OCTOBER MHBA MEETING: CSPS HALL
St.Paul, MN - WED, OCT 10, 6-9pm
The October meeting of the Minnesota Home Brewers Association will be held at the CSPS Hall at 383 Michigan St, St.Paul, MN 55102 on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6pm-9pm. The Technical Topic will be "Is the Beer Judge Certification Program for me?" - special guest speaker will be Gordon Strong, National President of the BJCP. There will be an Oktoberfest competition and a pot luck.
The Style of the Month for October is American Brown Ale - so if you have one brewed, bring it along and join the Style of the Month Club awards program. If you have a Bock or a Berliner Weisse that you did not bring in to September's Style of the Month, bring those in too. (Any other beers, ciders or meads you'd like to bring for evaluation would be welcome also!)
FYI/FYE
As our friends in Madison pointed out, the "money quote"
with respect to (w/r/to) the merger is this one:
Pete Coors, the vice chairman of Molson Coors, said in a statement today. .Creating a stronger U.S. brewer will help us meet these challenges, compete more effectively and provide U.S. consumers with more choice, greater product availability and increased innovation..
Cheers,
Jim
October 9, 2007
Miller and Molson Coors to Merge in U.S.
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
SABMiller and Molson Coors announced today that will merge their United States and Puerto Rican operations in an effort to better compete against Anheuser-Busch and the increasing popularity of wine and other spirits.
The joint venture, which will be known as MillerCoors, places several of the nation.s most recognizable beer brands under a single concern. Miller will hold a controlling 58 percent stake in the venture, though the companies will split voting interest.
The companies said they expect to save $500 million in annual costs from the deal, which is expected to close at the end of the year. The companies estimate net revenue of the businesses at $6.6 billion.
.This transaction is driven by the profound changes in the U.S. alcohol beverage industry that are confronting both of our companies with new challenges,. Pete Coors, the vice chairman of Molson Coors, said in a statement today. .Creating a stronger U.S. brewer will help us meet these challenges, compete more effectively and provide U.S. consumers with more choice, greater product availability and increased innovation..
Shares of Molson Coors shares were up 9 percent in morning trading, at $55.62, while SABMiller rose 2.6 percent in midday London trading.
Both companies face formidable competition in the American market from arch rival Anheuser-Busch, the country.s largest brewer.
SABMiller.s brands include Miller genuine Draft, Milwaukee.s Best and imported drinks like Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquel. Molson Coors brews Molson Canadian, Carling, Coors and Keystone Light, among other brands.
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
In case you Mead makers did not get to read this:
Cheers!
~Brian
After the alarm, just a healthy buzz
BY TOM WEBB
Pioneer Press
TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated:10/02/2007 11:47:52 PM CDT
When last we heard from honeybees, the buzz was bad.
A new ailment had emerged over the winter, causing bee colonies to
mysteriously flee, and fueling scary stories about the vanishing
honeybee - and the threat to crops that depend on bees for pollination.
But Minnesota's honeybees are still here. In fact, most honeybees
thrived this summer, state beekeepers report. Minnesota's crops were
richly pollinated. Apples, berries and pumpkins are abundant. There's
even plenty of honey here in America's No. 5 honey-producing state.
To be sure, Colony Collapse Disorder remains a real worry. But for now,
state bee experts can't identify a confirmed case of it here this
summer.
"A lot of beekeepers lose colonies, but it could be a lot of things ...
but the Colony Collapse specifically, I have not heard at all, no," said
Katie Klett, a University of Minnesota bee specialist. "Drought was the
biggest problem I heard about this year."
Dan Pasche is the state apiary inspector for the Minnesota Department of
Agriculture. If the syndrome were spreading through Minnesota this
summer, he'd probably have seen it.
"I'm not aware of any this summer," he said. "There was at least one
beekeeper who talked about some losses last year in his bees ... but
they appear to have recovered pretty well over the summer."
Beekeeping is usually the quietest of ventures, and most Minnesotans
probably don't realize the state ranks among the bee queens. Here are
backyard hobbyists, huge commercial honeybee operations that truck bees
nationwide, and everything in between. Despite the drought, many report
good years.
"I got 80 pounds of honey this year, which is as much as I've ever
gotten in the past," said Kris Miller, a Washington County beekeeper.
Among her colleagues, "a lot of people actually had a pretty good honey
harvest," she said.
David Ellingson, an Ortonville beekeeper and past president of the
Minnesota Honey Producers, told Congress this spring about losing 65
percent of his bees while wintering in Texas. Now back in Minnesota,
he's still having problems among his 3,400 hives.
"We did see probably 20 percent of our colonies go from excellent to
poor, at the end of June and into July," Ellingson said. "Some of them
have rebounded, and others have gone away."
Losing bee colonies is one of the gloomy facts of life for beekeepers,
and over the years, bee losses have been worsening. Bee mites, viruses
and pesticides have taken a toll.
"Twenty-five years ago, if you lost 5 to 7 percent of your bees (during
the winter), that would be normal," Ellingson said. "But today, we look
at normal as being 20 percent."
But what alarmed folks last winter were reports of spotty but enormous
losses, in a pattern not seen before: eggs were laid, the queen bees
remained, but the thousands of adult bees had simply vanished. Dubbed
Colony Collapse Disorder, it surfaced most often in the South and on the
coasts.
Nobody knew the cause, but lots of theories were floated. The catchiest:
Cell phones were somehow to blame.
"We know it's not cell phones," said Klett, who added that, "in the
scientific community, that was never a possibility." But it did grab
lots of media attention.
Honeybees play a crucial role in the U.S. food system, pollinating crops
from alfalfa to zucchini. Based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data,
there's no evidence of a falloff in crop production in Minnesota this
summer. The crop of apples, which depends on honeybees, actually
increased this year.
Since last spring, scientists have identified an imported virus that
appears linked to collapsed colonies. They're also examining a long list
of other suspects, including a class of insecticides and an array of bee
diseases. Beekeeping practices are coming under scrutiny, too.
"We've got a 50-piece puzzle here, and we've only got 10 pieces that we
know are going on," Ellingson said. "There's too many unknowns."
Klett, whose family runs a North Dakota farm breeding queen bees, said
it suffered big losses in 2006. Yet 2007 was "the best year we've ever
had," she said, with production "through the roof."
So it's a riddle and a concern. Winter will test the state's honeybees
again. But thus far, they're hanging tough.
"What's great is that I'm getting a lot of questions from the general
public that I'd never gotten before," said Miller, the Washington County
beekeeper who also is president of the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers
Association. "It's nice to see people concerned about a bee - whereas
before, they'd just kill it. So I like that part."
---
Brian Hatcher
Sr. Master Scheduler
C.P.I.M.
Email: brian_hatcher(a)Xiotech.com
Office: 952 983 2466
Fax: 952 983 2488
Xiotech Corporation
6455 Flying Cloud Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
www.xiotech.com : www.xiotech.com/demo : Toll-Free 866 472 6764
As we all contemplate GABF, it's also time to think about the CBS Spooky
Brew Review homebrew competiton.
Entries are being accepted NOW. Entry deadline October 19. Out-of-area
judges and stewards can bring their entries with them IF they submit
forms and payment by the deadline. This is another stop on the way to
Midwest Homebrewer Of The Year, and inestimable honor and glory. See
http://www.chibeer.org for details, forms, and a list of drop-off
locations. Please, please no styrofoam peanuts! Bubble wrap is much
prefered, and is entertaining to the easily-amused unpacking crew as
well.
Judging will be all day, Saturday October 27, at Rock Bottom Downtown
Chicago. Lunch will be provided. This is a BJCP/AHA official competiton,
and points will be posted immediately, using BJCP's new web site which
makes that very easy for us organizers. Untested novice judges welcome -
all that I ask of novice judges is that you spell your last AND FIRST
names exactly the same way every time, because that's the only way BJCP
can match up your points until you take the test. Judges in costume will
be given their first choice of category!
Register to judge or steward by sending email to roger(a)chibeer.org. Let
me know if you can judge morning, afternoon, or both, and whether or not
you're coming in appropriate seasonal costume.
Public transit to the judging site is plentiful, and recommended.
Details will be provided to registered judges.
Please forward this message to other homebrew club lists.
Roger Deschner roger(a)chibeer.org
== "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy." =
============================= --Tom Waits ==============================
Recognized or higher judges can get a free name badge at the following:
http://www.bjcp.org/badge.html
--
//Mike Behrendt
MGBrew(a)comcast.net
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others. Groucho Marx
Entries for Hoppy Halloween can be dropped off at two locations in the
Twin Cities before 3PM Saturday, October 6th.
Entries MUST be COMPLETELY READY for transport to Fargo......this means
labeled, forms enclosed etc.
You can drop them off at Northern Brewer (you all know where that is) or
at my house in Eden Prairie.
My address is:
9060 Douglas Drive
Eden Prairie
952 949 2268
It's north of Pioneer Trail, west of Eden Prairie Road.
//Mike Behrendt
MGBrew(a)comcast.net
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others. Groucho Marx
We want to thank everyone for a great time this year! The Minnesota
Craft Brewer's Guild <http://www.mncraftbrew.org>
did it again with a lot of help from their friends and peers! Thanks
Dave Berg and Company!
We really loved the new site at the Grain Belt Brewery and all the beers
were just awesome!
Thanks go out to my Minnesota Home Brewers Association Club for all your
efforts and the
wonderful people in the club! The ABR was a blast this year as usual and
the little bit of rain
was "Piddly" as how my friend Tim, "The Admiral" says it...for us
seasoned beer veterans and
Mountain Men... heh heh
Thanks Jim Ellingson and Chris Smith for getting tickets for my friend
Brian at work here.
I know he greatly appreciated it! We met many new friends there this
year. Lynne Erte',
Santiago, Bruce, Lake, and Beth were a blast and fun to meet. Sorry we
missed meeting
up with you guys at that restaurant after the ABR was over...Helen is
such a social butterfly...
She saw Lynne's cool boots and soon they were talking and carrying on
like old friends...
And thanks go out to our new friends, Virginia Kampmeier, her Sister
Selena, and their friends
Cory and Tyler. During the festival, Helen saw Virginia using a
beautiful Kitty umbrella and later
on Virginia just gave it to Helen because Helen loves kitties so much!
What a gal that Virginia
is! We ended up partying with those 4 into the wee hours at the Gasthof
Zur Gemutlichkeit in
Mpls dancing and drinking from "Das Boot"!!
Here's my recap on the day.
Helen & I got a great room thru the ABR site for just $79! Man, I could
have made a batch
of beer on that stove Sunday morning!! "Dang it"... Had a full sized
fridge too!
Started out at Dusty's bar across from the ABR site where Helen found an
old phone booth she liked.
After a little mix up with what line to get in for wristbands and
glassware... we were in line and on our way in.
Ran into our good buddy Wayne Theuer who is always fun and interesting
to talk to.
These "Hop Heads" were pretty cute...
Here's Chris Smith who seem to be always helping out at beer events and
had a spare ticket
for my friend Brian R at work. Thanks Chris!
Dave Berg from Schells and the Craft Brewers Guild passing out some of
his goodies.
We loved the Snowstorm and the unfiltered Ungespundet-hefetrub Pils
Dave!! Thank you sir!
Myself, Mike Swalinkavich and Helen enjoying Fitger's Cherry Batch 2200
that had over
800 lbs of cherries in it!! It was one of my favorites along with
Fitger's Breakwater Blue that
had over 400 lbs of blueberries in it and Fitger's Appricot Wheat that
was way nummy!
Surly's Coffee Bender was just a dynamite beer also, with a smooth
flavor that was hard to
beat! Town Halls beers were awesome too with their Mango Mamma,
Raspberry Scotch Ale
and Cabernet Cask Conditioned Oatmeal Stout being right up there with
the best. The Brau
Brothers had a very interesting smokey peat Scotch Ale that I really
liked! Bell's had a nice
Java Stout that was very smooth and tasty. Unfortunately, we missed a
few good ones I know...
I wanted to try Summit's 3:00 release of the cask conditioned Oatmeal
Stout... :-( and I am
sure many more too numerous to name... :-( Oh well... Next year
baby!!
Some of the pretty fair maidens passing out their tasty beers at the
ABR.
Buddy Jim Ellingson, in the middle who got me a spare ticket for a
friend and always is a key
figure at these great events! Thanks a lot Jim for the ticket and the
peanuts at closing!
The rains came and brought out a few umbrella's and Helen saw this kitty
one and had
to go over and see it and meet the folks who had it. Virginia, bless her
soul, ended up
giving it to Helen later!! Thank you soooo much Virginia!
Omar from Surly handing out one of my favorites of the day... The Coffee
Bender!
It was a great day after all and the sun came out later on.
Helen spying some cool boots belonging to Lynne... Please Helen...no
more boots in the house...
(She has already got boatloads of em... heh heh heh)
Helen with new friends Lynne and Santiago who we need to go see some
day. Cool folks!
Chris on the left and Jeff with his awesome Lambic that was matured 3
years in an oak barrel!!!
The Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella that was so very good, one of the
best that day!! A sour
beer that was so balanced and very drinkable! The best sour beer I have
ever had without fruit
in it!! (Though Adam Stern and Steve Piatz make some very good ones
also, from my homebrew club)
Wayne, Helen & Mike waiting for Jeff's Grand Cru! Man that was good!
Cool glassware thanks to Northern Brewer. Way better than the plastic
ones we had
at the Clearwater Beer Festival the weekend of Sept 8 in Eau Claire
Wisconsin... Sorry Tami... had too...
Wayne sharing his vast knowledge on that Brianmyasis (heh heh) stuff
that makes beer sour...
I look like I know what he's talking about huh... ya right...
Virginia, who gave Helen the nice Kitty umbrella and her boyfriend Cory.
Thanks sooo much!!
What fun & nice folks they are!
Tyler and Selena are engaged and partied with us into the night at
Gasthof Zur
Gemutlichkeit after the ABR.
Good friend Al Boyce had his Peddle Pub parked outside Dusty's bar after
the ABR was over.
Nice ride Al!! We all have to do that some day! Looks like a lot of
fun!!
Of course Helen had to check it out. Scotty is sitting opposite Helen
and we met up with
him at the Gasthof later too! What a fun day and night it was for
all!!
"Das Boot" getting filled up with some yummy German beer
Myself having a little of "Das Boot"
Everybody took turns taking a pull off "Das Boot" Here's Selena.
I even met an old friend there who I used to work with at Lucht
Engineering, Larry Hesse.
He was dancing when I recognized him and bear hugged me as I walked up
to see him.
We were happy to see each other after all these years...Lucht
Engineering was the best
place with the nicest and finest people I have ever worked with in my
whole life! I sure
miss those folks, but we all still keep in touch by email even after I
got laid off in 1997...
Cheers everyone and thanks for a great day and night!!
These are going in my collection from the 7 years of doing this!!
---
Brian Hatcher
Sr. Master Scheduler
C.P.I.M.
Email: brian_hatcher(a)Xiotech.com
Office: 952 983 2466
Fax: 952 983 2488
Xiotech Corporation
6455 Flying Cloud Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
www.xiotech.com : www.xiotech.com/demo : Toll-Free 866 472 6764
The October meeting of the Minnesota Home Brewers Association will be held at the CSPS Hall, which is located at 383 Michigan St, St.Paul, MN 55102 on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6pm-9pm.
The Technical Topic will be "Is the Beer Judge Certification Program for me?" This includes BJCP bingo with prizes.
There will be an Oktoberfest beer competition and a pot luck. Please bring serving utensils and an extension cord (if needed). German food is recommended in celebration of Oktoberfest---but other food items are just as welcome. Bring your best examples of Oktoberfest beers for the contest.The Style of the Month for October is American Brown Ale - so if you have one brewed, bring it along and join the Style of the Month Club awards program. If you have a Bock or a Berliner Weisse that you did not bring in to September's Style of the Month, bring those in too. (Any other beers, ciders or meads you'd like to bring for evaluation would be welcome also!)
Questions? Drop me a line.
Gera L. Exire LaTour
_________________________________________________________________
Explore the seven wonders of the world
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=7+wonders+world&mkt=en-US&form=QBRE
The club owes a big 'thank you!' to Marc Donnelly and Shane Jewison for
their efforts at ABR Saturday. They stepped up and took care of the club's
table. Also, thanks go out to Mike Behrendt, Al Boyce, Paul Dienhart, and
Chris Smith for bringing some water for the thirsty crowd. And President
Gera worked behind the scenes to get everything ready for the table.
That's what makes MHBA so great; everyone steps up and helps out
periodically. We cover more ground and foster more ideas when everyone
contributes.
Thanks again!
John
