Upcoming JRHB Events

Wednesday August 13^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

Dominion Cup Planning/Style Discussion

Saturday August 30^th

Dominion Cup Competition

Capital Ale House (downtown music hall)

Wednesday September 10^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

Oktoberfest Beers

AHA Club Only Competition - Imperial Anything

Saturday September 13^th

2008 ClusterBrew - Tentative

Weekend Brewer

Wednesday September 17^th

Board of Directors Meeting

Legends

Wednesday October 8^th

Regular Club Meeting at Legends

Saturday October 25^th

Hallowfest Party - Tentative

For updated information and the club forum visit

http://www.jrhb.org/

*****************************

15^th Annual Dominion Cup Competition

The 15^th annual Dominion Cup homebrew competition will be held Saturday August 30, 2008 at the Capital Ale House downtown music hall. Judging will be conducted by a mix of BJCP ranked judges both from our club and other regional homebrew clubs and possibly some regional brewmasters, and beer distribution representatives. Judging will start early Saturday morning and conclude by late afternoon. After judging is completed an awards ceremony is held to recognize the best beers of each judging flight along with the presentation of awards and prizes for the top beers. The brewer of the best-of-show beer will have their name added to the Dominion Cup trophy joining the list of the fourteen previous winners. This is a AHA and BJCP sanctioned homebrewing competition. We have a large quantity of very nice prizes to be awarded again this year.

We need club members to help with not only judging, but to steward judging tables, help with getting entries from the cellar to the judging tables, and a long list of related activities. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the other homebrewers from around Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina as well as see how a sanctioned competition is organized and run.

We also need club members to ENTER YOUR BEERS. Our friends from CASK in Williamsburg are gunning for us again this year and will be at the competition in force. They have sworn to take the Dominion Cup from the JRHB for the FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR.

Entry forms, instructions, and a list of FAQ’s is available on the JRHB homepage. If you have questions or are available to help please let William Spiesberger know. His email is competitioncoordinator@jrhb.org

*****************************

July Meeting Recap

President Mike Lang called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with approximately thirty members and guests in attendance. First order of business was to turn off the stereo which was accomplished at 7:04 p.m. Mike thanked Tom Martin and the Legends staff for their hospitality. A number of guests joining the meeting were recognized including Jim, Bruce, Greg, Craig, and Steve. Welcome to our newest member David Sommer.

Mike extended thanks to all who volunteered and weathered the Rhythm Brews and Bets Festival at Colonial Downs.

We also recognized and thanked Dan Mouer for hosting a phenomenal summer gathering at his residence. Additional club T-shirts are available for $10.00 each, or two for $20.00.

Brian “Butters” Davis presented William Spiesberger with a pink club T-Shirt, a color that William had lobbied hard for. Thanks Butters for heading up the T-Shirt procurement initiative.

Butters and his spouse Beth will be moving in August to Nashville TN for a (hopefully) brief corporate training stint. We wish them the best of luck and will keep a few beers cold in the back of the fridge for their anticipated return.

William Spiesberger gave an update on plans for the Dominion Cup Competition. (see related article)

Legends brewer Mike Killelea then gave the club members a guided tour of the Legend brewhouse and facilities, and answered a barrage of brewing questions from club members. The tour ended with a sampling of some of the tasty Legend beers. Thanks Mike for an interesting an informative session.

To wrap up the meeting VP Robert Doucet held another fantastic club raffle. Incapable of further business, the meeting sort of flowed out into the night.

*****************************

Beer Forges Ahead In Latest Gallup Poll

Beer’s lead over wine and spirits has returned to double digits for the first time since 2002, particularly among adults between the ages of 30 and 49 who tried wine for a few years then switched back to beer, according to a new Gallup poll. The survey is good news for local brewers, but not-so-good news for spirits and wine-makers.

Meanwhile, new data released by the Brewers Association of Boulder, Colo., show that craft beer remains the fastest growing segment of the beer market. For the first half of 2008, craft beer sales were up 11 percent compared with the same period last year.

The rate of craft beer sales growth was still lower than the 16 percent increase for all of 2007, according to the Brewers Association. The association noted that the craft beer industry is struggling with the soft economy, raw material supplies and pricing.

Gallup's annual Consumption Habits poll shows that in combined data from its 2004 and 2005 surveys, drinkers between 30 and 49 were about as likely to prefer wine as beer.

Now, drinkers in this age bracket have shifted back to beer, with an average of 47 percent in the combined 2007-08 data, saying they most often drink beer. Drinking preferences among adults ages 21 to 29 have remained stable in recent years, with the majority showing a wide preference for beer.

The Brewers Association data could explain some of that trend. Citing data from The Nielsen Company, the association said beer sales are affected the least by economic downturns, with wine sales showing the most impact. Additionally, craft beer is gaining customers from across all segments of beverage alcohol.

Beer continues to represent the largest segment in the alcohol beverage category in volume and dollar sales, accounting for 56 percent of all alcohol beverage servings, according to the Gallup poll.

***************************

Pub culture goes flat, cold

By JANE WARDELL

Associated Press

LONDON -- Raise a pint to the old British pub: Dark-paneled, fixed on the English landscape -- and, more than ever these days, empty.

Beer sales in British pubs have slumped to their lowest level since the Great Depression, including a 10 percent drop in pints drawn in just the past year, an industry group is reported.

Blame a nationwide smoking ban that took hold last year, rising costs, competition from supermarkets and an economic downturn that has more Britons tossing back a Newcastle or Boddingtons at home and skipping the local watering hole.

''I used to go two or three times a week after work, but now I just stay at home and go once every now and again,'' said Chris Hanson, 43, a carpenter heading to a grocery in the Camden neighborhood of London.

''I do more drinking at home now than at the pubs. They're more for special occasions since it's becoming so expensive,'' he said.

Beer sales in pubs for April through June were down nearly 5 percent from the same period a year ago, the British Beer and Pub Association said in its quarterly Beer Barometer report.

The report said pub managers around Britain are pulling around 14 million pints a day, 1.6 million fewer than last year and seven million fewer than at the height of the market in 1979.

The Campaign for Real Ale, a consumer group promoting traditional pubs, says more than 1,400 pubs made their final ''last calls'' last year. The campaign says more than half of British villages are dry for the first time since the Norman Conquest of 1066.

But how can it be? Beer has been such a staple across the country that bars in many rural pubs are still adorned with personalized drinking cups for regular imbibers.

''Most people are a bit bored with beer,'' explained Anthony Buck, a manager at the Lock 17 bar in Camden. He said beer is being overtaken by drinks like hard cider, which, he said, ``is a lot more fashionable.''

The association says the average price of a pint is about $5, although it can vary considerably from one pub to the next.

It's not that Britons are walking away from beer altogether. The same report showed sales in shops and supermarkets rose nearly 4 percent. The pub industry has criticized supermarkets for selling beers in packs at a lower cost to draw business.

In the United States, beer sales are not tracked specifically from bars, so it's difficult to make a comparison to the British trends, said Eric Shepherd, executive editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, a leading industry newsletter.

But he said anecdotal reports from bars and restaurants suggest more people are staying home to drink, perhaps because of high gas prices or the weak economy.

In Britain, the beer and pub association, whose members brew 98 percent of Britain's beer and include nearly two-thirds of the country's pubs, fear the slower sales will mean more pubs will have to close.

Chief executive Rob Hayward said the government should rethink its alcohol tax, which brings in about $180 million a year. The industry blames annual increases in the tax for a large part of its troubles.

''We need a change of approach from the government,'' Hayward said. ``Brewing is a major industry, beer our national drink, and pubs a treasured part of our national culture.''

Some fear the sliding pub sales will have another effect -- spurring pub owners to return to promotions that encourage binge drinking, such as selling cheap drinks until a team scores in a soccer match.

About half of the 57,000 pubs in Britain have ditched a voluntary ban on aggressive happy-hour deals and other promotions after the beer and pub association said it could violate European competition law.

That has raised speculation about an intense price war among pubs in Britain's major cities and towns.

''Sadly, the trade repeatedly shows that it cannot be relied upon to consistently act in a responsible way,'' said Chris Allison, a spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers.

***************************

AHA – Club Only Competition

From time to time, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) sponsors competitions based on a particular style. These competitions are open only to AHA-affiliated homebrew clubs. Each club holds a competition on the particular style. The winner’s brew is then sent off to be judged with the winners from other homebrew clubs from around the country. Bring in five bottles – two for the local competition and three to send off if you win. Note that all competitions will use the 2008 BJCP Guidelines.

As the entry dates are set for national events, we will include the date that our local competition will be held in the Upcoming JRHB Events listing. Beers winning national competitions help earn Homebrew Club of the Year points for the JRHB.

http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/schedule.html

2008 -2009 Competition Schedule:

September/October 2008 Imperial Anything

Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (C.R.A.F.T.) of Macomb Township, MI

Entries are due 10/11/08

November/December 2008

Celebration of the Hop (IPA)

Scioto Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists (SODZ) club of Delaware, OH

This competition covers BJCP Category 14 styles.

Entries are due TBD

January/February 2009

Belgian & French Ales

Silverado Homebrew Club of St. Charles, IL

This competition covers BJCP Category 16 styles.

Entries are due TBD

March/April 2009

Beers with OG > 1.080

Prairie Homebrewing Companions of Fargo, ND

This competition covers the following beer styles 5C, 5D, 9E, 12C, 13F, 14C, 15C, 16C, 16D, 16E, 18C, 18D, 18E , 20 Fruit Beer over 1.080 OG,

21 Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer over 1.080 OG,

22B Other Smoked Beer over 1.080 OG, 22C Wood-Aged Beer over 1.080 OG, 23 Specialty Beer over 1.080 OG

May 2009

Extract Beers

Knights of the Brown Bottle club of Arlington, TX

Competition covers all BJCP beer categories (1-23)

*****************************

BJCP – Beer Style of the Month

Note: The 2008 BJCP Guidelines are available for download at

http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html

3B. Oktoberfest/Märzen

Aroma: Rich German malt aroma (of Vienna and/or Munich malt). A light to moderate toasted malt aroma is often present. Clean lager aroma with no fruity esters or diacetyl. No hop aroma. Caramel aroma is inappropriate.

Appearance: Dark gold to deep orange-red color. Bright clarity, with solid, off-white, foam stand.

Flavor: Initial malty sweetness, but finish is moderately dry. Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a toasted aspect. Hop bitterness is moderate, and noble hop flavor is low to none. Balance is toward malt, though the finish is not sweet. Noticeable caramel or roasted flavors are inappropriate. Clean lager character with no diacetyl or fruity esters.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with a creamy texture and medium carbonation. Smooth. Fully fermented, without a cloying finish.

Overall Impression: Smooth, clean, and rather rich, with a depth of malt character. This is one of the classic malty styles, with a maltiness that is often described as soft, complex, and elegant but never cloying.

History: Origin is credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr, based on an adaptation of the Vienna style developed by Anton Dreher around 1840, shortly after lager yeast was first isolated. Typically brewed in the spring, signaling the end of the traditional brewing season and stored in cold caves or cellars during the warm summer months. Served in autumn amidst traditional celebrations.

Comments: Domestic German versions tend to be golden, like a strong pils-dominated Helles. Export German versions are typically orange-amber in color, and have a distinctive toasty malt character. German beer tax law limits the OG of the style at 14˚P since it is a vollbier, although American versions can be stronger. “Fest” type beers are special occasion beers that are usually stronger than their everyday counterparts.

Ingredients: Grist varies, although German Vienna malt is often the backbone of the grain bill, with some Munich malt, Pils malt, and possibly some crystal malt. All malt should derive from the finest quality two-row barley. Continental hops, especially noble varieties, are most authentic. Somewhat alkaline water (up to 300 PPM), with significant carbonate content is welcome. A decoction mash can help develop the rich malt profile.

Vital Statistics:

OG: 1.050 – 1.057

IBUs: 20 – 28

FG: 1.012 – 1.016

SRM: 7 – 14

ABV: 4.8 – 5.7%

Commercial Examples: Paulaner Oktoberfest, Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen, Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest, Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Victory Festbier, Great Lakes Oktoberfest, Spaten Oktoberfest, Capital Oktoberfest, Gordon Biersch Märzen, Goose Island Oktoberfest, Samuel Adams Oktoberfest (a bit unusual in its late hopping)

Ray Daniels’ in his book Designing Great Beers has a thorough discussion on the history of the Märzen style. The style appears to have originated in the middle of 19^th century from a professional friendship between a Munich brewer Gabriel Sedlmayr and Anton Dreher who was a Vienna brewer. Basically the style is a stronger version of the Vienna style. Historically the malts used were kilned at slightly higher temperatures than period base lager malts. Saaz appears to be the dominate hop variety historically used, however Dreher was known to like and use Styrian Golding. Color is surmised to have been about 6 based on the scale that Lovibond introduced in about the same time period.

In All About Beer, author Graham Lees adds some color to the historical background of the style:

What Dreher achieved by the end of the 1830s was a beer that combined the clean palate and crispness of a lager with the paler hues he had admired in English ales. His marriage and adaptation of techniques produced a new style of beer-methodically bottom fermented and a copper-reddish-brown color. The precise recipe and flavor is not recorded and, in any case, he may have refined his new beer over several years. For instance, it is unclear whether he isolated a particular yeast at the beginning. Dreher called his new beer Schwechater Lagerbier, after the Vienna suburb home of his brewery, and its popularity grew rapidly-giving him the last laugh over those ridiculing rivals. Generically, Dreher's beer may for a time have been dubbed Wiener Typ (Vienna style) after his malting process, which produced a reddish caramelized crystal malt, but the enduring name for his style is Märzen. Ironically, the name was coined 30 years later by Josef Sedlmayr, younger brother of Gabriel. Although bottom-fermenting techniques had swept across Europe by 1870, beer color in Bavaria had remained dark (Dunkel). But in 1871 Josef Sedlmayr, who had separated his brewing activities from Gabriel years earlier, decided to produce a slightly paler beer. Perhaps because of the old Sedlmayr-Dreher link, he chose to brew a reddish "Vienna style" beer. He called it Märzenbier because he had brewed it in March, although it was September before he broached the first barrels for public judgment. Traditionally, Bavarian brewers had produced large batches of beer in March and April before the weather got too warm for brewing and then stored it in cool places to use during summer. But by the 1870s this practice was becoming obsolete with the development of mechanized refrigeration. This was also a time of railroad development, which enabled tens of thousands of Bavarians to travel to the Munich Oktoberfest. Whether Josef intended his new Märzenbier for the festival is unclear, but it became the Oktoberfest beer style for the next 100 years and its popularity spread. The style faded in Vienna after World War I. Sadly, Märzen has in recent years been supplanted at the Oktoberfest by a paler, less robust "Oktoberfestbier" to suit broader international tastes. But even this beer still retains a deeper amber color than the average lager beer.

*****************************

Beer Recipe of the Month

Märzen

Batch Size: 5 gal.

Target OG: 1.060

Target FG: 1.019

Target ABV: 5.0%

Target IBU: 33

Target SRM: 10

Boil Time: 90 min.

Target Brewhouse Efficiency : 70%

(Targets are bit over current style guidelines but are closer to original historical values)

Malt Bill:

Use high quality European 2 row malts. 50% of the grist should be a pale lager or pilsner malt. 30% should be a Vienna or Munich style malt. The remaining 20% of the grist can be crystal or amber malts for color. The grain bill below is for an OG of 1.060.

% Lbs Malt Origin Potential Color

56.5 6.50 Durst Pilsen Germany 1.038 2

30.4 3.50 Vienna Malt Germany 1.037 3

6.5 0.75. CaraRed Germany 1.033 20

6.5 0.75 CaraMunich 60 France 1.034 60

Hop Bill:

2.5 oz whole Sazz @ 3.5 Alpha.

1.5 oz. for 90 mins.

1.0 oz. for 30 mins.

Mash Schedule

Historically a three step decoction mash would be used. Ray Daniels however reports that with well modified malts available today, a single infusion mash should work fine at 152F. A single decoction schedule may help develop malt backbone and color.

Yeast

White Labs 820 Ocktoberfest Lager

White Labs 830 German Lager

WYeast 2124 Oktoberfest Blend

Primary Fermentation 41- 46F

Lagering 34 – 41F

Good luck and good brewing!

*****************************

Our Compliments to….

The WeekEnd Brewer

Homebrew & Wine Supplies

4205 West Hundred Road

Chester, VA 23831

(804) 796-9760

http://www.weekendbrewer.com/

River City Cellars

Beer, Wine and Gourmet Foods

2931 West Cary Street

Richmond, VA 23221

(804) 355-1375

www.rivercitycellars.com

(10% Discount for JRHB Members with JRHB Membership Card Only)

Page 5 of 6