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Falling Ahead in the Keg of Time by Brian Vessa (Published in the September 1996 Brews and News) Greetings Fellow Falcons! August was a really fun month. The Sunfest at 3 Points Ranch was a funky good time, with much brew, music and good vibes for those that attended. We basically partied in a large patio area with plenty of shade, and the cool mountain breeze that was with us all day and into the night was welcome indeed. Plenty of homebrew was on hand, as well as kegs of Anchor Wheat and Steam Beer, graciously donated by Bob Brewer. We also had the rest of the Moosehead keg from the July meeting. Homebrew kegs brought by Falcons (courtesy of Tom Hamilton's notes) include: Christmas Ale, Strawberry Wheat (from the All-Women's Brew) and Santa Clarita Lager by MB and Steve Casselman; Autumnal Reserve Hoppy Lager and Sparkling Tangerine Melomel by Tom and Lois Hamilton; 15% Wheat Lager by Matt Cotter; Red Ale and Wit Beer by Jerry and Corrine Pooler; Belgian Ale by Mike and Lilly Wissell; Munich Dunkel and Steelhead's Bombay Bomber IPA by Ed and Diana Alderette; "Steam? Bitter? Pale?" beer, Witbier and Dougweiser by Doug King; Porter and Munich Helles (shop system) by Todd and Kathy Etzel; Traditional Mead, Railroad Porter (Santa Clarita) and Beal's Bitter (Santa Clarita) by John Rasmussen; Irish Draught Stout by Brian Vessa and Bruce Brode; and Munich Helles (shop system) by Bruce Brode. There was a lot of bottled beer as well, but no list of names. Thank you to Tom Hamilton for taking the time to list the kegs, and a big thanks to all who brought beer in keg or bottle! Now if we can just get some beer at club meetings..... Besides the great brew, Matt Cotter cooked an incredible meal of Tri-Tip and Chicken on Saturday afternoon on 5 BBQ's donated by Falcons. The pit BBQ was used to cook potatoes and squash, which were excellent as well. Several members contributed side dishes and desserts, and all in all there was much too much excellent food! As people got hungry later, a lot of it disappeared, so it worked out well. The band turned in a couple of great sets, with lots of dancing during the 2nd one. Tim, one of the staff people at 3 Points, took a video of the entire thing, which I believe will be available soon. I saw a little of it through the camera--enough to know that the Falcons really know how to have a great time and love to dance. The beer auction was right after the band, and many people donated interesting beers for this yearly event. I think Biff Tate was the highest bidder, on a collection of Anchor Special Ales from the past 6 years, donated by Rusty Reece. We did about an hour of Acoustic Jam after that, and finally a meeting of the Dead Palates Society, which I did not attend because I was too dead! All in all, a great time and a great vibe. I'm sure we'll be back there again for another party in the future. The folks at 3 Points Ranch told us we are welcome back any time! Thanks again to John Leslie and Susan Patrick for finding the place and making it happen for us. There were several entries for the AHA Mead Magic Club Only Competition that we tasted at the August board meeting. Thanks to all who entered. Nick Franke's entry was chosen to represent the club. Good luck, Nick--we hope it's a winner! The next one is Best of Fest. Bring your entries to the shop by Oktober 7th for this one. The LA County Fair judging took place on Saturday August 24th. I believe there was something like 210 entries this year. I really enjoyed judging this time, especially since I didn't have to organize it, and I could just show up for once! It's great to see the judges from other clubs that participate in all of these competitions that we and other clubs organize. It seems like we all have something in common, and there is quite a bit of camaraderie. Greg Stark and Bruce Brode did a great job of organizing the whole thing. We had a lot of stewards this time, which really helped things run smoothly. I want to thank Greg, Bruce, all the people who helped unpack and label the entries, the judges and the stewards for making it a great competition this year. We'll list the results in next month's newsletter. Speaking of competitions, the club's own Oktoberfest Competition is upon us. This one is different than the Mayfaire or County Fair in that it is only open to club members and is very informal. The main thrust is to try to get brewers who would ordinarily not enter a bigger competition to enter a beer for this one and get some solid feedback (you know who you are!). I'd also like to see members who have an interest in judging, but haven't taken the test yet, have an opportunity to get their feet wet and judge some beers (you also know who you are!!!). Even if you enter beers, you should still feel free to judge. There is no entry fee or paperwork involved, other than a bottle label. One bottle is all that is necessary. There will be a nice ribbon awarded for Best of Show, and certificates for Bronze, Silver and Gold. Simply attach a label with your name, address, phone number and beer style to a 12oz bottle with a rubber band, and get it to the shop before 1PM on Sunday September 22nd. At that time, we will begin judging the beers in the clubhouse. The results will be announced at the Oktoberfest. If you'd like to judge, please contact me at (310) 397-8352 (look out, I'm likely to contact you first!). We'll have a sign up sheet at the September 15th meeting, and some bottle labels will be available. You can bring your beer at that time, or drop it off at the shop during the week if you can't make it on the 22nd. I'd especially like to see some of the newer members get in on this--you'll find it's very fun and very low pressure. Besides, it's free! The Oktoberfest is slated for 1PM Saturday, Oktober 5th at Barbara Antler's house in Tarzana. Biff Tate is organizing the fest, and has a lot of fun things planned, including German dancing and a keg toss (I have to see this one!) We will have the installation of new officers that day, as well as a genuine Beergarten food menu. The Cellarmaster's Wine Club will join us again--sure to be double-trouble.....I look forward to sharing a fun day with them. There will be more details in next month's newsletter. The Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition is coming. The entries are due on Oktober 5th, the judging is Oktober 18th and 19th. I will have entry forms at the September meeting, and will leave some at the shop. You can contact Sean Lamb by email at <slamb@ghgcorp.com> for details. I hope the Falcons can make a good showing at this popular competition, so get brewing! The California State Homebrew competition, sponsored by Anchor Brewing and organized by the San Andreas Malts, is also coming up soon. I don't have the exact dates, but I expect the entries will be due at the end of Oktober, and the judging will likely be in mid-November. We usually organize a ship-in for this one, so stay tuned for details. This is a very important contest for Anchor's Homebrew Club of the Year, as well as for the Sierra Nevada Homebrewer of the Year contest. Get brewing for this one also! The Pasadena Pub Crawl is firm for Saturday, September 28th. Mark Poliner has chartered a bus for the event, the bus leaves from the shop at 11:00 AM. He told me there are currently about 15 people signed up. If this is all that go, the price will be $15 to cover the bus expense. If a lot more show up, we may be able to drop the price some. Contact Mark at (818) 348-4888 or sign up at the September meeting if you want to go. The fall tour of Anheuser-Busch will probably occur around Oktober 24th--I'm waiting for a call back from George Reisch to confirm the date. In any case, it is usually a weekday in the late afternoon. There may still be a few slots open-contact Mark Poliner if you are interested. The last one was a blast..... We will be giving a BJCP exam in November. Tentative date Saturday 23rd. Prep classes will be held at Westwood Brewing. Date TBD. On behalf of the band and myself, I'd like to thank all of the Falcons who came out to Weber's Place and supported us on Tuesday, August 20th. We had a great time playing for Falcons and patrons alike. Since the room is really live and not set up for loud music, we may not be able to play there again, even though Brandy said that she really enjoyed the music and thought we were really good. We'll play at Oktoberfest, and then will be looking for other places to play during the "off" season between then and SCHF. If you have a suggestion, let me know. We've been playing together for quite a while now, and most would agree we sound better than ever. This club is one of the few that have their own band, and we really appreciate the support that the club has given us over the years......THANKS! That's all for now. See you at the September 15th meeting! Back to The Roost || Brew Recipes || Brews & News |
