Our last meeting of the year and holiday party was attended by 45 members, 3 guests and 5 children for a total of 53. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks again and again to Chaos for hosting our annual gathering. It was fun to have Joe H hang out with us as well. And while I’m in the thanking spirit; thanks to Kathy for coordinating the Q4 competition and BOTY tally and also to Joan, the dirty Santa Master, for her marvelous process and control execution. Most of all, I want to thank each and every member that worked throughout 2017 to pull off what was a very busy year. We started the year with 97 members and will finish it with 123. Even more exciting than a 27% growth in membership, is that 47 of 123 were not paid members in 2016. Speaking of members, let’s welcome Adam and Marcie Kendall who joined on Saturday.
November 2017 meeting notes
Thanks again to Carrie and Justin for hosting us. In addition to excellent beer for sampling, plenty of dishes were prepared including Carrie’s amazing Chili which hit the spot on the breezy & chilly day. Our November meeting was attended by 24 members and three youngsters for a total of 27. We welcomed Mario, Dane and Ben as our newest members. Thanks to all who attended and contributed to the discussion.
October 2017 meeting notes
Our recent gathering and meeting was an amazing celebration of 20 years dedicated to promoting and perfecting our craft in the Roanoke Valley. The stories from long-time members and elected officials gave newer members a grand perspective of what 20 years of guild life was like. Thanks again to volunteers that worked to organize the party and especially Big Lick that hosted us in their wonderful new West Station brewery. If you were unable to see the over-the-years slideshow in Big Lick’s event room, the link following will allow you to view it online (members only).
The celebration and meeting was attended by 79 members, 19 guests and 12 wee-brewers for a total of 110. Let’s extend a warm welcome to new or returning members: Kevin Noguiera (not attending), Sandy & Susan Leivy, Craig Johnson, Ron Clark and Dick Willis. Membership now stands at 111.
September 2017 meeting notes
Another thank you is in order to Harry for hosting the meeting on short notice. Thank you Harry! Let’s also not forget to thank Kathy and her team of stewards and judges. Without her help I have no clue how we would pull off our quarterly competitions. The meeting was attended by 21 members, 2 guests and 2 children for a total of 25.
August 2017 meeting notes
It was a busy meeting at Doug and Kelleigh’s wonderful home & outdoor oasis! Thanks again to our hosts for having us.The meeting was attended by 34 members, 2 guests and 5 children for a total of 41. We were fortunate to have our resident Mycologist, Skip Taliaferro, present a wonderful summary of his craft including the many forms of mushrooms we can find in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains. As usual, there was lots of wonderful hand-crafted food and beer to sample. We welcomed Ken Knott as a new member.
July 2017 meeting notes
Thanks to Robb and Southern Hills for hosting the Guild’s July meeting! I would also like to thank Jeff Drinkert for filling in as meeting leader. This 7th meeting of 2017 was attended by 41 including 31 members, 6 guests and 4 wee and not-so-wee brewers. We welcome Ken & Jen Knott and Steve Lusk as our newest members. Total paid and comp membership now stands at 103.
June 2017 meeting notes
June 18 2017 meeting notes
Thank you Harry for hosting a wonderful meeting, and thank you Kathy for running our competition. On this balmy father’s day 35 members, 2 guests and 2 children gathered to share beer, tell beer tall tales, discuss club business and conduct our Q2 Belgian Dubbel competition. All went down without a hitch. We have officially hit 94 paid and 6 comp members for a total of 100!
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)
April 2017 meeting notes
Thanks to all who attended our April meeting at Hammer & Forge in Boones Mill. It goes without saying that we also owe special thanks to Caleb for hosting the guild in his new & exciting brewery! Thank you Caleb and Mike! Let’s also thank Lynn for taking so many wonderful photos that she has shared on Facebook. Any finally, let’s thank Chris G and Allen F for walking is through the Belgian Dubbel style presentation for our June competition.
On a cool & rainy Sunday, where outdoor activities were curtailed for most, a total of 45 members, guests and a child gathered. The meeting consisted of 37 members, 7 guests and Blaise who became the star of many photos! We welcomed new members April and Doug (that’s Doug #3) Connel to our club. Even though April is relatively new at the brewing craft, she is already designing some creative recipes.
March 2017 meeting notes
Thanks to all who helped make our March 18 meeting and American Porter competition a success. Also, thanks to our hosts, James and Joan, who shared their wonderful home. Personally, I am always in awe of James’ woodworking skills and talent. And, as always, thanks to Kathy M for coordinating the competition!
Our meeting was attended by 40 people including one child. We welcomed a few new members that attended and lok forward to meeting a few that were unable to attend. Welcome aboard Ian McElhone, Chris Gray, Ross Agee, Robert Roux and David Wheeler. Also, thanks to Ian and Chris for rolling up their sleeves and taking on some club duties right out of the gate.
Our next meeting will be held at Hammer & Forge on Sunday April 23 beginning at 3PM.
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