The Forest City Brewers Constitution and By-Laws

News Archive

01.21.07

Forest City Brewers Announce 2006 Homebrewer of the Year Awards!

The Forest City Brewers are pleased to announce the winners of the 2006 Homebrewer of the Year awards. Each month at our club meetings, we have two contests that are judged by blind taste testing of those in attendance. The Style Contest is always predetermined by the club, and normally features a style of beer that is suited to the time of year, and popularity of the club's taste. The Open Contest allows our brewers to enter any brew other than what that month's featured style is. The club members sample each brew, and vote by dropping a token into a bag next to the sampling pitcher. Points are awarded for top places as well as participation. In 2007 we plan to add an award for the overall point winner from both contests to reward participation. The 2006 winners will be receiving a framed commemorative certificate of achievement and a gift to their favorite homebrew supplier to make some more of their fantastic homebrews!

Ken Schultz - 2006 Style Contest Champion

Chuck Nolen - 2006 Open Contest Champion

Congratulations to Ken and Chuck for their hard work and their contributions to the club!

6.19.06

Forest City Brewers Summer Meeting Info

The Forest City Brewers regular monthly meetings are on break for summertime. However, if you need something to do, we plan to meet informally at Carlyle Brewing Co. on the first Wednesday of each month, and at Old Chicago on the third Wednesday of each month through August. For those of you to the north, the Stateline Brewing Society meets on the second Wednesday of each month in Beloit. For more information about Stateline Brewing Society, email us at the "Contact the FCB" link above.

We will resume our regular monthly meetings in September at Shooter's Bar and Grill!

5.26.06

FCB Member wins Best Of Show!!!!

The Forest City Brewers are pleased to report that one of our members, Brian Cihak, recently won the Best of show award at the Milwaukee Beer Baron's homebrewing contest. More details below!

WORLD OF BEER MONSTER MASH

The Milwaukee Beer Barons Homebrew Club hosted their Monster Mash homebrew competition, a BJCP-sanctioned event. 53 entries from Wisconsin & Illinois were submitted to 3 Milwaukee-area homebrew shops, including Purple Foot, Frugal-West Allis and The Marketbasket. Judging was held on Saturday, May 6, at Lakefront Brewery. Winners were picked in each of the 6 categories, with a “taste-off” for Best of Show. There were some excellent entries, with several in the high 30s and a few getting 40. Five of the first place category winners will have their beer ramped-up and brewed at 5 co-sponsor Wisconsin brewpubs, including Milwaukee Ale House (Milwaukee), Hops Haven (Sheboygan), Silver Creek (Cedarburg), Stone Cellar (Appleton) & Riverside (West Bend).

* Category 5: Bock, co-sponsored by Cargill & Silver Creek – 14 Entries
3rd - Dan Schlosser (Wauwatosa, WI) Doppelbock
2nd - Steven Olson (Menasha, WI) & Byron Burrier (Neenah, WI) EisBock
1st - Brian Cihak (Belvidere IL) for 5A Maibock

Best of Show Winner
Brian Cihak (Belvidere, IL) for Category 5A: Maibock

Thanks to all of our sponsors, who will be providing prizes to all winners, as well as providing product for the brewpub ramp-up. Look for a followup when these brews are scheduled, and especially when the production brew is available. Look also for several Monster Mash parties in Milwaukee & throughout Wisconsin.

Looking forward to your entries for 2007 Monster Mash.

MILWAUKEE BEER BARONS
www.beerbarons.org

CONGRATULATIONS BRIAN!!!!!

5.01.06

Forest City Brewers Anounces "Flotilla 2006"!

The FCB is pleased to announce the return of our summer party held on the Rock River known as the FCB Flotilla. Jim and Cookie Knapp will be hosting the event again this year on July 22nd. Stay tuned for more details as the date approaches.

3.10.06

Brew and Grow Homebrew Contest

Rockford's only homebrewing supply resource, Brew and Grow,

has announced that it will be hosting it's second annual homebrew contest this spring.

The contest will be May 13th,2006. All contestants must be signed up by May 6th.

There is no entry fee. Please specify if you need to have your beer chilled or not.

All entries must be submitted by 12 p.m. on May 13th.

Each contestant may only enter one lager and one ale. Must be 21 to enter.

Please remember that all Forest City Brewers club members with paid dues

receive a membership card good for a 10% discount on all purchases at Brew and Grow!

Call Erin at Brew and Grow with any questions. (874-5700)

5.26.06

FCB Club Brewing Session this Weekend

The Forest City Brewers will be hosting a group homebrew session this weekend at the home of club President and 2005 Homebrewer of the Year, Ryan Cooper. The brewing session will be held on Memorial Day Monday. Ryan will be planning to start about 11:00AM and wil be brewing a special Imperial Smoked Stout to celebrate his 50th batch of homebrew. For those who haven't seen it yet, Ryan will also be showing off his custom built bar. Feel sree to stop by and sample some brews too. For more details or directions, email Ryan at the "Contact the FCB" link in the above menu.

02.16.06

Just a reminder about the trip to the Wisconsin Microbrewers Festival in Chilton on the May 21st, the tickets will be $40.00 for ticket and bus. Please contact David Denale ASAP, as he needs to get a head count of who is going. You can talk to him at the meeting or email him at br3w3r@earthlink.net

*****Wisconsin Microbrewers Festival ****

May 21, 2006 - Chilton WI

Trip will cost $40.00, includes ticket to festival, bus trip there and back and lunch. Tickets go on sale the 1st week of March. The bus I reserved seats 26. If you plan on attending, send you check, made out to Forest City Brewers, to David DeNale, 1526 24th St, Rockford, IL 61108.

********UPDATE!!!!****************UPDATE!!!!****************UPDATE!!!!********

The bus will leave around 9:00, and return around 9:00. Participating breweries include Angry Minnow, Capital, Central Waters, Corner Pub, Dells Brewing, Fox River, Gray's, Great Dane, Green Bay, J.T. Whitneys, Lakefront, Legends, Milwaukee Ale House, Muskie Capital, Nicolet, Onopa, Randy's Fun Hunters, Roland's Calumet, Sand Creek, Slab City, South Shore, Sprecher, Stone Cellar, Tyranena, and Water Street. This is a great opportunity to sample beers not available around here.

We might be able to get a tour of the Chilton Maltery, I have to contact them soon.

5.01.06

Forest City Brewers April Winners!!!

The Forest City Brewers would like to congratulate the following winners

of the Style and Open contests at the April meeting

Style - Brown Ale Open

1^st Ken Schulz 1^st Chuck Nolen – Pilsner

2^nd Mike Sears 2^nd Pat Cunningham - Hefeweizen

3rd Lynn Foster 3^rd Brian Cihak - Maibock

Honorable Mention - Jim Deming

Great job everyone! Check out the Monthly Contest Beer Styles and Monthly Contest Results sections for current points info. The overall points winner from each category is awarded a share of the Forest City Brewers "Homebrewer of the Year" award.

3.22.06

Forest City Brewers March Winners!!!

The Forest City Brewers would like to congratulate the following winners

of the Style and Open contests at the March meeting

Style - Munich Dunkel Open

1^st Ken Schulz 1^st Chuck Nolen – Smoked Porter

2^nd Lynn Foster 2^nd Ryan Cooper – Irish Oak Porter

3^rd Mike Sears - Porter

3.14.06

Homebrew Night at Garrett's Pub!!

Join the Forest City Brewers as we host a "Homebrew Night" at Garrett's Pub on Friday, March 31st. Our club members will be distributing samples of their homebrewed creations, and answering any questions for the homebrew curious. We are planning the event to go from 5:00-8:00PM. No charge to attend, of course!

Already brewing your own? If you haven't been to one of our club meetings, take this opportunity to come down and meet our brewers in an an informal, fun event setting. You could even bring us a sample of your brew. Heck......we encourage it!

Stop by Garrett's Pub located at the Golf Shack on N. Bell School Rd.

3.01.06

Forest City Brewers Febrewary Winners!!!

The Forest City Brewers would like to congratulate the following winners

of the Style and Open contests at the Febrewary meeting

Style - American Ales Open

1^st Ken Schulz – Pale Ale 1^st Chuck Nolen – Alt

2^nd Chuck Nolen – Amber Ale 2^nd Pat Cunningham – Double IPA

3^rd Lynn Foster – Brown Ale 3^rd Ryan Cooper – Mild

Honorable Mention

Ryan Cooper – Amber Ale

3.01.06

Forest City Brewers Febrewary Winners!!!

The Forest City Brewers would like to congratulate the following winners

of the Style and Open contests at the Febrewary meeting

Style - American Ales Open

1^st Ken Schulz – Pale Ale 1^st Chuck Nolen – Alt

2^nd Chuck Nolen – Amber Ale 2^nd Pat Cunningham – Double IPA

3^rd Lynn Foster – Brown Ale 3^rd Ryan Cooper – Mild

Honorable Mention

Ryan Cooper – Amber Ale

3.14.06

Homebrew Night at Garrett's Pub!!

Stop by Garrett's Pub located at the Golf Shack on N. Bell School Rd.

1.23.06

Stateline Brewing Society Announces 'Brewfest 2006'!

The Stateline Brewing Society is pleased to announce their upcoming event, Brewfest 2006. At the last Brewfest, the Stateline Brewing Society hosted sampling by local breweries including Gray's Brewing of Janesville, New Glarus Brewing Co., and the Huber Brewing Co. (Berghoff) of Monroe, WI. The Stateline Brewing Society members also offered samples of some of their finest homebrewed creations. Brewfest 2006 will be held at Suds O'Hanahans in Beloit, WI. Admission to the event is free. Check out the Stateline Brewing Society homepage for info and directions.

Brewfest 2006

1.11.06

Another FCB Club Brew Session!

Ryan Cooper will be hosting a brew session on Saturday January 14th. Brewing will start around 11:00AM. We will be brewing on the propane burner in the garage, so dress accordingly. We are planning to make a Robust Porter. I will also be demonstrating the cold pitching technique. We will also be touring my new bar that was finished this past summer. All brewers and brew curious are welcome to attend. Please use the email link above to contact me for location information.

Hope to see you there!...Ryan

1.2.06

Monthly Contest Beer Styles updated. That is all. Over.

12.5.05

December Newsletter added. Check it out now.

12.2.05

Join the FCB for a Group Brew Session!

Dave Denale and Pat Cunningham will be brewing Sunday, Dec 4th.

The address is 1526 24th St in Rockford. Take Broadway to 24th St, south, third house on the left.
Come to side door. We will be brewing the Poor Richard's Ale for the January competition.

Starting around 9:00 AM, will have the Bear game on all TV's.

All homebrewers and brew curious are welcome to attend!

10.27.05

Happy Halloween!

10.26.05

FCB Member Takes Two Ribbons at

Chicago Beer Society Spooky Brew 2005!!

Forest City Brewer's club member Ryan Cooper takes second place in Stouts category with his Imperial Stout. He also placed second in the Fruit/Spice/Vegetable category with a Coffee Stout. Both brews were also winners at our October club meeting. This years Spooky Brew Review had 176 judged entries! The results page shows a link to the Forest City Brewers.

Spooky Brew Results Page

10.11.05

Forest City Brewers Octoberfest Party

Enjoy some pics from the FCB Octoberfest party here or posted in the event photos section.

Thanks to Dan hunt for taking the pictures for us! Cheers!

FCB Octoberfest Party 2005 - NEW PICS ADDED 10.31.05

9.28.05

Major Announcement!

The Forest City Brewers are moving. We have decided to seek out a new venue for our monthly club meetings, and have chosen to relocate to Shooter's Bar and Grill at Don Carter Lanes, 4007 E. State St. Rockford, IL. They have a large, private party room for us to meet in, a nice selection of brews, and a full menu of eats and appetizers. Help support the change by showing up for our first meeting at the new location to show your appreciation for the folks at Shooter's and Don Carter Lanes who are making this possible. Thank you very much, and please remember to tip your waitresses!

In unrelated news, my quest to update the website is progressing. The points totals for the Style contests are current to September. The newsletters are completely updated, and many front page items have been moved to the Headline Archive. I will be consulting with the webdaddy shortly on making some other adjustments.

Also, the details have been set for the annual Octoberfest Party, and will be included in full in the October edition of the Barley Whispers, which should be out to memebers during the first week of October, and posted here as well.

Thanks everyone...Ryan

Chicago Beer Society Announces

Spooky Brew Review 2005

For those of you interested in a little friendly competition, you can enter your homebrews at the annual contest sponsored by the CBS. Do you have a scary beer? Or maybe something that didn't come out quite right? Be sure to enter the special "Smashed Pumpkin" category. For all the details check out the link.

The Spooky Brew Review will be hosted this year at the new Emmett's Brewpub location in Palatine. Road Trip!!!

Official Spooky Brew Review Webpage

9.24.2005

Newsletters Updated ...and more

September Barley News added

Taster's Guild, 2005/2006 Beer Styles, and FCB Official Meeting sections are all Updated.

Many items moved to Headline Archive.

The Barley News archive, Points sections, and more will be added shortly.

..Ryan

6.22.2005

MAJOR CHANGES SOON

TEST IT OUT HERE

I will be totally revamping the FCB site including moving it to another server. This will allow for easier updates (therefore more timely) and content additions by members. Forums will be integrated into the site and it should be MUCH quicker. All information in the current forums will be lost. Check out the general premise at the link above. Note there are NO graphics on this site and it will move so any submissions will be lost, but with that in mind feel free to check it out and post content. Please stick with us while this change happens and as always you can contact me via email at Webdaddy@forestcitybrewers.org .

3.05.2005

Trip Update

The list of breweries slated to attend the Wisconsin Microbrewers Fest has just been released.
Attending are Capital Brewing from Middleton, Central Waters from Junction City, Corner Pub from Reedsburg, Dells Brewing from the Dells, Denamrk Brewing from Denmark, Fox River Brewing for Appleton, Gray Brewing from Janesville, Great Dane from Madison, J.T. Whitney's of Madison, Lakefront from Milwaukee, Lake Louie from Arena, Milwaukee Ale House, Nicolet Brewing from Florence, Onopa Brewing of Milwaukee, Randy's Fun Hunters from Whitewater, Rowland's Calumet Brewing of Clinton, Sand Creek Brewing from Bonduel, Sprecher Brewing from Glendale, Stone Cellar Brew Pub of Appleton, Tyanena Brewing from Lake Mills, and Water Street Brewing of Milwaukee.

Remember, I need a check or cash for $40.00, for each person attending,which includes bus fare, by March 21st.
Tickets usually sell out by the 1st or 2nd week of April, and they only have 2000. Make your check payable to
Forest City Brewers, and send it to 1526 24th St., Rockford, IL, 61108. I look forward to seeing you all there.

2.26.2005

Club Trip and Points Update

To: All members of the Forest City Brewers, and their guest
From: David DeNale, Events Coordinator, FCB

Subject: Annual club spring trip

The club has decided to forgo our annual brewery tour, as we have been to just about every brewery within a few hundred miles. This year we are going to the Wisconsin Microbrewers Festival in Clinton, Wisconsin on May 22nd.

I sent everyone on the email list a review of last years festival the
other day. This event attracts just about every microbrewery in
Wisconsin. The tickets go on sale toward the end of March, and I am on their mailing list for tickets. The cost of admittance is $25.00, and that includes a commemorative glass, entertainment, and ALL THE MICROBREWED BEER YOU CAN DRINK FROM 1:00 TO 6:00! The bus will cost
$15.00 apiece and will leave around 8:00 to 8:30 Sunday morning.

This festival is basically a preview of the Great Taste of the Midwest, and most of us know how much fun that is (if we can remember it the next day)! If you plan on going, send a check, made out to the Forest City Brewers, for $40.00 per person, no later than March 21st., to David DeNale, 1526 24th St., Rockford, IL, 61108. There are only 32 seats on the bus we have reserved, so it will be first come, first reserved. Lets
make this an annual event with a great 1st year turnout.

David DeNale
Events Coordinator
Forest City Brewers

Points for 2005 have been updated.

Brian

2.06.2005

Brew Store Update

I received an email from the Mojo Brew Company in DeKalb. They are running a special for our club. During February any in stock beer kit is $20 with ID and some sort of proof of club membership. I had them get a list of names from our Brew Points page. So they should be able to look you up. Their site is www.mojobrew.com and will be getting a makeover shortly so bear with their construction mess.

Brian

Barley News Has been updated..

2.06.2005

Presidential Updates

Note Charlie sent me this a while ago and I totally wigged... Sorry.

The annual bus trip will be heading to a beer festival in Chilton on May 22nd, The price will be approximately $40 per person which will include the price of admission and the bus there and back. We need to have a firm count on attendance by the February meeting. The tickets go on sale in Mid-March. Please email me if you are interested in attending and cannot make the meeting.

Lastly, our new meeting location will be the Olympic Tavern so please plan on attending the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Sorry for the confusion over the last two months. I am looking forward to a new and positive venture with the Olympic.

Charlie

1.07.2005

Homebrew Contest !

Wendy and I were at the Rockford Brew and Grow today and the lovely wife picked up a flyer. Apparently they are hosting a Homebrew Competion. You can win a wort chiller and trophy. You must register by March 5th. Contest will be held on March 19th. You can register at Brew and Grow, 3224 S Alpine, Rockford or Carlyle's 215 E State. Don Carlyle will be one of the judges. If you want more information call Brew and Grow. You will have to look up the number yourself because I am lazy.

Brian (WebDaddy)

12.31.2004

Information Update

Dear Fellow Brewers,

I though I would send out an email to bring everyone up to speed due to the craziness the last couple of meetings. The January Taster's Guild will be held at Vickers at 7:00pm on 1/5/05. {UPDATE Due to potential licensing issues this has been moved to Old Chicago} The meeting for January will be on 1/19/05, I am hoping the deal with LT's will be straightened out by then I will have to call Heather and let you know for sure at the first of the year. At the January meeting, there will be no Open competition because we will be doing the yeast analysis tasting that Ken and Lynn put together. Please make sure you are on time because we will have a very busy night. Also, the after Christmas party will be on January 29th at Doug and Anne Gull-Clemons house, so mark your calendars. Any questions or concerns please let me know so I can address them.

Thanks,

Charlie

12.16.2004

Message from Olympic

Hello,
My name is Zak Rotello and my family owns The Olympic Tavern. Just thought I'd drop you a note, thanking you for having your meeting here on Wed. As a novice beer lover, I've upgraded a lot of our tap handles to some of the specialty beers by Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, etc. and I'm glad to see that there are people in Rockford who are interested in more than just "lite" beers.
I know you were having your meetings at LT's and I saw a few other scheduled meetings at Vickers on your website. Just to let you know, we never charge a room fee for parties and would be more than happy to have you back. Also, we have never had to close due to fighting and/or liquor license problems.
We do frequent beer tastings and I think that in the summer, the deck would be a perfect place for you. I would be interested in working together with you to put on some events, or just to get some suggestions for what to put on tap next. {contact info edited for privacy, call the bar}

Thanks,
Zak Rotello

12.14.2004

Meeting Problems UPDATED

Hello everyone,

The meeting for Wednesday 12/15 will be held at The Olympic at 7:00pm. Maryanne helped by calling around and they said they would accommodate us. She made a reservation for 20 people. Please if you know the phone numbers of people in the club give them a call to make sure they know of the new location. I am going to call Heather at LT's and tell her to let anyone that shows up there that we are at the OlympicTavern. {Address is 2327 N Main St, Rockford, IL Map }

Charlie

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello fellow brewers,

Looks like we have the usual problem with where to meet for our December meeting. As I am sure most of you have heard they have a major problem with a fight breaking out, etc. and were closed down through Tuesday. Next, the fire marshal came in and said the basement was not up to code so they can no longer have occupancy downstairs. Heather said their lawyers are working on this situation but we will not be able to meet there this Wednesday, December 15th. I am up for ideas for where to meet, in the past we have used Diamond Dave's as our back up. I do not know Mr. George Tauscher who I believe is the owner. If anyone can give me some help with this I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Charlie

11.19.2004

Homebrew Night

In the interests of getting our name out to the uninitiated we will be having a meet and greet at Vicker's Pub and Grill on Tuesday Night November 23, from 8-10pm. Members are encouraged to attend and proselytize good beer. Members of the public are gladly invited. Hope to see you there.

11.19.2004

Are you the Beer Drinker of the Year???

Forest City BeerDrinkers,

Marty Jones here for Denver, Colorado's Wynkoop Brewing Company.

We’ve launched our annual search for the nation's most passionate beer lover.

Could the 2005 Beerdrinker of the Year be one of your club members?

Homebrewers are the most fervent beer lovers and many of our previous winners are homebrewers, so I hope you’ll share the details of our search with your club members.

The three Beerdrinker of the Year finalists win a free trip to Denver to compete in the finals. The winner wins free beer for life at the Wynkoop and $100 in free beer at their home brewpub.

They also win the lofty acclaim -- for themselves and their hometown brewpub -- that comes with the Beerdrinker of the Year title.

Entrants have until December 31 to turn in their beer resumes.

For more details and a look at the beer resume of last year’s Beerdrinker of the Year (John Marioni, a Seattle resident and McMenamins patron) visit www.wynkoop.com.

11.19.2004

Elections Results

Officer elections wiere held at the November meeting. Results will be posted soon

Also Points have been updated.

11.5.2004

We have been Published!!!!

Check us out in today's Rockford Register Star or online here.

10.3.2004

Octoberfest party was FUN!
The beer was great and so was the company.
Thanks to all who showed up.
-BUB

4.2.2004

Brew School!!

New One Week Course From Siebel!

http://www.siebelinstitute.com/course_desc/homebrewing.html for more info.

1.25.2004

BULLETIN BOARD IS NOW UP!! It's up to y'all to make it active. Send me Forum suggestions and I shall add them asap.

1.22.2004

Note this page has regressed a bit due to... well due to stupidity. I shall be updating it shortly. But hey we are on the new server... see no popups!!! Who is your web daddy?

Want your very own forestcitybrewers.org email address? Email webdaddy@forestcitybrewers.org and ask for it. Oops dangling participial.

»TASTERS GUILD SOCIAL GATHERING
7:00 - 9:00pm

Wednesday, July 2 @ 7:00 PM; Old Chicago

Wednesday, August 6 @ 7:00 PM; Garretts (located next to the Golf Shack on North Bell School Road)

Wednesday, September 3 @ 7:00 PM; Der Rathskellar

07.08.03
Forest City Brewers annual picnic on Saturday, August 2nd

Please be informed of the Forest City Brewers annual picnic on Saturday, August 2nd. This year we will be doing a repeat of last years floating picnic on the Rock River. For those that missed last years event, we tie three pontoon boats together and float downstream, while indulging in some fine microbrewed beverages. Jim and Cookie Knapp, Rich and Maryanne Theryle, and Lynn Foster and Matt Wiegand all have graciously volunteered their pontoon boats for the afternoon. Here are the details;

Date: Saturday, August 2nd

Launch Point: Jim and Cookie Knapp's home located at 9524 Shore Drive, Machesney Park, IL. (see map below)

Launch Time: 1:00 PM (To be confirmed)

What to bring: Your own beverage and a dish to pass. Most of the dining will be on shore, but think low maintenance and easy to dish out type food.

End time: Who knows

Questions, please email myself or Rich and Maryanne Banjoflyer@aol.com or Jim and Cookie jimknappinsurance@yahoo.com .

Hope to see you there....

Here is a map to the Knapp's

05.24.03
Summer Meetings at Carlyle Brewing Co.

FCB summer meetings return due to the success of last summer. This years meetings June 18th, July 16th, August 20th will be held at Carlyle Brewing Co. at 215 E State St Rockford IL Same rules apply. No rules. Please feel free to bring in your homebrews to sample (this is unconfirmed!) There is no voting .

04.19.03
Taste of the Midwest Beer Festival

Fellow Beeraholics,

Time is a runnin' out to get one of the 12 remaining seats left for the Taste of the Midwest Beer Festival in Madison, Saturday, August 9th.

Same drill as the previous years. Ask if you need to be reminded of the specifics.

Jim Didier
3438 Treadway Ct.
Rockford, IL 61103-1960

H 282-1072
H jimdidier1@insightbb.com
W 226-6947
W jim.didier@hs.utc.com

05.24.03
Winners for May 2003

Style § ALT

1st Mongan, Charlie
2nd Schultz, Ken
2nd Cooper, Ryan

Open

1st Robinson/Megas, Steve and Anita
2nd Schultz, Ken
3rd Hintz, Fred
:::3 pointers:::
Cooper, Ryan
Hall, Steve
Rick Norman

06.19.03
2003 National Homebrew Conference

This year, the conference is being held in Rosemont, at the Holiday Inn on 5440 N. River Road. Our club will be participating in the following events:
Club Night on Thursday, June 19.
Hosting of the Hospitality Suite on Saturday, June 21 from 9-11 AM.
Members can participate in single events or the entire conference. The cost of the entire conference is $195 for AHA members. The cost of the club night only is $20.
Here is the registration information. http://www.beertown.org/events/hbc/index.html

05.16.03
Mike Home Brewing Page....

North Carolina home brewer extraordinaire. Excellent source for info and how-to's. I think its a must see.

05.09.03
Carlyle Brewing Co. grand opening....

FCB'ers,
WOW! Last night at Carlyle's was a lot of fun. It looks like all the hard work and long hours is finally going to pay off. I saw a number of club members there to support our newest brewery. (Big props to all of you who came down!) It was quite a mixed crowd too. I even met some folks there who will probably join our club sometime. I enjoyed the fresh beer, and look forward to trying more of Don's recipes in the future. I always seem to prefer darker brews personally, but I thought the English Pale Ale was fantastic. Of course, I enjoyed the Stout and Scottish ales too. Hopefully, the rest of the club will be interested in trying our summer informal meetings there if Don is willing. That would just be awesome. Best of luck to Don and all his crew, and I'll see you all again soon!....

Ryan Cooper

05.24.03

::2003::

~~January~~: Stout including Dry, Sweet and Oatmeal

~~February~~: Pale Ale Extract Kit

~~March~~: Scotch Ale including light, heavy and export (I have to make sure we are not getting the Scotch and Scottish mixed up)

~~April~~: India Pale Ale

~~May:~~ Alt including Koelsh Style Alt, Dusseldorf Altbier, Northern German Altbier

Amendment: Point judging totals start at Jan. 1st and end the following year.

Points are awarded for as follows:

1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
Entering without placing 3 points

For ties, points are rounded up (if needed).

04.19.03
Winners for April 2003

Style § IPA

1st Schultz, Ken
2nd Rupprecht, Mark
3rd Cooper, Ryan
3rd Foster, Lynn
:::3 pointers:::
Nolen, Chuck

Open

1st Friedl, Andy :: stout
2nd Nolen, Chuck :: bohemian
3rd Robinson/Megas, Steve and Anita :: mead
:::3 pointers:::
Cooper, Ryan :: steam

03.30.03
Winners for March 2003
Fixed it!!

Style - Scotch Ale?

1st Schultz, Ken
2nd Cooper, Ryan
3rd Jason and Jeff ?
:::3 pointers:::
---
:::No votes:::
---

Open

1st Mongan, Charlie
2nd Robinson/Megas, Steve and Anita
3rd Cooper, Ryan
:::3 pointers:::
Clinite, Dave
Rupprecht, Mark
Teefey, Mike and MaryKay

04.06.03
2 0 0 3 F.C.B. Bus Trip!

Here is some more information on our annual bus trip:

Date: Saturday, April 12
Departure: 11:00 AM at the Old Eagles parking lot located at the corner of Mulford and Riverside.
Destinations as follows:
1) RAM Brewery in Schaumburg
2) Goose Island in Chicago on Clyborne (and Sam's)
3) Emmits in West Dundee
Return: Around 6 to 7 PM, We have the buss for a 8 hour duration.
Cost: Around $20-25 ( Lynn will determine the final cost)

I have contacted all the breweries and the tours are somewhat up in the air. Most of them say that Saturday is their day off and if someone is in that they would be happy to show us their system, but no firm commitments. The $20 is applied to the bus and I will try to persuade the club to pick up the first round of samplers at each location. More info to follow.

Hope to see you there!!!!

Lynn Edward Foster
Foster Industrial, Inc.
815.484.5444
lfoster@fosterindustrial.com..

12.26.02
2003 AHA National Homebrew Conference
Sweet HomeBrew Chicago

Check there website for more information...

02.02.03
This Month’s Moment of Zen

Beer Troubleshooting

03.03.03
Winners for February 2003

Style - Pale Ale Kit

1st Sears, Mike 11 votes
2nd Nolan, Chuck 7 votes
3rd Burdick, Dave 5 votes
:::3 pointers:::
Cihak, Brian 3 votes
Morgan, Charlie 2 votes
Novak, Allen 2 votes
Rupprecht, Mark 1 vote
Hall, Steve 1 vote
:::No votes:::
Foster, Lynn
Cunningham, Pat
Schultz, Ken
Denale, Dave
Friedl, Andy

Open

1st Nolan, Chuck
2nd Clinite, Dave
3rd Schultz, Ken
:::3 pointers:::
Cooper, Ryan
Clinite, Dave
Rupprecht, Mark

03.03.03
February competition totals have been posted.

Sorry for the delay. For this month I put down the vote amounts in the style category. I also listed everyone who entered. 13 beers were entered and I wanted everyone to get recognized for there hard work....

02.02.03
Winners for January 2003

Style - Stout

1st Robinson/Megas, Steve and Anita
2nd Foster, Lynn
3rd Cooper, Ryan
:::3 pointers:::
Burdick, Dave
Cunningham, Pat
Theryl, Rich and Maryanne

Open

1st Cooper, Ryan
2nd Schultz, Ken
3rd (tie) Marsh, Bob and Robinson/Megas, Steve and Anita
:::3 pointers:::
Rupprecht, Mark
Comments: Tie for 2nd and 3rd; issued 6 points each.

2002

~~September~~: Wheat including Hefe, Dunkel, Berliner and Wiezenbock

~~October~~: Oktoberfest including Marzen and Vienna Lager

~~November~~: Porter including Robust and Brown

~~December~~: Experimental including Fruit, Herb, Spice and Vegetable

::END OF JUDGING YEAR::

Dec. Style - Experimental

1st Charlie Mongan 10 Points
2nd Dave Burdick 8 Points
3rd Ken Schultz 8 Points

Dec. Open

1st Ryan Cooper 10 points
2nd and 3rd (tie) Brian Cihak and Pat Cunningham
; 7 points each

11.17.02
This Month’s Moment of Zen

The Beer Tree

101.08.03
First 2003 Tasters Guild

Executive Committee has scheduled a Tasters Guild on Wednesday, January 8th at O'Leary's Pub located at 6246 East Riverside in Loves Park. In all the confusion last month, we did not discuss the Tasters Guild. The Officers decided to have the Guild on the second Wednesday.

10.07.02
FCB Christmas Party

DATE: Saturday December 14th 2002

Time: T.B.A.

Where: Rich and Maryanne's home.

More info T.B.A.

11.17.02

Analysis of off flavors in beer.

Greetings fellow homebrewers,

At the October meeting, I offered to give a class on the analysis of off
flavors in beer. This is a short course that is set up by Flavor Active. A
UK based company that has offered this type of teaching process to
professional brewers for identifying problems or faults in beer. They have
put together a smaller version of the original lesson plan intended solely
for homebrewers.

Some of the problems that can occur often to homebrewers which are in the kit
are such things as poor yeast health, metal contamination, old and degraded
hops. Then there are also 4 different bacteria which can occur at various
stages of production. This lesson plan is to help the brewer identify these
faults and to understand what caused it or them and where they probably
occurred in the brewing process.

The lesson includes 8 off-flavors. With each flavor, we will discuss the
type of problem, what caused it and taste sample of beer with that problem.
For the conclusion, you will be given a chance to test yourself by
identifying correctly the different samples. Your goal will be to correctly
identify at least 5 of the 8 flavors.

I will be offering this class on Saturday the 23rd of November. It will be
held in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at "All the BrewHa." I
only have room for 10 persons. So this is a first come first serve deal.
The cost will be $17. That will pay for the kit and the necessary beer to go
with it. If you are interested, please e-mail me with your intentions to
attend. If it fills up, I will start a waiting list.

So don't wait. Let me hear from you.

Ken Schulz
624-7324

8.20.02
The Forest City Brewers By-Laws Online ------ Proposed ------

9.27.02
This Month’s Moment of Zen

Pentium 12oz opener upgrade!!!!

10.20.02
Young at Art 11th Annual Wine and Hops Tasting Party

Friday, November 8, 2002

Forest Hills Country Club

7:00 PM to Midnight;

Wine and Hops tasting 7:00 to 10:00; cash bar from 10:00 to Midnight

Sample from dozens of wines and beers from around the world, enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres, listen to Steve Shannon's Big Daddy Woo Woo.

$25 for nonmembers (prior to 10/25), $30 at the door

RSVP 965-6916 or send check by 10/25 to:

Y@A Wine Tasting

Young@Art

3226 Andover Drive.

Rockford, IL 61114

10.03.02
FCB Oktoberfest

DATE: Saturday October 26th 2002

Time: 12:00 - 6:00pm

Where: Lynn Fosters home. 3855 Hermitage, Rockford IL

Some of you may recall that the club brewed 10 gallons of Oktoberfest Style beer on March 23rd. The beer has been patiently lagering for the last seven months and is now ready for consumption. The club will also supply a half barrel of a commercial Oktoberfest style beer TBD.

Members are asked to bring a dish to pass. Lynn will be doing his Wisconsin Fish Boil. You may also want to bring some other beer if you don't want to drink Oktoberfest for six hours straight.

Folks, this is why we pay dues. Don't miss out and enjoy the festivities.

Here are the directions to Lynn and Barb’s house.

East Riverside to Applewood (across from Merlin Muffler),
turn South on Applewood.
Go to stop sign--take first right after the stop sign (Foxboro).