August 2011 Hot Break

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In This Issue
From the President
2011 ASH Homebrewer of the Year
Flagstaff Bus Trip
Brewing for Contests
ASH Oktoberfest
Spent Grain Granola Bars
Comps and Events
ASHer Spotlight
July General Meeting Recap
August General Meeting

Upcoming Events 

Thursday, Aug 11, 5pm-8pm
@ SunUp Brewing  
322 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ
 

  August 2011 General Meeting  

Tuesday, Aug 16, 7pm-9pm ASH Clubhouse (Rose Market)
2515 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ
MAP

 Brew Camp
Sat. Sept 17, 10am-3pm
Gangplank HQ
260 S. Arizona Ave
Chandler, AZ

  16th Annual ASH Oktoberfest
Saturday, Oct 22, 12pm-6pm
Ruben Romero ramada complex at Tempe Kiwanis Park
6111 S. All American Way
Tempe, AZ

Beer for Brains RAREAffair
Saturday, Nov. 5, 6:30pm-10:30pm
Talking Stick Resort
9800 E. Indian Bend Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ

Member Benefit Corner  

Did you know ASH Members get:

10% off entire bill at HB Hanratty's. See twitter (@hbhanrattys) and facebook (facebook.com/hbhanrattys) for rotating $2.50 AZ craft special 

   

Click Here to See More ASH Membership Benefits  

Contest Standings  

2011 Homebrewer of the Year  

  

1 - Dennis Tsonis - 5 pts. 

1 - Ken Saxe - 5 pts.
3 - Jon Badalamenti - 2 pts.
4 - Mike Tinker - 1 pt.
4 - Kevin Masaryk - 1 pt.
4 - Chris Sprague - 1 pt.

4 - Alvin Dixon - 1 pt.

   

 2011 Club Only Competition Standings  

Hot Break Archive    


January 2011 

February 2011 

March 2011 

April 2011 

May 2011 

June 2011 

July 2011 

Quick Links

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Greetings!  

Welcome to the August Hot Break. First off, I'm happy to say I'm really excited about the newsletter this month. It's a collaboration of ASHers giving their voice and making the newsletter something more. From Jeff Brahs introducing the Oktoberfest, Brad Hamill giving us the low-down on the Flagstaff Bus Trip with a great story and photos, Barry Weeg breaking down the contest standings, Jon Badalamenti telling us about the Brewing for Competition panel discussion happening at the August meeting, a spent grain recipe from Andrew Bauman and even more, it's great to see ASHers giving and making a contribution. If you'd like to contribute some info, story, photos, recipe or anything, shoot me an email editor@azhomebrewers.org.

Say, speaking of contributing, I think el presidente Rob has something to say on the subject with a pretty sweet deal....

From the President
By Rob Fullmer
ASH President Rob Fullmer

It was supposed to be a sleepy summer, but it's turned into a very busy one.  We had a very large turnout for our July meeting featuring Phoenix Ale Brewery and a spectacular trip with 50 ASHers up the hill to Flagstaff via a luxurious coach supplied by Felipe from Tours on Tap.

 

We need to express our gratitude to the bars and breweries in Flagstaff, but specifically Mother Road Brewing for giving us a peek at their new operation and supplying breakfast. Lumberyard also treated us like old friends, by letting us hang out in the brewery. The outdoor games were a nice touch too. 

 

Finally, we have to thank Fred Krause and co at Oak Creek Brewing for the hospitality and glassware. If you missed out, Darren Sucato and his wife took some amazing photos. Check them out here.

 

It's a nice feeling when you can arrange a trip like that and get such a great response from the brewing community. People are becoming aware of who we are and they value our relationships. 

 

It's these kinds of relationships that help fuel our growing discount program and while it's nice to save a buck on a pint, it's also great for those businesses to know who we are and that we can show them our support. 

 

So far, it's been pretty easy for you. Get an ASH membership, get a card do what you normally do and start saving. Has it been any harder than that for any of you??? 

 

No!

 

Well here is where I am going to ask you to give back a little and guess what? You get to drink the best beer available in the US, eat great food and support a worthy cause. If you've been paying attention and read this far you know that the RareAffair is coming up on Nov 5th. You know that the $10 discount is approaching quickly on August 15th. You know that I consider this event to be one of the top 5 in the country.... IN THE COUNTRY. That includes GABF and NHC. It's that good.

 

We have 500 plus members in this club. We are the NATION'S LARGEST HOMEBREW CLUB. I think it's only fair that 100 ASHers make the commitment and attend an event worthy of our stature. We have a thread on our website called the ASH 100 where we're tracking who's going. As of this writing we have 83 more to go. That means, at this rate, most of you will be paying an extra $10.

 

In the spirit of this commitment, Louis Dolgoff has arranged for DogFish Head to provide ASH with a rare keg for our club if we meet our 100 obligation. 

 

We are on the record and the rest of the community is looking to see if we can deliver. This is important as we start to look for 2012 sponsors and discounts from more businesses OUTSIDE of the brewing community. Finally, as we look to grow our club into a larger warehouse space, fundraising will take on a larger role in helping us achieve our goals.

 

It's time for us to step up and in that spirit, if we meet our goal, I will personally reimburse one ASH 100's ticket through a drawing. That's the full $75 or $150 in a luck of the draw.

 

 

Salud!

Rob

 

 
2011 ASH Homebrewer of the Year
by Barry Weeg 

The Homebrewer of the Year Competition is a multi-part competition consisting 4 mini, single-style competitions held throughout the year and ASH's Oktoberfest competition in October. The idea is to encourage the members to hone their skills by brewing to style as well as give them an excuse to brew styles they otherwise might not.

A "gold," "silver," and "bronze" medal (no actual medals will be awarded for the 4 mini comps) is chosen from the entries for each mini-competition. 3, 2, and 1 points are awarded respectively. Similarly, 3, 2, and 1 points are awarded to every medal won at Oktoberfest. However, THESE POINTS ONLY QUALIFY IF THE BREWER HAS ENTERED AT LEAST 2 OF THE MINI-COMPETITIONS. The highest total at the end of the year wins the coveted "Homebrewer of the Year" award and is recognized and awarded prizes at the December Holiday Party.

Partial List of Past Winners:
    2004 - Mike Walker

    2005 - Michael Wiley

    2006 - Michael Wiley

 

    2007 - Barry Weeg

 

    2008 - David Schollmeyer

 

    2009 - Mik HeerBrandt

 

    2010 - Ken Forrey

 

Entries will be due at the general meetings according to the following schedule:

 

 

2011 Schedule
  • February - Double Red
  • May - Porter
  • June - Scottish & Irish
  • August - Belgian & French
  • October - Oktoberfest (the festival, not the Marzen, meaning medals won for the Oktoberfest competition count toward HBOY)


Instructions for submitting entries:
  1. Rubber-band a completed Bottle Identification Form (PDF file) to one (1) glass, 10 to 14 ounce bottle of homebrew.
  2. Using a permanent black marker, obliterate any and all words or pictures on the caps.
  3. Fill out an Entry/Recipe Form Entry/Recipe Form (PDF file) completely, (you must fill in the category and subcategory you are entering!) and attach it to one of the bottles with a rubber band.


The entries will be judged by a panel of BJCP judges, complete with score sheets. Score sheets will be returned at the next general meeting.

Results:

February - Double Red
No gold medal awarded

Jon Badalamenti - 2 pts.

Mike Tinker - 1 pt.

 

May - Porter

Dennis Tsonis - 3 pts.

Ken Saxe - 2 pts.

Kevin Mazaryk - 1 pt.

 

June - Scottish & Irish

Ken Saxe - 3 pts.

Dennis Tsonis - 2 pts.

Chris Sprague - 1 pt.

 

Leader Board

 

 

1 - Dennis Tsonis - 5 pts.
1 - Ken Saxe - 5 pts.
3 - Jon Badalamenti - 2 pts.
4 - Mike Tinker - 1 pt.
4 - Kevin Masaryk - 1 pt.
4 - Chris Sprague - 1 pt.

Remember, the next entries for BJCP Category 16: Belgian and French Ale are due at the August general meeting. This includes Witbier, Belgian Pale Ale, Saison, Biere de Garde, and Belgian Specialty Ale. The Belgian Specialty Ale category is basically any Belgian inspired beer that doesn't fit into any other category. But remember to include an explanation of what makes it special, including a base style if appropriate.


2011 Flagstaff Bus Trip    

Story and Photos by Brad Hamill

ASH Group

The trip began as the sun was rising around 7:00am, and the aroma of coffee and cigarettes filled the air around the ASH clubhouse. Passersby gazed in our direction wonder what sort of mischief was about to happen. The bus pulled into the parking lot and we all patiently waited for the signal to load up the corny kegs, growlers, and mugs. We drowsily stumbled onto the bus, some of us carrying empty kegs, and some with samples of their latest batch eagerly waiting for the bus to start moving and crack it open to share with the group. 7:25am and the bus is rolling out of the parking lot, and talk of what movie to watch was rumbling in the back. The choice was made; Super Bad was selected to set the mood of the day, "Off to a right start" I heard come from someone. While some slept, a growler with BJ's latest Belgian IPA was cracked open and passed around along with plastic cups for tasting.

8:45am...We made our first stop at a McDonald's to fill up on breakfast and caffeine to fully wake up and prepare for the long day of delicious craft pints ahead. We also decided to switch gears from Super Bad
to Strange Brew.

10:15am...The driver navigates a series of turns to find the perfect parking spot for the bus. And our fearless leader gave a speech about the schedule for the day, and we all piled off the bus for a mandatory group picture. Then we walked over to the newly renovated Mother Road brewery.

Mother Road Exterior with People
The two gentlemen running this brewery in progress are Michael Marquess and Urs Riner. When we arrived on site we all were greeted with delicious pastries and a unique tour experience where we all
had to take our shoes off due to the new flooring. The building has been under renovations from its former 3350 sq. ft. 1920 industrial chic. The building has had a few owners but started off as a steam powered Textile Laundry Company. The windows were another feature that I thought were a great addition to the style of the Mother Road shoeless tourbuilding. You had to use a chain to manually crank the windows open or closed but unfortunately due to some red tape and legalities Michael and Urs had to seal the majority of these windows and now only 4 on one corner of the building are operational. Michael and Urs have had a few setbacks during the renovation process that has made them push back their grand opening date and they're still not sure when they'll be open, the locals around town are spreading rumors and hopes for a September opening, but we will keep our fingers crossed for them.

Some of the beers that Mother Road plans to have available in their 500 sq. ft. tap room and in bottles are Groslsch, English Brown, and a Pale Ale that will all be in the session beer category of 5% ABV give or take. The plan is to produce roughly 5500 barrels a year and hopefully expand within five years.

When the tour of Mother Road ended all of the A.S.H. members split up into various groups and headed out to Beaver Street brewery, Flagstaff brewery, and Lumberyard brewery.

FlagbrewThose who went to Flagstaff brewery had the opportunity to enjoy up to four different brews on tap, which were the Agassiz Amber(ABV: 5.75% IBU: 18), The Great Golden Ale(ABV: 5.25% IBU:12), Three Pin Pale Ale (ABV: 6.0% IBU: 32), and the Bitterroot ESB(ABV: 5.75% IBU: 41). There was also a ping pong table in the back room that was put to good use.

At Beaver street brewery the group that decided to go here would have had the opportunity to eat a variety of great food and good beer. Some of the beers that were on tap included the R&R Oatmeal Stout, Bramble berry Brew (Ale), Hopshot IPA, the Big Rapid Red, and depending on
the season they offer, a Marzen Lager, a Vienna Lager, a Hefe Weizen, and a Pilsener. Because Beaver Street brewery and Lumberyard brewery are owned by the same company you might think that they would have similar beers, similar food, and a similar atmosphere. I would disagree, the beer selection included a Red Ale, IPA, Hefeweizen, Golden Ale, and Raspberry Ale...sounds familiar right? But they also include the Big Rapid Imperial Red Ale, at a whopping 9.5% ABV and 95 IBU, along with the Belgian Trippel coming in at 10.8% ABV and 30 IBU. The imperial Red and Belgian Trippel quickly became my favorites on this trip with Flagstaff brewery's Golden Ale at third place in my personal rankings.

Lumberyard tablesAround 2:00pLumberyard Brewhousem the group met at the Lumberyard brewery for a tour and to my surprise a welcoming staff that was happy to help us setup games of ladder ball, and corn hole. A few of us even were given a behind the scenes look at the grueling process of canning that goes on one can at a time. Each can of Lumberyard beer takes about 1 � minutes to be fully filled and canned with the $20,000 equipment that is being used right now. I was told that they are looking into a much bigger machine that will be able to can 200+ an hour and will cost upwards of $140,000 dollars! This will be a huge production increase in the Lumberyard canning business and I'm sure will help the carpal tunnel of the
laborers.

3:00pm came around and we waved our goodbyes and our journey continued on to Oak Creek Brewery in Sedona, AZ where we discovered good beer and possibly the world's best hot dogs?
Oak Creek Alvin
When we arrived at Oak Creek brewery, we filled the bar and back patio with ASH members and made the locals who had been enjoying a pint or two start asking "where did all of these people come from??" As I walked into the bar I was greeted by a musician and was told to quickly grab a pint glass from a box that had been lying on the floor covered in the red dust of Sedona. After I grabbed my glass I was feeling the hunger pangs of the long day and decided that I needed to get one of these hot dogs that I had enjoyed once before and to encourage my fellow ASH members to do the same. Once I had my order in it was on to business as usual and to get my next pint. I enjoyed the Nut Brown Ale (ABV: 6%), and attempted to find a seat on the patio. I started to sip my beer and it started to sprinkle rain through the perforated tarp like covering that was above and I thought to myself "This is the life". Minutes later, life got better by 10 fold when the gourmet hot dog was presented to me and I had my first bite. Due to the amouOak Creeknt of people flooding the bar and the patio there wasn't much face time with the owner, but I was able to get down the tap list which included The Oak Creek Gold Lager (4.5%), Amber Ale (5.5%), Nut Brown Ale (6%), Hefeweizen (4.5%), Pale Ale (5.5%), and a Porter (7%). It was the perfect place to wind down and enjoy the evening and end our trip.

As we left, some dragged their newly filled kegs onto the bus and we all were quiet as Beerfest was put on. Some decided to watch the back of their eyelids instead, but I enjoyed the night sky at sunset while we approached dark ominous clouds, and watched the lightning strike. -Good Times

Vew more photos by Darren Sucato

Brewing for Competition  

by Jon Badalamenti

Greetings, ASHers!

Oktoberfest is our biggest event of the year and it's coming up fast! This also means our Oktoberfest competition is fast approaching. Are you thinking about entering some of your homebrew? Make sure you attend the August general meeting! I will be moderating a panel discussion going over all the important details you need to know for brewing for competition.

Our panelists are Ken Forrey (2010 ASH Homebrewer of the Year) and a handful of our very own BJCP judges: Kevin Masaryk, Ken Saxe, Barry Weeg, and Barry Tingleff. Get insights from both brewers and judges about best practices for brewing for competition. What things do you do differently when brewing for competition? When is best to brew and bottle different styles? How should you package and label your bottles? Do judges have preference or appreciation for certain styles over others?

Get the discussion going on this thread! Post your questions and I'll make sure we touch on them at the meeting.

16th Annual ASH Oktoberfest   

by Jeff Brahs

It's getting time to find your lederhosen or dirndls that are shoved in the back of the closet.
2010 Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is only a few short months away, and it promises to be the biggest and best gathering of delicious homebrew all year. Once again, it'll be held at Kiwanis Park on the third Saturday in October.
There will be plenty of fun for the whole family in the form of games and bouncy castles for the kids, live music and BEER for the adults. Tell your husbands, tell your wives, tell your kids, tell your friends and neighbors. Make sure they don't miss the biggest party of the year!

To RSVP and stay up to date with the awesomeness, here is where you want to be.

Have a cool idea for O'fest or want to help with the planning? Shout out here.

Spent Grain Granola Bars     

by Andrew Bauman

I made a super tasty, really easy granola bar recipe from spent grains, and because our oven is on a 3 month solitary confinement, I built a solar oven to cook them in.

 

Granola Bars Solar Oven 


The recipe is 3 cups spent grains, dried (I spread my grains on a sheet pan in a medium thick layer and put them in the 140 degree garage with a fan blowing over them.  Stir it once in a while, and they should dry overnight no problem)


1 cup whole wheat flour


2 eggs


1/2 cup peanut butter


1/3 cup honey


1 tsp cinnamon


Mix all this together so it is... mixed.


At this point, I add other things.  Which may be unfair in a recipe, but think about things that can go in a granola bar- pretty limitless.  For my first batch, I added some trail mix that had been sitting in a jar on the shelf for a pretty long time- just to get rid of it.  In the second batch, I added some shaved coconut and golden raisins.  It's pretty wide open- the total volume of the adjuncts ;) should be about half a cup


Mix it all up then spread it over a cookie sheet in an even layer.


CRITICAL THING!!!!


You need to "score" the bars before baking if you want "bars".  If you don't it will be one huge hunk and to eat it, you will pretty much have to smash it with a hammer into bits.


I baked it in the solar oven at about 200 degrees or so.  I let it sit for about 3 hours.  Really, as long as it is cooked for over an hour the eggs (which are the only "perishable" part, though if you ask the French, they would disagree...) will be cooked thoroughly.  The remaining time is to dehydrate / harden the bars to whatever consistency you want. Shorter cooking = softer bars.  Longer cooking = more crunchy.


They are freaking DELICIOUS.  The wife has complained once that the grains got stuck in her teeth, but I haven't had a problem with it.  The kids even like them, and it's SO super simple that they help me make them.  Playing with the "dough" is pretty fun!


Homebrew Competitions and Events


2011-2012 Rocky Mountain Homebrew Club Challenge

 

Foam on the Range Homebrew Club is proud to announce the 2011-2012 Rocky Mountain Homebrew Club Challenge to be held at Falling Rock Tap House on November 5th.  This competition is open to only and all Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming AHA Homebrew Clubs.  We hope to create a good nature competition between the clubs to find out who will become known as the best overall Rocky Mountain homebrew club.

Awards and prizes will be given to individual club members for the top 3 winners in each of the BJCP Style Guidelines Homebrew Categories plus the 3 top winners in both the beer and the meads & ciders the Best of Show.  The grand prize is the coveted Foamer Firkin which will be given to the Homebrew Club that earns the most points to use for a year, much like the Stanley Cup but for a Homebrew Competition.  The winning club will earn the distinction of being the Best Rocky Mountain Homebrew Club.  The first winner of the Firkin, went to Foam on the Range located in Denver Colorado.  Please see the attached document that explains the point system as well as a picture of the Foamer Firkin and it's first winning club.

Our first competition was only open to Colorado, and Wyoming AHA homebrew clubs.  This time we are now expanding eligible Rocky Mountain States to include Arizona, and New Mexico, homebrew clubs.  This is doubling last competition invitees to a total of 57 homebrew clubs. 


 

2011 Friends of Coconino County Park (FCCP) Homebrew Competition  

will be held at Coconino County Fair on September 3.

Entries should be 2 bottles dropped off at the Homebrewers Outpost from August 1 through August 26th, or mailed to:

 

Homebrewers Outpost

801 South Milton Rd.

Suite #2

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

 

The competition will be held at the County Fairgrounds, Fort Tuthill on Saturday, September 3 at 12pm.
Winners will be announced on Saturday, September 3 at 4pm.

 

The competition will be an AHA sanctioned event, BJCP style guidelines will apply. Entry Identi-fication and recipe forms can be found in the competiotion section at the BJCP web site: www.bjcp.org/compcenter.php 


Entry fee is $7 per beer, payable with submittal. Checks payable to The Mountain Top Mashers.
All proceeds benefit FCCP, a local non-profit working for the betterment of County Parks.
Prizes include ribbons and gift certificates from Homebrewers Outpost:

Best in Show: $75

2nd Place:$50

3rd Place:$25


For more information see www.facebook.com/mountaintopmashers or contact Chris Flory atcafloryl@yahoo.com or at 928-380-0083.

Hop Madness 2011 is Coming!

Hopmadness

via Chris Hummert
Hop Madness Organizer

Hopmadness Fest Hop Dive
We are less then a month away from Hopmadness. The largest gathering of home brewers and home brewing clubs in the Pacific Northwest.

To stay in touch with the latest information, please visit our Website or Facebook page

What is Hopmadness?

Hopmadness 2011 is a celebration of hops and their role in beer. We've had homebrewers from all over, as far away as New York to just down the road. From brewing hop harvest ales, picking fresh hops, to touring hop farms in active harvest, homebrewers can revel in all of the madness that are hops!

We also have a video from a few years ago showing what Hop Madness is like:

 Hop Madness 2007 Video  

 

When, Where, and How?

The festival/get-together/campout is September 3-4, 2011 from noon to noon at the Rogue Farms Micro Hopyard in Independence, Oregon. Camping will be in the shady, grassy, fenced in area next to the Hop n' Bed which is right across from the tasting room. 

Tickets

 

Prepaid online registration: $10/person or $15/family

Onsite/day of fest: $13/person or $20/family

The family rate applies only to those who permanently live at the same address.

 

Judged Competition

 

This year there are two competitions. They are:

 

  1. Best Damn Hoppy Beer - This one is as simple as it sounds. Make a beer, make it hoppy and make it the best damn beer there and you'll win. There's no style guidelines so your imagination is the limit.
  2. Peoples Choice - This beer is chosen by the people. Each Hop Madness participant is given a ticket upon registration and you want them to give you their ticket. The person with the most tickets at the end of the day wins. So set up a table near your campsite with your beer and a bucket for tickets and try to persuade people that you have the best beer there. 
There will be prizes for the winners of both competitions. For more information check out our competition page.

What to bring

Bring your food, chairs, tables, tents, sleeping bags, shade (canopies) and anything else you wish to make your stay enjoyable (homebrew, sodas, etc.). Its always nice to bring some snacks to share around the camp.

It's tradition... If you are planning to go on the hop tour please bring a homebrew or commercial beer for the hop farmers.

Events
  • Hop harvest brewing: Fresh hops and water provided, bring your own brewing equipment.
  • Hop tour: A tour of the active hop harvest (2pm on Sat)
  • Best Damn Hoppy Beer Contest: Bring your hoppiest damn beer and enter it into the contest.
  • Overnight camping: Bring a tent and cover just in case it rains (it is Oregon afterall).
  • Hop Olympics: Organize a team of your fellow club members to compete for homebrewer bragging rights.
Tentative Agenda
Saturday September 3rd
12:00 - Hopmandess Starts, Check-in Open
1:00 - Hop Bines arrive for picking
2:00 - Hop Farm Tour
4:00 - Judging for the Best Damn Hoppy Beer Competition
5:00 - Best Damn Hoppy Beer and Peoples choice winners announced.  Raffle follows
6:30 - Hop Olymipcs

Sunday September 4th
12:00 - Hopmandess Ends, Check-out and Cleanup
SponsorshipsWe are still looking for shops/websites to help sponsor and donate prizes for our competitions. If you can help out with that please email Chris Hummert at chummert@gmail.com 

Questions?
If you have any questions about the event, please either:

We hope to see all of you there and want to make this years event best event there is!

Thanks
Chris Hummert
Hop Madness Organizer


ASHer Spotlight 

 

Well, there's no ASHer Spotlight this month. Not that there wasn't anyone worth spotlighting, we have a lot of members kicking ass. I just wanted to feature someone who was recommended by you, the ASH members. And I didn't receive ANY nominations since the last Hot Break.

 

So I'll make it clear: The ASHer Spotlight is your chance to point out someone in the club you feel deserves some recognition. Send your nomination, even if it's yourself, to editor@azhomebrewers.org. The person who is selected for the ASHer Spotlight will get an email from me with some questions and be asked to provide some photos. The answers and photos will be featured in the ASHer Spotlight in the next Hot Break.   

 

Want to help shine the spotlight on someone? Send your nomination to editor@azhomebrewers.org.

 July General Meeting Recap

It was a full house for a July meeting.

July Meeting Food Trucks

 

 

Short Leash Dogs and Mojo Ice kept everyone well fed before and during the meeting. We had a taste of Fretzy's Unfiltered Ale and of course our own delicious homebrew.

 

Special guests included:

Greg Fretz, George Hancock and John Donehower of Phoenix Ale Brewery 

Louis Dolgoff of the Beer For Brains Foundation 

Peter Seemann of Crescent Crown

We also had 8 new brewers check us out.

 

July Meeting Guests 

 

Our featured speaker from Phoenix Ale Brewery was George Hancock. George gave us a history of the origins of the brewery and their decision to locate in Phoenix. He also gave us some background on the scene in Washington State and Phoenix Ale Brewery's Pyramid pedigree. Head Brewer John Donehower (and new ASH member) gave us a background on the house yeast (ringwood) and the Belgian malt bill components that set his ordinary bitter apart. Greg Fretz let us know where the beer can be purchased and handed out some beer extraction hardware.

We learned that the tasting room would not be open until perhaps Fall or whenever the bottling line becomes operational. We also learned that the next beer out would be an English IPA and the winter warmer might be a Bier de Garde.

 

 

100

100

I led a discussion on he best beer festivals in Arizona. It was not surprising that Strong Beer and ASH Oktoberfest were the top 2. I also asked which beer festivals in the US rank among the highest (GABF, NHC, OBF, SAVOR). We talked about the value of each festival, the types of beer offered and what was included.

Next, I made the argument that the Beer for Brains, RAREaffair is a beer event that is in our state that ranks in the top 5 in the nation and is an outstanding value. The beer will be largely beers that are aged or unobtainable in AZ. There are 3 bands, wine, spirits, cigars and food. This is an event in our own backyard and it deserves our support.

Louis Dolgoff spoke about the foundation and how the proceeds of the event would go toward brain cancer research. He said that the event is like the best beer wedding you ever went to and you don't have to get married or give a gift!

There are 109 days before the event. If tickets are purchased before August 15th there is a $10 discount with the following code: LIKEBFBF11. If you save a couple of bucks a day or $15/ week, you have no excuses.

As the President of ASH, I made a commitment that ASH would support this event in every way that we can. I am asking each one of our members to give this event your full consideration. The goal that I have set for us is for 100 of our members to attend the RAREaffair.

Please chime in here when you purchase or if you have questions.

 

Also announced:

Brew Camp

 

Brewcamp Poster 

Dates were announced for Brew Camp, our collaboration with Gangplank. Content and volunteer help is requested.
 

 

 

August General Meeting
Tuesday, August 16, 7pm-9pm

The ASH General meeting will be at the ASH Clubhouse, 2515 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85257.  We're in the storefront under the Rose Market sign.

 

HBOY Competition entry due: Belgian and French Ale

There will be a Brewing for Contests panel discussion and Q&A session.
   
Always keep in mind, if you visit a new brewery, find a cool beer spot, had a life-changing brewing epiphany, have a great project you're working on, or anything else you'd like to mention on Hot Break, email me; editor@azhomebrewers.org. We want to see stories and photos from our members.

 

We'll see you at the General Meeting. Till then brew on and RDWHAHB


   

 

Sl�inte!

 

Tom


Your Club Board Members
ASH President Rob Fullmer
President
 - Rob Fullmer


Vice President - Ben Conner


Secretary
 - Maureen Basenberg

Treas Profile Pic
Treasurer - David Schollmeyer


Communications - Tom Boggan

Dennis Tsonis

Operations Officer
- Dennis Tsonis

Mark Haugan
Projects Officer - Mark Haugan

Arizona Society of Homebrewers

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