Chris Frey

Our last meeting was held Wednesday, March 26th at Chelsea’s. Rich Byrnes began the meeting with introductions of the officers. One of the first items at hand to be discussed was the need for volunteers for this summers Beer-B-Que / Pig Roast (yes, there does able to be a pig in this summer's outing). Helping out to make this event a success doesn’t take a lot and if enough people volunteer, then the work load doesn’t overwhelm just a few people. If you can chip in and help, please contact Doug Lacureaux or Rich Byrnes.

 National Homebrew Day is coming up (Saturday, May 3rd) and we will be providing a public homebrew demonstration at Merchants in Dearborn. There will be two "pico-brewing" systems doing all-grain brewing and two demonstrations of extract brewing. This will be our most ambitious demo to date. Our hosts at Merchants have indicated that they will provide a nice spread of food and all F.O.R.D. members will receive a 20% discount on homebrew supply purchases for that one day only! So come out and support the demo and take advantage of the savings!

 Steve Rowley and Brian Shepard and their sub-group, the F.O.R.D. C. A.R.S. (cigar aficionados renaissance smokers) had an event last week at the Dearborn Smoke shop . Anyone interested in participating in their smokers/brew sharing meetings should contact them for further information.

 It was announced with Pat Babcock's move to the Edison Plant for the foreseeable future that Doug Geiss will be replacing him as the club’s business manager.

 Doug was also one of the people who was present at the Atwater Brewing Co.’s grand opening on St. Patrick's Day and he was even interviewed on the radio to discuss his impressions. Rich indicated that there is a small restaurant there, but that the main attraction is the full scale brewery. Look for a full write-up soon. The club will attempt a meeting/tour with Tom, the master brewer, some time this summer after they have had an opportunity to settle down a bit.

 Sandy Bruce, our treasurer, pointed out that there are still a handful of people who need to square up with her for dues. Also, there are still coasters with the F.O.R.D. logo on them for $5.00 a sleeve of 50 available.

Ted Geftos, our librarian, mentioned that there are several new titles in the library. Among them are Brew Wares, Dave Millers’ Homebrewing Guide, Designing Great Beers by Daniels and The New World Guide to Beers. He also asked that whoever last checked out the Beer Hunter CD-Rom by M. Jackson to please return it as others are waiting to use it.

Finally, ribbons were awarded for the last few months competitions, with Jim Rice collecting 1st, 2nd and 3rd for his excellent lagers.

 The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 22nd. We will be meeting at a new location for Aprils’ meeting.

Red Oak Steakhouse

2100 N. Haggerty Rd., Canton

313-981-9522

Just inform them when you get there that you are with the F.O.R.D. club. We will have a separate room in the back. There are over 60 domestic (bottled) microbrews there, and if you like beef, their oak grill cooks up some great eats! See ya there.

One word of advice. I spoke to Steve (the general manager), and while he is excited to host us, he is not capable of giving everyone their own tab. So please, we will be working on the honor system, and if it doesn’t work out, we will all lose!

The easiest way to get to the Red Oak Steakhouse is to take I-275 to Ford Road. Head west on Ford until Haggerty Rd; take a left at that light (south). The restaurant is about 100 feet on your left.

Johanne Wilson

Bring your most expressive label to this meeting for the first ever label competition. Inspired by the competition by hosted in last years Brew Your Own magazine, we are going to hold a club-only competition.

We will judge entries in two categories: "Classic" and "Eclectic". Points will be awarded for artistic expression and originality. Entries should be actual size, and can be entered with or without the bottle.

We had three new members last month, Gary Shewchuk, Bryce Greyemeyer and Jeff Lubeski. Welcome aboard !

Neal Petty

Fuggles & The Flocculators. Or perhaps "Liquid Courage" or "Secondary Blow-off". These are some names that have been tossed out for an inter club band that is now forming. The first gig will be at this summers pig roast. The tradition has been some late night crooning with Neal on the guitar (the more you drink, the better I sound), but now it is time for the rest of the closet musicians to come forth!

 You don’t have to be good, just willing. Also needed: amps, mixers, and microphones. Tyler Barber, a closet drummer, has offered his basement for practices. Contact me, Neal Petty (NPETTY, 1313-845-0491) to join in the jam!

 Time is never wasted when you are wasted all the time - Catherine Zandonella

Chris Frey

One of our respected merchants called me the other day with a specific request. With the club being so big and new members constantly joining, they can’t possibly remember and know who each club member is. Please have you club membership card out before they begin ringing up your purchase.

 This serves two purposes. First, the stores all have computer inventory systems and by asking for your discount after the purchase these systems do not always get the discount in the right place. And secondly, there could be a customer who wants to know why you are getting the discount and they are not.

 While our merchants are supportive of our club and offer us the discount, they are not in the business of recruiting for us. Have the consideration of having your card at its ready when you are getting ready to make your purchase and keep low key about it. If they miss the 10% discount, then feel free to speak up. Let’s respect this request and keep everyone happy! 

Gabrielle Palmer

Last month was the ever popular stout competition! There were 17 beers and 4 judges...it was a long night. We tried to be as thorough as possible on the score sheets, but with 17 beers to get through we couldn’t spend too much time on them. Anyway, here are the winners:

 First Place: Tyler & Bill Foreign-Style Stout 40 out of 50 possible points.

 Second Place: A three way tie!
John Goodpasture - Foreign Style Stout - 39 points
Tony Irish-Style Dry Stout - 39 points
Tyler & Bill Imperial Stout - 39 points

Third Place: Neal Petty Imperial Stout - 37 out of a possible 50 points.

Congratulations to all the winners! Look for your ribbon at the next meeting.

Friday, July 25th is this years Rivertown Beerfest and the entire F.O.R.D. Club has been invited back as volunteers.

A Japanese sake maker suffocated when he fell into a vat which he was brewing rice wine, police said. A spokesman said veteran sake brewer Masakichi Kindaichi, 58, was pouring fermented rice into a 6-foot deep metal tank when he lost his balance and fell into the vat.

By the time fellow workers noticed Kindaichi was missing, he had become overcome with the fumes and suffocated. "There’s no place to hold on in the slippery metal vat, and the factory is generally short of oxygen with all the fermentation going on," the spokesman said. The accident happened at Fukushima, 150 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Chris Frey

I joined the club soon after I moved here in 1994 and began my obsession shortly thereafter. When the first public homebrew demonstration came up in ‘95 during the National Homebrew Day event 2 years ago, I signed up to help an all-grain.

Having brewed 5 or 6 extract batches by then I was beginning to get bit by the bug and I wanted to learn more about the process, effort and expense that was involved with all-graining (not to mention I wanted to get my share of the "free beer!).

I remember getting there early and helping out with the set-up and grinding of the grains. The pico-system was impressive and the quantities began to boggle my mind. I was used to boiling two gallons on the stove and we were shooting for 15 gallons that day!

All throughout the day customers, club members, employees of Merchants and passerby’s stopped to ask what we were doing. Being one of the indentured servants, I paddled the mash, sparged the grains, added the hops and otherwise stayed busy while the "brewmaster" explained the strange mix of chemistry, biology and plain cooking that was going on. I learned more about what I was doing on my kitchen stovetop that day than all the chapters of reading (that bloody mantra, relax, don’t worry,...) had taught me.

I guess it’s kind of like learning to drive. You can take all the classes, read all the books. But when you get behind the wheel and turn on the key, everything becomes more clear, processes become more interrelated, outcomes become more obvious.

If you haven’t been to one of the demos, stop by Merchants of Dearborn this coming Saturday, March 3rd. I will be brewing up a 20 gallon batch on a pico-system, Tyler and Co. will be utilizing a far simpler (and less expensive) all-grain method that can be purchased through many of our local retailers. And there will be an extract demonstration that will de-mystify the art of brewing beer for those who haven’t started brewing yet.

The goals of the demonstrations are myriad. Get the public aware of what homebrewing is about, gain new members to the hobby (and hopefully the club), sell merchandise for our sponsoring host and to get the club together for a mutually beneficial day of brewing, sharing tips, meeting the public and enjoying a satisfying day doing what we love.

Hope to see a lot of you there! It officially starts at 12:00 (10:30 for those on my team!) and runs to about 5:00pm. And usually we crack a few cool ones as we clean up, so feel free to bring a homebrew for the cause (cause we’ll be thirsty by the end)!

There are several members of the club who have no e-mail addresses on our records. If you have joined the club and since gained an e-mail account, please contact Rich Byrnes or Chris Frey. Also, if you have moved, changed address, phone number, etc., please update your records with us.

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading - Henny Youngman

PRNewswire

Frederick, Md. Frederick Brewing Co (FBC) has announced the launch of the first-ever U.S. craft beer brewed with hemp seeds. Hempen Ale(TM), which was approved by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) for distribution, will be made available to beer distributors on April 28th in 23 states and D.C. (Michigan is not on the list, but Ohio is).

"From conception to final label approval, we have spent two years developing the Hempen Ale brewing process, designing the packaging and marketing materials and corresponding with attorneys, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the ATF," said Marjorie A. McGinnis, president of FBC. "Now, we can finally offer consumers, retailers and distributors this innovative new product. 

Hempen Ale is a brown ale brewed with hemp seeds, which do not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The unique protein spectrum of the hemp seeds gives the beer a rich, creamy head and imparts mellow herbal flavors and aromas. 

Did you know that according to American Homebrewers Association that Michigan still does not legally allow homebrewing?

Homebrewers in Mesopotamia created beer from barley and wheat. The practice was so prevalent that salaries and wages were often paid partly in beer.

There was even a goddess of beer named Ninkasi.

Ancient Egyptians drank beer as part of their festivals and ceremonies. These ancient homebrewers experimented with spices, such as juniper and ginger, to vary the taste.

Beer was a staple of Puritan’s diets. The pilgrims at Plymouth Rock made homebrew. So did Thomas Jefferson.

As towns and cities grew, commercial breweries began to take over and homebrewing diminished.

However, it is again on the rise. In 1996, the United States had more than 1.5 million homebrewers and more than 600 homebrew clubs.

I think this months competition is Bock. I am afraid I don’t have the details or any winning recipes this month. But a new member gave me a recipe to make homemade Kahlua, so here it is:

2 qts. Water
5 cups sugar
2/3 cups instant coffee

Mix in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Let cool.
Add: 6 cups of Vodka
6 tsps. Vanilla

A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo, much like the brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. The slowest buffalo are the sick and weak, so they die off first, making it possible for the herd to move at a faster pace.

Like the buffalo, the weak, slow brain cells are the ones that are killed off by excessive beer drinking and socializing, making the brain operate faster.

The moral of the story: Drink more beer, it will make you smarter.

Cheers! - Gabi (Gabrielle Palmer)

From the HBD

S. Murman wrote in asking why one would bottle with a yeast other than the fermentation strain. There are several reasons for adding fresh yeast at bottling time. The most important one (to homebrewers) is relevant to high-gravity brewing (dense wort, not brewing on Jupiter).

After fermenting a wort down to >~7% ABV, the fermentation yeast will often be too weak to carbonate the beer in a reasonable amount of time. In this case it is almost essential to add a fresh dose of yeast at bottling time. It can often be the same strain as the original fermentation, although some people opt for a strain known for high alcohol tolerance.

Another reason to add a different yeast at bottling time is for product stability/clarity. Almost all Bavarian Weizens are bottled with lager yeast, after the original ale yeast has been removed. This is done (in part) because of the superior flocculation properties of the bottling yeast. In this way, the beer can be poured clear if the consumer so desires. This is also why so many people beat the heck out of their bottled commercial Weizen to rouse the yeast-it does stick to the bottom well!

Yet another reason to add fresh yeast at bottling time is when brewing lagers. After several weeks (or months) at 32F (0C), some yeasts just will not wake up to carbonate the beer in a reasonable amount of time. The solution is to add a fresh dose of yeast at bottling time.

You probably would not want to add ale yeast to a lager beer because the fermentation byproducts that are produced by most ale yeasts are undesirable in lager beers.

 Most homebrewers (including myself) do bottle with the same yeast that carried out the primary fermentation, and many don't add fresh yeast at bottling time. This is perfectly acceptable if you are getting good results.

George De Piro (Nyack, NY)

***************************************

Somebody had a question about why breweries use different yeasts to ferment and bottle condition. I think there are some breweries that do this because their primary fermentation yeast does not flocculate well, or doesn't have good stability characteristics in the bottle under uncertain handling conditions. so, they substitute a strain that flocculates well and/or holds up better (in terms of autolysis).

Mark Bayer