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If you want it done right, you have to brew it yourself!
Strange Brew Review
The Newsletter of the Green Bay Rackers - - Spring 2000Next Meeting: April 1st at Egan's
DUES
Multi-club meeting a success!
We had a lot of good beers to try, as well as a home-made wine and mead. The group decided it would be advantageous to meet once in a while, though no permanent schedule was established. We have discussed forming a website for a regional brewing calendar and as a homepage site for other clubs that don't have websites.
I suspect that the next meeting will once again be called by Richard and me when we think it's appropriate. We will try to have a formal agenda and structure for that meeting. I believe with forum will be beneficial to all of the clubs concerned. It certainly was a good time!
EDITORIAL: Regional Brewer's Group Needed
A well-known beer authority who resides in London has publicly stated that he believe the future of craft brewing lies in the United States where clubs and micros continue to pursue the craft, while Europeans are consuming more of the mega-beers and less of their own country's products in ever-increasing numbers.
Strength in numbers is important to any cause, our hobby is no exception. While our club has continued to flourish, the recent demise of one area club and the de-centralization of' another club (no formal officers, agenda, or meeting place) is cause for concern. Homebrewers will continue to need places to congregate and a forum to continue to learn from each other and exchange ideas, as well as beers.
Years ago, a club in Milwaukee sponsored a one-day homebrewing conference. It was held for two or three years, then fizzled out - mainly because they held it on a Friday in an effort to get people to Milwaukee to help judge the next day at the State Fair competition. That made it difficult for most people who work to attend. Further, since only one club was footing the bill and doing all the work, the organizer finally got burned out. The idea was sound, but the process was flawed.
I firmly believe that the core of clubs represented at the first regional meeting should form the base of an organization of a regional craft brewing organization. This should have open membership so that homebrewers, professional craft brewers, microbrewers, brewing supply stores, and just plain beer aficionados. The purpose of such an organization would be to promote craft brewed beer as a beverage to the general public as well as educate the public about beer. An organization such as this would strengthen bonds between people who have similar interest and would be beneficial in serving as an educational resource.
There are some who would counter that the Wisconsin Brewing Guild exists and that it should serve as just such an organization. This organization does not allow homebrewers to be members and is styled to be an organization for those who are professional brewers. Their dues are prohibitive for almost any homebrewer, even if they allowed for such membership. I have no quarrel with their organization, they have formed for a specific purpose and that is just fine. But as homebrewers, we are rapidly losing the educational and informational resources we once had. Only Brew Your Own and Zymurgy remain in operation, and the quality of Zymurgy continues to dismay many of us. HB Digest still remains on-line, but truly technical publications for us are virtually gone. A regional group with a formal organization could help fill that gap and help keep clubs vital and thriving.
Editorial opinions published in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Bay Rackers Club.
Cornelius Kegs Require Care, Parts
Cleaning is one of the most important things about the keg (well, duh!) Kegs should be thoroughly washed once they are empty. The long draw-up tube and poppet valves are the most difficult parts to keep clean. Some people remove these and wash them, using a special flexible brush to scrub the inside of the tube. I do that only if there is a lot of "beer stone" accumulating in the keg. My favorite method is to rinse the keg several times, then fill it with water and a sanitizer/cleaner such as B-Brite or some similar product. I then seal the keg, hook it up to the gas, and run the solution through it for a few seconds to get all of the poppet valves covered and the dispensing hose & spigot filled. I then leave the whole system sit for a while (whatever the label says), then unhook the keg from the gas and empty it. I then fill the keg with hot tap water and again hook it up to the gas, then use the gas to drive the entire contents through the keg and dispensing system. In this way, it is thoroughly rinsed and at the same time filled with C02 to prevent growth until the next time I'm ready to use the keg. It does waste some gas, but I've never had a problem with dirty kegs with this method.
The latex seals are a major source of leaks and contamination. Rubber is porous, therefore it retains small amounts of residue. Rubber also wears out over time and will leak, causing loss of your dispensing gas. When you first obtain a used keg, you should replace all of the latex rings and seals. There are seals on the nipples, "0" rings on the gas and dip tubes, and the large gasket on the lid. Only the gasket needs to be removed for cleaning between each batch of beer, the rest should be adequately cleaned using the method I outlined above for the keg itself. I recommend replacing all of the rubber in your kegs once a year - mainly because of wear, rather than contamination concerns.
The two poppet valves inside the nipples are usually stainless and plastic and don't require replacement unless you are having leaks. They also are readily removed and cleaned with a good sanitizing solution and a toothbrush, or by using my keg cleaning method. A word of caution, if you remove the poppets yourself they fit a certain way into the nipple and if improperly placed will leak.
Recipes: Faux Chimay
Ingredients:
6.5 lbs. pale malt
1 oz. black patent malt
12 oz. brown sugar
8 oz. honey
2 oz. Hallertau hops
1 oz. Goldings hops
Trappist liquid yeast
Mash in with water that is 55 degrees Celcius (Ed. note: 131F), then raise the temperature gradually until you hit 66 degrees C (Ed. note: 151F). Leave at temperature for 90 minutes, them sparge until you have about 3.5 gallons of sweet wort. Your OG should be about 1.075.
Add the honey and all hops, then boil for at least one hour until you have about 3 gallons left. Cool and pitch as usual.
Rack to the secondary once fermentation starts slowing down. Rack a second time if significant trub accumulates in the secondary. This should remain in the secondary (or tertiary) fermenter for at least 6 months before bottling.
Keg or bottle as preferred. You can cask condition if you prefer, but most people will prefer artificially carbonating this beer. The beer should be allowed to age in the keg or bottle for at least a year and a half before sampling.
(This recipe comes from the book BREWING BEERS LIKE THOSE YOU BUY by Dave Line).
Club Contest 2000
NEW ENTRY DEADLINE!
All entries will need to be brought to Egan Brewing Company on FRIDAY night instead of on Saturday. This way, we can get the judging started earlier on Saturday.
NEW LOCATION
The contest will be held at Egan Brewing/Gallagher's of DePere instead of Titletown.
BREWING DEMONSTRATION WANTED
Tim has indicated that he would allow the club to put on a brewing demonstration on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant during the contest. This would be a great public relations tool!
HELP WANTED!
I will need the following amount of help to get ready for the contest and to conduct the contest itself.
1. Contest Registration (3 people)
Friday evening from 6 PM until 10 PM or whenever we get it finished. Registering and labeling the beers, setting up the tables and signs, and getting making - final preparations for the contest.
2. Scorers (2 people)
Saturday, all day 10 AM until the contest is finished. Someone verify the scores and enter them into the computer.
3. Stewards (6-8 people)
Saturday, all day 9:00 AM until contest is finished. Bring out the beers in proper order as requested by the judges, keep water pitchers and bread refilled, empty slop buckets, place beers out for public to taste, assist judges with anything they need, carry score sheets to the scoring table. Some stewards will be able to leave earlier as the flights get finished. Stewards will also be need to help clean up after the contest is over.
People can call me at 388- 2728 to volunteer or email me at mconard@itol.com or volunteer at the meeting.
All contest volunteers get a free meal at Gallagher's of De Pere following the contest, courtesy of the club. Meal will be served approximately one hour following the close of the contest, depending on how long it takes them to re-set the room when we are done.