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The Maltose Falcons are:
1989, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2007
CALIFORNIA HOMEBREW CLUB OF THE YEAR!
(Presented by Anchor Brewing)
2008 Mayfaire Competition Result
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Brewing and Tasting Monthly
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22836 Ventura Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA
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Brews and News
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March 2000, Vol. XXV, Num. 3
Don T. Knott, Editor
Contributors:
Kevin Baranowski, Tom Wolf, Brian Vessa,
Rich Schmittdiel, et al.
Contents Copyright 2000 The Maltose Falcons
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Turn Out The Lights
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by President Kevin Baranowski
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The Party's Over, seems like it went by in a blur, and I didn't even drink
that much! ( Well except for that full Anchor Cup of Liberty Ale that I was
forced to quaff ).
We owe a big thanks to Bruce Joseph, Bob Brewer, and all the staff at Anchor
for hosting another outstanding party. The semi-plugged Maltose Falcons Band
was great and we thank them for entertaining everyone and celebrating ten
years together. I'd also like to thank Jim Moorman for selling all those
mugs, glasses and shirts all the while trying to enjoy the party too. I'd
like to thank Daryl Richman for signing my Bock book! I'm sure everyone looks
forward to going back again in a couple of years.
I hope the rain didn't dampen your plans and you got the chance visit the San
Fran. sights and drink some beer around town. The Baranowski, Keppler, Macala
gang drank many a beer, including many Barleywines at Faultline Brewing Co., the Toronado Pub, Beach Chalet Brewing, Magnolia
Brew Pub,( Old Thunderpussy 98&99 ),Steelhead, and at the tour at Pyramid in
Berkley.
If you found any interesting places or have any good stories to tell, send
them in for next months newsletter. Wow, what a meeting we had last month,
more than 60 people in attendance. We had a lot of beers (~20) for the
tasting at the beginning of the meeting.
I hope everyone saved some for this months meeting. We had more people bring
in Chili than we've had in a couple of years. Thanks to everyone that made
chili for the cookoff. Jolene's was voted the best, (was it a fix or she
really is the right person for the Burgermistress job ).
Don't forget about entering the Maltose Falcons Mayfaire. The dates to bring
in beer are extended this year, March 2nd to the 16th. That means that you
can bring them to the next meeting at the shop. If you are a newer member,
this is the time to enter your first competition. We hope to have a good
turnout this year. If your reading this from out of town, be sure to get your
entries in on time. See all the rules on the Falcons website,
www.maltosefalcons.com. The Mayfaire Party date is set for April 15th, and it
looks like we'll be at the gun club. Weekend camping should be available
there.
Southern California Homebrewers Festival tickets for May the 5th are now for
sale for $30.00 ea. Camping spots are reserved for the Falcons at Lake
Skinner. Contact MB Casselman to share a site. This is a great big homebrew
event. The Maltose Falcons booth always has the best beers, so start brewing
now and make your plans to be there. What could be better than spending the
weekend with friends that all have something in common, the love of BEER.
The passing of the February meeting makes 7 years now that I have been a
Maltose Falcon. I have made many friends and learned a lot about brewing in
this time. I look forward to continuing on as President, and I encourage our
newer members to make some new friends, learn from the others about brewing,
and get involved in club affairs. It's your club after all.
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House Brewing Session a Success
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By MB
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The Falcon IPA brew was a success thanks to all those who attended. Despite
the fact that Kevin Baranowski started his brew (10 gal of corn lager) about
30 minutes ahead of us we managed to finish at the same time as him.
Fermentation took off in three hours and has been quite rigorous. My blowoff
erupted into a mound of foam that ended up all over the floor. BTW my
allotment of IPA is going for a cask-conditioned version (Double dryhopped of
course).
Also Kevin, Drew Beecham (sic), and Steve Keppler were all on hand for the Ventura
County Wine and Food fest. The Falcon table looked the best ever and the
beers were all well received. Of course the real buzz was about this new
commercial beer called Hollywood Red. ;)
Enough about last week. For those of you with short memories.
BJ's Monthly Beer Tasting - Wednesday, March 1, 2000 7:30 pm Admission: $12
(you must mention you are a Falcon member). This month's tasting features
Irish Stouts.
Falcon Brew Session - Saturday, March 4, 2000 9 am-4 pm This has been
finalized. 45 gallons of Dougweiser is scheduled to be brewed at my house.
Tom Hamilton and Jerry Pooler are heading the brew since they know how to
handle cooking the rice. We are planning on pitching three different lager
yeasts. We will start at around 9 am and should be done by about 4 or 5 pm.
This beer will be used for upcoming events (Mayfaire, So Cal Homebrewers
Festival & Sunfest). I think all the beer is spoken for but you are welcome
to come and see how it is brewed. I still have a few gallons of cask
conditioned Hollywood Red left for those in attendance.
Santa Anita Beerfest - Saturday, March 4, 2000 12-5 pm Santa Anita Race
Track infield. $1.50 per taste. 20+ local breweries.
Falcon's monthly club meeting - Sunday, March 5, 2000. 1-5 pm. Lunch will be
served around 2 pm. Tickets for the So. Cal Brewers Festival will be on sale
as well as available tent spaces.
Have a great week!
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This Month in Brews & News
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by Don T. Knott
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Well here's another issue, late as hell and full of holes. An overabundance of
work has kept you editor running like a hamster on a wheel for two months
now, lot of motion, no progress.
Mayfaire is right around the corner, so the entry form is included in this issue.
Enjoy.
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Beer Style of the Month : February :
Barleywine
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by Falcons Grand Hydro, Tom Wolf
(805) 296-0872, WOLF1@IBM.NET
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This is my favorite winter warmers and also a very popular selection with
many of the Falcons. Be sure to try the Anchor Old Foghorn at the Anchor
party. It is a Barleywine of great renown; certainly one of my favorites.
These beers are classified by the Maltose Falcons style guidelines in class
11. Strong ale, Barleywine and Imperial Stout as sub-class D English and
sub-class E American Style Barleywine. Yes I know "its beer not wine". The
term is definitely English and usually used to describe the brewer's
strongest offering. According to Michael Jackson the earliest he has seen a
printed reference to it was the 1903 label for Bass #1 Barleywine. He goes
on to say that the Bass Barleywine is still made today. These are heavy malty
beers with a color ranging from ruby copper to deep mahogany with fruity
esters and some winyness due to ale yeast and high alcohol content.
Historically Barleywines were matured for up to 18 months in wooden casks to
round out the taste. This is the beauty of Barleywine; it keeps for years and
undergoes profound changes in its complex taste usually improving with age.
Barleywine is definitely not a high production product; only a select few
brewers who are willing to produce a quality product in spite of high
ingredient cost and long storage time brew it. As an extreme example of time
and expense Jackson mentions the amusing practice of taking the beer for a
walk or rolling the casks about the brewery weekly to rouse the yeast and
allow the strong beer to attenuate. Although the practice is a bygone it
gives the idea of the care and patience required top produce a good
Barleywine.
The following is how the Falcon's guidelines describe Barleywine. I merged
the descriptions of English and American Barleywine.
Aroma: Moderate to intense fruitiness; In the English versions the presence
of hops (English varieties) may range from mild to assertive. In the American
versions the presence of hops (typical American varieties) may range from
moderate to dominant. A caramel-like aroma is often present.
Appearance: Color may range from rich gold to very dark amber or even brown.
Often Barleywines have ruby highlights. Some may have low head retention.
Flavor: Fruity, with a great intensity of malt. In the English versions the
hop bitterness may range from just enough for balance to a firm presence; the
balance therefore ranges from malty to bitter. In the American versions the
hop bitterness may range from just enough for balance to a firm, resiny
dominance; the balance therefore ranges from slightly malty to intensely
bitter. Some oxidative flavors may be present. Alcohol should be evident.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, with a slick, viscous texture. Warmth from alcohol
should be present.
Overall Impression: The richest and strongest of English ales (sometimes with
an American spin), with an intense, almost spirit-like presence.
Comments: Normally aged significantly prior to release. Often associated
with the winter or holiday season.
History: Usually the strongest ale offered by a brewery, and often
vintage-dated.
Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt should form the backbone of the grist,
with judicious amounts of caramel malts. Dark malts should be used with
great restraint, if at all, as most of the color arises from a lengthy boil.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.080 - 1.120+
FG: 1.020 - 1.030+
ABV: 8.0 - 12.0+%
IBU: 50 - 100
SRM: 10 - 22
Commercial Examples (English): Anchor Old Foghorn. Young's Old Nick.
Commercial Examples (American): Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. Rogue Old Crustacean.
Brewing Barleywine:
Here are some guidelines gleaned from my references:
The base malt is English pale malt or North American two row malt. Use malt
extract to help achieve the desired starting gravity. Using three pounds of
extract is common to limit the amount of grain required. Go easy on specialty
malts; (use up to 15% but typically 8%). The large amount of base malt and
the long concentrated boil will create a lot of flavor and color. Crystal
malt, (at 5% to 6%), is the most widely used specialty grain for brewing
Barleywine. Munich, Vienna or other specialty grain can be added is small
quantities if there is a particular taste you are trying to achieve. Hop at
between 50 and 100 IBU depending on if you desire a balanced soft ale or a
hoppy profile. For a British character use primarily East Kent Goldings or a
similar variety of hops. For an American the "3 Cs" Cascade, Columbus,
Centennial are appropriate along with any other hops you would normally use
in a pale ale. Consider using high alpha hops for the majority of the
bittering within the desired hop profile. This will reduce the loss of
precious wort to the spent hops. Water is not a big issue, use your tap water
as is. Select an ale yeast that is highly attenuative. Because the aging
process removes much of the yeast character the particular strain is not as
important as in most other ales. Proven yeast examples are Wyeast 1056
(California), 1028 (British). Pitch twice as much yeast as you normally would
for a standard ale. Using the yeast from a previous batch of normal ale or
several packets of dry yeast is also recommended. Allow two to four months
for fermentation.
Here is a simple recipe for 5 gallons of "Old Extraction" Barleywine
6.6 Lbs amber malt extract
6.0 Lbs light dried malt extract
20 AAU Galena or East Kent Goldings, Last 45 minutes
1.0 Oz East Kent Goldings, Fuggle or Willamette, At end of boil
Boil for 60 minutes
OG 1.095
IBU 85
Pitch with 2 or 3 packets of dried ale yeast of Pasteur Champaign yeast
Here is my "Old Smokey" recipe that has won quite a few awards:
22 Lbs Belgian Pilsner
1.0 Lbs 90 L Durst German Crystal
1.0 Lbs 35 L Scottish Crystal
1/4 Lb Belgian Special B.
1/8 Lb Chocolate Malt
1.4 Lbs Light malt Extract
1.0 Lbs Corn Sugar
OG 1.090-1.095
1.0 oz Each Northern Brewer, Centennial, Chinook (25 AAU Total) Boil for last 90 minutes
2.0 oz Centennial, 1.0 oz Cascade, 1.0 oz E Kent Golding at end of boil
Boil for two hours and pitch with a big starter of Wyeast 1056.
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Beer Style of the Month :March :
IPA
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by Falcons Grand Hydro, Tom Wolf
WOLF1@IBM.NET
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"Drinking IPA" - In my mind I can still hear the music of the Falcon's Blues
Band wailing "I'm Drinking IPAaaa" from the past. And its a good thought
since this strong hoppy beer will grab your taste buds and won't let go
IPA is known for high bitterness, hop aroma, fruitiness as well as being
strong ale.
IPA has had an influential role in the history of beer and is a beer designed
for a function. It was created to solve a problem. In the mid 18th century
British sailors, soldiers and colonists in the Indies were beer loving people
in an area too hot for brewing. The beers of the day, mostly sweet brown ales
did not ship well and would not survive the four month rocking journey
through water whose surface was in places was as hot as 86 degrees F. For
example Porter would arrive flat, musty and sour. Initially the British Navy
experimented with shipboard brewing from concentrates with some success in
cooler waters but this was not the solution in the West Indies. Relatively
low shipping cost due to the many boats going to India to pick up spices and
silks made the idea of shipping beer there attractive.
In 1790 George Hogson of the Bow Brewery created Hodgson's India Ale, a
strong hoppy beer that would stand up to the shipping. Features that allowed
this was the high hopping rate along with additional finishing hops, high
alcohol content, high attenuation, a very pale malt profile and high priming
to keep the yeast alive and preserve the carbonation. The beer style was such
a success that the quantities shipped to the Indies went from 1,500 barrels
per year to 9,000 by 1900. Hodgson was able to keep a virtual monopoly on
beer sales to the Indies for many years. Eventually attempts to copy the
style and break into the market led to the emergence of Burton on Trent as
the brewing capitol of England. The Alsop, Bass and Salt breweries all claim
to be the first Burton breweries to brew IPA. Previously the Burton ales were
strong and sweet. The highly sulfate Burton water emphasized clarity and
bitterness and allowed better hop utilization than the carbonate London
water. The new IPA's were the palest ales brewed to date and were very dry
and hoppy. The Bass IPA's had starting gravity as high as 1.070 and finished
as low as 1.003 and had hopping around 70 IBU.
IPA was almost exclusively exported to the Indies until 1827 when a shipwreck
in Liverpool introduced it to the public and made it popular in England.
Brewing of IPA eventually spread to the northeast coast of the US. The
popularity of IPA eventually declined until in the twentieth century only
Ballentine's IPA remained. This was due to the eccentric owner Ballentine
himself. Today the Ballentine IPA as well as all of the original IPA's are
gone and due to tax laws British encouraging low gravity beers their IPA is
now usually synonymous with special or best bitter.
The craft brewing revolution in the US has given both pale ale and IPA an
American take. Some of the new American beers that fit the IPA profile are
Grant's IPA, Anchor Liberty and Sierra Nevada Celebration. Although Grant's
was the only one actually designed as an IPA many consider the other two to
be IPA. Liberty may be the best example of the style while Celebration has
won an award in the GABF in the IPA category. Fritz Maytag is said to have
been inspired by a trip to England to brew both the dry hopped Liberty and
Foghorn ales due to his sensitivity to the decline of the strong hoppy ale in
the U.K.
Brewing IPA:
Falcon's Guidelines: CLASS 6, Subclass A. English-Style and Subclass B. American-Style
OG: 1.050 - 1.075, FG: 1.012 - 1.016, ABV: 5.0 - 7.8%, IBU: 40 - 60+, SRM: 8 - 14.
The base malt should be quality two-row malt. British pale ale malt is
particularly appropriate especially for British-style IPA. If you are
extract brewing a good starting point for a mini-mash is 70% extract and 30%
grain. For flavor and body, 1% to 5% of 40 to 90 L caramel malt and 1% to 4%
carapils may be used. For color and flavor 5% to 10% of Munich or Vienna
malt is appropriate. Water moderate in carbonate and high in sulfate is very
appropriate. If your local water is high in carbonate with a lot of
temporary hardness such as our Santa Clarita water dilution with 50% purified
water is a good idea. A sulfate addition of up to 5 teaspoons of Gypsum is
typical for these beers. If using purified water 4-teaspoon gypsum, 1/2
teaspoon of Epsom salts and 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon of non iodized salt can be
used to Burtonize the water. For British style use European East Kent
Goldings or Fuggles hops. For American IPA use Chinook, Centennial, Columbus
or Cascade hops. The appropriate hopping level is about one IBU per gravity
unit, for example use 70 IBU worth of hops for a starting gravity of 1.070.
Hop level may go as high as 100 IBU. Use American (1056), London (1028) or
British yeast varieties.
Recipe for 12 Gallons Falcons Pride IPA
81% Domestic 2 Row (25 Lbs) 3% CaraPils (1.0 Lbs)
8% Munich DWC (2.5 Lbs) 8% Crystal 40 (2.5 Lbs)
Woodland Hills Tap Water
Infusion Mash 60-90 Min at 155 F, 0.3 gal/lb (9.6 gal)
Add ~ 1 tsp Gypsum (to pH 5.4)
Yields 12 gallons of 1.065 to 1.070 gravity
Boil 75 minutes, first wort hop with 1.0 oz Centennial 10%
Last 60 minutes, 1.5 oz Perle 7.1% and 0.5 oz Chinook 11.4%
Last 15 minutes, 1.0 oz Centennial 10% and 3.0 oz Crystal 3.8%
End of boil add 2.0 oz Cascade 4.7%
Dry hop with 1.3 oz Centennial 10% and 1.3 oz Cascade 5.6%
Hop amounts are for Pellet, increase up to 10% for leaf (60 IBU total)
Pitch with Wyeast 1056 or cultured Sierra Nevada yeast
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A Year of Beer. (A complete list of Styles for the year)
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by Tom Wolf
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February
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Barley Wine : (Bring your strong beers)
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March
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India Pale Ale (Bring your big hoppy beers)
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April
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American Lagers (Lawnmower beer month)
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May
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Octoberfest/Marzen/Bock (Bring any type of German Lager)
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June
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Lambic (Bring any fruit, specialty, or soured beer)
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July
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American Wheat / Cream Ale (Bring your heat beers or light ales)
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August
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Belgian Abbey Ales (Dubel and Strong Dark Ales) (Bring any big dark ale)
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September
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Scottish and Irish Ales (Bring Bitters and Pale Ales)
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October
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Wheat, Witbier / German Wheat : (Bring some German wheat beers)
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Minutes of Recent Meetings
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by Rich Schmittdiel, Secretary
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Maltose Falcons Board Meeting, 2/1/2000
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The February board meeting was held at Kevin's house on February 1. The
meeting got underway about 7:30 PM. Attending were Kevin Baranowski, John
Aitchison, Tom Wolf, Don Knott, Steve Keppler, Jerry Macala, Drew Beechum,
Jim Moorman, and Rich Schmittdiel. Heather and Jolene fed us a wonderful
dinner of "dirty rice".
First order of business was a presentation of the club's financial status by
Treasurer Jim Moorman.
Next we discussed the chili cook-off, which is set for the February meeting
to be held at the shop on February 6. Heather was assigned to contact those
who had signed up to bring chili and remind them, as well as the task of
preparing award certificates.
Then we discussed last minute details for the pending Anchor trip: We
scrubbed the notion of trying to arrange for limousines for transportation to
and from Anchor, as attendees will be scattered at hotels around the city.
Kevin will arrange with a cab company to have cabs standing by at the end of
the event so members will be able to get back to their hotels safely. The
Falcons Brews Band will be playing, semi-unplugged. Brian is looking for
transportation assistance, as there is still plenty of band gear to move for
an unplugged session.
Commemorative T-shirts have been produced in three styles, thanks to a tip
from MB for an economical, reliable source. Your secretary will apparently
have his wish fulfilled for a tie dye number. There will also be a
stonewashed blue version as well as a tank top. These should make their
debut at the February club meeting and will be in short supply, owing to the
limited production run. Considerable debate ensued over how to set prices;
but we eventually settled for a slight mark up, to offset anticipated gifts
to assorted dignitaries.
Commemorative glassware has also been produced in limited quantities for the
Anchor bash. It will not be ready in time for the upcoming club meeting, but
will definitely be on sale at Anchor.
The Southern California Homebrewers' Festival is set for the 1st weekend in
May. The Maltose Falcons Blues Band will play there. MB has reserved 5
campsites at Lake Skinner. A sign up sheet will be available at the February
meeting for those wishing to camp there.
Jerry Macala provided an update on the proposed Sunfest, set for August 11,
12, and 13 at Two Harbors in Catalina. There will not be a club-chartered
boat to provide transportation for members and gear. We failed to achieve
"critical mass" in time to guarantee the reservation. The club will charter
a boat to transport the kitchen, the food, the band's gear, and the mandatory
kegs of beer. Members will be on their own to arrange trips on either of the
two commercial services between the island and the mainland. A raffle is
planned for the Mayfaire to raise funds for Sunfest.
There is to be a club brew at MB's house on February 26. Proposed is a mass
effort to brew up a batch of the Anniversary IPA. Sign up sheet to be
available at the club meeting. The board agreed to subsidize a bulk grain
buy in the amount of $100, for members to use for the purpose of producing
beer to serve at festivals, etc.
Drew provided an update on the new club webpage (www.maltosefalcons.com). He
has completed archiving all of the information from the old webpage, and we
can tell Jeff Jost that he may now shut it down.
The meeting broke sometime after 10:30, all of the fine beers having been
consumed by then.
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Events Calendar
Check the big events section
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Sundays, Keg Night at Lucky Baldwins 17 South Raymond Ave. Pasadena. First pint is $4.50, keep the glass, refills are $2.50 until the keg runs dry, for more information call (626) 795-0652.
First Tuesday, BJ's Beer Appreciation, Brea Every month. From 7:30-9:30 PM. $10, includes 10-11 tasters. Call (714) 990-2095 for reservations and directions.
First Saturday, BJ's Brewery Tour, Brea Every month. Includes tasters, pizza, and souvenir glass for $14. Call (714) 990-2095 for reservations and directions.
First Wednesday, BJ's Beer Appreciation, Woodland Hills Hosted by Alex Puchner and David Mathis, time 7:30-9:00 PM. Admission: $14 per person includes all beer samples, handouts and a raffle ticket. The schedule for the next few months is as follows : 11/3 Local Microbrewers Night, 12/1 Domestic Winter Warmers.
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