Volume XIX, Issue 8 THE NEWSLETTER OF TH E NORTH TEXAS August 2004 HOME BREWERS ASSOCIA TION, INC. LIVIN’ THE BREWS

cer to be involved in planning August 2004 August Meeting: of upcoming events. My first Tuesday, Aug. 10th, 7PM year in the club I was involved Flying Saucer in as much as I could, I even 14999 Montfort Dr created events for other mem- Dallas, TX 75254-7519 ber to attend with the support of the offices, The following year I was an officer and I have and your family and startup up been an officer for 6 or 7 years. conservation. As the club I have lost count but I have en- membership grows we have joyed the club and its mem- new faces and more names to bers. We are looking for peo- remember. ple that will help shape the club and support future events so On Sunday as Bill talked about please get involved. the party and all that beer, I just had to sit there as my Remember, we always need mouth started to water thinking beer for competitions so check about what I had missed. the web site and speak with Walter, our competition coordi- For you members that missed nator and see what we have this party, it won’t by long be- coming up. We need entries if fore we have the Oktoberfest we intend to win!! Prez Sez party. I think it will be in Octo- ber, so that’s only a couple of Enjoy and Happy Brewing months away. So get prepared I hope all of you brewers en- and I will make this one. Bo Turton joyed the summer party. That was the one night that I set Our next meeting will be at the aside and was determined to Flying Saucer in Addison. I will relax and drink some home be out of town but I know Welcome New Members! brewed beer. BUT!!! How time someone will fill in for me and would have it, I was not able to we will have another great go. For all of you that did go, meeting. Nathan Pruitt we had all the home brewed Robert Jacobs beer and food that you could One last thing, I want to thank Michael Weaver eat. I heard that everyone had everyone for your involvement a great time and I hope all you in all the club events. This Noel Johnston new members meet and had year has turn out being a busy James Bueti some great conservation with year for me and the other offi- Michael Schreiber other club members. cers have filled the gaps. Eve- Scott Wold ryone has worked hard and As a club we have events to every club event has been a bring people together to meet great success. and have a great time. So don’t be shy, just introduced yourself You do not have to be an offi- LIVIN' THE BREWS 2

PILSNER - - - - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL - SCHWARZBIER - BREWER ROYALE 2004 that they arrived on 20-ft goose-neck trailers hauled by Style of the Month dualie pickups. It was really a kick to see what each team

brought. August Cat. 17 September Smoked Beer Cat. 23 November IPA Cat. 7

Standings Points Steve Haney 7 Jim Layton 5 Darrel Simon 3 Bill Dubas 3

What’s on “NET Hoppers” and the “Knights of the Brown Bottle”) Tap? and enjoyed many pints of Big Kelly Harris, Steve & MaryLinda By Bill Dubas Buck beer. We also took it Jones — the Divine Wind Team upon ourselves to be event am- bassadors by educating pass- Summer is usually a time for ers-by about the merits of brew- Texas homebrewers to put ing your own. Raymond was away their mash paddles for 2 pleased with the turn-out, de- or 3 months and wait for the spite the hot weather, and 100 degree temperatures to hopes to host another brew day subside. It’s just too dang hot once cooler temperatures come to get out in the sun next to a our way. hot propane cooker and brew a batch of beer. But a few of our The next weekend was the heartier members have braved IRON MASH competition over Bill Lawrence & Richard Harris the sweltering heat over the at Rahr & Sons Brewery in Fort past few weekends to partici- Worth. This event was a pate in local homebrewing ac- BLAST! There were probably tivities. 12-15 teams, 4 of them from our own club, and we brewed Steve Hacker, Richard Harris up a storm. The event began and I attended the July brew at 8AM with many of the teams day sponsored by Raymond arriving and setting up their Plasek and Big Buck Brewery home breweries. There were in Grapevine. Although the 5-gallon extract teams, 5-gallon Bill, Bill and Curtis — the BBC three of us did not brew, we of- all-grain teams, and 10-gallon Brewing Co. fered support to the other all-grain teams. Some set-ups brewers that attended (there were rather primitive and sim- were three brewers from the ple. Others were so elaborate (Continued on page 3)

PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER LIVIN' THE BREWS 3

PILSNER - HELLES - BITTER - PALE ALE - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - ALTBIER - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL STOUT - SCHWARZBIER - BOCK (Continued from page 2) fat starter of the Chico yeast. before my fork even touched it. The ingredients were handed Rahr & Sons were great hosts. What that man can do to a out at 9AM and this is what we They let us use their water and chunk of cow is downright ended up with (for a 10-gallon electricity in addition to their amazing. The club members all-grain batch): 14 lbs 2-row, parking lot. Fritz and Erin Rahr also came through with plenty 2 lbs victory, 2 lbs 60L crystal, were there the whole day, as of side dishes, including a 2 lbs aromatic, 2 lbs corn was brewer Jason Courtney. homemade ice cream made by sugar, 2 lbs chocolate malt, 2 Everyone was treated to a Kathy Williams that contained lbs flaked rye, 3 oz Galena, 1 MASSIVE BBQ lunch and we Young’s Double Chocolate oz Northern Brewer, 1 oz Cas- are all invited back to the post- Stout. We had plenty of differ- cade, 1 oz Liberty, 1 oz ginger event party when the beers are ent beer styles to choose from, root, and a bunch of mint judged. ranging from a few American- leaves. Each team could bring style ales to a number of “it 2 yeast starters to use. What That same night, the NTHBA doesn’t fit a category but I love would you make out of that? held its second annual summer it” beers. All were excellent. You could choose to use as lit- party. This event was held at The best part was that the tle or as many of the ingredi- Bill James’ house, or more ap- brewer was there and willing to ents and you wish. The BBC propriately, in his back yard share his or her methods and Brewing Company, consisting around the swimming pool and recipe. of Bill Hensley, Curtis Martin, spa. We had a very good turn- and me, decided to make an out and I counted at least 10 or So what’s on tap for the next American Brown ale with 12 lbs 12 kegs at various locations few months? Well, I’m glad of the 2-row, 1 lb each of the around the pool. Bill James you asked. Walter Hodges has victory, crystal, and flaked rye, was an excellent host and decided to host 2 upcoming 10 oz of the chocolate, 2 oz of Ernest Paul Pewitt provided events. The first will be a brew Galena, 1 oz of Northern some of the best damned bris- day at his home on Saturday, Brewer, and dry hop with 1 oz ket that I have ever tasted. It August 21st. Please see the of Cascade. We pitched a nice was so tender that it fell apart map in this issue of the news- letter for directions to Walter’s Brewday #7 and Octoberfest Party home. The second event will Walter Hodges be the club’s Oktoberfest party. 2203 Le Mans Dr This will be held on Saturday, Carrollton, TX 75006-4334, October 16th. Expect more de- tails in next month’s newsletter regarding this party.

Are you interested in hosting a NTHBA brew day at your home? We need someone to volunteer to host a brew day in November, preferably on Sat- urday the 6th, which is the na- tional “Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day”, but any weekend day is fine. If you can help out, please contact me at [email protected].

PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - TRIPEL - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER LIVIN' THE BREWS 4

PILSNER - HELLES - BITTER - PALE ALE - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - ALTBIER - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL STOUT - SCHWARZBIER - BOCK Brewer’s Trav- weraerts (a computer engi- café. We returned to the brew- els: neer). The brewery initially had ery at 2PM to meet our tour A visit to a capacity of 250 liters (~65 guide, who turned out to be Achouffe gal.) and was run as a hobby. Chris Bauweraerts, one of the By Bill Dubas In 1984, they expanded the founders! What luck! brewery to a capacity of 700 Chris took us on a very infor- I’ve toured dozens of breweries liters (~184 gal.), requiring Pi- since I became interested in erre to quit his day job to de- beer about 10 years ago. vote full-time to the brewery. A Some, like Anheuser-Busch in few years later, their system St. Louis MO, are huge indus- had reached a capacity of trial mega-complexes that 2,200 liters (~580 gal.), so a churn out millions of barrels of group of farm buildings were beer per year. Others, like purchased in which to house Brewing Company in the growing brewery. At this Blanco TX, are small craft time, Chris also quit his day job breweries that only serve their and joined Pierre full-time at the state or region. You never brewery. Chris Showing Us The Brewhouse know what each tour will bring. You may be part of a large Business was going so well that mative and thorough tour of the group of people herded around in 1992 they decided to build a brewery, describing the equip- by a slick PR person. You may modern 7000 liter (~1840 gal) ment, the beers, and the his- show up at a bad time and get brew house and fermenting tory of Achouffe. He then took a quick tour by an employee room. Both were designed and us out to the small parking lot that is not familiar with the built in Belgium, and were spe- in front of the brewery and said brewery. Other times you may cially made to produce strong, “C’mon, let’s go to the bottling get lucky and receive a private bottle conditioned specialty line”. I thought that we would tour by the owner or the head beers. And speaking of beers, be walking to a nearby build- brewer. Such was the case the Achouffe Brewery has two ing, but instead he lead us over when my wife and I visited regular products. “La Chouffe” to his personal car, an Audi A6 Brasserie D’Achouffe. is a strong, spicy, lightly Avant, and told us to hop in. It hopped golden ale made with turns out that the bottling line pilsner malt, pale candi sugar was at a separate building a and coriander. It starts out at 16 few kilometers away. After a Plato and reaches 8% alcohol few minutes of quick driving by volume. “Mc Chouffe” is along windy country roads, we similar in composition, but is arrived. Chris spent the next made with dark candi sugar half hour showing us the bot- and no coriander. Both beers tling line, the refermentation are unpasteurized and unfil- room where the beer is bottle tered. conditioned, and the quality control laboratory. He even My wife and I arrived at the gave us samples of La Chouffe The Achouffe Brewery is a brewery, with no appointment, directly off the line and a few small family-run brewery lo- right before lunch on a Thurs- souvenir bottles of La Chouffe cated in the hamlet of Achouffe, day. We were met by Berna- to take with us. in a spectacular valley in the dette in the gift shop. After Ardennes, just north of Bas- making a few phone calls, Ber- togne, in the Belgian province nadette asked if we could re- of Luxembourg. It was founded turn at 2PM for a private tour. in the late 1970’s by two broth- Of course we could! With a few ers-in-law, Pierre Gobron (a hours to kill, Julie and I drove production manager in an ice around the beautiful country- cream factory) and Chris Bau- side and had lunch at a nearby (Continued on page 5)

PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - TRIPEL - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER LIVIN' THE BREWS 5

PILSNER - HELLES - BITTER - PALE ALE - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - ALTBIER - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL STOUT - SCHWARZBIER - BOCK (Continued from page 4) clubs as well this year. I have expanded the list to include everyone I could find an email for. Please pass the word, no one is excluded. The more ideas the better.

You can call me anytime if you have an email address to add, or an idea to share. Hope to see a big turnout on The Bottling Line the 8th. Richard Dobson 940-665-3269 [email protected] The Perfessor Cheers! “Gone Fishin’” If you want more info on the Achouffe Brewery, you can visit By Pat Kruger

their web site at www.achouffe. Chris Pouring a Sample of La Choufe be. The Prof is on vacation! Once we returned to the brew- ery, Chris led us to the Achouffe Café, which adjoins the brewery. “I want you to taste something special”, he said. He returned with a glass of beer for us to drink. My first impression of the beer was that it fit the Belgian Wit style. It was cloudy and pale, and had a hint of acidity. It also seemed to be spiced, probably with cori- ander. When I told him my im- Bluebonnet pression of the beer, Chris con- fided that it was a new beer that Planing Get your T-shirts! Achouffe was testing. It was If you renewed your membership indeed a Belgian Wit and they by the June 1st deadline then you were consulting with Pierre Ce- Meeting #3 are entitled to a free club T-shirt. lis to develop it. Richard Harris brings them to each meeting, so find him, show him We sat and talked with Chris for There will be a Bluebonnet your membership card, and he’ll planning meeting Sunday Au- give you your shirt and check you another 10 minutes, but unfor- off the list. tunately had more sight-seeing gust 8th, 2pm, at BJ's in Lewis- that we wanted to do. We re- ville. Intersection of I35E and If you didn’t make the deadline, luctantly said our goodbyes, but 121 (not 121 Business). NW you can purchase as many T- not before Chris provided us corner of that intersection. shirts as you would like for $15 with a map, hand-drawn on the each. The shirts are well done back of a coaster, to another We have been using the same and look great. The money we artisan brewery nearby that he email notification list as last collect for these shirts will help pay for all the fun things we do year, but the word doesn't recommended. throughout the year. seem to be sifting through the PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - TRIPEL - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER LIVIN' THE BREWS 6

PILSNER - HELLES - BITTER - PALE ALE - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - ALTBIER - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL STOUT - SCHWARZBIER - BOCK Beer News From produced "chicha," an alcoholic sion chiller, place it in a Around the World: drink derived at the time mainly bucket of ice water and at- 1,000 Year Old Brew- from a berry of the molle pep- ery Unearthed tach it between the counter- per plant. Modern chicha is flow unit and the fermenter. made from corn. This can easily bring the wort down to lager tempera- MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. re- Last year University of Florida archeologists discovered what tures even in August. searchers have unearthed what they say may be the oldest they think are halls for "ritual Remember, when brewing in known brewery in the Andes, a intoxication" at Cerro Baul, pre-Incan plant at least 1,000 where Wari noblemen appar- Texas in August please drink years old that could produce ently feasted and drank. enough water (not beer) to drinks for hundreds of people at keep yourself hydrated and one sitting. Mike Moseley, associate chair- cool! man of anthropology at the uni- The University of Florida said versity, said the halls "become The Doctor will try to an- on Thursday that its archeolo- a place where politics are nego- swer any reader submitted gists and researchers from the tiated and economic decisions brewing woes! Please Field Museum in Chicago found are made." Williams said each email any questions to nobleman would have con- the brewery at Cerro Baul, a [email protected] mountaintop religious center of sumed up to 2.6 gallons of the Wari empire that ruled what chicha per ceremony. is now Peru hundreds of years The site appears to have been Important Dates before the Incas. destroyed in a closing rite. The August Wari burned the structures,

At least 20 ceramic, 10- to 15- threw their mugs into the em- 8th gallon vats were found at the bers and laid down a half- Bluebonnet Planning Meeting site some 8,000 feet up in the dozen necklaces of semipre- 2pm at BJ's in Lewisville mountains of southern Peru. cious stones as they left, said

Moseley. "You get the idea that this is massive production, not just Doctor Bock: 21st your basic household making Answers to Your Brew Day #7: August 21st at beer to consume by itself," Brewing Woes Walter Hodges' home in Car- Susan deFrance, an assistant rollton. The club will be pro- professor of anthropology at the viding a keg of beer. Educa- University of Florida, said in a tional Topic: TBD. statement. Dear Doc, I can’t believe it! I just meas-

Patrick Ryan Williams, assis- ured my tap water temp — tant curator at the Field Mu- it’s 90 degrees. I use a seum, said the site was remark- counterflow chiller, how can I able for its size. Small-scale cool my wort? Does this brewing is known to have been mean that I have to stop done in the Andes for thou- brewing for the summer sands of years, he said by tele- months? phone from Peru. The Doc Says: The Wari civilization thrived When brewing during the from about A.D. 700 to 1000, conquering all of what is mod- hottest months, your ern Peru before swiftly and counter-flow chiller alone mysteriously declining. won’t be able to get you down to ferment tempera- The brewery is thought to have ture. If you have an immer-

PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - TRIPEL - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER LIVIN' THE BREWS 7

PILSNER - HELLES - BITTER - PALE ALE - CALIFORNIA COMMON - SCOTTISH - KOELSCH - ALTBIER - OKTOBERFEST - VIENNA - BROWN - BARLEYWINE - IMPERIAL STOUT - SCHWARZBIER - BOCK

programming, but would also Available for Hire like to expand into other areas. TheThe BrewingBrewing Previous employers have I recently lost my software included Nokia, EquipmentEquipment engineering job at Nokia Texas Instruments and General due to foreign Dynamics. outsourcing. I would like to TradingTrading PostPost ask my fellow NTHBA club Please contact Bill Dubas at members to assist me 972-862-8518 or with my job networking. Do [email protected].

Job Wants and Needs you know of any openings where you work? Do you To list Your equipment, include the following: “Brewer’s Dream Job” know any friends that may 1. Description of item(s) Experienced beer and wine have openings where they 2. Whether it is “For Sale,” “Will Trade makers wanted for weekend work? I would appreciate for…?,” or “Free, come and get it” 3. Your name. work: OK money, excellent any information that leads to 4. How and when to contact you. employee discounts! my eventual employment in a You can give the information to Steve contact: similar position Atkinson at our Club meeting or email Kelly Harris @ in the north Dallas area. [email protected] Homebrew Headquarters,Inc. 972-234-4411 I have extensive experience Or in full life-cycle development brewmaster@homebrewhq. of embedded com software systems. I specialize in C language

North Texas Home Brewers Association, North Texas Inc. Home Brewers Association, Inc. President Bo Turton (214 ) 538-9178 The North Texas [email protected] Home Brewers 1st Vice President Walter Hodges (972) 416-9330 Assoc. is a group [email protected] with an interest in 2nd Vice President Bill Dubas (972) 862-8518 beer in general and [email protected] home brewing in Secretary Stephen Atkinson (214) 952-6158 particular. We meet NTHBA [email protected] once a month on the second Tuesday Treasurer Bill Lawrence (972) 644-8878 at various locations in the area. [email protected] Visitors are welcome! "Livin' the Minister of Education Pat Kruger (972)410-0188 Brews" is our newsletter and is [email protected] published about once a month. We do Past President Richard Harris (972) 394-8166 accept advertising, although the [email protected] NTHBA, its officers, assignees and editors are not liable for losses or damages resulting from mistakes or Club Brewmeisters misprints, or any other con- sequences of advertising in this or Club "Brewmeisters" are members who are experienced brewers and have any other publication. Ads are $30 for volunteered to help other brewers, both new and old, who are having a 1/3 page and $50 for a full page, problems. Give them a call with your questions! Just don't call too late or too subject to change without notice. early or during Cowboy games! Readers are encouraged to submit articles. The deadline for ads and Russ Bee [email protected] (972) 771-9489 articles each month is 14 days prior to Darrell Simon (972) 675-5562 the next club meeting. McKee Smith (972) 393-3569 Jim Layton [email protected] (903) 546-6989 Visit the NTHBA Website at Homebrew Headquarters (972) 234-4411 http://www.hbd.org/nthba/

PORTER - STOUT - WEIZEN - BERLINER WEISSE - DUBBEL - TRIPEL - WITBIER - BIERE DE GARDE - SAISON - LAMBIC - GUEUZE - OLD BRUIN - FRUIT/VEGETABLE BEER - RAUCHBIER - MEAD - CIDER Livin' the Brews Newsletter Stephen Atkinson, Editor c/o Homebrew Headquarters 300 N. Coit Rd, Suite 134 Richardson, Texas 75080

If you received this with a yellow post office forwarding sticker, please give Bill Lawrence a call at (972) 644-8878 and give him your new address.