In this edition:       

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• 1st Vice President Trainee
• Next Meeting – May 20th
• Upcoming Competitions
• REWARD!
• Beers Available in the Area
• Competition Winners
• Beer Education
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor       

Blow off from the Prez

Welcome to the May edition of the “Blow off from the Prez” and welcome to American Craft Beer Week 2012! Dubbed the ‘Mother of All Beer Weeks,’ American Craft Beer Week is the annual celebration of small and independent craft brewers, their craft beer and the American craft beer culture. How will you celebrate ACBW 2012? Go have a pint at your local pub from a craft brewery you’ve never heard of? Why not try brewing a style of beer you have never brewed before? Or, how about teaching a friend about great American craft beers?       

Wherever your plans take you, be sure to end your week at the monthly meeting on the patio at World of Beer. They have asked SAAZ to help them bring ACBW 2012 to a close with a brewing demo and I’ll be going over the practice and benefits of 1 gallon test batches.       

I’ll bet your week will be overflowing with great craft beer however you choose to celebrate. I know mine will.       

Cheers,       

Kip       

Secretary’s Report

To all my HOP HEADS! 

Thanks to all that were able to make it to the Broken Barrel. It was a good learning experience, and very tasty. The last time we all gathered for a monthly meeting at WOB we had a GREAT turn-out! Let’s repeat this on May 20th. 

Be there before 2pm so you don’t miss anything. 

Shelley 

May Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Matthew McKey
Aaron Guittar
Nicole Frisch
Wade Atchison
Dave Swartz
Karen Stresau       

Don’t see your name (and your birthday is in May)? It could be that Shelley doesn’t have a completed membership form from you. Ask her for one at the next meeting so we can include you!       

2012 Dues

The first quarter of 2012 is over and all current members have surely paid their dues already! But on the off chance you haven’t been able to or have friends interested in joining you can do so for the low, low prices listed below!       

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150       

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay.       

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!       

1st Vice President Trainee

**Attention Members**  

We are currently looking for a member to fulfill the role of 1st Vice President Trainee.  

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to make the Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blast-Off a success year after year?  

Now is your chance to get in on the action! If interested, email cmdr.saaz@saaz.org for more information.  

Next Meeting – May 20th (Sunday)

This month’s meeting will be at World of Beer in Viera.       

World of Beer is located at The Avenues. (Suite 119 2290 Town Center Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32940)       

 Click here for directions       

The meeting will be Sunday May 20th at 2pm! In celebration of Craft Beer Week, we will be putting on a brewing demonstration.       

If you would like to learn more about American Craft Beer Week 2012, please click Here.       

As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home.       

Next-Next Meeting: June 16^th, Summer Party at Chet’s House, 10:30am setup, noon party! If you plan on attending this great event and need directions, please email prez@saaz.org.      

Upcoming Competitions

18th Annual Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blast-Off!!!

Important Dates   

• Entry Window – August 5th thru September 5th, 2012
• Early Round Judging – September 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23, 2012
• Final Judging – September 28th thru September 29th, 2012
• Commander’s Call at the Hospitality Suite – [Coming Soon]
• Awards Ceremony, Dinner, and Splashdown Party – September 29th, 2012

Schedule
The entry window opens on August 5th, but slams shut on September 5^th.  Depending on the number of entries we will be doing at least one weekend of early round judging, and we will need your help!  Early round judging will be held the weekends of September 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23 at Carroll Distributing in Melbourne, Florida. Final judging, will be held the weekend of September 28th and 29th at Florida Beer Company.     

For more details visit the Blast-Off page Here.    

Dunedin Brewery’s Homebrewer IPA Throwdown 2

The Dunedin Brewery is holding its second annual IPA Pro-Am competition on June 2. They are looking for the next great IPA. Your beer could be it!       

Main judging will be held the same day as the IPA Fest on June 2, 2012 at the Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave. Dunedin, Florida 34698-4945. Winners will be announced at the festival. The best in show beer will be brewed on the Dunedin Brewery’s main system and will be sold to your adoring public!       

Competition Rules       

Categories:
IPA ONLY!
1. English IPA
2. American IPA
3. Imperial IPA
4. Black IPA/American-style Black Ale /Cascadian Dark Ale – many names, one great beer style
5. Experimental IPA – wood aged, brewed with fruit, hybrid styles like Belgian or white IPA to name a few.       

2 bottles per entry
Entry fee $6       

The online entry system will be open from May 10 to May 26 – link to entry system on http://www.dunedinbrewersguild.com/.       

One entry per category, 2 entries per brewer limit       

Experimental category entries must state underlying IPA style and special ingredients/experimental treatment.       

Entries must be dropped off no later than midnight Wednesday, May 30th       

Drop off and shipping location — Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, Florida 34698-4945       

BJCP-sanctioned       

Open to all home brewers everywhere!       

Judges needed — We will need experienced home brew and commercial judges to help evaluate all of the entries. More details to come. Please email us if you are interested.       

Contacts:       

Mike Bryant, General Manager, Dunedin Brewery– mlbryant@dunedinbrewery.com
Jim Colvard, Competition Organizer — DBGBoard@dunedinbrewersguild.com       

More info:       

Dunedin Brewery — http://www.dunedinbrewery.com/Dunedin
Brewers Guild — http://www.dunedinbrewersguild.com/IPA
Fest Event on Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/events/313704252031709/?notif_t=event_invite       

2012 Hogtown Brew-Off  

The 2012 Hogtown Brew-Off will be held at a new location this year, at the beautiful Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Kanapaha will be the site of judging Friday and Saturday, the Wild Boar Keg Competition Saturday afternoon, and the gala awards banquet Saturday night.     

The competition will be held on May 18-19, 2012.      

While the entry window may be closed, there still may be a need for Judges/Stewards.      

Judges: Submit Your Information By Clicking Here!
     

Stewards: Submit Your Information By Clicking Here!
     

First Coast Cup 

-Welcome to the 5th Annual-2012 First Coast Cup-     

July 27th & 28th
(Entry Window – June 22nd through July 6th)     

This year’s First Coast Cup will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville on Baymeadows.     

Similar to past years, we’ll begin judging sessions around noon on Friday, July 27th and continue into the early evening or until that day’s flights are completed. For those of you who will be coming in from out of town and want to judge, please notify us as early as you can so we can sort the flights accordingly.     

In addition to the awards banquet, we have some fantastic activities planned for this year’s First Coast Cup. Click the Activities Schedule link above for additional information.     

For more details, please visit the 5th Annual First Coast Cup official page Here.     

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

REWARD!

Attention all SAAZ members!

Our friends over at Sunseed Food Coop are looking to reward the SAAZ brewer of the year, (highest point total in the Florida circuit).       

The member with the highest point total will win a $100 gift card to Sunseed Food Co-op at the end of the year. So start brewing and remember to submit your creations!       

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

• Dampfbier
• Nationalpark Pilsner
• Anchor Porter

Sunseed Food Co-op

• Longhammer IPA cans
• Crazy Mountain Brewing
   - all cans-
  – Amber
  – Pale Ale
  – Wit
• Stone R.I.S
• Rogue
  - MoM Hefe
• Southern Tier
  - Hop Sun
• Oskar Blues
  - Deviant Dales 16oz can

World of Beer – Viera

New on tap       

• Terrapin Road Warrior
• Redhook Eisbock
• Ommegang BPA
• Cigar City Maduro Brown (nitro)
  

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SAAZ Platinum Sponsor
       

Competition Winners

Congratulations to our members that have recently received awards or recognition!       

SAAZ Spring Fling With Smoked Wings

Best of Show – Beer

In this edition:     

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting – May 20th
• The Broken Barrel 3 year Anniversary party
• Upcoming Competitions
• REWARD!
• Beers Available in the Area
• Competition Winners
• Beer Education
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor     

Blow off from the Prez

Welcome to the April edition of the “Blow off from the Prez”. I have both good and bad news to report this month, but even the bad has a positive aspect.     

What is the bad news? Our very own Drew Thaller is leaving Florida to return home to California. Drew has been the product manager for the Viera World of Beer since it opened and has been a major factor in its success. Now Drew will be working as a Belgian beer rep, traveling the state of California from bar to bar, forced to share a pint now and then with his customers. I wish him well. Tom Liska (also a SAAZ member) will be taking over as product manager. Glad to see we are keeping it in the family.     

Now for the good news. MORE BEER! Kevin and the folks at The Broken Barrel Tavern will be celebrating their 3^rd anniversary Tuesday, April 17^th and we have all been invited. Kevin ends the e-mail by saying ” From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of everyone at The Broken Barrel Tavern, thank you so very much and I hope you have the opportunity to join us Tuesday and have some Great Beers and Win some Free Stuff!”. Good beer, great food, and free stuff. What more could you ask for? Well, how about another craft beer bar? Yes, I have it under good authority that Crispy’s Beer and Wine Bar will be opening their doors very soon (maybe as soon as the 20^th). Those of you in the Rockledge area will have yet another choice when it comes to good beer. I’m looking for Chris and Joe to do great things here. Good luck guys.     

So, good news or bad, it’s your call. The pint may be half-empty, but there is always another beer waiting to be poured.     

Cheers,     

Kip     

Secretary’s Report

April Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Randall Henry
Perry Penny
Jason Land
Daniel Schlegel
Jonathan Meek
Andrew Thaller
Mac Monroe
Catherine Thompson     

Don’t see your name (and your birthday is in April)? It could be that Shelley doesn’t have a completed membership form from you. Ask her for one at the next meeting so we can include you!     

2012 Dues

The first quarter of 2012 is over and all current members have surely paid their dues already! But on the off chance you haven’t been able to or have friends interested in joining you can do so for the low, low prices listed below!     

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150     

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay.     

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!     

Next Meeting – May 20th (Sunday)

This month’s meeting will be at World of Beer in Viera.     

World of Beer is located at The Avenues. (Suite 119  2290 Town Center Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32940)     

 Click here for directions     

The meeting will be Sunday May 20th at 2pm! In celebration of Craft Beer Week, we will be putting on a brewing demonstration.    

 As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home.     

Next-Next Meeting: June 16^th, Summer Party, 10:30am setup, noon party! (tentative)     

The Broken Barrel 3 Year Anniversary Party!

This Tuesday, April 17^th marks the 3 Year anniversary of our little experiment to bring better quality food and beer to the Palm Bay/Melbourne Area.  Short & simple of it all, without you it would not be possible, so we’re taking a day to not only celebrate, but thank you for your loyal business and unbelievable support!  All Day Tuesday we’ll have food and beverage specials as well as give away and raffle items including the grand prize of a bottle of 2011 Sam Adams Utopias.  We buy two every other year when they’re released just so we can raffle them off to you!!!     

Food Specials    

Lunch Special:  $3 Ham or Turkey Sandwiches    

Dinner Special:  $0.39 Smoked Wings    

Beverage Specials    

$3 Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Florida Beer Florida Lager Pints All Day & Night!    

$3 Washington Apple Shots All Day & Night!!!    

$3 Ommegang Bottles All Day & Night    

Vintage Cellar Offerings    

Oh, and did I mention, we’ll be pulling out some beers from the Cellar from 2009!!!    

Brooklyn Blast 2009    

Terrapin Darkside 2009    

Hebrew Jewbelation 13 2009    

And why not open up some bottles as well…..    

BFM Grand Cru 2009    

Stone Vertical Epic 2009    

Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper 2009    

Stone Double Bastard 2009    

St Feuillen Christmas 2009    

Raffle Items (5p-9p)    

Glasses, Shirts, Signs, Bottles of Liqueur, Hats and more!!!    

Grand Prize    

2011 Sam Adams Utopias Bottle    

From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of everyone at The Broken Barrel Tavern, thank you so very much and I hope you have the opportunity to join us Tuesday and have some Great Beers and Win some Free Stuff!    

Cheers,    

Kevin & The Broken Barrel Team    

Upcoming Competitions

NASA ICC-6 (Inter Center Competition) – Saturday, April 28th

This April will be the NASA ICC-6 competition. It is a small event hosted by an inter-NASA circle but anyone from SAAZ can submit an entry.     

Competition Date: Sat April 28th, 2012
Categories: Dark Lager (4) and American Ale (10)
Website: http://mashtronauts.pbworks.com/w/page/49239450/ICC
Time: Judging starts at 2 pm EDT (11 am PDT), finish around 5 pm EDT
View via Internet: http://evo.caltech.edu/
Submission date: All entries must be received by April 24th (Submit bottles to Andrew Carpenter by April 15th or contact him for shipping addresses of 2 judging locations)     

Our very own Dave Webb won (tied) for Best of Show last year with his Chocolate LPR mead.     

More details will be made available as they are received.     

National Homebrew Competition 

Registration Opens February 28     

It is once again time for the world’s largest beer competition! The First Round of the National Homebrew Competition takes place at 10 judging locations across the U.S. this April. The best of the beer, mead and cider entries in the regional competitions advance to the Final Round of the competition at the National Homebrewers Conference in Seattle. Winners receive gold, silver or bronze medals in 28 style categories.     

Dunedin Brewery’s Homebrewer IPA Throwdown 2

The Dunedin Brewery is holding its second annual IPA Pro-Am competition on June 2. They are looking for the next great IPA. Your beer could be it!     

Main judging will be held the same day as the IPA Fest on June 2, 2012 at the Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave. Dunedin, Florida 34698-4945. Winners will be announced at the festival. The best in show beer will be brewed on the Dunedin Brewery’s main system and will be sold to your adoring public!     

Competition Rules    

Categories:
IPA ONLY!
1.       English IPA
2.       American IPA
3.       Imperial IPA
4.       Black IPA/American-style Black Ale /Cascadian Dark Ale – many names, one great beer style
5.       Experimental IPA – wood aged, brewed with fruit, hybrid styles like Belgian or white IPA to name a few.     

2 bottles per entry
Entry fee $6    

The online entry system will be open from May 10 to May 26 – link to entry system on http://www.dunedinbrewersguild.com/.    

One entry per category, 2 entries per brewer limit    

Experimental category entries must state underlying IPA style and special ingredients/experimental treatment.    

Entries must be dropped off no later than midnight Wednesday, May 30th    

Drop off and shipping location — Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, Florida 34698-4945    

BJCP-sanctioned    

Open to all home brewers everywhere!    

Judges needed –  We will need experienced home brew and commercial judges to help evaluate all of the entries. More details to come. Please email us if you are interested.     

Contacts:    

Mike Bryant, General Manager,  Dunedin Brewery– mlbryant@dunedinbrewery.com
Jim Colvard, Competition Organizer –  DBGBoard@dunedinbrewersguild.com    

More info:    

Dunedin Brewery — http://www.dunedinbrewery.com/Dunedin
Brewers Guild — http://www.dunedinbrewersguild.com/IPA
Fest Event on Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/events/313704252031709/?notif_t=event_invite    

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

REWARD!

Attention all SAAZ members!

Our friends over at Sunseed Food Coop are looking to reward the SAAZ brewer of the year, (highest point total in the Florida circuit).     

The member with the highest point total will win a $100 gift card to Sunseed Food Co-op at the end of the year. So start brewing and remember to submit your creations!     

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

• Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
• Harpoon Black IPA
• Oscar Blues Ten Fidy
• Stiegl Goldbrau  

Sunseed Food Co-op

• Cain’s from Liverpool
  - Bitter
  - Dark Mild
  - Export lager
  — all in 14.9 cans
• MOA from New Zealand
  - Breakfast; belgian with cherries and Nelson Sauvin hops
  - Pale Ale
• The Bruery
  - Four Calling Birds
• Collaboration with Dog Fish Head
  —– Faster, Bigger, Better, Boulder
• Lakefront Brewery
  - Bridge burner
• Rukus brewing
  - Hoptimus Prime
• Breckenridge Brewing
  - Oatmeal Stout
  - Regal Pils
• Hitachino 3 day ale
• Cigar City/Bruery collaboration
  Dos Costas Oeste graperuit wood, lemon wood, and cedar wood version
• Anderson Valley
  Oatmeal stout cans
• Bells Hopslam

World of Beer – Viera

New Bottles 

• Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2011, 8.5% (England)
• Great Divide 18th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA, 10% (Colorado)

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor
     

Competition Winners

Congratulations to our members that have recently received awards or recognition!     

SAAZ Spring Fling With Smoked Wings 

Best of Show – Beer

Welcome to the 18th Annual Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff! Have your beer judged by Rocket Scientists! The Commander Wants You!

Commander SAAZ Commemorative Beer

We will debut this year’s commemorative beer at the Commander SAAZ awards ceremony.  This year we brewed 20 gallons of a Rye Double IPA called “Hop-Dump”. We’d like to extend a special thanks to those members that helped brew this beer.

Quick Shortcuts:

• Want to register an entry? [Coming Soon]

• Want to review your existing entries? [Coming Soon]

• Want to help judge this event? [Coming Soon]

• Would you like to attend this event? [Comming Soon]

  • Watch it LIVE! [Coming Soon]

Important Dates

• Entry Window – August 5th thru September 5th, 2012

• Early Round Judging – September 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23, 2012

• Final Judging – September 28th thru September 29th, 2012

• Commander’s Call at the Hospitality Suite – [Coming Soon]

• Awards Ceremony, Dinner, and Splashdown Party – [Coming Soon]

  • Watch it LIVE! [Coming Soon]

Schedule

The entry window opens on August 5th, but slams shut on September 5^th.  Depending on the number of entries we will be doing at least one weekend of early round judging, and we will need your help!  Early round judging will be held the weekends of September 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23 at Carroll Distributing in Melbourne, Florida.

Final judging, will be held the weekend of September 28th and 29th at Florida Beer Company.

Commander’s Call – [Coming Soon]

Accommodations - [Coming Soon]

Competition

Winners receive not only intergalactic recognition but the coveted Commander SAAZ Medal and a fabulous prize from one of our generous sponsors. The best of show beer and mead/cider winners will also be awarded the Commander’s Cosmic Trophy and the acclaim of the known brewing universe. Whoever sends the Commander into orbit with their Rocket Fuel (10% abv and above) will also receive the coveted Rocket trophy!!!

So, all you mild mannered homebrewers out there get your kettles boiling and unearth those bottles you’ve got stashed in the back of the fridge! Engineers, rocket scientists, and other cosmic creatures are ready and waiting to judge your brew.

Questions, comments and accolades only to:

Matt Backus
SAAZ 1st Vice & Commander SAAZ Chair
cmdr.saaz@saaz.org

Drop Off Locations - [Coming Soon]

Rules and Regulations

Judging will be based on the 2008 BJCP Style Guideline revisions.

If you are not yet familiar with the changes in this revision, please read the guidelines for your entry styles, as all required information must be provided. Most judges will be BJCP certified and any novice judges will be paired with experienced BJCP judges. Our goal is to provide the best feedback possible for your entry. Judges are encouraged to enter the competition, but will not be allowed to judge any category in which they have entries. The competition is open only to amateur brewers; commercial or brew-on-premise beers will be disqualified.

Only two entries per style subcategory for categories 1 -19. There is no entry limit on categories 20-26. Each entry shall consist of three, preferably but not limited to, 10-12 oz. bottles; 7 oz. bottles are permissible for strong ale and mead categories. Rocket fuel entries only require two 10-12 oz. bottles. All commercial and homemade labels must be removed. Bottles should be free of identifying marks, no raised letters (Sam Adams bottles are ok). Bottle caps should be plain or have any markings inked or blacked out. Bottle must have labels attached by rubber band, preferably around the bottle neck – no glue or tape.

This competition will NOT accept entries using AHA paper entry forms and bottle labels; you must use the electronic entry system, which automatically updates the competition database. All entries must be properly labeled using the bottle labels produced by the electronic entry system. Entries are $6 each (only $5 for Rocket Fuel); please send a check for entry fees made out to SAAZ with your entries.

Rocket Fuel

Rocket fuel is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it is for the warped, twisted, and truly extreme brewers! This category is specifically designed to determine which homebrewer has the rocket fuel it takes to send the Commander into orbit! Rocket fuel requirements: two 12oz entries as described above; entry must be 10% or more ABV; entry must be fermented and not concentrated, distilled, or fortified in any manner other than in accordance with BJCP guidelines (eisbocks are acceptable, but adding spirits to the entry to increase ABV is not). It’s that easy. Entries may be beer, mead, cider, or any combination. If the entry qualifies as any other BJCP style (e.g. Russian Imperial Stout), it may be entered as both, but would require two separate entries – one as rocket fuel and one as RIS. Rocket fuel tends to be for more esoteric and extreme examples, (think DFH 120 min IPA or Avery Mephistopheles). Also, since rocket fuel has its own category (and trophy) and is not a BJCP style, it is not eligible for Best of Show.

Shipping - [Coming Soon] 

Best of Show – Beer

Category 101 – AMERICAN ALE

Category 121 – PORTER + STOUT

Category 141 – INDIA PALE ALE

Category 201 – FRUIT BEER + SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE BEER

In this edition:    

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting - March 10th
• Upcoming Competitions – SAAZ Spring Fling!
• REWARD!
• Beers Available in the Area
• Competition Winners
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor    

Blow off from the Prez

Welcome to the March edition of the “Blow off from the Prez”.   

Spring is just around the corner and we all know what that means – PARTY! That’s right, it’s time for the SAAZ Annual Spring Party at Suntree Rotary Park. This year we will not only be celebrating spring, but the 20^th anniversary of SAAZ ! We will be preparing a Low Country Boil with potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp, and whatever else Dave Webb wants to throw in the pot. We’ll have the grill going with hot dogs for the kids. Feel free to bring something to grill if seafood is not your thing. There will be cake and beer, of course, and maybe even a special keg from an Athenian brewer.   

 The party starts at noon, but we could really use some help setting up around 10:30 – 11:00am. Please bring a side dish to share and ice for the coolers. We will be accepting entries for the Spring Fling (you didn’t forget, did you?). We will also have a brew in a bag demo going on with the same beer being brewed extract style for comparison later. What more could you ask for? A raffle? There is always room for a raffle.   

 Looks like a fun afternoon to share with your fellow homebrewers. I hope to see you there.   

Cheers,
Kip   

Secretary’s Report

SAAZ members wrapped up a busy February by assisting with the Space Coast Craft Beer Festival at the Broken Barrel Tavern. The weather was great and so were the beers! Everyone that attended had a great time. And things aren’t slowing down as we move into March. On Saturday, March 10th we will have our Spring Party….but more importantly, it is our 20th Anniversay party! Also, we are gearing up for the very first Spring Fling with Smoked Wings that will take place on April 1st so be sure to submit your entries.  

Shelley   

March Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Robin Bennett
David Bennett
Mike Ellis
Erik Cornelison
Dan Shirah   

Don’t see your name (and your birthday is in March)? It could be that Shelley doesn’t have a completed membership form from you. Ask her for one at the next meeting so we can include you!    

2012 Dues

It’s officially 2012 and all current members have surely paid their dues already! But on the off chance you haven’t been able to or have friends interested in joining you can do so for the low, low prices listed below!    

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150    

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay.    

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!    

Next Meeting – SAAZ Spring Party: March 10th (Saturday)

This month’s meeting will be at Rotary Park in Suntree. This year we will not only be celebrating spring, but the 20^th anniversary of SAAZ !    

Rotary Park is located at the intersection of US 1 and Suntree Blvd    

Click here for directions    

The meeting will be Saturday March 10th at noon! As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home.    

Next-Next Meeting: SAAZ Spring Fling – April 1st at the Broken Barrel Tavern starting at 9am.  

Upcoming Competitions

1st Annual SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings – April 1st 2012

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Bring your entries to the Spring Party on March 10th. Entries are $3, with a three bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following:    

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 1st 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting. Better get brewing!!    

NASA ICC-6 (Inter Center Competition) – Saturday, April 28th

This April will be the NASA ICC-6 competition. It is a small event hosted by an inter-NASA circle but anyone from SAAZ can submit an entry.    

Competition Date: Sat April 28th, 2012
Categories: Dark Lager (4) and American Ale (10)
Website: http://mashtronauts.pbworks.com/w/page/49239450/ICC
Time: Judging starts at 2 pm EDT (11 am PDT), finish around 5 pm EDT
View via Internet:  http://evo.caltech.edu/
Submission date: All entries must be received by April 24th (Submit bottles to Andrew Carpenter by April 15th or contact him for shipping addresses of 2 judging locations)  

Our very own Dave Webb won (tied) for Best of Show last year with his Chocolate LPR mead.    

More details will be made available as they are received.    

National Homebrew Competition  

Registration Opens February 28  

It is once again time for the world’s largest beer competition! The First Round of the National Homebrew Competition takes place at 10 judging locations across the U.S. this April. The best of the beer, mead and cider entries in the regional competitions advance to the Final Round of the competition at the National Homebrewers Conference in Seattle. Winners receive gold, silver or bronze medals in 28 style categories.  

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

REWARD!

Attention all SAAZ members!

Our friends over at Sunseed Food Coop are looking to reward the SAAZ brewer of the year, (highest point total in the Florida circuit).    

The member with the highest point total will win a $100 gift card to Sunseed Food Co-op at the end of the year. So start brewing and remember to submit your creations!    

Win a Professional Brewing Course with Danstar Premium Yeast!  

From now until April 12th 2012, every time you use Danstar Premium Brewing Yeast, you can use the empty package to enter for a chance to win a professional brewing course! In the “Beer School 2012″ contest, Danstar will sponsor one lucky winner in a random draw for fully-paid tuition in the 2012 World Brewing Academy web-based Concise Course in Brewing Technology. A $3,200 value, the Concise Course offers intermediate-level training that will build on your brewing knowledge to give you a complete understanding of the commercial brewing process. Whether you want to build your homebrewing skills or build a career as a professional brewer, this course will change the way you think of beer & brewing.  

Along with the above grand prize, we will also be drawing for 10 secondary prizes of a box of 50 packages of your choice of 11-gram sizes of Nottingham, Windsor or Munich yeast (a $250.00 suggested retail value)!  

To enter, just download the official entry form and rules by clicking here, print out the entry form and attach an empty sachet from any 11-gram size of Danstar Nottingham, Windsor or Munich yeast and mail it to the address listed on the form. You can enter as many times as you like, so the more you brew with our yeast, the better your chance of winning!  

You can get complete details by clicking the “Contests” link on our web site at www.lallemandbrewing.com. For more information on the contest or on any of our products, contact us by email at  homebrewing@lallemand.com.  

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

The Draught Beer List for the 2012 Coaster’s Pub Belgian Beer Fest is currently available on their Facebook page. The lineup includes over 50 different beers.

Sunseed Food Co-op

• Cain’s from Liverpool
  - Bitter
  - Dark Mild
  - Export lager
  — all in 14.9 cans
• MOA from New Zealand
  - Breakfast; belgian with cherries and Nelson Sauvin hops
  - Pale Ale
• The Bruery
  - Four Calling Birds
• Collaboration with Dog Fish Head
  —– Faster, Bigger, Better, Boulder
• Lakefront Brewery
  - Bridge burner
• Rukus brewing
  - Hoptimus Prime
• Breckenridge Brewing
  - Oatmeal Stout
  - Regal Pils
• Hitachino 3 day ale
• Cigar City/Bruery collaboration
  Dos Costas Oeste graperuit wood, lemon wood, and cedar wood version
• Anderson Valley
  Oatmeal stout cans
• Bells Hopslam

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor
    

Competition Winners

Congratulations to our members that have recently received awards or recognition!    

• Dave Webb – Silver Medal
• Sean Gregg – Honorable Mention

SAAZ on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here.    

Raffle

Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use!    

Feedback

We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org.    

All feedback is welcomed! For example you can:    

• Share a topic for Beer Education
• Share your Review of a Beer
• Correct something in the newsletter or website
• Express a criticism about anything related to the club
• Offer a suggestion to improve the club

We want to hear from you! Email editor@saaz.org.

In this edition:       

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting – February 19th
• Upcoming Competitions – SAAZ Spring Fling!
• REWARD!
• Beers Available in the Area
• Competition Winners
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor       

Blow off from the Prez

Welcome to the February edition of the “Blow off from the Prez”.        

The next few weeks are shaping up to be a busy time for home brewers.  The SAAZ “Spring Fling with Smoked Wings” entry window opens Friday, Feb 17th.  The Space Coast Craft Beer Festival and the BFBC are both on the 25th.  Florida’s Brewers Guild “Beerfest 2012” is on March 3rd.  Don’t forget the Spring Party March 10th (or should I say Birthday Party?).  And that is just scratching the surface.        

We will go over all of these at our February meeting (Feb 19th on the patio at World of Beer Viera – you didn’t forget, did you?) while we make cider. Until then, get your entries ready and your carpools laid out.  This is going to be a wild time in the home brew / craft beer world and I for one don’t want to miss a thing.       

Cheers,
Kip       

Secretary’s Report

In case you have not heard, Alex Hansen has left the great state of Florida to return to the frigid north! Shelley Hudson has graciously volunteered to take over the Secretary position.       

February Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Paul Bessler
Eric Hatton
Kyle Scully
Jay McNeely
Jennifer Folsom
Matthew Backus
Sabrina Stroble
Kaitlynn Gokey
Greg Wiggins
Shelley Hudson      

Don’t see your name (and your birthday is in February)? It could be that Shelley doesn’t have a completed membership form from you. Ask her for one at the next meeting so we can include you!      

2012 Dues

It’s officially 2012 and all current members have surely paid their dues already! But on the off chance you haven’t been able to or have friends interested in joining you can do so for the low, low prices listed below!       

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150       

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay.       

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!       

Next Meeting – February 19th (Sunday)

This month’s meeting will be at World of Beer in Viera. 

Suite 119  2290 Town Center Avenue
Melbourne, FL 32940      

Click here for directions 

The meeting will be Sunday February 19th at 2:00pm! As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home.      

Upcoming Competitions

1st Annual SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings – April 1st 2012

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Bring your entries to the Spring Party on March 10th. Entries are $3, with a three bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following:       

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 1st 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting. Better get brewing!!       

Urban Knaves of Grain, Dark Lager Competition – Feb 18th

Entries are due February 10, 2012 and judging will be held February 18, 2012. Entry fee is $7. Make checks payable to American Homebrewers Association.       

Hosted by the Urban Knaves of Grain (UKG) club of Batavia, IL, this competition covers BJCP category 4. Dark Lager subcategories are:       

• 4a Dark American Lager
• 4b Munich Dunkel
• 4c Schwartzbier

Entry Shipping:       

AHA COC
c/o Doug Newberry
1215 Burnham Ln.
Batavia, IL 60510       

For more information, contact Doug Newberry at doug.newberry@att.net.       

Best Florida Beer Championships – 2012Competition Dates

Entry Period: January 15, 2012 to February 08, 2012
Early Judging:
February 11-12, 2012 – Location Coming Soon
February 18-19, 2012 – Location Coming Soon
Competition: February 25, 2012 – Yuengling Beer Garden
Awards Banquet: February 25, 2012 – Yuengling Beer Garden
Best of Show Presentation: March 4, 2012 at the Brewer’s Ball 

Entry Rules

Open to all Florida residents and members of Florida homebrew clubs
3 bottles per entry
Entry fee – $6
2 entries per sub-category limit
Beer entries m ust be in 10-16oz brown or green bottles. Swing top bottles are acceptable for meads and ciders only.
Entry form on the BFBC website: www.bestfloridabeer.org/home
Visit the BFBC website for detailed entry rules     

Drop-off/Shipping Locations 

Beer and Winemaker’s Pantry
9200 66th Street
Pinellas Park, FL 33782-4409
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5:30pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm 

Mr. Dunderbaks
14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd
Tampa, FL 33613
Open Mon 4pm-11pm, Tues-Thurs 11:30am-12am, Fri-Sat 11:30am-1am, Sun Noon-7pm
(813)977-4104     

MASH Coconut Cup – March 2-3 2012

The Coconut Cup homebrew competition began thirteen years ago as a challenge between the Miami Area Society of Homebrewers (MASH) and the Ft. Lauderdale Area Brewers (FLAB) homebrewing clubs. Participation has grown to include other Florida homebrewing clubs and we have invited homebrewers from all over to participate in our competition. 2012′s Coconut Cup will be the eleventh Coconut Cup sanctioned by the Beer Judge Competition Program / American Homebrewers Association.
Mac Monroe will be collecting entries at our February meeting.    

For more information visit the following link: http://www.miami-homebrew.org/coconut.html

NASA ICC-6 (Inter Center Competition) – April (Specific date TBD)

Categories: Dark Lager (4) & American Ale (10) 

This April will be the NASA ICC-6 competition. It is a small event hosted by an inter-NASA circle but anyone from SAAZ can submit an entry.

Our very own Dave Webb won (tied) for Best of Show last year with his Chocolate LPR mead.

More details will be made available as they are received.  

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

REWARD!

Attention all SAAZ members!

Our friends over at Sunseed Food Coop are looking to reward the SAAZ brewer of the year, (highest point total in the Florida circuit).       

The member with the highest point total will win a $100 gift card to Sunseed Food Co-op at the end of the year. So start brewing and remember to submit your creations!       

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

New on Tap:       

• Brooklyn Monster Ale
• Czechvar Pils
• Weihenstephaner Vitus
• Koenig Ludwig Hefeweiss
• St. Bernardus Christmas Ale     

Sunseed Food Co-op

• Cain’s from Liverpool
  - Bitter
  - Dark Mild
  - Export lager
  — all in 14.9 cans
• MOA from New Zealand
  - Breakfast; belgian with cherries and Nelson Sauvin  hops
  - Pale Ale
• The Bruery
  - Four Calling Birds
• Collaboration with Dog Fish Head
  —– Faster, Bigger, Better, Boulder
• Lakefront Brewery
  - Bridge burner
• Rukus brewing
  - Hoptimus Prime
• Breckenridge Brewing
  - Oatmeal Stout
  - Regal Pils
• Hitachino 3 day ale
• Cigar City/Bruery collaboration
      Dos Costas Oeste graperuit wood, lemon wood, and cedar wood version
• Anderson Valley
     Oatmeal stout cans
• Bells Hopslam

World of Beer (Viera) website

New Bottles This Week!      

• Birrificio Burton Bianca, 5% (Italy)
• Hitachino Nest 3 days, 8% (Japan)
• Weyerbacher Tiny, 11.8% (Pennsylvania)
• Woodchuck Spring, 5% (Vermont)

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor
       

Competition Winners

Congratulations to our members that have recently received awards or recognition!

• Dave Webb – Silver Medal
• Sean Gregg – Honorable Mention 

  SAAZ on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here.       

Raffle

Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use!       

Feedback

We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org.       

All feedback is welcomed! For example you can:       

• Share a topic for Beer Education
• Share your Review of a Beer
• Correct something in the newsletter or website
• Express a criticism about anything related to the club
• Offer a suggestion to improve the club

We want to hear from you! Email editor@saaz.org.

In this edition: 

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting – January 15th
• Upcoming Competitions – SAAZ Spring Fling!
• REWARD!
• Beers Available in the Area
• Education
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor 

Blow off from the Prez

Hello, and welcome to SAAZ 2012.  Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Kip and I’m a homebrewer. I also have the honor of being this year’s president.  And what a year it is going to be.  We will be celebrating our 20th year as an AHA registered club.  We will be hosting our 18th annual Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew blastoff this fall and introducing a new competition with the SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings this April.  Add to that several great meetings, a handful of wonderful parties, and even the possibility of a club sponsored trip and you have the recipe for a great brew year. 

Of course, none of this will be possible without you.   We will be looking to the membership for hands on support as well as ideas and inspiration. Members are encouraged to take part in project committees, present educational topics at meetings, help out at competitions and festivals, and just plain keep us on our toes. The officers may have the responsibility to drive the bus but we rely on you to pick the direction. 

Speaking of officers, we start this year with a crack new group of officers.  Along with myself we have Matt Backus as 1st VP, Dave Webb as 2nd VP, Anne Gregg as Treasurer, Alex Hansen as Secretary, Sonia Miller as Librarian, and Dan Shirah as  Newsletter Editor and Webmaster. We are all very eager to get this year going. 

So grab a homebrew and lets make our 20th year one to remember. 

Cheers,
Kip 

Secretary’s Report

The past year has brought forth some exceptional club events. The December Christmas party was certainly no different and it was a GLORIOUS way to end the year. There was a wide array of food and some exceptional brews to try. Several club members brought experimental ales for sampling. Of course there was even some extreme BBQ grilling during the early hours of the night. Hopefully you caught the festivities of the annual bottle exchange because this year brought forth some interesting options and some hilarious trades. Special thanks goes out to our hosts Jill, Sophia, and Larry Vita. Thanks to everyone that contributed to 2011 and made it such a memorable year for SAAZ.  

January Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Edward Beyette
John Lynch
Jason Jatsko
Vince Ramos
Dwight Woods
Andrew Carpenter
Terry Wolfe
Beth Ferris 

Don’t see your name (and your birthday is in January)?  It could be that Alex doesn’t have a completed membership form from you.  Ask him for one at the next meeting so we can include you! 

2012 Dues

It’s officially 2012 and all current members have surely paid their dues already! But on the off chance you haven’t been able to or have friends interested in joining you can do so for the low, low prices listed below! 

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150 

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay. 

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership! 

Next Meeting – January 15th (Sunday)

This month’s meeting will be at Vintage 56 in Rockledge. 

200 Barton Blvd
Rockledge, FL 32955 

Click here for directions 

The meeting will be Sunday January 15th at 2:00pm! As always, bringing homebrew to share is strongly encouraged, but please respect our gracious host and leave commercial beers at home. 

Upcoming Competitions

1st Annual SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings – April 1st 2012

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Bring your entries to the Spring Party on March 10th. Entries are $3, with a three bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following: 

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 1st 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting. Better get brewing!! 

Urban Knaves of Grain, Dark Lager Competition – Feb 18th

Entries are due February 10, 2012 and judging will be held February 18, 2012. Entry fee is $7. Make checks payable to American Homebrewers Association. 

Hosted by the Urban Knaves of Grain (UKG) club of Batavia, IL, this competition covers BJCP category 4. Dark Lager subcategories are: 

• 4a Dark American Lager
• 4b Munich Dunkel
• 4c Schwartzbier

Entry Shipping: 

AHA COC
c/o Doug Newberry
1215 Burnham Ln.
Batavia, IL 60510 

For more information, contact Doug Newberry at doug.newberry@att.net. 

Walk The Line On Barleywine … Again! Barleywine On The Bayou! – January 20th

 
Did you miss the Walk The Line Festival at the beginning of December? We will be giving you one more shot at it! 

See a list of beers and other information (as well as pictures of what the first Festival was like) at www.DunedinBrewersGuild.com. 

After the great success of the Walk The Line On Barleywine Homebrew Competition, Commercial Competition, and Festival, Dunedin Brewers Guild is happy to announce a repeat of the Festival for those who missed it the first time: 

Barleywine On The Bayou! 

Friday, 20 January 2012 from 6PM to 9PM
Location: Cajun Cafe <http://www.cajuncafeonthebayou.com> (8101 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park, FL 33781)
Paul is providing the delicious and famous food from Cajun Cafe! 

There are only 40 tickets available (and 20% of these have already sold in the first day!) – buy them here http://www.dunedinbrewersguild.com/ShoppingCart.htm. 

Included in the ticket price is a tasting glass that you can take home, a Passport to list all the beers that you have had, food from Cajun Cafe, and 1-oz pours of over 20 barleywines from around the world – and we may have a couple of surprise beers too! 

Best Florida Beer Championships – 2012

Competition Dates
Entry Period: January 15, 2012 to February 08, 2012
Early Judging:
February 11-12, 2012 – Location Coming Soon
February 18-19, 2012 – Location Coming Soon
Competition: February 25, 2012 – Yuengling Beer Garden
Awards Banquet: February 25, 2012 – Yuengling Beer Garden
Best of Show Presentation: March 4, 2012 at the Brewer’s Ball

Entry Rules
Open to all Florida residents and members of Florida homebrew clubs
3 bottles per entry
Entry fee – $6
2 entries per sub-category limit
Beer entries m ust be in 10-16oz brown or green bottles. Swing top bottles are acceptable for meads and ciders only.
Entry form on the BFBC website: www.bestfloridabeer.org/home
Visit the BFBC website for detailed entry rules

Drop-off/Shipping Locations

Beer and Winemaker’s Pantry
9200 66th Street
Pinellas Park, FL 33782-4409
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5:30pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm

Mr. Dunderbaks
14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd
Tampa, FL 33613
Open Mon 4pm-11pm, Tues-Thurs 11:30am-12am, Fri-Sat 11:30am-1am, Sun Noon-7pm
(813)977-4104

NASA ICC-6 (Inter Center Competition) – April (Specific date TBD)

Upcoming Club Only Competitions – 2012

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule. 

REWARD!

Attention all SAAZ members!

Our friends over at Sunseed Food Coop are looking to reward the SAAZ brewer of the year, (highest point total in the Florida circuit). 

The member with the highest point total will win a $100 gift card to Sunseed Food Co-op at the end of the year. So start brewing and remember to submit your creations!

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

New on Tap:

A ridiculously rare keg of Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 Year, a Dark Ale from Scotland aged in 18 year old Highland Park distillery Scotch barrels in Scotland. Also, a fresh keg of Monty Python’s Holy Ale was just tapped!

World of Beer (Viera) website

New Bottles This Week!    

• Birrificio Bruton Stoner, 7.5% (Italy)
• Forst Premium Lager, 4.8% (Italy)
• Forst Sixtus Lager, 6.5% (Italy)
• Hepworth Classic Old Ale, 4.8% (England)
• Hepworth Iron Horse, 4.8% (England)
• Red Brick Brown Ale, 6.5% (Georgia)
• Sea Dog Apricot Wheat, 4.5% (Maine)
• Shipyard Applehead, 4.5% (Maine)

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor
 

Education – Growing Your Own Hops (from morebeer.com)

Growing your own hops at home is easy, fun, and very rewarding – especially if you brew your own beer at home. Hop Vines grow from a rhizome, which is essentially a piece of root taken from a larger, mature plant. The rhizome is planted in the ground in the late spring and small, green shoots pop out of the ground a few weeks later. A hop vine can be very vigorous, growing up to 2′ per week till the end of June when growth slows down and the plant enters into flowering stage.

When and How to Order Hop Rhizomes

Hop Rhizomes are available once per year, typically in March/April, after the farms dig up the rhizomes and ship them to suppliers. Pre-sales start in February and allows you to order the hop rhizomes in advance to make sure you can get the varieties you want. When you receive your hop rhizomes in the mail, keep them refrigerated (but not below freezing) and well ventilated until your soil is ready for planting.

Continue Reading…

SAAZ on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here. 

Raffle

Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use! 

Feedback

We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org. 

All feedback is welcomed! For example you can: 

• Share a topic for Beer Education
• Share your Review of a Beer
• Correct something in the newsletter or website
• Express a criticism about anything related to the club
• Offer a suggestion to improve the club

We want to hear from you! Email editor@saaz.org.

In this edition:

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting – Holiday Party! Dec 10th!
• Upcoming Competitions – SAAZ Spring Fling!
• Local Events
• Beers Available in the Area
• Education
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor

Blow off from the Prez

Welcome to the last Blow-off of the year and what will be my last edition as your 2011 President.  In looking over the last couple of years, it has really been fun. In the past two years we’ve seen 65 new people join the club (WOW!); we’ve had our largest Commander SAAZ competition EVER with 549 entries; we’ve also established some great relationships with local craft enthusiasts like Broken Barrel, World of Beer, and Vintage 56.  We’ve also seen many friends move away, and even pass on.  I think that with the plethora of new faces and energy, they club has a lot of momentum to move in the right direction!

As 2012 quickly approaches, I want to reach out the membership and ask everyone to lend a hand, an idea, or an experience.  The club is only a Tax ID number and a checking account.  It’s the members that volunteer their time to lead a monthly education topic, it’s the members who help sort 1,600 bottles of beer, and it’s the members that truly make the club run.  As president for the last two years, and secretary a year before that, I have enlisted the help of a lot of people (some volunteered, and some were volun-told).  I know that each and every member brings something unique to the club, and it’s been a great two years to get to know so many new people.  I hope everyone will volunteer to help the club in some way and share those traits with the membership.

Next year has a lot of great things already planned.  Get to brewing now so you have entries ready for the Best Florida Beer Competition in February; our Spring Party will be the club’s 20^th anniversary; and we are holding a SAAZ club-only competition in April to lube the chassis and get prepared for next year’s Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Holiday Party – don’t forget to show up in time to vote, and bring a bottle for the bottle exchange if you feel so inclined.

Cheers!
Sean

Secretary’s Report

The month of November means two things: Changing leaves and Mead. The tradition seems to be that November’s Meeting is actually a MEADing. Last month’s meeting was no different. If you missed it, the meeting was at Webb’s Honey on 520. Dave Webb was extremely gracious in allowing our club to visit the honey house and see the honey extraction equipment in operation. The Meading was even topped off with Mead tastings and a quiz on Mead. The event was topped off with a Bon Fire. A big Thank-you to Dave Webb for allowing the club to enjoy the location by hosting the Meading at his business.

-Alex

December Birthdays – Happy Birthday!

Curt Glemser
Rick Strayer
Rich Abbruscato
Chris McVicker
Thomas Mayer
Larry Vita
Anne Beyette
Stephen Martinello
Victor Iesalnieks

Don’t see your name on here?  It could be that SAAZ doesn’t have a completed membership form from you.  Look for Anne or Alex at the next meeting to complete one.

2012 Dues

Since it is now December, you may now pay your dues now for next year.  Tell your interested friends if they join now, they get the rest of this year, and next for the low, low prices listed below!

Individual Membership = $15
Couple’s Membership = $25
Lifetime Membership = $150

Dues can be paid to the Treasurer (Anne Gregg) at any club meeting or online at our website via PayPal Click here to pay.

You don’t want to miss out on the benefits of membership!

Next Meeting – Holiday Party Dec 10th (Saturday)

It’s time again for the annual SAAZ Holiday Party!  It will be at Jill and Larry’s in Titusville (next door to the Sparks’ aka Summer Party).  Jill and Larry will provide the turkey and ham, so bring your best fixings!

Please bring:
• Side dishes (salads, desserts, etc.)
• Lawn chairs for lounging
• Ice for the beer engine
• Kegs for the beer engine
• A wrapped 22oz or 750mL bottle for the bottle swap (optional)
• More beer

Directions:

Directions will be emailed to the membership and interested peoples. You can also email for directions.

Upcoming Competitions

1st Annual SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings – April 1st 2012

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Bring your entries to the Spring Party on March 10th. Entries are $3, with a three bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following:

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 1st 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting. Better get brewing!!

Urban Knaves of Grain, Dark Lager Competition – Feb 18th

Entries are due February 10, 2012 and judging will be held February 18, 2012.  Entry fee is $7. Make checks payable to American Homebrewers Association.

Hosted by the Urban Knaves of Grain (UKG) club of Batavia, IL, this competition covers BJCP category 4. Dark Lager subcategories are:

• 4a Dark American Lager
• 4b Munich Dunkel
• 4c Schwartzbier

Entry Shipping:

AHA COC
c/o Doug Newberry
1215 Burnham Ln.
Batavia, IL 60510

For more information, contact Doug Newberry at doug.newberry@att.net.

Upcoming Club Only Competitions – 2012

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

Beers Available in the Area

Sunseed Food Coop (Cocoa Beach) – website

Bottles:

• Hofstetten – Granit Eisbock
• Spike and Jerome’s – Collaboration of Spike from Terrapin and Jerome from BFM – Barley Ryne
• Thornbridge Hall Bracia – Dark Honey Ale
• Schneider and Sons – Nelson Sauvin
• Weyerbacher – Tiny Belgian Imperial Stout
• Christian Drouin poire – Peary
• BFM – La Dragonne

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

Draft:

• On Cask – Erie Brewing’s Misery Bay IPADogfish Head – 90 Minute IPA
• Dogfish Head – Palo Santo
• Dogfish Head – Burton Baton 2010
• Dogfish Head – Burton Baton 2011
• Dogfish Head – India Brown Ale
• Dogfish Head – 60 Minute IPA
• Dogfish Head – My Antonia
• Dogfish Head – Immort Ale
• Dogfish Head – Olde School
• Dogfish Head – Life & Limb
• Dogfish Head – Red & White
• Dogfish Head – Sah’tea
• Dogfish Head – Hellhound Ale
• Dogfish Head – Chicory Stout
• Dogfish Head – Punkin’ Ale
• Dogfish Head – Chateau Jiahu
• Dogfish Head – Raison D’Etra
• Dogfish Head – Midas Touch
• Dogfish Head – Theobroma
• Dogfish Head – Black & Blue
• Dogfish Head – Festina Peche
• Dogfish Head – Faithfull Ale

World of Beer (Viera) website

Draft:

• Look for a bunch of Rogue beers for Roguepalooza!

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor

Education – Yeast Washing: Reusing your Yeast

Washing yeast to reuse it in another batch of beer is a great technique to have in your home brewing arsenal. Yeast washing is a simple process used to separate the live yeast from the underlying trub (hops and spent grains) left at the bottom of your fermenter when making beer.  Read more here.

SAAZ on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here.

Raffle

Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use!

Feedback

We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org.

All feedback is welcomed! For example you can:

• Share a topic for Beer Education
• Share your Review of a Beer
• Correct something in the newsletter or website
• Express a criticism about anything related to the club
• Offer a suggestion to improve the club

We want to hear from you! Email editor@saaz.org.

THE SPRING FLING RESULTS ARE IN!

Spring Fling Results

Please note the corrected date of April 1st!!

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Entries are 3 dollars, with a 3 bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following:

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 1st 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting.

Entry window: February 17th to March 17th

Drop off locations:

• February 19th Meeting at World of Beer
• March 10th Meeting at Rotary Park
• Sunseed Food Co-Op

Click Here to submit your entries.

In this edition:

• Blowoff from the Prez
• Secretary’s Report
• Jack Bragg -
• Birthdays
• 2012 Dues
• Next Meeting – MEADing! This Saturday!
• Next Next Meeting – Holiday Party!
• Upcoming Competitions – SAAZ Spring Fling!
• Local Events
• Beers Available in the Area
• SAAZ on Facebook
• Raffle
• Feedback

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor

Blow off from the Prez

Well, we did it.  We got through 549 beers, meads, and ciders and we’re ready to celebrate! I think just about everyone who was there will tell you this year’s Commander SAAZ Interplanetary Homebrew Blastoff was a smash hit!  We had some small obstacles to overcome, but nothing that we couldn’t handle.  We now enter a period of two months known as recovery and preparation.  Recovery means that our next two meetings are a little more laid back than the earlier ones, but by no means and less fun.  Our next meeting is the MEADing.  For those of you who are new to the club, this is a meeting held at Dave Webb’s Honey House on the outskirts of town.  The club will bring all of the bottles of unopened mead and cider from the competition and will also provide the food.  We ask that, as usual, you bring a side dish, ice, and a chair.

We will wrap up the year on Saturday December 10th with the Holiday Party at the Vita’s in Titusville.  I like to think of this as Christmas Dinner with the cool family!  We’ll have the beer engine on the back porch so bring your kegs.  Jill and Larry will be making turkey and ham, so bring your favorite side dish or dessert.  We will also do our annual bottle swap.  All you need to do is bring a nice bottle of beer (covered to no one can see what it is).  Usually people bring a 22oz or 750mL that’s around the $10 range.  This is completely voluntary, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to.  We will also vote on our new officers at the Holiday Party, which brings me to…

I recently sent out an email asking for people to consider running for office.  It was later pointed out to me that I didn’t mention all of the offices.  My mistake.  All of the offices are up to a vote, even if the current officer is running again.  I had only mentioned the offices that were definitely going to be vacant as people would not be running for them next year.  I really implore you to consider giving back to the club and participating in office.  It is a great chance to see the behind the scenes operations.  Just ask anyone who has been an officer before – it’s a great time.  So far we have nominations as:

• President – Kip Cadoret, Dave Webb
• 1^st VP – Matt Backus (incumbent), Alex Hansen
• 2^nd VP – Open for nominations
• Librarian – Jason Stroble, Sonia Miller
• Secretary – Alex Hansen (incumbent)
• Newsletter Editor & Webmaster – Dan Shira
• Treasurer – Anne Gregg (incumbent)

See you all November 12 at Webb’s.

Cheers!

Sean

Secretary’s Report

The month of October was an incredible month for SAAZ. There were a lot of events that happened and I wanted to touch on a couple of the major points. The Commander Saaz Competition was a great success this year. Planning is already taking place for the 2012 competition so be sure to keep an eye out for a survey on the Saaz website to let the officers know what you liked or would like to improve on about this year’s competition. The competition saw a record number of entries and attendees. Throughout the competition weekend there were extreme adventures of judging, trying new beers, and awards. The weekend started off with one of the best blastoff parties in history. The fact that Friday night’s event sold out so quickly can be a testament to how much fun everyone has at the event each year. Saturday’s award ceremony featured some great beers and a full house of attendees. My congratulations go out to all of the winners and individuals that helped to make this year’s competition a true success! I am certain that next year will be even better!

Thanks again everyone!

-Alex

Jack Bragg

Jack Bragg, 68, of West Melbourne, passed away on Tuesday October 25, 2011 in Melbourne. He was retired from Rich Sea Pack in Brunswick, GA moving to Melbourne in 1992 from Brunswick, GA. He was a veteran of the US Navy, member of The West Melbourne Moose Lodge, American Legion, and Am. Vets. He enjoyed fishing, playing golf, hunting and riding his motorcycles.

Survivors include his sons Jackson, Jr. and Michael, a brother Bill Bragg and a sister Barbara Rehnborg.

Jack was an active SAAZ member for almost 10 years.  You couldn’t go to a SAAZ party or meeting without seeing Jack there to help.  He will be missed by all of us.  In his memory, SAAZ is making a one-time donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.  We encourage all SAAZ members to consider doing the same.

Next Meeting – MEADing! Nov 12th (Saturday)

November’s meeting, on November 12th, is the MEADing!  Once again, it will be at SAAZ member Dave Webb’s honey house.  The address is 21777 SR 520, in Orlando.  It’s not really in Orlando, that’s just the post office that delivers out in that neck of the woods.

Setup will be around 3pm, with festivities at 4pm.  The honey house will still be open for business at that time, so please be considerate of customers when parking and leave room in front of the store.  Dave is arranging for an educational demonstration of the honey extractor.  There is also an observation hive where you can see the bees at work.  I think this will be a real treat for everyone. If you’ve never been there, don’t miss this chance to check it out!

The club will provide food on the grill, but please bring a side dish.  At this time, we are not planning on bringing the beer engine, but we will have the leftover meads from Commander SAAZ.  However, it’s always good to bring an extra bottle or two to share.

So what will you need to bring?

• Side dishes (salads, desserts, etc.)

• Lawn chairs for lounging

• Water, important since mead w/o Food = BAD, mead w/o Hydration = WICKED HANGOVER

• Mead

Directions:

The honey house is about halfway between SR 50 and SR 528 on SR 520 on the east side of the road.  It looks like there are at least 4 different ways to get there depending on where you come from, so I would suggest typing it into google maps or your Garmin.

Click here for directions to Webb’s

Next Next Meeting – Holiday Party,  Dec 10th (Saturday)

Mark your calendars now for the SAAZ Holiday Party!  It will be at Jill and Larry’s in Titusville (next door to the Sparks’ aka Summer Party).  Jill and Larry will provide the turkey and ham, so bring your best fixings!

Please bring:

• Side dishes (salads, desserts, etc.)

• Lawn chairs for lounging

• Ice for the beer engine

• Kegs for the beer engine

• A wrapped 22oz or 750mL bottle for the bottle swap (optional)

• More beer

Directions:

Directions will be emailed to the membership and interested peoples

Upcoming Competitions

The Florida Circuit is wrapping up for the year with Sunshine Challenge.  Now is the time to get ready for next year.  Typically the Best Florida Beer Competition in Tampa and the Coconut Cup in Miami are in February.  So get to brewing!

Walk the Line On Barleywine – Dec 2-3 2011

Walk The Line On Barleywine is now accepting entries for the Homebrew Competition – go to www.DunedinBrewersGuild.com and click on the Register Here link next to Homebrew Competition.  As always, it’s $6 per entry, and only costs you two of your precious bottles.  The competition is December 2-3, and includes a Homebrew Competition, a Barleywine Festival, and a Commercial Competition.

Bring your entries for dropoff at the MEADing!

1st Annual SAAZ Spring Fling with Smoked Wings – April 15, 2012

This is an all new SAAZ club only competition! Entries are $3, with a three bottle submission. There is a 4 entry max per brewer and the categories are limited to the following:

• 10 – American Ale
• 12 – Porter
• 13 – Stout
• 14 – India Pale Ale
• 64 = (20+21+23) Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable/Specialty

Judging and awards will take place at Broken Barrel on April 15th 2012 in conjunction with our monthly meeting.

Better get brewing!!

Club Only Competitions – 2012

Check out the homebrewers association website for a list of the 2012 club-only competitions on the schedule.

Local Events

Help out at Sunshine Challenge

SAAZ Judge and Stewards, Central Florida Home Brewers (CFHB) is our sister club in Orlando.  Their competition, Sunshine Challenge, is the next and last competition of the year in Florida.  This year, they received over 500 entries! Just like us, they are working diligently to get all those beers/meads/ciders judged and ready for their main event weekend on November 18th and 19th.  They will be doing early round judging on November 11, 12, & 13 in Orlando.  Please consider lending a hand in helping them judge or steward.  We had several CFHB people help us both weekends of our competition, and it would be nice to return the favor.  Please see http://www.cfhb.org/sunshine-challenge for more information.

Coasters’ Off-Centered Compilation of Curious Libations Night – Dec 1st

Coasters Pub’s 2nd Annual Dogfish Head Night! You won’t want to miss this! This year’s event features 24 draught beers from one of America’s most innovative and exciting breweries. It’ll be the most Dogfish Head draughts on tap under one roof in Florida, ever.  You can get more details and also RSVP on the Coasters Facebook Event Page.

SAAZ Holiday Party – Dec 10th

Mark your calendars for December 10th for the SAAZ Holiday Party. Setup at 3p, party at 4p, bring a chair, side dish, ice, and kegs for the beer engine.  This meeting is also our annual elections, so be sure to be there! The party is at the Vitas’ home. Email prez@saaz.org for directions.

Beers Available in the Area

Coasters Pub (Indian Harbor Beach) – facebook

Draft:

• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
• Spaten Munich Helles
• Spaten Oktoberfest
• Hantverksbryggeriet Kosacken – Rare Swedish Imperial Stout
• Maredsous 8 – Belgian Dubbel
• North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (Nitro)
• Victory Storm King Imperial Stout
• Dogfish Head 90min IPA
• Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA – TAPPING December 1st!
• Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
• Weihenstephan Hefeweiss
• Bells Two Hearted Ale

SAAZ Platinum Sponsor

SAAZ on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! We’re just getting things rolling there but Like our page and stay tuned for exciting things to come. Check it out here.

Raffle

Do you have some homebrew supplies that you don’t use anymore? Maybe you upgraded or maybe you prefer another product? Consider bringing your dusty supplies to the next meeting for the raffle. We have brewers of all experience levels, so I am sure we can put any brewing supplies to use!

Feedback

We need your help! We are very interesting in improving the club and we’d like to hear what you think. If you have comments or suggestions about the Newsletter, Website, Activities, or the Club in general, please send an email to editor@saaz.org.

All feedback is welcomed! For example you can:

• Share a topic for Beer Education
• Share your Review of a Beer
• Correct something in the newsletter or website
• Express a criticism about anything related to the club
• Offer a suggestion to improve the club