Next meeting: January 17th 7:30 pm
Hopunion Jacket Still up for Grabs!
Winter Warmer Judging - Bring your beer!

January 2003 Issue
Get your Alers stuff! Steins are back!

By Brian (I'd increase the gravity) Thatcher

Hopunion Jacket Still up for Grabs!

According to reports that I have heard, the Hopunion Jacket did not get raffled off at the December meeting. Apparently there was too much enjoyment being had and no one remembered to get to it (sorry I missed that). The jacket will now be raffled off at the February meeting. Guess I will get a chance to own it after all!

Winter Warmer Judging

At this month's meeting we will be judging the Winter Warmers. If you brewed a beer for this, don't forget to bring it along to the meeting. This is the final style from the 2002 style brew off. Thank you to all who participated this year.
We would like to continue with this sort of competition, however this year we will probably have about half the styles spread out more through the year. More on this year's events will be forthcoming.

St. Patrick's Cascadia Cup Competition

The competition will be held Saturday, March 8th at the Bear Creek Brewing Co., 7950 164th Avenue NE, Redmond, WA 98052. The Best-of-Show round will be held that Saturday afternoon in the reserved dining area of the Northwest Brewhouse & Grill. The public is invited to observe the competition and to learn more about the brewing process at our information booths.

Entry fee is $6 and consists of three 10-16 oz. brown bottles (mead and cider only 2 bottles). Forms and online registration is at: http://www.cascadebrewersguild.org , or just use the standard AHA entry forms.

Entries may be dropped off at Larry's, Mountain Homebrew in Kirkland, or Bob's homebrew supply in Seattle. The best of show winner qualifies to be brewed by Bear Creek, and a second and third BOS entry will qualify to be brewed at Far West Ireland and Sailfish/Twin Rivers respectively.

All right now, who has been brewing this winter? Let's load up the entry and make a good showing for the Alers.

Bottleworks Barley Wine Fest

Yes, you read that right. Bottleworks is sponsoring it 1st (hopefully to be annual) Hard Liver Barley Wine Fest. The event will take place on Saturday January 18th from 7 to 9 pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. The cost will be $25 at the door or $20 in advance. Tickets are available at Bottleworks. They claim there will be 22 or more breweries represented.

This looks like it could be a reasonable alternative to those who can't afford to go to Alaska (or don't want to freeze their buns off) that same weekend or Toronado in San Francisco in February. I can't wait to see which beers will be there.

From Realbeer.com Friday January 10, 2003
Historic Washington brewery doomed

Miller Will Close Tumwater Plant in July

JAN 10, 2003 - Miller Brewing company said Thursday that it will close its brewery in Tumwater, Wash., ending a 106-year brewing legacy and eliminating the last major brewery in the Northwest. Nearly 400 workers will lose their jobs.
The brewery is probably best known nationally for the brand of beer long produced beside waterfalls on the Deschutes River -- Olympia, whose "It's the water" slogan was famous in the beer world.

"Significant investments would be required to upgrade this facility to standards where other breweries are," said Michael Brophy, a Miller spokesman. "We cannot justify the cost of its operations beyond the date that we're planning to close it." Miller company intends to keep the buildings and grounds in good repair with hopes of finding a buyer, but industry analysts agree there's little chance that the facility will be used as a brewery.

The plant produced about 1.7 million barrels last year, compared with 6 million to 7 million in a typical Miller brewery. Brands produced in Tumwater include Henry Weinhard's, Hamms, Mickey's, and the Skyy Blue malt beverage. The plant also brews beverages including Olympia beer under a contract with Pabst Brewing Co. Those brands will continue to be produced, but at other plants.

The original Tumwater brewery was started in 1896 by Leopold Schmidt who, attracted by the artesian wells in the area, sold his brewery in Butte, Mont., and started a company (initially named Capital Brewing Co.) that would eventually have five breweries. After the end of Prohibition, Olympia Brewing Co. built a new brewery nearby. Olympia added a new brewhouse in 1960, bought Hamm's brewery in 1975, and merged with Lone Star in 1976.

Pabst bought Olympia in 1983. The Tumwater brewery seemed to get a new lease on life in 1999 with the demise of Stroh Brewing Co. and its Rainier brewery in Seattle. Stroh sold Rainier and other brands to Pabst Brewing Co. Pabst then sold the Tumwater brewery to Miller.

With the closing of Rainier in Seattle, Blitz-Weinhard in Portland and now Miller in Tumwater, the Northwest has lost all its old regional breweries. That leaves the Redhook Ale Brewery, a microbrewery started just 21 years ago, the largest in the state.

"Redhook is the biggest brewery in Washington state -- who would have thought that?" said Paul Shipman, chief executive officer of the Woodinville-based brewery now owned in part by Anheuser-Busch.

Monthly Meeting Schedule

Club Events Calendar

Upcoming Events

Bottleworks 1st Annual Hard Liver Barley Wine Fest, January 18th
7 - 9 pm, Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Avenue N
$20 in advance (at Bottleworks), $25 at the door

Toronado Barley Wine, February 15th - 22nd
Toronado, San Francisco, CA
http://www.toronado.com/

Elysian 7th Annual Winter Beer Festival, February 22nd
Elysian Brewing, Seattle, WA
www.elysianbrewing.com

Real Ale Festival, February 26th - March 1st
Finkel Foundry, Chicago, IL
http://www.realalefestival.com/

4th Annual Whiskeys of the World Expo, Saturday March 22nd
The Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, CA
Speakers start at 3 PM, Tasting session 5-10
1-888-748-2400, www.celticmalts.com

Spring Beer and Wine Fest, April 18th & 19th
Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
www.springbeerfest.com