Rick-
I just forwarded the invite from Surly - they did not provide their address
in their email. But for you, I'll look it up.... ;-D
- Al
>From Surly:
Our location is 4811 Dusharme Drive in beautiful Brooklyn Center, MN,
55429. We are just south of 694 and Highway 100, just off of France Ave
North.
Here is the link to mapquest directions. Google does not have the correct
directions, so use mapquest!
Mapquest Directions
Directions: We are located just off of highway 100. So, you need to get to
highway 100., there are exits off of 494, 62, 55, 394/94 and 694. If you
are taking 94, go via 394, not 694. There is no exit to 100 from 94/694
West!
>From 494, 62, 55, 394/94:
Take highway 100 north.
Take the exit at France Ave N.
At the top of the ramp, take a right.
Take a quick left onto 47th Ave.
Take a left onto Drew Ave.
Take a right on 48th Ave. Keep following around the corner, the street name
changes to Dusharme Drive for some strange reason.
Follow this street all the way to the end. We are located at the dead end.
Currently we have a sign outside for Surly Brewing.
Enter the first door on the building that says Far East Trading/Sparky
Abrasives.
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Rick Oftel Rick.Oftel(a)toro.com
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 08:29:04 -0500
To: alboyce(a)bigfoot.com
Subject: RE: SURLY BREWING OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEK!
Hey Al, We missed you at the big brew but were able to survive.
I would like to stop over to Surly tomorrow afternoon and it would be
helpful on messages like this to include a link or address.
Many of us are restricted on internet site surfing and Surly is one of
those forbidden sites here at Toro. At home, I am going 100 miles an
hour with firewood, beer filtration, and a host of upcoming events. I
actually ran out of clean cornies however I do have a few "empties."
Thanks Al,
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: mba-bounce(a)thebarn.com [mailto:mba-bounce@thebarn.com] On Behalf
Of Al Boyce
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:55 AM
To: mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com
Subject: FW: SURLY BREWING OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEK!
-----Original Message-----
From: beer(a)surlybrewing.com [mailto:beer@surlybrewing.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 7:37 AM
To: alboyce(a)bigfoot.com
Subject: SURLY BREWING OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEK!
Hello Surly Nation
One last reminder,
Our open house is this Friday 4-8 and Saturday noon-4. Directions and
info
are on our TOURS page and there is a link to Mapquest directions.
Stop on by and check out Minnesota's newest brewery!
Omar
To be removed from all of our mailing lists, click here:
https://www.surlybrewing.com/mailinglists/mailinglists.php?p=mlist&rem=a
lboy
ce(a)bigfoot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
If anyone wants some 22 oz bottles, please let me know. A friend bought
6 to 8 cases of these from Vine Park a few years ago but now has no
need. It would be a shame to have these end up in the recycling bin.
They are located near Ridgedale mall.
rick
Newsletter from the Praiarie Homebrewing Companions in Fargo
-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Ruud [mailto:susan.ruud@ndsu.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11:42 AM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: BlowOff - May, 2006
Hi, Attached is this months BlowOff - it is a little larger than normal
so
hopefully everyone will be able to read it.
One change to note is that the May meeting is NOT tonight but is at the
Baer
ranch on Saturday - details in BlowOff.
Cheers,
Susan
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==============================================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: beer(a)surlybrewing.com [mailto:beer@surlybrewing.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 7:37 AM
To: alboyce(a)bigfoot.com
Subject: SURLY BREWING OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEK!
Hello Surly Nation
One last reminder,
Our open house is this Friday 4-8 and Saturday noon-4. Directions and info
are on our TOURS page and there is a link to Mapquest directions.
Stop on by and check out Minnesota's newest brewery!
Omar
To be removed from all of our mailing lists, click here:
https://www.surlybrewing.com/mailinglists/mailinglists.php?p=mlist&rem=alboy
ce(a)bigfoot.com
Rick here with a quick "Thank You" to the participants, assistants,
onlookers, food and beverage providers, and brewers at our Big Brew
event. If I left a category out, please add it in. The event went very
well although Mr. and Mrs. Yours Truly were a little busy. The shared
food was excellent as always. I think we heated about 80 gallons of
water in the basement and the kitchen and likely produced just as much
bitter wort in the back yard.
We hope you had a good time and learned a bit or met a few folks. I
learned a bunch about that monster-mash system and think the owners may
allow us to possibly use this equipment at future events! Personally, I
really like the way it shows off the simplicity of all grain brewing and
enjoyed the "J" stroke needed when mixing the mash.
The only thing we discovered is a spare rectangular Pyrex container and
white cover. Send me an e-mail and I will send you the container.
What I forgot to do was to tally up all the brews and enter them into
the internet site. If you could be so kind, please send me a message
about your total volume.
Thanks again for your participation and for ordering up such great
weather.
Sincerely,
Rick Oftel
MHBA Brewer at Large
>
> Original Message:
> -----------------
> From: BJCP Education Director education_director(a)bjcp.org
> Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 15:12:54 -0500
> To: sphbc(a)sphbc.org
> Subject: June Beer Charity dealy
>
>
> Boyz,
>
> A friend of mine has organized a beer charity event called Brewing for
> a Cause. Its put on by the Smile Network Int (www.smilenetwork.org)
> Its a 3 hour booze up with a silent auction with tons of cool stuff.
>
> Here is the info:
>
> When: Wed, June 28th 7-10pm
> Where: Solera Restaurant
> Cost: $15
> Breweries include:
> Newcastle, Woodchuck, Breckenridge, Finnegans, Town Hall, Boulevard,
> Schells, Grain Belt, Summit, Glueks, Kronenbourg 1664 and
> finally...BELLS!!!!!!!!
>
> Set you calendars and Ill get back with you with the details shortly.
> Come on ya pukes, its only $15 for 3 hours of drinking and it goes
> towards a good cause. Also, if I right, you can right it off your
> taxes as a donation b/c 100% of the profits go to the charity.
>
> Cheers
>
> Kris
>
>
> --
> Skål,
>
> Kristen England
> President St Paul Home Brewers Club
> BJCP Continuing Education Director
> www.bjcp.org
> www.bjcp.org/cep
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> sphbc mailing list
> sphbc(a)sphbc.org
> http://sphbc.org/mailman/listinfo/sphbc_sphbc.org
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .
>
>
We have received the results for the Midwest qualifying round of the AHA
National Homebrew Competition. We had several winners from the MhBA! In
addition to winning in the qualifying round, these brewers are also
invited to enter their beers in the final round in Orlando, Florida in
June. Congratulations! Also, congratulations to everyone who entered
their beers! The Iowa Brewers Union will be shipping out scoresheets in
the next week or so.
2nd - Cat 10. American Ales - Chris Smith
2nd - Cat 20. Fruit Beers - Al Boyce
3rd - Cat 24. Traditional Mead - Steve Piatz
2nd - Cat 29. New Brewer - Chris Smith, John Messier, Corrine Dallas
Complete results for the first round are available at:
http://www.beertown.com/events/nhc/1st_round.html
Also, congratulations are in order to our friends from the Prairie
Homebrewing Companions and the Saint Paul Homebrewing Club, who also had a
fabulous showing at the competition!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Privacy Notice. This e-mail, and any attachments, contains information that is, or may be, covered by electronic communications privacy laws, and is also confidential and proprietary in nature. If you are not the intended recipient, please be advised that you are legally prohibited from retaining, using, copying, distributing, or otherwise disclosing this information in any manner. Instead, please reply to the sender that you have received this communication in error, and then immediately delete it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
==============================================================================
The May 2006 issue of The BOILER, the newsletter of the Minnesota Home
Brewers Association, is online at:
http://www.mnbrewers.com/newsletters/2006/2006_05.pdf
Download it now for details about the club meeting at Rick Oftel's house
this Saturday, May 6th, from 10am-6pm.
- Al
As many of you are probably aware a number of us have been brewing some
beverages (beers and meads) and aging them in used bourbon barrels. The
barrels are large (over 50 gallons each) so a number of folks each brew
the same thing (from the same recipe at least) and once it is fermented
out we blend the batches into the barrel for some aging. This group is
also expanding their range of barrels to include a used French oak wine
barrel.
To expand the opportunities for more people to participate in this type
of experimental brewing I am going to make a barrel available for a
group of folks to try this with. In this case the barrel is yet another
59 gallon used French oak wine barrel. The barrel cost $100 so following
the model we have used on the other project the cost of the barrel would
be spread over the individual brewers. Due to the size of the barrel 12
or probably 13 brewers each making 5 gallons of the recipe will be
needed to fill the barrel and to reserve a couple of gallons to top up
the barrel during the aging.
For the other barrel team the interested brewers first meet to discuss
and sample some candidate beverages for the barrel. Once the group
selects a style the group appoints a leader to formulate the recipe that
everyone will brew. The beverage is brewed and on the appointed date
everyone meets at the location of the barrel to sample the batches and
to fill the barrel. After the appointed aging time (determined by
periodic sampling) the group again meets to remove the liquid from the
barrel. At this point the group should also be ready with the next
beverage to go into the barrel.
I would be willing participate in the new group setup for this barrel
and perhaps one or two folks from the other group would be willing to
participate to help transfer the knowledge but the idea is to get yet
another group started up.
I would like someone on this new team to volunteer to provide a "home"
for the barrel. A basement is good, an unheated garage is probably not a
good idea in our climate. Realize the barrel really isn't very movable
when full. It is also heavy when full, think 80-100# for the barrel plus
the weight of 59 gallons of the beer/mead.
The guidance for the supplier of this barrel says that as long as we
take proper care of the barrel it should last at least 15 years. That
means this barrel can be used to age many batches of different beverages
and if you look at the recent issue of Wine Maker magazine they even
have suggestions on how to recondition the barrel later on. Further,
only $100 for a French oak barrel is considered a good price even if it
has been used.
If you are interested in participating in this project send me email and
I'll coordinate the initial team creation and then transfer the barrel
and control over to the team.
--
Steve Piatz
I just don't understand why people won't let go of Cuvee Rene. It's a shadow of its former self. Tasted like grapefruit juice at the Belgian event last year.
~jcs
-----Original Message-----
>From: Zemo <zemo(a)BUYVICTORY.COM>
>Sent: May 3, 2006 7:02 AM
>To: CBS-HB(a)LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
>Subject: Lambics: Beers Gone Wild
>
>You know the routine...
>
>Z
>
>May 3, 2006
>Ales of The Times
>Lambics: Beers Gone Wild
>By ERIC ASIMOV
>MANY wine lovers tend to think of beer as something monolithic, just as
>modern art or rap music seem all the same to those who choose not to embrace
>those subjects. Connoisseurs can rhapsodize for hours over the minute
>differences between neighboring vineyards in Morey-St.-Denis and
>Chambolle-Musigny, but beer? Just as long as it's cold.
>
>To be frank, that's a position of blindness and should not inspire pride.
>Would you only eat meat and never try fish? We all know people like that,
>and we laugh at them. But people who drink only wine and won't touch beer?
>They're considered sophisticated. Excuse me while I chuckle.
>
>Now, I'm not attacking preferences here, only the refusal to consider
>alternatives. If you have explored beer and decided it's not for you, well,
>I toast your open mind. But if you have exiled beers to parts unknown, I
>have a radical proposal: Take the time to seek out and try a few lambic
>beers from Belgium and tell me if these are not as complex and distinctive
>as many fine wines.
>
>What makes this radical? Even many beer drinkers know little about lambic
>beer. It's perhaps the most unusual beer around, truly made in the
>old-fashioned way. It is not at all easy to find. You will most likely have
>to seek out a shop specializing in great beers of the world, but I assure
>you it is worth the effort.
>
>Modern breweries today are generally antiseptic environments in which
>brewers seek absolute control over the chemistry of fermentation. You can
>imagine them in their lab coats, selecting the proper strains of
>scientifically prepared yeasts to create the precise flavors and aromas they
>desire. But lambic beers are made as they were centuries before Pasteur,
>when the process of fermentation seemed to be a miracle rather than a
>controlled reaction. Instead of managing fermentation, the lambic brewer
>leaves it to nature. Wild yeasts, along with just about anything else in the
>air, shepherd the brew on its path to beerhood, converting barley and wheat
>sugars into alcohol, producing fascinating and, dare I say, wine-like beers.
>
>The Dining section's tasting panel recently embarked on a lambic journey.
>Florence Fabricant and I were joined by two guests, Tony Forder,
>co-publisher and editor of Ale Street News, a consumer publication, and
>Jason Bezmen, sommelier and manager of Cafe d'Alsace, an Alsatian restaurant
>on the Upper East Side that offers an extensive beer list. We tried 25 beers
>that call themselves lambic, and if that sounds as if I am hedging a little
>about these beers, it's because I am.
>
>Traditionally, lambic is a style of wheat beer, made with a combination of
>malted barley and unmalted wheat. Hops are added not for the sake of
>bitterness, as they are in many beers, but to act as a preservative. The
>brew ferments in barrels, like certain examples of that other fermented
>beverage, and evolves into a dry, almost sour beer with a fresh, lively
>acidity and an appealing funkiness. As the brew ages, it mellows and takes
>on a rich, fruity complexity.
>
>You rarely see straight lambics. Generally, young and aged lambics are
>blended, and the result is called gueuze (pronounced GURZ-uh). Blends in
>which the young lambic dominates tend to be almost sparkling in their pure,
>tart, almost smoky dry flavors and are wonderfully refreshing, not unlike a
>young blanc de blancs Champagne combined with some sauvignon blanc. An older
>gueuze develops a mild, almost transparent dry fruitiness like what you
>might find in a fine blanc de noirs Champagne. The mixture of older and
>younger lambics causes a second fermentation in the bottle, just as in
>Champagne, which creates its crisp carbonation.
>
>Our No. 2 gueuze, the Lindemans Cuv�e Ren�, seemed to be very much in the
>aged gueuze school, with wonderful raspberry aromas that combined with a
>sort of earthiness. Our No. 1 gueuze, the Cantillon organic, had more of a
>refreshing, younger lambic element to it, detectable in its citrus edge.
>
>An old tradition in the Senne Valley of Belgium, the center of lambic
>production, is to steep fruit in the beers, most often cherries to produce
>kriek, or raspberries to make framboise. The fruit renews the fermentation
>as the yeast in the brew devours the sugar in the fruit. The result is a
>beer of stark, penetrating dryness in which the essence of the fruit rings
>out in a kaleidoscope of bitter, mineral, earthy flavors.
>
>The Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek, an unusual vintage lambic, was fascinating.
>Like a good red Burgundy, it seemed to change continually in the glass. The
>Hanssens Oude Kriek was smooth, with perhaps a little sweetness, yet it too
>had a welcome complexity, as did the Drie Fonteinen, which had the distinct
>aroma of sour cherries and minerally, tart nuances. The Boon Framboise was
>well balanced between funk and fruitiness.
>
>These traditional lambics are made with many other fruits as well. Cantillon
>even makes one provocatively called Vigneronne, with muscat grapes, which
>has a wonderful dry, tart fruitiness.
>
>Now here's the sticky part, and the reason I hedged before in terming all
>these beers lambic. As in any community of passionate devotees, serious
>debate rages over what constitutes authentic lambic beer. This debate
>focuses on the most popular style, which has penetrated the beer market
>right down to the deli level. I'm speaking of the sweet fruit lambic beers,
>which often depart from the traditional methods by adding fruit juice or
>syrup to the brew, resulting in a sweet, sometimes cloying beer.
>
>In making these sweet beers, some brewers are said to use prepared yeasts
>rather than practicing spontaneous fermentation - the benchmark of a lambic
>beer. Other questions arise, over which breweries pasteurize and filter
>their beers, also no-no's, and which actually blend only a small percentage
>of lambic into conventionally produced beer, rather than only using lambic
>beer. The vagueness of the Belgian beer regulations allows brewers to take
>these shortcuts, says Tim Webb, author of "Good Beer Guide to Belgium"
>(Gardners Books, 2005).
>
>To raise a glass, say, of the De Troch Apricot Chapeau, a sweet but
>delicious beer, is to enter a hornets' nest of tenaciously opinionated beer
>lovers who question whether these beers qualify as lambic. De Troch, for
>example, uses fruit juice to flavor its brew. Although Mr. Forder questioned
>the level of its sweetness, we found it tremendously appealing, with a
>spicy, nutty fruit flavor.
>
>As much as we liked the apricot beer, both the Van Honsebrouck St. Louis
>Framboise and De Troch's Kriek Chapeau had more of a lambic character to
>them, with a tart core offering a counterpoint to the sweetness of the
>fruit. And the Cassis from Lindemans, makers of a popular framboise and
>kriek, which you can sometimes find in corner delis, had a balance to it
>that we did not find in its other sweet fruit beers.
>
>Is there a place for these sweet brews? Of course. They can be delicious.
>
>Should they be called lambics? I will say only that the sweet brews don't
>approach the complexity or character of the dry lambics, although they can
>certainly be enjoyed for what they are. If you think that sounds like
>somebody trying to avoid an internecine beer dispute, well, with such powers
>of perception you are clearly worthy of appreciating the nuances of a fine
>gueuze.
>
>One final point: It is a lot easier and far more affordable to taste the
>best beers in the world than the best wines. Beers like the Cantillon
>Organic Gueuze are the finest examples of their style. Though $12 may sound
>like a lot for a bottle of beer, even a big one, not when you gauge it
>against the quality of most $12 bottles of wine. Tradition, terroir (if I
>may say that about a beer), a historical connection to brewers of the 16th
>century and a transcendent bottle. Who knew what $12 could buy.
>
>Tasting Report: Fruity and Complex, Whether Tart or Sweet
>
>GUEUZE
>
>Cantillon Organic Gueuze
>$12, 25.4 oz., ***
>Smoky, funky and refreshing with lemon flavors that get more complex and
>fruity in the glass. (Shelton Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.)
>
>Lindemans Gueuze Cuv�e Ren�
>$9, 25.4 oz., ***
>Intense aroma of wild raspberries and citrus; tart, funky and complex.
>(Merchant du Vin, Tukwila, Wash.)
>
>Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze
>$13, 25.4 oz., **
>Smoky, lemony and tart; very refreshing with lingering flavors. (Shelton
>Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.)
>
>Boon Mariage Parfait Oude Geuze
>$12, 12.7 oz., **
>Tart, sour and funky, yet refreshing, distinctive and lingering. (Vanberg &
>DeWulf, Cooperstown, N.Y.)
>
>DRY FRUIT LAMBIC
>
>Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 2003
>$22, 25.4 oz., ***�
>Bright red with aromas of tart cherries, citrus and wax; fascinating
>complexity with subtle, dry and persistent flavors. (Shelton Brothers,
>Belchertown, Mass.)
>
>Hanssens Oude Kriek
>$13, 25.4 oz., ***�
>Ruddy, with stony, tart cherry and fruit flavors; great acidity, yet goes
>down smoothly. (B. United International, Chappaqua, N.Y.)
>
>Boon Framboise
>$7.50, 12 oz., ***
>Dry, balanced and complex, with plenty of fruit and funkiness. (Vanberg &
>DeWulf, Cooperstown, N.Y.)
>
>Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek
>$16, 25.4 oz., ***
>Dark red with aroma of sour cherries; tart and minerally, with great depth
>of flavor. (Shelton Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.)
>
>SWEET FRUIT LAMBIC
>
>De Troch Apricot Chapeau
>$6, 12 oz., ***�
>Golden, with complex fruit and nut flavor almost like Turkish delight; very
>sweet yet not cloying. (Noble Union Trading, Houston)
>
>Van Honsebrouck St. Louis Framboise
>$6, 12.7 oz., ***
>Aromas of raspberry and black cherry; sweet yet balanced with a tart, funky
>core of flavor. (Wetten Importers, Lorton, Va.)
>
>De Troch Kriek Chapeau
>$6, 12 oz., ***
>Intense cherry and floral aromas; very sweet but with a tart edge that stops
>it short of cloying. (Noble Union Trading, Houston)
>
>Lindemans Cassis
>$10.30, 25.4 oz., **�
>Dark red with bright, very sweet fruit flavors; like dessert. (Merchant du
>Vin, Tukwila, Wash.)
>
>(NYTimes Dining & Wine Section)
