Bubblings From the Fermenter
By Dave Perez

Last month I discussed the need for everyone to offer their talents to the club by performing a service for the club. Now, only 6 or 7 of you have chosen to bring all of their homebrew to my house. While I know you all find this terribly small number appalling, we are starting to see some people do some really great things. This month, as I sit drinking a Fuller's London Porter (a bit past it's prime, but still pretty good), I want to provide you with some heightened awareness of the great benefits of paying a measly $20 per year for being a member of the Hogtown Brewers.

One of the greatest benefits of being in any club is the comradery and support of your fellow members. Have a problem with a stuck mash or you just dropped your carboy and cut your finger half off, but still want to finish your brew, or you need some advice about a new recipe you are working on? No problem, just call one of the brewers. The vast knowledge, ingenuity, and creativity of our membership are simply amazing.

Other benefits are more tangible. For instance, every Saturday night you can go down to the Market Street Pub and get a free brewer's pint of beer. Many of our members rarely or never take advantage of this perk. It is a great time to get together and swap brew stories and sometimes sample each others brews. If you just come to the pub twice a month, you could save $84 a year! Market Street Pub also invites us to their free, exclusive, annual Super Bowl Party, for all you can drink and eat. As much as some of us drink, that could save you a couple of hundred dollars a year.

Then there's the Medieval Faire and the (now Semi) Annual Canoe trip. At the Faire, we get all the Guinness, Bass, and Harp you can drink and have a hell of a good time too. The leftovers float down the Santa Fe River for Hogtown Flotilla Black and Tans. We can't forget the parties, the pub crawls, the Monster Mash, the yeast bank, BJCP study groups, the Library, and on and on and on...

The last benefit may be the best. Our monthly meetings rank up there as some of the best anywhere and one of the greatest benefits for our members. Where else can you get great brewing information, excellent food, and some of the finest examples of beer in the world! These meetings alone are priceless.

So, before you forget why I have rambled on and on about what you get for your membership dues I will get to the point (yeah! Finally! the crowd roars). This list, as incomplete as it is, is simply incredible. But, all of these benefits take a great deal of work to provide and we need a bit of help doing some of that work. Some people think the brew gods are made happy by performing good beer acts for their homebrew club. So, if you don't want your next brew infected or you don't want Guido and Nunzio to break your bottle caps, do some service for your club. Do it now! If you need some help thinking of what to do, just ask me. I'll suggest something good (like giving me all of you beer).

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