Headhunters Brewing Club
Secretary Report
These links will take you to a particular feature:
Last Month's Meeting Minutes
Drunk Monk Challenge
Hop Rhizome Order
Last Month's Meeting Minutes
January 2010
Location: Fox Valley Home Brew and Wine Supplies
Pizza provided by Fox Valley Home Brew and Wine Supplies
Headhunters Gather
Beers are opened and sampled.
50/50 Drawing: Kevin Johnson wins.
New Brewer Introductions and Group Introductions occur.
President Coyne details:
More 50/50 drawings will occur. The goal of the drawings remains:
A) Keep the "0" Fee Structure, and B) Support Club activities.
Registration: The Club is making a new registration list in order to determine who is an active member and who isn't. Various ideas are discussed on how to allow the group to communicate, but also maintain individual privacy. This issue is unresolved and will likely be discussed again.
Jason introduces "Two SOB's":
Jason Jelinik "Sargent of Beers" and Chuck Tuura "Secretary of Beers"
The two will work together to encourage more club activities.
SOB Jason Jelinik outlines possible contests that the club can participate in including The Drunk Monk Challenge. The Club is willing to pay half the entry fee to The Drunk Monk Challenge.
Anyone interested should submit a beer to the Drunk Monk Challenge through proper channels. Then submit a copy of their submission to the Club Treasurer, who will reimburse half the entry fee. Proof of entrance is mandatory to receive compensation.
Club Contests
As a member of the American Homebrewers Association we are capable of submitting beers to AHA contests. Club contests are the first 'round' of larger contests. Club winners can be sent to regional contests to compete on a bigger venue.
Contests are not mandatory. Contests can be competitive, but they are also educational and fun. They are an opportunity to learn about a style of beer, to compare different versions of a style, and gain insight into brewing practices. Please consider participating in a contest for fun and to become a better brewer.
Here is the American Homebrewers Association 2009-2010 Club Contest schedule.
A rough schedule to help brewers complete a beer for submission will be created and added later.
SOB Chuck Tuura discusses 2010's Hop Rhizome Order
Several Brewers have mentioned interest in growing Hops. To possibly get a better deal on rhizomes or at least save on freight, the Headhunters may order hop rhizomes as a group. Hops are typically ordered in March. Since we meet at the end of February, this meeting must clarify who is interested, what they want, and possibly collect money to place the order. SOB Tuura will write a longer entry on the 2010 Hop Rhizome Order.
Meeting ends
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Drunk Monk Challenge
Please read and follow the Drunk Monk Link for submission guidelines
Submission are due between February 28th and March 7th.
This schedule is very vague, but is made to help you consider dates so that you can brew a beer and submit it 'in time' for judging.
Today is 1/24/10
Could you still brew and enter the Drunk Monk Challenge? YES!
An Ale could be made, fermented, bottled, and entered if you BREW THIS WEEK!
Week of 1/24/10 Brew your Ale
Week of 1/31/10 Rack your beer to SECONDARY
Week of 2/14/10 Bottle your Beer.
This gives your beer THREE WEEKS to bottle condition. You could also narrow your bottle conditioning and extend your fermentation time.
While there are many tricks to condition a beer, sugar tablets or classic priming sugar are the way to go if you are making a 'rush entry'. Three weeks will allow bottle conditioning to occur.
Look at the rules of the Drunk Monk. DO NOT LABEL YOUR BEERS. Bottle them in the CORRECT BOTTLE. Follow the rules!
Week of 2/28/10 submit your beer. Provide proof of submission to Club Treasurer for compensation. Hey it's not much, but it's like an ounce of free hops in your beer!
Good luck!
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Hop Rhizome Order
2010 Hop Rhizome Order
Several Headhunters have mentioned interest in growing their own hops. Hop Rhizomes go on order in early March, some vendors begin pre-orders as early as now. It is to early to know if a vendor will give a discount for a larger order. If they do, then working together will allow us to achieve a possible discount. If they do not, then discussion of which hops to pick and grow could still help individual brewers decide what they might want to order. Since our next meeting is at the end of February, I encourage individual brewers to think about which beers they enjoy and which hops are used to make those beers.
Given that we are limited to the rhizomes that vendors chose to sell, and that vendors have the right to substitute a rhizome should they run out of a particular kind, Headhunters should also consider a secondary choice. If you intend to grow more than one hop, then consider additional points such as hop yield and susceptibility to disease.
Items to consider:
Rhizomes are strong growers. Washington and Idaho consider rhizomes evasive and they can not be grown in parts of those states. A home brewer should not worry about their ability to grow hops, hops will grow no matter how hard you try to kill them.
The location where you grow your hops is as important as the hop you pick.
The rhizome crown will grow over the years and they need space to expand. One should provide at least 4' by 6' of space. One should also consider the future of the area. This year, you may only get one or two bines, but in a few years you may have a wall of hops. Can your location support a wall?
Hops need a lot of water to grow. Your location should be a place a hose can reach. In particular I've had a lot of luck with a drip hose that I can dedicate to the hop garden.
The ground should have good drainage, standing water could drown your rhizome.
A Southern Exposure maximizes day light.
Hops can poison dogs. A fence or barrier is needed to protect man's best friend.
Hops grow on an upward creeping 'bine'. Any sort of fence will do. Since the bine wraps around the fence as it reaches for the sky, the best system to remove them at the end of the season is a trellis that supports numerous twine lines. The lines can be lowered or cut down and the bines can be pulled off them. On a lattice fence, the bines will need to be detangled, a time consuming and irritating endeavor.
Since hop bines can grow over 20' tall in a single season the stronger (and taller) the trellis the better. A wind break can also help support and strengthen the trellis. I have met one brewer who's trellis broke and fell on his car because it could not withstand strong winds. While a wind break isn't necessary or used in commercial settings, the construction and location of your garden will determine if your car survives the hop season.
There are many ways to build a trellis and we can talk about ideas at the February meeting. The two primary points a home brewer should consider right now is what hops they are interested in, what substitute they could accept if first choice isn't available, and where they will plant their hop garden.
As the hop season begins the various hop gardeners can continue discussions on the many topics that will produce a strong yield.
If you have any questions please contact SOB Tuura, 2nd Year Hop Gardener
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