Next meeting: September 20th 7:30 pm
Taste testing Hefewiezens and IPAs!

Septembeer 2002 Issue
Buy a Frosted glass Alers mug!
How about an Alers frisbee or a license plate frame?

By Brian (I'd increase the gravity) Thatcher

Hefeweizen Judging and IPA Tasting

This is supposed to be the month for sampling commercial IPAs. The IPA judging will not be until the November meeting as next month is our Oktoberfest party.

Overlord Duane proposes that we collect everyone's Hefeweizens and
have a get-together some Saturday and judge them. We will discuss this at the meeting.

Here are the style guidelines for IPA:

7. INDIA PALE ALE

Aroma: A prominent hop aroma of floral, grassy, or fruity characteristic typical. A caramel-like or toasty malt presence may also be noted, but may be at a low level. Fruitiness, either from esters or hops, may also be detected.

Appearance: Color ranges from medium gold to deep copper, with English versions often darker than American ones. Should be clear, although some haze at cold temperatures is acceptable.

Flavor: Hop flavor is medium to high, with an assertive hop bitterness. Malt flavor should be low to medium, but should be sufficient to support the hop aspect. Despite the substantial hop character typical of these beers, sufficient malt flavor, body and complexity to support the hops will provide the best balance. Very low levels of diacetyl are acceptable, and fruitiness from the fermentation or hops should add to the overall complexity. Some alcohol warming may be sensed in stronger versions.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-bodied mouthfeel without astringency, although it has moderate carbonation combine to render an overall dry sensation in the presence of malt sweetness.

Overall Impression: A decidedly hoppy, moderately strong pale ale.

History: Brewed to survive the voyage from England to India. The temperature extremes and rolling of the seas resulted in a highly attenuated beer upon arrival.
Comments: A pale ale that was brewed to an increased gravity and hop rate.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion mashing); English hops were used in the original versions, but American hop varieties have found a place in many modern interpretations. Refined sugar may have been used in some versions also. High sulfate and low carbonate water is essential to achieving a pleasant hop bitterness.

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.050-1.075
IBUs: 40-60+ FG: 1.012- 1.016
SRM: 8-14 ABV: 5-7.8%

Commercial Examples: Anchor Liberty Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, Tupper's Hop Pocket, Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, Samuel Smith's India Ale, Fuller's IPA, Highfalls IPA, Victory Hopdevil, Three Floyds Alpha King.

The Brews Brothers 2002 Novembeerfest
Homebrewing Competition

The Brews Brothers 2002 Novembeerfest homebrewing competition will be held Saturday, November 2, at Larry’s Brewing Supply in Kent, Washington. Novembeerfest is open to all amateur brewers and is a qualifying event for the 2003 Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB).

Beer, Cider, and Mead will be judged in accordance with Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines. BJCP guidelines can be found on the web at http://www.bjcp.org/beerstyles.pdf.

Entries are $5.00 with three 10 to 14 ounce unmarked bottles required for each entry. The entry deadline is Saturday, October 26. Complete rules and entry forms are available on the Brews Brothers website at www.brewsbrothers.org.

Entries may be dropped off at:

• Larry’s Brewing Supply 7405 S 212th Kent, WA 98105 253-872-6846

• Mountain Homebrew and Wine Supply Rose Hill Plaza 8520 122nd Ave NE, Suite B-6 Kirkland, WA 98033 425-803-3996

• Bob’s Homebrew Supply 2821 NE 55th ST Seattle, WA 98105 206-527-9283

• Entries may also be sent to: Jim Hinken, 24211 4 PL W., Bothell, WA 98021.

Beer Judges and Stewards: If you are interested in judging, learning about beer judging, or stewarding at Novembeerfest, please call Jim Hinken at 425-483-9324 or e-mail brews.brothers@verizon.net

Group Takes BJCP Exam

On August 24th a dozen hopeful souls gathered at Larry's to take the BJCP Exam. Your humble scribe was one of those who took the exam. The Cascade Brewer's Guild held a Wednesday night study group led by Alan Hord for ten weeks prior to the exam.

For those who don't know, the BJCP exam is three hours long. It consists of 10 essay type questions covering all aspects of beer styles, brewing procedures, ingredients and the BJCP organization. In addition, 4 beers are presented for judging during the exam. Experienced judges judge those same beers and their scores and comments are compared to the examinees for grading.

For me the overall experience was an enjoyable one. The study group was a lot of fun; I made it to all but one of the meetings. The exam itself created a slight brain drain (try accurately judging a beer when in the middle of a essay question), but was only three hours. I hope I passed, but may not hear for up to 12 weeks.

Seattle International Beerfest

The first (and hopefully annual) Seattle International Beerfest was held the weekend of August 23rd through 25th. In all there were 135 beers being poured, with about an even split between drafts and bottles. This is the complement to the Portland International Beerfest in July, now in its second year (and that I reviewed in last month's newsletter). This festival was quite similar to the one in Portland, with most of the same beers being poured. I was able to attend Friday Evening and Sunday Afternoon, as I was taking the BJCP exam on Saturday (see above).

Ahh, now for the beer. I tried a trio of Baltic Porters over the weekend, including Zwiec, Kozlac, and Utenos. all were on the malty side with a nice chocolaty flavor with a subdued roastiness. There were a couple of very tasty Imperial Stouts being poured, LeCoq's Imperial Extra Double Stout from England and Ellezelloise Hercule Stout from Belgium. Speaking of Belgian Beers, I sampled more Belgian beers than I can list here, but there were many very good ones. Among those that stood out was Chouffe Bier de Soleil, which is listed as their summer seasonal but is 10% alcohol. It is surprisingly light and refreshing for the strength with a light spiced malt aroma and flavor. The Caracole Nostradamus and the Abbaye de Rocs Grand Cru were also worthy of mention.

Monthly Meeting Schedule

Club 2002 Events Calendar

These are the rest of this year's club events.

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

Leavenworth Oktoberfest, October 11 - 12
Leavenworth, WA http://www.oktoberfestleavenworth.com

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

The Brews Brothers 2002 Novembeerfest Homebrewing Competition
Saturday, November 2
at Larry's Brewing
www.brewsbrothers.org

AHA Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day, Sunday November 3rd

Great Canadian Beer Festival, November 22nd and 23rd
Victoria Conference Centre, Canada
http://www.gcbf.com