This is a follow-up email to the many announcements we made at the August meeting as well as a few new bits of information.

Michigan House Bill 4061

The Michigan Senate will vote on Michigan House Bill 4061, otherwise known as "The Homebrew Law", sometime in the very near future. You can read all about the details below but the general summary is that this bill would allow clubs like ours to hold meetings, complete with our own homebrew, at local breweries and brewpubs.

http://legislature.mi.gov/(S(pd0l55auwre5cujb2lwpid55))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectName=2011-HB-4061
http://klob.org/node/82

I received an update from Chris Frey of the FORD homebrew club:

http://klob.org/news/2011/06/michigan-house-bill-4061

Get in touch with your local state senator and let them know you support this bill. This could make a huge difference not just for our club but for homebrewing in the state of Michigan as a whole.

KLOB Roast 2011

Ticket sales are now underway for this year's KLOB Roast. The date of the event is Saturday, September 17th. It will replace our normally scheduled monthly meeting. We will be holding the event at Markin Glen Park, just north of downtown Kalamazoo. Festivities will begin at noon and go until 8pm.

The cost of a ticket is $20 and includes food provided by Q-It-Up, a souvenir glass featuring this year's KLOBFish Head logo and entrance/parking costs for the park. We have tried our best to keep the ticket price as low as possible so as many people can attend. Everyone is invited: friends, family, co-workers...whoever! We just ask that all tickets sales are handled through members in good standing. All tickets sales will be at Tempo Vino winery in downtown Kalamazoo with vice president Alex.

For those of you who have been to a Roast event, this year will be slight departure from years past. Unlike previous Roasts, you will not be required to camp overnight. If you still want to stay the night, camp sites are available through the park. Please note: if you want to reserve your site in advance, you must reserve it for both Friday and Saturday. Sites can be rented the day of the event if there is availability.

What hasn't changed is that KLOB Roast is one of the best showcases of our club's beer and other fermented works. Bring your bottles, growlers and kegs and be ready to share and sample a wide variety of tasty beverages. The club will provide several bags of ice to keep things cool but bringing your own coolers doesn't hurt either. We'll also have the club jockey box ready for anyone bringing kegs.

As always, we will have T-shirts also featuring this year's logo available. We will take advanced orders at the August meeting. Price is tentatively set at $13, same as last year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the officers or check the website.

http://klob.org/club-event/2011/klob-roast-2011

Bell's 2nd Annual Homebrew Competition and Expo

Have you always wanted your beer up on the big board at Bell’s Eccentric Café alongside Oberon, Two Hearted, Porter and others? Here’s your chance – they'll provide the wort.

On Saturday, September 10th, Bell’s Brewery Inc. will host its second annual Homebrew Expo and Competition at the Café in downtown Kalamazoo. The homebrewer who takes first place honors will get the chance to brew his or her beer with our downtown brewer Andy Farrell. The winning beer will be served on draft alongside other Bell’s favorites at the Eccentric Café. First and second runners-up will receive gift certificates to the Bell’s General Store.

The expo will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can sign up for the competition starting at 11 a.m. Representatives from KLOB, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) and local suppliers will also be at the expo to talk about homebrewing, answer questions and raffle off some Michigan and Indiana products.

Scheduled to be there are:

Brew Hauler (Plainwell)
Stir Starters (stir plates, southwest Michigan)
Coldbreak Brewing (wort chillers, Grand Rapids)
Fetzer Farms (hop rhizomes)
Blichmann Engineering

The AHA is also looking for volunteers to help manage their booth at the event. If you are interested in helping, get in contact with club office Dan Jeska (dan.jeska@gmail.com).

Read More:
http://klob.org/events/other/2nd-annual-bells-homebrew-competition-and-expo
http://klob.org/node/127

Forums

There have been several great posts on the forums. Here's a sampling:

Hops for Harvest
http://klob.org/node/126

Plant-It Earth - Hops Grown in Michigan
http://klob.org/node/119

Beer Judge Certification Class and Exam
http://klob.org/node/79