HOPS Pagosa

(Sorry, professionally experienced brewers excluded)

In conjunction with our upcoming Stout & Chops Month in February 2013, we are challenging Stout Lovers to create a homebrewed Stout to help us celebrate.

In 2012, we offered 16 different Stouts (8 in-house & 8 guest). The winning homebrewer will have the opportunity to join us and brew a full sized 6bbl batch of their Stout recipe, which will be featured for Stout Month 2013.  The winning brewer will also receive a $50 gift card & bragging rights.

RULES:

1)     Entries must be Stouts (no Porters, Black IPAs, Black Lagers, etc.)

2)     Entry must be under 8% ABV.

3)     This is an AHA sanctioned competition & BJCP style guidelines will be used for judging: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php

4)     Creativity of ingredients is encouraged, but not required.

5)     All entries must be delivered by Friday, 1/4/13 to Pagosa Brewing.

6)     For each entry, three 12 oz. bottles are required.

7)     Entries need to be labeled with names, styles & any necessary info.

8)     Participants cannot have professional brewing experience.

9)     Brewers cannot use our house yeast.

10) All winning recipes will be considered Pagosa Brewing recipes, and at our discretion may (or may not) be brewed by us in the future.

For questions, please email: tony@pagosabrewing.com

Good Luck & Happy Brewing!

Cheers,

Pagosa Brewing & Grill

Attn:  Stout Month

118 North Pagosa Blvd.

Pagosa Springs, CO 81147

HOPS – Homebrewers Of Pagosa Springs

Hello HOPS Heads,

Now that Christma-Kwanzaa-Hanukkah is out the door, we successfully dodged the Mayan Calendar Apocalypse and the Greenbay Packers are secure for the playoffs, hopefully we can all just get along with our lives. It has been a crazy winding down of 2012 and here we go blazing off into 2013, partying like it was 1999. Celebrating the New Year is always a hoot (well, when you hang around with my crowd it is anyway). We typically find our selves missing out on the champagne cheers, kisses and toasting. About the time all the party blowers and confetti fly, me and my crew can be found out in the forest with icicles hanging off our noses, and normally with a sled, an inner tube, snowshoes, skis & snowboards (or a combination of each) and, well, most often with a wide variety of high-test inner-core warming hooch. Some may say this could be a dangerous combination, but I say, well, they are right. Some say it could lead to sprained torsos, missing appendages and 'body-bruises'. Again, that could be quite correct. But there is something surreal in that moment that you find yourself going mach 2 down an ice covered road on a sled in the dark with a dim headlamp and only one hand to steer because the other hand is grasping tightly to one of the afore mentioned bottles of hooch. Like many people experience, there is almost a slow motion, muted experience before the moment of impact - in this case impact will be with a solid ice berm that the plow left behind several days before. As the sled goes flying one direction and I narrowly miss having my face removed by the iceberg I think to myself: "Aint life great? If I survive, I just may have to try this again. But I am a little cold, so maybe another pull on this bottle that I am still clutching may be in order before my next attempt..." Then suddenly that surreal moment is shattered by 40lbs of snow getting instantly stuffed inside your clothing (and in other places) while coming to a stop with the grace and subtlety of an asteroid. That kinda reminds me of the year before when we tried 'tandem snowboarding'. You take two people and put them on one snowboard. Then you point them down a steep slope in the middle of the night and see how far they can get. Yeah, it ends about the same way the midnight sledding does. Or the year we had a competition to see who could dive head first over the fence the most times in the snow without getting paralyzed. Good times... Sure, it might be a little safer hanging out with the champagne toting party popper crowd, but that cork could shoot an eye out - or that popper could blow up in your hand! I think I will stick with my crowd and take my chances. Care to join me? I'll even share some of my homebrewed liquid courage with you.

Cheers, and I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a happy New Year ~

Randini

Quote of the Day:  There’s a party in my fermenter!

 - Sandy Sandoval after the Stout brewing party

HOPS Meetings:

• HOPS – New Business:
• Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 22nd is the next HOPS meeting, Pagosa Brewing Co at 6:00 PM. The ‘ALL COLORS’ COLOR GROUP is up because we don’t know who will be in what color groups quite yet. So come one, come all, bring a sample of the style of the month.
• Style of the Month: Belgian Beers
• Discussions:

• Call for officers – we need help and we want yours!
• Membership Dues – we need money and we want yours!
• Donated Beer-Gear – We will divvy up the remaining items that were not bid on. 

UPCOMING LOCAL NEWS & EVENTS:

Mark Your Calendars:

• Jan 4^th – Deadline for our Stout Competition, need 3 bottles at Pagosa Brewing Co – DON’T FORGET!
• Jan 11^th - Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Homebrew Competition, Vail, CO
• Jan 22^nd – HOPS Meeting – Everybody bring some Belgian Beer!
• February 2^nd - 15th Annual Domras Cup Mead Competition
• February 26^th - AHA National Homebrew Competition - Registration Opens
• May 4^th – AHA Big Brew Parts (Group homebrewing event – it’s a party)

NEWS:

• Beer News Around Durango – For the latest news on the beer scene in Durango, check out http://beerat6512.blogspot.com/. Our neighbors to the West have a great beer town, along with some great writers and this is a fun place to check up on the happninz. Erich Hennig, my brew-brotha-from-anotha-motha just joined the team. Check it out – I think you will enjoy it!

Pagosa Brewing Company News / Events:

Brew Year's Eve Party

Celebrate EVERY Hour * Starts at 3p on 12/31

~ February ~

Stout & Chops Month

Look for at least 16 different stouts throughout the month!

Chops Contest Commemorative Shirts Available Soon

"Get Your Chops On!" 

FRONT RANGE & BEYOND NEWS & EVENTS:

• Beer Drinker Of The Year Contest – Could it be you? See below for details.

From: Marty Jones [mailto:martysjones@att.net]

Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 6:12 AM

Subject: 17th Annual Beerdrinker of the Year Contest Deadline Fast Approaching

The December 31 deadline for entering the 17th annual Beerdrinker of the Year contest is fast approaching.

Our contest seeks and honors the nation's greatest beer fiends.

People who understand beer's history and many styles, its importance to advancing civilization and raising the quality of life. People who serve as smiling beer disciples and bring others into our craft beer congregation.

The 2013 winner could be one of your ultra-beery customers. And we want to see his or her beer resume.

So I hope you'll steer your most passionate patrons to the contest info at www.wynkoop.com

The winner's prizes include a $250 bar tab at their hometown brewery or beer bar. And Beerdrinker of the Year finalists and winners bring some nice glory and press attention to their beer-blessed home bases.

Cheers,

Marty Jones

Wynkoop Brewing Company

Denver, Colorado

www.wynkoop.com

FOR SALE / FOR FREE / WANTED:

• Don’t forget to check out www.pagosahops.org to see the list of homebrew items that were donated. This is a good opportunity to get some stuff for cheap!

Anybody else have anything you want to list? Beer related or not, just lemme know and I will circulate your stuff around the universe. Well, my universe…

Links:

• Homebrewing News – A website started by our buddy Bill Downs here in the Four Corners area that focuses on product reviews and more: www.homebrewingnews.com

• Looking to diversify your homebrew? Check out a couple of these links for sharing and browsing tons of different homebrew recipes. Kick it up a notch – BAM!
  www.brewtoad.com
  www.hopville.com
  http://www.tastybrew.com/newrcp/styleview.html

UNSUBSCRIBE – But if you do someone may try to pack 40lbs of snow down your pants in retaliation. I don’t know who would do a think like that, but you might want to watch your back…

Pagosa Brewing Company is hosting a stout competition on January 4, 2013, and we'd like a few club members who are not entering a stout into the competition to help with stewarding activities for the competition. Contact Jason Cox at jcox@coxinnovations.com and Tony Simmons at tony@pagosabrewing.com if you are interested in learning more about helping steward the competition.

Liquor Stories

      Our tribute to local liquor stores that like beer - and not just crap beer, I mean Real Beer! Not all of them are cool enough to contribute to our kick a$$ club, so be sure to treat the ones that do with some extra business. You might even get a discount!

Mountain Spirits:

I have some great new gifts set in.  St Feullien Noel  330ml with glass, St Feuillien Speciale 750 ml, Omer with glass, and La Trappe with glass.  All from Belgian. 

 I also have from England  Ridgeway Serious Bad Elf  500ml, Warm Welcome nut ale 500ml,

Santa But Porter 500ml, Lump of Coal 500ml, 

Reindeer Revolt 500ml, Pickled Santa 500ml,

Fantome Hiver Saison 750ml, Serafin Christmas Angel 330ml. 

 All singles are on a display rack, but we have them cold in the cooler also.

You seriously need to come in and check out these fun beers!

Silver Dollar:

New 6pks of the Month

By Far My Favorite Time Of Year For Beer…..Winter Seasonals!!!!!

Finally Dogfish Head is back in Southwest Colorado

                                                            90 Minute Imperial IPA

-One of their most popular beers they make and one of the most popular IPA’s in the country

Midas Touch

-Handcrafted Ancient Ale with barley, honey, white Muscat grapes and saffron

Palo Santo Marron

-Malt beverage aged on Palo Santo wood

-One of my favorite beers they make

New Belgium                                        Frambozen

                                                            -This winter seasonal is a Raspberry Brown Ale

-Sweet and fruity but not over the top, perfect for these snowy nights!

Snow Day

-This winter Ale was new to them last year and was received with great reviews.  

-Carmel roasted Midnight Wheat braced with a serious load of Styrian Goldings, Centennial and Cascade hops.

Deschutes                                             Jubelale

                                                            -A festive winter ale

                                                            -A celebration of 25 years of Deschutes

Sierra Nevada                                      Celebration

-Frish Hop Ale featuring the first hops of the growing season.

Odell Brewing                                    Isolation Ale

-This winter seasonal has been one of my gotos for a long time

                                                            Mountain Standard

                                                            -Double Black IPA

New Bombers of the Month

Ridgeway Brewing                              Santa’s Butt

                                                            -Winter Porter

Samuel Smith’s                                  Organic Chocolate Stout

Sierra Nevada                                      Estate

                                                            -Fresh Hop IPA

-Homegrown Ale-all the ingredients of this special ale come strait from the farm at the brewery in Chico, CA.

Fort Collins Brewery                            Big Shot

                                                            -Wonderful Winter Warmer

Russian River                                        Damnation

                                                            -Golden Ale

-Exquisite bouquet of fruit and spice with mouth filling notes of citrus, malt, cedar and earthy hops.

Deschutes                                             Hop Henge

                                                            -IPA

6pk of the Month (always $1 off)

Deschutes                                             Jubelale

Bomber of the Month (always $1 off)

Samuel Smith’s                                     Organic Chocolate Stout