March 2004

President’s Notes:

Column space reserved ,-)
 

Secretary’s Notes:
 

The club website:

http://www.forestcitybrewers.org/
and is ably maintained by Our Tech Director, Brian.

Trip Meister Notes:
 

From Rick - Details for the Bus Trip:

Time: 9:30am, Saturday April 24

Place of departure: K Mart parking lot on E State and Mulford.

Itinerary: Water Street Brewery (tour and lunch),

Sprecher Brewing, Lakefront Brewing. 

Return time about 8:30pm 

Cost: 25 dollars per person, payable at the bus.

You are responsible for your own lunch Water Street.

Bus rules: Same bus company as last year's so you'all knows the rules; No smoking (by Federal law) No glass, bottles, kegs, and Styrofoam coolers. 

Any other questions?

Oktoberfest brew date will be the 1st weekend of May at Charlie’s.

AHA National gathering will be June 17th – 19th in Lost Wages.  One can register up to May 14th.

The styles for next year will be:

SEP – Hefeweisen

OCT – Oktoberfest

NOV – California Common

DEC – Winter Warmer 

JAN – Dry Stout

FEB – Scottish Ale

MAR – Bock

APR – will be a Brown, Alt, or Porter style ale.  There will be no Open this month.  We’ll have two style tables; one will be an all-grain brew, the second will be an extract brew.

MAY – Belgian Saison

Other news?

We have plenty of space in this, YOUR club newsletter!

Upcoming Styles

May                 3A Blond Ale
 

Style Guidelines are from the BJCP Website:
http://bjcp.org/style-index.html

Ye March Head-to-Head:
Style: 16 C Oatmeal Stout

Presentation: Ryan Cooper

First Place went to Mark Ruprecht Second honors (a tie) to Eric Stromberg and Steve Hall
Topping out the Big Three – A Tie

Alan Novak & Ryan Cooper

Others in the running: Ken Schulz, Chuck Nolan, Dave Klinite, Roger Hausfeld and Ryan Cooper Bill Liscomb

Open Category:

(Always an adventure in good taste, voting close as usual):

1. Brad Mackey – American Light

2. Anita & Steven – Black Mead

3. Ryan Cooper – Saison

The other brews Receiving Votes: Lynn Foster – Belgian Ale, Chuck Nolan – Strong Bitter

This Month’s Style:
[Presenter will be Pat Cunningham]

14B. Helles Bock/Maibock

Aroma: Moderate to strong malt aroma. Hop aroma should be low to none. Aromas such as diacetyl or fruity esters should be low to none. Some alcohol may be noticeable.

Appearance:  Golden to amber in color. Lagering should provide good clarity. Head retention may be impaired by higher-than-average alcohol content.

Flavor:  The rich flavor of continental European pale malts dominates. Little or no hop flavor. Hop bitterness is generally only high enough to balance the malt flavors to allow moderate sweetness in the finish. Perception of hops may be more apparent than in darker Bocks.

Mouthfeel:  Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Overall Impression:  A relatively pale, strong, malty lager beer.

History:  Can be thought of as a strong version of Munich Helles. The serving of Maibock is specifically associated with springtime and the month of May.

Comments:  A pale type of Bock beer.

Ingredients:  Pale lager malts. No non-malt adjuncts. Continental, European hops. Water hardness varies. Lager yeast.

Vital Statistics:  OG: 1.064-1.072

IBUs: 20-35 FG: 1.011-1.020

SRM: 4 — 10 ABV: 6-7.5%

Commercial Examples:  Ayinger Maibock, Spaten Premium Bock, Pschorr Maerzenbock, Wuerzburger Maibock, Hacker-Pschorr Maibock, Augustiner Hellerbock, Fieders Bock Im Stein, Forschungs St. Jacobus Bock.

Black Mead – A Melomel:

This mead should turn out very dark, but clear and have mild blackberry taste with honey undertones.

I don’t check SG’s with this one.

Ingredients (6-gal primary):15# dark honey, 15# frozen blackberries (thaw a day ahead of use)or 2 #10 cans of wine maker’s fruit, 1 t acid blend, 3 t yeast nutrient, 6 B-1 tabs - crushed, 3 t Irish Moss - primary fine, 1 qt apple juice, 1 pckt dry Pasteur Champagne yeast, 1 pckt unflavored gelatin – secondary fine.

Heat the apple juice to 80F, place in a ½-gal jug (with airlock) and dissolve in 1 B-1 tab.  Pour in the yeast and set aside while the must is prepared.

Bring 2 gallons of spring water to a slow boil and turn off the heat.  Dissolve in the honey and bring back to a rolling boil with the Irish moss, simmer on low 15 minutes, skim any foam.  Place the berries in a fine weave fruit bag and place in the primary vat.  Pour the hot honey water over the fruit. And stir, crushing the berries with light pressure to express the juice.  The fruit will add about 1 ½ gal by volume, the honey about 1 ¼.   Bring the volume to 5-gal with cold water and dissolve in the nutrient and B-1.  Then top off to 7 gal (which should result in 6-gal or so when the fruit solids are removed).

When the temperature of the must drops below 80F, add in the enlivened yeast.

Ferment on the pulp for one week.

Remove the fruit bag and let the juice drain into the fermenter, pressing the pulp lightly.

Top off to 6-gal, if the volume is less than this.

Ferment in the primary for an additional 2 weeks.

Boil the gelatin in one cup of water, whisking it to avoid clumping.

Siphon the mead into a glass secondary, with as little debris as possible; add in the gelatin, top off with water to bring the mead level to 2” below the airlock.

Let the mead work until there appears to be no activity.

Rack off into a bulk aging carboy let settle for 1 month.  If the mead is still throwing sediment, then it still lives.  Once the mead is completely still and clear, bottle it.

Age for 3 – 4 months, then sample.  I use 6 oz. Bottles as test taste samples.

Drier, higher alcohol meads can take awhile to smooth out.

Nuff fer now…

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