All posts by DT

2015 BHC Winners

The beers have been judged and the winners announced. See all results here.

Big thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who made it happen.  We had 15 Worts medal for a total of 27 medals.  Congratulations to the following Worts for placing (listed by # of medals):

Name # of Medals Other
Eric Esner 4
Steve Schember 3 1st BOS
Doug Schmidt 3
Matt Border 2
Brian Burke 2
Brittany Burke 2
Max Heinegg 2 1 Honorable Mention
Dan Preston 2
Josh Clark 1
Ross Druckenmiller 1
William Grote 1 2nd BOS
Alastair Hewitt 1
Ramsay Hoguet 1
Mark Keck 1 1 Honorable Mention
Allan MacDonald 1

Family Time

The family that brews together…

No matter how you cut it, making beer takes time. There’s the recipe formulation, brew day preparation, brewing, clean-up, fermentation, and bottling/kegging – all before you get to the drinking part. I remember the days when I could take a full day and brew up two batches, which usually involved inviting a couple of buddies over, smoking some bbq, and throwing back a few beers. With two small kids, brewing a batch of beer these days usually requires scheduling in advance. Sometimes I like to throw caution to the wind, grab some malt extract and let the 4 year old brewmaster go to town.

Here in the Worts, we’re all about family inclusion, so what follows is a guide to brewing for 4 year olds…

  1. Get all your ingredients together.
    Ingredients
  2. Fill pots with the proper amount of water.
    Water
  3. Have a parent help you put the pots on the stove and heat up the water.
    Pots
  4. Taste grain and put in grain bag to add to pot.
    Grain
  5. Remove grain bag and have parent help to get water boiling.
    Grain Bag
  6. Add 60 minute hops to boiling pot.
    Hops
  7. Have a 45 minute dance party.
    Dance Party
  8. Add malt extract with 15 minutes left and add some hops. Of course you can lick the inside of the container!
    Malt Extract
  9. Add more hops…and more hops…and more hops.
    More Hops
  10. Chill wort – make sure to get a good whirlpool going.
    Chill
  11. Put chilled wort into fermentor and add yeast.
    Wort
  12. You’re all done, now go take a nap!

And remember, a 4 year olds batch of homebrew is better than that batch you never brewed…

BJCP Study Group: Mini-competition #4

The fourth mini-competition of the 2014-2015 season of BJCP study group will be held March 12, 2015. The competition will tentatively cover Category 3 (European Amber Lager), Category 5 (Bock), Category 6 (Light Hybrid Beer), Category 15 (German Wheat and Rye Beer), and Category 18 (Belgian Strong Ale). If you are interested in competing, please contact Mark Keck. Entry is free (but limited to members of the club or BJCP study group). Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, March 10, 2015.

Iron Brewer

2014:
Secret ingredient was a breakfast theme – coffee, bacon, oranges, lactose, maple syrup, peanut butter powder.
Beers brewed:
* Saison w/ Orange Zest & Maple Syrup
* Coffee Milk Stout – Winner!

2013:
Secret ingredient was wood honeycombs – cherry, yellow birch, hickory, soft maple, hard maple, white ash.
Beers brewed:
* Smoked Amber w Soft Maple – Winner!
* Smoked Amber w Cherry
* Smoked Brown w
* Pale Ale w Hickory

2012:
Secret ingredient was Brett – C, B, Trois. Primary and secondary pitching amounts were provided.
Beers brewed:
* IPA – Winner!
* Dark Saison
* Orval-like Blond

2011:
Secret ingredient was a variety of honeys. Extract Based
Beers brewed:
* Wee Heavy
* Belgian Tripel (with & without Brett) – Winner!
* Belgian Quad (with & without sour mix)
* IPA

2010:
Secret ingredient was dried fruits – cherries, apricots, prunes, raisins, cranberries.
Beers brewed:
* Belgian Quad w/ Cherries – Winner!
* Belgian Quad w/ Prunes & Raisins
* Amber w/ Raisins, Cranberries, & Apricots
* Pale Ale w/ Apricots