CBE Update: Spring & Summer

Right before the Stone festivities kicked off Saturday night, the CBE officers met up to plan the next few months of events. Below is what we have so far. Suggestions are always welcome.

• The Kansas City/Parkville field trip roster is set, but you are more than welcome to join us this Saturday, April 29. We plan to leave Saturday morning at 8:30 from the Schnuck's parking lot. You'll have to come up with your own transportation at this point, but you can carpool with us to Boulevard where we have a tour scheduled. There's more information concerning the Parkville Microfest here.
• National Homebrew Day is Saturday, May 7. Several folks are planning to host demos and/or brewing sessions on this day. An official event will be has been posted on Facebook, but if anyone is interested in participating or hosting a brew event on the 7th, leave a comment here or on the Facebook group.
• After the brewing is done, Hellbender is planning to host its latest party. Stay tuned to their blog and/or Facebook page for details and start times. Typically, the boys at Hellbender limit their party to friends and CBE members, but if you're new, befriend them now and sneak in.
• On a Monday in May, we will hold a Rye/Black IPA tasting at Sycamore. So, round up your favorite rye beers and/or Cascadian Dark Ales/Black IPA's for this official CBE tasting. All regular fees apply. $30 will get you a year's membership. $5 will get you in if you bring beer, $10 without beer.
• In June, we're looking at cheese and beer pairing at a location to be determined. Unlike the last time, at this tasting we will be asking for folks to bring cheese. The CBE will purchase 4-5 styles of beer for the pairing. There will be no membership fees due at this event. More details to come.
• The official CBE event for June will be a "Wild Night" hosted by the Elwess household. We will allow folks to decide just what "wild" means. Does it have to do with fermentation? Strange ingredients? High ABV? You decide.
• July (which is a long way off) will feature two events. There will be the annual picnic which is an open event for anyone interested in meeting other beer nerds and homebrewers. We only ask that folks bring some beer to share and a covered dish. A date and location will be announced as soon as we have more information to share.
• The other July event will be a West Coast tasting. So, any beer brewed in California, Oregon, Washington, or Alaska is welcomed. This will be an official CBE tasting where all applicable fees apply.
• Last, but certainly not least, we are planning to bring back the Members Only Tasting. This was a popular event last year and we don't want to not have one again this year. The Members Only tasting will happen in August. Before we can plan any further, there will be a survey put out that will help us identify the beers you'd like to try. Again, this tasting will have the applicable fees attached.

So, that's one official CBE tasting a month for the next four that you should attend. Also, feel free to join us for any of the other events or invite non-members so that we may infect them with our "illness." Watch the Facebook page, the website, and this blog for details on all the events described above.

Snowpocalypse Edition

Here is a list of upcoming events that have somehow survived the snow...

• Super Bowl Party - The location has been updated. There are limited seats on the couch, so RSVP ASAP. Also, plan to bring food and beer (of course). This event is open to non-members.
• Homebrew Only Tasting - This was promised and Josh Rein delivered. On February 13th at 4:00 PM, Josh will host a tasting limited to homebrews only. More details to come. Relax. Don't Worry. Have a homebrew. This event is open to non-members, but is limited to 10 guests.
  
• Porters/Stout Tasting - Bring a stout, porter, or one of those cellared beers you saved for the cancelled tasting this past week to Flat Branch on February 27th at 4:00. This is for members and all regular charges apply (membership OR $10 if you don't bring beer and $5 if you do bring beer).
• The last of the Hopslam is set to be unleashed on the public at Uprise Bar this Wednesday. If this doesn't happen on Wednesday, I won't bother posting anything more on Hopslam.
• There will be a field trip to Kansas City in April. Contact a CBE officer for details. If you don't know a CBE officer, leave a comment here and we'll get back to you.

That should do for now. Carry on.

January and February Events

Inspired by Jade's initiative to post on this blog, I figured you all would like to know what's going on...

January has nearly passed us by without so much as one tasting. Luckily for you, the CBE has one event before February. Additionally, there are two more events planned for next month.

On Monday, January 31st, Broadway Brewery will be hosting our cellared beer/barley wine tasting. So, dust off those bottles in the back of your cellar and bring them in for this tasting. If you are not one to save beers for more than a year, there are plenty of options in the stores. Besides finding newer versions of some of the proposed beers on hand, a careful inspection of labels will reveal there are many already-cellared beers waiting for you. I've personally noticed several vintages of Schlafly's barley wines and imperial stouts from previous years still occupying shelf space all around Columbia.

To RSVP, go to either the Facebook group or the CBE Groups site. Be sure to list the beer(s) you plan to bring. The tasting will get underway around 8:00 PM. We'll conduct the tasting differently as we'll ask that you give your beers to a CBE officer so that we can pace and sequence the beers. As usual, the tasting fees apply if you are not a CBE member. $5 with beer, $10 without.

The following Sunday, February 6th, is the Super Bowl party, hosted by members Kate and David. Although the pregame show starts sometime this week, our hosts ask that you show up around 5:00 PM. Kids and family members are welcome. This is a free CBE event. There will be food, but contributing to the effort (both food and beer) is encouraged. RSVP here and/or here and list any beer and food you plan to bring.

From 4-7 PM on Sunday, February 27th, Flat Branch will host our porter/stout tasting. Again, tasting fees apply to non-CBE members. RSVP here and/or here.

Also, in February, we are tying to organize a homebrew-only tasting. If you have any interest in participating and/or hosting, please let a CBE officer know or leave a comment on this blog.

We are still working on a road trip to Kansas City in April. There will be more word on that as information is gathered. CBE members will get first dibs on spots in the van. So, it behooves one to join ASAP.

As always, keep up with CBE happenings on Facebook, Groups, Twitter, and through our Google Calendar.

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?

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.