Secondhand Information
From Tom Ford,
Secondary Fermenter
Man, have I been out of the loop lately. Missed social night, missed a meeting, no construction on the beer garden, no brewing activity… All work and no brewing makes Tom a sober, unhappy boy. In case you didn’t know, I have been busting my butt at work lately due to my big freakin’ project and recent promotion. (Yeah, I’ll buy a round at the next social night I make.) On the bright side, the installation of our new application at the grocery distribution center in Opelika, Alabama (Wal*Mart sends me to the most exotic destinations, you know) went extremely well, so the hard work has paid off. Sweet. Expect to see a bunch of nerds partying at my place this year.
Speaking of nerds partying at my place, Oktoberfest 2002 will be celebrated at Forde’s Publick Hous this year on Saturday, October 19th, so mark your calendars. Be sure to wish the Beer Babe a happy birthday that day too. I hope some of you will be able to bring some homebrew to share. I should have an ESB (new recipe) and a Weizen (the chicks dig it) prepared.
Well, Opelika, AL was interesting. The county I visited was wet, thankfully. Let me tell you, BP has quite a selection of fine ales. I scored some Mikkelöben as well as a sixer of Amberbächen. Uh-huh. Oh well, at least the college scene in Auburn offered Sierra Nevada (bottled) and lots of nice co-ed cleavage. There was a microbrew called the Old Auburn Ale House, but apparently they have not faired too well with the local health agency and I could not get my coworkers to set foot in the joint. It’s nice to be back home. I made a beeline for OBC and Brewski’s, health code violations be damned!
Social Night
I am told that our next social night is in Eureka Springs. As I recall, last month we had a Hell of a time garnering decent attendance in Fayetteville, but hey, whatever puts head on your brew. OK, so meet at “Sparky’s” in Eureka Springs (no comment) on Saturday, September 7th around 18:00. A room in town for the night is advised.
August Birthdays
Chug a cold one in honor of all FLOPS members celebrating birthdays this month!
Club Meeting
The September meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 19th at The Home Brewery. Business begins around 7:30PM, but show up early to get ready for the brewing demo. We will also be voting for next year’s officers, so be sure to attend. Be sure to also bring your latest brew if you have any to share.
1,000 Words
Beer of the Month
Brooklyn Brown
A few of you lucky bastards got to sample this fine ale in a recent club meeting. I had the Beer Babe, who was visiting The Big Apple at the time, FedEx me a sixer at a total cost hovering near 50 bucks. Well worth it though, as this is my favorite example of an American brown ale. To quote Michael Jackson himself, it is “a complex brew that is closer to Newcastle than London, but bigger than either.” He rates it *** in the Simon and Schuster Pocket Guide to Beer.
Brooklyn Brown is brewed exclusively with American ingredients. Its malts include pale, caramel, chocolate, biscuit and wheat to attain its complex finish. It is aggressively hopped with cascade, Willamette and northern brewer hops. The end product is 5.5% ABV and 30 IBU’s.
This is just one of the many fine brews available from the Brooklyn Brewery in New York City. As you may have guessed, their beers are not available outside the NYC metro area. But be sure to look for their selections while visiting the northeast, as you are surely not to be disappointed with their offerings. Learn more about this historic brewery at www.brooklynbrewery.com.
August Meeting Minutes
Well, I missed the meeting, so I am going off the minutes scribed by Steve Foley as translated by Andy Sparks. Yikes. OK, here goes…
I have no idea who was in attendance with the exception of a new guy named Bill Something. Welcome Bill. Although I have not met you, I can tell you are a perfect fit into the club because you have a short, easy name just like the rest of us. Or so it seems, anyway.
Russ (see how nice and easy that is?) “The Wort” has offered up a sixer of American Bock in the hopes of becoming a regular club member. Apparently we are awaiting a decision from the “Star Chamber,” so I hope that includes me. Attend the next meeting for the verdict.
The meeting for September will be held at the regular time, but stop by early if you can as we will be holding a brewing demonstration. This should be fun. No word on what style of beer we will be brewing or what method, however. I assume an extract kit, but attend the next meeting to find out for sure. Maybe we will go out on a limb.
Nominations were made for next year’s officers. They are as follows:
Primary Fermenter
- Tom Ford nominated by Russ (wort) and seconded by Tony (also wort). Is that legal?
- Lynn Gann nominated by Andy Sparks (surprise) and seconded by Daniel.
Secondary Fermenter
- Andy Sparks nominated by Steve Foley and seconded by Russ.
Treasurer
- Daniel Linton nominated by Andy Sparks and seconded by Dr. John.
Mug Watcher
- Steve Foley nominated by Andy Sparks and seconded by Dr. John.
Ambassador at Large
- Keith Benson nominated by Andy Sparks and seconded by Dr. John. (It looks like Keith is up for promotion from “’Member’ at Large”.)
Secretary
- Steve Foley nominated by Andy Sparks and seconded by Dr. John.
Brewus Emeritus
- Honorary position of Dr. John Griffiths.
For any other nominations, please e-mail Andy and myself with the position, your name, the member you are nominating, and the member seconding the motion to Andy or me. We can be reached at andy.sparks@tyson.com and L48Shark@Yahoo.com respectively.