JANUARY 2007 PRESIDENT’S NOTES |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Sunday, 21 January 2007 | |
Narrative summary of SCBG monthly meeting held Saturday, January 20, 2007. There may have been only 19 members at the opening meeting for 2007, but there was certainly no shortage of beer, food or good times. Hearty thanks to Doug and Kelleigh for hosting this winter gathering. She-Pat gave us a treasurer’s report and membership summary. At the start of the meeting there was $538.62 in the club checking account. That figure had changed by the end of the meeting as several folks paid-up their 2007 dues. By the end of the meeting, we had 32 paid-up members, including our lifetimers, Kelly & Esther. The Febrewary meeting is still set to be hosted by Bryan and Jenny S., probably on the 17th, however, watch your email for further details. Kathy and John M. are currently out of the country, but we are assuming that they will still host the March meeting. The 17th (St. Paddy’s day) was recommended as the date for the March meeting, but we will need to confirm that with Kathy and John once they are back stateside. A brief break followed and then Doug treated us to his presentation on the history and characteristics of the Bohemian Pilsner style. And I do mean “treat!” Doug gave us a lively, informative, artistic and professional Power Point presention that lasted over a half-hour and, I dare say, most of us would gladly sit through it again–it was that good. I’m afraid Doug has raised the bar on style presentations so much so that none of us may ever again come close. Thank you Doug; it was worth coming out in the cold and wind just for your excellent presentation. Afterward, we tasted 3 Bohemian Pilsners from the Czech Republic and one “Czech Style” Pilsner from the U.S. None of us could quite understand why the Czech’s (and many other Europeans) bottle their beers in green glass. Some “skunkiness” was detected to one degree or another in all three of the Czech-brewed beers. Someone may correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the Czechvar was the favorite of the 3 European-brewed pilsners. The American-brewed “Czech-style” pilsner, from Lagunitas in California, was good but not really to style, being more akin to a German pilsner. As the meeting was concluding, Keira and Dyson checked-in just to make sure we all knew that it was bedtime. Barley did an excellent job in her position as sargent-at-arms the entire evening. Once again, many thanks to Kelleigh and Doug for hosting. I’m sorry more members didn’t make it to this meeting–you missed a really good one! Patrick Kennerly President Star City Brewers Guild January 21, 2007 |
FEBREWARY 2007 PRESIDENT’S NOTES |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Sunday, 18 February 2007 | |
A narrative summary of the SCBG monthly meeting for February held Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4 PM.The blustery chill of a winter afternoon did not deter a sizeable contingent of homebrewers from gathering at the home of Bryan and Jenny S. on Saturday afternoon, Febrewary 17th. Many thanks to Bryan and Jenny for opening up their home to the club–your home is cozy and inviting and the fireplace made the setting ideal. The meeting kicked off at 4 PM, but folks were still arriving after 6 PM; a head count at that time revealed a total of 24 members present. She-Pat presented the treasury report and membership summary. At the beginning of the meeting, the club account held $598.62 and there were 32 paid members. By the end of the meeting, 4 additional couples had paid their dues and the membership count was up to 40. John & Kathy M. confirmed that they will be hosting the March meeting and the Czech Pilsener competition. The date for that event is Saturday, March 17th–yes, St. Patrick’s Day–beginning at 4:00 PM. John & Kathy will send directions to their home via this club email forum a little closer to the event. Your President made a plea for stewards for the Czech Pilsener competition. Stuart, faithful steward that he is, volunteered to serve once again. If other members would like to steward with Stuart, please make your intentions known to this forum or to your President privately. Since this is a lager style and members may wish to bring their competition beer in a keg, Big Willee can be available for service. Martin has volunteered to host the April meeting. The date for that will be forthcoming, after Martin consults with wife Sandra. Your President then broached the subject of Big Brew, the national homebrewers’ event that will be held on Saturday, May 5th this year. Ross & Nancy hosted Big Brew last May. An email has been sent to them inquiring about their plans for this May. Should Ross & Nancy’s mountaintop retreat not be available, we’ll have to explore other possibilities. This year’s Festival in the Park was also mentioned briefly. Your President asked all members to ponder that event and help make a good group decision as to whether or not we wish to participate this May 26th. John M. presented a mouth-watering description of his and Kathy’s participation in the Manchester, England Winter Beer Festival. By the time John was finished, we were all ready to charter a flight and book rooms for the next Manchester festival. Business being concluded, the meeting was adjourned and all retired to the kitchen, dining and living rooms of the S’s. home to enjoy excellent food, company and homebrew. Thanks again, Jenny and Bryan, for a great job of hosting. Until next month, keep those pilseners lagering! Patrick Kennerly |
MARCH 2007 MEETING–PRESIDENT”S NOTES |
PRESIDENT’S NOTES APRIL 2007 MEETING |
MAY 2007 MEETING: PRESIDENT’S NOTES |
JUNE 2007 Meeting President’s Notes |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Sunday, 10 June 2007 | |
Narrative summary of June Meeting & Second Quarterly Style Competition.The late spring weather provided for a splendid outdoor SCBG meeting Saturday, June 9th. The backyard of the Pats’ home in Grandin Court offered a comfortable setting with lots of grass, trees and plant life. Special thanks to she-Pat who worked arduously, both indoors and out, in preparation for the meeting. Her sacrifical thumb offering must have been pleasing to the beer gods. A steady breeze and ample shade made the 87-degree temperature seem quite comfortable. At the top of the meeting, we welcomed two newcomers: Alec and Karen. They moved to Roanoke from Florida about a year ago and Alec, who is a seasoned homebrewer, has been settling into brewing in his new environs. Before coming to the meeting, they secured a used refrigerator for Alec’s fermentations and loaded it onto their pickup truck. It was the first time in SCBG history that a homebrewer came to a meeting carrying his own refrigerator. She-Pat reported that the treasury stands at $529.64, with one Big Brew expense check still outstanding. Currently, there are 47 paid members. We hope Alec and Karen soon will make that 49. A discussion of future meeting dates and locations yielded these results: July at Doug & Kelleigh’s in Botetourt County (with pool & castle) on Saturday, July 7th, gathering at 1:00 pm. August at Ed & Carol’s in Blacksburg, Saturday, August 11th, gathering at 2:00 pm. September (IPA competition) at John & Kathy’s in Roanoke City, Saturday, September 22nd, gathering at 3:00 pm. Bryan S. volunteered his and Jen’s home for the October meeting and I, your President, forgot that Jeff & Cindy had already offered to host October. So, Jeff & Cindy graciously offered to host the November meeting instead. Paul M. then presented a detailed description of the “Second Wind” event being sponsored by Roanoke County and shared with the group his vision of our contribution to that event. Summarizing, the Guild will brew up to three extract batches of homebrew so that the brewing demonstration will cover the day-long event. Star City Brewers will also provide attendees with samples of homebrew and information on the homebrewing hobby, with the help of Chris & Fran and Blue Ridge Hydroponics & Homebrew Supply. Brewers are asked to brew for this event beers that would be suitable “introductory” beers so as not to “scare away” those whose tastes were formed on the likes of Bud Light, Miller Lite, etc. The “Second Wind” event is scheduled for September 15th at Woodmen of the World on Peters Creek Road. Paul M. wil coordinate SCBG participation, primarily through club email. Following a short break (to partake of some wonderful edibles), the second quarterly club competition got underway, with good and faithful Chief Steward, Judie M. at the helm. Two tables judged a total of 9 American Pale Ales submitted by members. A second-round table selected the trophy winners: 3rd Place went to Doug; 2nd Place went to your President; and 1st Place went to Bryan S. That makes two 1st Place finishes for Bryan S. so far this year; three in a row, counting the December 2006 Scottish 80 competition. Scores from all entries will be posted on the club website. Congratulations to the winners AND thank you to all who brewed an APA for the competition. A huge “Thank You!” to Judie M. and her very capable crew of stewards! Your President would also like to thank everyone who brought such a wonderful and varied assortment of foods and homebrew to the June meeting. This group really knows how to score a culinary victory. Another special thanks to Doug for bringing his “Randalizer” with its two ounces of Cascades and Amarillo whole hops through which were served several of the beers brought to the meeting in kegs. Nice work, Mr. M! Until time to splish and splash at Kelleigh & Doug’s in July, keep a lookout for club emails! Patrick Kennerly |
July 2007 Meeting President’s Notes |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Sunday, 08 July 2007 | |
A brief narrative summary of the SCBG meeting held Saturday, 07-07-07.I don’t have a clue as to the whereabouts of most of the rest of the members, but a lively group of 14 gathered at Doug and Kelleigh’s Botetourt farm for a summer afternoon of food, fellowship, and fine brew. Kelleigh and Doug always provide a warm and gracious welcome to the club and 07-07-07 was no exception. She-Pat reported a current treasury balance of $500.45. Reimbursements to club members who purchased IPAs for the day’s commercial tasting still need to come out of that figure. Your President reviewed meeting locations for August through November. The next meeting is scheduled for August 11 at Carol & Ed W’s. in Blacksburg, beginning at 2:00 PM. Check the club’s website calendar for other meeting dates and locations. An announcement of the 2008 American Homebrewers’ National Conference was up next; that will be June 19-21, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is about an 8-hour drive from Roanoke, so it is feasible to have an SCBG presence at that AHA 30th Anniversary gathering. No “Second Wind” update was presented due to Paul’s absence. Your President then gave a brief presentation on the American IPA style and we proceeded to taste a wide variety of commercial examples. Red Hook’s Longhammer IPA fared surprisingly well. Moylan’s IPA from Marin County, CA was the hands down favorite, with its distinct spicy hop notes and full malty backbone. Doug provided that 22 oz. bomber and those present were grateful for his offering. Once again, many thanks to Doug and Kelleigh for hosting and to all who provided the delicious food and brought the wonderful array of malt beverages. Those of you who could not make this one, missed a treat. Hopefully, we’ll see you next month in Blacksburg.
Patrick Kennerly President Sunday, July 8, 2007 |
August 2007 Meeting President’s Notes |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Sunday, 12 August 2007 | |
Narrative summary of SCBG monthly meeting held Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007 in Blacksburg.The lazy, hazy days of summer netted a small representation for the August monthly meeting of the Star City Brewers Guild. Small in numbers — not small in spirit or enthusiasm. A total of 18 members gathered at the lovely home of Ed and Carol W., high on a hill overlooking the Montgomery County country side. Two of those present represent some of our “distance members.” Kelly and Esther, who now live in coastal North Carolina, stopped in on their way to the 20th anniversary Mashout event. Kelly shared with us a corney keg full of his famous “Beachin’ IPA;” the one that was brewed by the brewpub near their home and will be entered in the Pro/Am competition at the Great American Beer Festival this Fall. It was delicious! The treasurer’s report noted a club checking account balance of $500.45. Their are 48 paid members to date, with two other members stating their intention to join. Upcoming Meetings were discussed: September 22nd at John & Kathy M’s. (American IPA Competition) 4:00 PM. V.P. Bryan S. will chair this meeting as Patrick will be otherwise engaged (see below). October 13th at Bryan & Jen S’s. 3:00 PM (Tasting & Style Presentation Sweet Stout). November 17th at Jeff & Cindy’s 4:00 PM. Paul M. updated us on plans for our participation in Roanoke County’s “Second Wind” event. The event will run from 10 to 6 at the Woodmen of the World site on Peters Creek Road on Saturday, September 15th. To date, three club members have agreed to brew an extract batch at the event: Jeff, John M. and Will. Paul is on standby as a backup in case one of the three can’t brew. Those who have stated their intentions to bring homebrew for tasting: Will, Bryan S., Paul, Jeff and possibly Doug. Paul informed us that there are a couple of issues that have not been resolved: the extent to which Fran & Chris will be allowed to represent their shop; and, the matter of an appropriate ABC license to allow for the beer tasting. The latter is the responsibility of the organizers of the event. Next, we discussed upcoming events. Mashout is sold out and has been for a couple of weeks. Bramwell, West Virginia Oktoberfest and the Durham, N.C. World Beer Festival both occur the same Saturday: October 6th. Durham will be huge, like the one in Raleigh. Bramwell is small and laid back and includes a homebrew competition. The Pats have reservations for Bramwell and will be glad to tote club members’ competition entries. Just email to alert. Bryan S. has reservations in both places. Either he chooses one or he is a Belgian Dubbel and never told us. The Pats displayed a poster of the musical they are involved in this September. It is a fund-raiser for Interfaith Hospitality Network (sheltering homeless families), RAM House (Roanoke Area Ministries providing food, clothing and medicine to the poor) and ACTS II Ministries (helping inner-city youth). The musical, CHILDREN OF EDEN, by Stephen Schwartz (PIPPIN, GODSPELL, WICKED) will be performed at William Fleming High School’s Dickinson Auditorium, Sept. 21-23 and 28-30. Email the Pats for ticket info. Club member Ron C’s. daughter, Emily, is the show’s stage manager. Very special thanks to our wonderful hosts for this meeting, Carol and Ed W. Ed & Carol brewed before the meeting got started, so folks got to see Ed’s impressive B-3 brewing sculpture in operation as well as his twin, temperature controlled, stainless conicals. Ever the competition organizer/MC, Ed posed some challenging beer/brewing questions to the group, offering doorprizes to the first to voice the correct answers. The prizes were significant and included a March magnetic pump and a draught tower assembly. Many thanks again to Ed & Carol for hosting and for sharing with all of us some excellent beer and mead. Thanks, also, to Isaac (their oldest son) for sharing his enormously entertaining collection of mice and classic cars! |
SEPTEMBER 2007 MEETING & COMPETITION |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Monday, 24 September 2007 | |
VICE PRESIDENT, BRYAN S., PRESENTS A NARRATIVE SUMMARY OF THE SEPTEMBER MEETING AND 3RD QUARTERLY STYLE COMPETITION. Special thanks to John & Kathy who hosted the September club competition/meeting at their beautiful home. Approximately 25 members were present, along with two visitors, Ginger and Carl, who brought along Carl’s Red Ale which was quite tasty. Welcome!
We discussed the treasury, which I believed to be around $500 +/- . After which, future club meeting places/times were talked about, with the October meeting being held at the home of Bryan & Jen S. on October 13th, at or before 4:00. The November meeting will be held at the Cindy & Jeff’s residence in Crystal Spring on Nov. 17th beginning at 4:00. Also, Will volunteered their home for the December meeting again this year. The date and time TBA. We will also have babysitting service again this year for that meeting!
Yours truly, the V.P., reminded the brewers that November is the month when we nominate new officers for the new year and vote on new styles for our club competitions for 2008. It was suggested that we start emailing our preferences for styles for next year so that we may tally the ones with the most votes and then bring those styles to the club for voting. Also, Will suggested that we email out the styles that have been brewed in the last several years so that folks may know what has recently been brewed. I am not sure, but I believe the Pat’s have been keeping tabs on this for the last couple of years? Emails should follow.
Next on the agenda, we discussed last weekend’s SCBG presence at Second Wind. In Paul Mahoney’s absence, Stuart filled us in on most of the particulars. 3 batches of extract beer were brewed and we had a steady flow of folks in the tent tasting beers and being educated on homebrewing. All in all, it was felt that this was a most positive experience. Paul M. may fill us in on how the organizers felt about it, upon his return from the Nation’s capitol.
Upcoming events were discussed next. Bramwell is on October 6th and several club members will be in attendance. Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day is coming up on November 3rd and Chris/Fran have volunteered BRHP&HB again this year as our site. Jeff F. queried as to whether we can serve samples of our beer at this event. Typical ABC rules/regulations would apply. Jeff said he would be willing to check up on that matter. More to come on that… Also, on Oct. 5th, Wine Gourmet will be hosting an Octoberfest celebration, so go on out and show your support(and drink free beer!).
Patrick made a motion via email that the club purchase a new regulator for Big Willee. It was unanamously approved and either Patrick or I will check into purchasing for the club with club funds. Also, Patrick motioned that the club purchase a 20# CO2 tank for Big Willee. I said that I would check my cellar, as I believe I have one available for free.
Other news– The Merkwan’s reported on “Children of Eden”, a muscial that our beloved Pat’s are involved in. They went opening night and said that it was absolutely fabulous!! Good for the entire family! So, go on out and show your support for our Prez and his lovely wife, and be highly entertained at the same time.
We then took a break while Marsha and Kathy set up for our American IPA club contest. We had, I believe, 10 beers to judge at two tables. After much contemplation, 3rd place went to Martin, 2nd place to yours truly, the V.P., and 1st place to our Prez, Patrick. All in all, I must personally say that this entire group of beers was of the highest quality! Keep up the good work Brewers! We then finished off the evening sampling numerous commercial and homebrewed beers and eating all of the scrumptuous food provided. A good time was had by all!
Respectfully submitted,
Bryan Summerson
Vice President
Star City Brewers Guild
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OCTOBER 2007 President’s Notes |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Saturday, 13 October 2007 | |
Narrative summary of the SCBG meeting held Saturday, October 13, 2007.A gorgeous Fall afternoon on the recently completed, spacious back deck of the Vice President’s and Mrs. VP’s home was the setting for the October meeting of the Star City Brewers Guild. 15 members gathered for the occasion which was complemented by some excellent food offerings and a wide variety of homebrew. Many thanks to Jen and Bryan for hosting and allowing us to “play” on their home renovations. |
NOVEMBER 2007 MEETING PRESIDENT’S NOTES |
DECEMBER 2007 MEETING President’s Notes |
Written by Patrick & Pat Kennerly | |
Saturday, 22 December 2007 | |
Retiring President, Patrick Kennerly’s, narrative summary of the final SCBG meeting and quarterly competition for the 2007 brewing year.Although the official start of winter is still a few days away, Mother Nature and the weather service conspired to present such an ominous winter storm outlook for the day that many SCBG members who had planned to attend the year’s final club gathering opted out. Nevertheless, a sizeable crowd of nearly 30 hardy souls made their way to Will and Jen L’s beautiful and spacious home for a terrific meeting and competition. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Will and Jen who hosted this large and busy gathering for the second December in a row. You two are true troopers! Quite a few newcomers joined us for this meeting and, by the evening’s end, had become members. Welcome aboard Jim and Joan B., Brian M. (Brian with an “i”), and Ginger and Pat who have joined us for several previous meetings. Brian and Ginger both brought some of their homebrew to share and their produce was quite good. It was good to have some members back who we haven’t seen in awhile: Lawrence, Matt and Martin–we will miss Martin, he has taken a job in Greensboro. Guess we’ll have to get John M. to organize a trip to Natty Greene’s and Foothills so we can toss back a few with Martin next year. She-Pat, retiring treasurer, gave us a financial report: the club checking account stood at $413.83 before 2008 dues were collected at this meeting. January’s meeting will be at the home of Paul and Judie M. Date and time will be announced by email. Chris and Pam M. will host the Febrewary meeting, time and date also to be announced. John M. then shared with the group an interesting re-cap of the club road trip to Starr Hill brewery in Crozet and Blue Mountain brewery in Afton. As one who had planned to go and then couldn’t, I was hop- green with envy listening to John’s travelogue. I hope he’ll plan other Guild road trips for us in the future. During the “from the floor” segment, John M. presented your retiring President & first beer wench with a retirement gift: a charmingly cute little wooden biermeister–handcrafted by Kathe Wohlfahrt in Germany. It now occupies a prominent place on our Christmas tree. She-Pat and I express much gratitude! Following a short break to organize, seven “sweet stouts” were evaluated by two tables of judges who then passed along several entries to the second-round judges. Third place trophy went to our two brother brewers, Eric P. and Chris M.; second place went to Bryan S. and first place to your retiring President. Tallying up the year’s BOTY scores proved more than a little challenging as the company that provides the platform for our club’s web-site server had been making changes during the day and no one was able to access the BOTY page on the web site. Fortunately, our very own web meister, Chuck G., was on hand for the meeting (as were his lovely wife and precious daughter). Chuck worked through computer and telephone and was able to complete the compilation shortly after the meeting ended–all should have received an email telling you that Bryan S. is the 2007 Brewer of the Year. Bryan S. was also BOTY last year AND is our newly elected President. John M. is our new VeePee and Bryan has asked Will L. to serve as club Treasurer, which position Will has accepted. Once again, Judie M. did an outstanding job as Chief Steward for the competition; many thanks to Judie and her crew of excellent stewards. As always, Guild members rounded out the meeting with a sumptuous and varied array of incredible edibles. Thanks to everyone who brought food and who shared the fruits of their brewing labors. Under my presidency during the past three years, the Guild has seen lots of ups and downs. In 2005, we reached a pinnacle with our support and labor for Microfestivus; an achievement that proved to be the end of our part in that event. We embarrased our host at AmRhein’s beach bash–not intentionally, but just by being so damn good at what we do–so that chapter in our club history is now closed. Festival in the Park’s original organizers loved us; their successors didn’t know what to do with us. Still, the membership has blazed new trails in the effort to promote quality beer and the craft of homebrewing. “Teach a Friend to Homebrew” has grown tremendously in only two years. An entirely new opportunity was opened with our participation in the County’s “Second Wind” event. Wine Gourmet’s location move from Botetourt County to Roanoke City has the potential for a number of Guild opportunties and the owners want to work with us. Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years as your president; I wouldn’t trade them for anything. If I could leave just one lasting impression on you, the members, it would be this: that you realize, down deep, that you are an awesome, incredibly diverse and mightily talented assembly of creative characters. Your humor, your intelligence, your warm and generous spirits are what really draws people to the Guild. Your brewing and your beer are icing on the cake–the whirlpool that collects all that other stuff toward the center. Here comes 2008! Happy Brew Year! Patrick Kennerly, President Star City Brewers Guild Dec. 15, 2007 |