In all my years in Arizona, I never really understood why summer was the time for construction projects. Drive around the city anywhere in the Valley and the roads are a zig-zag of orange cones and single lanes. But it seems this phenomenon isn't unique to roadwork. Homebrewers have their own list of fix-its and modifications for their set ups and when it's too hot to brew, why not invent?

I'm looking forward to the meeting this month where some of our members will have their homemade gadgets and gizmos on display. And I plan on bringing my notebook to "borrow" some ideas. Hey - the summer's not over yet!

Salute!
Angela (@girlfromarizona)

From the President

By Rob Fullmer

I've had two industry people ask me about Oktoberfest this week. One was making sure that they could attend this year and blocked their calendar. The other was planning one of their events so that it would not conflict with ours. Since they think that it's important to talk about nearly 3 months out, I figured I should say a few words about it. It's going to be at Kiwanis park once again on Saturday, October 19th, so I recommend that you block your calendar as well. If you are planning a craft beer event, I'm putting you on notice, don't use that date. :)

As a board member, Oktoberfest is a special celebration. You were part of a team that ran the country's largest homebrew club and this the biggest event of the year. There is a select group that understands what that feeling is.

It hasn't always been this way. In past years, Oktoberfest represented the final straw in volunteer burnout. We didn't always have the wealth of volunteers and leaders to have our events run so smoothly. It's a certainty that I will not name every person that has made a difference, but I'm going to mention a few.

Barry Tingleff, Trevor Johnson, Ken Forrey and Ben Conner have been the team running both Oktoberfest and Springfest for the last 4 years. They've worked with the help of dozens of volunteer and the ASH board and they've also worked independently. They are the reason that we are often recognized as having one of the best Fests in Arizona and it's why we all enjoy it so much.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the people that work the gate and the raffle table (And yes, a good deal of them are the women in ASH. Our ASH women volunteer at a higher rate than the men.): Patty van West, Julie Meeker, Christy Strohl, Jackie Eckman, Susan Delgado Swann, Melinda Wegener, Vickie Gerstner and so many others.

This year we're working on some changes to make our event run even better for our volunteers and our board will work with our Volunteer Coordinator, Kat Morrill, to recognize Springfest and Octoberfest volunteers.

�Salud!

Rob Fullmer
President, ASH

ASH Wins at NHC

So, is it always sunny in Philadelphia? It was for ASH-er Dennis Tsonis who won silver for his Strong Scotch Ale.

Congratulations Dennis!

From the Judges Table
Matt Brown

I can't thank everybody enough for their great suggestions about how to improve participation in ASH's competitions. We've already implemented a few of them, and a lot more changes will be coming soon. It's still not too late to contribute to the discussion here.

Homebrewer of the Year

Unfortunately, cooler problems resulted in the HBOY English Brown and Fruit Beer entries spending a good bit of time at well over 100 degrees. Because of that, we've decided to award everyone who entered 1 point toward HBOY simply for submitting something. We also ask that everyone who can spare a second bottle bring it to this month's general meeting for us to judge along with this month's Pilsner entries.

I am happy to announce that November's prize is going to be a day brewing an IPA at San Tan Brewing Company. This will be an opportunity to get judging points too, as I will be registering the competition with the BJCP. It's not too early to start perfecting that IPA recipe!

Here are the remaining HBOY deadlines:

7/16 -Pilsner

8/20 - European Amber Lager

10/15 - Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

11/19 - IPA

12/13 - Light Lager

Turn in your entries at the general meeting. The rules are posted here.

Salt River Fields Oktoberfest / ASH Oktoberfest

No changes here, so everything in October is still going ahead as planned. Here are the dates:

10/4 - ASH Oktoberfest Entry Deadline

10/5 - ASH Oktoberfest Judging

10/6 - ASH Oktoberfest Judging (if necessary)

10/11 - Salt River's Oktoberfest Entry Deadline

10/12 - Salt River's Oktoberfest Judging

10/19 - ASH Oktoberfest

We need as many judges as possible, so please keep 10/5, 10/6, and 10/12 free!

BJCP Class

The BJCP class is underway and meeting Monday nights at 7pm. There are still 12 styles left to cover! You can join the group here, and then you will need to RSVP for each class in the discussion forum. It is open to all paid ASH members, and a class fee of $5 covers the cost of the commercial examples you will get to try.

Springfest Competition

We are going to have a big Springfest competition in early 2014 and should have the date and more details by next month's Hot Break. If you want to help plan it, join the competition committee here.

Bus Trips, Brew Outs, and IPAs

Save the Date, Pack Your Glass for ASH Summer Socials

volunteer perks

Our beer schedule never really slows down. Not even for the heat. Keep an eye on the ASH Website for some of these upcoming events:

Flagstaff Bus Trip

Saturday, August 17

Many have been asking about this newer ASH tradition - a road trip to cooler climes and Northern brews. We have the date and a bus ready to take us to Flagstaff. Now we're just finalizing some coordinated visits with Flag breweries. For now, save the date and watch your email. We'll let you know when the sign up page is active.

Queen of Beer Brewout

Saturday, August 25

Another tradition in the making. The women of ASH are invited to this brewout to prepare entries for the 2013 Queen of Beer Women's Homebrew Competition. All entries must be prepared entirely by women, although men can assist with lifting. What else can the men do? Oversee the potluck, take a dip in the pool....

IPA Day

Friday, August 2

Cheers to the IPA on the second year of this "official" day. We had six of our top volunteers brew IPAs with O.H.S.O. last month and expect them to be on tap as part of the celebration.

June Recap

Keevin Simpson, Todd Vorce and Krystal Bittner held an active panel discussion on Alternative Ingredients and Fermintation.

July General Meeting

Tuesday, June 18, 7pm - 9pm

ASH Clubhouse (Rose Market Storefront

2515 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ

This month, Kat Morrill leads an expo of Gadgets and Gizmos. ASH members will show off their customized brew tools for everything from mash to glass.

Bring your homebrew to share. If this is your first meeting, you're still welcome to bring your beer. We have a reach in cooler in the back where your homebrew goes. Make yourself at home, place your beer on the shelf and help yourself to other members' beers. If you do not have a tasting cup, we have extras next to the cooler.

HBOY entries are due at this meeting for Pilsner beers. Submit entries to Matt Brown or Krystal Bittner.

The ASH Hot Break is distributed every month to our members and friends. If you stumbled upon this issue through Facebook or Twitter, take a minute to join our website, azhomebrewers.org, so you can get our newsletters and updates in your email. (There might even be some secret events and deals announced as well).

We're always looking for reader input. If you're excited about a new project, teaching others how to brew, hosting a homebrew event, or have anything else you'd like to mention on Hot Break, email [email protected]. We want to see stories and photos from our members.

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

Prost!

Angela

Your Club Board Members

President - Rob Fullmer

Vice President - Krystal Bittner

Secretary - Laura Kuning

Treasurer - Christian Chandler

Communication - Angela Muniz

Member at Large - John Rudolph

Member at Large - Ben Conner

Arizona Society of Homebrewers