This is the HOTV Brewsletter
VOLUME XXII, NUMBER 4
April 2002

PRESIDENT:
Royal Willard
(541) 752-1314
VICE PRESIDENT:
Scott Leonard
(541) 752-0780
NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
Kendall Staggs
(541) 753-6538
CLUB TREASURER:
Lee Smith
(541) 926-2286
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR:
Joel Rea
(541) 758-1674

THIS MONTH'S MEETING
from Royal Willard

The Heart of the Valley Homebrew Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month, alternating between Corvallis and Albany. Our next meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on April 17 at the home of Royal Willard, 3710 SW Western Avenue, in Corvallis.

Directions: If you are coming from Albany on Highway 20 turn right at Harrison and then turn left on 4th Street. Go down to Western Blvd. and turn right. Follow Western up to 35th, about 2 to 3 miles. At flashing red light go straight for about one block and take a left on 37th, a small gravel road. My house is the first on the right. It has a giant picture window in front. Proceed down the road and park anywhere in the field in back. Come in through the back door. It is a French door.

If you are coming on Highway 34 follow the same directions as above. Highway 34 turns into Harrison after going over the bridge. If you are in Corvallis and can't find Western, then you should probably move to a new town or just not make it to the meeting. If you have any questions call me at 752-8900.

EDITOR'S NOTES

Last month we had a great time at the home of Dave and Stine Benson in Albany. Thanks again to Dave and Stine. I'm sorry I didn't get to sample any Scotch this year.

Joel Rea has asked members of the Festival Committee to arrive at Royal's home at 6:30 p.m. on April 17 for a short meeting.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
by Royal Willard

As your President, I would like to start by saying, "I am not a crook."

The Homebrew Festival is fast approaching. Jamie Floyd of Steelhead Brewery will be our guest speaker. I am getting the donation letter together and it will be sent out soon. Joel will announce a Festival planning meeting at the next club meeting or by email. T-shirts will be made again on a pay-per-order basis. Joel has recently reminded us to place our orders soon!

The Pub Crawl (Saturday, March 23) was awesome. Thanks to everyone who attended for contributing to a great time. Things went well, but it was a little chaotic with the two group and multiple splittings. This, however, did not stop the fun. The large attendance allowed to cost per person to come down. Hopefully, his will happen again next year. I will try to get some feedback from the various establishments on how it went for them. I have ideas for next year's Pub Crawl. These include the Coast or the Mid-Valley / Salem area. I welcome ideas from our members.

In closing, I would like to quote the leader of our country, "Rarely is the question asked, Is our children learning?"

Royal, El Jefe

KLCC SPRING MICROBREW FESTIVAL
by Kendall Staggs

On Friday, March 29, Joel Rea and I attended KLCC's Spring Microbrew Festival at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene. We participated in the judging of about 35 homebrews. I tasted an interesting but overhopped Kšlsch, and a pretty good Hemp Ale. I overheard one of the judges at another table, when sampling a Barleywine, exclaim, "Don't drink this if you plan on becoming pregnant!"

My personal favorite, and the highest scoring beverage at the table where I judged, was a New England Cider, which reminded one taster of a fine Pinot Gris. It ended up placing fourth in the Best of Show competition. I learned later that our own Joel Rea was the cidermaker extraordinaire. The Best of Show winner was a Pilsner, a Barleywine took second, and a Mead took third. I was never informed who the brewers of the winning beers were.

Thanks to an invitation from Mike Bennett, I was able to join the commercial brewers who met in a secluded room to sample some outstanding commercial beers, such as Orval, Celebrator Doppelbock, and New Belgium Abbey Grand Cru. I also drank some outstanding cask-conditioned Scotch Ales from the Pelican Brewery of Pacific City.

On the main floor were many delicious commercial brews; unfortunately there were only a few that I had not tasted. Pyramid has a new product, Coastline Pilsner, that was delicious. In all, I had a good time-I usually do whenever a lot of beer is being served. Special thanks to Liz and Joel for the ride home from Eugene.

OREGON HOMEBREWER IN THE NEWS
from All About Beer Magazine

Oregon Brew Crew member Noel Blake, with whom many HOTVers have had the pleasure of judging homebrews over the last few years, was last year's winner of the national "Create a Great Beer" contest. Noel's award-winning recipe was for a Belgian-style ale, and the Ommegang Brewery of Cooperstown, NY brewed it in December. It should be ready for limited release this spring. Michael Jackson has signed on to provide tasting notes. If the beer sells well locally, the brewery plans to release small, cask-conditioned batches around the country.

COMMERCIAL BEER REVIEWS
by Kendall Staggs
DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY

Here are some brief reviews of five beers from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Lewes, Delaware. They are new to Oregon and currently available at the Shop Ôn' Go grocery store on Van Buren in Corvallis. They are definitely worth seeking.

Chicory Stout
[12 oz., 5.2 percent abv, 22 IBU]
Chicory Stout is a rich, dark beer brewed with pale malt, wheat, roasted barley, oatmeal, plus whole Cascade and Fuggles hops. In addition, the brewers add a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John's Wort, and licorice root. This beer is very smooth, slightly sweet, and has a restrained roasted quality that makes it an easy-to-drink Stout. The aromas are especially appealing. The winner of two gold medals at the 1998 Real Ale Festival in Chicago, Chicory Stout has been praised by a number of beer writers.

Indian Brown Ale
[12 oz., 7.2 percent abv, 50 IBU]
The brewers call Indian Brown Ale a cross between a Scotch Ale, an IPA, and an American Pale Ale. I call it an extra strong American Brown Ale. This beer is well-hopped and has plenty of malt character. It is brewed with aromatic barley malt, caramelized brown sugar, plus whole Liberty and Goldings hops. It is rich, full-bodied, and satisfying.

Raison D'Être
[12 oz., 8.0 percent abv, 36 IBU]
The description on the label calls this "A deep, mahogany ale brewed with Belgian sugars, green raisins, and a sense of purpose." It does have a beautiful color-dark brown with ruby hues, with a thin creamy head on top. There is a definite Belgian character. The aromas are rich, sweet, and malty. The first taste impression is chocolate, and it is followed by an intense fruity middle that likely comes from the raisins. The hop bitterness and flavors are rather assertive but nice for balance. There is a hint of fusel alcohol in the finish. Voted "American Beer of the Year" in January 2000 by Malt Advocate magazine, Raison D'Être is a great beer-one that gives all beer lovers a reason to exist.

Immort Ale
[12 oz, 11 percent abv, 40 IBU]
The description on the label says, "Vast in character, luscious and complex, this smooth, full-bodied ale reveals interwoven notes of maple, vanilla, and oak." The aromatics are great, the flavors are even better. It is extremely rich, rather sweet, and very satisfying, with a crisp hop bite at the end. Brewed with peat-smoked barley malt, it undergoes two fermentations: the first on ale yeast and the second on champagne yeast. It is brewed with organic juniper berry, vanilla, and maple syrup, and then aged on oak for two months. Named "Beer of the Year" in 1997 by The Philadelphia Daily News, Immort Ale provides an intense beer drinking experience. Lovers of Fred should be pleased with this one. I think it is better balanced.

90 Minute IPA
[750 ml, 9.0 percent abv, 90 IBU?]
The first thing that strikes one about this beer is its package: it comes in a corked and caged wine bottle with a rather crude-looking paper label that features a black and white photo of an old carnival performer getting ready to hammer a large nail into one of his nostrils. The side panel reads, "What you have here is a bottle-conditioned India Pale Ale featuring a single, constant, 90-minute hop addition of Cascade, Columbus, and Chinook hops. It is balanced by a ridiculous amount of English two-row barley malt. Then we dry hop." I shared this beer with some of the more accomplished beer judges at the last HOTV club meeting and the consensus was that although it was definitely a potent beer-drinking experience, the hop bitterness was not overpowering. I liked the Immort Ale much better.

LITTER PICK-UP
by Lee Smith

We tried our best to get out on March 16th but, you may recall, the weatherman decided to send us an overcast day with wind, snow, and a mid-forties temperature. Our crew met on time at Hyak Park, then decided to hold off until another day. Fifteen minutes after making this momentous decision and disbanding, the sun came out, the wind subsided and the temperature began to climb. Much to our annoyance, litter crews on both sides of our section pushed on, making us look like candy-coated wimps (my term, not theirs)!

However, we came back strong on March 30th and were greeted with one of the most beautiful days of spring. Solid blue sky and balmy temperatures of 60 to 65. Out there dutifully snagging trash were GREG & ANGELA KURBIS, GARY TERRELL, GEORGE LOPER, DOUG GOEGER, JON BOLES, PAUL JENSEN, and LEE SMITH. Our tally for the day was 31 bags of trash and our reward was, you guessed it, a tail-gate gathering in Hyak Park where we all enjoyed some good brew. It's hard to believe but the June pick-up will mark our seventh year as an ODOT recognized litter crew. That will represent 28 times we have been out on the highway. As we pick up an average of 30 bags of trash per outing, that means we have removed 840 bags of trash from Highway 20. Not bad for a bunch of homebrewers, eh?

GLOBAL BEER CONSUMPTION
from All About Beer Magazine

Beer consumption rose 2.6 percent last year to 136.1 million kiloliters, marking the 15th year in a row that beer consumption has increased worldwide. The United States led the world in beer drinking with 23 million kiloliters (about 189 million barrels). The Chinese finished second with 22 million kiloliters, followed by Germany, Brazil, and Japan. Last year the Czechs had the highest per capita beer consumption (158 liters), followed by the Irish (149 liters). America's per capita beer consumption was 82 liters, placing the United States in 12th place.

"DRINKING AND DEMENTIA"
an article from NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
from Scott Leonard
April 1, 2002

Most of us have heard that every sip of alcohol kills 10,000 brain cells. Well, we must have lots of extra gray cells, because the latest findings suggest that those who drink alcohol moderately are about half as likely to develop dementia. The findings appeared in the January 26, 2002, issue of the British medical journal, The Lancet.

About 5400 people in Rotterdam, Netherlands, were asked about drinking habits and other health behaviors and followed for an average of 6 years. During this period, almost 200 cases of dementia developed-most were due to Alzheimer's disease, 29 from vascular dementia, and 22 from other causes. Consumption of one to three drinks daily reduced risk of any type of dementia by 42 percent; vascular dementia risk was lowered by 71 percent. The type of alcoholic beverage had no impact.

Here's What You Need to Know: While these findings suggest that light drinking is protective against dementia, it is well established that heavy drinking is a major risk factor for dementia and many other problems. Other studies have previously found regular, moderate drinking protected against dementia in the elderly. Many people do not report their drinking honestly, so making useful conclusions from such studies is problematic.

WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING
from Dianna Fisher
London (Reuters), March 14, 2002

St. Patrick's Day drinkers of Guinness might be forgiven for thinking they've had a bit too much of the black stuff when they set eyes on the bar staff this weekend. Pint pullers at selected Irish pubs around the world will be wearing specially designed green contact lenses advertising pints of Guinness, the drinks company said Thursday.

Guinness said it alighted on the subliminal campaign after research showed that more than half of British drinkers had not decided what to order by the time they reached the bar. "We realized that there's still one place that drinkers have to look: into the eyes of the bar staff taking their order," said David Smith, brand director of Guinness GB.

I VANT TO DWINK YOUR BIER
from All About Beer magazine

The Austrian brewing company Bräu Union AG has announced that its Romanian subsidiary will invest $500,000 in a Dracula theme park. The investment will assure exclusivity on beer sales at the park, which will be developed in the Transylvanian town of Sighisoara. The 10-year deal will also give Bräu Union exclusive rights to beer advertising at the park, which is expected to attract one million tourist a year. Bräu Union Romania sells about 4.5 million hectoliters (3.7 million barrels) per year, or about 36 percent of the Romanian beer market.

ARTICLES FROM THE REAL BEER PAGE

MICHIGAN BREWING COMPANY BUYS FORMER CELIS BREWERY
The Michigan Brewing Company of Weberville, Michigan has acquired the former Celis Brewery from Miller Brewing, including the 100-barrel brewhouse, tanks, packaging equipment, office equipment, lab equipment and everything else down to the janitorial supplies. Michigan Brewing, the sixth largest brewery in the state, will install the 100-barrel brewery in a new and larger facility, and plans to have the new equipment online later this year. Celis White is expected to become a major part of the brewery's portfolio. article

OHIO MAY RAISE ALCOHOL LIMIT ON BEER
A bill that would change the way beer is defined and sold in Ohio has passed the House of Representatives and moves on to the Senate. Independence Republican Jim Trakas introduced the measure that would boost the maximum alcohol in what is called beer from 6 percent to 12 percent.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALASKAN BREWING
Alaskan Smoked Porter captured the title in our first Battle of the Beers. Check out what brewery employees had to say, then get ready for the Imports Tournament. That starts April 15. article

BIG BREW MAY 4
Thousands of homebrewers around the world will brew thousands of gallons of beer May 4 on National Homebrew Day. Last year, brewers gathered at 183 brewing sites to celebrate the American Homebrewers Association's Big Brew. The 2056 registered participants gathered at 183 brewing sites worldwide, making 5110 gallons of homebrew. article

GEORGE FIX DIES
George Fix, a giant to amateur and professional brewers alike, died last month at the age of 62. Fix, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Clemson University, wrote two books on mathematics and four on brewing, and published hundreds of articles on both topics. He won hundreds of awards nationwide for his beers and was a tireless spokesman for the homebrewing hobby. Literally thousands of brewers make better beer today because of his efforts.

MONKEYS DRINK LIKE HUMANS
Monkeys on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts have acquired a taste for alcohol and shown a tendency to act much like humans while under its influence. The "drunken monkeys" are being highlighted in a six-part television series called Weird Nature on BBC1. Phil Dalton, the assistant producer, saw some of the island's many wild vervets descend on beach bars to sip cocktails during "happy hour." "When they spotted a drink that had been left unguarded or unfinished, the monkeys would sneak down from the trees, jump on the tables and start drinking," he said. "They were tasting the drinks to see which ones they liked." A controversial research project that involves giving alcohol to 1000 green vervet monkeys has found that the animals divide into four main categories: binge drinker, steady drinker, social drinker and teetotaler. article

SMART GLASS KNOWS WHEN IT NEEDS ANOTHER BEER
from Dianna Fisher
London (Reuters) April 4, 2002

Drink up that beer-another will soon be whisked to the table thanks to a hi-tech pint glass that tells bar staff when it needs refilling. Developed by a Japanese electronics company, the intelligent glass is fitted with a radio-frequency coil in its base and emits a signal to a receiver set in the table when it's empty, New Scientist magazine reported Thursday.

The iGlassware system works by putting a microchip linked to a thin, radio frequency coil inside a dishwasher-safe base. A coating of clear, conducting material makes each glass behave like a capacitor, allowing it to measure exactly how much liquid has been sipped or guzzled. When empty, the glass sends an electronic cry for more beer from the table to a display behind the bar or to waiters equipped with hand-held computers on frequencies similar to those used by mobile phones.

A team from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories working in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has made the first prototypes, but may find it hard to sell the idea to Britons.

"It sounds like a fun idea, but I don't think it would work in our pubs," said a spokesman for J. D. Wetherspoon, which runs over 500 pubs in Britain. "The tradition in Britain is to get up and go to the bar for a round of drinks, not to have a waiter bring beers to the table, no matter how quickly," he said.