THIS is the HOTV BREWSLETTER
VOLUME XX, NUMBER 11
November 2001

PRESIDENT: Scott Caul
(541) 757-1190
prez@hotv.org

NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Kendall Staggs
(541) 753-6538

The Heart of the Valley Homebrew Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month, alternating between Corvallis and Albany. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 15, at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Derek and Sue Whiteside. Their address is 1510 SW Takena Street in Albany.

Directions: From Corvallis, take Hwy 20 east and follow it through downtown Albany. Take a right on 9th Street. Takena is about 8 blocks down; turn left, and continue 4 to 6 blocks. Their house is a blue and white jobber on the corner of 15th and Takena. Alternate directions: >From Corvallis, take Hwy 34 east until Oakville Road north (about 5 miles); there is a flashing yellow light at the intersection. Turn left, and drive about 5 miles into Albany. Oakville Road magically turns into Queen Avenue. Turn left on Takena (in front of the West Albany High School sign), and their house is one block down on the left hand side. (It is blue and white from this direction, too.) Derek says that if you don't want to drink beer out of a plastic cup, please bring your own glass. He and Sarah will provide some snacks.

LAST MONTH'S MEETING by Kendall Staggs

In October we met at the home of Werner Karlson in Corvallis. There were plenty of tasty buffalo wings and other snacks, and lots of great beers. Two items of business were on the agenda. First, club officers were nominated (see below). Second, there was still some discussion about the location of next year's festival and the lingering issue of liability insurance at the Fairgrounds (see below, below).

HOTV ELECTIONS by Kendall Staggs

The following persons were nominated for officers for the Heart of the Valley Homebrew Club:

President: Derek Whiteside
Vice President: Scott Leonard
Treasurer: Lee Smith
Newsletter Editor: Kendall Staggs
Festival Chair: Joel Rea

Formal elections will be held during our next club meeting. Please participate in this all-important democratic process. Remember, every vote counts. In our elections, there is no electoral college to screw things up.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER by Scott Caul

Whoa! Was that a Presidential race or what? With that one out of the way, let's have our own! I would like officially to endorse Derek Whiteside in this race. His competition simply doesn't have what it takes. And his running mate, Scott Leonard, is a leader of the highest caliber. I am certain they will be victorious. About Joel Rea, what can I say? He is perfect for Festival chair. I have no doubt he will do well. Lee and Kendall, you're it! Thanks to all who are stepping up for, or retaining your seats as club officials. Your efforts are appreciated greatly by many. Thanks also to those who encouraged me to serve again; I'm flattered. I truly would like to do it again, just not now. Look for me in years to come. I really had a fun year as Prez, it was a great way to meet and know a larger portion of the club.

There is still some business to talk about, though. Better news on the insurance front. Because we do not invite the general public to the festival, we can ditch the liquor liability insurance. This can make a huge difference in cost. Hopefully, we will have more specific information by meeting time. It will soon be time to round up our yearly batch of volunteers to work with the Festival chair and cater to his or her every whim......NOT! But I do want to put out the word that we can't put on a good gig without help and you may want to consider helping out in some way.

That's all I have this time. See you all at the meeting!

COOKING WITH BEER
by Helen Smith
Bock, Bock, Bock Chicken

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 TBS butter or olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
or thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 pound fresh snow peas or sugar snap peas
1/4 cup  Bock Beer
1/4 cup jam of choice, like plum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon whole dried thyme or l sprig fresh
l/8 tsp dry sage or 3 or 4 leaves fresh parsley

Instructions:
SautŽ fresh mushrooms in a large non-stick skillet
Remove mushrooms from skillet and set aside.
SautŽ chicken about 10 minutes or until brown
Add Bock Beer and peas. Cook 5 more minutes.
Add mushrooms back, and rest of ingredients.
Simmer 10 minutes.  Add parsley.
Serve over rice. *
* If using dark meat, simmer 20 min. extra.

COMMERCIAL BEER REVIEWS
by Kendall Staggs
Bockanalia

Here are some brief reviews of Doppelbock beers that I have tried recently:

Samuel Adams Double Bock-This is a good, strong beer, with plenty of chocolate malt character and a good Noble hop balance. Its roasty character is not perfectly true to the Doppelbock style, but it is a well-made beer, well worth a try.

Saxer Jack Frost Winter Doppelbock-This is a more authentic example of a Doppelbock, full of rich caramelly malt. It is aggressive in its hop finish, and obvious in its alcohol punch. Is this the last year we will see this classic beer from a now closed Oregon brewery?

Andescher Doppelbock Dunkel-This is a good German example, brought to me all the way from Deutschland by my dear friend Dianna. It is rather sweet and rich, and in many ways a classic Doppelbock, with all the smoothness of a lager, a nice hop balance, and plenty of alcohol. (7.1 percent abv).

Doppel-Hirsch Bavarian Doppelbock-This is another German example with a very German malt profile, but it is not as rich and good as the Andescher. The most obvious characteristic of this beer is the alcohol strength, which seems higher than what is listed, 7.2 percent abv. The name means "double deer.

EKU 28-This is one of the world's strongest and best known Doppelbocks. Very strong and rather caramelly sweet in its malt profile, its flavor is balanced by citrusy hops. A rare treat, EKU 28 is definitely a beer to be sipped. "EKU" stands for Erste Kulmbacher Unionbrauerei, which means "First Union Brewery of Kulmbach." The 28 refers to the original gravity in Plato. Michael Jackson says that the original gravity of some of the recent "vintages" has been 30 Plato, and that its finishing strength has been as high as 12.5 percent abv. The version that I had listed its strength at 11.0 percent abv.

Samichlaus [1995]-Talk about rare, this beer is available only among collectors of old "vintages." This was my last one. Take heart Samichlaus fans, it is apparently going to be available again. Samichlaus is almost cloying in its sweetness, and it is extremely strong, finishing at over 14 percent abv. This beer is definitely for sipping only. Often compared to Cognac, it has aromas and flavors reminiscent of port wine, dark fruits, nuts, and bitter chocolate. It is truly remarkable.

SAMICHLAUS IS COMING BACK from the Real Beer Page

As reported first by Michael Jackson at http://www.beerhunter.com, Samichlaus is making a comeback. The much-loved strong Christmas beer was not produced for three years. It is now being brewed by Austria's Eggenberger to the same recipe as when it was made by HŸrlimann of Switzerland and using the same yeast. Karl Stohr, managing director at Castle Brewery Eggenberg, noted that the Internet-and specifically a campaign launched by breWorld (http://www.breworld.com) -was vital in saving the classic beer. Read more about it at: http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight/tastes/samichlaus2001.html

GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL, 2001

For those of you who are interested, the complete results of this year's Great American Beer Festival, held last month in Denver, can be found at this site: http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight/gabf2001/gabfresults2001.html

BEER GUT GENE? from the Real Beer Page

British scientists have bred rats with beer bellies and expect the rats may reveal why middle-aged men accumulate fat around the middle. "We know that fat in the abdomen is associated with a range of risks including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension, but we don't yet know why, and these rats may help us find out," said Professor Ian Robinson of London's National Institute for Medical Research. His team of researchers dubbed the rats SLOBs-Severe Late Onset oBesity-and they are the first test animal with true middle-aged spread. This "beer gut" typically hits men in their forties and women after menopause. Robinson told the 11th International Congress of Endocrinology that his research team had not yet proved that there was a "beer gut gene," but it was likely that it would be demonstrated to be one of several genes influencing obesity.

GERMAN CONSUMPTION CONTINUES SLIDE from the Real Beer Page

Beer consumption in Germany fell in the first three quarters of the year, continuing a trend that began in 1995. Beer sales were down 0.2 percent through September, according to the Federal Statistics Office. Although some of this was blamed on cool drizzly weather, the practice of mixing beer with soda also was a factor. A drink call "Radler"-German for biker-has been particularly popular. It is half beer and half soda, lessening the alcohol content. Younger drinkers feel the cocktail does not inhibit their ability to bike or inline skate, but many also prefer the less assertive flavor. Consumption of such diluted beer mixes was up 31 percent, the federal statistics show.

STUDENTS OFFERED FREE BEER FOR OLD BOOKS from the Real Beer Page

British college students are being offered free beer in return for trading their old course books through Books4Beer.com. Registered users of the site have a chance to win 76 free cans of beer. A computer randomly picks three winning users each month. The site matches up users who want to sells a books and persons who want to buy them, and also offers a guide to local pubs, clubs and live music venues.

NO BEER AT OKTOBERFEST IN ALABAMA from the Real Beer Page

Not only do the folks in Cullman, Alabama, not serve German beer at their Oktoberfest, they don't serve any beer. Cullman County, which includes the city of the same name, is legally dry. Residents celebrate by dressing in German-style lederhosen, eating bratwurst and downing soft drinks. Some festival-goers have compared the occasion to a Fourth of July without fireworks.

BLAME IT ON THE "STRONG" BEER IN CANADA Drunk Soldier Blames Strong Beer, October 20, 2001

TORONTO (Reuters) A U.S. soldier fined in Canada for resisting arrest and insulting the police blamed high-alcohol Canadian beer for his disorderly conduct, a police spokesman says.

Army cook Jason Dalgai from Flagstaff, Arizona, pleaded guilty to causing a disturbance and assaulting a police officer and was fined C$375, said Kingston, Ontario, police spokesman Mike Weaver. The 24-year-old soldier told the court on Tuesday that he was not used to Canadian beer, which has higher alcohol content than American beer. He struggled with officers and was arrested only after local police brought their Canine Unit in to help.

Most American beers contain between three and five percent alcohol content while Canadian beers contain as much as seven percent alcohol.

[editor's note: What the Reuters news agency failed to add was that a beer labeled four percent in the United States would be listed at five percent in the rest of the world because the United States lists alcohol by weight and almost everybody else lists it by volume. It is a myth that the typical Canadian lager is stronger than a Budweiser or Coors.]

BART SIMPSON WOULD BE PROUD from the Real Beer Page

This is one of those stories that's been bouncing around the Internet long enough that it could be an urban legend (in other words, a fabrication). But the folks at the Real Beer Page tracked it down and found it was first reported in the Red Deer Advocate newspaper in central Alberta, Canada. Last year, 18-year-old David Zurfluh tried to eat his undershorts in the hope that the cotton would absorb alcohol before he took a breathalyzer test. He had been flagged down by a constable when his vehicle was seen weaving as he drove. The constable told a provincial court that Zurfluh ripped the crotch out of his shorts and stuffed the fabric in his mouth while sitting in the back of the patrol car. He was subsequently acquitted of impaired driving because he blew .08 percent on the breathalyzer, which was within the legal limits.

THAT'S BUSCH, NOT BUSH by Kendall Staggs A Brief History of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company's Early Years.

Before the Civil War, Eberhard Anheuser, a prosperous German immigrant soapmaker in St. Louis, lent the small Bavarian Brewery of St. Louis $90,000. After the brewery went bankrupt in 1857, Anheuser gained control over it. That same year Adolphus Busch, the youngest of 21 children from a wealthy family in Germany, arrived in St. Louis. Within two years Busch owned a brewery supply store and Anheuser, who had not been able to make the brewery profitable, was in debt to Busch for brewing materials purchased on credit.

In 1861 Busch cancelled Anheuser's debt after marrying his daughter, Lilly Anheuser. By 1863 Busch was a part owner of the brewery; by 1873 he was a full partner. When Anheuser retired from the business in 1877, leaving control to Busch, the brewery was producing 45,000 barrels a year, ranking 32nd in the nation.

Busch set out to follow Lemp's lead and turn his brewery into a national operation. He established a network of warehouses and dealerships and, in 1887, built his own refrigerated railcar company to facilitate long-distance shipments. Busch also was among the first among brewers to pasteurize his beers and was quick to seize upon the possibilities of bottled beer on the national market. In 1901 Anheuser-Busch became the second American brewery to surpass the one million-barrel mark in production. This resulted in large part, from the successful marketing of world's most famous brand of beer.

Back in 1876 Busch met Carl Conrad, a St. Louis wine dealer who had recently returned from a trip to Bohemia. While there, Conrad had sampled the beer of a monastery in the town of Ceske Budejovice, or in German, Budweis, on the banks of the Vltava River. He was so impressed with the beer that he purchased from the monastery its recipe and the right to brew it in the United States. Conrad called the beer Budweiser.

Back in St. Louis, Conrad contracted with Busch to brew Budweiser, which was an immediate success. In 1880, however, some of Conrad's other business ventures went sour, and Busch loaned him more than $90,000 to stay afloat. That same year Eberhard Anheuser died, leaving Busch in complete control of the brewery. He decided to buy the American rights to Budweiser from Conrad in return for the elimination of Conrad's debt to Busch, plus a substantial cash bonus and an executive position with the brewery. Conrad accepted.

Busch then decided to sell Budweiser nationally. The beer kept well when it was bottled, and could be pasteurized without much loss of flavor. According to its advertisements, Budweiser was made from the most expensive ingredients, in-cluding Saaz hops imported from Bohemia, and was "beechwood aged." Among Busch's most successful marketing schemes in the 1880s was the mass distribution of lithograph copies of the painting "Custer's Last Fight" to taverns across America.

Busch's Budweiser was on its way to becoming the largest selling beer in the world. But it was not the world's only Budweiser. One German and another Bohemian brewery were using the name, and eventually the Bohemian brewery obtained from Anheuser-Busch the exclusive right to the Budweiser name on the European continent, in return for allowing A-B the rights to it in the United States.

For a while, Anheuser-Busch did not even possess the exclusive right to the Budweiser name in the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century there were at least four other "Budweisers" being marketed in America. In 1884 a group of Brooklyn businessmen led by William Brown purchased the Bedford Brewery. After traveling to Europe in search of the "perfect beer" he returned to Brooklyn and started brewing a beer inspired by Budweiser of Bohemia.

In an 1890s advertising booklet, the Fred Miller Brewing Company proclaimed that "Miller's Original Milwaukee Budweiser" was "America's Favorite Beer." It also claimed to possess "all the qualities which go to make a perfect light beer," including the "finest Saazer hops and the best Bohemian barley." Miller's ad said that its Budweiser beer was "pure, thoroughly aged, and nourishing." "Physicians all over the country have enthusiastically recommended it in their practice. Other authorities unite in pronouncing it a delicious beverage perfectly adapted to use in the family."

The longest lasting "other Budweiser" in America was DuBois Budweiser. It was first brewed by the DuBois Brewing Company of DuBois, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) in 1905 and was sold in northwestern Pennsylvania until 1970. Anheuser-Busch also challenged DuBois's right to use the name, and in 1970 a federal court finally ruled that Budweiser was the exclusive trademark of A-B and ordered DuBois to destroy all its Budweiser packaging.

MAKE DRUNKEN DRIVING LAWS TOUGH IN THE RIGHT PLACES an editorial from the Real Beer Page

We have our doubts about whether a new law designed to mandate a lower national standard for drunken driving will save as many lives as advertised. What we don't doubt is that it was a victory for neo-Prohibitionists.

In essence, the law signed by President Clinton last month put the federal government in charge of setting the standard for when a driver is drunk. States that don't comply with the national rules will lose federal highway construction money. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently use the 0.08 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) limit set by the new legislation. Thirty-one states define drunken driving as 0.10 percent or do not set a specific standard, and most of the legislatures in those state have recently rejected proposals to lower that.

They've chosen to fight drunken driving with other legislation. For instance, Wisconsin--where the limit is 0.10 percent-has a new law that doubles, triples and quadruples fines for habitual offenders, depending on their blood-alcohol levels. The law also lowers the legal blood-alcohol level for drivers with three or more convictions to 0.02 percent.

"I never liked the federal government threatening states by withholding federal funds," Governor Tommy Thompson said. "I wish they would take into consideration what we've done here in Wisconsin."

One of the state's leading law enforcement officers agrees. David Schumacher, Wisconsin's State Patrol chief, said crashes, injuries and deaths due to drunken driving were at the lowest level ever. Fatalities last year totaled 270, or 54 percent less than the 1979 total of 593. "Wisconsin has among the most effective drunken driving laws in the nation and is committed to improving safety on our highways," he said.

Faced with losing $90 million in federal funds, Wisconsin has little choice but to make 0.08 percent part of its law. What does that mean will happen to the state's other tough standards? That will be determined by the political process, but Congress has set the criteria for now.

President Clinton says the law will save 500 lives per year. We've heard convincing arguments that the number is wildly inflated, but we've also heard some say it could be even higher. That's why we're not going to argue that a 0.08 percent standard can't be part of a comprehensive plan for some states. But we think the federal government should have taken note that Wisconsin came up with an effective program that included a 0.10 percent limit.

We're worried that if 500 lives aren't saved, the anti-drinking lobby will be back in Washington, D.C., saying, "Well, that didn't work, let's try a 0.05 percent limit." The neo-Prohibitionists learned that actually outlawing drinking doesn't work 80 years ago during the failed experiment called Prohibition. By pushing for a constant lowering of legal blood alcohol limits, however, they can make it impossible to have even one drink-let alone to drink responsibly-and drive safely.

We're not saying that everybody pushing for a lower blood alcohol level is a neo-Prohibitionist or that neo-Prohibitionists aren't concerned about saving lives. But we know they are going to keep coming at us. The Clinton Administration suggested it was open to a 0.05 percent limit and legislation to that effect has already been authored in some states where 0.08 percent is the current limit.

Our concerns about the neo-Prohibitionists' agenda aren't the reason why we hope the new law not only saves 500 lives, but 5,000. We're talking about human lives here. We're all for anti-drunken driving laws that work. Federal statistics show that in 1999, drivers in 74 percent of fatal accidents involving alcohol registered BACs of 0.11 percent or greater; most of them were double the legal limit. Let's get those guys off the road and, as in Wisconsin, make it darn hard for them to get back behind the wheel.

Let's make sure we pass laws that save lives rather than criminalize responsible, social adult behavior.

JUST A THOUGHT by Dave Juurlink

After hearing the story behind the Beatles song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," I'm hopeful that one day a great musician will set to music my poem, "Belinda in Eastern Ethiopia with Raisins."