December Minutes 2016

The December B.A.S.H. meeting was held in Calallen on Sunday the 11th, hosted by Carroll and Judy Pate. El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order and thanked the Pates, who have hosted in December since everyone spoke Esperanto and drove flying cars. As usual, Treasurer Carroll reported a decent club balance.

In old business, Aggie Bill Hughen reported on his initial inquiries into a replacement for our existing 10’ X 20’ pain-in-the-ass shade canopy. A high-quality 10’ X 10’ Easy Up model will cost about $140 - $150. Lou Needleman offered to donate a cheap 10’ X 12’ model.

In new business, William Lee has a bucket of pilsner grain to give away. Carroll has surplus plastic conical fermenters and a 2-stage wort chiller, in exchange for a donation to the club. Steve Cook reported on the ongoing BJCP judge training class. We discussed options for the local March exam -- timing (1st Saturday ?) and administrators/proctors per BJCP guidelines.

As the meeting adjourned, we feasted on brisket and sausage, washing it down with a great lineup of new homebrews. Jim Hildreth offered up an American pale ale and Imperial Russian Stout, Paul Holder shared a dampfbier, Aggie Bill brought “The Great Pumpkin”, Carroll had a brown ale on tap, Mark Quade supplied a barleywine, Greg Sawyer showed up with a double IPA and Jeremy Van Horn delivered an apricot saison. Interesting commercial beers included Jim’s Guiness Nitro IPA, Sabrina Krueger’s Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado and Pineapple Sculpin, Lou’s Shiner Holiday Cheer and Tennent’s Whiskey Oak-aged Beer and Phil Sims’ 101 North Brewing Stigmata Red Rye Ale and Choc Beer Company Winter Stout.

What about the demonstration brew? Instead of making a batch of beer, Daniel and Carroll used Daniel’s grainfather rig to make several jugs of wort starters, using Maris Otter and Special Black malt. Carroll then pressure cooked the jugs to sanitize them. Carroll estimated a use-by date of 2542 A.D. and plans to squirrel away a couple of jugs to continue brewing at his retirement bungalow on Mars. Judy will have to bring her own Prosecco.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 8-Jan-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIII judging)
• 12-Feb-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Fearn, Dark European Lager competition, BJCP 8A-8B)
• 12-Mar-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Chris Swanson, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Apr-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, specialty IPA competition, BJCP 21B)
• 6-May-17: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstrations)
• 21-May-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (John Daniels)
• 11-Jun-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (William Lee, extract competition, BJCP open category)
• 9-Jul-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate hosted by Paul Holder)
• 13-Aug-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)

Thanks again Carroll and Judy, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Freund’s !

November Meeting Minutes 2016

Brad Klager hosted the November B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 13th. El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order, thanking Brad and welcoming prospective members Brandon Harper and Cale Moore. Treasurer “Cretaceous” Carroll Pate reported a favorable club balance.

In new business, William Lee announced that he is looking to buy corny kegs. Aggie Bill Hughen explained that the 10’ X 20’ B.A.S.H. shade canopy is getting worn out and is a pain to erect. He and Daniel will research replacement options and will present a recommendation at the December meeting. Members agreed to discuss Iron Mash procedures again in June. The club agreed to start “official” B.A.S.H. visits to local brewpubs/microbreweries, beginning this Saturday at Lorelei Brewing at 4:00 p.m.

The competition this month was for Russian Imperial Stout. Greg Sawyer’s entry earned three points with the win, with a judge’s score of 194. Wild Bill Lehfeld earned two points for 2nd place with a score of 166. Vic Aguilar rounded out the scoring with one point for 3rd place with a score of 142. Daniel’s entry received a judge’s score of 78. After all six club competitions, cumulative scores are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 10 points
• Greg Sawyer – 5 points
• Vic Aguilar – 4 points
• Mark Quade – 3.5 points
• John Daniels – 3 points
• Jim Hildreth – 3 points
• Paul Kalaghan – 3 points
• Andrew Herzig/Sabrina Krueger – 1.5 point

Wild Bill is thus 2016 homebrewer of the year and will be recognized next month. As the meeting concluded, we feasted on Brad’s ground beef and salmon blinis and beefy borscht that was hard to “beet”. Besides the competition beers we enjoyed new homebrews by Paul Holder (Belgian pale ale), Aggie Bill (“Jolly Rancher” raspberry and watermelon lambics) and Jeremy Van Horn (American pale ale). Interesting commercial beers included host Brad’s Freetail Berliner Weiss, William Lee’s Shock Top Belgian White, John Milan’s Stella Artois, Wehenstephaner Hefeweizen and Erdinger Pikantus Weizenbock and Phil Sims’ 101 North Brewing Heroine IPA.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 11-Dec-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing demonstration)
• 8-Jan-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIII judging)
• 12-Feb-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Fearn, Dark European Lager competition, BJCP 8A-8B)
• 12-Mar-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Chris Swanson?, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Apr-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, specialty IPA competition, BJCP 21B)
• 6-May-17: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstrations)
• 21-May-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (John and Nikki Daniels)
• 11-Jun-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (William Lee, extract competition, BJCP open category)
• 9-Jul-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate hosted by Paul Holder)
• 13-Aug-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)

Thanks again Brad, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Pate’s !



P.S. – John Milan is STILL NOT DEAD!!!

IRON MASH XIII

Iron Mash XIII was held on Saturday, November 5 at B&Js Pizza on Staples at Timbergate. The weather cooperated for the most part – partly cloudy and breezy, with a little rain near the end.

Five teams competed in this years’ event. “Chopper Hoppers” consisted of Vic and Josie Aguilar, Mark Anthony Gonzales and new member Dolores Montemayor. Talk about prepared – these people showed up with a trailer full of equipment, a dolly to move the equipment, a table, a canopy and team t-shirts. “Good Karma Brewing” included Daniel and Jessica Fearn, Steve Cook and new member Cha Mathews. They also brought a table and canopy, along with a Grain Father electric brew system. Mark Woerner, Mark Quade and Terri Loe were the “Repeat Offenders”. Sarah Tilton competed solo as “Tilted Keg Brewing”. Phil Mooney, Brent Falwell and new member Cody Martin formed “Fustercluck Brewing”.

At high noon, impresario Paul Holder read the rules and handed each team a box of ingredients. The competitors had 30 minutes to concoct a recipe for an American amber ale, American brown ale or California common. Ingredients included grains, dried malt extract (DME) and hop pellets. The teams supplied their own water and yeast.

“Chopper Hoppers” and “Good Karma Brewing” chose to make a California common. “Tilted Keg” and “Fustercluck” opted for an American amber. “Repeat Offenders” decided on American brown ale. The propane burners were then fired up, the electric systems were plugged in and the brewing commenced.

The event was well attended by club members and the general public. Besides the new members who competed, we welcomed William Lee into B.A.S.H. The usual trash talking and good-natured banter occurred. Paul was heard to utter “You gave me a rubber extension thing”! and “I just want it on the record – I’m not a hooker”! After Carroll Pate exclaimed “I’ve never woke up with Paul still in the backyard” Paul retorted “You slept too late”!



After several hours the teams departed with their completed wort. Which beer will win the coveted Iron Mash Cup and secure bling medals for the winning team members? You’ll have to attend the January 2017 B.A.S.H. meeting to find out (and to drink the beers). See you then!

October 2016 Meeting Minutes

The October B.A.S.H. meeting was held on Sunday the 9th at Railroad Seafood Station, hosted by brewmeister Sean Sutherland. El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order, thanking Sean and welcoming new member Gabriel Marroquin and guest Ronnie Middleton. Treasurer “Cretaceous” Carroll Pate was off on another embezzling trip, so stand-in “Neon” Paul Holder reported another ridiculous club balance.

In old business, Paul thanked Classic Brew participants. KEDT plans to have us back next year and we got a nice write-up in the Caller Times. Paul announced the style category for next months’ Iron Mash XIII – amber and brown American beer (2015 BJCP 19A-C). This category encompasses American amber ale, California common and American brown ale. Tom Freund has the team sign-up sheets. Each team can have up to four members and may submit one or two beers for judging. All team members must have paid dues for this year. This outdoor team brewing competition will be held on Saturday, November 5th in celebration of AHA’s Learn To Homebrew Day. Please don’t bring homebrew but you can enjoy B&J’s beers outside at the event.

In new business, there are still opportunities to help out at Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. Dixie Cup judging session in Houston. So far Daniel and Jessica Fearn and Steve and Erica Cook plan to attend. There are still two slots open for the BJCP test in March. Judging training sessions continue every other Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Lazy Beach Brewing. Vice President and Competition Director Mike Wojdyla proposed that we purchase two bound copies of the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines. The motion was approved unanimously. Micah Cole announced that he is looking for a “brew buddy” in Calallen to split batches.

The competition this month was for Scottish ales, BJCP 14A-C and 17C. Wild Bill Lehfeld’s “Fat Bastard” wee heavy earned three points with the win, with a judges score of 163. The remaining three entries were Scottish exports, with Greg Sawyer earning two points for 2nd place with a score of 144. Vic Aguilar rounded out the scoring with one point for 3rd place with a score of 119. Bringing up the rear was Wild Bill’s foamy entry, scoring 90. After 5 of 6 club competitions, cumulative scores are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 8 points
• Mark Quade – 3.5 points
• Vic Aguilar – 3 points
• John Daniels – 3 points
• Jim Hildreth – 3 points
• Paul Kalaghan – 3 points
• Greg Sawyer – 2 points
• Andrew Herzig/Sabrina Krueger – 1.5 point

As the meeting concluded, we feasted on Railroad’s beer-battered fish and onion rings. Sean poured samples of the current Railroad beer lineup – Cerveza De La Flor, Desperado Pilsner, Red Caboose IPA, Riot Rye IPA, Texas Red v. 2.0, Vanilla Porter, Vienna Blonde, Wildlife Wheat and Witches Brew Imperial Pumpkin Stout. Besides the competition beers we enjoyed new homebrews by Paul Holder (East Coast IPA), Eric Linssen (chocolate stout/English bitter), Phil Mooney (dopplebock) and Chris Swanson (nut brown ale). Tom showed up with KCCO Resignation Golden Lager.

Mercifully, both Wild Bill and Paul Holder forgot to wear their clownish Oktoberfest outfits.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 5-Nov-16: Iron Mash XIII (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, team brewing competition)
• 13-Nov-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Brad Klager, Russian Imperial Stout competition, 2008 BJCP 13F)
• 11-Dec-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing demonstration)
• 8-Jan-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIII judging)
• 12-Feb-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, Dark European Lager competition, BJCP 8A-8B)

Thanks again Sean, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Iron Mash and at Brad Klager’s !

September 2016 Minutes

Mark Woerner hosted the September B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 11th. El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order, welcoming new members Terri Loe and Philip Mooney. Treasurer Carroll Pate reported a humongous club balance.

Paul Holder and Tom Freund will pick a style for November’s Iron Mash XIII and announce it at the October meeting. Tom will have team sign-up sheets. Let Paul know if you need yeast. We voted to limit entries to two per team.

Paul gave an update on the KEDT-TV Classic Brew, to be held on Thursday, September 22nd at the Museum of Science and History. Members have signed up to donate 10 keg s for the B.A.S.H. 5-tap portable bar. Donors receive free admission, a free t-shirt and souvenir glass. Paul passed around a sign-up sheet for volunteer tappers, who get half price admission with a t-shirt and glass. Keg donors and tappers need to undergo training on Wednesday, September 14th at 5:30 p.m. at the KEDT studios at Staples and Kostoryz. The night of the event, keg donors should bring their kegs at 5:30 p.m. Tappers should arrive by 6 – 6:30 p.m.

Dixie Cup regional homebrew competition entries should be turned in to Daniel by September 23rd.

Steve Cook gave a demonstration on equipment cleaning.

As the meeting concluded, we feasted on Mark’s sausage (venison, venison with cheese, Italian wild hog and elk), along with tamales and wild hog ribs. We enjoyed new homebrews by Micah Cole (Yuengling clone), Brent Falwell (marzen), Daniel (golden peanut butter pale ale/spiced ale), Paul (East Coast IPA), Aggie Bill Hughen (porter), Wild Bill Lehfeld (Ukrainian Umbilical Stout) and Sarah Tilton (oatmeal stout/ IPA). Interesting commercial beers were shared by Tom (Goliad Redfish IPA), Philip (Rodenbach Grand Cru), Lou Needleman (Goliad Golden Ale/New Belgium Session) and Jay Reining (Grand Teton 5 O’ Clock Shadow Double Black Lager/Hangar 24 Orange Wheat).

The Too Much Information Award went to Paul who announced “I’m having trouble mounting my umbrella”. Hmm …

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 22-Sep-16: Classic Brew 2016 (Museum of Science and History)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station hosted by Sean Sutherland, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)
• 5-Nov-16: Iron Mash XIII (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, team brewing competition)
• 13-Nov-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Brad Klager, Russian Imperial Stout competition, 2008 BJCP 13F)
• 11-Dec-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing competition)
• 8-Jan-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIII judging)

Thanks again Mark, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you at the Classic Brew and next month at Railroad Seafood Station !

August 2016 Minutes

The August B.A.S.H. meeting was held on Sunday the 14th at B&J’s Pizza on SPID. Kyle, Frank, Max and the rest of the B&J’s crew hosted us in a roped-off area in the back room.

El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order, welcoming new members Mark Gonzales and Eric Linssen. Treasurer Carroll Pate reported a healthy club balance after continuing his effective dues collection for the new fiscal year.

Paul Holder gave an update on the KEDT-TV Classic Brew, to be held on Thursday, September 22nd at the Museum of Science and History. If you donate a keg for the B.A.S.H. 5-tap portable bar, you receive free admission, a free t-shirt and souvenir glass. Volunteer tappers get half price admission with a t-shirt and glass. Tappers can sign-up at the September meeting.

Daniel gave an update on the Dixie Cup regional homebrew competition. Entries must be in Houston by September 20th. Paul reported that the source for club hats and t-shirts is now Embroid Me at Carroll Lane and SPID. The first session of Steve Cook’s BJCP judging class was held last Wednesday at Lazy Beach. Those who missed the 1st class can still attend this Wednesday’s 2nd session at Lazy Beach from 7 – 9 p.m. The exam will be held here in March 2017 and in Houston in April.

In REALLY, REALLY OLD business, Carroll Pate is inviting everyone to his 75th birthday party at his home in Calallen on Sunday, August 21 from 2 – 5 p.m. He promises not to get too nostalgic about his era (the Cretaceous, we believe).

The competition this month was for Biere De Garde, BJCP category 24C. Vic Aguilar collected 2 points for his victorious “50-Deuce” amber, while Wild Bill Lehfeld’s brown picked up 1 point for second place. After four of six club competitions, cumulative standings are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 5 points
• Mark Quade – 3.5 points
• John Daniels – 3 points
• Jim Hildreth – 3 points
• Paul Kalaghan – 3 points
• Vic Aguilar – 2 points
• Andrew Herzig/Sabrina – 1.5 point

As the meeting concluded, we enjoyed B&J’s pizza courtesy of Wild Bill and El Presidente. Max and Frank supplemented our homebrew with 20 beers on tap and a gazillion cans and bottles in the B&J’s bottle cooler. Besides the scoring competition beers, we enjoyed new homebrews by Micah Cole (Belgian golden strong/Yuengling clone), Steve (Belgian single/dubbel), Walt Crawford (American IPA), Jim (American wheat/black IPA), Paul Holder (infected pale ale), Wild Bill (amber biere de garde) and Jeremy Van Horn (citra IPA).

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 21-Aug-16: “Cretaceous” Carroll Pate’s 75th birthday (The Pate residence in Calallen)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 22-Sep-16: Classic Brew 2016 (Museum of Science and History)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station hosted by Sean Sutherland, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)
• 5-Nov-16: Iron Mash XIII (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, team brewing competition)
• 13-Nov-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, Russian Imperial Stout competition, 2008 BJCP 13F)
• 11-Dec-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, if he makes it much past 75)

Thanks again El Presidente, Wild Bill and B&J’s, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next weekend at Old Man Pate’s and next month at Mark Woerner’s !

July 2016 Minutes

The July B.A.S.H. meeting was held on Sunday the 10th at B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate. Kyle, Hailey, Margie and the rest of the B&J’s crew had us comfortably ensconced in a large area in the back room.

Incoming El Presidente Daniel Fearn called the meeting to order, welcoming new members Vic Aguilar, Josie Aguilar and Greg Sawyer. Treasurer Carroll Pate kicked off the new fiscal year with some new dues collection tactics which can be described as the carrot and the stick. Paid members received a new nametag recognizing them as members in good standing -- the carrot. Deadbeats and holdouts were threatened with brass knuckles, cattle prods and sarcasm -- the stick. Whatever his reprehensible methods, you can’t argue with the results – a burgeoning treasury.

Paul Holder gave an update on the KEDT-TV Classic Brew. B&J’s is again the licensee and KEDT would like B.A.S.H. to return with our 5-tap portable bar. Thursday, September 22nd is the date, with the location to be determined. As this is the 25th anniversary of B.A.S.H., the theme for our booth will be Diamond Beers for the Sparkling City. In others words, brew your favorite beer. We’re looking for about eight donated 5-gallon kegs of homebrew. About four members will be needed to serve our beer. As usual, the event is also looking for volunteer tappers. For half price admission, you get a t-shirt and souvenir glass.

Steve Cook is looking to teach a BJCP judging class. A sign-up sheet was passed around with a healthy response. The classes will begin at Lazy Beach Brewing on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday in August, from about 7 – 9 p.m. About 8 – 10 total classes will complete the course. Upon completion you will take an online exam first, then take an exam in Houston in March or April. The club voted to purchase about $100 worth of supplies needed for the course.

Paul gave a technical presentation on the effect of temperature on beer flavor. We have taste cells that detect sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savory). Temperature affects sweet, bitter and umami – the perception of these is directly proportional to temperature. Flavor is affected by aroma – we can detect about 10,000 different aromas. A low temperature hides flavors (good and bad). A high temperature accentuates flavors (good and bad). The optimum temperature for lagers, wheat beers and lambics is 44 – 52 F, for ales 44 – 60 F and for Imperial stouts 70 F.

Paul also mentioned he’s got plenty of Edinburgh ale yeast at Liquid Town for the upcoming Scottish ale competition in October.

As the meeting concluded, we enjoyed B&J’s pizza courtesy of Paul. Margie served up 25 beers on tap and a vast array of beers awaited in the B&J’s bottle cooler. The two Big Brew beers were on tap -- Aggie Bill Hughen’s ginger beer and Sarah Tilton’s altbier. We also enjoyed new homebrews by Vic Aguilar (cider), Steve (citra double IPA), Daniel (jackfruit pale ale), Lee Lehman (porter/barrel-aged porter), Randy Sandifer (red ale), Greg (IPA), Sarah (Russian Imperial Stout) and Jeremy Van Horn (cherry Saison).

Tom Freund allegedly uttered “Number Two is a brown ale!” OK …

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 22-Sep-16: Classic Brew 2016 (location to be determined)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station hosted by Sean Sutherland, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)
• 5-Nov-16: Iron Mash XIII (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, team brewing competition)
• 13-Nov-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, Russian Imperial Stout competition, 2008 BJCP 13F)

Thanks again Paul and B&J’s, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at Daniel Nutting’s !

June 2016 Minutes

The June meeting of BASH was held at the home of Judy and Walt Crawford. We were lucky in that it didn’t rain and there were no mosquitoes. Walt and Judy prepared cheeseburgers in paradise and we all enjoyed a fabulous dinner. Judy led us in song to the words of Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise” to work up our appetites. We met three new prospective members, Eric Linssen and Victor and Josie Aguilar. Treasurer for Life Carroll announced that they couldn’t join until July as that is renewal month for all and this would be their complementary meeting. All attendees were shocked to the core to actually hear Carroll turn down money. We will be working with Dr. Lou to get a diagnosis on this sudden change in Carroll’s behavior.

The Competition this month was Irish Red (Category 15A). Comp director Mike said there were 6 entries from Jim, Sarah, John D. and Wild Bill. John D. took top honors and 3 pts, Jim corralled 2nd and 3rd and also earned 3 points.

Outgoing President Sabrina called the meeting to order after the competition was tasted. Carroll reported that we are ending the year with 45 paid members. We discussed our new Facebook group page and those that had visited were lavish in their praise. It is a closed group so to get access, members have to request admission. Normally that is approved within a day as we have several approval authorities. New member, Steve, noted that he is a BJCP judge (only one in South Texas) and would put on a class for those interested in taking the test. Several folks signed up and he may have to make that 2 classes. More on that at the July meeting. Daniel announced that his AHA National entries didn’t place at the National level but placing in the Southwest Area comp is still pretty impressive. After the meeting, we found Daniel took first place with his Pineapple Pale Ale in Category 24 at the ACCF in San Antonio. Some may remember that this is the beer he brewed, extract based, at our April Meeting. We closed the meeting by electing officers for the next year. Daniel F. will be Presidente, Mike W. will continue as VP and Competition Chair, Wild Bill and Carroll will continue as secretary and treasurer also.

We were fortunate to have many new homebrews to sample. Paul H. brought a Best Bitter, Jeremy a Mosaic IPA, Carroll an English Brown (what a surprise), Mike a SMASH beer, Steve a Belgian Cider, guest Eric a Chocolate Stout, Sarah also a chocolate stout, and a mystery beer and guest Victor a Citra Pils. Of course, there were many commercial beers to fill in the blanks between homebrews.

The top comment was from outgoing Pres Sabrina who confessed her difficulty in buying Saran Wrap in Norway. We can only imagine why one would need Saran Wrap in Norway.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 10-Jul-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder), Special Rules apply. You may bring homebrew but it must stay inside the cordoned area for the club. You may bring appetizers; various pizzas will be provided. NO COMMERCIAL BEER ALLOWED (you are welcome to purchase commercial beers from B&J’s and wander all over with them)
• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)
• 13-Nov-16 Host needed.

Thanks again to Judy and Walt for a fabulous time. Hope you get rid of the tomatoes, Walt.

May 2016 Minutes

The rain fell, the water rose and Travis Clapp built his ark, stocking it with two sheep, two goats, two ferrets, two more sheep, etc. The rest of us braved the biblical deluge and ventured to Rockport for the May B.A.S.H. meeting, hosted by John and Nikki Daniels on Sunday the 15th. Amateur meteorologist John reported that this was only the 5th time in the past 30 years that it has rained on the 3rd Sunday in May. In any case, we stayed high and dry on the Daniels’ huge covered rear porch.

With El Presidente Sabrina Krueger gallivanting across the Baltic Sea, it was up to Vice President Mike Wojdyla to call the meeting to order. Carroll Pate delivered another sterling treasury report – forget Alexander Hamilton, THIS GUY belongs on the ten dollar bill! We all congratulated Daniel Fearn on advancing to the AHA finals in Baltimore with his European amber lager and semisweet mead.

Lorelei Brewing has received labeling approval and has beers on tap in eight bars in Corpus Christi. Carroll reported on an article in an online forum about stretching your yeast inventory. First, prepare a 25% solution of glycerine with water. Open your packet of yeast and divide the contents into up to ten portions. Then dilute each portion 50/50 with the glycerine/water mixture. The resulting slurries should stay viable up to 2 years in the refrigerator. Paul Holder warned of a potential yeast shortage – supplier White Labs in San Diego is at capacity. Mark your calendars – Carroll will celebrate his 75th birthday in Calallen on Sunday, August 21st. Said elderly Paul “I look up to Carroll as sort of a father figure”!

There was no competition or demonstration brew this month. We washed down our INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS taco salad with new homebrews from John and Mike (Irish red ale), Daniel (pineapple pale ale), Paul (porter), Wild Bill Lehfeld (amber biere de garde), Carroll and Chris Swanson (American pale ale) and Mike (eisbock). In true old-school fashion, no commercial beer was present.

As usual, the conversation got a little weird near the end with Chris uttering a real gem – “He had throat cancer from all the cigars he drank”! Hmmm ….

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)
• 10-Jul-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder)
• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station hosted by Sean Sutherland, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)

Thanks again John and Nikki, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Crawford’s !

Big Brew 2016!

B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate hosted the 2016 Corpus Christi edition of the American Homebrewers Association’s Big Brew. Two teams from the Bay Area Association of Homebrewers (B.A.S.H.) brewed the AHA’s selected recipes for this year in an outdoor, public demonstration. The weather was beautiful (if a tad breezy) and the B.A.S.H. canopy provided ample shade.

In a solo effort, Aggie Bill Hughen brewed a 5-gallon batch of ginger beer. Sarah Tilton and Sean Sutherland brewed a Dusseldorf alt. Our canopy was FULLY ERECT by 11:00 a.m. Aggie Bill ignited his propane burner at 11:10, followed by Sarah and Sean at 11:15. El Presidente Sabrina Krueger quit complaining about her new “B.A.S.H. Mom” moniker long enough to lead the traditional global synchronized toast to homebrewing at high noon. We got a pleasant surprise at 1:00 p.m. when prodigal son Claudio Montiel joined the festivities.

By 3:15 both beers were done. The canopy was taken down and stowed by 3:30 with little drama. No embarrassing screwups or ridiculous comments were noted this year, although during a slightly sloppy cleanup phase Sarah discovered that her phone is, in fact, amphibious! The finished beers can be sampled at the July meeting.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 15-May-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, John Daniels)
• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)
• 10-Jul-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder)
• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Railroad Seafood Station, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)

See you at The Daniels’!

April Minutes 2016

Brad Klager hosted the April B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 10th. El Presidente Sabrina Krueger called the meeting to order and welcomed guest Mike Westergren and new members Steve Cook and Randy Sandifer (with wife Carla). Treasurer Carroll Pate rambled on about the club treasury and took a lot of pictures. We all congratulated Daniel Fearn on earning 3rd place in an AHA regional competition with his European amber lager.

For the upcoming Big Brew on Saturday, May 7 Sarah Tilton and Aggie Bill Hughen will brew the two AHA recipes (Dusseldorf alt and ginger beer, respectively). Heads up – the May monthly meeting will be on the 3rd Sunday (5/15) so as not to interfere with Mothers’ Day. You don’t want to miss Nikki Daniels’ INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS taco salad. Jim Hildreth was strong-armed into being nominating committee chairman for this summers’ club elections. Daniel Fearn made us aware of the upcoming Alamo City Cervezafest. Beer competition entries cost $8 each. You can enter one beer per BJCP category in three unmarked 12 ounce bottles.

Paul Holder gave a brief presentation on fruit beers. They may contain chemicals which interfere with medication. The bottom line is to always disclose fruit presence in homebrew, especially with grapefruit.

The competition this month was for lagers. Wild Bill Lehfeld’s dopplebock captured 1st place, earning 3 points. Mark Quade’s American lager finished 2nd, scoring 2 points. Wild Bill’s Helles exportbier tallied one point for a 3rd place finish. After two club competitions, cumulative scores are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 4 points
• Mark Quade – 3.5 points
• Paul Kalaghan – 3 points
• Andrew Herzig/Sabrina – 1.5 point

We enjoyed a bounty of Southeast Asian food along with an explosion of new homebrews. Besides the scoring competition beers, we tasted new brews from Daniel Fearn (Vienna lager), Tom Freund (English porter), Jim (IPA), Paul Holder (“halfieweizen”/pale ale), Paul Kalaghan (Czech pils), host Brad (“reindeer beer”), Wild Bill (Munich dunkel) and Mark Quade (Helles bock). Interesting commercial beers made their usual appearance, including Boulevard Calling IPA (Steve), Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (Andrew/Sabrina), Pilsner Urquell (Paul K) and Big Bend Hefeweizen/No. 22 Porter/Tejas Lager and Twisted X Premium Tex-Mex Lager/Fuego Jalapeño Pilsner/Chupa Hopra IPA (Lou Needleman).

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 7-May-16: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstations)
• 15-May-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, John Daniels)
• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)
• 10-Jul-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder)
• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 9-Oct-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, Scottish Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 14A-C, 17C)

Thanks again Brad, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Big Brew and the Daniels’ !

March 2016 Minutes

Jim and Tracy Hildreth hosted the March B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 13th. Daniel Fearn conducted a brewing demonstration, making a pineapple pale ale while adorned in a spiffy B.A.S.H. apron. El Presidente Sabrina Krueger called the meeting to order and welcomed numerous neighbors, friends, relatives and other guests. Treasurer Carroll Pate reported that his efforts to embezzle the entire club account have failed again. He promised to pick it up just a little bit in the future.
For this years’ Big Brew public brewing demonstration in early-May, the AHA published only two recipes this year instead of the usual three. Sarah Tilton and Sean Sutherland will brew the Dusseldorf Alt, while Aggie Bill Hughen will brew the ginger beer. See Paul Holder if you want to brew a third beer.

Paul gave a presentation on dry brewing yeast. Yeast is generally recognized as the most important ingredient in beer and most people would say that liquid yeast is preferable to dry yeast. A recent article in the March/April 2016 issue of Brew Your Own magazine (available online) discusses recent developments in dry yeast. In short, today’s dry yeast is much improved over the varieties available in the 80’s and 90’s. Dry yeast only loses viability at the rate of 10-20% per year, so it stores longer than liquid yeast. You need 6 million cells per milliliter of wort, or about 114 million cells for a 5 gallon batch of ale, or double that for a batch of lager. A package of dry yeast contains about 200 billion cells. You must rehydrate it properly with water (never wort) before pitching. Sprinkle the package of dry yeast into 6 ounces of RO or distilled water at 95 – 105 F. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then stir for another 30 minutes before pitching.

Vice President and Competition Director Mike Wojdyla gave a presentation on Russian Imperial Stout, November’s competition style. You should aim for an ABV of at least 8%, use up to 8 different grains for a complex malty flavor and expect to age the beer for several months. We tasted examples of Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unicorn, Avery The Czar, Real Ale Commissar and Texas Big Beer Brewing Czar of Texas.

As we feasted on chicken pasta alfredo, we tried new homebrews by host Jim (nut brown ale), Wild Bill Lehfeld (Dortmunder export) and Jeremy Van Horn (imperial brown ale/cinnamon vanilla imperial brown). Interesting commercial beers were in abundance, including Andrew Herzig/Sabrina’s Stone Ruination/Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Brad Klager’s Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball/Lagunitas Sucks, Lou Needleman’s Big Bend Terlingua Gold/Six Points Sweet Action and Bengali/Cow Creek Dark Tex Mex Lager/Tractor Brewing Milk Mustachio Stout.

Uncharacteristically, nothing stupid or bizarre was overheard. We’ll do better next month …

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 10-Apr-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Brad Klager, lager competition)
• 7-May-16: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstations)
• 15-May-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, John Daniels)
• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)
• 10-Jul-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder)
• 14-Aug-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Nutting, Biere de Garde competition, 2015 BJCP 24C)
• 11-Sep-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)

Thanks again Jim and Tracy, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at Brad Klager’s!

February Meeting Minutes 2016

Daniel and Jessica Fearn hosted the February B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 14th. El Presidente Sabrina Krueger called the meeting to order and welcomed new members Lee and Stephanie Lehman and guest Michelle (Sean Sutherland’s friend). Disgraced former president Travis Clapp wished everyone a Happy VD from his exile on the island of Elba.(He’s serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity and sheep).Treasurer Carroll Pate delivered a sterling report with his usual panache. Paul Holder related a recent article from Brew Your Own magazine, explaining why beer foams up in a frozen glass. The ice has a jagged surface which provides nucleation sites for CO2 to come out of solution, hence the foam. Sabrina urged everyone to start thinking about forming teams for May’s Big Brew public brewing demonstration. We’ll have more information at the next meeting.

The competition this month was for meads, 2015 BJCP categories M1 – M4. After the judges scrutinized nine entries Paul Kalaghan’s cranberry tangerine melomel emerged victorious, earning 3 points. Mark Quade’s pyment tied with Andrew Herzig/Sabrina’s entry for second place, earning 1 ½ points each.

New homebrews from Walt Crawford (American IPA), Bob Davis/Carroll/Chris Swanson (chocolate stout), Jim Hildreth (triple hopped pale ale/spiced Scottish ale), Paul H (prickly pear wheat ale), guest Lee (Irish red ale) and Jeremy Van Horn (coffee pale ale/blackberry raspberry pale ale) accompanied our feast of lasagna and Italian green beans and artichokes. Interesting commercial beers included Micah Cole’s Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic, Brad Klager’s Jester King Snörkel and Brooklyn Local 2, Cory Mathews’ Lazy Beach Session IPA, Lou Needleman’s Big Bend Terlingua Gold and Twisted X Cow Creek Mexican Dark and Sean’s Dogfish Head India Brown Ale and Railroad Seafood Station Red IPA and Vanilla Porter.

As usual some interesting exchanges were overheard …

• Anonymous – Can I smell it, Carroll? Carroll – You can do more than smell it!
• Paul H – I’ve got a sweet melomel. Mark Q – Sounds like a girl I knew in high school!
• Walt – I’m not sure how it works. Chris – It goes in the hole, probably!

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 13-Mar-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Jim Hildreth, brewing demonstration)
• 10-Apr-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Brad Klager, lager competition)
• 7-May-16: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstations)
• 15-May-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, John Daniels)
• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)

Thanks again Daniel and Jessica, congratulations Paul K, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Hildreth’s!

January 2016 Minutes

The January B.A.S.H. meeting was held on Sunday the 10th at the home of Tom and Rocky Freund in Flour Bluff, co-hosted by Aggie Bill and Dianna Hughen. We welcomed newbie David Raymond and old timer John Cox as El Presidente Sabrina Krueger called the meeting to order. Treasurer Carroll Pate’s report wasn’t quite as rosy as usual, but sufficed in a pinch. In old business, Paul Holder and Tom reported on the test results from their Flour Bluff pale ale, December’s demonstration brew. The ABV was 5.6% and the IBU’s were 26. By Paul’s diabolical calculations, the local Cascade hops contained 2.0% alpha acids. In any case, the taste was delicious!

In new business, we found hosts for several upcoming meetings, but are still seeking homes for the April and June shindigs. Walt Crawford is looking for a 6+ gallon brew pot.

After the opening frivolity, we got down to serious bidness – judging the beers from November’s Iron Mash XII. Past winners were encouraged to wear their coveted bling medals. Poor Mark Quade was hunched over from the extraordinary mass of shiny chrome dangling from his overmatched neck, representing several past wins. Mark teamed up with Mark Woerner and Micah Cole to form the aptly named Repeat Offenders (AKA the Inveterate Miscreants). Daniel and Jessica Fearn partnered with Geoff Whirty to form Team Red Shirt. Jim Hildreth, Mike Wojdyla and Craig Gann were the Porter Waggoners. A-Train Almendarez, Patrick Viles and Clinton Schena comprised Team Thunderhunt. Each team brewed at least one American porter. (Several teams split their wort among multiple fermenters, pitching different yeast into each to create more than one finished beer). In total, eight brews faced the gauntlet of discerning judges. With a final score of 164 points, one effort by the Porter Waggoners captured third place. Runner-up went to Team Red Shirt, whose single product scored 177 points. With one of their beers scoring 183 points, the Iron Mash XII champions are the Repeat Offenders. After the traditional victory photo with their bling medals, we bundled Mr. Quade off to the chiropractor. Despite our darkest fears, Travis Clapp did NOT show up to drink from the Iron Mash trophy. Phew!

As we consumed sausage and chili blanco, we sloshed down the competition beers as well as new homebrews from Micah (Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA clone), Jim (SMSH pale ale), Mark Quade (Kölsch, or was it Quölsch?) and Jeremy Van Horn (strawberry and blackberry pale ales). Interesting commercial beers included Andrew Herzig/Sabrina’s Karbach Love Street, Wild Bill Lehfeld’s Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Cory Mathews’ Lazy Beach Bonfire Smore Stout and Belgian IPA (a homebrewer collaboration), Lou Needleman’s Six Points Sweet Action and Tractor Brewing Milk Stout and Clinton’s Real Ale Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale and New Belgium Ben & Jerry’s Salted Caramel Brownie.

The hardcores were still surrounding the bonfire at 10:30 p.m. when your humble narrator slinked off. The most embarrassing quote again came from noted pyromaniac Mike – “Craig gives me wood!” Let’s hope he was referring to fuel for the raging inferno …

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 14-Feb-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Fearn, mead competition, 2015 BJCP M1 – M4)
• 13-Mar-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (Jim Hildreth, brewing demonstration)
• 10-Apr-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, lager competition)
• 7-May-16: Big Brew (B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, multiple brewing demonstations)
• 15-May-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, John Daniels)
• 12-Jun-16: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, Irish Red Ale competition, 2015 BJCP 15A)

Thanks again Tom, Rocky, Aggie Bill and Dianna, congratulations Mark, Mark and Micah, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Fearn’s!