March Meeting: Belgian Beers
This is a friendly reminder that we will be having our normal monthly meeting this coming Monday, March 18th. We actually switch a couple things on our calendar so this month's topic will be on Belgian beers presented by Gregg Updike. The packaging presentation has been moved to April. We will be meeting at our normal time and place at Old Dog Tavern at 7pm.
Spring Bus Trip: Last Call
We have officially begun ticket sales for our spring bus trip. The trip is scheduled for Saturday, April 6th. We will leave Kalamazoo from Shakespeare's Pub promptly at 10am and expect to return at 10pm. Our tentative route will take us to the following locations:
Old Hat Brewery (Lawton, MI)
The Livery (Benton Harbor, MI)
Greenbush Brewing Company (Sawyer, MI)
Bare Hands Brewery (Granger, IN)
Paw Paw Brewing Company (Paw Paw, MI)
We are already reaching out to each of these locations but if one should drop out, we have a few other options. At the minimum, we will be making at least 4 stops. Tickets will be available at both the February and March meetings. The prices are $15 members and $20 for non-members. This only covers the cost for transportation so you are on your own for food and beverages. We have made a reservation on a 47-passenger coach through B&W Charters. We can upgrade to a 56-passenger coach if there is demand but that is our limit.
This month is the last chance you have for purchasing tickets at a club meeting. Get tickets for you and your family, friends and co-workers ASAP! Between this month's meeting and the event, tickets can be purchased through vice president Alex Mantakounis at Tempo Vino Winery in downtown Kalamazoo. If you have any questions, contact the officers or see us at the next meeting.
Homebrew for a Charity
Member Bill Crocker wants to assist his friend Paul Weninger on the board of the local chapter of JDRF which raises funds to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Each year they hold a Gala with an auction as one of their primary fund raising activities. This year’s event is on April 19th in Grand Rapids. Since Bill and Paul both love homebrew, they are seeking donations of bottled brews which they would package homebrew with items from one of the local brew supply shops. They are looking for variety over quantity so if you even just a handful of beers you can share, they'd love to have them. Check out all the details of the event here:
http://www.jdrfgreatlakeswest.org/gala_about.html
NHC Intra-Club Competition
KLOB will be sending a number of representatives to the National Homebrew Conference in Philadelphia from June 27th to 29th. While there, we will be teaming up with other clubs from around the state as a "Michigan Coalition". That group will be hosting a table at the club-night and various shifts in the hospitality suite.
The biggest components of those duties will of course be OUR BEER! We're looking to take several kegs from our club to best represent our club. To that end, we will be having a competition at the April meeting to choose the top three beers our group has to offer. We will brew the winning recipes at the club Big Brew event in May so we can take a full batch of each to Philadelphia. We will not be targeting specific styles; it will be open to anything and everything you want to bring. There is no limit to how many different beers you can bring but just make sure to bring enough for people to sample and judge.
If you have any questions, please contact the officers.
Art of Beer Festival, March 23: Benton Harbor, MI
Lake Michigan College is hosting their annual Art of Beer Festival on March 23 this year. They will have over 50 different craft brewers represented with more than 150 beers available for sampling. Below is a link to the Facebook event page and the website including the brewer’s list.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/430274213716354/
Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition
Attention all cider makers and lovers! Read all the details about this year's GLINTCAP event:
http://www.greatlakescider.com/glintcap2013.html
National Homebrew Day @ Adventures in Homebrewing
The folks at Adventures in Homebrewing are planning a large, state-wide gathering for National Homebrew Day (AKA "Big Brew") on May 4th in Ann Arbor. KLOB and Bell's General Store are still planning on hosting a local event but if you want to represent our organization our east, please contact the officers and we can coordinate.
http://www.homebrewing.org/National-Homebrew-Day_ep_69-1.html