[Note: Matt, our Communications Director, is currently ill with covid. CommsDir Emeritus Paul fills in for him this month.]
July found us at Tribus Brewing in Milford for the first time. The lovely folks there let us take over their back room for our meeting. Thank you, Tribus!
Summer meetings are usually on the smaller side. Homebrewers take vacations just like normal people. With only about 8 members braving the intense thunderstorm, we decided to run the meeting a little differently. Homebrews were not judged blind; we opted for a bit less judging rigor and more in-depth discussion of each brew. This led to some interesting findings and more knowledge-sharing than usual.
First up was an American Lager from Santi. Crystal clear and lovely, it had a clean aroma of earthy and floral hops with just a touch of sweetness. Maybe a hint of DMS and green apple, but both just at the threshold for identification. Made with flaked corn, Crystal and Willamette hops, and Novalager yeast (at 60F!), it was a perfect lawnmower beer. We gave it a 41.
Next was an American Pale Ale from Cameron. Also crystal clear, it was very fruity, with a little green apple and a low hop aroma. Lacking the bitterness and hop flavor one expects in an APA, we gave it a 33 and decided it would do better if entered as a Belgian Pale Ale. The recipe included wheat and oats, pilsner malt, Nottingham yeast, and no bittering hops – all late hopping.
Mara was up next with a Traditional Mead (still, standard strength, semi-dry) made with coffee blossom honey. VERY floral aroma with some heat and spicy notes. Plenty of acid and tannin. A mere baby at 1 month since pitching, we decided it would become an excellent mead at 6 months, when the heat had settled down a bit. We look forward to trying it again then.
Pierre followed with a Saison made with lemon thyme (that’s one plant, meaning thyme with a lemony flavor) and a hint of mint. Over-carbed but yummy. Just amazing.
Next was a Special Bitter by Santi. So young that it wasn’t really carbonated yet, from which it suffered a little. But quite nice. Bone dry, very fruity, very drinkable.
Andy T presented a Mixed Ferm with peaches which was astoundingly complex yet extremely drinkable. Aromas of florals and perfume, leather, pipe tobacco, and stone fruit. Tart but not sour. Bone dry. Clear and light amber. We could not find a single thing wrong with it except that it had no head. Dinged it one point for that, so it scored a 49. Deserved it.
Pierre ended the night with a different Saison. This one was amber and hazy, with a white head, spicy phenols, fruit, and earthy hops. A little sweet up front with a dry finish. Totally solid – scored a 34. Made with Belle Saison yeast.
With that, we headed out into the post-storm evening.
One thing of note: At some point during the meeting, it became clear that there were several of us who had acquired pH meters and were unsure about their use and care. As our resident expert in quantitative test equipment, Andy T offered to run a class. This will be hands-on; everyone brings their own meters to calibrate and use. Keep your eye on the club calendar for this event.