January 2014 Meeting Notes

A hearty thanks to Harry & Lynn for hosting a fantastic meeting! We had a grand total of 50 people – 34 guild members, 6 children, and eleven guests (three of which became members).

Treasurer’s report: Mike U. reported that we have $1707.50 in our new bank account. We have 35 paid members for 2014 including new members Michael & Janet Bernard and Gary McDaniel.

Future meetings:

• February 22nd – Roanoke Railhouse (2 pm) (Belgian Golden Strong ale presentation)
• March – Thom and Jeannie B. (Irish red ale competition)
• April – Bryan and Jenny S.
• May 3rd – James and Joan B. (Big Brew)
• June – Kim and Lizbeth (Belgian Golden Strong ale competition)
• July – Doug and Kel M. (Oatmeal Stout presentation)

• Pack the Pub (Parkway) results – Carrie told us that 30-40 guild members, plus friends, packed Parkway for Chris & Dennis Stevens Beertopia-winning brew, Amon Ra Ancient Ale. We all agreed that it was a very strong turnout and gave ourselves pats on the back.
• SCBG-sponsored, BJCP-sanctioned Homebrew Competition – we agreed to have a committee evaluate the costs of running a homebrew competition and present those costs to the club during the February meeting. Chris B., Kevin, Kathy, Carrie and Dan volunteered to be said committee.
• Belgian Golden Strong Ale presentation – it was agreed that we should move the style presentation for this particular style up to the February meeting to give brewers more time for fermenting a big beer. Kevin agreed to run the presentation.
• Tasting/critiquing Sessions – there was not a strong interest in setting up small gatherings to taste/critique each other’s beers. I will set one or two up to see how it goes. If it becomes interesting enough to continue, we will look for a volunteer to organize the gatherings.
• Local Beer of the Year Award – after a lot of discussion, we agreed to present a way to determine which beer qualified as the best. If you would like to be part of the conversation, please email me off-list.
• Tech Talk Sessions – there was some interest in non-meeting gatherings to discuss “technical” aspects of brewing, ingredients, equipment, etc. I will set up one or two to see how it goes. If it becomes interesting enough to continue, we will look for a volunteer to organize the gatherings.
• Remote Attendance – no-one was terribly interested in remote attendance of the meetings, but thought remote attendance of the tech talks would be valuable. When we set up the first tech talk, we can try it out.
• Bulk Grain Orders – a request was made to organize a bulk grain buy through one of our local breweries. Thom said that we could do it through Roanoke Railhouse. He will get us the list of available grains and pricing. I will organize the group buy. Please let me know off-list if you are interested in participating.

Thom gave an excellent, and very detailed, presentation about brewing Irish red ales, including the tricksy bit of getting that perfect red color. If you are interested in getting his notes, please shoot him an email at honeybeeman@cox.net