HOPS Pagosa

AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, the Animas Alers have taken over the SKA Pro/Am Homebrewer's Competition. I have been put in charge of judging and I need all the help I can get. In May, Animas Alers is running the competition and the winner (best of show) will get their beer brewed by SKA and entered in the GABF Pro/Am by SKA Brewing. I need judges, stewards, administration assistance, any way you can help.

Please get back with me ASAP!

THANKS

Bill Downs

 It's going to be a long, gloriously long, dark, and wonderful night. ksm

We're tasting stouts for our HOPS meeting this evening at Pagosa Brewing Company at 6 pm. We didn't saddle a color group with the responsibility for beer so please bring an interesting stout to share (2 12-oz bottles or a single bomber) and we'll try them along w/ the great stouts the brewery has on tap right now.

See you tonight!

Nice Brewsletter (aka therapeutic psycho-vomit - TPV)!

In honor of Stouts being the "Style of the Month", we're planning (for tonight ONLY) to put eight (8) Stouts on-tap, including the last of Old Kommie.  Taster trays will be available for purchase.  For the club tasting, we will contribute on-the-house tasters of Off Me Face (Irish) and Steep & Deep (Dry Black).

See ya at 6pm.

HOPS – Homebrewers Of Pagosa Springs

 

Hello HOPS Heads,

I’ve had something on my mind, and since I have a tendency to use this Brewsletter as therapeutic psycho-vomit, here it comes. I’ve been accused of a handful of things (some of which may or may not have involved the authorities) but most accusations did not annoy me as much as being accused of being a ‘Beer Snob’. That is one title I do NOT want to bear. To me the accusation of beer snobbery is not taken lightly. To me it leads to the apparition of inability to appreciate the lesser, insignificant beers in life that often bring pleasure to even the most unsophisticated of palettes - implying that if you don’t have the palette to ‘understand what you are tasting’ that you can not appreciate it. To me, those accusers may in fact be infected by a sense of snobbery greater than the accused. I blow my nose at you. I fart in your general direction. (Thanks Monty Python) A beer snob I am not. A beer geek I am.

We are surrounded by a wonderful group of beer geeks here in our neck of the Rockies. These are people that will do their damnedest to appreciate even the lowliest swill available just for the love of fermentation – and sometimes we fearlessly delve really deep to find the good in such sluice, but we try. Ok, maybe not all of us go that far, but most of us beer geeks out there can go way deeper down the mediocre-beer rabbit-hole than the majority of beer snobs ever could. For example, I remember a camping trip many years ago with Tony & Julie Simmons of Pagosa Brewing Co. One frosty, and I mean REALLY frosty night, we sat around a camp fire outside Creede, CO drinking some brewskis. It was the first time I was ever with a certified beer judge discussing the complexities of a Pabst Blue Ribbon. Sure, anyone can talk about the burnt raisin and coriander followed by a tidal wave of fresh American hops detected in the 15^th anniversary Stone Imperial Black IPA, but the complexities of a P-Ber? Now we are getting somewhere. This is geeking out at its finest. A snob would never touch a P-Ber. A geek will dissect it and love every minute of the dissection. Again, take the wonderful Extra Gold manufactured by <gasp> Coors of all people. This is a great water beer with a nutty complexity. Is this anything close to a Stone 15^th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA? ***HELL NO.*** But if you are a true geek you will still appreciate it for what it is and what it was meant to be – fizzy water beer with flavor, but not bad flavor.

I geek out analyzing all beers. I get embarrassed when I go to restaurants and accidentally find myself swirling and sniffing the water glass for aromas because I forgot I wasn’t drinking a beer for once. Geek yes, snob no. Not all beers were created equal, but all beers deserve to be appreciated equally. As long as they don’t suck. On that note, cheers to brewing beers that don’t suck. On another note, cheers to starting sentences with prepositions. My mother may be an English grammar Nazi, but she loves good beer. English grammar geek yes, English grammar snob, no. This whole geek/snob subject apparently applies to a lot of things in life. I think it is time to have another beer and ponder the mental war of snobbery vs. geekedness in matters other than beer... On second thought (preposition), nah, I would rather keep thinking about beer...

 

Cheers, and happy fermenting ~

 

Randini

 

Quote of the Day:  ““Ah, beer. The cause of and the solution to all of life’s problems.”

— Homer Simpson

 

 

 

HOPS Meetings:

 

• HOPS – New Business:
• Next Meeting: Tomorrow, February 26th 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 – Stout Beers.
• Style of the Month: Stout Month!!
• Discussions:

• Call for officers – we need help and we want yours!
• Membership Dues – we need money and we want yours!
• Durango Pro-Am Opportunity with Ska Brewing
• Upcoming events to host, group beers to brew, parties the throw and club shirts to order

 

UPCOMING LOCAL NEWS & EVENTS:

 

• New Brewery Opening In Pagosa – Yours truly paired with Eleanor the wifey-poo along with Jason Cox and his wife Shelly are in the process of starting up a new brewery here in Pagosa! Riff Raff Brewing Co is scheduled to be opening in late May or early June depending on permitting and other processes. Check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/riffraffbrewing?fref=ts for more information.

 

Mark Your Calendars:

 

·         February 26^th – HOPS Meeting – Stout Beers!

·         February 26^th - AHA National Homebrew Competition - Registration Opens

·         Mar 8-10^th – Durango Celtic Festival (see below for details)

·         Mar 26^th – HOPS Meeting – Red / Amber Beers!

·         May 4^th – AHA Big Brew Parts (Group homebrewing event – it’s a party)

·         More info below:

 

 

• March 8-10, 2012: The first annual Durango Celtic Festival: Yay! Presented by Durango Celtic Music & Arts, and sponsored by The Strater Hotel and The Irish Embassy Pub. This weekend Durango event will feature nightly concerts at The Henry Strater Theatre and the Irish Embassy, plus musician's workshops as well as various celtic vendors around town. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, or would like info about becoming a sponsor, please contact CJ at: patrickcrossing

 

Pagosa Brewing Company:

 

·         Check out the new website at www.pagosabrewing.com! This new interactive website highlights the menus for beer and food, plus it has a lot of fun photos. See if you can find yourself in any of them!

 

·         ~ February ~ Stout & Chops Month: Look for at least 16 different stouts throughout the month! Chops Contest Commemorative Shirts Available Soon - "Get Your Chops On!"

 

 

Riff Raff Brewing Company:

 

·         Construction Update: We have closed on the building and construction is under way! We have been working hard for the last month tearing out floors in the brewery, cutting concrete, installing floor drains and pouring new concrete! A special ‘Cheers’ is in order for all the great people we have had come down and help out – you know who you are and we owe you some beers!

 

·         Other News: The Pagosa Town Council approved our liquor license! This is just one of the many hurdles, but a big one none the less. Still working on getting approval from the big boys, but hey, we’ll take what we can get!

 

FRONT RANGE & BEYOND NEWS & EVENTS:

• Hop Rhyzome Club Discount - Arrowhead Hops is beginning its Hop Rhizome Presale for 2013. All rhizome varieties will be $3.00ea. for club members (reg $3.50).  Rhizomes will be shipped by late March/ Early April depending on weather conditions.  Please visit www.arrowheadhops.com to place your orders.  Under the “Shop for Hops” pulldown you’ll find a Homebrew Clubs page, enter the discount code (clubprice) to access the page to receive your discount.  Shipping will be (1-6) $3, (7-12) $5.50 and 13-up $11.50. If you have any questions please let me know.
  Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Galena, Magnum, Mt. Hood, Northern Brewer, Nugget, Sterling, Willamette
  Thanks
  Andy
  Arrowhead Hops LLC
  www.arrowheadhops.com
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arrowhead-Hops/199155133452979

 

• Rotation of Quarterly Beers Offers Hoppy Counterpoint to Lips of Faith - Ft. Collins, Colo., February 25, 2013 – New Belgium Brewing, the third-largest craft brewer in the U.S., is launching a new series of beers called Hop Kitchen. In 2013, four hoppy brews will be released under the new line in 22-ounce bottles and on draft in select markets. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

 

• The Most Craziest Beer Trip Ever? - Dear HomeBrewers, Join fellow connoisseurs on an exciting beer-centric European adventure. At Oktoberfest, you’ll drink fresh Munich lager from traditional one-liter Maß Krugs and sample tasty Bavarian treats, such as Schweinhaxe (pork knuckle) and Obatzda (cheese spread). Outside of Oktoberfest, Munich also has over 200 beer gardens, a beautiful Old Town city center and upscale shopping district, and is a major hub for numerous destinations easily reached by the excellent German railway system.  
  Think Amsterdam is nothing but hookers and drugs? Think again. How about a brewery inside the only remaining windmill in the city, or a charitable brewery that names their beer after legendary Dutch musicians? Both with extraordinary beer you won’t find anywhere else. Known as the Venice of the North because of its many canals and bridges, Amsterdam is an exhilarating city with more bicycles than cars or pedestrians. It is also home to several of the world’s most popular museums. Belgians are highly regarded for brewing outstanding beer. Taste for yourself when you travel through the gorgeous Belgian countryside to tour Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Gulden Draak) and Brouwerij Huyghe (Delirium). You’ll sleep in the beautifully preserved medieval city of Bruges, where you’ll feel as though you’ve gone back in time, strolling along romantic canals and through the charming Old Town Square. You’ll tour Brouwerij De Halve Maan (Straffe Hendrik), now primarily a brewery museum and tasting room. Savor unique concoctions at De Struise Brouwers’ beer store on the main square and shop for sweet treats in Belgium’s best chocolateries. You simply must eat mussels at some point; they pair wonderfully with Belgian beer.
  Travel back to Munich and you will see a city transformed. It is much quieter and less touristic. While still a bustling metropolis, you can definitely tell that Oktoberfest has ended and the city is back to normal. At dinner, bid a fond farewell to Munich and your new friends as the tour wraps up and we all go our separate ways. Aufwiedersehen!  Visit www.OktoberfestPackages.com or www.SpyglassTours.com for other beer centric trips.
  Best regards, Michael Thomas
  President/Owner
  Spyglass Tours & Events
  1670 E. Broad St. Suite #200
  Statesville, NC 28625
  Tel: 704.392.1002

·         A New Brewery Opens Every Day Of The Year: http://www.brewbound.com/news/2013/gatza-new-breweries-open-at-more-than-one-per-day-pace-in-2012?utm_source=Brewbound&utm_campaign=6ca89fc386-mailchimp&utm_medium=email

 

FOR SALE / FOR FREE / WANTED:

 

• Wanted – Chest Freezer to be used for a kegerator
• Wanted – Glass Carboys

 

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

 

• 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!

 

• 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 – Wait, don’t be a Brewsletter snob. Sure, there are much better brewsletters out there than this one, but you need to broaden your brewsletter horizons by enduring the lesser to gain more appreciation for the better. Endure. ENDURE! You’ll brewsletter palette will be better for it in the long run…

It'll be just under 4' so you can mount it on the wall.

That's good, must be close though!

Pagosa Brewing Co is continuing its tradition of having February as Stout Month. Here you can find a fun variety of Stouts to taste throughout entire month, with new Stouts from all over the state (and beyond) coming on tap. Currently they have five or six different Stouts on tap to choose from. (I have been enjoying the Velvet Merkin from Firestone Walker in CA, personally.) One highlight is the Pro-Am brew from the winner of the Stout homebrew competition held in January. Our very own Matt DeGuise took the gold and had a chance to brew his recipe with Pagosa Brewing Co, and now it is on tap for you to taste! Here is the official release from Pagosa Brewing Co: 

www.homebrewingnews.com has changed! New look, many more features, easier access and is far less cluttered.

I invite you to look up the new website and give me some feedback!

Thanks all!