News Archives

January 2006 Meeting Notes

All Displaced Brewery Fanatics meetings should be as good as the one in January!

There were 10 home brews to sample, each one better than the next (if you lined them up that way). Matt Falor treated us to a couple of Belgian Wheat beers that he has been perfecting. One was a blueberry wheat, while the other contained blackberry. Excellent! He also offered a Hazelnut Brown Ale and one that he called "Hops on D's Nuts." Ed laughed at the name, but he would not tell me the meaning. I have some ideas. Regardless, the first ale had a pleasant hazelnut taste, as the name of the style suggests.

Also, Matt impressed us with a Pumpkin Ale - one of the finest examples of this type that I have ever tasted. The only Pumkin Ale that I enjoyed as much came from Wiltse's Brewpub in Oscoda. The key to this style is balance, not letting any single flavor overpower the the others.

And he brought some cider. Mmm.

Craig and Josh brought some of their Stout. Yes! I love a good stout, and this did not disappoint, with its chocolate-caramel taste and long finish.

Tom brought some Mead that measured 19%. Big, huh? Speaking of honey, Jay offered some of his Honey Pale Ale, in addition to something he called Bitters. Light in flavor, the Honey Pale did not stand up next to the stout. I ought to have tried these in reverse order to fully appreciate the grainy taste, with its honey nuances.

Where was Ed all this time? He was busy demonstrating how painfully easy it is to make your own double-coil wort chiller. Apparently, Bruce Fine knows where all the pictures are stashed, because Ed sat dutifully on the floor, making such a wort chiller for his friend. Soldering, twisting, bending, more soldering.

Ed offered plenty of good advice during the whole process.

"Always wipe your joint," he reminded us. "Keep it clean!"

"You do your best work on your knees," someone quipped.

"Flux off!" Ed snapped, wiping some more.

Bruce estimates that the copper tubing cost him approximately $40, and Ed needed about 1.5 hours to complete the job. A comparable chiller suitable for 10-gallon batches costs $64 in the Northern Brewer catalog, although their version doesn't have braces soldered to the sides to keep the coils separated.

The meeting ended around 9:00, or after the last sample bottle was empty, whichever came first.