The Minnesota Home Brewers Association will be selecting our club
representative for the National Club-Only English Bitters (BJCP Category 4)
competition in January 2003. We will make our selection at the Jan.9,2002
BJCP Class. If you have a Bitter that you would like us to consider, bring
it to the class on January 9, or get it to someone who will be at the class
on January 9. We need three bottles (1 for our club to select, and 2
bottles to go off to the competition). If your beer is not chosen, you can
get your other 2 bottles back.
If anyone is interested in helping judge, the Minnesota Timberworts are
hosting the competition on January 25, 2003. Contact Leo Vitt at
lvitt4(a)yahoo.com.
I've got a Strong Bitter - who else?
- Al
PS - The NEXT club-only competition is Brown Ales, being hosted by the
Prairie Homebrewing Companions in Fargo on April 12. We will select our
club's rep for that contest on March 20, 2003 at that night's BJCP class.
Anyone wanting to help judge this can contact Susan Ruud at
susan.ruud(a)ndsu.nodak.edu. Unfortunately for those in the BJCP class,
April 12 is the same day as our scheduled exam....
Looking a bit further out, the Club-Only Old-Ale competition is in May -
start brewing NOW for that one to let your ale get old!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Association of Brewers connects with Slow Food USA
Boulder, Colo. • 12.19.2002—Association of Brewers (AOB) strengthened the
relationship with Slow Food USA's 8,000+ members with a letter to the
leaders of the 70+ conviviums around the country.
The letter from AOB president Charlie Papazian affirmed the mission and
philosophy of Slow Food; protection of biodiversity, the right to pleasure,
taste education, promotion of quality, promotion of a new model of
agriculture. He applauded Slow Food members for championing these ideals,
ideals Papazian feels many Association of Brewers/Institute for Brewing
Studies members share.
“I thought it was important to point out that as Slow Food has cultivated an
appreciation for the culture of food and beverage the Association of Brewers
and its members have been nurturing an appreciation of brewing and beer
culture,” comments Papazian.
“For 25 years we have been participating, promoting and even producing
beer-related events that increase the publicÂ’s awareness of beer culture and
how it relates to an appreciation of food. I think we are a perfect fit
because weÂ’re the primary contact for the media when it comes to information
about beer and brewing in America. Our activities provide a means to spread
the word about beer and food culture.”
Several Association of Brewers and Institute for Brewing Studies
craft/microbreweries members, individual homebrewers and beer enthusiasts
are Slow Food U.S.A. members and active supporters.
The Association of Brewers is a not-for-profit, educational organization
based in Boulder, Colo., U.S.A. devoted to making quality beer and brewing
knowledge accessible to all.
The Association of Brewers (AOB) has four divisions: American Homebrewers
Association (AHA), Institute for Brewing Studies (IBS), Brewing Matters and
Brewers Publications (BP). The AOB organizes the World Beer Cup®, Great
American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®,
National Homebrewers Conference, National Homebrew Competition and American
Beer Month.
CONTACT:
Cindy Jones, Association of Brewers
Phone: (303) 447-0816, ext. 144
E-mail: cindy(a)aob.org
Web Site: www.beertown.org
The Minnesota Home Brewers Association will be beginning the BJCP
(Beer Judge Certification Program) class starting Thursday, January 2,
2003 at my house, 6pm. Please RSVP if you are planning on attending -
space is limited!
The first week is the famous "Doctored Beer" seminar - VERY fun! If you
have any homebrew that you think represents particularly well one flavor,
aroma or sensation - bring it along! (ie, bitter, skunky, vegetal, etc.)
- Al Boyce
alboyce(a)bigfoot.com
To make entering these contests as easy as possible we will help with the
shipping.
If you want to be part of the MHBA packaging/shipping the packing night for
the KCBM contest will be Tuesday January 7th, 2003. Location to be
announced.
Jonathan
> ----------
> From: Steve Fletty[SMTP:fletty@tc.umn.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:06 AM
> To: mba(a)thebarn.com
> Subject: KCBM competition
>
>
> Forms and info are up at the Kansas City Bier Meisters web site for the
> KCBM
> competition in February.
>
> The KCBM competition is the first leg for the High Plains Brewer of the
> Year
> 2003, of which our spring competition, the Upper Mississippi Mash-Out, is
> the thrid leg. Brewers earn points for a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place and the
> brewer accumulating the most points over the course of the five
> competitions
> will get the High Plains plaque. There are also competitions in Iowa,
> Okalhoma
> and the Fargo competition in the circuit.
>
> So, head over to http://www.kcbiermeisters.org/ and check it.
>
> We've got plenty of good brewers in the Twin Cities. Let's see if we
> can bring home the prize.
>
> --
> Steve
>
>
Mike, Dave and the rest of the MPLS Metro beer consumers....
We are all sorry to see a business or two fall by the wayside. However,
whether we brew the stuff at home or count on a brewpub, microbrewery, or
God forbid a true large commercial brewery...it's that fact that we have a
choice to make that brings us all together.
I sit here pondering the last several emails, ducking and dodging the
criticisms, whether another brewpub, micro..or even a brew store kicks the
bucket. Why?? Because I love beer and well, I'm responsible for advising a
few investors who own thousands of shares of Summit Brewing stock.
Let's not consume ourselves with whether the local brewpubs have too many
cooks in the kitchen or whether they decide that country karaoke will drive
the sales. My hat is off to the organizers of the Autumn Brew Review and
Winterfest who are introducing the product to the community in what would
appear to be some good old fashion marketing. There should be more of this.
I'm not certain when they all began(I'm a transplant from Blue Bullet
land-Stevens Point, Wisconsin), but my word of mouth has driven a few more
attendees making a 225 mile journey to taste your product.
I think back to the free drink card I rec'd at the 2002 Winterfest and
although I did visit that Town Hall Brewing a time or two since...I never
redeemed the drink. I will and I will be back for more of the festivals in
the future. The question is whether I go to Water Tower,Town Hall or Hops
to buy the Winterfest tickets.
See you there!
~david
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>Failure is inevitable if you don't understand your customer.
Isn't that what I stated? Sorry Mike, but you and your entire organization did not drink 22,000 gallons of beer each year at the Water Tower. People that love super hoppy IPAs or super funky Belgians are a minority.
It's easy to sit on the sidelines and analyze/criticize, but some of us depend on this as our livelyhood. I gave up a lot to be a brewer and do what I love--making whatever beer I make the best that it can be. And if the country loving music wannabe singers have the money to buy a beer, I'll sell it to them. It's just that easy.
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Contributions to the Minnesota brewing thread [Minnesota subject line]
and it's off-shoots like "Some more thoughts" etc., have been great
contributions to this list. It is much appreciated.
--
John Reese
One OS to forge the codes,/ The same OS to hide them;
Again the same to rule them all,/ And in the Darkness bind them.
-- Steve Ballmer
Wow, a couple of places close and I end up with a million emails. I
don't know all the answers, but here are my thoughts on all that has
happened in the past year:
First and foremost, brewing is a commercial endeavor. This is very
important for everyone to understand. What I mean by this is those of
you on these lists are a very small percentage of the population of
Minnesota. Even if all of you went to one of the pubs every day, it is
not enough business to keep it open. Not one of them. So I understand
when you say that the beer here or there (let's take Water Tower for
example) is not that inventive, keep in mind that you are the minority.
I should have put that in capital letters, but I'm sure you get the
drift.
At my time at WT, I brewed a Rauch beer, Barleywine, and a handful of
other memorable beers. Guess what? It doesn't pay the rent. Hey, Old
LS made it to the second round of GABF. That put's it in the top 10 or
12 barleywines in the country. Am I proud? Yes, but does that sign my
paycheck---nope. We brewed 425 10 Bbl batches in six years---that's an
average of 700 Bbls a year. That's a lot of beer. Was it enough?
Probably, if I would have wanted to stay. But I didn't like the
direction we were going, so I resigned. I've quit better jobs, so it
should not be that big of a surprise. They couldn't (or didn't want) to
find some stupid enough to take my place, so the brewery is closed.
Hey, there was a brewery in Fargo that had one of the most talented
brewers I know that went out of business. I know it wasn't because of
the beer, but rather because of the market. John Haggerty and I used to
laugh that if we lived in Washington or Oregon, we'd be rich. It's
really not that funny, but kind of sad.
So what is the answer? I don't know. If I did, I would be rich. In my
six years back in Minnesota, I haven't seen the market change that much.
That is discouraging. So when an owner has invested $1M or so in a
brewpub, and wants to have karoake (which actually has another story
involved), who am I to argue. After all, I am just a brewer. If I have
to brew lighter beers to keep the lights on and to make sure I can make
rent, I will. That's my job. But I'll always try to slip something in
under the radar. Hence the reason for Brewer's Specials.
So next time you visit a brewpub anywhere, consider this: are the beers
well made? That is the job of the brewer. That and to make the owner
some money and to be able to pay his own bills.
David Berg
President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild
Head Brewer, Bandana Brewery
http://www.mncraftbrew.org
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In theory St Cloud is WestSide I guess, Just very
North and West.
Barley John's has an outstanding "Porter". It is a 10%
Porter finished off in a Bourbon Keg. It reminded me
of Town Hall's Imperial Stout finished in a Bourbon
Cask. Although I think Barley John's Porter is a bit
more dry. Of all of the pubs in the area, I would
really like to see John succeed, he has worked so hard
to make a go of it. I haven't seen many pubs where the
brewer is also the cook! Of course, I wish success to
all of the local brewpubs, in particular in light of
the recent closings in the area.
Cheers
WH
--- Kirby Richter <KirbyR(a)magenic.com> wrote:
> Yeah, I wasnt serious about going all the way to St.
> Cloud but I guess just meeting at different brew
> pubs around the city would be great. I havent been
> to Barley Johns yet and need an excuse to go.
>
> Wont be able to make it on Dec 19, maybe nexttime.
>
> By the way I got two of your beers in the secondary
> right now. The Northern IPA and the Blueberry
> Porter. Cant wait till I can try some!
>
> Kirby
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Will Holway
> To: mba(a)thebarn.com
> Sent: 12/17/2002 9:13 AM
> Subject: RE: Minnesota
>
>
> Well, I'm glad you asked. The next WestSide meeting
> will be at the gravesite of Water Tower Brewing,
> next
> stop is up for grabs. A generous homebrewer who
> lives
> in the area (and HIS brewwery is still OPEN) has
> offered to host, or we could head to Sherlock's for
> a
> pint, or do both ...
>
> Anyhow, the date is Thursday, 12/19 7:00 pm. Then we
> can have some of Dave's remaining beer and discuss
> the
> next stop.
>
> As to Granite City, I'm a bit displeased with the
> proprietor at the moment, but anything is possible
> in
> the future I guess ...
>
> There was also some talk of trying to have a meeting
> at the former Brew Station in Shakopee (the name
> escapes me at the moment).
>
> Cheers
> WH
>
> --- Kirby Richter <KirbyR(a)magenic.com> wrote:
> > Its depressing! Some classic beers are going to
> the
> > grave.
> >
> > Anyways Will, when and where is the next westside
> > meeting?
> >
> > I guess you are running out of locations! Next
> > westside meeting at Granite City in St Cloud?
> >
> > Kirby
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Will Holway
> > To: Kirby Richter; 'mba(a)thebarn.com '
> > Sent: 12/16/2002 8:50 AM
> > Subject: RE: Minnesota
> >
> > One guess is that the bar is area is too small,
> and
> > that is probably where they make the best money?
> Or
> > Bill wants to put everything into his Granite City
> > brewpub chain and shipping wort across state
> borders
> > ...
> >
> > It is really discouraging to me, as a brewer and
> > consumer ...
> >
> >
> > --- Kirby Richter <KirbyR(a)magenic.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > What I cant understand is why Sherlocks is
> > closing?
> > >
> > >
> > > From a bar perspective they have some of the
> best
> > > beer in town and everytime
> > > I go there the bar is pretty packed.
> > >
> > > Maybe it was the restaurant part? I know
> everyone
> > > loves their fish and
> > > chips.
> > >
> > > I for one am going to sorely miss Sherlocks :(
> > >
> > > Kirby Richter
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: John Reese
> > > To: mba(a)thebarn.com
> > > Sent: 12/14/2002 10:41 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Minnesota
> > >
> > >
> > > What's this about the brewing operation at
> > > Sherlock's closing down? I
> > > must have missed it. Can anyone fill me in or
> send
> > a
> > > link to a story?
> > > What about the restaurant?
> > >
> > > John Reese
> > >
> > > On Thu, 2002-12-12 at 10:33, Will Holway wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Having just returned from CA I can second
> that.
> > I
> > > > always try to support the local guys (both
> > > breweries
> > > > and brewpubs). And the beer here is very good.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- David H Berg <bergbrew(a)juno.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > As I sit here tonight, pondering the demise
> of
> > > yet
> > > > > another Minnesota
> > > > > brewery (let's see, that's Minn Brew, Water
> > > Tower,
> > > > > and now
> > > > > Sherlock's...not to mention one not too far
> > out
> > > on
> > > > > the horizon), I am
> > > > > depressed.
> > > > >
> > > > > I remember starting here, and hearing
> everyone
> > > speak
> > > > > of the Pacific
> > > > > Northwest. Well folks, I lived there for
> > three
> > > > > years, so you probably
> > > > > aren't going to tell me anything I didn't
> > > experience
> > > > > first-hand. I've
> > > > > said it before and I'll say it again---hands
> > > down, I
> > > > > would rather drink
> > > > > beer here in Minnesota. You may wish to
> argue
> > > with
> > > > > me, but it is the
> > > > > truth. I hear the ads for Summit, and
> > > appreciate
> > > > > them because their
> > > > > point is--imports are not better because
> they
> > > come
> > > > > from somewhere else.
> > > > > Don't miss an opportunity for great beer
> > because
> > > > > it's local. An odd
> > > > > statement, but it seems that is what is
> > > happening.
> > > > >
> > > > > Next time you're out, stop by one of the
> > > brewpubs.
> > > > > Or buy a six pack of
> > > > > Summit, St Croix, Page, Superior, Gluek,
> > > Schell's,
> > > > > Mantorville. Because
> > > > > it will truly be a sad day when locally made
> > > beer is
> > > > > brewed in Missouri,
> > > > > or Oregon, or California....
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
________________________________________________________________
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> > Today
> > > > > Only $9.95 per month!
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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