Greetings Brewers!
It’s that time again! Time to meet, catch up, taste, and discuss what we’ve been brewin! First off, a huge thanks to the Friends of the Oneonta Theater and our very own HOPS Club for hosting a successful Charity Tasting at the Oneonta Theater last month!
While many in the community are aware of our tasting events by now, there were still many new faces at this event–which excites me as we continue to educate and celebrate what craft brewing can and SHOULD be. Once again, the quality of each of the brews amazes me (of course it should NOT by now), and almost everyone I spoke with said how impossible it was going to be to rank/decide on favorites. A huge congrats to Dale and Margaret for their American Pale Ale that took the brewers-choice prize; seriously, it was one of the best pale ales I’ve had in a great while! And I must thank my fellow brew partner, Chris Cleveland, who convinced me that a pound of Amarillo Hops was worth the extra cash to ensure that our Ruby Red Pale tasted nothing short of pink grapefruit juice. Well done, sir.
During the contest I had a chance to walk around a bit and watch the public interact with each of the brewers; and I must say, it was great to see so much passion and education happening. Often times, these types of tastings mandate that volunteers pour the beer for the public. But with the charity tasting, the public has the opportunity to ask the brewer any and all questions that he/she wants about the ingredients, the process, and the overall vision for the beer. Likewise, the brewer has the opportunity to share and educate the public on what malts, hops, and yeasts were used. This type of experience rarely happens on such a grand scale; and for that, I hope that these tastings continue educating the public on great craft beer, as well as, providing outlets for us “little guys” to act like big brewers for the day!
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
This month’s meeting will take place this Friday, May 17th @ 6:30pm @ My Father’s Place (MFP) on Rte 7. Since summer is about to hit, here are some of the items we will be discussing on the near horizon:
1. Regional Beer Contests: We will be discussing some BJCP sanctioned summer festivals for those of us who may want to have our homebrew judged.
2. Brewery Tour? Also, several of us have discussed doing a brewery tour, so please bring any proposals you have about a day trip to a NYS brewery.
3. Big Hop Order: Lastly, we will be putting together a big hop order/run. Chris Cleveland will be heading this up, so for those of you who may be in need of hops, do an inventory check and find out which ones you’d like to order.
So, I hope to see you all this Friday night; don’t forget to bring:
—josh
It’s that time again! Time to meet, catch up, taste, and discuss what we’ve been brewin! First off, a huge thanks to the Friends of the Oneonta Theater and our very own HOPS Club for hosting a successful Charity Tasting at the Oneonta Theater last month!
While many in the community are aware of our tasting events by now, there were still many new faces at this event–which excites me as we continue to educate and celebrate what craft brewing can and SHOULD be. Once again, the quality of each of the brews amazes me (of course it should NOT by now), and almost everyone I spoke with said how impossible it was going to be to rank/decide on favorites. A huge congrats to Dale and Margaret for their American Pale Ale that took the brewers-choice prize; seriously, it was one of the best pale ales I’ve had in a great while! And I must thank my fellow brew partner, Chris Cleveland, who convinced me that a pound of Amarillo Hops was worth the extra cash to ensure that our Ruby Red Pale tasted nothing short of pink grapefruit juice. Well done, sir.
During the contest I had a chance to walk around a bit and watch the public interact with each of the brewers; and I must say, it was great to see so much passion and education happening. Often times, these types of tastings mandate that volunteers pour the beer for the public. But with the charity tasting, the public has the opportunity to ask the brewer any and all questions that he/she wants about the ingredients, the process, and the overall vision for the beer. Likewise, the brewer has the opportunity to share and educate the public on what malts, hops, and yeasts were used. This type of experience rarely happens on such a grand scale; and for that, I hope that these tastings continue educating the public on great craft beer, as well as, providing outlets for us “little guys” to act like big brewers for the day!
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
This month’s meeting will take place this Friday, May 17th @ 6:30pm @ My Father’s Place (MFP) on Rte 7. Since summer is about to hit, here are some of the items we will be discussing on the near horizon:
1. Regional Beer Contests: We will be discussing some BJCP sanctioned summer festivals for those of us who may want to have our homebrew judged.
2. Brewery Tour? Also, several of us have discussed doing a brewery tour, so please bring any proposals you have about a day trip to a NYS brewery.
3. Big Hop Order: Lastly, we will be putting together a big hop order/run. Chris Cleveland will be heading this up, so for those of you who may be in need of hops, do an inventory check and find out which ones you’d like to order.
So, I hope to see you all this Friday night; don’t forget to bring:
- Homebrews if you got em (32+ oz)
- The most ridiculous glass you own
- Note taking materials
—josh
