In this issue: Last Meeting Next Meeting Competition Results - Belgian Ales (AHA) Competition Rules National Homebrew Day Celebration

Fermentals in the News! Mug Shots The Last Great Homebrew Party of the 20th Century Beer Events, Meetings & Competitions Fermental Funny

ell, where do I begin. The Firehouse was a very interesting place to meet, it certainly lived up to its name. It's my understanding the brewpub was literally founded and run by a group or retired firemen, and the décor is 100% firehouse décor, down to the actual hook & ladder unit we sat in for the meeting. There was a minor glitch in the night when the manager informed us we were not to bring our own beer in, a quick vote and we would have been at Chelsae's in 15 minutes. But, Pat showed up just in time and the owner was called and cleared things up (phew, that was a close one!) The beer was quite good and the food was excellent, I would recommend the firehouse for a follow-up visit. I had the dark sampler which included 5 out of the 9 beers on tap that night (out of 14 beers normally on tap). While I didn't take notes on each beer I sampled I do distinctly remember a winter warmer (holiday spiced beer) that had a maraschino cherry that had been soaked in Cinnamon schnapps in the glass, a very interesting touch.

The meeting started with a much-waited announcement, that we finally have a volunteer for the exalted position of Special Events Coordinator, none other than Jim Rice and Tyler Barber! There was a review of the first ever Fermental pub crawl and it was a rousing success, it was decided to drop it from 4 breweries to 3 next time however to allow for a longer visit at each establishment. The next crawl will be to Kalamazoo, stay tuned for further details.

Crispy is already planning ahead for National Homebrewers day (May 1st this year) by having a brewola at his house, so far he has 4 Pico systems lined up to do Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clones, he's thinking of a stagger start, 9am, 10am, 11am and noon. There will also be a swap meet if there's enough interest. Chris will also invite the AABG, Pontiac Brew Tribe and Downriver Brewers Guild.

The Michigan State Fair isn't until August but we need you to start thinking now about volunteering, contact Chris Frey if interested (we will of course have more details as they unfold).

The request is in to have the 2000 National AHA conference in Detroit, plans are underfoot and an army of volunteers from all clubs will be needed if this is to happen.

he next meeting will be held back at Sisko's in Taylor on Wednesday, March 24th. Sisko's is located on Monroe (between Telegraph and Southfield), just south of Vanborn. Their address is 5855 Monroe and their phone number is 313-278-5340. Sisko's also has a website at http://www.siskos.com/. The competition for this month is English Bitters. As usual, the thirsty hard-core who want dinner will start arriving around five, people will drift in for an hour or so, and by 6:00ish, we will start our meeting.

e had 5 entries for last month's "Why Don't We Do It In The Robe" (AHA) Belgian Ales Competition and they were all very tasty. And the winners are:

This month's competition will be the English Bitters Competition, AHA Category #7 a (Ordinary Bitter), b (Best/Special Bitter) & c (Strong/Extra Special Bitter). The judging will be held on Monday, April 15th at Jim Racine's house. All are welcome. We'll start about 6pm. Call Jim at 313-277-5516 for directions or additional information.

Entries for the 1999 National Homebrew Competition must be turned in March 29th - April 9th. If you need an entry form/instructions see Jim Racine at the next meeting. You can also download the forms from our website by selecting "Beer Style Guidelines" from the side menu.

e have come up with the following rules in regards to our club competitions and the F.O.R.D. "Homebrewer of the Year" award:

1. Each beer must be labeled in some way with the brewers names and the beer style category name. If possible, use the F.O.R.D. Bottle ID tag and attach it to the bottle with a rubber band.

2. Points:
   • 5 points for each 1st place beer
   • 4 points for each 2nd place beer
   • 3 points for each 3rd place beer
   • 2 points for each Honorable Mention (your beer needs to score a minumum of 30/50 to get an Honorable Mention)
   • 1 point if you entered a beer, but didn't place

3. If you have multiple entries in a competition, you will only be awarded points for your highest scoring beer.

4. The club will pay the entry fee for each of the 1st place winners in our competitions to enter their winning beer into the Michigan State Fair competition. So be sure to save 3 bottles of your winning beer.

5. Results of local and national homebrew competitions will be considered only as tie-breakers for the F.O.R.D. "Homebrewer of the Year" award.

n celebration of National Homebrew Day, I am inviting all interested parties to join Kathy and I in a day long celebration of our beloved hobby: Homebrewing! The day will begin with several batches of beer being brewed. I invite everyone to bring their systems, and to join us. There will be several Pico-systems available, and if you are interested in being one of the Pico crew members, please let me know (no experience required). We will be brewing an American Pale Ale (SNPA # ?) in the pico-systems. I will pick up all the necessary grains, hops and yeast so all you need to bring your own carboy and checkbook. The brewing will begin around 9:00am and hopefully we will finish up around 5:00ish.

Also, if you have anything remotely related to homebrewing that you would like to sell, bring it along! We will set up a table for the assorted paraphernalia.

After the brewing is done, the B-B-Q begins. I will supply the Jamaican Jerk chicken, but I need everyone to bring a side dish and homebrews. The clubs bar, with taps for 12 kegs will be available, so if you have a keg of your favorite brewski laying around (and I don't mean that liverwurst/licorice experimental brew you wouldn't feed your lawn with), bring it. Bring your friends and family, your spouse, your significant other and relax, enjoy, have a ...

So, let me know who you are, what you are bringing for a side-dish, how many of you there are and if you plan to brew that day. You can e-mail me at cfrey@ford.com, or crispy275@aol.com. My home phone is 734-944-6618. Or, you can fill out the form below and send it to me at:

Chris Frey
275 S. Ann Arbor St.
Saline, Mi. 48176

e (the collective members of the club) are featured in this month's issue of Brew Your Own magazine in an article titled "United We Brew - Cool Homebrew Clubs." The article also features the Maltose Falcons, Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), Zymurgist Borealis, Boeing Employees Wine & Beermakers Club, Detroit Carboys and Virtual Village Homebrew Society (Compuserve). I was interviewed at kind of the last minute and the article turned out pretty good (although they did mix up a few things, ah well!)

You can find the article on the BURP website at http://burp.org/articles/byo.htm.

Sue Merritt & Steve Kelley

Our intrepid organizer, Tyler Barber, enjoys a brew on the bus during the Fermental Brewpub Crawl #1.		Ice beer? Steve Kelley and friend Doug Reed brewed on one of the coldest days of the year with the club's Pico system.

enexa, KS: Kansas City will be host to "The Last Great Homebrew Party of the 20th Century" according to plans released by the American Homebrewers Association.

The nation's most avid homebrewers will descend on Kansas City June 24-26, 1999 for the AHA's Annual National Conference. Concurrent with the conference will be Second Round and Best of Show judging in the AHA's National Homebrew Competition, the world's largest homebrew competition. Judging will take place in 28 recognized styles of ale, lager and mead.

The conference will feature homebrew demonstrations as well as talks from some of the country's foremost authorities on the subject.

Already on the slate are:

• Ray Daniels: Author of "Designing Great Beers" and "101 Great Homebrew Ideas." Ray also organizes the annual Real Ale Festival in Chicago and has twice won the Midwest Brewer of the Year title.
• Charlie Papazian: President of the Association of Brewers and author of several books including "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing."
• Dr. Paul Farnsworth: Professor of Brewing Science and Microbiology, University of Texas-San Antonio
• Steve Bradt: Head brewer at Free State Brewing Company in Lawrence, Kansas.
• David Houseman: Member AHA's Board of Advisors
• Al Korzonas: Author of "Homebrewing: Volume 1"
• Dave Miller: Author of "Homebrewing Guide", Past Homebrewer of the Year, Head brewer at Blackstone Brewery in Nashville, Tenn., Member of AHA's Board of Advisors
• Rodney Morris: Inventor of the First Homebrew R.I.M.S.
• Micah Milspaw: Beer Writer

Several social events are also in the works with one evening devoted to a celebration of Kansas City's Blues and Bar-B-Que tradition.

The Kansas City Bier Meisters, Kansas City's largest homebrew club is spearheading the local effort along with other area clubs ZZ Hops, Pint and Pummel and The Lawrence Brewer's Guild.

For more details, contact:

Beer Events, Meetings & Competitions Gabrielle Palmer

• March 21 - Breweriana Day at Rochester Mills Beer Co. Buy/sell/trade/display. Open to the public. No table fees or admission. Brewery tours all day. All house beers only $2.00 a pint from noon-5pm.
• March 24 (W) - FORD Meeting, English Bitters Competition, Category #7 a, b & c.
• March 29 thru April 9 - Entries accepted for the 1999 National Homebrew Competition, contact Jim Racine at 313-277-5516 for entry forms and instructions.
• April 26 thru May 7 - Entries accepted for the Over The Mill Ultimate Homebrew Competition, AHA Sanctioned Competition, sponsored by the Rochester Mills Beer Co. Entries are due at Rochester Mills Beer Co. or Royal Oak Brewery by 8PM on Friday, May 7th. Entry fee: $15 flat fee for any amount of entries. For more information, contact Rex Halfpenny at: MIBeerguyd@aol.com, or call Rochester Mills (248-650-5080) or Royal Oak (248-544-1141).
• April 27 (T) - FORD Meeting, "Bockanalia" (AHA) Bock Competition, Category #12 a, b, c & d.
• May 1 - National Homebrew Day Celebration at the home of Chris Frey in Saline.
• May 26 (W) - FORD Meeting, Wheat Beers Competition, Categories #19 a, b, c & d; #6 c; and #2 g.
• June 22 (T) - FORD Meeting, Label Competition and "It's a Mead, Mead, Mead, Mead World" (AHA) Mead Competition, Categories #25-27.
• July 24 - Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Festival at historic Greenmead in Livonia. Don't miss this all Michigan, all draft beer tasting festival!
• July 28 (W) - FORD Meeting, Lawnmower Beer Competition, All light-bodied beers will be accepted.
• August 1 - Entries due for the Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition. Contact Bill Holmes, Competition Director, at 734-761-5315 for more information. Also looking for volunteers (judges, stewards, grunts), contact Chris Frey at 734-944-6618 if you'd like to help.
• August 24 (T) - FORD Meeting, Porter Competition (AHA), Category #9 a & b.
• September 22 (W) - FORD Meeting, Oktoberfest Competition, Category #17 a & b.
• September 25 - FORD Homebrew Demo at Wine Barrel Plus in Livonia.
• October 26 (T) - FORD Meeting, "Winter Warmer" Competition (AHA), Category #10 a & b.
• November 17 (W) - FORD Meeting, Stout Competition, Category #11 a, b, c, d & e.
• December 14 (T) - FORD Meeting, Spiced Holiday Ale/Barleywine Competition, All Style Categories.

Fermental Funny Alan Moen

Norman "Ace" Freeman, Inventor of the first Harleywine.