Meeting Minutes – March 2015

Miami Area Society of Homebrewers
Minutes of the Monthly General Meeting
March 26, 2015

The monthly general meeting of the Miami Area Society of Homebrewers was called to order at round about 7:00 PM at Daddy Brews on March 26, 2015 by Bob Billany.

I.    Review of Previous Minutes

Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting was waived.

II.  Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer not in attendance.  It is assumed that she has not fled the country with the club’s funds.

III.  Old Business

1.   Coconut Cup

The event was quite successful. MASH was able to retain a portion of the Coconut Cup, tying the folks from Special Hoperations (Tampa) with 26 points.

Congratulations to the many medalists from MASH, particularly Scott & Denise Graham, who managed to win 6 medals with 6 entries earning them the Heavy Medal Brewer Award!

Scott & Denise Graham

Munich Helles – Silver Medal
German Pilsner – Gold Medal
Coconut Beer – Gold Medal
Melomel – Gold Medal
Common Perry – Silver Medal
Specialty Perry – Silver Medal

Michael Moussa

Dusseldorf Altbier – Silver Medal

David Kirsten & Bob Billany

California Common – Bronze Medal

Jorge Molina

Special/Best/Premium Bitter – Silver Medal

Josh Kritzer

Saison – Gold Medal

Chris Shores

Semi-Sweet Mead  – Bronze Medal
Other Mead – Bronze Medal

Jon & Alisa Britton

Common Perry – Bronze Medal

2.  Beer Festivals

Veritage Miami – Bob provided a reminder of the upcoming United Way Event at Wynwood Walls on April 15th.  Looking for volunteers to brew/serve beer at the event. 

III.  New Business

1.  Upcoming Competitions

  • Final judging for the Hurricane Blowoff will be held in West Palm Beach on April 11, 2015.  All members are encouraged to attend and lend a helping hand.
  • The registration window for the Hogtown Brewoff opens on April 27, 2015.  The competition will be capped at 400 entries, with no more than 3 entries per brewer.  MASHers are encouraged to enter quickly, while space is available.
  • The registration window for Meadlennium opens on April 13, 2015.

2.  Beer Festivals

  • Big Brew for National Homebrew Day occurs on May 2, 2015.  We are actively looking for a location to gather for a group brew.  Bob Billany will check with the folks at MIA Brewery in Doral to determine if they are willing to host the event.
  • The National Homebrewers Conference will take place in San Diego in June 2015.  All MASHers are encouraged to attend.

3.  Education Session

Matt Waldron conducted an educational session focusing on this month’s BotY style, English Pale Ale.  An ample amount of samples were made available to the club’s members.

4.  Mid-Term Election

Our current Librarian, Tony Hernandez, has informed us that he will be relocating to Gainesville, FL next month.  A notification will be sent to all members soliciting indications of interest and/or nominations.  A vote to elect a successor will be conducted at the next club meeting in April.

5.  Water Chemistry Experiment

David Kirsten suggested that the club undertake an experiment to determine if changes in water chemistry are perceptible to tasters.  The results of the experiment can potentially be published to gain the club exposure.  Chris Shores has a pharmaceutical background, which has provided him a great deal of experience in designing and implementing scientific experiments.  He has agreed to meet with David to develop a formal plan.

5.  Brewer of the Year (BotY)

The BotY style for June 2015 is “Parallel Brew”.  Normally, we would utilize one of the recipes from the AHA Big Brew for this category.  This year, it was suggested that we use a recipe that could also be utilized in the club’s barrel project.  Suggestions included an Imperial Stout or New Glarus Imperial Clone. A decision will need to be reached by next month to allow for enough time to prepare. 

The BotY style for March was English Pale Ales.  6 entries were received.  The winners were . . . 

First Place:                 Matt Waldron (Summer Bitter) 
Second Place:            Dan Barrett (Best Bitter)
Third Place:               Jorge “Mo” Molina (Best Bitter)

The BotY style for April will be American Ales.

IV.  Time of Next Meeting

The next regular club meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at: 

Daddy Brews
4427 SW 74th Avenue
Miami, Florida 33155

Minutes submitted by:  David Kirsten, Secretary

Minutes approved by:   Bob Billany, President