November 2017 Minutes

Eric Linssen hosted the November B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 12 th , with a big assist from Cathy Carrier’s Mom Phyllis. El Presidente Mike Wojdyla opened the meeting and thanked our veterans. Treasurer Tom Freund reported a decent account balance, after expenses for Iron Mash. In old business, Paul Holder made available leftover grains and adjuncts from Iron Mash. It was announced that founding member Jake Garret passed away in October. Many long-serving members owe much of their brewing acumen to Jake. He was famous for drinking the yeasty residue from everyone’s bottles, stating “It’s high in vitamin B complex”. We had another discussion on the future of club competitions and a motion was approved to have a subcommittee come up with a recommendation to present at the December meeting. Paul will lead the subcommittee, assisted by Daniel Fearn, Tom Freund, Eric and Aggie Bill Hughen. They will meet

Tuesday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Lazy Beach Brewing. Speaking of competitions, the October contest was for pale malty European lagers, BJCP 4A-C.

Wild Bill Lehfeld submitted the only entries, thus earning one point towards homebrewer of the year. His Munich helles scored an average of 37.7/50, while his festbier averaged 35.7/50. After five of six competitions, cumulative standings are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 14 points
• Jeremy Van Horn – 3 points
• Greg Sawyer – 1 point
• Mark Quade – 1 point
• John Daniels – 1 point

Entries were collected for the November contest for brown British beers, BJCP 13A-C. After the meeting adjourned, we feasted on red, blanco and vegetarian chili. Besides the competition beers, we enjoyed new homebrews by Tom (German hefeweizen), Paul (Belgian IPA #2), Eric (coconut stout) and Jeremy (American pale ale). Interesting commercial brews included Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout

and Oatsmobile from Jack and Karen Heim, Moonlight Meadery Mango Mead from Dianna Hughen and Tom’s Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. During the height of a torrential downpour, Paul exclaimed “If that isn’t drip irrigation I don’t know what

is!” Carroll Pate mentioned “Very little hunting goes on in my backyard”. To Paul’s inquiry “Hey Wild Bill, are you ready to jump in the pool?”, Wild Bill replied “I’ve done stupider things!” Wild Bill also requested “Hey Paul, can you order me three missionaries?”


Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 10-Dec- 17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll “Brisket” Pate, brewing demonstration)
• 14-Jan- 18: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIV judging)
• 11-Feb- 18: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, competition)
• 11-Mar- 18: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brewing demonstration)
• 8 –Apr-18: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, competition)
• 5-May- 18: Big Brew (multiple brewing demonstrations)
• 20-May- 18: B.A.S.H. meeting (John Daniels, NOTE: 3 RD SUNDAY)

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

Iron Mash XIV Minutes

Iron Mash XIV was held on Saturday, November 4 at B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate. The weather was cooperative – warm and breezy.

Four teams competed in this years’ event. Team “JEB” was a three-way brew date involving Jeremy Van Horn, Eric Linssen and Aggie Bill Hughen. “Mötley Brüe” consisted of Chris Ackman and Larry Sommers. “Tilted Keg” was a solo effort by Sarah Tilton. The fourth team was an improvised unit. Originally titled “Repeat Offenders”, the 3-man crew suffered some last day attrition. Mark Quade decided to star in a solo remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (Kevin Spacey was unavailable). Walt Crawford was dragged kicking and screaming on a Caribbean cruise by wife Judy. This left Mark Woerner as “The Lone Ranger”, until a few volunteers stepped up to help. Besides Mark Woerner, “Lone Ranger and Friends” included Philip Mooney, El Presidente Mark Wojdyla and Brad Klager.

Tom Freund welcomed the teams and Paul Holder passed out the box of mystery ingredients at high noon. After 30 minutes of brainstorming, arguing and cogitating the teams declared a style and finalized their recipes. Team “JEB” decided to make an English Porter, “Mötley Brüe” settled on a red IPA, “Tilted Keg” chose a peanut butter American porter and “Lone Ranger and Friends” picked an American pale ale.

The teams then ignited their propane burners and commenced brewing. When they finished steeping, boiling and cooling their wort they cleaned up and took the brews home to pitch yeast and begin fermentation. The resulting beers will be judged at the January B.A.S.H. meeting. The winning team will be awarded the Iron Mash trophy for one year and each winning team member will receive an individual chrome plated bling medal. In the end, all attendees will be winners because we get to drink the beers!

Iron Mash XIV was well attended by club members. Several curious bystanders wandered by and were introduced to the hobby of homebrewing. Trash talk was at a minimum this year as were obvious brewing screwups. As usual, Paul made the most perceptive comment – “Mike, you need to take better care of your instrument”.

October 2017 Minutes

Jack and Karen Heim hosted the October B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 8th. El Presidente Mike Wojdyla opened the meeting and welcomed former members from the 1990’s Dale and Liz Loveland, who rejoined the club.  Treasurer Tom Freund reported another healthy account balance.

In old business, VP for Competitions Daniel Fearn reported results from the online survey. Responses totaled 33, of which 50% have entered at least one club competition, most of whom enter 1 or 2 of the 6 annual competitions. Most people entered a competition because they already had a beer in that style or because they liked the style and decided to brew for that competition. At least 80% of those who entered competitions liked receiving feedback on their beers.

Tom gave an update on Novembers Iron Mash team brewing competition. Tom collected team rosters by the end of the meeting.

In new business, Daniel led a long discussion on proposed changes to our in-club competitions, with several members offering their two cents worth. The goal of the changes is to increase participation, give written feedback to all entrants to improve their future beers and give our certified judges opportunities to advance in the BJCP judging hierarchy. If we notify BJCP 30 days in advance and pay a fee, we can hold a sanctioned competition resulting in points for the certified judges. The “best of show” winner would get a mention in Zymurgy magazine. Sanctioned competitions will require at least 12 beers.

One motion was made, seconded and approved to move the judging offsite with beers turned in before or at the nominal competition meeting. Certified judges and other members would score the beers at a later date. Results would be announced (and score sheets provided) at the following meeting. Another motion was approved to allow beer styles not listed in the 2018 competition schedule to be entered in those competitions. All beers would be scored and the “best of show” would be eligible for mention in Zymurgy.

The competition this month was for pale malty European lagers (BJCP 4A-C). Beers were turned in and the results will be announced at the November meeting.

After the meeting adjourned, we filled up on Greek gyros. We enjoyed three of the beers originally brewed for the Classic Brew – Paul Holder’s Belgian IPA, a double IPA by the 4J’s of Mathis and Wild Bill Lehfeld’s white IPA. Other new homebrews were provided by Chris Ackman (brown ale) and the 4J’s (porter). Interesting commercial beers included Brad Klager’s Jester King RU55 Barrel Aged Sour Red and Buffalo Bayou Figaro, Figaro, Fiigaro Quadrupel With Figs, Lou Needleman’s Lazy Magnolia Southern Hospitality IPA, Mark Quade’s Innis & Gunn Hopped Boubon Cask Ale and Karbachtoberfest and Jeremy Van Horn’s Foam Brewers Built To Spill DIPA.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition, B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate)

12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Eric Linssen, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)

10-Dec-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing demonstration)

14-Jan-18: B.A.S.H. meeting (Tom Freund, Iron Mash XIV judging)

11-Feb-18: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, European sour ale competition, BJCP 23A-F)

Thanks again Jack and Karen, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at Iron Mash and Eric Linssen’s !

September 2017

This month's minutes were taken by Jessica Fearn, who is neither as observant nor as clever as Wild Bill.  What follows is her best attempt at approximating the exuberance the jet-setter has for meeting minutes.

Mark Woerner hosted the B.A.S.H. meeting on September 10th.  President Mike Wojdyla called the meeting to order, and treasurer Tom reported that all the money is still in the bank.

In old business, Paul Holder reminded members that Embroid Me owns our logo and will embroid it on a shirt you bring in or overpay them to sell you.  VP for Competitions Daniel Fearn announced the changes to upcoming club competitions that will move us toward the future vision for club contests set forth at the competitions meeting on September 7.  

Judging will no longer take place during the stomach-growling hour before meetings.  Instead, judging will happen offsite and provide actual specific written feedback to all brewers who enter.  The new group of BJCP ranked judges will take the lead on judging, using written BJCP scoresheets to provide the best possible notes for contest entries.  Anyone interested in judging is welcome to participate, and the ranked judges are are ready to provide guidance about judging procedures to anyone willing to judge.  

The October contest will still be Pale Malty Ales, BJCP styles 4A-C, and bottles for the contest can be dropped off at Liquid Town on Airline between October 2nd and October 7th, or they can be dropped off at the October meeting.  The judging date is TBD, but winners will be announced at the November meeting.

The November contest styles have been opened up to include British Beers in BJCP categories 11A-C,13A-C,16A-D, and 17A-D.  For more contest information, check out the competition section of the website.  

Since there will be a large time gap left where everyone would normally sit around wondering what is taking them so long to judge, there will now be brewing education talks for each of the meetings with contests.  In October, Paul Holder will teach us everything we need to know about extract brewing.

In new business, Tom and Paul informed us that ancient scrolls have predicted that Iron Mash XIV is coming up in November.  Tom is taking team submissions starting now, and all teams have to be in by next month so the diabolical duo can begin assembling the most treacherous, most fearsome, most 2017est ingredients the teams have ever faced.  Paul reminded us that per the club's vote last year, we will alternate between announced styles and total mystery boxes and that this was a mystery year.

In his role as local homebrew supply baron, Paul announced a sale on yeast at Liquid Town on Airline.  During the power outages caused by Hurricane Harvey, the supply of yeast came to cool room temperature, so he has slashed prices and suggested making starters.

As an update to last month, the club will no longer be serving at the B.A.S.H. bar during Classic Brew due to some TABC requirements that were announced by the event hosts after last month's meeting.  Club members wishing to be tappers can still take the TABC Server course online and volunteer at the event for free admission.

The charming and beautiful (and definitely not shrill and yelling, no matter what you heard) VP for Plans and Programs Jessica Fearn announced the new B.A.S.H. text message reminder system.  For meeting updates, text "@BASHCC" to 81010.  For competitions updates, both B.A.S.H. and in the wider world, text "@BASHCOMP" to 81010.  For beer judging updates, text "@BASHJUDGE" to 81010.

We are also conducting our first annual online member survey.  Click here to tell us what we're getting right, what we're getting wrong, and how we can improve.  We will begin announcing the results of the survey at the October meeting.

Cory Mathews suggested that we start a new annual tradition of brewing a B.A.S.H. beer at Lazy Beach to be served in their tap room.

After the meeting adjourned, we feasted on a menagerie of animals killed by Mark Woerner.  We also enjoyed homebrews from Paul Holder (Cubano, just to thumb his nose at Hurricane Irma), Aggie Bill (Porter), Philip Mooney (Weird Hoppy Bock Thing) and Rusty Keyes (Daughter's Wedding Saison). Interesting commercial beers....were probably there too, but I forgot to take note of any of them.  This is why we pay WIld Bill the big bucks.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

28-Sep- 17: KEDT-TV Classic Brew

2-Oct-17 to 7-Oct-17: October contest drop-off at Liquid Town on Airline

8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Jack Heim, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)

4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)

6-Nov-17 to 11-Nov-17: November contest drop-off at Liquid Town on Airline

12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, British beer competition, BJCP 11A-C, 13A-C, 16A-D, 17A-D)

10-Dec-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing demonstration)

Thanks again Mark, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at Jack Heim’s !

August 2017 Minutes

Brad Klager hosted the August B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 13th. El Presidente Mike Wojdyla opened the meeting and welcomed new member Jorin Leija (one of the Four J’s of Mathis). Treasurer Tom Freund reported a healthy account balance and reminded people to pay 2017-2018 dues.

In old business, VP for Policies and Programs Jessica Fearn announced that the club excursion to the CC Hooks baseball game will be August 24, appropriately a “Thirsty Thursday”. Use discount code “BASH” to buy tickets on the Hooks website. Speaking of websites, the club website is back up and running thanks to Tom. Our domain name is paid up for 3 years.

Will Seddelmeyer gave an update on the Classic Brew. Unfortunately, in the days following the meeting, some information came to light that means B.A.S.H. will not be serving kegs of homebrew at the event using our portable bar due to insurance/liability issues. Members can still sign up at the September meeting to be volunteer tappers.

Steve Cook reported that our BJCP judge certification class was one of only twelve in the US this year. The following six members are now recognized judges – Daniel and Jessica Fearn, Paul Holder, Eric Linssen, Cory Mathews and Jeremy Van Horn. Congratulations to the judges and to Steve for leading the class and getting our expenses reimbursed!

In new business, Jake Resio reported on a new beer magazine called Brewd that is taking articles from homebrewers. Google “Brewd” if you’re interested. Paul Holder reported that Erik Hinz and fiancée Maggie are inviting B.A.S.H. members to their wedding. Stay tuned to find out where and when.

The competition this month was for British Golden Ale/Australian Sparkling Ale (BJCP 12A/12B). The judges awarded Wild Bill Lehfeld’s “Ned Kelly” Australian Sparkling Ale a score of 141 and his “007” British Golden Ale a score of 129. As Wild Bill was the only entrant, he earned one point. After four of six club competitions, the cumulative standings are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 13 points
• Jeremy – 3 points
• Greg Sawyer – 1 point
• Mark Quade – 1 point
• John Daniels – 1 point

After the meeting adjourned, we devoured Brad’s smoked pork and grilled shrimp. Besides the competition beers, we enjoyed new homebrews from Steve (Belgian dubbel), Paul (amber ale), The Four J’s (Kölsch), Erik (Northeast IPA/Honey Wit), Phil Mooney (Big Brew Oktoberfest) and Will (Bretted saison). Interesting commercial beers included Brad’s New Braunfels Schwartz Sour Dunkel Hefe, Cory’s “Origin One” Belgian Pale Ale, Phil’s Jester King Barrel Aged Old Brown Oud Bruin and Will’s Jester King Collaboration Rare Corals.

The following dubious comments were overheard:

• Paul – “Hey Jeremy, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!”
• Cory -- ”Wild Bill, is that your hard disk on the ground?” Wild Bill – “Hey, I’ve got your hard disk!” Cory – Sir, that’s a floppy disk!”

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 28-Sep- 17: KEDT-TV Classic Brew
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Jack Heim, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)
• 4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)
• 12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)
• 10-Dec-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Carroll Pate, brewing demonstration)

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

July Minutes 2017

The July B.A.S.H. meeting was held on Sunday the 9th at B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate, hosted by Paul Holder. Incoming President Mike Wojdyla introduced the 2017-2018 officers – Jessica Fearn (Vice President of Policies and Plans), Daniel Fearn (Vice President of Competitions), Wild Bill Lehfeld (Secretary) and Tom Freund (Treasurer). We welcomed a record number of new members, eight to be exact – Greg Anderson, Corky Karcher, Rhonalin Middleton, Larry Sommers, Steven Spencer and The Three J’s from Mathis (Joel Bradley, Jay Poole and Jake Resio).

In new business, B.A.S.H. has been invited to participate in this years’ KEDT-TV Classic Brew fundraising event on Thursday, September 28. We will serve beers from our 5-tap portable bar. The theme this year is IPAs. Paul Holder passed around a sign-up sheet for those wishing to brew and donate a 5-gallon keg. Donors get into the event free of charge. A few IPA styles were still unclaimed at meetings’ end, so if you’re interested contact Paul. As always, volunteer tappers get into the event for half price.

Jessica Fearn is putting together a trip to a Corpus Christi Hooks baseball game. Contact Jessica if you’re interested. One of our past presidents, Jason Merry, is transferring to Cape Cod with the Coast Guard. We will miss Jason and family and wish them success in their new location.

Paul gave a presentation on the suitability of Corpus Christi water for brewing, based on the City’s 2016 water quality report. The measures of interest to brewers are calcium, magnesium, total alkalinity, sulfates, chloride and sodium. Desired/actual concentrations in parts per million are as follows -- calcium 100-150 ppm/60, magnesium 0-40/8.5, total alkalinity 0-100/141, sulfates 50-150 (malty beer), 150-400 (hoppy beer)/65, chloride 50-150/131 and sodium 0-100/75.

After the meeting adjourned, we gorged ourselves on B&J’s pizza, courtesy of Paul. We washed it down with the IPA from the Big Brew as well as B&J’s vast array of draft and bottled beers. New homebrews included Walt Crawford’s “Hank’s Hefe”/”Hop Head” Double IPA, Paul’s amber ale, The Three J’s Mexican lager/English IPA/American ale, Corky’s American lager/bock/European lager, Carroll Pate/Chris Swanson’s brown ale and Larry Sommers’ English porter/watermelon wheat. Leave it to Paul to come up with the quote of the night – “My tongue’s not sophisticated enough to tell the difference”!

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 13-Aug-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Brad Klager, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 28-Sep- 17: KEDT-TV Classic Brew
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Jack Heim, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)
• 4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)
• 12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)

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

June 2017 Meeting Minutes

Will Lee hosted the June B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday, 11 June at his home in Corpus Christi. It should come as no surprise that El Presidente Daniel Fearn was again missing. This time he sent word that his calendar failed him but he would show up in time for a meeting next week if we had one. Vice President Mike Wojdyla again assumed the heavy mantle of the meeting and competition and vowed that he would take action to have this situation resolved. See Paragraph 3 of these minutes.

Mike immediately began collecting bottles and recruiting judges for this month’s Extract only competition. In the meantime, we welcomed guests Steve Spencer, Sean O’Connor and, Will’s neighbor, Tony Barrera. New beers were served by Greg Sawyer (California Common), Will (Brown Ale and IPA), and Victor Aguilar (his Big Brew Saison). There was lots of commercial beer also however only a check of Will’s garbage will show which one’s we tried.

After the six entries in the competition were judged, Mike announced the results. In third place with 97 points was John Daniel’s Red Rye, second place with 137 was Tahoe Willy’s (Wild Bill) Wee Heavy and the top spot went to Jeremy Van Horn’s Old Ale with a whopping 164 points. Mike then immediately launched into meeting mode and we determined that our Treasury, guarded by Treasurer for Life Carroll Pate, was still solvent. Mike solicitied ideas to spend some of the funds. We had no outstanding old business and moved quickly to the only new business of the day, nominations for elections for the next 12 months officers. Head of the nominating committee Paul Holder reported a new structure for the next year. 6 Positions, President, VP for Competitions, VP for Plans and Programs, Secretary, Treasurer and Webmaster. As this idea was looked upon favorably, he recommended the following: for Webmaster Erik Hinz, Treasurer Tom Freund, Secretary Wild Bill Lehfeld, VP Competition Daniel Fearn, VP Plans and Programs Jessica Fearn and President Mikey Wojdyla. The election was decided by acclimation and Mike successfully deposed Daniel .

A couple of oh by the ways. We can still call Carroll Treasurer for Life as his sage advice will often be sought by all. VP for Plans and Programs will be responsible for publicity for club events such as Big Brew and Iron Mash, recruiting brewers for our demo brews at meetings, coordinating content on the website and Facebook and will run meetings in the President’s absence.

With all formal activities concluded, we feasted on Will’s pulled pork (two versions) and discussed brewing techniques into the night. Some members availed themselves of Will’s beautiful pool and only one tried to go skinny dipping. His mommy quickly brought that to a halt. When the beer ran out, we all left with thoughts of next month’s annual meeting at B&J’s, Staples. Couple of special rules for that one: homebrew is allowed but must remain inside the taped in area. NO COMMERCIAL BEER may be brought because you may purchase draft and bottled beer there. The meeting is not open to the general public, you must be a member or and invited guest to attend. And, it’s dues time so please bring your $20 cash or check only to make Tom’s life easier.


Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 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 (Brad Klager, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)
• 4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)
• 12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)

Thanks again, Will and see you all at B&J’s on July 9th, 4PM.

May Minutes 2017

John and Nikki Daniels hosted the May B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 21st at their home in Rockport. El Presidente Daniel Fearn is missing again! Curiously, Vice President Mike Wojdyla is back, grinning from ear-to-ear and claiming to know nothing about Daniel’s whereabouts, ransom, Bitcoin or the Dark Web. Hmmm…..

“Mystery Mike” called the meeting to order, thanking hosts John and Nikki. Treasurer Carroll Pate assured us the clubs finances are secure for a change. If anyone is interested in attending a fish fry on Memorial Day, see Carroll for tickets. Wild Bill Lehfeld reported that B.A.S.H. pint glasses for new members will be engraved this week and will be available at the June meeting. Paul Holder thanked everyone who participated in the AHA’s Big Brew earlier this month. Since the club supplied ingredients for the Oktoberfest lager, American IPA and Saison, we get to drink the results. The Saison may be ready in time for the June meeting. Mike will submit a proposed 2019 competition schedule, to be discussed and voted on at the next meeting. Paul has volunteered to chair the nominating committee for fiscal year 2017 – 2018 officers. If you’re interested in serving on the committee or as an officer contact Paul. The election will take place at the June meeting, with the new officers assuming their duties in July.

After the meeting adjourned, we were treated to Nikki’s INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS taco salad. New homebrews were a little scarce this month, featuring Tom Freund’s hoppy amber ale, Paul’s American IPA, Eric Linssen’s “Wittish” ale and Jeremy Van Horn’s New England IPA. Interesting commercial brews included Bryan Cook’s Real Ale Hans’ Pils and Bill and Dianna Hughen’s Moonlight Meadery “Coffee in Bed” mead and “Them Little Apples” cider. Entertainment was provided by Rocky Freund – she showed us how to dance with a wasp, until host John ended the festivities chemically.


Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 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 (Brad Klager, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)
• 4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)
• 12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)

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

Big Brew 2017 Minutes

B&J’s Pizza on Staples at Timbergate hosted the 2017 Corpus Christi edition of the American Homebrewers Association’s Big Brew. Three 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 B.A.S.H. canopy was fully erect by 11:00 a.m. to provide shade.

Two new members joined the fold during the event – Sean O’Connor of the U.S. Navy and Stephen Reddin. Stephen joined Philip Mooney to brew an all-grain, decoction mash version of the AHA’s recipe for “Klang Freudenfest” Oktoberfest lager. Paul Holder and Mark Quade made an extract version of “Rushmore” American IPA. The third AHA recipe, “Battre L’oie “ Saison was produced by Vic Aguilar, Mark Anthony Gonzalez and Rusty Keyes. At high noon, El Presidente Daniel Fearn led us in the traditional global synchronized toast.

The brews went well, with the only fiasco being Paul’s hurried trip home to fetch his hops. Naturally, Paul uttered the only ridiculous comment of the day – “I need a female partner, my thermometer’s not long enough!” By 3:15 the extract beers were done. The all-grain brew took another two hours. The finished beers can be sampled at the June and July meetings.

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 21-May-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (NOTE: 3RD SUNDAY, 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 (Brad Klager, British golden ale/Australian sparkling ale competition, BJCP 12A-B)
• 10-Sep-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Mark Woerner, brewing demonstration)
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)
• 4-Nov-17: Iron Mash XIV (team brewing competition)
• 12-Nov-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, brown British beer competition, BJCP 13A-C)

See you at The Daniels’!

April 2017 Minutes

El Presidente Daniel Fearn, missing for three months, is back! Daniel was kidnapped by Vice President Mike Wojdyla and held prisoner in Mike’s abandoned pool near Rockport. Daniel was left with only pond scum and Michelob Ultra to drink. When asked how he survived, he replied “The pond scum was pretty good but it could use more hops!” After Daniel escaped, Mike fled the country and is reportedly seeking asylum in the North Korean embassy in Bhutan.

El Presidente celebrated his freedom by hosting the April B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 9th along with wife Jessica. With competition director Mike in hiding, Jessica administered this months’ competition for specialty IPAs, BJCP category 21B. Wild Bill Lehfeld earned 3 points for his 1st place white IPA and 2 points for his runner-up rye IPA. Greg Sawyer earned one point for his 3rd place dark IPA. After two competitions in 2017, cumulative scores are as follows:

• Wild Bill – 10 points
• Greg – 1 point
• Mark Quade – 1 point

El Presidente called the meeting to order, welcoming new members Chris and Elizabeth Ackman. Somebody pushed the “play” button on Carroll Pate and we heard the familiar glowing treasury report. In new business, the AHA’s Big Brew is coming up the 1st Saturday in May. Philip Mooney and Cody Martin will brew an all-grain “Klang Freudenfest” Oktoberfest lager. Paul Holder and Mark Quade will brew the “Rushmore” American IPA. See Paul soon if you want to make the third of this years’ AHA recipes – “Battre L’oie” Saison. As always, the club will buy the ingredients and we will drink the results during the August meeting. John Cicala and Lou Needleman will each donate a 10’ X 10’ shade canopy that we will try out at Big Brew.

Cory Mathews promoted the upcoming CC Brewery Festival on Saturday, April 22 at Lazy Beach. Rebel Toad, Lazy Beach, B&J’s Pizza and Lorelei are all participating. In other news, Daniel earned a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medal in a recent homebrew competition in Mc Allen. B.A.S.H. finished in 3rd place as a club.

After the meeting adjourned, we feasted on white lasagna. Besides the winning competition beers, we enjoyed new homebrews from Chris Ackman (dirty blonde), Vic Aguilar (red IPA), Steve Cook (American IPA/black IPA), Jim Hildreth (black IPA), Paul (milk stout), Wild Bill (red IPA), Carroll and Chris Swanson (American wheat) and Greg (white IPA). Interesting commercial beers included John’s Newcastle Brown Ale, Bryan Cook’s Stella Artois, Brad Klager’s Unibroue Grande Reserve 17/Crooked Line Cahoots Grapefruit Saison, Cory’s Lazy Beach Churrasco Beer and Choppy Waters IPA and Lou’s Big Bend Tejas Lager.

The best exchange of the night was as follows –

• Chris S – “Walt, what are you pouring?”
• Walt Crawford – “My first DRINKABLE India pale ale”
• Chris S – “That’s YOUR opinion!”

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 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, note: 3rd Sunday)
• 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)
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)

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

March 2017 Minutes

Chris and Sue Swanson hosted the March B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 12th at their home in Corpus Christi. El Presidente Daniel Fearn was again working at his OTHER job, so Vice President Mike Wojdyla called the meeting to order. Treasurer “Cretaceous” Carroll Pate gave another positive report. Steve Cook was able to talk the BJCP into fully funding the airfare of the Missouri judge for the certification exam, which saved us some money.

In new business, the AHA’s Big Brew is coming up the 1st Saturday in May. Paul Holder presented the AHA’s three beers for this year – “Rushmore” American IPA, “Battre L’oie” Saison and “Klang Freudenfest” Oktoberfest lager. Extract and all-grain recipes exist for each style. As always, the club will buy the ingredients and we will drink the results during the August meeting. Philip Mooney and Cody Martin volunteered to brew the Oktoberfest. Let Paul know at or before the April meeting if you are interested in brewing one of the other styles. Paul also announced that he has some pouches of Australian ale yeast sequestered away at Liquid Town for the August competition.

After this quick meeting adjourned, we engorged ourselves on fajitas. Wild Bill Lehfeld provided the entertainment by dyeing his mustache green for Saint Patrick’s Day (courtesy of a cupcake with green frosting). New homebrews debuted from Walt Crawford (“Hophead” double IPA), Tom Freund (sweet stout), Paul (milk stout), Philip (hefeweizen), host Chris (“Presidential” Irish Stout) and Jeremy Van Horn (hoppy American lager). Several commercial beers appeared including Tom’s Karbach Weekend Warrior Pale Ale and Lou Needleman’s Sierra Blanca Pale Ale.

As expected, a few interesting comments were overheard –

• Carroll – “I just want to show you what I did. I’m not showin’ off!”
• Rusty Keyes – “Is there a pole involved?”
• Carroll – “I’m not fast” Chris – “No, you’re ‘half-assed’!”

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 9-Apr-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Fearn, 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, note: 3rd Sunday)
• 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)
• 8-Oct-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (need host, pale malty European lager competition, BJCP 4A-C)

Thanks again Chris and Sue, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Fearn’s !

February Minutes

Walt and Judy Crawford hosted the February B.A.S.H. meeting on Sunday the 12th at their home in King’s Crossing. El Presidente Daniel Fearn was again working at his OTHER job, so Vice President Mike Wojdyla ran the show. After welcoming guests Chris Vega and Amber-Rai, he called the meeting to order. Treasurer “Cretaceous” Carroll Pate led off with another glowing report. In old business, Paul Holder is gathering donor beers for March’s BJCP certification test. He needs unmarked bottles of homebrew, either two 22-oz. bottles or four 12-oz. bottles of the same beer. Place the bottles in a bag along with an envelope with your name on the outside. Inside the envelope, include a note declaring the beer style. Take the beers to Liquid Town on Airline across from Toys’R’Us.

In new business Jim Hildreth shared a story of how he received a second degree burn the size of a golf ball on his arm while brewing. Paul led a discussion of bottle sanitizing methods. In short, don’t use steam – cheap bottle glass is too fragile. If using a dishwasher, don’t use detergent – it can contain small ceramic particles which pit the bottles. Use plain water with a heat drying cycle instead. Dip sanitizing is also OK. In a related note, Chris Vega has bottles to donate.

The competition this month was for dark European lagers, BJCP categories 8A and 8B. Wild Bill Lehfeld’s schwarzbier earned 3 points for 1st place. His Munich dunkel earned 2 points for 2nd place while Mark Quade’s dunkel earned one point for 3rd. Greg Sawyer’s and Vic Aguilar’s schwarzbiers rounded out the competition.

As the meeting adjourned, we gobbled down beef and shredded chicken tacos. Besides the competition beers, we were treated to new homebrews from Vic (kölsch), Jim (IPA) and Carroll/Chris Swanson (Irish stout). Interesting commercial beers included Bryan Cook’s Full Sail Cascade Pilsner/Brooklyn Lager, Lou Needleman’s Kelly’s IPA/Twisted X Tex-Mex Lager/Big Bend Hefe and Tejas Lager, Jeremy Van Horn’s Pappy’s Porter (Vermont) and Chris Vega’s Uinta Hop Nosh IPA.

As usual, the stories grew more ridiculous as the evening grew long and the party congealed around a cluster of besotted die hards. Bryan took the cake with his cruise ship recollection – “My cabin – I heard people vomiting on either side through the sound-proof walls!”

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 12-Mar-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Chris Swanson)
• 9-Apr-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Daniel Fearn, 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, note: 3rd Sunday)
• 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 Walt and Judy, welcome Chris V and Amber-Rai, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Swanson’s !

January Minutes

The January B.A.S.H. meeting was held in Flour Bluff on Sunday the 8th, hosted by Tom and Rocky Freund assisted by co-hosts Aggie Bill and Dianna Hughen. El Presidente Daniel Fearn was working at his OTHER job, so Vice President Mike Wojdyla presided. After fending off coup attempts by Travis Clapp and Sabrina Krueger, he called the meeting to order. Treasurer “Cretaceous Carroll” Pate was off on another embezzling junket, so stand-in Paul Holder extracted dues from new member Rusty Keyes and reported a bloated club balance. Guest Bryan Cook joined after the meeting.

Paul gave an update on the BJCP judge training. Advantages to the club include the following:

•  Better judging for club competitions
•  Entering better beers in outside competitions
•  Develops a core teaching group in the club
•  Name recognition of the club increases regionally and nationally

The $40 cost for taking the test will be covered by the class attendees. We need a master level judge to administer the test (BJCP judging levels progress from provisional to recognized to certified to national to master). A motion was made, seconded and approved to use $200 of club funds to pay for ½ of the airfare to bring a judge in from Kansas City.

Another motion was made, seconded and approved to pay our $100 annual club AHA dues. Check out battleofthe brew.com if you are interested in entering a competition in late-March.

The main order of business was judging the beers produced during November’s Iron Mash XIII team competition. In 1st place were the Fusterclucks (Phil Mooney/Cody Martin/Brent Falwell). Their amber ale scored 142 points. The Repeat Offenders (Mark Quade/Mark Woerner/Micah Cole/Terri Loe) captured 2nd and 3rd with their California brown ale (140 points) and East Coast brown ale (119 points). The winners proudly donned their bling medals and held the Iron Mash trophy on high!

As the meeting adjourned, we feasted on tamales and chili blanco. Besides the competition beers, we quaffed down new homebrews from Paul (British best bitter), William Lee (British brown ale) and Jeremy Van Horn (prickly pear pale ale). Cory Mathews provided a Lazy Beach Chocolate Stout.

As the evening grew long and chilly, the die hards gathered around the fire. The party was still going strong when your humble narrator slipped away at 10:30 p.m. …

Upcoming B.A.S.H. events:

• 12-Feb-17: B.A.S.H. meeting (Walt Crawford, 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 (Daniel Fearn, 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, note: 3rd Sunday)
• 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 Tom, Rocky, Aggie Bill and Dianna, welcome Rusty and Bryan, congratulations Fusterclucks, keep on brewin’ and we’ll see you next month at the Crawford’s !