HOPS Brewsletter - December 2012

by Jason Cox

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

 

 

 

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…