Newsletters - August 2004
July Meeting Minutes
July meeting was held at the home of Garrett & Donna Sever. Snacks were provided in the form of varied Mexican cuisine.
Attending:
Scott Bieber
Johnny Biggins
Jeff Ramberg - Erdinger Hefe-WeizenSchneider Weisse Hefe-Weisen, Young's Waggledance Honey Ale
Marty Drinan - Growler of Stewart's Hefe-Weizen
Garrett & Donna Sever - Cicada Infestation Porter, Cicada Infestation Stout, Father's Day NBA (nut brown), Red Honey Ale, Abbey Tripel (1 bottle trial), Black Honey Ale Batch 1 (1 bottle trial), Wagner's Vineyards Sled Dog Dopplebock
Dan and Eileen Brzoska
Michelle Lasnik and Steve
Meeting started off with a discussion of Scott's upcoming Hawaii trip
Jeff Ramberg brought pictures and talked about his trip to England and Germany
Began brewing the second batch of Black Honey Ale around 8pm.
Newcomers Michelle Lasnik her boyfriend Steve showed up later and began sampling homebrews. Steve plans on starting homebrewing as a hobby. Welcome!
Grains were steeped for 30 minutes at 160-165 deg.
Scott and Johnny had to leave early due to early Saturday morning commitments
Shortly after Scott and Johnny left, Dan Brzoska and his wife of the Austin Zealots (and our website host) showed up!
Had a tour of the Sever ghetto brewery down in the basement and looked at the fermentation chiller
After the tour, the additional ingredients for the BHA were added (hops, extract, maltodextrin) and the boil began
Much food and beverage was enjoyed
Immersion chiller was added and wort cooling began shortly after midnight.
Everyone but Marty and Jeff left around 12:30am.
Marty and Jeff stayed around for the pitching of the yeast somewhere after 1am.
The August Meeting of the First State Brewers is this Friday, August 20th at 7:30 pm. It will be held at the home of Marty Drinan
Recent Club Communications
From: Garrett Sever
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2004 9:13 PM
To: 'Scott Bieber'
Subject: RE: Iron Hill Rendezvous with Harald Ackermann/Germany Beer Tour
2005
Scott,
I checked my schedule and that Germany tour looks like it coincides directly with when we're going live with SAP at work - and I'm gonna be totally snowed under for that month and the month on either side :-( Sucks.
Also, about Friday's meeting - do we have a location yet? (YES MARTY'S) I know you're not gonna be there, which sucks. I was planning on bringing 12 of the Black honey Ale we brewed during the last meeting with me for the folks to enjoy.
Had an odd idea for the meeting too - I know a bunch of us grow hops, and some probably had pretty big hauls... What do you think about a "hop swap" or something like that? Basically we all bring 1 or 2 oz of our hops and we swap with someone else. I only had 1 oz produced this year so I'd probably just bring a couple oz of pellets of Liberty & Northern Brewer that I ordered (Had a pound of each).
-Garrett
From: Gerald J Carney
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 3:13 PM
Subject: Invitation
Scott,
Would you include a copy of this in the August Newsletter?? Jerry
Jerry Carney says, "I'll Be There, Will You ????"
Hi Everyone!!!
It's time again for Gordon and Connie Chandler and Jerry and Joyce Carney to invite all of you rascals to our 2004 Parkton Pig Roast. We supply the PIG, and the beverages... We ask you to bring a side dish.
Joe Pettis & Friends will be here again to provide the music. So bring
your family and friends, come on by and have a blast.
What: PIG ROAST
When: Saturday, September 11, 2003 from 2 PM til ???
Where:
Info removed
From: Gerald J Carney
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 8:27 AM
Subject: Stuff
Scott,
Have you seen this?
Jerry
From: Cindy Jones
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 2:23 PM
Subject: Monster Garage Brewery?
One of the most popular shows on TV, just got cooler. Discovery Channel's Monster Garage is making a brewery! Master fabricator and motorcycle icon Jesse James teams up with two brewers to turn a 1963 International Fire Truck into a mobile brewery. Lee Chase of Stone Brewing Co. and John Legnard of Sandlot Brewery/Coors joined host Jesse James and a few others to create this monster of a brewery. Stone Brewing's media release had this great quote: "I got a call from [Monster Garage Producer] Geno Freselli who said 'we're going to turn a fire truck into a mobile brewery.wanna be involved?'" recalled Stone Brewing's Chris Cochran. "My initial reaction was 'hell yeah' until I heard more about the details. Then I modified my response to add an exclamation point!" The show airs next Monday, Aug 09 @ 9:00 PM ET; Tuesday, Aug 10 @ 12:00 AM ET and Sunday, Aug 15 @ 2:00 PM ET. BONUS If you miss the show you can see the truck in person at this year's AOB GABF. Coors Brewing Co. is bringing the truck to the festival for all to see. You can also see the brewery fire truck at the Stone 8th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival, Saturday August 21.
From: Gerald J Carney
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 1:15 PM
Subject: Stuff
Scott,
Joyce and I really have not had the time to discuss it in any detail. These things were on the Dogfish Head web site.
Jerry
Saturday, October 9 2004, Beer Festival
Kennet Square Microbrew Festival
2:00pm - 6:00pm
For info: http://www.kennettbrewfest.com/ or (610) 999-0284
Thursday, August 19 2004, Beer Tasting
Inner Spirits Liquor Store
Delaware Ave
Wilmington, DE
For info: 302-654-3422
From: Gerald J Carney
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 8:06 AM
Subject: Stuff
Scott,
look! More Stuff.
Jerry
Alcohol sharpens your brain, say researchers
By Robert Matthews, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 01/08/2004)
It is news guaranteed to raise a cheer among those who enjoy a glass or
two: drinking half a bottle of wine a day can make your brain work better, especially if you are a woman.
Research to be published tomorrow by academics at University College London has found that those who even drink only one glass of wine a week have significantly sharper thought processes than teetotallers.
Sir Michael Marmot of UCL led the study
The benefits of alcohol, which are thought to be linked to its effect on the flow of blood to the brain, can be detected when a person drinks up to 30 units of alcohol - about four to five bottles of wine - per week.
The researchers were unable to test the effect of higher levels of alcohol consumption, although drunkenness probably negates any positive effects on the brain.
The findings have surprised health officials, who issued yet another warning last week about the dangers of overdrinking.
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, one in six women now drinks more than the Government's recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol a week - an increase of 70 per cent since the late 1980s. The recommended maximum weekly intake for men is 21 units.
The latest findings on the benefits of alcohol are drawn from a study of the long-term health of 10,000 British civil servants. Known as the Whitehall Study, it was originally set up in 1967 to identify links between health and factors ranging from smoking and obesity to age and social status.
In the latest research, a team led by Sir Michael Marmot, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London, gave psychometric tests to more than 6,000 civil servants.
The questions ranged from verbal and mathematical reasoning problems to tests of short-term memory. The civil servants' performance was then matched against their drinking habits.
The study took into account all alcohol consumption and was not specific to wine. However, the results showed that those having even a single glass of wine a week scored significantly higher in the tests than more abstemious drinkers. Teetotallers were twice as likely as occasional drinkers to achieve the lowest scores.
The benefits were most marked among women drinkers and, to the researchers' surprise, showed no sign of flattening out with increasing consumption.
Those who downed the equivalent of half a bottle of wine or two pints of beer a day scored best of all. The effects were apparent even after the results had been adjusted to take into account factors such as physical and mental health.
"Our results appear to suggest some specificity in the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive ability," said the team. "Frequent drinking may be more beneficial than drinking only on special occasions."
The team, whose findings are being reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that the results may reflect the fact that alcohol can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase blood flow to the brain - factors linked to improved mental function.
The researchers also speculate that women might benefit more because of the different way in which they metabolise alcohol. However, they acknowledge that the benefits of alcohol can be outweighed by the increased risks of getting diseases such as cancer and cirrhosis, and that the findings should not be used as an excuse for heavier drinking.
Dr Guy Ratcliffe, the medical director of the Medical Council on Alcohol, said that the study would add to earlier evidence that moderate drinking could be beneficial - offering advantages such as a reduced risk of heart disease and strokes.
"This is a well-researched study, and it's important that information such as this is available so that people can make informed decisions about alcohol consumption," he said.
Kate Winstanley, the policy director of the Portman Group, set up by the industry to promote responsible drinking, welcomed the findings.
"There is a lot of concern about trends in women's drinking, especially young women, but the concern is chiefly about women who drink to get drunk. This study does seem to support the view that moderate drinking is better than none at all," she said.
The University College team is now hoping to continue the study to investigate whether alcohol can help slow the decline of mental function as people grow older. A recent American study suggested that drinkers suffered significantly less cognitive decline with age than teetotallers, with women again showing the greatest benefit.
From: Martin_Drinan
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 3:59 PM
To: Scott Bieber
Subject: Re: August FSB Meeting Location
Hi Scott,
At great risk to my home and reputation in my community, I will offer to host the August meeting. I realize the National Guard had to be called the last time because the police had joined the party after THEY had been called. The new rule for this meeting will be NO SHOOTING AT COORS LIGHT TRUCKS.
Regards,
Marty Drinan
