November 2017 HOPS Club Meeting Minutes
Meeting was held at American Legion in Oneonta on 11/17/17 at 6:30 p.m. with (10) members in attendance
Discussion topics included:
- The visit to the Hartwick Center for Craft Food and Beverage on October 27th was a success. Thank you to Aaron McLeod for hosting us for the off-tasting panel. A return visit for an expanded panel was discussed for the spring.
- It was noted that 212 Brewing is moving some/all production operations to the old spring water bottling facility on Route 23 in Harpersfield. More information will be gathered regarding a possible tasting room or tours.
- Sweet Meadows in Davenport will be hosting a vendor’s market on December 9th & 16th. Free tastings of various foods and beverages will be available to the public.
- The Oneonta Little League was floated as a potential event charity. Matt Brown will be looking into more specifics.
- Next month’s beer style is going to be Christmas/Seasonal/Winter. Also as a reminder, here is a list of the beer styles for the new few months:
- January: American Barley Wine
- February: Cereal Beer (25% of the grain bill needs to be a commercial cereal)
- March: Irish Stout
- April: Gluten Free (with sorghum or rice for example)
- May: Porter
- Beers (a-d were the Beer of the Month; Doppelbock).
- Commercial example: Celebrator by Ayinger – alcohol forward.
- Commercial example: Anderchser Dunkel by Andechs – lighter in body, ironic as it is the “dunkel” version, and sweeter than the Celebrator.
- Commercial example: S’muttenator by Smuttynose – a cellared version from 2010, more chocolate and dark fruit notes than the other examples.
- C&F’s Doppelbock – Very young and hot; needs time to mature.
- Wes brought his first all-grain beer, a SMaSH IPA with local homegrown hops & Maris Otter. There was a noticeable off-flavor, which was identified as phenolic (thanks again to Aaron for the recent panel!) Potential remedies were discussed.
- Alden brought an Anchor Steam porter clone, from a kit. He says he’s ready to put together his own spin on the recipe for the next batch.
- Matt brought his strong Belgian golden, which has over-carbonated in the bottle. Potential remedies were discussed.
- New member Eric brought his first original recipe beer, a maple pumpkin ale.
- Mike brought his pumpkin rye ale. Pleasantly thick mouthfeel with a nice rye spice kick.
- Steve brought his chocolate stout, will all the chocolate coming from the roasted grain.
- Matt also brought his Russian imperial stout back, for any opinion on its evolution.
- Eric also brought his hard apple cider. The sulphuric nose was strong, but anticipated for the style.
- Mike also brought the habanero version of the pumpkin rye, which has only gotten more intensely hot as it has aged.
- Finally, Mike brought a ginger tipple from Belgium, gifted to him by the brewer at a recent Kosher Fest. Very dry, but palate cleansing.
- Next month’s meeting will be held on Friday, December 15th at 6:30 p.m. at a Todd & Susan’s house (8 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta). Please bring a food dish to pass if you are able (appetizers or desserts are recommended). We will also have our annual gift exchange, so, if you would like to participate, please bring a wrapped beer-related present (max value of $15). See you there!
