Meeting Minutes from Summer B.I.E.R Meeting

 ·  Attendance:  Justin Babcock, Herb Haugh, Coleman James, Josh Owens, Nate Wroblewski , Nick Wroblewski, Honey and Ella (Josh’s dogs)

·  Introduction/Announcements (starting at ~6:40):

o B.I.E.R. meetings will now be held every other month.  We will be alternating "featured beer" with another topic, or simply a homebrew tasting.

o Nick held a brief discussion of our "homebrew experiment" to meet our goal for this year - brew a simple beer (pale ale), split the 5 gallon batch of wort and use multiple yeasts for fermentation.  Justin and Josh will be brewing at Justin’s house sometime in early August.  All are welcome to attend, brew date will be posted online.  The results will be brought to next meeting for members to taste and evaluate.

o Nick and Justin held a discussion of Delaware State Fair competition and coordination of travel.

o There was a brief mention of the Good Beer Festival.  Patti from Xtreme Brewing had mentioned they would be looking for stewards, and that we could have a club table.  The date for this event is October 11 & 12.

o There was some discussion regarding our website and the brewing calendar.  Also, members were asked to check out the website and provide feedback on improvements or other things that would be helpful to have on it.

o Finally, it was announced that the staff at Xtreme Brewing would be interested in delivering homebrew supplies from their shop to WFF main base.  They have requested a $100 minimum order for this.  It was mentioned to contact Justin or Josh if you would like to be a part of these orders in the future.  Further details will follow via email.

·  Nick gave a brief history about where “American Amber Ale” originated and that Mendocino Brewing Co.’s “Red Tail Ale” is considered one of the first beers of this style.  Also, the overall style characteristics were reviewed and it was noted that this style has a fairly wide set of parameters by which it is judged (e.g. IBU’s could range from 25-40, but BJCP recommended versions also include beers that have 55 IBU’s).

·  Justin presented Bell's Amber Ale and a group tasting was held followed by discussion of the beer’s flavor profile.

o Josh presented North Coast’s Reudrich’s Red Seal Ale and a group tasting was held followed by discussion of the beer’s flavor profile.

·  Nick presented Troeg’s Hopback Amber Ale and a group tasting was held followed by discussion of the beer’s flavor profile.

·  Four homebrewed versions of American Amber ale were also sampled and judged by those who attended (brewed by Justin, Herb, Josh and Coleman, and Nick and Nate).  All were noted to be “in style” some closer than others.  Much discussion was held regarding the “homebrew” flavor of the extract/bottle conditioned beers and there was some speculation regarding whether it was derived from bottle conditioning, or fermentation temperature.  It should also be noted that the two which exhibited this flavor also were the only two to use malt extract.

·  Josh briefly discussed reusing yeast, the benefits of this (save money and can offer better pitching rates), how to reclaim yeast (and how to pitch on top of yeast cake), as well as making yeast starters and the benefits of this.

·  Meeting adjourned at ~9:30.