2011 Schedule of Events

Recently, using some of the survey results, the CBE officers got together and mapped out the year's events. None of the dates nor sequence is set in stone, but this schedule should allow CBE members and potential members to stock their cellars and beer fridges with beers to share at future tastings. Also, this schedule should help in planning out your calendars for the year.

More details as far as specific times, dates, and locations are still to be determined. We are looking to schedule events at a variety of times and locations so that we can include as many members and interested parties as possible. In the meantime, look through the lists below and leave suggestions in the comments. There are at least two events planned per month.

Tasting Schedule:
January: (Look for these dates and locations to be determined in the coming weeks.)

• Cellared Beer/Barley Wine
• CBE BowlingNight*

February:

• Stout/Porter
• Super Bowl Party - February 20, 2011*

March:

• Out of Market Beers Only (beers only available outside of Missouri)
• Chocolate & Beer Pairing (featuring Patric Chocolate)

April:

• Blind Tasting (Belgians vs. Non-Belgians)
• KC Field Trip**

May:

• Rye/Black IPA
• Introduction to Beer Tasting*

June:

• Wild Night
• Cheese & Beer Pairing

July:

• West Coast Beers
• Picnic*

August:

• Summer Beers
• Members Only

September:

• Bring Whatever
• Cooking w/Beer Potluck

October:

• Beers from Michigan
• High Gravity Beers

November:

• Fall Seasonal
• CBE Bonfire*

December:

• Holiday Seasonal
• Yankee Swap 

* Open to anyone. No membership fees required.
** Open first to members. Non-members will have an opportunity if there are empty slots.

The homebrew events will be open to anyone who is interested. We're even more flexible with these events so as to meet the needs of the homebrewers in the group.

Homebrewing Schedule:
Feb. - Homebrew Only Tasting
April -  Homebrewing w/John Cannon
June -  Homebrew Demo
Aug. -  Mini-Hoembrew Contest
Oct. - Homebrew night to discuss what different hops can add to a

beer

Dec. - Homebrew night to discuss what different grains can add to a
beer (or yeast)

What are you thoughts on this tasting schedule? Are we missing something? Which events would you attend?

If you can provide space for any events, either leave a comment or contact a CBE officer.

The Weekend Update: Pub Crawls, Spiked Beer, & Brew Masters

It was a busy weekend for CBE members.

Friday, several of us hit the streets downtown to celebrate one member's birthday. We started at CBE favorite Sycamore with pork belly sliders and various selections from their extensive beer list. It's worth noting that all Sycamore bar menu items and specified beers on tap are half off during happy hour.

We then sauntered over to Broadway Brewery just down the street. Several of us enjoyed Broadway's Winter Warmer while other's raided Broadway's nice bottle and guest tap list. We weren't there for long as we had other stops to make.

A detour was taken down Ninth to Top-Ten Wines. Out came the Goose Island Nightstalker, He'Brew "13", and ping-pong table as this haven for the wine-obsessed was invaded by a bunch of beer nerds.

The night was completed at Uprise where we all sipped on our beers outside, on the patio.

It's great to know that we have so many good options to fill our craft beer needs. We didn't even make it to Flat Branch and we still filled the evening with great beers.

This wasn't an official CBE event, but there's no reason more of us can't organize such get-togethers on the website or Facebook group page. Feel free to use these forums to schedule the kinds of beer events you want. There certainly is an audience on either site.

Saturday rolled around and several members met at my house for the Spiked Beer Tasting. Normally, would never subject ourselves to drinking bad beer, but in the name of science, we carried on. Jarrett walked us through each spike, helping us identify what we were tasting and what caused each off flavor. And because we all homebrew, there was talk of a collaborative beer to only be known as "Nanna".

Afterwards, we washed the bad taste from our mouths with some good beer.

Sunday was a big night for the craft beer community in general as Discovery Channel's Brew Masters debuted. The show created quite a bit of buzz on Twitter and in the blogosphere as well as among CBE members. Some discussion can be found on Facebook, the CBE site, and even on at least one member's own beer blog.

What did you think of Brew Masters? Will you watch it again? Is it just an infomercial for Sam Calagione's Dogfish Head Brewery? Should the CBE organize an event around future episodes?

What do you think about more spiked beer or other homebrew events? What are you thoughts on more CBE (official or unofficial) pub crawls?

Colorado Beer Tasting

Despite a few homebrews produced here in Columbia, a beer from Idaho, and one arguably from Maryland, the Colorado tasting went off without a hitch. We tasted a nice variety of beers. The '07 La Folie and Avery Beast vertical seemed to garner the most attention. Here's the lineup...

• Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti
• John Baker's Porter
• Matt's Altruistic ESB
• Avery's Seventeenth Anniversary Black Lager
• Grand Teton Lost Continent DIPA
• Ska Decadent DIPA
• Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout
• Avery Ellie's Brown Ale
• Avery IPA
• Matt's Dubbel My Dosage
• Left Hand Milk Stout
• Great Divide Hercules DIPA
• Great Divide Titan IPA
• Ryan's Mango-Habanero 
• '07 New Belgium La Folie
• Twisted Pine Hoppy Knight
• Ska ESB
• Flying Dog Horny Dog Barley Wine
• '06, '08, '09 Avery The Beast vertical

What was your favorite beer of the night?

Survey Says...

If you remember, we here at the CBE asked you all to complete a survey covering some demographics, social media usage, and ideas for future events. The results of the survey can be found here for the most part. I've taken the liberty to compile the write-in answers below since the results link won't do that for me.

Read through the results. Tell us what you think they mean. Is there something we missed with this survey?

In the meantime, be sure to come out for the Colorado beer tasting tonight at Sycamore at 9PM. A list of beers had will be posted here. Also, keep your calendars open for the December 11th Yankee Swap.

CBE Survey

We have a survey up for any craft beer enthusiasts and/or homebrewers living in the Mid-MO area. Feel free to respond whether you're a member or not. Then pass along the link to anyone who might also fit these categories. The more responses we get the better.

CBE Notes - 11/04/2010

The CBE officers met last night for our monthly meeting. There was plenty to cover as we have a couple of busy months ahead of us. First of all, we did not receive a treasurer's report, but Jason assures us that there is money in the bank...


Anyway, the first order of business was the charity beer dinner at Sycamore in January. Tickets go on sale November 9th. The dinner will start at 6PM and will cost $60 per person. There is a limit of 60 people. So, be sure to order your tickets right away. We'll be unveiling more details regarding the charity and incentives for the dinner as they come. Check the Sycamore website for more details.

Speaking of the charity beer dinner, we are in need of some volunteers. At a minimum, we will need 5-6 CBE members to volunteer. Sycamore is providing some volunteers of their own and career center's culinary arts program is also chipping in. Just contact the CBE officers if you're interested in helping.

Our next tasting will take place on November 15 at 9PM at Sycamore. The focus will be on beers brewed in Colorado. So, dig out your favorite beers from Oscar Blues, Avery, Great Divide, Ska, etc. for this state-themed tasting. Here's a list from RateBeer of Colorado breweries.

On November 20th, some CBE members will be getting together for a tasting of spiked beers. What this means is that we're getting our hands on some spikes that can be added to beers in order to demonstrate what an irregularity might taste like. Although this event would be particularly interesting to homebrewers, even the casual beer enthusiast might get something out of it.

In December, we are starting a new tradition with the first ever CBE Yankee Swap. Members and guests will be expected to bring a beer-related gift (or just beer) worth no more than $15 for an exchange. Names will be drawn from a hat and the first person chosen will have his or her choice of the loot. However, the second person may choose to steal the first person's choice or pick something new. This carries on until all the gifts are exchanged. People should bring beer as well for this event.

For the Yankee Swap, we are still looking for a location. If you would like to provide space for this get-together, let a CBE officer know. The person who volunteers space will determine whether we have the swap on December 11th or 18th.

There will be more to announce and share in the coming months. In order to keep track of beer events in and around Columbia, you can check out the calendar below. If you have a Google Calendar yourself, you may also subscribe to the CBE calendar or simply return to the blog.

The Science of Brewing with John Cannon

Last Saturday's University of Missouri Saturday Morning Science program featured our own John Cannon. His presentation on the Science of Brewing Beer was well-attended and will possibly give the university fodder for starting their own brewing program^[1]
.

Also on hand was sponsor Cool Stuff, who, by the way, is offering free membership to their homebrew club to any CBE member. I know some of us have complained about Cool Stuff's inventory in the past, but what they have to offer has grown incredibly in the last year. Be sure to check it out!

Below, you'll find John's presentation broken into five parts^[2]. Eventually, I'll post the link to the video of his talk.












Notes:
1Not really. A boy can dream, can't he?
2OK. So, it's more than five parts, but something in the extract brewing section was so large I couldn't properly upload the presentation.

CBE Notes - 10/06/2010

Here's what's been going on with you CBE and what lays on the horizon...

The British Isles tasting was a success, judging from our poll numbers. Members scored the tasting a 3.7 (on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest), despite their overall impression of British beers rating a 3 average. Members cited IPA's, stouts, and scotch ales as their favorite styles of the evening. Jason's Bitter Beer Face IPA was the favorite beer sampled. Our host Flat Branch rated a 4, no doubt thanks to Jarrett's hospitality (read: Scotch).

The group is considering charities for an upcoming beer dinner. So far, Pints for Prostates, American Liver Foundation, and the local slow foods movement were mentioned as possible benefactors. The Columbia food pantry has also been mentioned as a charity to support. The officers are currently looking into charities and would welcome any suggestions.

Speaking of the charity dinner, former president, Jamie, is organizing a brew day for the CBE to provide its own beer. Here's what Jamie has to say about this brew session on the CBE website:

On January 9th, Sycamore and the CBE will be co-hosting a charity beer dinner that features beers from different Missouri breweries. The CBE has also decided to donate it's own beer (as brewed by CBE members) to this event. The brewday will be at my house and is tentatively set for October 17th and will probably be a night brew session (i.e., it will start around 5pm).

A few of us met last week to discuss the beers that we will be brewing and came to the decision to brew two 8-9% imperial stouts. The base recipes will be nearly identical but one of the beers will be secondaried with oak /bourbon (this beer will also have some coffee malt) and the other beer will be infused with maple/vanilla beans. For those interested in participating (brewers and/or non-brewers), just RSVP or post a note below. If you would like to help out with drafting the recipes just let me know and I'll send what Matt E. and I have worked on thus far.

We would really appreciate any and all CBE members or those interested in contributing to this special brew to step up and volunteer. Donations of time and/or money would be appreciated. Simply RSVP at the CBE event site and plan to show up ready to help on October 17.

Speaking of brewing, Phil is organizing an off-tasting event. Here's what Phil has to say:

As you might have read in the blog, Jarret and I are trying to get some people to join us in an Off-Flavors Tasting. This would consist of flavor "spikes" that you add to a beer to help recognize certain flaws in a beer.

The following flavors spikes will be in this tastings:

• DMS

• Diacetyl

• Oxidized

• Iso-amyl Acetate

• Acetlaldehyde

• Infection

One kit of spikes is enough for 20 people and cost $180 so if we find 20 people who are interested it will only be $9 each (some of which might be covered by CBE, still discussing that)

I need to get a feel of how many people would be interested in attending, so please post below if you are interested.

Again, to let Phil know of your interest, visit the CBE site. While this event seems brewer-centric, all interested parties are encouraged to come. The most important thing is that people RSVP and stick to their commitment as the spikes are not free.

This post is getting long, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention our two main events for October. On Monday, the 23rd, the CBE will be meeting at a member's home for some fall seasonals. That means, bring your favorite stouts, porters, Oktoberfests, pumpkin ales, whatever you consider to be a fall seasonal beer. There is a limit of 25 people, so be sure to RSVP.

Finally, our own John Cannon is presenting "The Science of Brewing" for the University of Missouri's Saturday Science series. John throws down the science at 10:30 AM in the Monsanto Auditorium. Details can be found at the CBE site.

British Isles Tasting

The CBE (members new and old) met at Flat Branch for an intimate tasting of beers from and inspired by the British Isles. We enjoyed IPA's, Scotch Ales, stouts, ESB's, and other assorted styles from our former imperial overlords. The beers drew mixed reviews, but, as usual, the discussion of beer and brewing was lively. 

Below is a rundown of the beers sampled. Homebrews are identified with (HB).:

• Dry Dock English IPA
• Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale
• Jason's Bitter Beer Face IPA (HB)
• Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
• 2008 Fuller Vintage Ale
• Oscar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale
• Ryan's Irish Stout (HB)
• Nick's Coffee Stout (HB)
• Fuller's ESB
• Brian's Wheat Ale (HB)
• Brian's Better Red Than Dead Ale (HB)
• Jeff's ESB (HB)
• Skull Splitter Orkney Ale
• Fuller's 1845
• O'Fallon Wee Heavy

As it typical of our little group, this tasting started out as a hopfest with three of the first four beers being IPA's. Once this thirst was satisfied, we settled into some nice, malty ales. Several Fuller's made appearances, suggesting that this is either our favorite British brewer or we all needed excuses to buy some.

This was, in my opinion, the best showing of homebrews we've had in a long time. There was variety in style and flavor. All the homebrews were of a high standard, even if they all didn't fit under the theme of the evening.

As an added bonus, Jarrett graciously shared some excellent scotch whiskeys with the remaining members who survived the tasting. First up was Clynelish 14 year scotch. This was as smooth and un-peaty a scotch as I've ever had, extremely smooth going down. The Ledaig 10 year scotch that was next was the exact opposite of the first. Describing this drink as "peaty" does not even begin to describe its flavor. This was definitely a sipper, a drink that puts hair on your chest as well as that of your offspring. The two offerings were nice examples of which to compare.

If you attended, how did the evening's tasting go for you? What was your favorite beer of the evening? Would you like to do more tastings like this one in the future?

If you didn't attend, why not? Do you still hold a grudge over 1812? You too can provide feedback on these issues as well as another on the form below.

CBE Notes - 9/24/2010

The new CBE officers met for the first time last weekend at Jason and Jade's house to hash out some business, old and new. Below you'll find the topics we discussed.


Treasurer's Report:

No, seriously, we are doing fine.


Fundraiser Dinner: We are looking at December of January. It seems that there are open dates in December, but the officers are pushing for January so as to give the homebrewers some time to whip up something good. Former CBE president, Jamie, is heading the effort to get this brew ready for the dinner. Check the CBE Groups site for more details. In the meantime, we are actively searching for worthy charities. If you know any, be sure to mention them in the comments below.


Next Tasting: On Monday, September 27th at 8:00, we will meet at Flat Branch for our first "British Isles" tasting. Members and nonmembers are encouraged to bring beers that represent styles from England, Scotland, Ireland, and even Whales. These can be imports or American versions of British ales. 


Future Tastings: We are looking at a tasting sometime in October, probably 2-3 weeks after the British Isles tasting. We'll know the date as soon as a location is determined. October's tasting will feature fall seasonals (Oktoberfest, pumpkin ale, porters, etc.).


In November, we're focusing on the great breweries of Colorado. (No, that does not include Coors.) So, bring out your Avery, Great Divide, and New Belgium brews for this one. Hopefully, we will do tastings in the future that feature other great beer-brewing states.


Also, for November, we are looking into an "off tasting" for homebrewers (and really anyone else who's interested). Depending on the number of interested parties, we'll contribute to the $30 per person pricetag for "spikes" that are added to normal beers to help us identify off tastes in beer. Be on the lookout for more information on the CBE discussion board.


December's tasting promises to be a fun, if not interesting event. We're going with the season and holding the first ever CBE White Elephant Gift Exchange! Each attendee will be asked to bring a beer or beer-related gift (as well as beer to drink). We'll draw numbers and the first person will get their choice of a gift. Once the gift is opened, the second person has a choice between stealing the gift or picking a new one. The process continues from there. Keep the gifts $15 and under. As opposed to most White Elephants, try to bring something people might  actually want.


Spring Field Trip: The officers are looking into organizing a field trip to Kansas City in the early spring/late winter. Among other stops, we're considering Boulevard, Flying Saucer, and 75th Street Brewery. Members' input on possible stops are welcome.


There are other things in the works for the CBE. Stay informed by visiting our website and subscribing to this blog.