Volume 8 Issue 7
By Mark Mykkanen

Unfortunately, I did not make it to the last meeting being a crazy summer that it is. Here are some combined notes, I gathered from Owen and Tim, since the last meeting. There were seven members attending. Tim said, "It was a good meeting for sure. That much I remember."

Tim started the evening off with an Oberon, "a summer beer" wheat ale. Owen checked on the internet and it's from Kalamazoo Brewing Company in Michigan. It had the expected cloudiness of a wheat and a very pleasant taste. It was a bit pricey though, over $8.50 for a six-pack.

Next Owen brought a batch that he made last Thanksgiving Day-another 'basic beer' with light malt, some crystal malt, and Northern Brewer and Cascade hops. Bill liked it enough to insist that he e-mail him the recipe.

Richard brought Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde. Only a subtle hint of the strawberry flavor, which we all liked.

Paul shared Sapporo Premium in bottles. Pleasant and mild with less of the sharpness and dryness than the version that comes in silver cans.

Richard also shared some Hennepin from Ommegang Brewery in New York State. 7.5%, but smoother and more drinkable than one would expect. 'Good', we all agreed.

Brad brought some Summit Grand. We considered it least impressive of the group. A pretty good beer, but shouldn't cost more than Bud or Miller. Tim liked it a bit more than the others and believes that it was downgraded somewhat because the other beers were stronger. "If we had it first, it probably would have scored betterr," Tim remarked.

The door prize was an Auto-Siphon, which Owen won. He declined to accept it because he's got his siphon system established. The group agreed to recycle it and make it the door prize for next time. A good reason for more people to attend.

Lastly, Bill opened a bottle of Trinity Oaks '99 Zinfandel that he had purchased right at the vineyard. A wonderfully friendly wine to go with almost any meal. Easy on the tannins and acids, but full of bouquet and flavor. This was a very good wine and very generous of Bill to bring it.

Don't forget that we have a field trip to the Summit Brewery coming up soon! Saturday, July 12, 1:00pm