Meeting Minutes – April 2015

Miami Area Society of Homebrewers
Minutes of the Monthly General Meeting
April 23, 2015

The monthly general meeting of the Miami Area Society of Homebrewers was called to order at precisely 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

We are still solvent.

III.  Old Business

1. Competition Results

MASH performed extremely well at the Hurricane Blowoff in West Palm Beach.

Matt Waldron had his coming out party, scoring his first medals for beer at a BJCP competition.  And he broke out in a big way, scoring two Gold Medals, taking Runner-Up in Best of Show and waking away with the Heavy Medal Brewer Award!

MASH proved itself to be a strong competitor taking Second Runner Up in the Heavy Medal Club Award.

Here is a list of the MASH medalists. Congrats to all!

Gold Medal

Matt Waldron – Bock
Matt Waldron – Specialty Beer
Josh Kritzer – Fruit Beer
Dave Kirsten & Bob Billany – Porter

Silver Medal

Michael Moussa – English Pale
Dave Kirsten & Bob Billany – Amber Hybrid

2. Beer Festivals

Veritage Miami – Thanks to the folks that poured at this United Way Event at Wynwood Walls on April 15th.  A good time was had by all. 

3.  Mid-Term Election

The position of Librarian is now vacant following Tony Hernandez’ relocation to Gainesville.  Jorge Molina received the sole nomination for the position.  A quick vote was taken confirming.  “Mo” was unanimously voted in.  The club’s library has been transferred to his possession. 

4.  Club Tax Status

Scott Graham raised a concern regarding the club’s tax status.  We have traditionally been granted 501(c)3 status as a non-profit organization without having to provide any justification as our annual revenues have been below $5,000.  Our revenues in 2014 exceeded that number and are expected to remain above $5,000 in 2015, as well.  Josh Hubner indicated that members of his former club in Washington, D.C. have done the research reagrding this issue.  He has agreed to reach out and provide us with guidance.

5.  Summer Solstice Party

Our annual Summer Solstice Party will take place in June – coincidentally around the time of the Summer Solstice.  This event will be held in lieu of our regular club meeting in June.  We are searching for a location for the event.  Bob Billany suggested that MIA Brewing would be willing to host us this year.  He will reach out to his contacts at the brewery and confirm.  The date of Saturday, June 27 has been proposed.

III.  New Business

1.  Upcoming Competitions

  • 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 the Sunshine Challenge opens on May 4th.

2.  Beer Festivals

  • Big Brew for National Homebrew Day occurs on May 2, 2015.  A group brew has been scheduled at MIA Brewery in Doral beginning at noon.  We will be brewing a Old Rasputin Clone, which is aour BotY “parallel brew” for June.  The beer will also be used for the club’s barrel project.
  • The National Homebrewers Conference will take place in San Diego in June 2015.  All MASHers are encouraged to attend. 
  • Jacob Lindsay announced that he will be sponsoring the Greater Miami Beer Festival at the Miami Airport Convention Center on July 11, 2015.  He has invited MASH to participate at the homebrew pavilion.  Brewers will be compensated for any beer that is brought.  The festival will also feature a homebrew competition. More details to follow.

3.  Education Session

Bob Billany conducted an educational session focusing on this month’s BotY style, American Ales.  

4.  Water Chemistry Experiment

David Kirsten reached out to Martin Brungard, a recognized expert in brewing water chemistry and a professional engineer specializing in water treatment. He is the author of Bru’n Water software for brewing water adjustment and the Bru’n Water website, which features extensive brewing water information.  Martin has provided feedback regarding implementation of our proposed water chemistry experiment.  

Michael Moussa informed us that a similar experiment was recently conducted and documented by Malcolm Frazer, a contributor to Brulosophy.com.  We will review the podcast, to ensure that we are not duplicating their efforts.

5.  Barrel Project

It was decided to utilize a clone recipe of the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout for this project. Dan Barrett has a connection at a rum distillery that has agreed to provide us with a freshly dumped barrel at no cost.  We now need as many members as possible to brew.  55 gallons is a lot of beer!

6.  Brewer of the Year (BotY)

The BotY style for April was American Ales.  4 entries were received.  The winners were . . . 

First Place:                 Dave Kirsten & Bob Billany (American Brown) 
Second Place:            Jorge “Mo” Molina (American Brown)
Third Place:                Matt Waldron (American Pale) 

The BotY style for May will be Bocks.

IV.  Time of Next Meeting

The next regular club meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at: 

Daddy Brews
4427 SW 74th Avenue
Miami, Florida 33155

Minutes submitted by:  David Kirsten, Secretary

Minutes approved by:   Bob Billany, President