Next Meeting:
At our October meeting, the question was raised about moving to a different location for our monthly get together. The membership was very enthusiastic about looking for an alternate site. The North Forty Beer Company has an acceptable area upstairs (where we’ve met before) and it was available for our normal time/date slot at 6:00 pm, on the third Wednesday of every month. The Board voted to accept this as our new meeting location and the reservation has been set for both November and December. Our next meeting is scheduled for November 20th in the loft at The North Forty. We’ll get a report on the November 9th People’s Choice competition in Bend (that includes Hiroshi’s Nickel Mine Porter done by Sunriver Brewing). Also, there will be a second discussion of the latest tool in the homebrewer’s pocket…flash brewing.
Remember to bring your tasting glass or glasses if you want to do comparisons!
Past Events: (Events and meetings will be summarized below and complete minutes for all meetings will be sent to the current membership via email and will be made available soon in an archived/shared file system in Google Docs…linked via the website.)
2024 Past Meetings & Events:
October: Brewfest was a lot of fun again this year. This yearly event is put on by Umpqua Watersheds behind the Old Soul Pizza building and now somewhat in conjunction with the Roseburg Blocktober Fest. Robert brought in his famous Rochambeau (Rochambrew 😎) BeerBQ wagon and we loaded up four beers for its taps from our members for tasting/sales. Kali brought a Pale Ale, Hiroshi brought an “Almost Märzen”, Mike had a Scotch Ale on tap, and the 3-amigos (Al, Dennis, & Kasey) supplied an Amber Ale. Mike had prepacked and fully cooked (Sous Vide) the delicious brats from Meatworx, so all we had to do was brown & reheat them in the BeerBQ prior to serving with sauerkraut & various type of mustard. Met lots of people interested in the club and what we do…hopefully we’ll see some of them in the near future.
At our monthly meeting, we welcomed a new potential member. Mike used to brew, but it’s been a while… Hopefully, he’ll decide to join us and get back into this wonderful diversion that is homebrewing. We reported a profit from our Kraut & Brat sales of about $40 at the Brewfest. Sold a total of 150 “units” and everyone was very enthusiastic about the quality & flavor of the brats from Meatworx. Hiroshi was interviewed earlier this week by the News-Review for his brewing and COHO ProAm award. A short movie was presented during the meeting of the Sunriver Brewing session in which Hiroshi & Mike participated. Samples tonight were from the selection of beers given to us by Sunriver Brewing (two tasted this evening were Holy Schmidt – Festbier & The Suspense is Terrible – Double IPA). Three 16 oz, 4 packs of Sunriver Brewing beers were given away to those attending.
September: Discussion of the upcoming Brewfest (October 5th) and what/how are going to participate. Kali will be publishing a signup sheet for volunteers for the event’s 10am – 6pm setup-through cleanup. Several members have beers ready to be set up in the BeerBQ and we’ll be selling Brats with our beers. Educational topic tonight highlighted some options to produce low alcohol beers as a home brewer. Hiroshi’s Märzen and a no alcohol beer (Black Butte’s Porter offering) were tasted. Hiroshi & Mike will be going to Sunriver Brewing in early October to participate in the upscale of Hiroshi’s Nickel Back Porter to commercial level. This porter will be tasted by the public at Bend’s Boneyard Brewing on November 9th and be entered in a People’s Choice competition at the tasting.
August: UVBG members won 12 awards at the Douglas County Fair this year, including 5 blue ribbons for beers and cider as well as a best of show in the wine category. The big award of the month was won by Hiroshi’s for his Nickel Back Porter. It was was selected to be brewed by Sunriver Brewing for a November “People’s Choice” competition at the Boneyard Brewing pub. His beer will be one of 10-12 brews selected from Oregon homebrewers to be made at different participating local commercial brewing operations. Hiroshi will be going to Sunriver to supervise and help in scaling up his beer to a commercial quantity for the Boneyard Brewing event. Pressure fermentation was the educational topic and we used our new digital projector and screen to view a video about it from Morebeer.com. We also viewed some pictures from the Rendezvous this year and the action packed video of Kali (our secretary) taking on the challenge of the beer marionette. Robert brought in his 3 week old Oatmeal Stout for tasting. Quite a tasty whole grain kit from Morebeer.com. Kali has a friend who created a very nice poster that we can use as a member recruitment tool.
July: Sutherlin Throwdown volunteers requested, Robert is entering as a contestant in the BBQ contest (with the BeerBQ). Reminder to everyone that the Pro-Am competition entries are due by 7/26 as well as a note that entries at this year’s Douglas County fair will be only accepted at the Fairgrounds on 4 August from 9-4. Stickers were made available to those who wanted them. There was some disagreement on the sticker’s label text that was used (Home Crafted Beers and Wines). Use of the word Wines in the text was deemed by some members as inappropriate. Members were reminded that our bylaws include support for fermented beverages in general. Kali had some old stickers (no text) that were sold as donations to the club. Membership voted unanimously to purchase a projector and screen for educational and PR purposes. Scott gave a presentation on the use of house water filtering equipment in clearing beer. Three beers were brought in by members for tasting/evaluations: and ESB by Mike, a Habanero-Mango IPA by Scott, and a Myrtle Creek Mystery Ale by Kali (and all were pretty good!)
June: Reminder to all members that entries for the Douglas County Fair will be due for submission on August 4th. Discussion on having stickers made to promote the club, members voted to have some made. Educational topic was on the importance of cleaning and sanitation of all brewing equipment. Several common chemical options for each step available to homebrewers were presented with pro’s and con’s of each. Dave brought a well balanced IPA for tasting and Kasey brought a Vive Latinó Indio Beer from Mexico (odd smell, but taste was OK for a lighter beer style).
May: Just after our Mother’s Day weekend Rendezvous, we got together to review the event and taste some new beers. Deanna reported we did very well making money for the club over the weekend and was still tallying some expenses…she’ll have a final cost accounting by next meeting. Great feedback & appreciation by the Hellgate Brewers for this years Rendezvous.
At the tasting section for tonight’s meeting, we compared our “normal” 5 month old TAF2B amber ale with a companion bottle that had been lagered for nearly 2 months at 34°F. Most people could taste a difference, but it was a split decision on which version was preferred. Hiroshi brought some of his Weather Goat Stout (first place winner of the 2024 Midwinter Madness stout division). Scott brought in a Coffee Stout with lots of freshly ground coffee in both the mash and a portion of fermentation. Diane just got back from a trip to Wisconsin and brought us a New Glaris (commercial) – No Coast Pale Ale. All five beers were thoroughly enjoyed (one at a time) and we tried to use some basic evaluation sheets to help us focus on Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouthfeel, & Finish for each.
April: On the 17th, we focused on the upcoming Rendezvous preparations. We have confirmation that approximately 20 members of the Hellgate club will be attending and the Eugene club was interested and would get back to us soon. Reminder to all to think about donating fun or beer related items for the raffle. Breakfast at the Rendezvous will offer eggs, sausage, hashbrown patties, as well as biscuits & sausage gravy. The tastings tonight included a Kolsch from Hiroshi, a Jalapeno IPA and a black IPA from Scott, as well as a tasty dessert plum wine by Robin. Thirteen members plus 1 guest attending tonight’s meeting.
March: Agenda of the 3/20 meeting included recap of our participation at the Roseburg Home & Garden Show, March 1-3, award of the 1-gallon starter beer kit Raffle Prize, a discussion on the advantages/disadvantages of lagering, as well as tasting what members have been brewing. Logo wear has been received and was passed out. Diane Griffin was granted an honorary lifetime membership for her many years of dedicated service to the UVBG. Jess suggested Brew Like A Mother as this year’s Rendezvous theme…and it was unanimously accepted. Four beers and a mead were tasted tonight. An Imperial IPA and Imperial Stout by Scott, an Irish Stout by Jess, a Mountain Top Pale Ale by Calvert and Robin delighted our palettes with her Orange Clove Mead. Thirteen members attending with 1 guest (Scott’s wife Tina) and 3 walk-ins (Coleen and her friend Mark were wonderful to see & talk to).
February: First meeting (2/21/24) at the Old Soul Pizza Annex was fabulous. Great food & beer offerings as well as a fabulous location for our club meeting (quiet & roomy). Logo apparel has been ordered and volunteer signup sheet for the upcoming Home & Garden show was filled out. Hiroshi won first prize for his stout in the combined style section of American Stouts & Porters while Mike was awarded second for his entry–MidWinter Madness 2024 competition put on by Cascade Brewers. Robin also brought home the gold with her wine in the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival. Discussion on advantages & disadvantages of decoction in brewing followed the award announcements. Mike asked that members start thinking about a theme for the upcoming May Rendezvous. Hiroshi wanted members to know about the next beer competition–COHO (Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization) Spring Fling. Competition details available at https://springfling.brewingcompetitions.com/ Scott’s Coconut Porter and his highly hopped, extremely well balanced IPA were both wonderful and we are encouraging him to start entering these upcoming competitions.
January: Our meeting at the Splitz Family Grill was well attended (1/17/24) and lively. Sixteen current members and four who signed up for a 2024 membership. New officers were elected (all single volunteers for each position with unanimous support from those attending. UVBG officers for 2024 are:
President: Mike Stansbury
Vice President: Hiroshi Oki
Secretary: Kali Ingerson
Treasurer: Deanna McHaffie
Member at Large: Bob Calvert
New Member Mentor: Jess McHaffie (continuing)
The club discussed participation in the Home & Garden Show. We will have a signup sheet next meeting for the setup and 3 days of the event. Members voted to have a raffle that included a 1 gallon beer kit prize and an optional, limited time club membership. This raffle prize would offer brewing help and guidance from club members if requested. Logo wear and pricing was again discussed and it was decided that the various items would be black in color as it showed off the logo very well. Mike will send out sizing info to the club on the zipper hoodies, T-shirts (cotton & blend), and a polo shirt. Now well aged TAF2B Amber – all grain & DME – were tasted…all grain still preferred, but the DME is very drinkable. Hiroshi brought a stout and Deanna brought a blood orange cider. Both were awesome! Hiroshi announced there was a beer competition sponsored by the Cascade Brewers. He has entered his stout and offered to take anyone’s entry up to registration. Kali reported that she’d not been able to attend the Brine, Brew, & Barrel event in Ashland due to the ice storms.
2023 Past Meetings & Events:
December: North Forty Brewing Company hosted our last meeting of 2023 on 20 December. The club had received an invitation to participate in the 2024 Home & Garden show. Everyone was enthusiastic about having our club presence at the event, so Mike will let them know we’re interested. Possibilities such as having a single gallon brew kit as a raffle item were discussed and viewed as a good way to raise a little money and get more folks involved in homebrewing. Logo screened clothing was discussed again and members were asked to look at the website stock options & pricing. Officer nominations & elections are coming up in the January 2024 meeting, Mike asked that people look at officer duties and consider serving on the UVBG board. Samples from the TAF2B day amber were tasted and, although the beers are still young, preference was for the all-grain version. Mike & Bob will bottle up a six pack so we can continue this comparison as the beers mature. Kali brought 2 excellent versions of her pumpkin porter and Deanna & Jess brought a dynamite blood orange flavored cider. Bob & Rayola have 4 beers brewing, Hiroshi has an amber in the works and Mike has a single decoction Helles Bock working. Scott (potential new member) noted he has 3 beers fermenting now (a Hazelnut Brown, a Cranberry IPA, and a whiskey barrel steeped porter). Kali announced a Brine, Brew, & Barrel event in Ashland January 12th-14th.
TAF2B day & potluck: Teach a Friend to Brew day was held at Bob & Rayola’s shop building from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, 11/18/23. We set up two brewing stations, one for the Brewzilla Gen4—220 v (Mike) and one for the classic pot boil method—propane (Bob). The club had purchased two American Amber Ale (by Mike “Tasty” McDole) beer kits from MoreBeer. The kits were designed to brew the same beer, one being a DME based extract (with 1 lb 40°L Crystal Malt and 4 oz Chocolate Malt with a 20 minute steep) and the other a full grain version. I have attached the cover pdf from MoreBeer for the kits.
We attempted to start both brews at the same relative time by having our water at the appropriate strike/extraction temps (for either the mash or the extract versions). Since the pot method only required a 20 minute steep of the specialty grains before adding the DME extract and starting the wort boil, Bob got a pretty good head start over Mike. Mike mashed at 152°F for 1 hour before sparging (with just tap hot water) and starting his wort boil.
During the wort boils, Jess & Deanna did a demonstration of making a batch of hard cider. They used apple juice as their base, adjusted their specific gravity to target and simply pitched the yeast with some spiced flavorings. Everyone was pretty impressed with how simple the process was and we’re all eager to taste the results in the upcoming months. Also while the wort was boiling, everyone took advantage of the beer brats & sauerkraut provided by the club and various tasty side dishes & desserts provided by the folks attending. Also we had on hand several homebrewed beers for tasting during the event and to go with our potluck lunch.
Hiroshi demo’d bottle capping and various types of fermentation locks while Bob & Mike cooled down their respective worts (after the 1 hour boil & Mike’s sparging). Once the worts were cooled to between 68°-70°F, they were transferred to 7 gallon, polycarbonate fermentation carboys, and then we pitched their dry yeast packets (SA-05) without additional oxygenation. Prior to pitching, both cooled worts had the same specific gravity of 1.052 (which was very interesting to all of us). Bob pitched first and Mike followed shortly after. From brewing start (with water at temp) to yeast pitch took just over 5 hrs for both systems.
Thanks to Bob & Rayola for hosting/tables/power/etc. in their workshop for this event, Jess & Deanna for the wonderful demo of hard cider making, and Hiroshi for bringing his great display of brewing basics in addition to his demos of fermentation lock types, & bottle capping techniques. Everyone seemed to have a great time at the 2023 TAF2B event (in spite of the rain outside), we all learned something to improve or streamline our future brewings, and we all left with full tummies from a delicious potluck…Life is Good (& even better) when shared with friends!
November: Meeting at Two-Shy this month and our main topic is the planning/overview of the upcoming TAF2B day at Bob & Rayola’s place. Several club members will arrive early and we plan to start actually brewing at 10 in the morning. Expected finish will be by 4 at the latest. Bob is setting up a propane, pot boil system for an extract brew and Mike is bringing in his Brewzilla gen4 (220v) for brewing the grain version. Jess & Deanna will demo making hard cider and Hiroshi will demo various fermentation locks and bottle capping techniques. The club will furnish beer brats, buns, & sauerkraut (with a variety of condiments). Club members are volunteering to bring side dishes and desserts. Mike & Ronnie reported options for custom logo shirts/hoodies. Members felt the current club logo should be used on the back and a stacked text Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild would be printed on the front left pocket area. Mike will send out the apparel catalogue website. Oregon Serigraphics has a minimum of 12 pieces for any screen printing setup/job. To have our logo on the back and text on the front would add about $9-$10 to the cost of the clothing item. Members present were positive about getting further information on club logo clothing, and Mike will proceed working with Oregon Serigraphics on our next steps.
October: Great turnout by members donating their time & resources to the Brew Fest/Blocktober Fest earlier this month. Discussion on improving our visibility at the event next year followed with talk of adding some Oktobeerfest (yes, I think of it as Oktobeerfest) type snack/food next year. Also several folks noted the overwhelming appreciation/interest we received from folks that stopped by our booth/display. The other main topic was regarding the upcoming Teach A Friend To Brew (TAF2B) day on November 18th at Bob & Rayola’s place. We’ll purchase beer kits online for 2 versions of the same Amber Ale, one extract and one all-grain. Deanna indicated she’d bring a setup to demo cider making while the side-by-side pot vs Brewzilla brew session is underway. We will also incorporate a potluck that Saturday. Calverts & Stansburys will get an initial plan together for next meeting on the 15th.
John Roberts (RIP): It was a shock to us all that John passed away on October 4th. He was on the golf course with Coleen and had a fatal heart attack. We will all miss his humor, sage advice, and willingness to help so much with UVBG activities & events. We’ll all remember his favorite saying: I know stuff & I fix things and smile with memories of great times with John.
September: McMenamin’s was our meeting place this month and our main focus was the upcoming Brew Fest/Blocktober Fest. We’ll have a Brewing Process display made by Hiroshi, signup/info sheets about the UVBG, the BeerBQ with a Blonde Ale (by Bob), a Pale Ale (by Mike), an Amber Ale (by Hiroshi), and an Irish Red (by Kali). Robin & Ronnie will both be bringing wine & meads for sampling. Mike reviewed the 4 component steps of mashing and their use in modern methods of the home brewer. Ronnie reported that we’ve received $160 from members this month for brewing related items donated to us by Lee Founds.
August: We met at Backside Brewing company and sampled 7 different versions of Irish Red beer brewed by our members in a friendly competition. One of Robert’s entries (a split batch of wort…half with oxygen added, half without), garnered the most votes. This was the split wort that had the oxygen added just before he pitched the yeast. Kali’s Irish red got the second most votes from those tasting the beers tonight.
July: Logger’s Pizza in Winston hosted our meeting tonight. After meeting with the Hellgate Brewing club, we have agreed that future Rendezvous prizes will only be ribbons for home brews (no style specified) and there will be a single People’s Choice award for the group’s favorite, non-beer, fermented beverage. The Irish Red challenge has been taken up by 4 members (with Robert doing a split of his brew wort). Blind tasting of these Irish Reds will be done at next month’s meeting. Members discussed and voted to return to a standard monthly meeting day & time. Starting in August we will meet on the newly approved schedule, 6 pm on the third Wednesday of the month.
June: Meeting and potluck at Singleton Park. Positive feedback on Rendezvous was discussed and Gayla has reserved the Eagleview Group Campground again, a week earlier based on availability. So Rendezvous 2024 will be held over the weekend of May 10-12. Sutherlin Throwdown is coming up and Terry gave us more information on volunteering for the event. Gayla has been the club Treasurer for six years and needed someone to take over her remaining 2023 term. Ronnie volunteered and was voted into the position until the next election. Bob & Rayola volunteered to explore future potential Rendezvous sites (if we have increasing participants) and then help with the planning & coordination of efforts as needed. Member challenge was made and accepted to brew an Irish Red for tasting at the August meeting. Robert is going to further split his Irish Red entry into a oxygenated/non-oxygenated pre-pitch wort.
May: Our yearly Rendezvous was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout from not only our membership, but also from the Grants Pass brewing club.
April: Meeting was held on Wednesday evening at 6 pm (April 19th) at the North Forty Beer Company in Roseburg (435 SE Jackson St, Roseburg, OR 97470). Meeting emphasis will be on final planning for the Rendezvous (and of course having a good time).
March: A good turnout of over half our membership enjoyed the beverages from the Lookingglass Brewpub’s excellent tap inventory and tasty treats from a local food truck. We welcomed Robert & Gayla back from their winter escape to New Mexico and continued planning for the upcoming Rendezvous in May. Coleen, Kasey, and Mike reported positive feedback from prospective donors for the Rendezvous. Fees for camping at the Eagleview Group campground were set at $28 per camping unit (trailer, tent, etc.), camping in the open Meadows area will be $10 per camping unit. The club will be providing Saturday breakfast and dinner to participants. We felt that asking for appreciation donations to cover food costs would be appropriate from those whose partake of the meals.
February: We now have 21 members and 14 gathered at Backside Brewing Co. in Roseburg on the afternoon of the 26th. We congratulated Hiroshi for winning both a bronze and silver ribbon at the KLCC Brewfest in Eugene. Many options were discussed for the Rendezvous 2023 theme, but Pick Your Poison! was the most popular. Three members volunteered to start contacting and seeking donations from local and national beer supply businesses. Members are reminded to start looking for a useful (or fun), brewing related raffle item to donate and keeping an eye out for interesting adult beverages to share at Friday’s Sexy Beer Night. The Rendezvous will be held at the Eagleview Group campground from Friday, May 19th to Sunday the 21st.
January: Fifteen of us gathered at Two-Shy Brewing on the 28th. Amendments & updates to the bylaws were approved by a majority vote as were the nominated officers for the UVBG board. Robert will our President for the upcoming year, John will serve as Vice President, Gayla as Treasurer, Mike as Secretary, Trudy as Member at Large and Jess will serve as New Member Mentor. Kasey noted several pertinent items from the Umpqua Watershed organization that were of interest, 1) an FM radio station (KQUA @ 90.5) will be coming on air shortly and would be interested in an on-air segment for home brewers, 2) the 35th Annual River Appreciation Day is set for the 3rd Saturday in July and 3) the organization will be opening a new venue in town that will be oriented in part to providing a meeting place for clubs such as the UVBG.
Robin brought some wine to sample from her Cayuga grapes and a plum wine. Hiroshi noted that he has submitted 2 beers to the KLCC Beer Competition. Kevin brought an Alesong Framboise for tasting. The Rendezvous is set for May 19-21 at the Eagleview Group Campground again this year. Next month we will start doing the prep for this very special event.
2022 Past Meetings:
December: It was great to see some previous members (Karen & Jennifer) show up at our Backside Brewing meeting. Also good to see Robert & Rayola up from California for the holidays. We also welcomed Kali into the group and she has indicated that she will join the UVBG. Mike went over some of the proposed changes in the bylaws and the membership voted to modify the term limits section for UVBG officers. Mike said he would change the section to strongly suggest a limit of three (3) consecutive terms instead of keeping it a mandatory term limit. The text change was included in the December minutes.
October: It wasn’t that we were celebrating Robert & Gayla leaving for the winter…it was just the way chosen to participate in Brewfest 2022 and have a Guild meeting. The Umpqua Watershed’s event was coordinated in part by our members Kasey Hovik & Janice Reid. Several club members participated in the event explaining to interested members of the public what our group was all about and also being designated pourers of a couple beers, a hard cider, and a gruit made by guild members. The actual club meeting was very brief and we had several people sign up as “interested” in learning more about our group and possibly joining the UVBG.
September: Members met on a bright & sunny afternoon for a mini Oktoberfest at Robert & Gayla’s home. Hiroshi & Robin, Al & Trudy, Kasey & Janice, Jess & Deanna, Mike & Ronnie, as well as Robert & Gayla brought beers to taste and enjoy with beer bratwurst and all the other German Oktoberfest feast items provided by club members. Before we all dug in to a delightful lunch, Kasey Hovic presented a brief overview of the upcoming Brewfest and requested volunteers for pouring beer and staffing the UVBG table.
Robert said he would bring the BeerBQ and his Brewzilla brewing system for the event. Al had some kegged beer to donate and several members pledged to bring some bottled homebrew as well. The club did not feel it was appropriate to “compete” with the participating breweries as we will be there to educate interested folks in the advantages and joys of homebrewing and being a member of our UVBG. Mike will bring copies of our mission statement and application forms.
August: Fifteen members gathered at Singleton Park on August 14th for a relaxing meeting and potluck by the confluence of the North & South Umpqua River. There was a moment of silence and a toast for Loyd Price. Stories were told by members of their favorite moments and learning experiences with Loyd…we will all miss him! Al & Trudy updated us on Debbie’s injuries & healing process after the accident. She is home now and mending after surgery. Chris Barry told Robert that he’d get us comments on the gruit samples we’d sent with him to the OSU meeting last month. We have not received any information from Chris yet, but gruit brewing information from OSU will be posted on the web site as it becomes available. Robert and Hiroshi both entered their beers in the Douglas County Fair, and Robin entered a wine. All came away with ribbons.
Next meeting will be our Oktoberfest 2022 and we’ll gather at Robert & Gayla’s home for the 1:00 meeting on Saturday, the 24th of September. Word is that brats will be on the BeerBQ with a batch of sauerkraut to be savored with some home brews. Robert & Gayla are leaving for New Mexico next month, so this will be the last time we’ll see them until next spring.
July: Eleven members UVBG met at Lookingglass Brewery in Winston on the 20th of July. Chris Barry attended and told us of an upcoming meeting between the Department of Agriculture and the Food Science Department of Oregon State University. He relayed that the meeting attendants were very interested in Robert’s prize winning Gruit that incorporated olive leaves. Robert bottled up a six pack and sent it with him to distribute at the OSU meeting.
Robert brought and demonstrated his homemade carboy/keg cleaning system. This low cost system used a 1/4 HP submersible pump, a CIP (rotating clean in place stainless steel sprayer head), some ball lock keg fittings, a 5 gallon bucket, extra pvc & hose pieces, and a short length of copper pipe. The ball lock fittings allow him to flush & sanitize both ports of a keg when being cleaned. He uses PBW for the cleaning process and follows with an idophor rinse to sterilize.
Next meeting will be a potluck at Singleton Park, 1 pm on August 14th. It is with great sadness that we’ll toast to a fond memory of our friend Loyd Price…taken from us far too early.
June: Twenty members attended the meeting held during the Rendezvous at Eagleview Group Campground (June 24-26). Guests Marjie Wilkie and Mandy Lindsey from Hells Gate Brew Club also were in attendance. Robert gave special thanks to John & Coleen for the musical entertainment at Sexy Beer night and all our members who contributed significantly to the raffle/door prize collection. Robert also noted his appreciation for our business sponsors and their donations and help in making the Rendezvous a success.
Robert asked if the UVBG membership would like to reserve this campground next year at about this same time. The members voted unanimously to do so ASAP. Club treasurer issues were addressed and resolved with Sabrina’s resignation. Gayla will take over the duties until a new treasurer can be elected. Mike has been updating the UVBG Bylaws and made printed copies available as well as posting some on the website (in the “About Us” section). UVBG members voted to return to alternating meetings to the weeknight/weekend pattern. Next meeting will be on Wednesday, July 20th at Lookingglass Brewery in Winston at 6:00 pm.
May: Good attendance (14 of 27 active members!) for the May 14th meeting at the Backside Brewing Co. Outpost. Discussion primarily on preparations for the Rendezvous. Several board officers will be reaching their maximum term limits at the end of 2022 and members were asked to start thinking of candidates & elections for President, Vice President, and Secretary. There are also several other positions on the board that may/will be available.
April: Fabulous meeting at Loggers Pizza+Beer in Winston, 13 April (Wednesday) with thirteen UVBG members present. Chris Barry from River Ranch Oregon Olive Oil pitched the concept of using olive leaves in the herbal mix used in brewing Gruit (pre-hop infused “beer”) and the quest for new recipes of the pre-hop beverage. Chris brought a box of clean, dried olive leaves for us to experiment with in making Gruit. This may be a good pairing with our Peace, Love, and Retro Beer theme for the Rendezvous this year.
Robert presented his new 35L Brewzilla unit and his experiences using it. The group was very interested in his comments as they highlighted both the positives and negatives of the system during a brewing session without a sales pitch angle. (Note: Robert’s system is version 3.1.1 and version 4 has just been announced. Brewzilla 4 addresses one of the negative comments Robert had in that the control/display has been moved to the top of the brewing container for better visibility and improved safety.)
Kevin brought two interesting beers for tasting. One was a Pineapple Party Punch by Rogue Brewery and the other from the Crux Fermentation Project (of Bend), named Party of Clowns, Hazy IPA. We were running a bit late so the beers were distributed among the members for “home tasting”.
March: A great meeting at the newly opened Loggers Pizza+Beer in Winston with 14 members attending. Robert passed around a home brew application/submission flyer for the KLCC Homebrew Competition 2022 setup by the Cascade Brewers Society of “mostly Lane County, Oregon” members. (Although the entry date for the competition has passed, you can find more information from their website the Cascade Brewers Society
Robert clarified that if attendees are sharing a campsite at the Rendezvous 2022, each must still pay the $20/night fee. The club voted that members of the UVBG will not have to pay for the Saturday breakfast or dinner (as those meals would be included in the yearly membership dues). All non-UVBG attendees must be an active member (or guest) of an AHA affiliated club, sign a liability release, and pay $10 for a Rendezvous meal ticket.
The Rendezvous theme this year will be:
Peace, Love, and Retro Beer
Educational Presentation: Robert shared a Beer Geek’s Guide on storing and serving temperatures for beer. Many references/opinions are available on the Internet, but almost all agree that light, temperature, and oxidation are the three most significant. Serving temperature of beer is related to style as the lighter bodied beers such as lagers and light ales are served colder than the heavier bodied styles such as stouts and strong ales. Recommended temps for the lighter bodied styles is between 38°- 42°F while stouts and barleywines which can be served at temperatures above 48°F (some even have recommended serving temps of 55°F and above).
Sharing/Tasting: Robert brought a beer to share that had been “improperly stored” for over 33 years.
For a canned beer that had been “rolling around in the truck” for that long, it was quite unexpectedly good.
He also brought two beers from the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery in New Mexico for tasting.
We all enjoyed the outside seating, good food, fire pit, an excellent meeting, and getting together again without masks!
February: Great meeting at the North Forty Beer Company (2/16/22).
A couple of highlights from the meeting:
1) Membership Dues in UVBG 2022 are $36/couple and $24 per single (please pay at next meeting or by mail to Sabrina – postal address will be sent out by UVBGMembership email with February minutes).
2) Sabrina is the new treasurer for the UVBG and Gayla will remain on the account to mentor & help. Other members on account will be removed.
3) Rendezvous camp sites (10 designated) will be $20 per day and sites in the meadow will be $15 per camp.
4) There will be an option to purchase the combo breakfast/dinner meal ticket. We will publish the ticket cost based on last year’s grocery list in the near future.
5) Ben & Mike have volunteered to do Saturday Rendezvous breakfast again. Hiroshi brought an excellent Nickel Mine Stout he had brewed for tasting. We were all ask to think about committees that need to be set up for the 2022 Rendezvous and suggestions for a Theme. Looking at 16 April 2022 for our next meeting. Time & location to be announced soon.
January: Guild meeting was a potluck, & XMas tree burning at John & Coleen Robert’s home on Saturday (1/15/2022). Gathering starting at 1 pm. The Robert’s provided pork loin & stuffing. Robert & Gayla were not able to attend, but Robert left a batch of his Holiday Ale for distribution/tasting at the meeting. Sabrina has been elected as the new Treasurer for the Guild…Thanks to Gayla for her years of service in that position!
2021 Meetings:
November (2): Guild meeting was held at the Backside Brewery in Roseburg. The location is at 1640 NE Odell Ave, Roseburg, OR 97470, here’s the link to their Facebook page the Backside Brewery. Several topics were discussed; 1) Possible locations and timing for the 2022 Rendezvous. Coleen volunteered to help find a suitable location at one of our local parks sometime during the last half of June 2022. Robert also went over term limits for club officers and the need to make the ByLaws available online.
November (1): The first Saturday of November is noted by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) as the annual Teach a Friend to Brew Day event ( link to more AHA event information ). Our club celebrated this year’s event at Robert & Gayla’s home on Saturday, 11/6/2021. Ben brought his 64L BrewZilla V3 All Grain Brewing System to brew an amber ale while Robert set up for a batch of his Spiced Beer for the holiday season. Robert & Gayla had a delicious lunch prepared for the attending members (potato salad, spicy chicken wings, and slow cooked chicken legs smothered in BBQ sauce-yum, yum!)
October: Guild meeting and potluck at Singleton Park. Meeting topic was making everyone aware of potential hazards of CO2 buildup in tightly closed brewing rooms. After the meeting/discussion we had lots of great and varied food as usual (…even had some chocolate cookies made with bacon bits!) Robert & Gayla had 10 chickens done in the BeerBQ available for the potluck…DeeeLiscious! Three new members attended with a very good gathering of regular members. There was an excellent selection of home & commercial beers to try with the food…it just doesn’t get much better than this for an October outdoor potluck. Also, we were fortunate that the predicted rains held off until we were starting to clean up the site and head home.
September: Guild meeting at Singleton Park with Robert’s demo using a WilliamsWarn Counter Pressure bottle filling system and additional taste testing of bottled versions of the Testy Blonde Ale.
August: Rendezvous 2021 was a fabulous event. A selection of collage pictures posted on the Rendezvous page.
July: Thanks to Wayne and Debbie DeRuyte for the music and fun gathering on their property in Rogue River!