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The
Impalement Post
The Official eVersion of the
Impaling Alers Newsletter
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Next
meeting: June 20th 7:30 pm June 2003 Issue By Brian (I'd increase the gravity) Thatcher Club Campout in July
For those of you who are new, the campout has been a club tradition for many years.
Don't forget the annual marshmallow
fight!
This month Kevin is scheduled to discuss India Pale Ale for the club competition. We are scheduled to judge IPA in September so this gives you plenty of time to brew one up to bring in that month. Here are the style guidelines for IPA: 7.
INDIA PALE ALE 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. Vital Statistics: OG:
1.050-1.075 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.
This year's Seattle International Beerfest will take place July 11th, 12th, and 13th. It will be held at the Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center. The times are 4 - 10 on Friday, 12 - 10 on Saturday and 12 - 7 on Sunday. The cost is $20 which includes a 4 ounce glass and 10 tokens. Additional tokens are $1 and beers will be 1, 2 or 3 tokens. Same day reentry is free, next day reentry is $5 if you bring back your glass and wristband. There will be live music and free darts, chess, checkers and backgammon. More information and a list of beers to be served at http://www.seattlebeerfest.com/Index2.htm The SIB, an over-the-top beer festival, celebrates the world’s most legendary brewing nations, boasting over 100 world-class beers from more than 20 countries. Our primary goal is to introduce people to the greatest beers in the world they’ve never heard of. It’s not about what you know…it’s about what you don’t know. Prepare for a libation education! The beers selected for SIB represent all that’s possible in the world of brewing, and many hold their own place in world history as the birth of a new brewing style. Most of the selections are quite rare, often obscure. Think you’ve had them all before? No question, we will indeed "STUMP THE BEER GEEK". This specialized event features primarily non-US beers in appreciation of world beer history. Proudly, we will offer a few choice American-made beers that represent classic European styles. We consider it a true honor for those US breweries selected to participate. They are worthy.
It really is that time of year again. This year's OBF will be held July 25, 26, and 27th at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon. As always there will be 72 beer to be sampled in the main tents, however, those of us who have been there the last couple of years know to frequent the Oregon Brewer's Guild Pavilion for some of the best selections (think HOTD Fred from the wood). Hours are 12 - 9 Friday and Saturday and 12 - 7 on Sunday. Admission is free, but a cup will cost $3 and tokens are $1. One token gets a 3 ounce sample and 4 tokens gets a full 14 ounce cup. For more information and a list of participating brewers go to http://www.oregonbrewfest.com/ . It looks like there will be several Belgian style beers coming from brewers East of the Rockies (including Celis White, now being brewed in Michigan). Ten
Reasons Beer is More Complicated Than Wine 1. The two main classes of wine are red and white. The two main classes of beer are ale and lager, which are not only impossible to tell apart by sight alone but sometimes damn hard to figure out even by taste. 2. Wine = grape juice + yeast. Beer = barley malt + hops + water + yeast + (maybe) malted (or unmalted) wheat + (possibly) oats + (sometimes) other grains + (optional) spice or (perhaps) fruit + whatever the hell else the brewer feels like throwing into the mix. 3. Wine gone sour is vinegar and unsuitable for drinking. Beer gone sour is either vinegar and unsuitable for drinking or a classic and revered Belgian style called Lambic. 4. A chardonnay is so-named because it is made from chardonnay grapes. A pale ale is sometimes called a pale ale simply because the marketing people say it should be. 5. Wine tasters spit. Beer tasters have to swallow because aftertaste is a vital part of a beer's flavor. 6. Classic wines hail from France, a big, easy-to-find European power. Classic beers come from Belgium, a country so tiny and obscure than most visitors don't even realize they have visited it until they've left. 7. Wine aficionados will nod thoughtfully if you refer to "cat pee" when describing a wine. Beer aficionados will make you an object of scorn and ridicule. 8. A particularly difficult wine will show great complexity and depth of flavor. A hard to fathom beer, on the other hand, can be as sour as battery acid, as smoky as a nightclub ashtray or so bitter and full of hops that it threatens to strip the skin off your tongue, and those are its positive attributes! 9. The fruitiness in wine comes from fruit. The fruitiness in beer springs from fermentation. 10. The same beer will taste different whether in the bottle, can or on tap. (Canned and draft wine may taste different too, but who wants to find out?) Beer Ice Cream Goes on Sale The distinctive taste of Newcastle
Brown Ale has become the latest ice cream flavor from a family-run
Northumberland dairy. Read more at: Win a Trip to Scotland or Ireland! Buy a raffle ticket from Jason Johnson or John Navin for a trip for two to Ireland or Scotland! Help support the northwest's own Irish community! Just $2! Monthly Club Meeting and Events Schedule Some of the events are tentative at this point and new ones may be added. There also seems to be a possibility of having a representative from Merchant du Vin at one of the meetings to talk and offer samples. We may also try to have one of the Ralph's from Hop Union over for a meeting.
Upcoming Events
Seattle International Beerfest, July 11th-13th
Oregon Brewers Festival, July 25th-27th
Great British Beer Festival, August 5th - 9th
Great Canadian Beer Festival, September 5th and
6th
Fremont Oktoberfest, September 19th, 20th and
21st
Great American Beer Festival, September
25th-277th
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This
year's club campout will be the weekend of July 18th through 20th at
Buck Lake. Directions to the campground for those who need them will
be in next month's newsletter. 
We
have a potluck barbeque on Saturday, everybody brings something to add
to the table (a lot of meat dishes show up which I like). Oh, and
bring plenty of homebrew for sharing around the campfire.
IPA
Seattle
International Beerfest
