The Barley Whispers

Official Newsletter of the Forest City Brewers 

Oktobeer 2006 Edition

Next meeting will be held at Shooter’s Bar and Grill - Wednesday Oktobeer 18^th,  2006 at 7:00 PM  

Table of Contents:

President’s Notes –                              Page 1

Meeting Notes  -                                   Page 1

Website Notes  -                                     Page 1

Club Event Notes –                              Page 1

Competition Corner –                        Page 1

Beer humor -                                         Page 1

 

President’s Notes:

Homebrew nights, Homebrew dreams.....

I have been trying to encourage the members of our club to help recruit new members and to try to come up with fun ideas to try to attract new members. One idea that we have used in the past, but without much consistency is Homebrew nights. Local places are willing to let us do these type of events because it doesn’t cost them anything. If we can set up a table, display a banner, hand out Introduction to Zymurgy magazines, have an email sign up list, and give out some samples, then at least we are trying. But right now, we aren’t even trying. I need to know who is interested in doing these type of events. We don’t need 10 gallons of beer to serve. In fact, in my experience, you probably don’t need much more than a 6 pack of each beer you serve. Kegs take up a lot of space any when setting up. I bet we could get Old Chicago to host a homebrew night, and maybe we could get into places like the Firehouse in Roscoe, or go back to Garrett’s at the Golf Shack.

If we want more club participation, we need more club members. What can you do to help?

 

Meeting Notes:  

The September meeting could easily be described as more of the same. We waited around until about 7:20 to conduct a few minutes of business, then sampled some brews. During our club business discussions, it was agreed that we would begin all meetings promptly at 7:00. If you want to get there early, we are encouraging members to consider 6:30-7:00 as a social time for drinks, etc.  We also selected contest styles for our January through May 2007 meetings. And then we discussed and selected members to do presentations at our meetings. Allan Novak generously volunteered to lead us off in October with Lynn Foster and Pat Cunningham to follow. Locations were selected for Taster’s Guild meetings, and all this handy info can be found on our website.

The following people actually made homebrewed beer and brought it to the meeting to share with the rest of us who did not. Then, we sampled and judged them as follows:

 

Style- Stout                                                                                   Open

1^st   Trish Phillips                                                                1^st   Chuck Nolen – American Amber

2^nd   Chuck Nolen                                                              2^nd   Ken Scultz – Amber Ale

3^rd   Ken Schultz                                                               

HM   Ryan Cooper , Jim Deming

The Novembeer Contest style will be Kolsch for the AHA contest.

 

Website Notes:

The club’s website points section and such have been updated through September’s contest results. The contest styles section has also been updated to include the styles for January through May for next year. I also have brought back the tradition of featuring our monthly contest winners with a heading on the front page. If you have any pictures of club events featuring fully clothed beer lovers, I will try to add them to the site. Any other comments or suggestions can be emailed to icandobetterthanyou@yousuck.com

 

Club Event Notes:

There are no club events scheduled at this time. But hey we’re open to suggestions!

We will probably hold a group brew session in November for the AHA Teach A Friend to Homebrew Day. Beyond that, nothing til the FCB Christmas Bash.

Remember, if there is an event that we have sufficient interest in from the club, we can arrange to get a driver and rental van for a reasonably priced road trip.

Competition Corner:

There are a couple of contests coming up in the area for the competition minded brewers among us. Send ‘em your best stuff! FCB…represent!

·        The Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild will be sponsoring the

2006 Franco Belgian Challenge. More info at http://www.mhtg.org/contests/FBCC-2006.html

·        MUGZ, that is the Mississippi Unquenchable Grail Zymurgists, will be hosting the

2006 LAND OF THE MUDDY WATER Homebrew Competition in Moline, IL

Moline also has a kikkass brewpub called Bent River Brewing Co. Try the Honey Porter.

If you are really motivated, the next two are coming up really fast. Like now.

·        The Iowa River Society Talented Yeastmasters ( THIRSTY ) will be hosting the

2006 Thirsty Classic – more info at http://www.thirstyhomebrew.org/

·        The Chicago Beer Society will be hosting the 2006 Spooky Brew Review

They have really cool ribbons for the winners. I know. Cause I won a ribbon.

http://www.chibeer.org/spooky06.html

 

A Little Beer Humor:

 

I am not scared of goblins or ghouls and things that go bump in the night

Werewolves and bats and witches and such do not give me much of a fright

But there is this one thing that scares me to death and only this one thing I fear

And that’s to open my fridge at night and to find that I’m all out of beer