2005 Meeting Notes

Archive of 2005 Meeting Notes – By Patrick Kennerly – 2005 SCBG President

January 2005 Meeting Notes
A New Year of Star City homebrewing was officially inaugurated Saturday night, January 8th, by a gathering of about 18 club members at Chuck and Kim’s beautiful home in Roanoke. Thank you Chuck and Kim for hosting the January meeting and making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thanks, also, to everyone for their delicious food contributions and sharing of a wide variety of homebrewed and craft beer.

Esther, our Treasurer, kicked off the meeting with the news that the Club Treasury currently totaled $541.20, not including another $75 in dues that she had collected since the meeting began. A total of 22 paid members were on record as the meeting got underway.

If you have not paid your dues for 2005, please get your money to Esther soon. Remember, only paid-up members may enter their beers in Club competitions.

Bryan Pratt has offered to host the Febrewary meeting, which will take place on Saturday, Febrewary 12th. An email will be sent out with a meeting time and directions. The meeting time may well be in the afternoon, but that is not set as of yet.

Kelly and Esther have offered to host the March meeting, scheduled for Saturday, March 12, which will include the first quarterly club competition, namely, the Helles Lager style. Once again, a time will be set and members will be notified.

The 2005 External Events discussion was lively and filled with ideas. The Club is exploring a tentative invitation from Festival in the Park to set up our tent and provide some type of introductory Homebrew event during the second weekend of Festival, specifically on June 4. Festival representatives introduced the idea of a demonstration of homebrewing, but Tommy suggested doing the kind of tasting we have done at AmRhein’s. Following Tommy’s suggestion, other club members wondered if we might be able to do a demonstration and a tasting, while others suggested we might try to get Lee & Edwards to sponsor our booth by providing grain and hops for a demonstration. Your president will present these ideas to the Festival representative so that feasibility and ABC concerns may be addressed.

The annual AmRhein’s event required little discussion since we have been unable to secure concrete information from the Winery.

Quite a discussion of the Microfestivus event took place, particularly centered on the beer/food pairing dinner we are trying to organize for Friday, August 12 (Microfestivus Eve), with Garrett Oliver as special guest host. Several members voiced concern over the smallness of the Wertz Restaurant venue, which will only hold 50-65 people. Other possible venues mentioned include Kazim Temple (Dan is going to research that possibility), the Elks Club (Chuck will check it out), and Fitzpatrick Hall at the Jefferson Center (Tommy will investigate it). Kelly raised an important point in that we don’t want to outstretch our means with this first-time event. Better to start small and grow.

The Beer Trips discussion was lively and enthusiastic. Dan (our Social Director) discussed the possibility of renting a 15-passenger van at a deep discount through his job. Several possibilities arose from that idea: paying a designated driver to transport us to and from Calhoun’s in Harrisonburg in a single day; adding a second stop in Charlottesville to either Starr Hill or South Street; adding an overnight stay to either of the previous two options; or taking the van trip to Greensboro’s Red Oak Brew Pub. Dan will be researching these possibilities and posting related information/options via email.

There seemed to be a good deal of interest in the club participating in the National Homebrewers Conference in Baltimore on the harbor June 16-18.
The extent to which we could transport beer and set-up an official SCBG booth at the Conference is a matter for further discussion and will, in part, be determined by the other external commitments we make as a club.

After a short break, the group launched into tastings of commercial examples of Helles Lager, including Weinhenstephaner Original, Paulaner Original, Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell, and Victory Lager, to name a few. Thanks to Tad, Kelly & Esther, and Ross for gathering Helles samples.

Patrick Kennerly, President

Notes from Saturday, Febrewary 12th meeting.

First, let me warmly thank Bryan and Sue for their generous hospitality on Saturday the 12th. Sue joined right in as the Guild took over the recreation room (Bryan’s bar) from about 3:30 to well after 8. Bryan and Sue are great hosts.

About 13 Guild members were in attendance at this meeting. A small but lively group enjoyed the plenitude of food and homebrew brought by various members and were also treated to Mead and Chianti made by Bryan.

Esther reported that we had 24 paid members—that number increased to 26 before the meeting was over. She also reported that there was currently $552.65 in the treasury, not counting the $30.00 she received in dues payments during the meeting.

Future Meetings:
March (Helles competition) Saturday, March 12th at Kelly’s & Esther’s in Elliston beginning at 4 PM. Paul M. has volunteered (tentatively) to captain the stewarding. If you wish to help steward for the Helles competition, contact Paul or me (Patrick). Joe and Marsha have volunteered to host the April meeting—time and date to be announced once they have consulted and compared calendars.

The May meeting is Big Brew (a national event) scheduled this year for Saturday, May 7th. Kelly and Esther again agreed to host this event, provided they still own the house on the South Fork at that time! More details about Big Brew will be forthcoming, and Kelly will need some volunteer help from Guild members to ready the property for the event—more on that later, as well.

Kelly presented the group with a Trophy update as well as presented special Brewer of the Year plaques to Ron C. (2002), Patrick (2003), and Ross (2004). While he has already purchased and had engraved the trophies for this year’s quarterly competitions, he informed us about some new awards possibilities at the former CMT location. These new possibilities might be appropriate for use with the Microfestivus competition.

Your president then drew attention to the Guild website and the newly created photo gallery feature. Patrick expressed many thanks to Chuck and Pat for hours of work getting the gallery up and running and uploading lots of photos. If you haven’t seen this new feature, you need to check it out!

A discussion of events taking place from June through August occupied quite a bit of time. Our participation in the second Saturday of Festival in the Park (June 4th) is confirmed. The festival folks want us to do a homebrew demonstration and Lee & Edwards has agreed to take part in the displays and provide base grain and hops. More details can be expected as we move closer to May/June.

We will participate in AmRhein’s summer beach bash on July 16th. Camping at the winery will again be permitted. About a dozen brewers have said they would make 5 gallons of beer each for the event. Follow-up on that will be in the form of meeting and email updates.

The beer/food pairing dinner on Friday evening prior to Microfestivus is off but we have a suite reserved at Hotel Roanoke so that we may provide a hospitality room to the brewers and judges Friday night August 12th. We have been given the okay to begin the festival judging at 1 PM on Saturday August 13th. The judges will stroll from brewer to brewer during the initial round of judging, but may retire to the Guild tent to evaluate best of show.

A lively discussion took place regarding a road trip to Calhoun’s. Most agree that the timing should be March, after the Helles competition is in the books. The consensus of opinion regarding an overnight stay seemed to be that most do not want to stay overnight for a trip to Harrisonburg. They’d rather pay a designated driver and come back the same day. Esther suggested that the club could pay for the van rental, so the money we would have collected from the members could pay for a designated driver. Further discussion via club mail is encouraged.

Your president shared the fact that he and Pat have already reserved a room for the National Homebrewers Conference in Baltimore June 16-18. While the room rate of $99 is known, the registration cost for the conference is not. Patrick will try to find out and will communicate it by club mail.

The meeting adjourned with members turning toward games of darts, billiards and a continuation of food grazing and beer sampling.

Patrick Kennerly, President
02/13/2005

President’s Notes from March 12, 2005 Meeting & First Quarterly Competition

March 12th, 2005: a day that began with 2 inches of wet snowfall but by afternoon saw sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50’s. True to its time, by afternoon the winds had also come. Perhaps it was those winds that blew in one of the largest numbers of attendees for an SCBG meeting in quite awhile; probably a near record if you discount Big Brews and Fall Campouts. A total of 32 people (members, family and guests) gathered at South Fork Brewery (aka, Kelly’s and Esther’s place) for the March meeting and First Quarterly Competition.

The business portion of the meeting moved along quickly enough. Esther informed us that we now have 32 paid members and (with the deposit of checks collected at the meeting) $642.63 in the club checking account.

Joe & Marsha confirmed that they will be hosting the April meeting and have selected a date and time: Saturday, April 2 at 3:00 PM. Directions to their mountaintop chateau will be forthcoming. Ross correctly reminded us that the April meeting should include the tasting of commercial examples of Imperial (or “double”) IPA, which is the competition style for the Second Quarter. Ross has already purchased some examples for the tasting. With this writing, I’d like to ask Ross if he would be so kind as to post the names of the brews he’s already purchased via club mail, as I was unable to capture it at the meeting. If anyone else purchases commercial examples of Imperial IPA for the tasting, please post the beers to the club email, so we don’t duplicate efforts. Save your receipts and give them to Esther when next you see her.

May 7th is Big Brew and the May meeting will take place that day. Once again, Kelly & Esther have graciously invited us back to South Fork for a full day of brew fun and, for those who desire it, a night of camp-firing, camping and other outdoorsy good times. The recipes for this year’s Big Brew beers (an IPA and a Robust Porter) may be found in the American Homebrewers Association section of the Brewers Association website (www.beertown.org ). More discussion on Big Brew will be forthcoming as May draws closer. Start looking at your May calendars now, however, as volunteers will need to gather at South Fork sometime before the event to help prepare the environs.

Tim & Katie have volunteered to host the June meeting, contingent upon Tim’s work schedule. Watch your club mail for more on that, recalling that the June meeting would be the club competition meeting for the Imperial IPA style.

Social Director Dan reiterated the plan to rent a 15-passenger van through his work in order for the club to make a pilgrimage to Calhoun’s Restaurant & Brewery. A motion was made that we pay for the van rental and for a designated driver (and his or her meal) with club treasury funds, not to exceed $100.00. After brief discussion, a vote was called for and the motion passed unanimously. On club email, Dan will propose a couple of dates in April for this excursion and we will base the trip plan on member response.

Your president then reviewed the summer activities that will involve the club: Festival in the Park (June 4), AmRhein’s (July 16), and Microfestivus (August 13).

After a brief break, the First Quarterly Competition got underway with 3 tables of first-round judges evaluating some 11 Munich Helles-style lagers brewed by club members.

4 entries were selected to be sent to the final table for award judging. Receiving trophies for the top three Helles lagers: Third place went to Troy; Second place was garnered by David Fisher; and, for his first time taking top SCBG honors, Tad was awarded First place for the best Helles in the competition. As a side note, the three trophy winners from round two also had the three highest scores from the first round of judging.

In true SCBG fashion, the real partying got underway after the close of the official meeting and was still going when your president and his spouse headed back down the highway toward home. We were very fortunate to have had many guests join us for this March meeting, some of whom sat in as guest judges for the first round of the Helles competition. We hope all of our guests enjoyed the event and left the meeting with new insights into the craft of brewing and the appreciation of real beer.

Lastly, but definitely not least, I want to thank Paul and Judie and their stewarding team for the excellent job they did in making the Helles competition run like fine German clockwork! To you and to the kind proprietors of the South Fork Brewery, many thanks and

PROST!

Patrick Kennerly
President
Star City Brewers Guild
3/13/2005

Summary of Meeting Held April 2, 2005

High atop a Salem hill, in a beautiful house overlooking the Roanoke Valley, 15 members (and 3 guests) of the Star City Brewers Guild met for the April gathering on Saturday, April 2, 2005. Former president and 1st brew-lady, Joe and Marsha, were hosts of the first order for this first meeting of the Spring season. Thank you Joe and Marsha for inviting the Guild into your home and for being such gracious hosts.

Scheduled for 3 PM, a number of events caused a delayed start, not the least of which was the official announcement that Pope John Paul II had died about 2:30 PM our time (9:30 PM Rome time). By 4 PM, however, we had gotten underway and Esther led off the meeting by informing us that the treasury would balance at around $585 once she deposited the checks she received at the meeting and reimbursed members who had purchased Imperial IPAs for the day’s tasting. Esther also noted that we now have 35 members of record, including our newest member, Jon E., and Bill and Ginny O., who we welcomed back after too long an absence.

Discussion of future meetings confirmed that our next meeting will be Saturday, May 7th at Kelly’s and Esther’s (South Fork Brewery, Elliston). This day is Big Brew and folks should plan to arrive by Noon, so that we may observe the National Toast to Homebrewing at 1 PM Eastern Daylight Time (Noon Central Daylight Time). Most members present were uncertain of their brewing plans at Kelly’s and Esther’s on the day of Big Brew. It is recommended that all consult the Big Brew site on beertown.org for recipe information and it is requested that Kelly be notified in advance if you plan to brew that day. Also, the club unanimously voted to expend treasury funds to rent a “Port-o-John” for the event. In order to help Kelly get set up the day before, Patrick will be at South Fork by 5 PM Friday the 6th. Other members who can join us are urged to do so, that we may set up the club tent and help with other preparations. Kelly will give us more info, via club email, on the setup as we get closer to the day of Big Brew, and a food sign-up will be posted to club email, as well.

Tim and Katie have volunteered to host the June meeting on June 24th, which will be the 2nd quarterly competition meeting, the style being Imperial IPA. They had offered to start the meeting as early as desired. However, since most of us work weekdays, we agreed that the earliest start time would need to be 6:00 PM. Since Tim and Katie were not able to be present for the April meeting, the floor was opened to others who might be interested in hosting the June meeting, in case Tim & Katie could not. No volunteers were confirmed, so the June meeting is still set for June 24 at Tim’s & Katie’s with a 6 PM start, unless you hear otherwise from me or from Tim & Katie.

Tad volunteered to host the July meeting, provided people are not opposed to driving to his home in Blacksburg. No specific date was chosen, so further discussion on the July meeting will be scheduled for the May meeting.

Once again, your president presented a brief rundown of upcoming events including Festival in the Park (June 4th) A sign-up both for staffing the tent at Festival and for various aspects of the brewing demonstration will be posted by email in the not-too-distant future. The AHA National Homebrewers’ Conference (June 16-18): looks like the Pats and Paul & Judi may be the only members going to Baltimore. AmRhein’s (July 16th): please recall, if you have committed to brewing beer for AmRhein’s, to plan your brewing accordingly over the next couple of months. Microfestivus (August 13th): Bryan S. has emailed a slew of craft breweries and we have had some interest in return from several breweries that were not here last year. The Guild will be hosting a hospitality suite at Hotel Roanoke the Friday evening before Microfestivus, on July 12th. Discussion on how we will handle the food & beverage for that event will be forthcoming.

Next, Social Director, Dan, presented us with a plan and a definite date for a pub crawl to Calhoun’s Restaurant and Brewery in Harrisonburg, VA. The trip will occur on SATURDAY, APRIL 23rd. Dan has volunteered to be our designated driver and will plan on having a 15-passenger van at the parking lot in front of the former Waccamaw building (now Advance Stores offices) for a 10 AM DEPARTURE to Harrisonburg. The van rental & gasoline will be paid for with club funds. Lunch and beverage purchases at Calhoun’s will be the responsibility of individual club members. We plan to return to Roanoke after our tour of Calhoun’s, lunch and ample beer-tasting time. Space for this excursion is LIMITED TO 13 CLUB MEMBERS (Dan & Linda round out the number to 15). Sign-up to participate is on a “first-come” basis and sign-up should be POSTED to a Guild-wide GROUP E-MAIL so that both Dan and I may keep count, and so that everyone in the club knows the status of the sign-up.

A discussion on the finer points of judging homebrew in our quarterly competitions was tabled because Ross was not able to be present for the day’s meeting. Patrick offered to try to get Dave Houseman to join us for this discussion, possibly even at Big Brew in May. The results of that attempt will be posted to club email.

Following a short break, during which we all loaded our plates with a wonderfully varied and appetizing array of foods appropriate to accompany the style of Imperial IPAs, we tasted about 10 different commercial examples of Double IPA/Imperial IPA/I2PA. While individual palates judged these different “hop delivery vehicles” with some amount of disagreement, it seemed clear that the Hecules Double IPA was the best example of the style.

Patrick Kennerly
President, Star City Brewers Guild
April 3, 2005

Summary of May Meeting/Big Brew Event Held Saturday May 7th at K&E’s South Fork Brewery

FINALLY!

After some 3 or 4 years of Big Brews held in chilly rain and/or cloudy, foggy weather, Saturday, May 7th, 2005 was GREAT!

The day kicked off a little breezy (especially for those brewing), but the sun stayed out most of the afternoon and a momentary sprinkle around 7 PM was the only precipitation on an otherwise lovely spring day at South Fork. Many thanks to Kelly & Esther for once again hosting this momentous occasion!

Esther reported that there were 35 paid members up to that moment and the treasury stands at $466.00.

The June meeting is set for 6:00 PM at Tim & Katie’s on Friday, June 24. This will include the Imperial IPA competition. Paul M. has graciously offered to captain the stewarding, once again (unless something prevents him from being at the meeting). I will ask Tim & Katie to post directions to their mountaintop retreat closer to the meeting date.

Tad S’s. offer to host the July meeting at his home in Blacksburg still stands. The date would be Saturday, July 9th. The time for that meeting has yet to be set. It was suggested that those who desired could go down to Blacksburg early and have a few brews at either Rivermilll or the Underground. Discussion on the specifics of that crawl are open to club email.

Details of our gig at Festival in the Park were discussed. Suggested arrival time at Elmwood Park is 10 or 10:15 AM so we can raise the club tent and get the propane burners going. Your president will provide a propane burner, hot liquor tank and Phil’s lautering system. Quite honestly, I can’t recall who volunteered to bring a mash tun (cooler or whatever) and who agreed to provide a boil kettle/burner. I trust that those who were at the meeting will remember, step forward or other club members will volunteer. Those volunteering to bring homebrew for sampling included: Patrick, Kelly, Joe, Bryan P., Dave F., and Dan. There may be others out there—please let me know who you are. A reminder was made to bring a discreet drinking vessel for you own consumption.

AmRhein’s July 16, 4 PM to 9 PM. Try to be there by 2 PM. The New River Club has made no contact with AmRhein’s so far.

Microfestivus (August 13) was discussed briefly. Confirmed brewers include Calhoun’s, Weeping Radish, Troeg’s, Dogfish Head, South Street, Starr Hill, New River, and the two big distributors (Blue Ridge and PA Short). Still working on others (thanks Bryan S. for all your effort contacting brewers) and working out keg transport/storage on others.

Social Director, Dan gave us a glowing report on the Calhoun’s crawl. 11 of us made the trip. Eric Plowman (co-owner and brewer) spent well over 3 hours with us providing brewery tours, discussion, information and 10 lbs. of Lactose. All but Dan drank lots of beer—he was our steadfast designated driver. Dan did manage to enjoy the excellent food, along with the rest of us, and was able to carry home a growler of Eric’s fine Belgian Strong Ale. Dan admitted that the growler’s life was short lived, once the van was returned to the rental lot.

The rest of the day was spent eating (a wide variety of excellent cuisine), drinking (many very good homebrews), conversing and, for a few, brewing. Kelly, Bryan S. (who toted down his new B3 1500 system for the day), and Ross brewed on the premises.

Succumbing to the ill-effects of a head cold, which no amount of homebrew seemed to quell, your president left the grounds at 7 PM, so Treasurer, Esther provided the following wrap-up of the evening’s festivities:

The group moved to the west region, where we experienced an excellent bonfire. We continued to drink Doug’s Chocolate Vanilla Stout, as well as others. Chuck stopped by on his return trip from cooking for the Boy Scouts in Pulaski. No major events occurred, and no world problems were solved, and everyone turned in around midnight. 5 campers and 4 in-house guests. Cleanup was assisted this morning by Troy & Sharon, Dan & Linda, and East Kent, after coffee and biscuits with sausage gravy. Doug managed to wake up after we were finished cleaning up. By my count, there were a total of 36 people in attendance, and 20 gallons of beer were brewed, 15 of Rye Pale Ale and 5 of a Mild.

Patrick Kennerly
President
05-08-2005

President’s Notes from June 24th Meeting and Quarterly Club Competition

A small but lively crew of 14 met at Tim & Katie’s lovely mountaintop retreat on Friday evening, June 24, 2005. The weather was outstanding, the view from the back of Tim & Katie’s home was breathtaking and some very good food and homebrew was shared, in addition to the entries on hand for the 2nd quarterly club competition, Imperial IPA.

Many thanks to our gracious hosts, Katie & Tim, and to all who brought goodies. In the absence of Kelly and our Treasurer, Esther, no treasurer’s report or membership update was provided.

FUTURE MEETINGS: The Pats requested to host the July meeting so as to make available a slide show/report on the National Homebrewers’ Conference they (and Paul & Judie) attended in Baltimore. That meeting will be held Saturday, July 9th at 2:00 PM. Bryan P. volunteered his woodsy deck for the August meeting which will be held Saturday, August 6th at 2:00 PM.

AMRHEIN’S: An inventory of members present who plan to provide homebrew for the AmRhein’s event on Saturday, July 16th resulted in 8 confirmed beers (including the Festival APA from our gig in Elmwood Park). At least 4 additional brews have been promised by members who were absent from this meeting. Patrick will compose a detailed list and email it to the membership very soon so that a more complete inventory may be obtained.

MICROFESTIVUS: Yet another set of lists will be forthcoming on this subject: a summary of reservations for rooms/nights at Hotel Roanoke. The cost will be $69.00 per night plus tax. The Guild has reserved a large suite for the hospitality night Friday, August 12th. Social Director, Dan H., will contact members regarding food for the hospitality suite. Our guests will be those brewers/brewery reps and judges who arrive a day early for the Festival. Patrick will follow-up with a list of beverage provisions. Some 9 breweries (Calhoun’s, Clipper City, Dogfish Head, Hilltop, New River, South Street, Starr Hill, Troegs and Weeping Radish) have committed to attend, in addition to the two large distributors who usually bring about 4 selections each. Bryan S. volunteered as a possible transport for Hilltop’s beer if arrangements between Hilltop and Starr Beverage in Charlottesville work out. An electronic volunteer sign-up for the Festival will be provided by Square Society (as it was last year). SCBG members will get first choice of slots by way of advance notice that the tool is enabled – expect an email from Patrick soon.

Thanks to a very generous offer from JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson with White Labs Brewers Yeast (whom the Pats met in Baltimore), we will be able to offer more than just a ribbon to the five first-place category winners in the first Microfestivus judging. White Labs will give us five certificates for yeast valued at $100.00 each for the first-place winners, plus one certificate valued at $150.00 for the Best of Show winner. Also, WL will provide us with mugs for each of the judges. In addition to the four judges already confirmed (Dave Houseman, Owen Ogletree, Keri Allen and Esther K.), three or four more are considering participation, schedules permitting.

A motion was made/seconded to spend no more than $150.00 in club funds to purchase the ribbons for first-place winners and for a nice (not cheesy) trophy for the Best of Show winner. The motion passed unanimously.

IMPERIAL IPA COMPETITION: Several present for the meeting expressed disappointment that only eight (8) members submitted entries for this competition. Of course, all agreed that it was a very difficult style to achieve successfully. A couple of members admitted to the need to brew more than one attempt at the style. That being said, the judging of the eight entries was divided among two tables. Three judges from the first round, none of whom had entries in the competition, were asked to judge the final round. Third place was awarded to Ross; second place was awarded to Tad; first place was awarded to Patrick. First round scores will be forwarded to Chuck so that he may include them in the running total for the BOTY competition. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who submitted entries.

Once again, special thanks to Katie & Tim for hosting. Members should be on the lookout for numerous emails in the coming few weeks, especially pertaining to AmRhein’s and Microfestivus.

Patrick Kennerly
President
June 25, 2005

Summary of SCBG Meeting Held July 9, 2005

About 18 people showed up at the Pats on Saturday afternoon for the July monthly meeting of the Star City Brewers Guild. Many different styles of beer, both homebrew and commercial brew, were made available by numerous members. Some excellent food dishes were also provided, among them an excellent ratatouille made by Kelly and a delicious sirloin tip prepared by Sharon. As usual, one could graze among the edibles and sample suds for hours and still not exhaust the possible combinations of both.

Esther reported that the membership remains stable at 36 and that we currently have $301.60 in the club treasury. Esther increased the treasury’s funds during the meeting by selling colorful T-shirts with the SCBG logo embroidered over the left breast. A few members who never owned club shirts were able to rectify that situation thanks to Esther’s initiative. Esther also took orders for another run of club T-Shirts.

The location for the August meeting was confirmed, however the start time was modified. Bryan P. will still host us on his woodsy deck in Vinton on Saturday, August 6th. The start time was changed from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Bryan will make available directions to his and his wife, Sue’s, home prior to the meeting.

A discussion followed regarding the date for the September meeting. Kelly and Esther agreed to host the meeting, which will be the Fall camp out meeting as well as the 3rd quarterly competition, the style being Oktoberfest/Marzen. After discussion and a vote, Saturday, September 24th was set as the date for the September meeting/Fall camp out/Oktoberfest-Marzen competition at Esther and Kelly’s in Elliston.

As much as was possible, given the limited number of members present, details were set for our participation in AmRhein’s Sip ‘n’ Shag Summer Beach Bash on Bent Mountain on Saturday, July 16th. The event is scheduled to run from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We all decided that the Guild needed to be there around 2:30 PM to set-up and be prepared for customers by 4 PM. SCBG members will have free admission (a wrist band is still needed by all) which includes a wine glass and wine tasting, but does not include food. So, our own Social Director, Dan H. will coordinate the club’s personal picnic. Please send news of your planned picnic items to Dan and/or the club via email. Those bringing homebrew for the masses (as far as I can tell): Patrick (Cream Ale & Festival in the Park Pale Ale); Doug (Vanilla/Chocolate Stout); Bryan S. (Fruited Wheat); Ross (Krystal Weizen); Dan H. (Mexican Lager); Troy (Wit); Bryan P. (Midas Touch clone); Dave F. (ESB “lite”); Paul M. (sorry, Paul, I can’t remember). If I have forgotten anyone or gotten your style wrong, my apologies. Please email corrections/additions.

A number of Microfestivus-related items were discussed. That event is Saturday, August 13th from 2 PM to 8 PM. Some really nice color flyers were distributed to be posted by members around town. She-Pat designed the flyer which sports the logos of all the breweries tentatively set to attend. Tad at the Square Society had them printed. It was agreed that club members helping with the tent set-up need to be at Elmwood Park by Noon on the 13th. Judging of the micros will begin by 1 PM. The electronic sign-up for Microfestivus Volunteers will be open to the SCBG exclusively from now until July 18th, when the Square Society membership will begin to have access as well. Patrick will email the link to the SCBG in a separate mailing. Patrick summarized the Hotel Roanoke sign-ups so far and re-emphasized the hospitality suite the Guild is hosting Friday night August 12th for brewers and judges who arrive early. We agreed on an 8 PM start time for that. Once again, Social Director, Dan, will coordinate eats for that evening and Patrick will keep track of the homebrew providers; both of those matters to be re-visited a little closer to the event.

Bramwell Oktoberfest is scheduled for Saturday, October 8th in Bramwell, West Virginia. The event includes a homebrew competition. More on Bramwell at the August meeting.

A discussion was held regarding the need for the club banner to be updated as well as the need for a new “body” for Big Willee. Carl agreed to do some investigating regarding the banner and Kelly agreed to do the surgery on Big Willee, once a new cooler is purchased. The club voted upon and unanimously agreed to pay for these items with treasury funds.

The business portion of the meeting concluded with a report on the Dominion Beer Festival in Ashburn, VA, by Bryan S. and an introduction by Patrick of a new hop plug processor operating out of Wake Forest, North Carolina. This man uses a new pressing technology and the freshest hops available to create higher quality hop plugs. The Pats met him at the AHA conference and, while he states that he only sells wholesale, he might be persuaded to sell to a homebrew club if the order & terms were right. Patrick will investigate further.

Once the business meeting was concluded, lots of good conversation, eating and drinking followed. Many viewed she-Pat’s Power Point slide show of the Baltimore AHA conference in June. Kelly was lured into story-telling mode by the sights of some of the pubs in Fells Point. Your President, for one, was thoroughly entertained by Kelly’s tales. They made one wish Kelly was our friend long before now. No fish. In addition, some very interesting ideas were exchanged. Elaboration and/or concretization may ensue. Curious? Attend one of the upcoming events and/or meetings and learn more.

Patrick Kennerly
President
Sunday, July 10, 2005

Notes from the SCBG August Meeting held Saturday, Aug. 6th, including important MICROFESTIVUS information!

Head counts can be deceiving.

Especially when the heads you’re counting are hop heads!

A total of 14 heads were counted in the home of Bryan and Sue P., at one point or another, between 4 PM and 11 PM Saturday the 6th of August. This may seem like a very small number, especially when one considers the fact that we had one guest for the meeting and that headcount includes Sue, our hostess. One might even speculate that so small a crowd would yield a short meeting and an early end to the evening. As I said, hop head counts can be deceiving.

Many thanks to our host and hostess, Bryan P. and his lovely wife, Sue. After a very lively meeting that lasted more than an hour, this small group managed to not only consume all the beer that was brought by club members, including the “host beers,” we also just about cleaned out Bryan’s basement stash. Had we not run out of beer altogether, the meeting may have lasted into the wee hours of Sunday. Maybe it did. We left at 11:15 PM.

But, on to the business of the meeting. Esther reported that our membership was stable since the last meeting and that the treasury contained about $750.00.

Our guest for the meeting was Chris Arthur, who, together with his wife, owns the newly opened Blue Ridge Hydroponics & Home Brewing Company at 5524 Williamson Rd in the Lamplighter Mall. Chris joined us to learn more about home brewing as he readily admits that he has never brewed beer. He also wants to provide us with as much as he can in the way of supplies, ingredients and equipment but needs us to help him formulate an appropriate inventory. He is willing to help us find good prices, as best as he can, and is more than willing to do special orders with us. Chris wants very much to attend some brew sessions—all-grain and extract. Chris’ email is: CArthur@FandR.com The store’s website is: www.blueridgehydroponics.com

The September meeting is still planned for Saturday, Sept. 24th at the home of Esther & Kelly, also known as the South Fork Brewery in Elliston. This meeting will be the annual Fall camp out as well as the 3rd Quarterly Club Competition. Oktoberfest/Marzen (BJCP # 3-B) is the style. We plan to begin the official day with the club business meeting at 12 Noon. Stewarding matters will be discussed via email closer to the meeting date.

Dan and Linda graciously volunteered to host the October meeting and plans are to meet on their pontoon boat docked on Smith Mountain Lake, weather permitting. If weather looks like trouble, we’ll meet at Dan and Linda’s abode in Forest. Details about the October meeting will be forthcoming closer to the meeting date which
is tentatively set for Saturday, October 15th.

Microfestivus: is upon us!

Social Director Dan will be emailing the membership early this week to finalize food and beverage plans for the Hospitality Suite which we will host on the 9th floor of the Patrick Henry Hotel beginning Friday August 12th at 8 PM. The suite that we have will be available to us after 3 PM that day. Someone (Dan, Patrick, Pat, etc) should be around in the early evening so that food & beer may be brought in and readied in plenty of time.

Rented tents & tables should begin arriving Saturday at Elmwood Park at 9 AM. Tad and Melissa from Square Society will be at the Park by 9 AM, as will she-Pat, who wants to get the brewer station tables set-up early because of the large number of breweries involved. She welcomes any who want to help her in this rather large task. Our club tent will be at the Park by 9 AM also (with she-Pat) and we need to have it set up and ready to go by Noon. Those wishing to help with the club tent should be at the site by 11 AM.

Breweries/distributors/beer providers have been asked to be fully set-up by 1 PM, at which time the judges will begin their rounds. We could still use a couple of volunteers to accompany the 5 judging teams with extra cups, water and Matzos. Currently set to help with this are she-Pat, Judi M., Mrs. Dave Houseman. Two more “stewards” are still needed. Stewards will also be needed to retrieve pitchers of each of the five first-place winners from round 1 to be used by three of the BJCP judges in the Best of Show round, which will take place in our club tent.

If you are volunteering to pour beer or sell beer tickets, remember that you need to check-in at the volunteer tent upon your arrival at the Park and again 5-10 minutes before your shift begins. You get your four free tasting tickets back at the volunteer tent once you have completed your shift. If you are signed up to work during the last shift, you get your tasting tickets before you work. Remember to bring your own discreet personal drinking vessel and remember that it is an ABC violation to drink alcohol while serving it. If you have an empty, sanitized Cornelius keg, you might want to have it nearby in your car to help alleviate the brewers having to take partial kegs back home. Of course, my hope is that we sell out of beer completely!

At 8 PM, as much help as possible will be needed to break-down the club tent.

The following weekend, August 19-21, is Mash Out. Kelly & Esther and Dan & Linda are among the club veterans of this annual camp out and huge outdoor home brewers’ gathering on Popenoe’s mountain in Pennsylvania. The event is produced by B.U.R.P., one of the largest and most active home brew clubs in the nation. More info can be found at: http://burp.org/

The annual Oktoberfest/Craft Beer Festival in Bramwell, West Virginia is slated for Saturday, October 8th. This is a very laid-back festival with lots of food, music, beer and a heapin’ helpin’ of small-town charm. http://www.geocities.com/bramwelloktoberfest/

Your president presented a brief report on the first hop purchase made from American Hop Plugs – he and Bryan S. purchased 13 2-ounce packs of various varieties. The total with shipping came to about $52.00 The price we have been given is $3.60 per 2-ounce pack (4 plugs), with a minimum order of 10 2-ounce packs. Your president gave the American Hop Plug information to Chris from Blue Ridge Hydroponics & Home Brewing so he can investigate the retailing of the plugs.

Other Business: Kelly reported on his overhaul of Big Willee’s corpus. BW now has a brand new blue body complete with wheels. Many thanks to Kelly for undertaking BW’s body job! You go Kelly!

Kelly also led a discussion of BW’s cleaning needs and the supplies necessary to clean him after each use. It was decided by unanimous vote that the club should purchase the chemicals necessary to clean and sanitize BW so that the club member whose task it is to clean BW doesn’t have to exhaust their own personal cleaning supplies. Our guest, Chris, also offered to help scope out the prices on BLC and other cleansers to see if he can supply them to us at an acceptable cost.

She-Pat recognized the many ways and many times that Kelly and Esther have given of themselves and of what is theirs for the benefit and growth of the Star City Brewers Guild for about a half-dozen years. Noting that the next few months may be the last before Kelly and Esther make their permanent move to the beaches of North Carolina, she-Pat made a motion to award Kelly and Esther Lifetime Memberships in the Star City Brewers Guild. The motion was seconded and voted approved unanimously

After a brief break, the club tasted several commercial examples of the Oktoberfest/Marzen style. All agreed that our Marzen’s will probably be better. There was one interesting selection – a rauchbiere Marzen (smoked Marzen). With a taste reminiscent of bacon, hickory smoke or “liquid smoke,” this selection’s palatability was greatly improved when accompanied by she-Pat’s freshly picked tomatoes!

ALL MEMBERS: PLEASE DO YOUR BEST TO VOLUNTEER FOR AND SUPPORT THIS YEAR’S MICROFESTIVUS. WITH OVER 60 BEERS COMING, IT PROMISES TO BE THE BIGGEST AND BEST MICROFESTIVUS EVER! WE NEED YOU, TOO! VOLUNTEER THROUGH LINK BELOW:

http://www.squaresociety.org/services/Volunteers/Volunteers.asp?EventId=49050709082756

Patrick Kennerly
President
Star City Brewers Guild
Sunday, August 7, 2005

LAST CAMP OUT AT SOUTH FORK BREWERY! Sept. Meeting: Brew, Food, Competition and Kelly & Esther’s Farewell

Saturday, September 24th: a mostly cloudy but warm day with a persistent, westerly breeze. That was the weather for the Star City Brewers Guild’s final meeting at South Fork Brewery in Elliston. It is your president’s feeling that this, final campout meeting at Kelly & Esther’s had a bit of a blue note about it—and I don’t think that feeling came from the tunes filtering through the outside speakers. Kelly & Esther: words of thanks, no matter how plentiful or eloquent, could never express this club’s gratitude to you for your constant and generous hospitality and your tireless efforts on behalf of the SCBG from the moment you joined to this present time. You will be greatly missed.

The business meeting, nearly an hour late getting started, went fairly quickly. Patrick reported to the club about the plan to open a new club checking account at FNB Salem Bank & Trust on the City Market. Esther had already closed out the previous account and gave Patrick $636.16 to be deposited into the new account. Patrick also reported that he had asked Bryan S. to finish out the year as club treasurer, to which Bryan agreed.

Discussion of place for the October meeting included a report by Dan H. that the pontoon boat on Smith Mountain Lake on which we hope to hold the meeting October 15th, will only accommodate 18 people. Highly emphasized was the importance of planning ahead and getting firm and accurate attendance commitments from members before the October 15th meeting date. If the meeting looks to be too large for the boat, Dan & Linda stated that they have a back-up plan. Brief discussion of the November meeting resulted in Tad S. offering to host, if the details can be worked out. If the details don’t work out, the Pats will host. Ross and Nancy are exploring the possibility of hosting the December meeting, as they have done in past years. The dates for the November and December meetings are not yet finalized.

Patrick introduced the idea that we need to begin thinking about competition styles for 2006. A lively email discussion is encouraged so that we may come up with a list of nominated styles on which we can vote in November. Esther pointed out that we also need to start thinking about club officers for the next year, as the meeting for election of officers is in December.

Patrick briefly summarized the Microfestivus wrap-up meeting, which included reporting a NET profit of $18,275 for Microfestivus 2005, as compared with a NET Microfestivus 2004 profit of $8,425. Patrick reported that he had expressed to the Microfestivus committee the Guild’s concerns that, apart from Guild volunteers, the volunteer situation was pathetic. Patrick explicitly informed the Microfestivus committee that the Guild was ready to pull out of the event entirely because the lion’s share of the work on Microfestivus day is always done by the Guild. The Microfestivus committee expressed great concern that we might withdraw from the event and several of them stated that the Square Society could not produce the event without the Guild. Patrick also shared some of the many kudos and kind words expressed to the Guild by the brewers and distributors.

Kelly gave a short explanation describing the Beer Line Cleaner purchase and its usage and included the fact that one bottle was still available for purchase. Kelly and Joe informed the group about the “Straight A” and “One Step” chemicals which also have been received and are available to purchase.

At the beginning of the business meeting, there were 13 members and 1 guest present. We welcomed guest, Eric P., whose wife formerly worked with Fran of Blue Ridge Hydroponics and Homebrew Supply. Before the meeting was over, Eric had expressed his intent to join.

After a 20-minute break, the judging of the members’ Oktoberfest/Marzen entries began. In the first round, two tables of judges evaluated 11 beers, selecting 5 to be passed along to the second round of judging. After considerable deliberation, the three brewers who were awarded trophies were: Ross (3rd); Paul M. (2nd); and Patrick (1st). Many thanks go to Bryan P. who stewarded and to she-Pat who coordinated the competition. There wasn’t a glitch in this quarter’s competition and it was largely due to she-Pat’s advance preparation and Bryan P.’s stellar stewarding!

First round scores, which count toward Brewer of the Year, will be forwarded to Chuck so that he may include them in the overall BOTY picture.

By the end of the competition, several more members had arrived and the remainder of the afternoon saw the inclusion of numerous friends wishing to help send Kelly & Esther off in style. Kelly’s prime rib and roasted vegetables (cooked on his new sooper-dooper, stainless steel, 17,000 BTU grill, rotisserie and barbecue monument) were a hit and disappeared in a flash. Dan’s Frogmoor, low-country stew was savory, spicy and delicious. In fact, all the wonderful variety of eats brought by members and guests were sumptuous. My condolences to those who missed this meeting. Even the bonfire was special.

Don’t forget: Bramwell Oktoberfest in Bramwell, West Virginia is from 2 PM to ? on Saturday, October 8th. There is a homebrew competition (Dave F. took Best of Show last year). If you’d like to submit an entry (open to any style — except talk to Dan about this) and you can’t go, contact Patrick.

Meanwhile,

Brew on!

Patrick Kennerly
President
Sept. 25, 2005

SML’S WHITECAPS NO MATCH FOR CAPTAIN DAN!

Whether windward or leeward, the persistent Autumn breeze and accompanying choppy waters did not deter Captain Dan from piloting the inaugural SCBG floating meeting into the history books!

14 members, including the Captain and his first mate, set out from Captain’s Quarters marina at about 2:30 PM on Saturday, October 15th. Dan & Linda’s tri-pontoon watercraft provided an excellent setting for our mobile meeting, which was held as Dan piloted us in and out of less windy coves.

Patrick officially handed over the club checkbook to new Treasurer, Bryan S. Club treasury as of the time of the meeting stood at $664.16. We are still awaiting an $85 invoice from the Port-o-John folks in Christiansburg for the Fall Camp Out johnny.

Members who need to transact business with the club, such as purchasing One-Step or Straight-A, should contact Bryan S. in order to make payment. Joe W. mentioned that there was about 10 lbs. of One-Step still available and quite a bit of Straight-A remaining.

Dave F. has volunteered to host the November meeting on Saturday, Nov. 12th. Meeting time will be announced via email, but will likely be early afternoon. December meeting is still a question and we await more information from Ross and Nancy as to their availability. If Blacksburg doesn’t work out, the Pats have offered their home for the December gathering.

Dan gave us a thorough report on Bramwell’s Oktoberfest, including the news that Ross was pressed into service as a homebrew judge. Dan’s hard cider won a ribbon in the specialty category. That same hard cider was shared among the floating membership and it was awesome. Way to go, Skipper!

Patrick reported the delay in providing a beer/food pairing dinner at Michael Bowling’s Bistro on Campbell. ABC licensing issues are to blame and must be overcome in order for the event to occur.

Many nautical miles were covered during a very lively discussion about the Microfestivus event and whether or not the SCBG should continue the role it has played in the festival over the past 4 years. After all was said and done (and email votes considered), it was decided that the Guild would continue to be part of Microfestivus under the following provisions: that the Square Society acknowledge in fact and in all press releases and ads that the Microfestivus event is produced by the Square Society AND Star City Brewers Guild as equal partners; that the Guild’s primary responsibilities the day of the event will be to help set up and to steward the competition—not to tap beer or clean up. It will be the Square Society’s responsibility to obtain the necessary volunteers to handle beer pouring and clean up. It was further agreed that Guild members with appropriate skills would assist she-Pat in the production of print materials and in those areas of preparation for the competition where she-Pat needs help.

The business meeting being completed about 4 PM, Captain Dan steered us toward the home marina. However, none of the SCBG sailors aboard desired to return to land that soon, so our Skipper headed out into open water and a most enjoyable and entertaining Fall cruise ensued. After several adventures involving hat rescue, mansion envy, and ex surveillance, the gang of 14 made their way up the waters of the Roanoke river, under the Hales Ford Bridge and were safely returned to the marina where this most unique Guild meeting had begun. Thank you Dan and Linda for an extraordinary hosting job.

Of course, after a lively afternoon of nautical adventuring, these SCBG sailors were some hungry folk. In short order, most of the group descended upon the local hot spot (Moosie’s) where a very patient and attentive waitress served up numerous orders of prime rib and beverage. It was a very fine day, indeed.

Patrick Kennerly
President
Star City Brewers Guild
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005

NOV 05

[Scbg] President’s Notes December 2005 Meeting SCBG

Those who were able to brave ice and cold Saturday afternoon, December 10th, found a warm home, some excellent cuisine, a wide variety of very fine homebrews and the exceedingly good company of a merry band of homebrewers. A total of 17 adults and three little elves gathered at the Pats’ home for the final meeting of the Star City Brewers Guild for the year 2005.

Two newcomers attended this festive gathering and joined the Guild even before the business meeting began. A warm welcome to Jeff and Cindy Fries, our newest members. Jeff has been homebrewing for over 15 years, but only recently learned about the club through Fran and Chris Arthur at Blue Ridge Hydroponics and Homebrew Supply.

Bryan S. was busy in his role as Treasurer; he gave a report on the balance in the club account ($400 plus) but also took in dues money for 2006 and made a couple of reimbursements. Remember, it is time to pay your MEMBERSHIP DUES, if you have not already done so. $15/year for a single membership and $20/year for a couple.

Patrick asked for a volunteer to host the January meeting of the Guild and Bryan P. stepped forward. The time and date for that meeting will be announced via email and will be posted on the club website. Bryan P. and his lovely wife, Sue, live in Vinton, which is where we will meet for the first gathering of 2006.

Patrick shared with the group some news about a new restaurant that has opened on the corner of Kirk Ave., and 1st Street downtown. It is called “Martin’s.” The two Pats have been talking with owner, Jason Martin, about craft brewed beer. Jason wants to keep several micros on tap and he wanted feedback from our group — obviously, he wants our business also. He is familiar with Dogfish Head and wants to keep one on tap all the time. Patrick gave Jason contact info for Specialty Beverage, Legendary Distributors and Starr Beverage.

Patrick also informed the group of a new development taking place at P.A. Short distributing: P.A. Short has recently signed a contract to be the exclusive area distributor for Magic Hat Brewing Company out of Vermont. Magic Hat beers (especially their flagship, “#9”) are very popular in Maryland and D.C. as well as the Northeast. P.A. Short’s contract calls for the distributor to establish a number of Magic Hat draught accounts as well as bottle sales. Want an interesting experience? Visit Magic Hat Brewing Company’s website.

She-Pat made a motion from the floor: in recognition for her tireless work at Guild meetings and functions, that Judie M. be awarded an honorary membership for life. The motion was quickly seconded and was passed unanimously. Judie has stewarded countless Guild competitions as well as being an essential volunteer at Microfestivus and AmRhein’s events.

Next up was Election of Officers for 2006. Judie collected the secret ballots, tallied them together with the absentee votes cast prior to the meeting and announced the Guild members elected to serve in the year 2006: Patrick K. elected President; Bryan S. elected Vice President. Patrick announced that he will appoint a new Treasurer to take Bryan’s place after the first of the year.

After a brief break to set up tables for the Mead competition, six judges (at two tables) were selected to judge the Meads in Round One. During the judging of the Meads forwarded from Round One at the Round Two judging table, it was discovered that two members’ Meads had been omitted from the First Round judging. Those two Meads were judged by the Second Round team of judges and their scores were evaluated for both first and second rounds. In all, eight Meads were judged. After much deliberation, the Mead winners were announced: 3rd Place went to Bryan P., 2nd Place went to Tad S. and 1st Place was awarded to Doug M.

With the First Round Mead scores determined, Judie and She-Pat set about calculating the cumulative points for the Brewer of the Year award. The results:

3rd Runner Up was Jim Kelly; 2nd Runner Up was Patrick K. and Brewer of the Year for 2005 is Tad Seyler! Congratulations, Tad. Well brewed!

Festivities continued for some time after all business was concluded. Somewhere in the early evening hours Kelly called from North Carolina. He wished us all Holiday Cheer, wanted to know how his Mead had fared (his response: expletive deleted) and told us he had room in his backyard in North Carolina to host a campout! Esther could occasionally be heard cheering in the background. He asked your President to pass along contact numbers for himself and Esther. Kelly’s cell: 910-200-3399. Esther’s cell (her business phone): 910-228-2984. At present, they do not have a land line.

A reminder — the four styles for 2006 quarterly club competitions are: March, Dry Stout; June, American Amber Ale; September, Belgian Dubbel; December, 80-shilling Scottish Ale. Happy brewing to all and to all a good pint!

Patrick Kennerly
President
December 11, 2005