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