Meeting Reminder: 3/6/12

I won't be able to make it again, but next month I'll have a stout I'd like you guys to try. I bottled a 6-pack when i moved it to the secondary. What I did bottle is crazy overcarbonated... i guess i should have waited a few more days...

Hello Mashers!

It’s that time again, time for another meeting. We will be meeting tomorrow (March 6th) at 7pm. Mike F has kindly offered to host again, so this meeting will be at 1317 N 16th Street, Bismarck. Please arrive on time.

One of the highlights of the March meeting will be the voting of the Stout to represent the Mashers at the ‘Stout it Out Loud’ competition in Castle Rock, Colorado. ‘Stout it Out Loud’ is an American Homebrewers Association Club Only event. This means each club registered with the AHA can send one entry. No private entries will be taken. Mashers that want to submit their brew for a chance at this competition are asked to bring 4 bottles of their stout to tomorrow’s meeting. Bottles must be at least 10oz and be free of any paper or other marks. You must be present to vote. If your stout is chosen by the Mashers, you will be required to provide your recipe (it can be emailed on Wednesday). The winner will be shipped out by this Thursday to make sure it arrives in time. At tomorrow’s meeting, please leave your Stouts with Randi. Good luck everyone!

Another reason to attend tomorrow’s meeting is that we’ll be bringing out the green stuff! The first of the Hop Tea Series will be tomorrow. This hop series will feature the "Three C's", Cascade, Centennial and Columbus. So, make sure you don’t miss the chance to test out your hop knowledge on these hop varieties.

February was a busy month; we brewed for Oktoberfest and toured Beaver Creek Brewery (see photos). March is looking to be a little quieter. We do not have a host for the brew of the month. If anyone is interested in hosting this brew, please fill out the form here soon. If no one volunteers to host, there will not be a brew this month. We are on a month to month basis with Midwest, so missing months is no damage on the club finances. The January Brew of the Month - Irish Stout (brewed at Eric Delzers) is coming along very nicely. We’ve got 5 gallons of Irish Stout just in time for St Patrick’s Day. There are a few weeks to plan something if anyone is interested, we'll discuss a possible St. Patrick's Day meet up to tomorrows meeting or if you can't make it, you can post suggestions on the forum topic “St. Patrick’s Day.”

We’re just two months away from Big Brew Day. For those of you not familiar with Big Brew Day, AHA Big Brew is a celebration of National Homebrew Day (May 5). Each year homebrewers around the world invite family and friends to their brewing site on the first Saturday in May to celebrate the holiday. Everyone is encouraged to help out with the brew, enjoy the fun and join in on a world-wide toast at noon CDT. The Mashers are debating doing a large brew site with multiple brews going on. If this is something you’d like to bring your system to, please post on the topic ‘Big Brew Day 2012’ or email muddyrivermashers@gmail.com ASAP so we can get a tentative idea of any interest in this event.

Sorry for all the long read, but with new events and big ideas, we really need folks to speak up. Even if it's to say you can't make it, just let us know where you stand. Thanks for all of your help. Hope to see you all tomorrow! Cheers!