Blow off from the Prez
Well, in case you haven’t noticed, the next competition in the Florida Circuit is the 16th Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff! And it’s only two months away! We had a very busy officers’ meeting this month to get things in order for the organized chaos that is going to follow. We are planning on doing the same events as we did last year (it’s hard to beat perfection!). Namely, we will have two weekends of early-round judging at Chet and Sonya’s house in Titusville. The event weekend will be October 8 & 9th at the International Palms Resort in Cocoa Beach (old Holiday Inn). We will have judging on Friday followed by the second annual Captain’s Call on Friday evening. We will then have judging on Saturday morning followed by the Splashdown Party and Award Ceremony Dinner. More details are below, but we will talk extensively at the meeting this month, and we would love for everyone to volunteer to help and get involved.
I also want to thank the SAAZ members who went to the First Coast Cup Competition hosted in Jacksonville by CASK. For those that weren’t there, it was a blast (did you hear about the pig roast?!). Also, congrats to Rudy W. for winning a gold medal for his schwarzbier, Kevin Miller won a bronze for his IPA, and Dave Webb won a couple mead medals (of course!).
Enjoy reading on and get ready for Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Sean
Next Meeting
This month’s meeting will be held at Cocoa Beach Brewing Company in Cocoa Beach.
Sunday August 15th, 2010 at 2:00 pm.
150 North Atlantic Avenue
(321) 613-2941
Notes on the meeting:
Since CBBC doesn’t have a kitchen, we have decided that the educational topic will be cooking with food! Please bring your favorite dish (made with beer) to share. We will have more details at the meeting, but we have a great idea in the works for a club cookbook!
Dues:
Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150
Dues can be paid to the Treasurer at any club meeting or online at www.saaz.org via PayPal (it’s on the right side of the homepage!)
You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!
Raffle
Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use!
Upcoming Competitions
(Drun roll please)…..IT’S COMMANDER SAAZ INTERPLANETARY HOMEBREW BLASTOFF (blastoff…..blastoff…blastoff….)
Schedule of events….
September 1st to 15th, Entry window open
September 15th, Entries due
September 19th, sometime in the morning, Commander SAAZ Sorting Fun at Chet’s
September 19th, 2:00pm, Regular meeting at Chet’s house
September 25, 26th, Commander SAAZ Early Round Judging at Chet’s
October 2, 3rd, Commander SAAZ Early Round Judging at Chet’s (if needed)
October 8, 9, 10th, Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff
Next AHA Club-only is for Sours (“Pucker Up” Sour & Wild Ales)! This competition covers BJCP Category 17 styles, plus American Wild Ales, and Specialty Wild Ales. We will need to have a mini BOS round to determine which member’s entry we want to send. Please bring your entries to the August Meeting.
August Birthdays
Louis Frisch
Dick Hahn
Dave Lawson
Dave Webb
Mark Heyward
Local events
Broken Barrel
Broken Barrel recently had their first Beer School. The event was very successful and there are plans for another one soon. However, Kevin’s wife is due to have their child soon, so expect that to have a little more priority over the second class. Congratulate Kevin and his wife if you see them!
Florida Wine and Spirits
Florida Wine and Spirits is having a Sierra Nevada Beer Class (Viera Store) soon. The representatives coming from California have had to reschedule due to other commitments. Stay tuned for more information. Call and reserve your spot today for this intense class covering many beers from the Sierra Nevada brewery!
WOB
August 10th, WOB is having another great brewery night! Shmaltz Brewery was founded as a celebration craft beer and is known for their blurring beer styles by using puns, art, history and pop culture in every aspect of their products. The draft line up will include beers from He’Brew and Coney Island Brewery. From He’Brew Brewery, they will have Lenny’s R.I.P.A., Rejewvenator 2008, 2009 and 2010. From Conley Island Brewery, they will have Coney Island Lager, Albino Python, Sword Swallower and Human Blockhead 2009. Also there will have special pricing and giveaways while supplies last. A representative from the brewery will be there at 5 pm to answer any questions you might have
Cocoa Beach Brewing Company
CBBC is excited to announce that their Cocoa Beach Pale Ale and Not Just Some Oatmeal Stout are now available in 22 ounce (bomber) bottles! The first 100 bottles of each come in hand bottled, hand labeled, numbered and signed bombers. They have already sold a bunch of both brands before we even had a chance to send out this email, so hurry on in!
Sunseed Food Co-op
Stone Brewing Co. Cheese pairing
August 27th, 2010 at 7:00pm.
Ok everyone the event is all set. We have 24 spots open for the pairing at $5 a spot. The $5 will get you a Stone Brewing Co. pint glass and a sample of all four beers and the cheese that goes with them. Please come by the store and sign up if you can. Also there will be a small amount of Stone Brewing Co. merchandise for sale, along with some of their special release beers for sale. Hope to see you all there.
***Beer News Beer News Beer News***
New Beers in Florida
Check out the new or limited releases now available.
Hoppin’ Frog Turbo Shandy-Citrus Ale. Born from European tradition, this shandy is a refreshing combination of lemon and light malt flavors. Unlike traditional shandy’s, Turbo Shandy revs it up a couple of notches with a high test, full flavored approach as only Hoppin’ Frog can do
Harpoon Leviathan Big, Bohemian Pilsner. Inspired by the classic brewers of Bohemia, this “Big Boh” has a light color, clean maltiness and huge aromatic hop character.
Dogfish Head Sah’Tea Dogfish Head Sahtea is based on the traditional 9th century Finnish recipe for Sahti in that they brew it with rye and juniper and heat the wort with wood-fired rocks. They then break with tradition by adding an exotic Black Chai Tea at the end of the boil. Dogfish always being the unique brewer has brought another ancient recipe for our palates.
Cigar City Brewing 110K+OT. 110K + OT is not for the college guys, white collar folk or the namby-pamby Nancy boys who haven’t done a hard days work in their lives. Nor is this beer for the common man. This beer is for the working man who has arrived. If your work boots are steel toed, come back when they are gold toed! This edition is a double IPA!
Cigar City Brewing IPA Humidor Series. Here’s an American Style India Pale Ale aged on Spanish Cedar. Unfiltered and Bottler Conditioned.
The Bruery Coton
2010 2nd Anniversary Ale. This sturdy beer marks our second year, an incredible year of growth and learning experiences. Together may our supporters, our brewery, and this beer grow in complexity and refinement over the years. 25% aged in oak casks.
Also from the Bruery the Autumn Maple and Trade Winds Triple. Both Great beers.
Southampton Abbot 12: The new seasonal beer from Southampton is now in. This is a Belgian Quadruple style that will age well also.
Dogfish Head My Antonia: This is a continually hopped Imperial Pils, another great Idea from DFH.
Education
From morebeer.com is a great article about growing hops. I thought this would be a good article, since I hear there are more than a few SAAZ members growing their own hops.
Growing Your Own Hops
Growing your own hops at home is easy, fun, and very rewarding – especially if you brew your own beer at home. Hop Vines grow from a rhizome, which is essentially a piece of root taken from a larger, mature plant. The rhizome is planted in the ground in the late spring and small, green shoots pop out of the ground a few weeks later. A hop vine can be very vigorous, growing up to 2′ per week till the end of June when growth slows down and the plant enters into flowering stage.
When and How to Order Hop Rhizomes
Hop Rhizomes are available once per year, typically in March/April, after the farms dig up the rhizomes and ship them to suppliers. You can sign up for our email newsletter to be alerted to when they are available for pre-sale. Our pre-sale starts in February and allows you to order the hop rhizomes in advance to make sure you can get the varieties you want. When they come into stock they will be automatically shipped to you. When you receive your hop rhizomes in the mail, keep them refrigerated (but not below freezing) and well ventilated until your soil is ready for plantin
Where to Plant
Choose a southern exposure if possible but an east or west exposure will do, just keep in mind the hop cones will not get as big. Hops prefer light-textured, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 – 8.0. If drainage is a problem, build mounds for planting. Dig holes about 1 foot deep so some manure or other slow release organic fertilizers such as cottonseed meal, bone meal, rock phosphate, etc… can be mixed with your soil and returned to the hole so the nutrient are in the root zone. Plant mixed varieties at least 5′ (feet) apart to prevent tangling. Identical varieties can be planted as close as 3′ apart. You should also consider how you will support the vine when selecting a location.
Supporting Your Hop Vines
Hops like to climb so planting close to a fence, wall or post is a good idea. Many people connect a strong twine/string from a stake in the ground to a hook secured in their house, fence, etc. After the hops pop out of the ground, and when they are about 1 foot in length, wrap them clockwise around your support string or pole. They will continue to grow up the string, occasionally needing your help in being wrapped. In the first year, when growth is not too vigourous, you can even use a long 8′ stake.
How to Plant
Rhizomes can be planted vertically or horizontally. If the rhizome is already starting to bud, plant in a position so the buds are pointed upward. In either position cover the rhizome with approximately 1″ of dirt.
Watering & Fertilizing Your Hops
First year hops have a minimal root system, therefore the soil should not be allowed to remain dry for long. Mulching the soil surface will form some organic matter will work wonders in conserving moisture as well as controlling weeds. However the soil does need to occasionally dry out as continual overwatering can cause the rhizomes to rot. The good balance is to soak them, allow the ground to dry, then immediately water again. Using a timer can make this very easy. Add small additions of a generic fertilizer during the growing season to assist your plant. However, note that adding a lot of fertilizer (nitrogen in particular) will result in a robust plant but the cones will have a lower alpha acid content.
When to Harvest
After your hop vine flowers you will begin to see hop cones forming. We know you will be super excited to pick them, smush them, smell them, brew with them, love them, etc.. Resist the urge because the hops will not be ready for harvesting till late August or September. As the harvest appproaches a good test of readiness is to squeeze the cone in your finger, if the cone is damp, very green, and stays compressed after you squeeze they are not yet ready. As the hop cone becomes ripe they will start to dry out. When you compress them between your fingers they will expand back to their original shape. You will also see more lupulin, the yellow powder in the hop cone. This lupulin will make your hands sticky and is a good inidcator that you are getting close. As the hope cone ripens the aromatics of the hops also become much more pronounced.
Harvesting Your Home Grown Hops
When you make the decision to harvest cut the twine/string at the top and let the bines lay down on the ground. As the vine dries, the sap will go back down into the rootstock for winter storage. After cutting down the vine you can then pick off the hop cones and prepare to dry them.
Growing Your Hops – Year 2
After the first year, the earliest shoots coming up from the ground should be pruned off. The second set of shoots that comes up is the sturdier second growth. After you have chosen 3-4 main vines from the second growth, all subsequent vines should be pruned from around the base of the hop plant so that all the energy can go into the main vines you selected.
Drying Home Grown Hops
You can dry your hops by using a food dehydrator. The hops will need to dry for several hours. You will know they are done when you open up a cone and it is dry on the inside. If the hops feel papery and petals break off easily from the stem, the hops are ready. If you don’t have access to a food dehydrator, you can dry them in an oven slowly on a very low temperature. You can also pick the cones and set them outside to dry on a screen, out of direct sunlight. You can also put them in a paper bag and shake daily. Air circulation and time are the two essentials for successfully drying hops.
However you dry them, try not to over dry the hops to the point where the petals and stem shatter in your hand when you open up the cone. You also do not want them to dry to the point that they turn brown. Overdrying will also result in a loss of Alpha Acid content. After drying, place your hops in an airtight container, and store in the freezer or refrigerator.
Using Your Hops
Of course you won’t know the exact alpha acid content of your hops. We suggest to primarily use them for aroma and flavor additions and use a store bought, alpha acid rated hop for bittering. If you do want to use for bittering we suggest that you first research the general alpha acid range of the hops you grew. Use that number to determine how much to use and after tasting adjust quantities with your next brew.
Enjoy – There is nothing like growing your own hops that you then use to make your own beer!