In this edition:
- Blowoff from the Prez
- Secretary’s Report
- Birthdays
- Next Meeting
- Upcoming Competitions
- Local Events
- Beers Available in the Area
- New Website Launch!
- Cooking with Beer – Beer Steamed Clams
- Equipment For Sale
- SAAZ on Facebook
- Raffle
- Feedback
Blow off from the Prez
Welcome to another addition to Blowoff from the Prez. Hopefully you all are still reading this and not just scrolling down to the section about free beer. You’re right, there is no section in the newsletter about free beer, but now that I have your attention…
We have a lot of fun events coming up in May including the AHA Big Brew (May 7th) that we talked about last month. Josh and I will be brewing the commemorative Commander SAAZ beer. This year Matt worked up the recipe and we are aiming for a Terrapin Hopzilla (Imperial IPA) clone with a touch of Webb’s World Famous Honey. Hopefully you can make it out to help, observe, or just hang out. The weekend after that is the Hogtown (Gainesville) Brewers Brew-off. This was the first homebrew competition that I ever attended, and it is one of my favorite. I know of more than a couple SAAZ members heading up so there will be plenty of familiar faces if you are interested. More information is on their website at http://www.hogtownbrewers.org/Brewoff
In case you missed the May meeting, we have confirmed the dates and location of the 17th Annual Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff. This year’s Early round judging will be held the weekend of October 7, 8, AND 9. Final judging, the Splashdown Party and awards ceremony will be held the weekend of October 14 and 15. Both weekends will be at the International Palms Resort and Conference Center in Cocoa Beach (formerly the Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach). Rooms are available both weekends for $69.99 per night ($10 less than last year, and a really great rate for a beach front hotel!). I have been told that the hotel is in the process of remodeling all the rooms. One of our club members went there to see the new rooms, and they look great. All rooms should be completed by June; plenty of time before the competition. I am really excited about this year’s event, but we will need EVERYONE’S help to make it happen. Matt will have more information in each newsletter, so please stay tuned for details.
Secretary’s Report
The month of April brought some hotter temperatures, but we found ourselves in a great air conditioned back room of the Broken Barrel Tavern for the April Meeting. Home brews were still allowed by the Broken Barrel, but we also enjoyed several of their beers since the Tavern has a wide selection of bottles and specialty beers on tap. Our extremely knowledgeable Mac gave an exceptional presentation on picking up on the off flavors in beer, more specifically the alcohol off flavors. We had several doctored samples of Miller and then the standard ‘control’ sample of Miller that did not have any off flavors. It was a great presentation, so a big thanks goes out to Mac! It was a fun filled meeting and I am certain there will be many more to follow this year!
–Alex
May Birthdays – Happy Birthday!
Aaron Guittar
Dave Swartz
Next Meeting – May 15th (Sunday)
This month’s meeting will be held at Vintage 56:
200 Barton Blvd
Rockledge, FL 32955
Click for Directions
As always the meeting will be Sunday May 15th at 2:00 pm. As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home.
Next Next Meeting – June 18th (Saturday)
There was some confusion on our part with the date of the Summer Party. It is SATURDAY, JUNE 18th. Remember, the summer party is also the Lawnmower Beer competition, so get to brewing your thirst-quenching and refreshing beers now for consideration in the voting. The winner not only gets bragin rights, but a cool trophy!
SAAZ T-shirts
Many members have asked about purchasing SAAZ T-shirts. It’s been over a year since we bought new shirts, and we’re considering doing another order. We are in the process of selecting a shop for the shirts, so please let us know if you have any ideas or recommendations. Also, please let us know if you are interested in purchasing T-shirts. Currently, we are considering a single color ink on a single color shirt and hope to get the cost reasonable. We will have more information in the next newsletter.
Upcoming Competitions
Meadlennium 2011
May 28-29 2011 Sanford, FL
What: We are the oldest, and one of the largest, of just a handful of Mead- Only competitions in the USA. The Alliance of Sommeliers has graciously loaned their special, lead-crystal, glasses again this year for judging. Still only $6.00 per entry. Once again, there will be a special category – WOOD-AGED MEAD.
When: May 28-29th. The deadline is closed.
Where: 1700 South Magnolia Ave. Sanford Fl. 32771
4th Annual First Coast Cup
July 29-30 2011 Jacksonville, FL
What: The first three years have been a resounding success and CASK is striving to make the 2011 First Coast Cup the best yet. With over 300 plus entries each of the last three years, they are anticipating even more entries this year. Don’t forget about the “Big Wood” category for wood-aged beers with an original gravity of 1.070 or greater. More information to come soon.
When: July 29-30th. The entry deadline is TBD.
Where: Hilton Garden Inn located in Tinseltown on the Southside of Jacksonville. This location is conveniently located next to Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery
SAAZ members are encouraged to participate in judging, stewarding, etc if possible. CFHB members always come over to help with Commander SAAZ judging, so let’s help them out, too! Go to cfhb.org/mead for more information.
Consider shipping your beer to other national competitions. For a list of upcoming competitions go here.
Local Events
May 6th – Terrapin Beer Food Pairing – Sunseed Food Co-op – TONIGHT!!!!!
May 7th – AHA Big Brew
SAAZ members are encouraged to help out and attend the AHA Big Brew. Matt, Josh, and Sean will be brewing, and we will need your help and support.
A celebration of National Homebrew Day, known as AHA Big Brew, is now in its 14th year. Sunseed Food Co-op will host a local site on May 7, 2011.
Organized by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), AHA Big Brew celebrates National Homebrew Day, honored on the first Saturday of May. AHA Big Brew brings together thousands of homebrewers from around the world, all brewing beers simultaneously. More than 5,000 homebrewers from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia are expected to participate this year.
Spacecoast Associates for the Advancement of Zymurgy (SAAZ) is happy to invite anyone interested in homebrewing to stop by the site from 10 to 2 PM on Saturday, May 7, 2011 to join the fun!
Sunseed Food Co-op
6615 N Atlantic Ave # B
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920-3886
Email prez@saaz.org for more information.
On May 7, friends and family gather to brew one or both of the two AHA Big Brew recipes. At 1 PM Eastern time, homebrewers raise their glasses of homebrewed ales and lagers for a simultaneous toast to homebrewing, a hobby that hundreds of thousands of people around the world enjoy.
“AHA Big Brew highlights what is so special about homebrewers—their friendliness, interest in sharing with others, passion for beer, and of course their affinity for having fun,” said Gary Glass, AHA Director.
Sept 23-25 – World of Beer Cruise
I’m sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea. ‘Cause I’ve got to have beer. Love to drink the beer that’s in front of me. On board, they’ll be beer, so climb aboard. We’ll search for even more on every shore. And I’ll try, oh Lord I’ll try, to drink it ALL!
World of Beer is planning a craft beer lovers cruise! Chuck and Maribeth are finalizing details this upcoming week, but I have some preliminary information. Mark your calendar for September 23-25 for a Bahamian cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas. WOB is working with Jill at CruiseBlondie, a full service travel agency. Jill is very knowledgeable and excited about this cruise. She will be working to make sure that everyone who books with her agency will be informed and excited. Book now to get the best deal (I hear rumors of on board credits); refunds are available more than 60 days before the cruise. I also confirmed that you DO NOT need a passport if you have your official copy of your birth certificate (look for a raised seal or something similar) and your current driver’s license.
Contact Jill Neuharth at Cruise Blondie, (321) 773-4878 ext. 4 (office) or email jill@cruiseblondie.net
Beers Available in the Area
Sunseed Food Co-op (Cape Canaveral) – website
- The Bruery/Cigar City Collabaration Brew
Marron Acidifie Imperial flanders brown aged in oak. - Terrapin Brewing Company
Golden Ale, A great light refreshing beer for hot Florida summers - Ft Collins Brewing
The Incredible Hop, Black IPA - Geary’s
Summer Ale, light refreshing ale
HSA, an Extra Special Bitter
Imperial IPA - Dogfish Head Brewing
Hellhound on my Ale, 100th birthday celebration beer for Robert Johnson, IIPA with centenial hops and lemon peel.
Namaste Wit like ale - Bells Brewing
Bells best brown.
World of Beer (Viera) – website
New Bottles:
- Harviestoun Ola Dubh 40 Year, 8% (Scotland)
- Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown, 9.7% (California)
- Magic Hat Circus Boy, 4.5% (Vermont)
- Starr Hill Northern Lights, 6.5% (Virginia)
- Troubador Magma, 9% (Belgium)
New Drafts:
- Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, 5.2% (Delaware)
- Dogfish Head My Antonia, 7.5% (Delaware)
- Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre, 8% (Delaware)
- Left Hand Stranger Pale Ale, 5% (Colorado)
- Swamp Head Lob Lolly, 6.7% (Florida)
New Website Launch
We are please to announce the launch of the new SAAZ.org website. If you had a user account on the old site, it will not work on the new site.
Here’s how you can register for a new account on the site:
- Visit www.saaz.org and click “Join SAAZ!” in the top navigation bar.
- Fill out the form completely and click the “Register” button.
Cooking with Beer – Beer Steamed Clams
Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 pounds manila clams, scrubbed well
- 1 cup beer
Preparation:
- Fry bacon in a medium pot until soft and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the bacon is nicely browned and the onion is tender, about 4 minutes longer.
- Stir in the clams and add the beer . Cover the pot and steam the clams for 6 to 7 minutes, until they open. Discard any clams that do not open.
- Stir gently to mix with the bacon, garlic, and onion, and serve immediately.
If you have a beer recipe you’d like to share, email editor@saaz.org and we’ll include it in a future newsletter.
Equipment For Sale
If you have equipment you’d like to sell, give away, trade, or even find, email editor@saaz.org and we’ll try to list your offering/request in the next newsletter.
SAAZ on Facebook
Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here.
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!
Feedback
We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org.
All feedback is welcomed! For example you can:
- Share a topic for Beer Education
- Share your Review of a Beer
- Correct something in the newsletter or website
- Express a criticism about anything related to the club
- Offer a suggestion to improve the club