May 2017 meeting notes

May 2017 Big-Brew & meeting notes:

 

On a personal note, Diane and I want to thank everyone who helped us celebrate Big Brew and attend our May meeting. It’s always a pleasure to have a hand in getting people together and seeing them have a good time. It was an uncharacteristically cool & breezy May 6th with clouds dominating sun, but that didn’t slow things down. Five brewing stations were heating water by 9:30AM and shortly thereafter the smell of mashes and boils filled the air and warmed the garage. To top it off, James B was preparing his world famous Chicken Jambalaya and the combined aromas were amazing!

 

Another highlight was Matt & Rachel Klumpp’s very creative Baltic Porter style presentation using separate stations for each sample as well as asking each taster to focus and then report on one element of the style. Good job guys. And thanks to Lynn Donnary for documenting the day and taking our annual Big Brew photo.

 

Vital statistics:

  • 40 attendees consisting of 31 members, 4 guests and 5 children.
  • 30 gallons of beer brewed (Bric & Lee F-10, Matt K-5, John M-5, Allen & Chris-5, Rudy L-5)
  • Jimmy and Marisa Smith joined the guild bringing YTD paid membership to 91. Welcome Jimmy and Marisa!
  • Brewers-thanks to all. The effort you put into transporting your gear across town and brewing is recognized and appreciated:
    • Bric & Lee F (Brett Saison using 3-vessel gas fired RIMS system)
    • Matt K (Belgian Dubbel using 3 vessel gas fired keggle-cooler )
    • Allen F & Chris G (Saison using 3-vessel gas with pumped mash vourlauf & kettle whirlpool )
    • Rudy L (Hefeweizen using 3-vessel electric RIMS)
    • John M (Altbier using BIAB)

Meeting notes:

  • Next meeting is Sunday June 18th 3PM at Harry M’s. Q2 Belgian Dubbel competition. Meeting begins at roughly 4:30 or after judging is complete. Competitors should arrive at 2:45 so their entry can be logged in by Kathy.
  • Treasurer’s report-(Diane L)
    • Diane reported club balance to be $4,989.88
  • Yahoo group
    • Our Yahoo group is the primary vehicle for club communication. Let me know if you are NOT a member and I’ll send a link to join. There’s a chance you may miss and engaging discussion or impiortant club news if you don’t.
  • Teach a Friend and Learn to Homebrew update. Volunteers and homebrew will be needed-(Doug B)
    • It looks like things are coming together for HBDD. Thank you Doug for shaking the bushes. More information and assignments to follow.
  • Go Outside festival update-(Takumi S)
    • We are signed up but awaiting more clarity on home brew sampling.
  • SCBG 20th Anniversary planning update-(Doug M).
    • Doug outlined the idea he is developing involving club brewers brewing (on brewery premises) for one of two local breweries. The brewery would then serve the beer with proceeds going to charity. More details to work out.
  • Throwdown update & planning (Kathy M)
    • Kathy outlined the Throwdown date (November 11 at Chaos) and that Jason C would be her assistant to help corral the many resources needed for so many tasks. She held firm on 125 as peer pressure mounted for a higher entry limit.
  • Tech Talk meetings as separate gatherings
    • I will send an announcement with some proposed dates. Not until after HBDD.
  • Group Brew (aka yeast experiment) w/Chaos-(Kevin C)
    • Based on Chaos & Will Landry’s availability and our Yahoo poll, Sunday June 25th is the date for our group brew at Chaos. Kevin C will sending an invitation to meet and develop a recipe that Will needs asap.
  • Open floor.
    • Doug mentioned Great Valley Brewing in Natural Bridge and how close it is (a few minutes off I81 exit 180) for folks living in Botetourt or NE Roanoke.
    • A club camping gathering was discussed and Skip offered his Smith Mtn lake-front property as a potential venue. He will look at dates and make proposals. It was also suggested that we use this gathering to compare and sample brews made during our group brew. Of course that involves pushing the camping out until after mid-July assuming we brew on June 25th.
    • Skip discussed his knowledge and passion for mushrooms. After some back and forth, Doug M suggested that Skip give a presentation at our August meeting at Doug’s home since aside from the meeting, there are no other official club matters.
  • 50/50 drawing-(Harry M).
    • Congrats to Chris Gray for wining 50/50 with his “all-in” supportive wager! $96 split between club and Chris.