Next meeting: FRIDAY June 21st, 7:00 pm - 10:30 pm
At this month's meeting we will be be judging your homebrewed Maibocks.
If you have brewed this style, don’t forget to bring it in to the meeting!

June 2002 Issue
Buy a Frosted glass Alers mug!
How about an Alers frisbee?

By Brian (I'd increase the gravity) Thatcher

Greetings Alers!

Last month we tasted a couple of commercial Maibocks. Unfortunately the Einbecker Mai-ur-Bock was pretty badly skunked. However the Staatliches Hofbrauhaus Mai-Bock was quite tasty. The general consensus was that it represented the style quite well. Also on hand were a couple of Oktoberfest beers, Aktien-brauerei Kaufbeuren Oktoberfest and Ayinger Oktober Fest- Marzen. Both were good examples of the Oktoberfest style.

We have taken volunteers to help pick up the commercial examples for sampling for the rest of the beer styles for this year. If you have a suggestion that you think truly exemplifies the style contact the appropriate person and state your case. It is also hoped that these wonderful people will prepare a short information packet on the style for the meeting prior to the commercial sampling so that everyone has a chance to prepare their recipes.

The volunteers are:

• David Hutchinson - Hefeweizen - July Meeting (at the campout) (homebrew judging in July)

• Kevin Fawcett - IPA - September meeting (homebrew judging in October)

• Tom Barnes - Winter Warmer - November meeting (homebrew judging in January)

Beer Styles Brew-off
Bavarian Weizen Coming Up Next

The next beer style for the brew off will be a Bavarian Style Hefeweizen.  We will be tasting commercial examples in July with judging of homebrew in August.  Here is the excerpt from the BJCP guidelines: 

17A. Bavarian Weizen

Aroma:  Vanilla and clove-like phenols and fruity esters of banana  are common.  Hop aroma ranges from low to none.  No diacetyl.  Some aroma of wheat may be present. 

Appearance: Pale straw to dark reddish-gold in color.  A very thick, long-lasting head is characteristic.  High protein content of wheat may impair clarity in an unfiltered beer, and clarity can be deliberately cloudy in a Hefe-Weizen from suspended yeast sediment.  The filtered Krystal version is quite clear. 

Flavor: The soft, grainy flavor of wheat is essential.  Hop flavor is low to none and hop bitterness is very low.  A tart character from yeast and high carbonation may be present.  Spicy clove phenols and fruity esters, most prominently banana, are often present.  No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: The texture of wheat imparts the sensation of a fluffy, creamy fullness that may progress to a surprisingly light finish.  A high carbonation level is typical. 

Overall Impression: A pale, spicy, fruity, wheat-based ale.

History: A traditional wheat-based ale from Southern Germany that is a specialty for summer consumption.

Comments: These are refreshing, fast-maturing beers that are lightly hopped.  The Hefe-Weizen version is served with yeast sediment stirred into it.  The Krystal version is filtered for excellent clarity.

Ingredients: A high percentage of malted wheat is used which typically constitutes 50% or more of the grist, the remainder being pale barley malt. Weizen ale yeast produces the typical spicy and fruity essences during a relatively warm fermentation.  Hops are used for a small amount of bittering only.  Water character will vary.

Commercial Examples: Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Pschorr-Brau Weisse, Spaten Club-Weisse, Schneider Weisse, Julius Echter Weizenbier.

Work Party and Campout

There will be a work party at Buck Lake on Sunday, June 23. We will be clearing campsites and other tasks in preparation for the club campout. Those who wish to help out can meet at Larry’s at 8:00 to form carpools and get directions if needed. Bring weedeaters, rakes, shovels or any other tool that will be useful.

July is Beer Festival Month in Portland

Yes it is that time of year again. Two of the best festivals in the the northwest both happen in July in Portland. The first is the Portland International Beerfest July 12 - 14 and the second is the Oregon Brewers Festival July 26 - 28.

The Portland International Beerfest celebrates primarily non-US beers, though there will be a few selected Americans served. Last year was the first year for this event and it is back this year in a new location. This year it will be held at Holladay Park at Lloyd Center, 1:00 - 11:00 on Friday, 11:00 to 11:00 on Saturday and 12:00 to 7:00 on Sunday. I was lucky enough to attend this last year and the list of beers being served was amazing. This year’s list is up on the website (subject to change of course) at www.portlandbeerfest.com . Cost is $10 for a tasting glass and 3 tokens, with extra tokens 4 for $5. Multiple day entry is free if you present your tasting glass and wristband at the gate. The Seattle to Portland Bicycle Ride is that weekend. My plans are to complete the ride in 12 hours on Saturday and head over to the festival for a few hours, then return for more on Sunday. If you can’t make it to Portland, this year they are also staging a Seattle International Beerfest August 23 - 25 at the Seattle Center. The two beer lineups seem to be pretty close so far, but there will be a few beers served at Portland that will not be available at Seattle.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Each year this festival features 72 beers from North America. In addition, the last couple of years they have had the Oregon Brewers Guild Tent serving a rotation of beers from Oregon. Some of the best selections last year were served here, including Hair of the Dog’s Fred aged in oak which I can not even begin to describe. The list of beers is posted on the website, www.oregonbrewfest.com . Admission is free, but a tasting cup is $3 and tokens $1. One token gets a sample while 4 tokens get a 14 oz pour (this is actually an increase from the last couple of years, hmm).

I was just scrolling through the beer list and a couple have jumped out that I think I will mention. 21st Amendment from San Francisco (I have visited, recommend) is serving a Watermelon Wheat, Elysian is serving Oak Aged Ambrosia Maibock, Mt. Angel Brewing has Mad Lisa’s Smoked Maple Lager and Terminal Gravity Brewing is sending TG Triple (aged in oak). There are many other great looking beers on the list, but these just jumped out at me as being somewhat unique. Also, Widmer never lets on to what they are serving in advance, but the two years so far that I have attended it has been special. Last year they had a Double Alt and the year before a Cherry Eisbock that weighed in at 12% alcohol, both of these beers were exceptional.

Beer and America

This month's issue of American Heritage has a really good article about the history of beer in America. The article can be found online at http://www.americanheritage.com/AMHER/2002/03/beer.shtml , or in a hard copy of the magazine at the store. The article is too long to be reproduced here, but it makes for some interesting reading.

Also included are two sidebars. The first talks about why America now offers the world's best selection of beers. In the second, Michael Jackson picks 10 of his favorite American beers (according to his mood at the time). There is an article on the beerhunter website that explains how he selects beers for these lists: http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001726.html.

Monthly Meeting schedule:

Club Events Calendar

These are this year's club events.
More information and exact dates will be added as they get closer.

Upcoming Events

Portland International Beerfest, July 12 - 14
Holladay Park at Lloyd Center, Portland. http://www.portlandbeerfest.com

Oregon Brewers Festival, Portland, July 26-28
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland. www.oregonbrewfest.com

Great British Beer Festival, August 6-10
Olympia, London. www.gbbf.org

Seattle International Beerfest, August 23 - 25
Mural Amphitheater at Seattle Center. http://www.portlandbeerfest.com

Fremont Oktoberfest, September 20-22
Under the bridge in Fremont, www.washingtonbrewfest.com

Great American Beer Festival, October 3-5
Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO. www.beertown.org

Washington Cask Festival, October 26
Alki Room, Seattle Center. Two sessions, 12 – 4 and 6 to 10.
www.washingtonbrewfest.com