Forest City Brewers News and Headlines


FCB Picnic

This years picnic will be on July 17th at the Polish Falcons Park. The club will provide the meat. All you need to do is bring a dish to pass and a chair. More details to follow.

Beer Steward needed


We are looking for volunteers for Beer Steward at the monthly meetings. Remember, this is no longer a year long obligation, only a 3 or 4 month commitment. Chris Yerk has agreed to help us out again from September thru December, but we still need someone to fill in over the summer months.

Sensory Perception class.


The club is organizing another Sensory Perception class. The class will be held on Sunday, June 6th at Mike Coisman’s house. Cost is $15 per person. The kit will accommodate about 20 people for the class and there are only a couple of spots left. If you would like to participate, contact Mike right away.

Beer Tastings at The Olympic



The Olympic is still hosting a beer tasting on the first Thursday of every month. Cost is $10 per person. Tasting starts at 7:00 pm. Give them a call if you need more info. Also, they are hosting several beer pairing dinners in the near future.

Here’s a list:
May 27th - Two Brothers
June 24th - Bell’s
July 22nd - Sierra Nevada
August 26th - Sam Adams
September 23rd - Lagunitas
October 28th - New Belgium

Pouring starts at 7pm and will cease pouring at 9pm. Complimentary snacks will be provided. Please call ahead to reserve your ticket as space is limited @ 815-962-8758, or RSVP on their Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/theolympictavern

FCB Big Brew 2010

A big thanks to Matt for hosing this years Big Brew. We had a great turn out and we all had lots of fun. Pictures of this years even can be found in the photos page.

We brewed an American Wheat that will be served at our summer picnic. Mike Coisman brewed the beer that will be enter into the Hoptacular competition.

Bulk Grain purchse opportunity

LAST CALL!!!

The order has not been placed yet. So if you are having second thoughts about that bag of grain you still have an opportunity to order. We will be taking last minute orders at the meeting tonight.

Once again we are looking into making a bulk purchase of grains. The last one in September was very successful, went smoothly and I think all who purchased grain were satisfied. The total weight was (if my memory serves me) in the neighborhood of 1500 Lbs!!

Attached is a pdf file of what is available and the prices from September. I will get an updated price sheet and forward within the next couple of days but this will give you a pretty good idea of the cost as I have not heard of any dramatic increases in grain pricing. Please figure about $5 per bag for shipping. So far base malt has been the focus and the following is what people have acknowledged as purchases they will be making:

Malteries Franco-Belges Pilsen 1.6-1.8L
Malteries Franco-Belges Pale Ale 2.3-4.2L
Best Pilsen 1-2L
Bairds Marris Otter 2.5-3.5L
Bairds Pale Ale 2.5-3.5L
Fawcett Marris Otter 2.3-3.0L
Fawcett Golden Promise 2.3-3.0L
Fawcett Optic 2.3-3.0L
Canada Malting Company Superior Pilsen 1.4-1.9L

There has also been interest in some specialty grains. The following is what people have acknowledged as purchases they will be making:

Fawcett Crystal Pale 22-28L
Fawcett Chocolate 325 -400L
Malteries Franco-Belges Vienna 2.3-4.2L
Malteries Franco-Belges Munich 6-8L
Malteries Franco-Belges Special Aromatic 3.5-5.0L
Malteries Franco-Belges Kiln Coffee 150-180L
Malteries Franco-Belges CaraPils 9-11L
Malteries Franco-Belges CaraVienne 19-23L
Malteries Franco-Belges CaraWheat 22-31L
Malteries Franco-Belges CaraMunich 45L
Best Melanoidin 22-30L

If someone wants to buy a partial (5-10 LB) of one of the base or specialty malts these people may be willing to split the bag up. Figure about a $1 per 10 Lbs on split bags for shipping.
Timetable for purchasing the grain is the end of March, that would make shipment arrive sometime the first week of April.
Make a wish list and reply it back to me. There is no obligation at this time. Once we tally up the lists we will let you know and before we place the order we will confirm your list. Last purchase we asked for you to pay in advance. This time we will make the purchase and you can pay upon receipt of the grain. If you ask us to buy the grain for you, we ask that you honor your request and pay for all grain that you asked for. Thank you in advance. So if you are in the need or thinking about purchasing some grain this is a perfect opportunity.
Don’t hesitate or you may miss out!

Forest City Brewers change of venue

For the Month of November we will be meeting at Thunder Bay Grille.
We will be starting at 7:00 so please plan accordingly.
If you have style or open beer please have them submitted by 6:45.

Here's a list of TBG's beer selection
On tap:
Berghoff Oktoberfest
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Goose Island Honkers Ale
New Belgium Fat Tire Ale
Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA
Moose Drool Nut Brown Ale
Founders Breakfast Stout(yummy)

In Bottles:
Ommagang Rare Voss
Goose Island Matilda
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Blue Moon
Hacker Pschorr
Goose Island 312
Breckenbridge Avalanche Ale
Breckenbridge Vanilla Porter
New Belgium Fat Tire Ale
New Belgium 1554
Shiner Bock
Shiner Bohemian Black
Guiness
A variety of Leinenkeugel



Here are some really neat tap handles to check out from TapBoards.com


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Periodic Table of Beer
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Beer In The News

Beer of the Month: Breckenridge Agave Wheat Ale
By Jerald O'Kennard
December 2, 2009

Beer review – Brothers’ Reserve Cherry Oak Doppelbock
By Tim Hynds
November 9th, 2009

One smoky beer
By Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
November 4th, 2009

A Plea for Peaceful Coexistence
By Jerald O'Kennard
October 27th, 2009

Proposed Increase of Federal Excise Tax a Serious Threat to Small Brewers and Your Beer Choice ? Contact Your Senators Now
By Charlie Papazian June 8th, 2009

Events & Competitions

May 27th at 6:30 p.m
Thunder Bay beer dinner with Bell’s Brewery

June 5th, 2010
Longshot American Homebrew Contest- Chicago Region
Lisle, IL, US
Contact: Luann Fitzpatrick
Phone: (630) 761-8386
Email: lufitz@comcast.net
Entry Deadline: 05/28/2010

July 3rd, 2010
Mundelein American Cup
Mundelein, IL, US
Contact: Bruce Dir
Phone: (847) 566-8012
Email: thedirs@att.net
Entry Fee: $7 / $5 each additional
Entry Deadline: 06/26/2010

August 2010 - AHA Club Only Competition Mead
Entry deadline is TBD. Judging will be held TBD. Entry fee is $7. Make checks payable to American Homebrewers Association. Hosted by Deborah Lee and Hop Barley & the Alers of Boulder, CO, this competition covers BJCP categories 24, 25, and 26 styles. For more information, contact Deb Lee at queenbee@gotmead.com.

September/October 2010
"Pucker Up" Sour & Wild Ales
Entry Shipping:
AHA COC
22836 Ventura Blvd, #2
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Contact: Drew Beechum at dbeechum@gmail.com
Entry Fee: Entry fee is $7. Make checks payable to American Homebrewers Association
Entry Deadline: September 9, 2010
Judging: September 19, 2010

Nov 13th, 2010
Land of the Muddy Water
Rock Island , IL, US
Contact: Richard Toohill
Phone: (563) 391-8828
Email: nrtoohill@mchsi.com
Entry Fee: $8 for first entry, $6 each thereafter, $6 for MUGZ members
Entry Deadline: 11/06/2010