Author: Ken DeMarree

July 2019 Newsletter

NAH Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our July business meeting at Crazy Jakes on July 23rd.  Approximately 20 members and guests were present. We welcomed a new member, Charles L’Hommedieu and a first time attendee, James.

We recapped our July social at the new Resurgence Brewing location in on Chicago St. in Buffalo, which included a tour of the new facility, and discussed upcoming events.

For our beer education, Mark Zambron presented weizenbock and provided us with two commercial samples, two of his own homebrew samples, plus an aged homebrew sample from Dan Cassetta.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our August Social will be held on Tuesday, August 13th at the new Prosper Brewery at 72 Webster St in North Tonawanda.  They will be opening just for our group. Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

If you brewed a German style at the Brew at the Bison, and are interested in entering it into the competition for the event, please contact Tim Belczak, as judging will take place in the coming weeks.

The Erie County Fair will be held August 8-18th, and we will again have a homebrew demonstration booth in the Grange Building, organized by Mark Zambron.  Brewers who are interested in sharing their knowledge or brewing a demonstration beer on the 3-gallon BIAB equipment that Mark has set up are encouraged to sign up here: https://teamup.com/ksmn89oh8qs9gbfv6f

The Dude Hates Cancer is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society featuring a homebrew competition with 25 local brewers serving their beer at the event, which will be held on Saturday August 10th at Resurgence Brewing Co.  More information is available on their website.

The Heritage Brewer’s Guild will be brewing a Steinbier at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village’s annual Scottish Festival on August 17th.  If you’re attending the festival, stop by to say hi, and If you’re interested in helping with the brew demo, contact Keith Curtachio.

Das Hasbrauers von Buffalo are organizing the Annual Homebrewer Picnic on August 18th at Chestnut Ridge Park. The picnic will be held in shelter 19a at the park from 1-6pm.  Brewers are encouraged to bring a dish to pass and beer to share, and the Hasbrauers will provide pulled pork, hot dogs, beans, and slaw.  The shelter is near bathrooms and playground equipment, and the event is family-friendly.

The Salt City Homebrew Competition in Syracuse will be held the weekend of September 13th.  Entries are open and the local drop off site is Niagara Traditions.  Competition details can be found here.

A BJCP Mead Tasting Exam will be held August 24th in Toronto.  Open slots are available – if you’re interested in taking the exam, email eric.cousineau18@gmail.com.

Save the date for the Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition, which will be held the weekend of February 21st.  Judging will be held at the Erie County Fairgrounds and the banquet will be held at UBs Center for Tomorrow.

June 2019 Newsletter

NAH Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our June business meeting at Crazy Jakes on June 25th.  Approximately 25 members and guests were present. We welcomed a new member, David.

We recapped our June events, including our social at the new Woodcock Bros location in North Tonawanda and the Brew at the Bison event at Flying Bison, and discussed upcoming events.

For our beer education, Tom Reed presented kveik and provided us with two samples he’d homebrewed at very different temperature conditions.

Upcoming events and notifications:

The Hasbrauers von Buffalo will be organizing the homebrewers summer picnic in mid/late August.  To express a date preference, fill out the form here.

Our July Social will be held on Tuesday, July 9th at the new Resurgence Brewing Company location at 55 Chicago Street.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

A new BJCP Study Group is forming which will take place every other Tuesday starting July 16th @ 7:30pm. Contact John Crossett (jpcrossett@gmail.com) if you’re interested in the class and in becoming a BJCP judge.

The Erie County Fair will be held August 8-18th, and we will again have a homebrew demonstration booth in the Grange Building, organized by Mark Zambron.  Brewers who are interested in sharing their knowledge or brewing a demonstration beer on the 3-gallon BIAB equipment that Mark has set up are encouraged to sign up here: https://teamup.com/ksmn89oh8qs9gbfv6f

The Dude Hates Cancer is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society featuring a homebrew competition with 25 local brewers serving their beer at the event, which will be held on Saturday August 10th at Resurgence Brewing Co.  Brewers who are interested in serving at the event are encouraged to sign up on their website.

Our August Social will be held on Tuesday, August 13th at the new Prosper Brewery at 72 Webster St in North Tonawanda.  They will be opening just for our group. Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

 

May 2019 Newsletter

NAH Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our May business meeting at Crazy Jakes on May 28th.  Approximately 21 members or guests were present.

We recapped our May events, including our social at Flying Bison, and discussed upcoming events.

 

Congratulations were extended to John Crossett, Brian Milleville, and Mark Zambron for winning Best in Show at the Erie County Fair competition for their Leichtbier.  Brian also won 3rd in the show with his German Pils.  In addition, Mark Zambron, Mark Scibilia, Tom Reed, Kevin Ditondo, and Ken DeMarree placed at UNYHA.

 

We welcomed new members Paul Weisenburger and Mike Nowakowski, and had one new prospective member (David) in attendance.

 

For our beer education, Scott Kroon presented Maibock/Helles Bock and provided us with two commercial examples to taste.  We also tasted the bourbon barrel barleywine project in its 9-month state. It will be bottled (and the barrels refilled) on Labor Day weekend.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our June Social will be held on Tuesday, June 11th at Woodcock Brewery’s new location in North Tonawanda at 908 Niagara Falls Blvd.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

Brew at the Bison is scheduled for Saturday, June 15th starting at 8am at Flying Bison. This is a club tradition that started as a “combat brew” at a club member’s house along the Niagara River, and moved to an annual event at Flying Bison.  We will have access to Flying Bison’s hot liquor tank, so you can mash in nearly as soon as you arrive!  The theme is German Styles, and there will be a competition on August ($3 entry) for any German style beers brewed at the even.  The event it potluck, so bring a dish to pass.  NAH will provide Bratwurst as a main course. More details can be found on the event page.

 

A new BJCP Study Group is forming which will take place every other Tuesday starting July 16th @ 7:30pm. Contact John Crossett (jpcrossett@gmail.com) if you’re interested in the class and in becoming a BJCP judge.

 

The Dude Hates Cancer is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society featuring a homebrew competition with 25 local brewers serving their beer at the event, which will be held on Saturday August 10th at Resurgence Brewing Co.  Brewers who are interested in serving at the event are encouraged to sign up on their website.

 

Our August Social will be held on Tuesday, August 13th at the new Prosper Brewery at 72 Webster St in North Tonawanda.  They will be opening just for our group. Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

April 2019 Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our April business meeting at Crazy Jakes on April 23rd.  Approximately 17 members or guests were present.

We recapped our April events, including Maple Weekend and our social at Froth Brewing Co, and discussed upcoming events. Tim Collins discussed the (long) history of the Brew at the Bison event, and encouraged everyone to attend. For our beer education, Mark Scibilia presented Kentucky Common and provided us with a (very tasty and drinkable) homebrewed example.

Upcoming events and notifications:

The Erie County Fair judging is this weekend – please contact Paula Smith (psmith@ecfair.org) if you can help with judging or stewarding.

Our May Social will be held on Tuesday, May 14th Flying Bison Brewing Co, located at 840 Seneca Street in Buffalo.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

UNYHA will be holding their hombrew competition on May 18th, with entries due by May 8th.  Entries can be dropped off at Niagara Traditions.

Finally, Brew at the Bison is scheduled for Saturday, June 15th at Flying Bison. This is a club tradition that started as a “combat brew” at a club member’s house along the Niagara River, and moved to an annual event at Flying Bison.  We will have access to Flying Bison’s hot liquor tank, so you can mash in nearly as soon as you arrive!  More details will follow.

 

March 2019 Newsletter

March 2019 Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our March business meeting at Crazy Jakes on March 26th.  Approximately 18 members were present.

We recapped our March events, including Art of Beer, our social at Belt Line Brewery, and Beerology, as well as the Amber Waves of Grain homebrew competition.  Thank you to the many people who helped to make AWOG a success, and congratulations to Mark Zambron for his Best of Show winning Gueuze.  We voted in a new member, Tom Sirgey.  Jim Gorman discussed mash tun construction and members shared their equipment/setups.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Maple Weekend at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is scheduled for March 30-31 from 9am-4pm.  There will be a brewing with maple sap homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping with the homebrew demo.

Our April Social will be held on Wednesday April 10th at Froth Brewing Co at 700 Military Rd, Buffalo. Froth is a new brewery that opened in January.  They’ll provide us with a tour of their facility.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

The Erie County Fair will be holding their homebrew competition soon, and entries will be due April 5th at the fairgrounds or at Flying Bison.  See their website for accepted styles and entry information.  New this year, they will also have a cider making competition.

UNYHA will be holding their hombrew competition on May 18th, with entries due by May 8th.  Entries can be dropped off at Niagara Traditions.

Finally, Brew at the Bison is scheduled for Saturday, June 15th at Flying Bison. More details will follow.

February 2019 Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We held our February business meeting at Crazy Jakes on January 22nd.  Approximately 22 members were present.

We recapped our February social and discussed upcoming events.  Brian Milleville presented Dark Mild and provided two homebrewed examples for us to try. Jim Gorman will be discussing mash tun construction at our March meeting, and brewers are encouraged to bring their tun to discuss different setup options.  In addition, we tasted samples from each of the barrels for the club barleywine project.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our March Social will be held on March 12th at Belt Line Brewery and Kitchen at 545 Swan St. in Buffalo.  Belt Line is a new brewery that opened in January.  They’ll provide us with a tour of their facility.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is scheduled for March 15-16 at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.  Registration is open, and entries are due March 2nd.  Dropoff locations are Niagara Traditions, Flying Bison, and Southtown Beverage (Rochester).  If you are interested in volunteering at the event (e.g., judging or stewarding), you can use the registration link above.  The awards banquet details are being finalized, so look for more information soon.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.  We will be helping Niagara Traditions with their homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping with the homebrew demo, or Niagara Traditions if you’re interested in pouring beer at the event.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event, and Tom Reed will organize it.  If you’re interested in helping with the demo, contact Tom.

Maple Weekend at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is scheduled for March 30-31 from 9am-4pm.  There will be a brewing with maple homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping with the homebrew demo.

The Erie County Fair will be holding their homebrew competition soon, and entries will be due April 5th at the fairgrounds or at Flying Bison.  See their website for accepted styles and entry information.

Finally, UNYHA will be holding their hombrew competition on May 18th, with entries due by May 8th.  Entries can be dropped off at Niagara Traditions.

 

January 2019 Newsletter

We held our January business meeting at Crazy Jakes on January 22nd.  Approximately 20 members were present.

We recapped our December and January socials and other events, and discussed upcoming events.  Tom Reed presented on Old Ales and provided two examples for us to try.  Brian Milleville will present in February.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our February Social will will be a joint educational/social event on the evening of February 12th.  Former president Scott Kroon’s non-beer life involves temperature measurement and calibration, and he’s offered to do a brief lecture on temperature measurement as well as to provide us with an opportunity to calibrate any temperature devices we bring with us. Starting at 6pm (note the earlier time), we will meet at Scott’s work, Conax Technologies (2300 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga).  Bring your thermometers, temperature controllers, or anything else you’d like calibrated, and Scott will have temperature controlled baths set up at key calibration points, including fermentation, protein rest, and saccharification rest.  Please arrive on time since no one will be able to let you in once the presentation starts. 

After the calibration, we’ll go down the street for a social at World of Beer in the Walden Galleria Mall (near Macy’s department store).

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is scheduled for March 15-16 at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Museum.  Registration will be open soon, and entries will be due on March 1st.  Dropoff locations will be Niagara Traditions, Flying Bison, and Southtown Beverage.  We are in need of someone to take on the role of head steward – please email John Crossett if you are interested or have questions on what that would entail (jpcrossett@gmail.com).  The banquet and awards ceremony will be held at the same location following judging on Saturday, and will feature a people’s choice competition for any homebrew served at the banquet.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.  We will be helping Niagara Traditions with their homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event, and Tom Reed will organize it.  For those who attended the meeting on Tuesday, I just received word that the kitchen space (Bite Size Science) we’ve used in recent years will be available for our use.

December NAH Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

Our January Social will be held at Sato Brewpub on January 8 from 7-10pm.  Head brewer Andrew Hardin will be joining us.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is tentatively scheduled for t         he weekend of March 15th.  This is a large event and requires assistance in a variety of roles.  If you are interested in helping in any way, please email John Crossett (jpcrossett@gmail.com).

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event.

The NYS British Real Ale Festival is February 9th in Rock Stream, NY.  Prior to the event, they will hold a homebrew competition. Entries are due by January 16th.

November 2018 Meeting Minutes & News

We had a good turnout for our November meeting at Dan G’s house. About 20 members attended.

Our second annual Beer Advent Exchange boxes were distributed.   If you have any questions, contact Dan G.

Learn to Homebrew Day was November 3rd at Niagara Traditions  Tim C and and Keith lead a homebrew demo, and many club members stopped by to talk with attendees and share their homebrew.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Roggenbier presented by Caelen and Bob.  They shared two homebrew and one commercial examples.  Thanks Caelen and Bob for giving the presentation.  We’re seeking volunteers for January.

We tasted samples from the barleywine bourbon barrel project.  Next into the barrels, in 3-15 months time, will be a Russian Imperial Stout and a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. If you have any questions about the project, email Vince.

Upcoming Events:

Santas of Swig is scheduled for Saturday, December 1st (TODAY) from 1-4pm at Buffalo Iron Works.  This is a homebrew tasting/competition with all proceeds benefiting the Matt Urban Center’s Hope House Homeless Shelter for Women and Children.  Please see http://sultansofswig.wixsite.com/sultans/santasofswig for more info.

The Multi-Club Homebrew Holiday Party will be held Monday, December 3rd at Flying Bison from 6:30-9:30pm. Please bring a dish to pass. You can also bring a bottle of home/commercial beer for a secret santa bottle exchange, a new blanket to donate to Warm up WNY, and/or $5 to donate to Food Bank of WNY.

The December social is scheduled for Wednesday December 12 from 6-9pm at the new Blackbird Cider Works Buffalo Cider Hall. The address is155 Chandler Street Suite 4, Buffalo, New York 14207

Note, there will be no December meeting because the date falls on Christmas.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of March 15th.  If you are interested in helping in any way, please email John Crossett.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm.

The NYS British Real Ale Festival is Februrary 9th in Rock Stream, NY.  Prior to the event, they will hold a homebrew competition. Entries are due by January 16th.

October News and Business Meeting Minutes

Hello Everyone,

We had a good turnout for our October meeting. About 20 members attended.

Our October social at Community Brew Works had a great turnout of around 25 people.  The new space is a major upgrade, and we got to see it up close with a tour by CBW president Ethan Cox.

In the next week or so, please complete this Social Survey to help us plan better social events: https://buffalocas.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Sty28Pk3h8r2qp

Our second annual Beer Advent Exchange is gearing up.  If you’re signed up, please get a case of beer to Dan G. by November 24th. An ideal place to get them to him is at our November social at Pizza Plant (details below). Beers will be re-distributed back to participants at the November business meeting, which will be at Dan’s house (details below).

The Greater Toronto Area Brew Slam is Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th.  Entry deadline is Saturday, November 3rd.  There is a stipend and accommodation allowance for judging if traveling from out of the area.  Please see https://www.gtabrews.ca/brew-slam/ for more info on brewing or attending.

Santas of Swig is scheduled for Saturday, December 1st from 1-4pm at Buffalo Iron Works.  This is a homebrew tasting/competition with all proceeds benefiting the Matt Urban Center’s Hope House Homeless Shelter for Women and Children.  Please see http://sultansofswig.wixsite.com/sultans/santasofswig for more info.

A BJCP Mead exam will take place on January 19th, 2019 at 810 Meadworks in Medina.  See Alex P. for information about the exam.  Classes will be the first and second Wednesday in November at Lilly Belle Meads in Lancaster from 7pm to 9pm.  Please contact Mark Z. to sign up for the classes.

The Multi-Club Homebrew Holiday Party will be held Monday, December 3rd at Flying Bison from 6:30-9:30pm. More details will follow on Facebook and via email as they are nailed down.

Learn to Homebrew Day is November 3rd. There will be a homebrewing demonstration at Niagara Traditions starting around 11am, and members are encouraged to attend and to bring homebrew to share with prospective new brewers.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Double IPA presented by Vince with one homebrew and two commercial examples.  Thanks Vince for giving the presentation.  Next month’s style will be Roggenbier.

The November social is scheduled for the Williamsville Pizza Plant (7770 Transit Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221) on Tuesday, November 13th from 7pm to 10pm.  Note that Dan G. will be getting there early (6:30) to accept any advent calendar beers.

The November Business Meeting will be held at Dan G’s house. Dan’s address is 22 Primrose Lane, East Amherst, NY 14051. As with a normal business meeting, there will be brief updates on local beer news and events, style presentation, and sharing of homebrew, so bring your tasting glass.

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