Bubblings from the Fermenter
By Mark Tumarkin

Thanks to Sue and Wayne for hosting the March meeting. I guess we'll all be out at their house more often since Sue is offering to host brewer's parties there regularly (at least when someone else doesn't step up as host). It's very telling about the nature of our club, when the number of parties becomes a major issue. Just kidding, but this did bring up some more serious questions about voting and how club decisions are reached.

Our meeting style owes very little to Robert's Rules of Order. Perhaps this is my fault for not calling for motions and votes. We tend to discuss issues till a consensus is reached and then we move on. I think that we reach a majority agreement most of the time, but maybe the more vocal members (and I'll plead guilty here) tend to run the show. Voting would give even the quiet folk an equal chance. Is this really a problem? We'll vote on it at the next meeting (just kidding, but we do need to think about it).

We will be holding the planning session for the BJCP study group and then starting the study sessions themselves by the end of this month. I'd like to stress again that any of you who have been brewing and/or drinking beer for a while can pass the exam. The BJCP needs and wants more judges. The judges need to be qualified, so the exam is not easy but you can all pass if you'll spend the necessary time in the study group and doing your homework (which includes drinking and evaluating beer, how tough can that be?). Also, the study group would be a good educational experience, even if you don't plan on taking the BJCP exam.

The next few weeks will be busy beer-wise. Some upcoming dates to keep in mind - Friday, April 27th is the monthly meeting; Saturday the 28th is the canoe trip; Saturday May 5th is Natl Homebrew Day and the Monster Mash out at the Williams'; Sunshine Challenge is May 18-20th. The style for April's BOTY contest is - Fruit (Category 21), Spice & Vegetable (Category 22) and Smoke (Category 23), so till then, keep those fermenters bubbling.

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