December Meeting Minutes

Member Announcements

  1. We voted in Johnathan into the club this evening after attending two business meetings and our November social at Thin Man.
  2. Mike attended his first meeting.

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. Holidaze: Holidaze will be at the Hamburg Fire Hall at 4591 Lake Shore Road, Hamburg 14075 on Saturday December 21st at 7pm
    1. No cost to attend. Feel free to bring significant others.
    2. In addition to the Sultans as in years past, we will be opening this to the Beer Goddesses and Das HausBrauers.
    3. There will be a blind bottle exchange as in years past, so please bring a bottle of your best homebrew for the swap.
    4. This is a pot luck style event, so please bring a dish to pass, somewhere in the range of 10-14 small servings.
    5. Holidaze Sign Up Link
  2. Albe updated us on Random Trios. This year’s random trios is Partigyle Brewing. Our random trio teams must brew two beers from the same mash, submit their styles along with the beers, with extra points awarded for having the beers taste significantly different. If you haven’t started  brewing – get going!
  3. John Crossett updated us on AWOG. We are currently in need of a registrar – so if you can fill this roll, please contact John! AWOG has a preliminary date of March 24/25th
  4. Art of Beer will be on March 3rd at the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center. Tom Piwtorak will be brewing a beer for this – but we still need a couple more volunteers.
  5. Beerology will be the following day, March 4th at the Buffalo Science Museum. Albe will be brewing for this, along with running the brew demo.
  6. Our Style Education was done by Mike Conley who presented smoked beers with a smoked Marzen and Dopplebock.
  7. Dues are Due! Our $25 dues go to cover all sorts of things! BJCP testing, beer education, promotional materials, the hosting of Holidaze, etc…
    1. You can now paypal dues to Eric by sending a payment to ericstellrecht@gmail.com. Please add a note saying 2017 NAH Dues
  8. January’s style education will be Belgain Blonde Ales by Mike Gullia.

 

Enjoy your New Year with some great homebrew! Prost!

October Meeting Minutes

Member Announcements

  1. New Members: Mike & Andy

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. Our November social was at 12 Gates for the release of Lava Flow IPA, the Niagara County Fair homebrew competition winner beer brewed by Brian Meyer. This was a joint social with the Sultans & it was a great showing!
  2. Albe updated us on Random Trios. This year’s random trios is Partigyle Brewing. Our random trio teams must brew two beers from the same mash, submit their styles along with the beers, with extra points awarded for having the beers taste significantly different.
  3. John Crossett updated us on AWOG. We are currently in need of a database administrator to help with organizing and printing the awards and score sheets. If you’re interested, please contact John Crossett. Otherwise, start getting your beers ready for AWOG at the end of March!
  4. Our Style Education was done by Kevin with Engish Strong Ales.
  5. November’s Style Education will be by Dan Cassetta and the style will be Alt Bier.

June 2016 Meeting Minutes

Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Meeting Minutes: June 28, 2016

Member Announcements

  1. 19 current members were present.
  2. Wes Wright was voted in as a new member.
  3. Brian M. attended his first meeting.

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. June’s Social was at Pizza Plant Canalside.  There were a handful of members who made it out to the event.
  2. July’s Social will be at New York Beer Project.  Unofficial start is 7:00 on July 12th PM and all are welcome.  We’re hoping A.P.E.S. IPA is on tap by then to be enjoyed by all.  Congratulations once again to Alex Placito and Eric Stellrecht.
  3. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, July  26, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Crazy Jake’s.
  4. THERE WILL BE NO SOCIAL IN AUGUST DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE WNY BREWERS’ PICNIC.

Business Topics

  1. The Western New York Brewers’ Picnic will be Sunday, August 7th at Sheridan Park.
  2. The Dude Hates Cancer will be happening once again at Resurgence Brewing this August.  Entries are capped at 25 and each brewer should enter a 5 gallon batch whether in kegs, growslers, or bottles.  A people’s choice voting method will be use to to determine the winner who gets to brew a barrel of their recipe at Resurgence.  It was mentioned that there are only eight spots remaining.
  3. NYBP will be holding a homebrew competiton and fundraiser on August 28th.  We are awaiting more details.
  4. The VP election will be held in October.  You may nomimate yourself or any member in good standing to be on the ballot.  We ask that nominees have been a member of the club for at least 2 years.  Please contact Tim Belczak or Marcus Palmisano with any nominations.

BJCP Style Education

  1. Greg Zorn gave a good presentation on Hefeweizen and brought two commercial examples to compare and enjoy.
  2. July’s style will be Munich Helles, presented by Marcus Palmisano.
  3. August’s BJCP style will be Kolsch, presented by Alex Placito.
  4. If you want to present a style and perhaps brew an example of your own to go along with your presentation, contact Tim Belczak to get on the list. We’d like to fill the list up several months in advance to give members the opportunity to brew an example for the presentation if they desire.  If you’re not an expert, this is a great way to lean a style and educate others.  The club pays for the beer and you can find all the information you need on the BJCP website.  New presenters are always encouraged.

Meeting was adjourned and we shared some delicious homebrew with one another.

May 2016 Meeting Minutes

Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Meeting Minutes: May 24, 2016

Member Announcements

  1. 17 current members were present.

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. May’s Social was at Lockhouse Distillery.  We were treated to a tour and were set free on their extensive flavor library with measured amounts of fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts, etc. in a measured volume of neutral spirits.
  2. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, June  28, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Crazy Jake’s.
  3. June’s Social will be at Pizza Plant Canalside.  Unofficial start is 7:00 on June 14th PM and all are welcome.

Business Topics30

  1. “Brew at the Bison” will be June 11 in the Flying Bison parking lot.  More details here.
  2. The Western New York Brewers’ Picnic will be Sunday, August 7th at Sheridan Park.
  3. The Dude Hates Cancer will be happening once again at Resurgence Brewing this August.  Entries are capped at 25 and each brewer should enter a 5 gallon batch whether in kegs, growslers, or bottles.  A people’s choice voting method will be use to to determine the winner who gets to brew a barrel of their recipe at Resurgence.

BJCP Style Education

  1. Erv Brese gave a great overview of sours and blending.  He provided some wonderful homebrewed examples produced by him and others. He also shared some commercial examples from his cellar.
  2. June’s style will be Weissbier, presented by Greg Zorn
  3. July’s style will be Helles, presented by Marcus Palmisano.
  4. If you want to present a style and perhaps brew an example of your own to go along with your presentation, contact Tim Belczak to get on the list. We’d like to fill the list up several months in advance to give members the opportunity to brew an example for the presentation if they desire.  If you’re not an expert, this is a great way to lean a style and educate others.  The club pays for the beer and you can find all the information you need on the BJCP website.  New presenters are always encouraged.

Meeting was adjourned and we shared some delicious homebrew with one another.

AWOG 2016 Winners

Thanks to all who entered and everyone who volunteered. Our 20th year was an outstanding success!

Congratulations to all the winners, who took home some amazing prizes thanks to our generous sponsors:

Best of Show - Beer

Best of Show

Rob Sells
Specialty Beer
Cornholio

2nd Best of Show

John Crossett, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Scottish Ale
Crossett Brother Leftover Shilling

3rd Best of Show

Andy Urban, Sultans of Swig
American Stout
To Russia With Love

Honorable Mention

Adam Kugler, Salt City Brew Club
Specialty IPA
Equinox India Pale Lager

Best of Show - Mead and Cider

Best of Show

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Common Cider & Perry
Michelin Man

2nd Best of Show

Christopher St. Mary, Sultans of Swig
Fruit Mead
Stinger

3rd Best of Show

Tim Mannion
Specialty Cider
Brett Cider

Light Lager

First Place

Steven Landgren, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
Good? Helles Yeah!

Second Place

Joe DiPerna
Hell Es La Ger

Third Place

Kevin DiTondo
Cream Ale

Bitter Continental Beer

First Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Wienerschnitzel

Second Place

Rob Sells
Trip To Vienna

Third Place

Dan Cassetta, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Hip Aunt Alt

Amber & Dark Lager

First Place

Alexander Buckley, Sultans of Swig
Biere De Garde (Brown)

Second Place

Paul Klammer, S.N.O.B.
Munchkin Duel

Third Place

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Traditional Bock

Strong Lager

First Place

John Crossett, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Impregnator

Second Place

Robert Jewell III, Sultans of Swig
3/4 Baltic Baish

Third Place

Paul Klammer, S.N.O.B.
Portermortis

Wheat Beer

First Place

Dan Cassetta, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Grace Bay Bock

Second Place

Stephen Wilson, Salt City Brew Club
Roggenbier

Third Place

Devin Carman, Sultans of Swig
Black Willow Roggenbier

Honorable Mention

Robert Pilon
Hasselhoff’s Loin Oil

British Ale

First Place

Ray Krystofik, Sultans of Swig
One If By Land, Two If By Sea!

Second Place

Marcus Palmisano, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
I Wish This Was On Cask ESB

Third Place

David Kerling, Kaisertown Brewing
462 IPA

Honorable Mention

Michael Florez, Cincinnati Malt Infusers
English Bulldog

Scottish Ale

First Place

John Crossett, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Crossett Brother Leftover Shilling

Second Place

Ray Krystofik, Sultans of Swig
M-L-R Heavy

Third Place

Geoff Heusinger, Crooked Lampost Brewing Club
Red Is The Ale

International Stout

First Place

Michael Conley, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Pork Sandwich

Second Place

Andrew Mitchell, S.N.O.B.
Barn Owl

Third Place

Geoff Heusinger, Crooked Lampost Brewing Club
Shanahan Stout

Porter

First Place

Kevin DeTondo
Robust Porter

Second Place

Marcus Palmisano, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Lonster

Third Place

Devin Carman, Sultans of Swig
W.P Porter

British Strong Ale

First Place

Tim Belczak, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
About Damn TIme, Barleywine (2012)

Second Place

David Williams
Sir Robin’s Old Ale

Third Place

Robert Jewell III, Sultans of Swig
3/4 Velveeta Pirogi

American Pale Ale

First Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Tessa’s One-Eyed Common

Second Place

Phil Boulanger, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
Cosmos

Third Place

John Crossett, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
20 Load Showdown C

American Amber & Brown

First Place

Collin Corcoran, Sultans of Swig
Grain Against The Machine

Second Place

Josh Roberts
Good Boy! Brown Ale

Third Place

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Clean The Cupboard Amber

American Stout

First Place

Andrew Urban, Sultans of Swig
To Russia With Love

Second Place

Edward Kent, Alfred Andover Area Homebrewers Guild
Imperial Stout

Third Place

Andrew Zwack
Late Night Beans

American IPA

First Place

Alex Placito, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
A.P.E.S. IPA

Second Place

Wally Kopinski, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Yellow Basket

Third Place

Joseph Parfitt, Salt City Brew Club
Hopnotique

Specialty IPA

First Place

Adam Kugler, Salt City Brew Club
Equinox India Pale Lager

Second Place

Alex Placito, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Citra Ass Brown

Third Place

Andrew Mitchell, S.N.O.B.
Super Crazy Fun Time

American Strong Ale

First Place

Brian Milleville, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Azacca On The Summit Of Apollo

Second Place

Marcus Palmisano, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Altitude IPA

Third Place

Michael Nowakowski, The Brewing Network
Otto The Orange

Sour Beer

First Place

Dan Baish, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Something Something Gose

Second Place

Brett Taylor, Brewdies
Sinister Rouge

Third Place

Jeremy Steinbacher
Cheerio Cherry Lambic

Belgian Light Ale

First Place

Brian Richards
Depew #4

Second Place

Brandon Kapral, Sultans of Swig
Patersbier

Third Place

Jeremy Steinbacher
Patersbiere

Light Belgian Strong

First Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
La Fin Du Monday

Second Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Pat’s Blue Ribbon Tripel

Third Place

Eric Burt, Sultans of Swig
A Corruptable Silky Wink Tripel

Saison

First Place

Dan Baish, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Jurassic Toot Party

Second Place

Zachary Taggart
Rye Saison

Third Place

Geoff Heusinger, Crooked Lampost Brewing Club
Cinderella Saison

Dark Belgian Strong Ale

First Place

Sean Coughlin, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
The Abbey Cat Strikes Back

Second Place

Marcus Palmisano, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
El Quaderino

Third Place

Rob Sells
Night Terror

Honorable Mention

Jim Buettner
BrewBQ Belgian

Specialty Beer

First Place

Rob Sells
Cornholio

Second Place

William Sanders
Caitlyn’s Komb

Third Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Steelworker’s Stamina

American Wild Ale

First Place

Bob Charboneau, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
Sour Browntown

Second Place

Andrew Zwack
Funkin’ Peach Saison

Third Place

Sean Coughlin, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
Cherry Plantarum

Honorable Mention

Brett Taylor, Brewdies
Isidore

Fruit Beer

First Place

Adam Akers
Cranberry Relish Berliner

Second Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Do U Like Pina Colada?

Third Place

Alex Placito, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
PJ’s Coconut Stout

Honorable Mention

Ken DeMarree, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Sour Cherry Provincial

Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer

First Place

Jon Claeys
Punky Brewster

Second Place

Marshall Van Tuyl
Noble Stout

Third Place

Kevin Ellis, MONKS
LunaPoo

Seasonal Spice Beer

First Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Off The Grid Dark Spiced Saison

Second Place

Tom Bacon, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Pumpski

Third Place

David Drews
Dwale

Honorable Mention

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Bad Mormon

Smoked Beer

First Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Anchor Bar Medium Wings

Second Place

Andrew House, Sultans of Swig
Polish PIWO

Third Place

John Neidrich, Southern Tier Lager and Alemakers
Rauchweizen

Wood-Aged Beer

First Place

Joe DiPerna
The Joe’s Best Bourbon

Second Place

Michael Nowakowski, The Brewing Network
Kentucky Double Barrel

Third Place

Andrew Urban, Sultans of Swig
Grog’s Deep Cavern Dark

Honorable Mention

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Barrel Stout

Traditional Mead

First Place

Robert Schweizer, BKRT Brewing
Nottingham Mead

Second Place

Ian Howard
Session Mead

Third Place

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Mesquite Mead

Fruit Mead

First Place

Christopher St. Mary, Sultans of Swig
Stinger

Second Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Gold Medal Pyment

Third Place

Steven Landgren, Upstate NY Homebrewers Association
Sweet Aloha

Honorable Mention

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Missing In-Cyser

Specialty Mead

First Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Hot Mama!

Second Place

Timothy Collins, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Cinnamon Mead

Third Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Michelle And Nick’s Elixir Of Love

Common Cider & Perry

First Place

Mark Zambron, Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Michelin Man

Second Place

John DePaolo, Sultans of Swig & NAH
Tessa’s Classic

Third Place

John Hyman, Sheldon Grains
Sheldon Happy Orchards

Specialty Cider

First Place

Tim Mannion
Brett Cider

Second Place

Marshall Van Tuyl
House Cider

Third Place

Erik Hann, Brewbonic Plague
Cheery Heering Cider

March 2016 Meeting Minutes

Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Meeting Minutes: March 22, 2016

Member Announcements

  1. 21 current members were present.
  2. Jim was voted in as a new member.
  3. Vince joined us for his first meeting after speaking with us at Art of Beer and Beerology.
  4. 2016 dues ($25/individual; $30/couple) can be paid to Eric Stellrecht.

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. February’s Social was at 12 Gates Brewing Company and Rob Haag guided us on a personal tour.  It was also Taco Tuesday!
  2. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, April  26, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Crazy Jake’s.
  3. April’s social was recommended by Alex Placito.  We will visit Blue Monk for the last time as a group on April 12.  Should they close their doors prior to that, we’ll call an audible and the social will be at the Tavern at Windsor Park.
  4. May’s social will be at Lockhouse Distillery and will include the Sultans of Swig and the Buffalo Beer Goddesses.February 2016 Social at 12 Gates Brewing

20th Annual Amber Waves of Grain (AWOG)

Registration for Brewers is closed and we broke 600 entries once again.  Judges and Stewards may still sign up until March 30th.

Brewers’ Night Out (our annual awards banquet) is April 2 and the deadline on discounted tickets has been extended until March 30 when our final count is due.  The Sponsors List keeps growing and we’ve got some heavy hitters on board with some serious prizes.  For tickets and more information, visit our Brewers’ Night Out page.

Business Topics

  1. The Art of Beer and Beerology on back-to-back nights made for a busy weekend, but the foot traffic and interest in the club was impressive.  We brewed an American Mild (using NY Craft Malt) at Beerology that will be served at AWOG.
  2. “Brew at the Bison” will tentatively be June 11 in the Flying Bison parking lot.  We’ll look into generating generate some publicity out to the general public in case they want to see homebrewing in action.
  3. A good amount of discussion took place regarding BJCP exams and the associated prep classes.  There seemed to be a fair amount of interest in the classes, but we need an organizer.  A core group of judges is always happy to help guide the classes, but we need someone to find a venue, pool funds from participants, and organize beer purchases class-by-class.  Each student should be prepared to present a technical topic to the class at least once throughout the 10 sessions.  Judges will help by comparing and contrasting styles, helping with palate development and descriptors, and focusing on the following aspects of the exam score sheet:  perception, descriptive ability, scoring accuracy, completeness, and feedback.  In addition to stewarding, judging, and practicing on your own, this is the best venue to learn to become a judge or increase your BJCP rank.  Email Tim Belczak (tim@belczak.net) if you are interested in the class.  We’d like to find an organizer ASAP and start classes mid-April so it’s a relaxed (bi-weekly) pace leading up to the October 1 exam.
  4. Judges are needed in Rochester for UNYHA’s competition.  We’ve sent out emails asking for help as well.  They send a fair amount of judges our way every year for AWOG and we need to do our part to reciprocate.  Judging will be April 9 at the Fairport Brewing Company.
  5. It’s late notice, but the Erie County Fair just registered their homebrew competition on the BJCP website.  Entries are due at the Hamburg Farigrounds by Friday April 8th and judging will take place April 23.  If you can help judging or stewarding, you may hand-carry your entries the morning of judging as long as you arrive a little early.  More info can be found here and please contact Tim Belczak (tim@belczak.net) if you can judge or steward.  Plenty of help is needed.
  6. A general reminder was given to clean up the meeting room as you leave (take bottles home to reuse or recycle if possible).  The meeting room has looked great recently and thank you to everyone who pitches in!
  7. A general reminder was given to make sure you square up any tabs at business meetings or social events.  Members who stick around later at these events end up footing the bill.  It’s not a common occurrence, but something to be conscious of.
  8. Three members of the Buffalo Beer Goddesses joined our meeting and were the guest judges for this year’s random trios, which was a fantasy draft theme where we drafted ingredients and brewed two distinct beers.  We did not end up with enough participants to fill 8 teams, so we only ended up with four brewers on a team and one round of judging instead of a bracket.  A big thanks to Albe Pilon for organizing this annual event!

    First Place: California Common
    Brewers: Tim Belczak, John DePaolo, Wally Kopinski, Marcus Palmisano

    Second Place: Eisbock
    Dan Baish, Matt Shotwell, Eric Stellrecht, Mark Zambron

    Third Place: Russian Imperial Stout
    Tim Collins, Mike Conley, John Crossett, Harry Odebauer

    Fourth Place: American Brown
    Jason Crossett, Albe Pilon, Alex Placito, Sean Wall 

BJCP Style Education

  1. March’s style was Bock beers and Mike Conley gave a great overview of the style with examples from Spaten and Bell’s.
  2. April’s style will be California Common, presented by John DePaolo.
  3. No one volunteered to present a style in May.  If you want to present a style and perhaps brew an example of your own to go along with your presentation, contact Tim Belczak to get on the list. We’d like to fill the list up several months in advance to give members the opportunity to brew an example for the presentation if they desire.  If you’re not an expert, this is a great way to lean a style and educate others.  The club pays for the beer and you can find all the information you need on the BJCP website.  New presenters are always encouraged.

Meeting was adjourned and we shared some delicious homebrew with one another.

February 2016 Meeting Minutes

Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Meeting Minutes: February 23, 2016

Member Announcements

  1. 26 current members were present.
  2. Jerry was voted in as a new member.
  3. Brendan, Chris, Kevin and Jim joined us for their first meeting.
  4. 2016 dues ($25/individual; $30/couple) can be paid to Eric Stellrecht.

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. January’s Social was at New York Beer Project.  It was very well attended by NAH members and some Sultans.
  2. The March 8th Social will be at 12 Gates Brewing Company and will start at 6:00 PM, which is earlier than normal.  They are opening especially for us and we don’t want to keep them there very late.  They kitchen will be unavailable that evening, so Tim Belczak is bringing in shredded chicken, soft tortillas, veggies, cheese, sour cream and salsa for a DIY Taco Tuesday!
  3. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, March  22, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Crazy Jake’s.
  4. We don’t have a social location for April yet, but we will be going to Lockhouse in May.

20th Annual Amber Waves of Grain (AWOG)

Registration for Brewers, Judges, and Stewards is open.  Sign up at http://awog.niagarabrewers.org and consider stewarding a session to see how a competition is run.  It’s a fun experience and you get to taste the entries along with the judges, which helps develop your palate.  No experience is necessary and you’re responsible for light paperwork, supplies for the judges, and getting entries ready as directed.  Contact Eric Stellrecht if you’re interested.

Brewers’ Night Out (our annual awards banquet) is April 2 and tickets are now on sale.  This event always sells out, so be sure to grab your tickets as soon as possible.  For tickets and more information, visit our Brewers’ Night Out page.

Business Topics

  1. The Roycroft Inn put on a fantastic dinner and homebrew pairing that was well-received by the public and the homebrewers who participated.  Thank you to the Sultans for extending an invitation for us to participate and to NY Craft Malt who supplied the base malts for the beers that were served that night.
  2. Tim Belczak is organizing a paint night with Art-By-You for about 10 people.  It will be a beer-themed painting and we are welcome to bring homebrew to share with others.  A date will be set once enough people express interest – email Tim Belczak if this is somehting you’d be interested in.  Cost will be $25 for the class and all materials.  Below are a couple prototypes they’ve worked up for us.Painting 1aby 041
  3. The Art of Beer is Friday, March 4 at the NACC. This is a great fundraiser for the NACC and is an incredible value considering the food and beer that’s available to sample.  Discounted tickets ($30) are still on sale at Niagara Tradition and online. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $35.  We will doing a demo with Niagara Tradition and serving up homebrew samples.
  4. Beerology is Saturday, March 5. We will be brewing a demo in the kitchen like we’ve done in the past.  Tickets are sold out but there is a Yelp contest going on for free tickets.

February Meeting

BJCP Style Education

  1. February’s style was Baltic Porters, presented by Dan Karyczak.  He gave a great overview of the style and brought very different commercial examples from Flying Dog and Żywiec.
  2. March’s style will be Bocks, presented by Mike Conley.
  3. April’s style will be California Common, presented by John DePaolo.
  4. If you want to present a style and perhaps brew an example of your own to go along with your presentation, contact Tim Belczak to get on the list. We’d like to fill the list up several months in advance to give members the opportunity to brew an example for the presentation if they desire.

Meeting was adjourned and we shared some delicious homebrew with one another.

January 2016 Meeting Minutes

Niagara Association of Homebrewers
Meeting Minutes: January 26, 2016

Member Announcements

  1. 17 current members were present.
  2. 3 new members were voted in – Bill, Lisa and Greg.
  3. Jerry joined us for his first meeting.
  4. 2016 dues ($25/individual; $30/couple) can be paid to Eric Stellrecht.

Holidaze Recap

Holidaze was well attended and the new venue worked out great.  We all enjoyed a delicious spread of food and homebrew.

In addition to the $25 Niagara Tradition certificate we buy each year, we also raffled the following prizes that were generously donated, unprompted, by some amazing local businesses.

  1. Community Beer Works – one 10-fill growler card ($120)
  2. 12 Gates Brewing – two growlers with fills ($18 each)
  3.  Niagara Tradition – $15 certificate and $10 certificate
  4. New York Beer Project – one growler will fill ($18)

Business Meetings/Socials

  1. The February 9th Social will be at New York Beer Project and the Sultans will be there as well.  7:00 is the official start time, but some members usually show up early to eat.
  2. The next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Crazy Jake’s.

20th Annual Amber Waves of Grain (AWOG)

John Crossett is the new organizer for AWOG this year.  The event has been registered for April 1-2 and committee meetings are underway.

We need a volunteer to brew a sessionable calibration beer for the judges on April 1-2.  If there’s any left, it will also be served at the banquet on April 2.  If you’re interested in brewing something else to serve at the banquet, contact John Crossett (jpcrossett@gmail.com) so he can plan according and let Tim Belczak (tbelczak@niagarabrewers.org) know if you want to use any donated NY Craft Malt.  The club has sacks of 2-row and Munich for events like this.

The registration website should be up in the next week or so – Tim Belczak is working on finalizing it.

If you can please help with anything (bottle registration, coordinating a breakfast, lunch or dinner order, photocopying paperwork, set-up, clean-up, etc.) please contact John Crossett. If we spread responsibilities out among many members the burden will not be as great on the core group of organizers or any one individual.

Business Topics

  1. The Roycroft Inn is hosting a four-course homebrew and food pairing on Thursday, February 18.  Each course will be paired with one brew from the Sultans of Swig (who organized the event) and one beer from Niagara Association of Homebrewers.  Cost of the dinner is $30 and reservations should be made by calling the Roycroft Inn at (716) 652-5552.
  2. The Art of Beer will be held on Friday, March 4 at the NACC. We will be sharing a table with Niagara Tradition and assisting with the brew demo.  Thank you to those who volunteered to help.
  3. Beerology is Saturday, March 5. We will be brewing a demo in the kitchen like we’ve done in the past.  Tickets sold out on January 27th.
  4. Dick and Jenny’s on Grand Island is interested in offering a homebrew course.  Tim Collins offered to stop in to find out more details.
  5. The club’s new website has been launched.  More features will be added as we go along, but we will be focusing on functionality and keeping things up-to-date (calendar, meeting minutes, etc.).  If you have interest in writing content for the site, please contact Tim Belczak for a login.

BJCP Style Education

  1. Tom Piwtorak gave an excellent overview of ciders and perry.  He brought three homemade examples – a still, medium-dry cider, a medium-sweet carbonated cider and a perry.  We leaned at the end of the presentation that the first two were actually the same cider that he backsweetened to different levels the night before and force-carbonated one.
  2. February’s style will be Baltic Porters, presented by Dan Karyczak.
  3. March’s style will be Bocks, presented by Mike Conley.
  4. If you want to present a style and perhaps brew an example of your own to go along with your presentation, contact Tim Belczak to get on the list. We’d like to fill the list up several months in advance to give members the opportunity to brew an example for the presentation if they desire.

Meeting was adjourned and we shared some delicious homebrew with one another.

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