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 homebrewing. FLOPS meets beginning at 7:00 PM on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The Home Brewery in Fayetteville.
2003 Officers
Tom Ford Lynn Gann
Andy Sparks Dr. John Griffiths
Steve Foley Keith Besonen
Daniel Linton
Christ, this fatherhood gig is demanding! Don’t get me wrong, it is really great, but it is amazing how a little thing less than a tenth my size can dominate two peoples’ lives! I sincerely apologize to the membership for slacking on the newsletter the last 2 months. I think Deb and I are finally getting back to relative normality after Collin’s arrival. Hell, I’m even brewing again! Gotta get ready for the Easter party! More on that in last month’s minutes below…
I suppose I am not the only member brewing lately. Props
go out to Dave Justice and his victory at the Best of Brooklyn competition!
Read about his score over 220 other entries here: http://www.nydailynews.com/02-26-2003/city_life/story/62536p-58336c.html.
“Holy moly!”
I would love to see more club members have the opportunity
to rack up competition wins. We are considering club brews to help members
submit beers to AHA sanctioned competitions. See last month’s minutes in this
newsletter and be sure to attend the next meeting for details.
Take a moment now to ensure that you are going to receive
the next FLOPS newsletter! If you are not currently on the mailing list, go to groups.yahoo.com and search for FLOPS
and sign yourself up. This will ensure that you do not miss out on the news. If
you have any trouble, please contact our list owner and Secondary Fermenter,
Andy Sparks. Andy usually can be reach at The Home Brewery on Saturdays.
Upcoming Social Events
Social Night for March will be at a new location. The Thep Thai restaurant will host FLOPS on Saturday, March 8th at 7PM for Social Night. I hope everyone can make it. I heard that Dave Justice might be in town, so this will be a great opportunity to chat with a certified beer judge over dinner and drinks.
Four blessings upon you...
Older whiskey
Younger women
Faster horses
More money
- Irish toast
The March regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 20th at The Home Brewery. Plan to arrive around 7:00; business begins around 7:30. Bring your best brew!
Modeled after English Extra Special Bitters, this amber ale is the Redhook Brewery’s signature style. It is an easily drinkable combination of two-row Klages and 60 lovibond caramel barley married with Willamette and Tettnangs hops. It is a rich brew with a toasted malt flavor and a sweet finish. Add to that cask conditioning and a robust 5.8% ABV and you have an enjoyable ale that will not break the bank considering its typically competitive shelf price. Enjoy Redhook ales on tap at West Mountain or Brewski’s or visit the Seattle brewery on the web at www.Redhook.com.
The March meeting was well attended with many new faces present. We are always pleased to see new guests, particularly those who are already active in the homebrewing craft. Keith was in attendance and had recently returned from Europe and brought a sampling of beers from across the pond for everyone to sample. We also had a variety of homebrew available and also a delicious, well-aged mead that David brought along.
We discussed kegging and carbonation at length. Many members have had difficulty obtaining CO2 tanks since yours truly purchased the last tank available from The Home Brewery. Since that purchase, I have been exchanging tanks at a welding supply store in Bentonville for refilled tanks for about $10. I asked the clerk how much it would cost without a tank to exchange and the answer is about $80. So for 80 bucks you can get a 5# tank and then exchange it for ~$10 anytime you need a refill. For the record, a 5# tank will last quite a long time.
Springfest is quickly approaching and FLOPS is prepared to man a booth once again. If you are not familiar with this festival, it is held on Dickson street each spring where various vendors display their wares as the road is closed to traffic. We use the opportunity to promote our club, our supporting brewshop, and our mission (the enjoyment of fine, handcrafted ales) to the public by raffling off a homebrew equipment and ingredient kit. We also have a lot of fun hanging out and having a few beers at the local pubs. This year’s Springfest will be held on Saturday, April 19th. My son’s christening will be the next day (Easter Sunday), so I will probably be there with all of my immediate family (12 adults and 8 children, not counting Debbie’s family!). I hope we see all of you there!
Speaking of my son’s christening, it will be held on Easter Sunday and FLOPS is, of course, invited to the reception! Many of you were able to attend Oktoberfest at our home, and we plan for this party will be even more fun! Easter is on Sunday, April 20th and the party will be in our backyard and will feature food, music and (what else?) GREAT BEER! I really hope to see a lot of you there. This is going to be a great time as it will be the first time in about 3 years that everyone on my side of the family has gathered. Since I view all of you as family too, I hope you can make it. I can hardly wait!
We discussed a few websites and how they may help us in our homebrewing. We talked about the free utilities available on www.BeerTools.com and discussed a few pros and cons. We also discussed www.FresHops.com and had a discussion about growing hops at home. I am planning to give this a try this spring, although it may take a few seasons to see really good results. I will keep everyone informed of my progress.
There seems to be some interest in a club brew-off, so we will try to make the style coincide with the sanctioned AHA contest styles in case anyone is interested in sending a beer off to competition. Dr. John will be researching the latest contests and will report at the next meeting where we may pose a challenge to the membership!
Until the next meeting, cheers!