FLOPS
Fayetteville Lovers of Pure Suds
445 East Township Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FLOPS/
FLOPS is a social organization committed to the art of home brewing. FLOPS meets beginning at 7:00 PM on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The Home Brewery in Fayetteville.
Andy Sparks Lynn Gann
Tom Ford Dr. John Griffiths
Steve Foley Keith Benson
California. Where the weather is as gorgeous as the women and everyone has Sierra Nevada on tap. Deb and I just returned from a week in San Diego celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and what a Hell of a time we had. We stayed at the Marriott resort on Coronado and staying at the Marriott convention center right on the other side of the bridge was none other than Steve Foley. He claimed to be there for a nerd convention, but it seemed an awful coincidence that there was also a gay pride parade going on that week. I guess we will give him benefit of the doubt. Anyway, we met up on 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. Think Dickson Street on a busy night X 1000. According to my buddy Gordon, that street is the reason he just moved out there to start his new firm. Yeah, and I’m sure Mission Beach had nothing to do with it. Oh, we also found a nice little brewpub on Coronado, appropriately called the Coronado Brewing Company or CBC, and enjoyed a few meals and brews out by the sidewalk. We had a very nice stay, so go if you have the chance.
Well, we officially and non-ceremoniously broke ground on the beer garden in the backyard. Work is progressing nicely, but the heat is killing me. I abandoned my usual stock of ales in favor of easier drinking lagers, but then had to forsake beer altogether for Gatorade. So can I still call it a beer garden? I plan to be done well before the September cookout, which I hope to repeat this year. However I think I will try to invite some neighbors and friends from work this time to get a little more traffic going. (Not to say that last year’s small gathering wasn’t enjoyable.) I am certainly looking forward to that.
Social Night
Join us for the July social night on Friday, July 12th at Super Dave Hildebrand’s house at 919 South Erika in Fayetteville. The gathering starts around 7 PM. Directions and other vital info should be forthcoming.
Happy birthday to all FLOPS members celebrating birthdays this month!
The July meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 18th at The Home Brewery. Business begins around 7:30PM. Be there!
Do you have an announcement, article, recipe, or any other item for the next FLOPS newsletter? Send your contributions to Tom Ford at L48Shark@Yahoo.com. Thanks in advance for your participation!
I spotted this one in a mix-pack along with The Boston Beer Company’s usual assortment of ales. It is a brand new style for the brewery in Boston (so new that no information appears to be posted in their website), but in typical form it has already won medals in international competition. It is their take on an unfiltered American (Bavarian style) wheat beer. It is a refreshing choice for a warm Arkansas summer afternoon. Sam Adams has also launched a light version of their popular Boston Lager. Watch my monthly nonsensical ramblings for more on that if I can find some to sample.
The June FLOPS regular meeting was held with Andy, Steve, Dr. J, Lynn, Dave and me in attendance. Nice weather meant a meeting outdoors. John discussed customer appreciation week at Mickey Finn’s including some specials going on, but since I was unable to publish these minutes until after returning from vacation, you missed it. Don’t feel bad though, they still appreciate you. But I am afraid you will have to pay full price for your pint this week. This discussion did, however, spawn a spontaneous debate on black and tans. Be sure to watch for an upcoming vote on our online group so the two of you interested can weigh in your opinions.
Not a single newbie showed their face at this month’s meeting after much propaganda during and following Spring Fest, so Dr. J’s talk on homebrewing basics was vetoed. Some of us were actually hoping some people would show up so we could watch John explain to them how easy it is to make your own Wee Heavy at home. (I still think I need to degree in chemical engineering first based on his accounts.) Oh well, maybe next time. Speaking of homebrew, Lynn’s fine ales were available for consumption once again this month.
Social night for July was planned at Dave’s house (see above) and the report on June’s social night was the “it sucked.” Sorry guys, I can’t make them all.
I reported on an excellent and authentic new Irish pub and restaurant on Cherry Street (15th Street) in Tulsa called Kilkenny’s. I suggested a road trip, so we will be trying to schedule one soon. Be sure to check it out if you are in town, though.
Andy is reportedly overwhelmed with submissions for the club website after last months request, but he is pretty sure he can accommodate anyone else who has submissions for content. E-mail him for details. By the way, those Tyson guys are not getting e-mails from the group, so if you want everyone to receive an e-mail, you will have to copy them directly.
I seem to have written John’s name down at the end of my minutes for the meeting, so one of three things has happened. I forgot what he said, he forgot what he was going to say, or I didn’t understand a word he said. Well, whatever the case I am sure it was very informative. Hope to see you all next time.