If you want it done right, you have to brew it yourself!

Titletown (Brewing Co.) just got a little closer! OK, a lot closer. I just found out tonight that the soon-to-be-renamed Union Ave. Cafe in Oconto Falls now has Titletown beers on tap! Good beer--in Oconto Falls! What's this world coming to? They are located on Hwy 22, where it curves by the football field. They also have mighty fine chicken dinners (which is the reason I was in there tonight). They currently have Johnny "Blood" Red, Railyard Ale, Honey Wheat, and Belgian Wit on tap. No affiliation, yadda, yadda.

The gang of four (ahem, two) met last night and hammered out some details on the club brewing experiment. Some things still need to be ironed out. Hopefully you will soon be receiving a card to find out if you are interested in participating, along with the cost for participation (for ingredients).

I finally got my letter from Brewing Techniques today. As far as my outstanding balance was concerned, I had three options: 1) forgive the debt, 2) get the money in back issues, or 3) hold out for cash. I went with option 2, and will soon be getting a hefty number (seven, to be exact) of back issues. I told them that if they find someone to pick up BT, to give them my information because I would most certainly resubscribe.

Sign our guestbook. Use Racker411. You are getting sleepy . . .

I received more email on the status of the Homebrew Digest server which is back down again. Here's a snip:

We are working on the problem as time permits and will have the system back up, if all goes to plan, within two weeks; hopefully sooner. And the server will be in much beter condition than it ever has been due to what we've learned through this experience. To put your collective minds at ease: all data on server is still intact and will be available again when the server is restored.

Man. No BT, now no HBD. I'm going to get jittery if I don't get my homebrew reading fix soon!

And yes, they did change the schedule on me. The "gang of four" (Mike, Bert, gak, and yours truly) will meet next Tuesday to discuss the club brewing experiment.

No wonder no one has signed the guestbook in 10 months. I just found two glaring errors which made it impossible for anyone to sign it! I'll blame Guestworld for the errors (it couldn't be me . . . nah). I'll spare you the gory details, but the long and the short of it is the guestbook works now so if you haven't done so already, sign it!

I just noticed that the Homebrew Digest (HBD) server is back up now. The current HBD is still Friday's issue, no word on when the next one should be out yet.

In other news, Mike Conard, Bert Zelten, Richard "gak" Stueven, and I will be meeting at Egan's tomorrow night (unless they changed the schedule on me) to discuss plans for the club brewing experiment. We got some good input from club members at the club brew. More details will be forthcoming soon!

I got an email from Pat Babcock, janitor for the Homebrew Digest (HBD), via Scott Abene that the HBD server has gone belly up. He's trying to get it running again, but if you are wondering where your HBD is or are trying to access one of the sites hosted on the HBD server (including The Brewery, I believe), it's not going to happen for a while.

I've received a couple more competition announcements. There is the Pacific Brewer's Cup and the Prairie Homebrewing Companion's Hoppy Halloween Challenge. Check the sites for details.

Egan's brewmaster, Richard "gak" Stueven, sent me the following:

Here's our Millennium Lineup, along with tentative release dates:

December 1 - Greg Nash's 1998 Raspberry Ginger Mead (8.1% abv)
December 1 - Dan Rogers' Belgian Strong Ale (10.1% abv)
December 11 - Steve Olson's Imperial Stout (8.9% abv)
December 16 - 1999 'Bposfaidh Scotch Ale (10.3% abv)
December 23 - 1998 Cow Palace Scotch Ale (8.9% abv)

If you can survive these five beers, you're ready for the next thousand years...

Pride of De Pere English Bitter will hit the taps September 11. At 3.7% abv, it's a real nice session beer with a lot of Kent Golding hop flavor.

Steinworthy Oktoberfest will make its much-awaited return on October 1, followed by Czech Out This Pils on October 21 and an as-yet anonymous Schwarzbier on October 23.

A fine time was had by all at "Do Not Fear The Darkness", our first beer dinner, held September 4. The lucky 13 participants enjoyed an exquisite six-course meal prepared by chef extraordinaire Kat Nesbitt, with mouth-watering dishes ranging from Malted Chicken to Creme Brule. We had so much fun that we're thinking about doing it again very soon, maybe in November.

My wife and I went to Egan's beer dinner last night. You should have been there. If you knew what a great time it was, you'd be flinging yourself in the Fox by now. But, gentle soul, all is not lost! (I'm watching Hamlet right now). Brewmaster Richard "gak" Stueven said that they plan on having these dinners a few times a year. Make sure to check the next one out!

Make sure to plan on being at the Musician's Union Hall this Tuesday for the Club Brew!

I saw this in today's Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Alcohol-related road deaths at all-time low
The number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States dropped to 15,935 last year, the lowest level in the 17 years the government has been keeping the statistic. The figure dropped 1.5 percent from the year before, when alcohol was involved in 16,189 crash deaths, federal officials said Thursday.
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities accounted for 38.4 percent of the 41,471 highway deaths nationwide last year. The figure was 38.5 percent in 1997. -Wire service reports

They didn't say what defines a traffic fatality as "alcohol-related," but it is certainly comforting to know that this number is dropping, not skyrocketing as neo-prohibitionists would have you believe. The number is way too high as it is, but the fact that it is at its lowest point in nearly two decades is encouraging. Perhaps if people turned their attention to getting the habitual offenders permanently off the streets instead of making everyone who has a beer a criminal, the statistic would drop even further.

The moral of the story? Don't become a statistic! Get a designated driver!

I found this in the HappyHours.com BrewsGram:

--- Begin Quote ---
Stephen Mallery, publisher of Brewing Techniques magazine, has confirmed the rumor that he will no longer publish one of the country's best homebrewing rags. "It is with reluctance and great sadness that I announce the decision to cease publication of Brewing Techniques," writes Mallery. "This is a decision that has come with great difficulty, but in the end is the only reasonable decision available for our business."

In a letter that will be sent out to Brewing Techniques subscribers and advertisers later this week, Stephen writes; "..In the past year we have battled dwindling readership numbers, a reluctant advertising climate, increasing bad debt from advertisers unable to pay for ads printed, and internal management challenges. We have no more room to endure negative cash flow, and no immediate means of subsidizing or capitalizing our effort."

Mallery is currently talking with other publishers -- including Stephen Gilberg of HappyHours.com -- about the possible sale of Brewing Techniques magazine, the Brewers' Market Guide, and the company's website.

"I am proud to have been able to serve this great community of bright, creative people we call brewers," says Mallery. "I take some measure of reassurance from the saying that all good things come to an end. Despite the financial loss, I feel great satisfaction from the magazine's very human successes."
--- End Quote ---

This is a tremendous blow to the homebrewing community. Let's hope Mallery is successful in finding someone to take up this terrific resource. I only wonder now what will happen to the homebrewing ad campaign that BT was spearheading? I assume in this letter there will be some news of a refund, I've still got a year and a half left on my subscription.

I updated our email addresses to add some new members. If you still aren't listed, email me! I also added water analyses for Kewaunee and Seymour. The Kewaunee analysis looks like the water was run through a water softener because the sodium as very high and there is far too little calcium, magnesium, and total hardness. I guess the admonition to "take it with a grain of salt" is more appropriate than ever.

Interested in entering a competition? I received two emails about out-of-state competitions. The first is the Bluebonnet Brew-Off (sponsored by several Texas clubs), the second largest homebrew competition in the U.S.A. Entries are due on February 25, 2000 (so get brewing that bock!). The other is Derby Brew Club's competition in Wichita, KS. Entries are due on October 1, 1999. See the respective websites for more information.

There have been reports posted on the Homebrew Digest by reliable sources that Brewing Techniques magazine has suddenly and inexplicably gone out of business. I've been trying to contact them by email and by phone at their regular number and their subscriptions number. I have received no reply to my email and whenever I call, I get their answering service. One person on the HBD reported that the current issue is at the printer, but will never be printed.

I will continue to try to get to the bottom of this. If the rumors are true, this is a very sad day for homebrewers. I don't know what I'm going to do without my bi-monthly BT fix. I'm not going to subscribe to Zymurgy until they decide to get some content. Brew Your Own is a good magazine, but it's geared for new brewers. Sigh.

Today is the second anniversary of this website! Here's to many years more! Cheers!

I'm planning on brewing my lambic on Sunday. My grain bill will be 2/3 pale ale malt and 1/3 flaked wheat. I've never used flaked wheat before, especially not this high of a proportion. If anyone has and has any tips for me, please post them on Racker411. Thanks!

Shameless plug: I updated my personal homebrewing website the other day. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Doh! I had completely forgotten to post the sweet pictures that Chuck Golueke took at the Titletown Open this year. Well, I have made amends. You can find those pictures here!

Yesterday my wife and I got tickets to Egan's "Do Not Fear the Darkness - Egan's Beer Dinner '99" on September 4 (see the July 15 news for more information). Tim told me that they only have about 10 tickets left. So if you want to go, better sign up soon! The deadline for getting tickets is August 28.

A little while back we got our 4,000th hit! I'd like to thank all our visitors for making Rackers.Org a success! Make sure to raise a glass in the general direction of the server (toward Oconto Falls is close enough) on the 26th, to mark the two-year anniversary of this website.

On the homebrewing front, I still haven't brewed yet, but I do have the ingredients for an altbier (my starter of #1338 is fermenting nicely right next to me) and a lambic. Hopefully I'll get the alt done Sunday and the lambic shortly thereafter.

Sorry about the bad directions to the park for the picnic. How's an Oconto Falls boy to know where the Green Bay parks are? Huge thanks go out to John Parsons for doing so much of the leg-work, as well as volunteering to do September's club brew! And Steve, make sure to bring a couple of those Imperial Stouts to the club brew, OK?

Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to whip up another batch of my terribly swell Altbier to replace the batch that I had to use to clean my drains. Hope springs eternal!

You should have gotten your announcement with directions to McCauliffe park in the mail. If not, the directions are as follows: take Interstate 43 to the Mason street exit. Go east on Mason until you get to Ontario Road. Turn left on Ontario and follow it until you get to the park (on the right side of the road).

The map that Mike sent out is correct, but the printed directions are not. You must turn left (heading north) on to Ontario, not right as the directions say. The picnic starts at noon, make sure to bring your favorite beverages and your lawn jarts! I'll be a little late, but I will be there!

Our October 2 meeting will be held at the new Green Bay Brewing on Dousman (right across the street from Titletown). We'll finally get to see their new digs! We're also looking for a brewmaster for our September club brew. If you are interested, email me!

I also updated our email directory today. Check it to make sure your address is correct. If I missed you or botched your address, send me a note and I'll update it.

Paul Gatza, AHA Director, posted the following to the Homebrew Digest (HBD):

I terminated Brian Rezac's employment from the AHA yesterday . . . Brian's amazing interpersonal skills did not, unfortunately, transfer into the administrative realm. Brian was in a probationary period and unfortunately did not meet the terms of that probation.

Did this have anything to do with us getting our sanctioning materials way too late? Who knows? Whatever the case, the situation does not exactly inspire confidence.

In the "I'll take stupid moves for $500, Alex" department: I just found out that Brian Rezac has been fired by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). If I find out what the reasoning was behind the decision, I will post it. My $.02? It's just another case of Charlie and the AHA being completely out of touch with homebrewers and homebrewing. I hope all of you will keep this in mind when you are considering sending in your membership renewal.

On the lighter side of things, I was sent this link that proves that there still is hope for the Russian economy.

If this doesn't get you drooling, you'd best check your pulse. Thus spake Richard "gak" Stueven:

Egan Brewing Company (De Pere, Wisconsin) will be holding its first-ever Beer Dinner on September 4, 1999 at 5:00pm.

"Do Not Fear the Darkness - Egan's Beer Dinner '99" is an intense experience of seven courses accompanied by seven of the 11 beers on tap, featuring our own Princess of Darkness Porter. Our entire menu is 100% original, compiled through the combined efforts of Richard "gak" Stueven ( head brewer), Paris "the Princess herself" Cunningham (alternate brewster), and Kat "Kitchen Bitch" Nesbitt (head chef).

Each course is not only served with a beer, but beer is also included in every single recipe, creating an interesting flavor-filled event. Our main entrée, Malt Chicken, is an Egan's original - two chicken breasts breaded in a secret blend of spices and Briess Caramel 120L malt, smothered in rich Princess of Darkness Porter Cream Sauce for a very malty and beer enhanced flavor that just can't be missed! Other courses include Beer Battered Deep Fried Shrimp, Tripple Veggie Chowder, and Princess Crème Brulee.

During the dinner, our guests will have the learned guidance of Richard Stueven who will not only inform but hopefully entertain our brave participants about brewing, the difference between the beers they are trying, and who knows what else.

Tickets are available for $40, and must be purchased by August 28. A commemorative T-shirt is included in the price. Seating is limited to twenty people, so don't delay...stop by the pub or call with your credit card information today!

Egan Brewing Company, 330 Reid Street, De Pere WI 54115, 920-339-2707

I reread what I wrote yesterday and perhaps I need to clarify. The prices at First Wine and Spirits for the Boon products are very comparable to other places I've seen. It's just plain pricy no matter where you buy it. I don't want to be greeted at the door with a chainsaw next time I go in :)

I did find that Campus Wine on University has all the Lindemans products and Timmermans Kriek and Framboise. I bought a bottle of Lindemans Cuveé René Gueuze. Both Campus and First have all the Chapeau products too. While they are from Belgium, I've heard that they are almost cloyingly sweet with virtually no lactic or brett characteristics at all. Sounds vaguely like a wine cooler to me . . .

I was at Life Tools yesterday. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but they now advertise that they have every Wyeast and Yeast Lab yeast in stock all the time.

I'm planning to make a pLambic this summer, so hopefully I can have some ready when the millenium really changes on January 1, 2001. I would appreciate any brewing tips you might be able to send me. For research purposes (naturally), I would like to know if anyone knows of good sources for commerical lambics in the Green Bay area. First Wine and Spirits only has Boon Framboise and Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek in the .75 liter bottles. Both are excellent lambics, but I'm looking for some more variety (and they are a little pricy at ~$16 a bottle).

I'm especially looking for Boon Geuze, Lindemans Cuveé René Gueuze, or anything from Cantillon. So far, I've tried Boon Geuze, Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek, Boon Framboise, Lindemans Cuveé René Gueuze, and Lindemans Kriek (as well as a smidge of Bert's lambic). My favorite is Boon Geuze followed closely by Mariage Parfait Kriek. Please email any information to me. Thanks!

You probably have to be a computer geek (guilty as charged) to enjoy this. Here is 99 Bottles of Beer song in every language you can think of. The catch? They are all computer programming languages. Slap on your pocket protector and check it out!

I posted our American pale ale recipe from Tuesday's club brew here. At the meeting Mike confirmed my fears that my batch of Altbier is infected beyond repair. It's my first-ever batch of drain cleaner <sniff>.

The club brew for tonight is on! Mike C and I are going to be tag-team brewmasters. See you at the Union Hall at 6:00 P.M. Bring some brew! Bring a friend. Bring a friend's brew!

All set! The June newsletter can be found here and Steve Olson's BOS-winning Imperial Stout recipe can be found here. Sorry all this took so long.