Well, the cold, err, cooler weather is among us and the Christmas Party has come to conclusion. Once again, Larry and Jill did a great job on the ham and turkey, and the side dishes were fabulous. Hopefully everyone had the chance to try the eggplant parmesan and those great potato casseroles.
As usual, there were a few fermented beverages consumed, with some of the highlights being Ron and Paula Sup’s plum wine, Mike Ellis’s braggots, and Dave Webb’s mead, just to name a few.
Annual elections were held with the results as follows: Mac was reelected as our fearless leader (president) for another year, as well as Mike (VP) and Michelle (treasurer) Ellis, Glenn Exline (newsletter), and Joe Kintyhtt (librarian). The new positions were Dani Parris-Exline as first VP and Sean Gregg as secretary.
With the holidays right around the corner, I thought I would take a minute to let you all know what I have been drooling over. Not so that you can buy it for me, but so that you might be able to buy it for your special brewer.
Oxygenation system. These things are cool! What’s better than watching bubbles in your wort? These systems either infuse pure oxygen or air into your wort before you pitch your yeast. This give those few billion yeast cells exactly what they need to do their job. Most systems are under $50 and available through places like morebeer.com.
Flasks. No, not the kind you buy and smuggle into sporting events, but Erlenmeyer flasks. These flasks are great for starters and storing yeast. Now that Sunseed Co-op has started a program to discount “old” yeast, you might want to go pick some up and make a starter to get your wort kicking sooner and better. Don’t be afraid of those vials once they go past their “best by” date. Instead, make a starter and get the yeast active and pitch it! Not too long ago, I ran across a White Labs 10 year anniversary blend that was almost two years past the “best by” date. Well, three days on a stir plate and some yeast nutrient later, I had krausen in the flask and beer about two weeks later. The price of Erlenmeyer flasks vary with their size, but a 1 liter flask should be enough to make most starters.
Honey, honey, honey. To some, the best, to others, the only ingredient in your fermented beverage! One of my favorite Belgian recipes uses 2 pounds of honey (Check the online forum for the recipe). And who doesn’t love mead? So, make sure you support our sponsors (and fellow member) and get some honey for your honey.
Of course, BEER! I thought I would try to start a regular section that highlighted some of the newer beers that our local stores are receiving. So without further ado…
What’s Hoppening?
I stopped by another one of our fabulous sponsors (Sunseed Co-op) a couple of weeks ago and here’s the new brews Matt has on his shelf. Bell’s Third Coast (old ale), Dogfish Head’s Old School, Raison D’Extra (yeah, almost 20% abv) and Theobroma, Shipyard’s Prelude, Longfellow, Barleywine, and Imperial Porter, Anchor’s Old Foghorn, Left Hand’s Warrior IPA (this stuff is so good, I got a keg! A really awesome fresh hop beer), Sam Adam’s Chocolate Bock, Eerie Brewing’s Misery IPA, Railbender Scottish, and Old Red. Some of the higher of the highlights I noticed were vintage 2007 Nice Chouffe, Left Hand Chainsaw (double sawtooth), and Highland’s mix 12 pack. Any of these great beers would fit nicely under your tree, or in your fridge! If you don’t live close to Sunseed you can also find a lot of these new and other great beers at another one of our sponsors, Florida Wine & Spirits in Titusville, Viera, and Palm Bay.
As I mentioned above, Matt has started a great discount deal ($4.99) for some of the White Labs vials that have passed their “best by” date. Also, Sunseed is still the cheapest place I have seen yeast; cheaper than any online retailer, and you don’t have to worry about your yeast sleeping in the back of some big brown truck at 100+ degrees for a couple of days or more. Matt also ordered about 15 pounds of hops for the store, and rumor is that they will be more sensibly priced than some of these places charging $4.99 an ounce!
Sunseed is now open on Sundays from 11am-4pm, so you can stop by on your way to the monthly meetings if you come from the north part of the county.
I ran across a great book recently, too. It’s titled “Beer Captured” by Tess and Mark Szamatulski. This is a book of mostly clone recipes (Goose Island’s Honkers Ale, Delirium Tremens, and Rogue Dead Guy Ale to name a few), but there are also sections covering beer and food pairing, hop reference guide, grain and yeast charts, and water profiles from famous brewing locations. The book is so great that we have a new copy in our library!