique, even if I still don’t know how it’s going to turn out in the end. And so it it is in early spring, not yet verdant.
March Final Friday
Join the Minnesota Home Brewers Association on Zoom this Friday, March 26 at 8:30 pm to have an Utepils Springbok (Helles Bock aka Maibock) tasting with Brewmaster Eric Harper!
Before the meeting, buy your Springbok in cans at fine liquor stores near you.
Zoom meeting id: 921 1846 2685
Passcode: 918183
2021 Iron Brewer Recap
Congratulations to Soren Jensen, Dave Matson, and Jon Hunter for brewing the best saisons at the 2021 Iron Brewer. Forgotten Star Brewing Company will brew Soren’s recipe, which I for one would love to have. And thank you to Forgotten Star for hosting this event in their YOOOGE (and dare I say beautiful) taproom and judging our club’s saisons!
Club Elections Night with Arbeiter Brewing Recap
Thank you to Aaron Herman from Arbeiter Brewing Company for joining us and providing us a guided tasting of their Haha Pils, Citiva Sucker Punch, and Vanilla Mocha Stout. Club members were super impressed with their beer, especially for being the new kids on the block.
Annual MHBA elections were held, and the leadership team of YOUR club for the following year is:
- President: Nick Aschbrenner
- Vice President: Josh Mahoney
- Treasurer: Jon Hunter
- Secretary: Matt Johnson
- Member At-Large: Al Boyce
- Member At-Large: Adam Bystrom
- Member At-Large: Kurt Lawton
- Member At-Large: Nathan Steigman
- President Emeritus: Dave Matson
You can get to know your MHBA board here (PDF).
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:
- Chop and Brew talks with Aaron Herman (Arbeiter Brewing Company) and Nick Walby (Fair State Brewing Cooperative) about dip hopping
- Good Beer Hunting Sightlines discusses how Untappd has turned everyone into a beer judge
- Got Mead? Live interviews Clint Walker (Walker Honey Farm) and Chase Cohagan (Dancing Bee Winery)
- Martyn Cornell lets us know that English porter definitely isn’t Dutch contrary to what you may have read on the internets
Get your crowlers of Arbeiter NOW, then tune in to Tuesday’s Zoom as we drink those beers with Aaron Herman, head brewer at Arbeiter. Trivia contest and door prizes for Arbeiter gift certificates! Run for the club board!
Here is where to order ahead–Get AT LEAST the pils, the Sucker Punch, and the stout:
Read More
As we left the house this morning, my son turned to me and asked if it was spring. With an amiable clemency in the air, it really did feel like dripping icicles and winter’s gloom were relenting to a new season even if just for a day. As I lifted the little ones into their car seats, my mind went forward and backward. Nothing can be definitively acquired; everything must be done all over again every day. Spring coming means that I need to put away the last efforts of 2020 and bottle those ciders and cysers that I’ve been putting off. Spring means doing everything all over again, but hopefully better. Last week I brewed up a Golden Promise SMASH with hops from the South Fork Hop Harvest event last year and the green tea aroma of the hops sent me back to last summer when my daughter and I spent an afternoon picking hops right off the bine. I could almost feel the lupulin perfuming my fingers again. Soon enough.
MHBA Final Friday is this week!
February 26 at 8:30 pm
All welcome
Members in good standing as of noon on February 26 who attend will be eligible to win one of two $50 gift cards to Eastlake Craft Brewery. Not a member? Sign up today!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 970 2757 1797
MHBA Honor Roll
Congratulations Josh Mahoney, Kevin Meintsma, and Matthew Weide for their third place medals at Midwinter Homebrew Competition!
Hearing Voices
- Minneapolis’ Paige Latham Didora wrote a fascinating article for Good Beer Hunting entitled “What’s Fair in Beer and Litigation?“
- John Holl and Vinnie Cilurzo discuss the ultimate beer whale Pliny the Younger as an experience in the latest Beer Edge podcast
- Stan Hieronymus pontificates about the post-craft beer era in Appellation Beer
- Brad Smith and Mathias Siebler remind us that hops, even in a hop powerhouse like Germany, are fundamentally an agricultural product in the Beersmith podcast