May Meeting Minutes
By Sue Smith
The meeting came to order in the house of Mark and Anne Tumarkin. Attendance was much greater than last month's mini-meeting.
A reminder was given about the party at George and Janice Sue Stone's house on the second Saturday of June.
Mark announced proudly (and rightly so) that he had been elected to the board of advisors of the AHA and as a benefit of this was being flown to LA for the annual AHA meeting free of charge. Congratulations to Mark on this great privilege and honor. We are sure he will have a super time in California.
June's contest will be British and Scottish ales (think bitters, pale ales) and will need to be brought to the June meeting. It was discussed and agreed to do the judging of the contest beers at the BJCP class the week following the meeting, so it is important to remember to bring you contest beer to the meeting.
Again, the meeting/party Friday/Saturday conundrum was brought up and it was agreed to continue as it is now, with meetings on Friday and parties on Saturday (or whenever the host decides), with the addition that, since a dinner option has been added to the meetings, an RSVP is necessary if you are coming to eat, so the host can prepare. Also, the club will provide funds to pay for the main course.
The trip to Savannah was discussed with some helpful input from members who know the area better. The idea of cheaper hotels was dismissed because it was revealed that they are around 15 miles from downtown (too far to taxi). It was decided to choose the weekend of July 14 and 15. From the show of hands at the party, it looked like this will be well attended, but an accurate count is necessary. Make sure to contact Erin if you are planning to go (erine@ufl.edu).
A possible trip to Spanish Springs Brewery in Lady Lake was brought up and Erik Brandt had volunteered to contact Buzz there to see what can be arranged.
Michael Jackson's beer of the month is giving clubs some rebate on members ordering the beer of the month, so make sure you contact Mark if you are thinking about doing this. He may be able to save you some money or get some benefits for the club. It is a bit pricey at $36 a month for two six packs (of $45 for Belgians), but if the variety means more than money to you, this does give you access to some beers you would not have otherwise.
Bradley Dilger gave a very informative talk on the differences between the Bavarian wheat beers and provided a good variety to sample. His demonstration on how to make sure the hefe (yeast) is mixed with the beer before opening didn't quite sink in to everyone first time (sorry about the shower Erin), but his passion for hefe weissens made for a great tasting. Thank you, Bradley, and thanks to Mark for bringing out his woodruff and raspberry syrups for us to try. Some of the beers tasted were Tucher Kristall Weissen (filtered wheat beer), Helles Hefe Weissen (with the yeast but similar grain bill), Dunkels Weissen (with a darker grain bill) to illustrate the different styles, Hacker Pschorr, Weihanstephaner dark, Aventinus Dobble bock wheat, Weeping Radish dunkle weisse, Franziskaner, and a bottle of severly tart Berliner weisse from George Perrin, who also brought a really tart bottle of British cider called "scrumpy" made from wild yeasts. Thanks, George.