What's Brewin' in the Florida Panhandle!

Hello 2012

2012-01-02T19:25:00.009-06:00

Well, it's official.... 2012 is here and I didn't make one post to the blog in 2011! I really dropped the ball there, but I guess the activity on Facebook and the discussion forum filled the void. Now with the nice plug article in Panama City Living, maybe we'll have some more traffic! For any new visitors who are interested, the best way to get involved with the club is to keep tabs on the "Next ECHO Event" listing to the left, Facebook (search echo brewers), or the email listserv (sign-up on the left). BTW, the forum seems down for some reason, I'll keep checking.

Here are couple pics from my most recent kegerator project finished in Dec. Plenty of room for kegs and bottles. Notice the homemade tap handles...

Update to the forum

2010-11-14T14:54:00.004-06:00

Recently the club met at Beef's in Lynn Haven for the November business meeting. Owner Pat generously offered up a couple of their new 750's and we sampled a wide variety of new member brews as well. Planning has started for upcoming events for the next several months, so we encourage all to check out the discussion forum for the details. We also added a "Meeting Minutes" section to the forum, so everyone can check the minutes if they happen to miss a meeting. Here's the crew midway through the sampling session:

"THE BEAST" Jockey Box Project

2010-09-01T12:54:00.013-05:00

As you may have heard, ECHO will be an attending club at this year's Emerald Coast Beer Festival in downtown Pensacola, September 10 and 11th. We will be serving 6 or so kegs of our homebrewed beers to the masses. In order to avoid a large trash can filled with ice, which is our usual means of cooling, we will be employing our recently acquired, 5 circuit antique jockey box! Weighing in at a hefty 43 lbs empty, "THE BEAST" uses an antique oak jockey box with an original Gunther tap from the early 20th century, in combination with Iron Mike's 5 circuit aluminum chiller plate. Kap'n Ken recently performed a great nautically-based restoration on the box, and it is ready to go.

Some insight from Ken: "We are still retaining the original tin part inside the hinged lid so you can see it when opened. I opted for the glassed/epoxy liner to save some time and make it more functional. If we want to go back to metal, the reconstruction was done to give us the option of taking it apart again. The reassembled finished size inside the liner is 18.5 X 9.5 X 9.5. Insulation on the sides and bottom is 1.5" thick R8 extruded polystyrene board which will not absorb moisture. It is a snug fit so it supports the liner top flange, sides and bottom. The entire assembly will spread the load evenly and should not compress with the load of ice and cold plate. After removing the steel screw heads from the outer box, I countersunk the original holes and purchased brass screws to replace all 18 of them. I figured the brass went with the theme, but if we want to use stainless and cover them with oak molding, that's fine too. It would be stronger, but a little more work. Since we originally cut the steel screws, the shanks are embedded in the box bottom piece. Thought about building a new bottom, but want to retain as much original box as possible. There was no way to get them out, so I set them deeper with a nail set and BFH (love that acronym IM) and rotated the box bottom 180 so the shanks did not line up with original holes. Then I completely epoxy sealed the box bottom so it can be installed/removed with the screws."

Jesse and Iron Mike "going at it" with the BFH.

Here's the box stripped apart. What a mess!

Kap'n Ken working his magic. A true craftsman.

All back together again. Traditional woodwork meets modern composite technology.

Did McGuire's Pick Up Two New Brewers?

2010-04-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

So... since Rob from the PBB completely missed out on the field trip to McGuire's with the club, and just jealous something terrible, he badly wanted to take them up on their offer to show up early one day and be brewmasters for a day at the pub. We called up Tom and expressed our interest in helping out with a full day of beer brewing and education. At first he seemed a little hesitant of having two people help out on the same day but Rob informed him that Jesse had a beard now and that made it okay. He agreed. :)

We thought we were coming in to do an Irish Red, a standard at the bar and tap lines, but it turned out we were to be brewing the seasonal Honey Wheat. Donning our super cool, white shimp boots, we arrived at the brewery back door at 8:55 sharp.

Sweet, ehh?

Haha, they invited us in... seriously.

Grain Fill...

Rob working the paddle

Cleaning/sanitation/transfer....

SAMPLING :)

Dough in....

This is work?

Brewing makes you happy!

Grist check.

SAMPLING :)

mash and sparge....

Steam jacket band level and water check.

Tom and Gary demanded we take the obligatory Facebook profile shots!

Rob doesn't even have a Facebook account but now has a brewery full of friend requests :)

An amazing brewing (war story) discussion taking place, I'm sure...

Gary would test us now and then with questions like, "What are the two enzymes that are responsible for starch conversion and what temps favor each?" (We got that one right)

MORE SAMPLING :)

Another amazing boot shot.

Gravity reading.

Kegging....

Making room for more kegs.

What a work of art!

Fill 'er up...

ARRGG, HULK SMASH BUNGHOLE!!!

SAMPLING :)

the boil and additions....

Hop addition.

Now that is what I call a rolling boil!

Tupelo it isn't but you can't make a Honey Wheat without it.

SAMPLING :)

Clean-up...

That's a happy grain bed!

Whoa, now it feels like work...

Thank goodness we didn't bring the brew dogs...

transfer to primary and Angry Yeast pitching....

I don't know at this point...?!

Brew crew! Tom looks like Gene Wilder and is the Willy Wonka of brewing.

Shep pie and barleywine...

A job well done! Quick, bring me my Shep pie!

Of course we had to request a pint of the house barleywine to finish off the day. It's on a secret tap at the bar, but if you ask, they will serve!

2010 ECHO Spring Dinner

2010-04-05T20:15:00.005-05:00

The first ever ECHO Spring Dinner is this weekend! It is pot-luck syle, with each attendee bringing at least one dish to share with the club. Similar to our Christmas party, all items including dessert must be made with beer AND all courses must be accompanied by an appropriate beer. This is a lot of fun! It will be held on Saturday, 10th of April at Iron Mike's brewhaus. Appetizers and beer tasting to begin at 6pm, with dinner at 7pm. Please see the forum for details regarding coordinating the menu, as well as Mike's address. -Rob

March Business Meeting Minutes

2010-03-25T09:42:00.001-05:00

Iron Mike graciously took meeting minutes. They are as follows:

The ECHO March Business meeting was held Thursday night, 18 March at Beef's Lynn Haven. After some great food and homebrew sampling, we got down to business. The primary topics of discussion were the April Beer Dinner and May Big Brew.

10 April 10 - ECHO Spring Dinner. Celebrate Spring and kick off brewing season with a beer themed dinner hosted by Mike and Rachel Theobald at Iron Mike's Brewhaus. The Beer Dinner was such a popular event at Christmas that folks unanimously decided not to wait until the holidays to have another. So far we have sign-ups for sides, breads, and desserts. All dishes must be made with beer and/or be served with a beer that complements your dish. Homebrew always encouraged. See the forum for sign-ups and discussion.

1 May 10 - Big Brew. This is one of two annual American Homebrew Association (AHA) national events in which we participate. Rather than go along with the crowd, ECHO has decided to try something different--The "ECHO Challenge". Your mission is to formulate a homebrew recipe around our donations from McGuire's, namely 1.6 lbs of Breiss Cherry-wood smoked malt and their proprietary "Angry Yeast". Club members should post their proposed recipes and vote on the final recipe for brewing on May 1st. We are also looking for a location to host Big Brew... preferably a residence so we can BBQ or potluck lunch. As always, please see the forum discussion under "Club Events" for more details.

A special thanks to Pat Perno and the outstanding crew at Beef O' Brady's Lynn Haven for their hospitality and indulgence hosting our ECHO meetings and public brews. Be sure to check out Beef's seasonal beer on tap, Gordon Biersch Maibock.

McGuires Trip Report 15 Feb 10

2010-02-25T09:24:00.000-06:00

For the fortunate ECHO members off work on President’s Day, a trip to McGuire’s in Destin was a great way to celebrate. After rallying at Beef’s in Lynn Haven, Jason, Jen, Mattie, Jesse, John, Leann, Mike and Rachel all departed for the hour-plus drive to Destin. We were greeted upon arrival by the sight and aroma of a huge smoker that whetted our appetites. The food at McGuire’s is always great, but I think those of us who opted for those slow-smoked Honey BBQ glazed ribs made the best choice.

After lunch, the real treat began. We saw a guy making his way through the dining room wearing black rubber boots and a white jumpsuit. Someone suggested it might be the Orkin man spraying for bugs, but it turned out to be Brew-master, Tom Anderson. After some brief introductions, we presented him with a vintage ECHO 2007 Oak-aged Russian Imperial Stout and it was clear we’d made a new friend. For an amazing two full hours, we got schooled in professional brewing.

Tom walked us through the entire 7 barrel system that was incredibly close-quartered in a space about 10 ft by 15 ft with a tiny desk and bookshelf crammed with 3-ring binders of recipes. We sampled a variety of finished beers and beers in progress while Tom educated our noses, as well as out palates. Then we got REALLY serious as he brought out the good stuff from the back of the cellar. We sampled a funky, Begian Dubble flavored with aseptic blueberries. It had a spicy characteristic that Tom attributed to the yeast and a pronounced warming from the 10% alcohol. At two years old, it was a beer with legs. Tom broke out a Barleywine with a silky smooth balance that immediately proved why it took a Gold Medal in last year’s Best Florida Beer Competition in Tampa.

It was pretty clear that Tom enjoyed having such an appreciative audience and his hospitality was far more than we ever dreamed. Home brewers would pay big money for a couple hours of tutoring from such a professional. Tom presented us with a gift of 1.6 lbs of Breiss Cherry wood smoked malt and a Liter of McGuire’s proprietary yeast slurry to experiment with at our next club brew. The yeast is known as “angry yeast” because it is so volatile. Tom said it should take no more than 3 days for a 5 gallon batch. Let’s get a discussion going in the forum and formulate something special.

Tom also surprised us by inviting us to come brew with him. He prefers no more than 2 volunteer helpers at a time. They brew three times per week, so call ahead to confirm the schedule. Show up at the side door of the brewery by 9 am with rubber boots to protect your feet from chemicals. He’ll put you to work from dough-in to rake out. It’s a great opportunity to spend a day as a wannabe pro brewer and really get a feel for brewing on an awesome 7 barrel system.

So, what did we learn from Tom? Here were the tips that stuck in my mind the most. There might have been more, but the Barleywine sampling may have clouded my memory. :)

1. Keep it simple. Grain bills should not be complicated and recipes should be easy to duplicate.

2. Yeast is hardier than you think. Conventional wisdom is the yeast will mutate beyond five generations. Not so, according to Tom who repitches the same yeast indefinitely. He also uses the SAME yeast for ALL his regular served beers whether it is a light beer or a stout. The only time he uses different yeast is for the occasional seasonal beer like Hefes that require it. And even then, he disposes it afterwards.

3. Keep it fresh! There are very few beers that age well. It’s always better to keep the stock moving and keep it fresh.

To view all of the photos from the field trip, check out the web album:

What's Brewin' in the Florida Panhandle!

McGuires Pub Tour

2010-02-09T12:02:00.002-06:00

As mentioned previously, some members have suggested a "field trip" to McGuires in Destin for a behind-the-scenes brewery tour from the brewmaster. A couple weeks back, I called them and talked to Tom. He was more than welcome to host us and show us around. The only issue is that the tour would have to occur during the hours of 9am to 4pm, M-F. He also mentioned that if we called a day or so before we came, he could hand out some samples of their yeast to try with our fermentations.

Prior to the forum going down, it seemed most people could participate on Monday 15th Feb. I'll be out of town that day, but still would like to encourage the club to do it. Jason or Ken, want to take the reins on this one and set it up?

To schedule, contact Tom or Gary at McGuires, 850-650-0000.

You can post your interest and coordinate in the comments section.

-Rob

January 2010 Meeting Minutes

2010-01-16T09:03:00.004-06:00

We held our first meeting of the year this past week. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss events for the upcoming year and to brainstorm some new ideas for club activities. It was agreed we would try at least one activity per month, whether it be a business meeting or a brew day. Maybe both! First, we went over the usual events we participate in each year. So far I have:

AHA Big Brew Day, May 1st

AHA Mead Day, Aug 7th

Emerald Coast Beer Fest, Sept 10th

Panama City Oktoberfest, Oct 1st-2nd

Teach a Friend to Homebrew (TAFH), Nov 6th

ECHO Christmas Party, December ?th

Try to plan ahead now, but historically we usually shift some of the dates for the AHA brew days to maximize club participation. I'll put these on the club calendar, and we'll discuss them in more detail as we get closer to each.

Also, there was discussion regarding new ideas for events. Some members expressed interest in a February trip to McGuire's Pub for an evening meal and perhaps a behind the scenes tour from the brew master. We'll gauge club interest for this in the forum and then try to set it up.

That's all for now. Everybody keep their burners hot and their fermenters full!

-Rob

ECHO Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-05T10:58:00.003-06:00

The 2009 Annual ECHO Christmas Dinner was a great success! HUGE thanks to the Richters for hosting the party, and opening their home to the club. Their hospitality and generosity helped make this an enjoyable time for all.

To start off the first course, Jason and Jen treated us to a Carrot Ginger Curry Soup paired with a Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss and homemade bread. That was a meal in itself, but we were just getting started!

For the main course, Mike and Lee brought their Honey Blonde Dressing (that is, "stuffing" Jason) and Jesse supplied the Drunken Shepherds Pie, made with Guinness. Dave made homemade baked beans with his porter, and Rob brought a Bavarian Casserole, made and paired with Aventinus Eisbock. Ted and CiCi whipped up some Stout Infused Green Beans. They also topped off the meal with a yummy Stout Spice Raisin Cake, which paired perfectly with Mikes Holiday Spiced Ale.

Following the meal, an informal brew competition was held to claim the annual ECHO homebrew trophy... a cache of donated craft beers. This year, the cache was a bottle of Celebrator Doppelbock, Bells Expedition Stout, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. With 13 entries, the judging panel was overwhelmed with the variety and quality of the brews. The beers were split into two flights according to style, and an impartial judging panel was assembled (Ted and all the wives!). Instead of rating based on adherence to style, due to the wide variety, it was decided to take a more like/dislike approach to the rating system. Then the judges would discuss their choices as a group and come to a consensus regarding the winner for each flight.

A comment was made during the tasting that there was not one bad brew in the entire group, which is testament to the talent and dedication of ECHO for brewing consistent and crowd pleasing beers. Rob and newcomer Mike each won a flight, and Mike scored the most overall points and got "Best of Show" with his amazing brown ale.

Thanks again to the Richters for hosting, and to club for the preparation and participation! Lets do it again next year!

ECHO Christmas Party 2009

2009-11-17T17:24:00.003-06:00

It's time for the 2009 ECHO Christmas Party!

This event is a beer-themed dinner party celebrating the end of another year. It is pot-luck syle, with each attendee bringing at least one dish to share with the club. All items including dessert must be made with beer AND all courses must be accompanied by an appropriate beer. This is a lot of fun!

It will be held on Friday, 4th December, 7pm, at Ted Richter's home.

We'll conduct an informal brew competition as well, so crack those bottles out of the cellar and show 'em off! Please see the forum for details regarding coordinating the menu, as well as directions to Ted's home. -Rob

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T12:48:00.001-05:00

-Thanks Iron Mike!

Oktoberfest 2009 Success!

2009-10-06T16:08:00.010-05:00

Panama City Oktoberfest proved to be a great event once again! The weather was nice, the people were abundant, and ECHO had a great time serving homebrew and recruiting new members. Knights of Columbus provided the space, and we attracted some hungry patrons in return. Big round of applause to Iron Mike for handling the booth setup and providing the draft equipment. He provided updated business cards as well, which were picked up as fast as they were set out. They looked great! We also conducted transactions for the bulk grain order. Thanks to all the club members who donated their time and their beer to pull this off.

Rob, Iron Mike, and Jesse are ready to go at the ECHO booth.

Mike and Jesse are wooing the crowd with their knowledge of beer appreciation and homebrewing.

Rachael, Matt, Rob and Dave keep the brew flowing all night.

Rachael's traditional German Dirndl hit the spot!
ON TAP:
(Friday)
Blonde Pale Ale- called the “dirty blonde” by some, this finely crafted brew was the go-to beverage for those not quite sure what we were all about. Dave’s pale poured light amber in color and had a great mouth feel and smooth finish.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Stout- Jesse’s trademark infringing stout pushed the envelope in terms of intense fermentable adjuncts with the addition of 30 large RPB cups in the boil. Dark as night and thick as syrup, you either loved it or hated it. Folks stopped by just to request the RPB stout by name.

Belgian Tripel- Iron Mike forced this one to maturity in time for the event, but no one noticed! Thick and a little darker than expected, I witnessed many club members going for the Tripel when it was time to refill their mugs!

(Friday and Saturday)
ECHO Saison- This seasoned Belgian farmhouse ale was brewed back in June at the Beef O’Brady’s for AHA big brew 2009. Baby-sat by Iron Mike, this brew definitely lived up to its name. Dark amber, subtle spice, and slightly sour yeast made this a great example of the style. It’s good to know we can crank out such a top notch beer while chatting with friends and enjoying the hospitality of Beef’s.

(Saturday)
Fat Bastard Scottish Ale- Jeremy’s Scottish didn’t disappoint. This ale was reddish in color and quite malty. Similar to an ESB, but without the hop kick. As I poured each taster of this finely crafted ale, I was compelled to exclaim, “Get in my belly!”

American Cherry Wheat- A collaboration between Pug Butt Brewery and War-Ale Brewery, this lawnmower helped to diversify the tasting selection by offering a lighter, cleaner, “American” approach to Oktoberfest. It was a simple Northern Brewer wheat-beer grain bill, but 2 ounces of cherry extract in the secondary gave it a good cherry nose and taste. Too bitter for some, too sweet for others, and a biker did ridicule the brewer for using fruit in a beer, citing Reinheitsgebot of 1516. Maybe he’s right.

To sum up the event, a little old lady walks up to the booth and says, “I don’t like beer but I want to try one of yours.” With hesitation, we provide her a sample and wait for the inevitable comment of distaste. We were surprised to hear, “Oh wow! That tastes better than REAL BEER!!” ……. Real beer????

Cheers to the folks of Bay County for making this event another one to remember.

Oktoberfest 2009, Downtown Panama City

2009-09-10T12:30:00.003-05:00

The time has come to begin planning for Oktoberfest 2009, ECHO's annual tasting and recruiting event! This will be held in downtown Panama City on the 2nd and 3rd of October. For Oktoberfest, we team-up with our gracious sponsors, the Knights of Columbus, to serve samples of a variety of homebrewed beers. This provides ECHO a great opportunity to interact with the masses and recruit potential new members! Every year the club has a great time, and this year's event should not dissappoint! We hope to serve ~30 gallons throughout the weekend.

So, we need all club members to volunteer to "work the booth" as they have time. This is a lot of fun and you do meet some interesting people. The hours that we will be serving our beer are:

5-11pm on Friday (setup at 4pm)
5-8pm on Saturday (setup at 4pm)

Please visit the forum for more discussion of this event.

ECHO forum 2.0!

2009-08-29T19:13:00.004-05:00

Out of necessity, I've set up a ECHO discussion forum 2.0! Finally got in touch with the host company and evidently there was a problem with the admin permissions, which made the server think the forum was inactive, and hence, deleted. I've since figured out the problem, so we are back in business. The bad news is we lost all of the previous posts/data. For this reason, each ECHO member may have to re-register to get into the forum again. Just click the link to the left and follow instructions. I will approve you, and we'll get our coms going again! Thanks for your patience.

2009 Emerald Coast Beer Festival

2009-08-23T09:57:00.006-05:00

The 2009 Emerald Coast Beer Festival will take place Sept. 10th and 11th in Pensacola. The tasting session is on the 11th and ECHO plans to be there! There will be over 30 breweries there with multiple styles. This is sure to be an awesome event. Visit the forum to coordinate this outing. http://www.emeraldcoastbeerfest.com/

Bulk Grain Order

2009-08-23T09:53:00.004-05:00

Many of you know we are trying to get together a bulk grain order. We are hoping to get 20 bags at 55# each to minimize shipping costs. Visit the discussion forum (on the left) for more info and to signup for this group-buy.

Results of July Business Meeting

2009-07-22T10:39:00.002-05:00

We just had a very productive ECHO Business Meeting on 20 July 09. The goal was to hash out dates for events and meetings the rest of the year. We will be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Below are the meeting minutes and a list of our planned events. Some dates may change in the future, so be sure to refer to the club calendar (on the left) for the latest information. Any questions/discussions regarding these events can be conducted in the discussion forum!

Meeting minutes: (thanks Iron Mike)
1. The group decided to set a goal of a business meeting and a brew event each month. Ideally we will try to set the business meeting in the first week of the month, except when ECHO participates in AHA events which are normally scheduled on the first weekend of the month.

2. There have been some miscommunications within the club largely as the result of infrequent forum participation in decision-making. All club members are urged to be frequent visitors and actively participant in the forums.

3. As we approach the fall brewing season, several people expressed an interest in a bulk grain orders. We can order 50lb sacks of grain through Flagala Hardware at approximately $38 per sack with pallet shipping rates at 4 or more sacks. This is a dramatic savings for your all-grain brewing. See the appropriate thread on the forum for details and ordering.

4. There was unanimous agreement to participate in Panama City Oktoberfest this year, 2-3 Oct 09. But to make this happen, we need commitments of time and kegs. So far the menu and commitments include but are not limited to:

a. Rob & Matt: American Wheat
b. Jesse: Reese’s Peanut butter Stout
c. Iron Mike: Something Belgian (dubble or Tripel)
d. Dave B: Blonde or Amber
e. John C: Double IPA
f. Jeremy: Big Scottish Ale

5. We have been invited to participate in Pensacola’s Emerald Coast Beer Fest. We can participate as a club and brew for the event (20 gallons minimum submission—free ticket for each 5 gallons) and non-brewing club member tickets specially priced at $10 each ($25 at ticket outlets) with proceeds going to charity. This is a GREAT event that we have not brewed for in the past because it’s so close to Oktoberfest. See the forum for discussion and commit to brew or attend. Commitments so far:

a. Iron Mike: Something Belgian

6. Draft calendar for the remainder of 2009:

06 Aug 09: IPA Tasting at Callaway Beefs, 7pm—Come share your favorite IPAs and taste some new ones. These can be your favorite homebrewed or commercial examples. Finalize club intentions for Oktoberfest and Emerald Coast Beer Fest. Bring your money for Beer Fest Tickets!

15 Aug 09: AHA Mead Day (Rescheduled)—Although AHA is celebrating National Mead Day on 1 Aug, we decided to delay until the 15th due to numerous conflicts. JC volunteered 1 gallon of Orange Blossom Honey and we need ½ gal (6lbs) more to make our Metheglin http://www.beertown.org/events/meadday/recipe.html

03 Sep 09: Business Meeting @ Beef’s Callaway, 7pm—Final discussions for Mega-Brew and calendar update.

05 Sep 09: PC Mega-Brew @ Beef’s Lynn Haven, 11am—Club brewing at it’s best with the largest simultaneous brew session in Bay County history. Our goal will be to brew 6 simultaneous beers to be served at PC Oktoberfest and Emerald Coast Beer Fest. Brews and brewers TBD but will require maximum effort. There will be media coverage of this event and it will be a lot of fun.

10 Sep 09: Emerald Coast Beer Fest, See website for details on events and lodging. http://emeraldcoastbeerfest.com/

02-03 Oct 09: Panama City Oktoberfest. We will be serving Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Times and booth location TBD.

22 Oct 09: Business Meeting at Beef’s Lynn Haven, 7pm: Plan to discuss brew plans for Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day (TFHD) and our annual ECHO Christmas dinner and brew competition. Brew Competition forms to be distributed.

07 Nov 09: TFHD, Location TBD. Basic partial mash/extract brewing class and homebrew sampling. Finalize details for annual Christmas Party.

04 Dec 09: Annual ECHO Christmas dinner and brew competition. Beer-themed dinner party (all items including dessert must be made with beer AND all courses must accompanied by an appropriate beer). Brewers desiring to enter competition must provide (3) homebrew samples conforming to AHA competition standards. Entry fees will pay for AHA BJCP judges from Tallahassee.

Recap of Big Brew 2009

2009-06-25T11:23:00.001-05:00

The Big Brew 2009 event was a success thanks to the work of Iron Mike, JC, and the helpful staff at Beefs in Callaway. We had a number of core members show and present tastings, along with some honored guests who were more than happy to help out. It was a little hot, but we were still going strong until around 5pm. Maybe a tent next year? We were able to kickoff 5 gallons of the Saison recipe chosen by AHA for this year. It smelled great. Keep us up-to-date on its progress, ok Iron Mike! If anyone has pictures they would like to share, please email them or throw them up on the forum.

Big Brew/National Homebrew Day 2009

2009-05-17T16:32:00.002-05:00

Per discussion at our last meeting at Beefs, we are going to celebrate Big Brew/National Homebrew Day on the first Saturday in June. That’s 6 June at Beef’s Callaway location, 11 am. We decided on using the AHA Big Brew Recipe for Saison Du Mont- probably partial mash due to limited mobility of the all-grain setup. The recipe is:

Saison Du Mont – Extract with Partial Mash
5.5 gallons (21 L) yield with a 3.6-gallon (13.6 L) boil
O.G.: 1.056 F.G.: 1.008 IBU: 21

Fermentables:
6.0 lb (2.7 kg) Pale Liquid Malt Extract
2.0 lb (0.91 kg) Vienna Malt, mash
8 oz (227 g) Flaked Wheat, mash
8 oz (227 g) Flaked Oats, mash
8 oz (227 g) Honey, added after boil at 0 minutes

Hops:
1.5 oz (43 g) Golding, (4.75% AA), 60 minutes (If Golding is unavailable, substitute Willamette hops for 17 IBU.)
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertauer, (4.0% AA), 15 minutes
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertauer, (4.0% AA), at 0 minutes
¾ tsp (3 g) Irish moss, added at 15 minutes

Spices:
0.5 oz (14 g) crushed coriander, 0 minutes
0.5 tsp (2 g) grains of paradise, 0 minutes
0.25 oz (7 g) Curacao (sweet) orange peel, 0 minutes
0.25 oz (7 g) Valencia (bitter) orange peel, 0 minutes

Yeast:
Two (2) packages Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison Yeast, or two (2) White LabsWLP550 Belgian Ale Yeast, or an appropriate yeast starter

So, that's what we're shooting for. We'll have a couple club brews on hand to sample, as well as the wonderfully supportive staff at Beefs offering their services. Should make for a great event!

ECHO Discussion Forum 1.0 Established

2009-04-22T11:58:00.002-05:00

Finally got a phpBB discussion forum established for our club's use! The link is on the left. I'd like to encourage ALL club members to get in there, register, and participate in the forum. A healthy club depends on communication between its members, and an online forum is a great way to do that! The current version may not be pretty yet, but it is hosted on a free server. We can make improvements in the future as needed. If any club members have experience as an admin on other forums and would like to help out, definitely let us know.

Survey for AHA and Auburn Univeristy

2009-04-22T11:38:00.004-05:00

From Iron Mike and the American Homebrewers Association: "The AHA is assisting an Auburn University study on homebrewing as a "Serious Leisure Pursuit" in theUnited States. In the interest of getting the most representative and reliable data we can, we encourage as many homebrewers as possible to participate in the study by filling out a brief survey. The survey delivery software will not collect email or IP addresses and/or any other identification markers. The survey site will remain open through April 30. "

The survey is interesting as it looks to try and tie emotional and social well-being to the joy of homebrewing!

If you would like to assist in the research by completeing a survery:
Click here for survey

Recap of Thirty Days of Green Kick-off Party!

2009-04-19T14:10:00.012-05:00

ECHO made a great showing serving homebrew and educating guests in the art of brewing science at the Thirty Days of Green Kick-off party. The evening social was held at the Visual Arts Center in downtown Panama City and featured door prizes, hors d'evours, and a speech from Mayor Clemons regarding sustainable living in the Bay County area. Later in the evening, Mike gave a brief, but informative presentation on the purpose of our club, the history of beer, and why we find it so rewarding to make at home. Here are some members behind our static display table. (From L to R: Jesse, Iron Mike, JC, Rob, and Jason) On display we had various hops, grains, and custom homebrew equipment.

We used Iron Mike's traveling serving station (below) to pour JC's Belgian Tripel, Jason's lagered American Cream Ale, and Rob's Pug Butt Old Ale. Jesse's (Heartache Brewery) keg of Cream Ale was on standby in case the patrons got restless! The side-by-side comparison of these styles was a great educational experience.

Here's Jesse busy serving homebrew paired with Iron Mike's fresh bread made with spent grain.
By the end of the night, we had received great feedback from many guests. All donations accepted at our tables went to the Visual Arts Center to help support future projects. Maybe we'll be invited back next year??

Earth Day Kickoff at Visual Arts Center, April 17th

2009-04-08T21:51:00.004-05:00

"Thirty Days of Green" begins this month all over Bay County. A number of events are scheduled around the area during this time to bring awareness of our environment and promote self-sufficient living. To kick it off right, the organizers have planned a party at the downtown Visual Arts Center featuring ECHO!

We'll be there serving various homebrewed beer for donations to charity. The goal is to not only serve great beer, but to introduce our hobby as a do-it-yourself, low-impact activity. Setup begins at 5pm, with the event scheduled from 6-8pm. As of now, we're scheduled to have the club's Belgian Tripel, a Cream Ale, and an Old Ale on tap. Of course, we'll be bringing a variety of homebrew equipment and ingredients for static display. Any members are welcome to show up and participate to support this event.

Killians Tasting Kit

2009-03-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of Jesse- check out the free Killians Tasting Kit offer by clicking here. Once you are registered, go to "start the journey" and then "order free tasting kit". Enter the code: M9N7K3K

The kit includes 4 tasting glasses, a bottle opener, and a tasting guide. Would make a good stocking stuffer. (It's Christmas all season long when you're drinking beer)

Brew Day Review

2009-02-18T19:05:00.003-06:00

Another successful brew day! First off- MUCH THANKS to Jason and Jen for their hospitality! They have a great setup and were very generous in letting us hang out for the day to brew and drink some great homebrews. Everyone who showed was treated to a demonstration of the fabulous SABCO Brew Magic all grain system. Per the club poll, Jason brewed 10 gallons of Cream Ale. We were also privy to a couple homebrews he had on tap, including a Holiday Spice and an IPA. Here is Jason in his brewhaus:

The SABCO Brew Magic System:

As if this wasn't enough, we also had homebrew tastings presented by Iron Mike, Rob, and Dave. Looking forward to the fruits of the labor soon!

UPDATE: Brew Day at Jason's

2009-01-27T21:32:00.007-06:00

Jason has offered to host a club brew day and demonstrate the splendor of his new Brew Magic setup! The event will be 15th Feb, Sunday. He is honoring the results of the poll and has chosen a cream ale style! Brewing will begin at 11:00am. Show up a little early if you want to help setup or bring equipment to brew alongside. Should be one heck of a good time!

2009 Best Florida Homebrew Competition

2009-01-13T09:34:00.002-06:00

For anyone interested in competition, check out the 2009 Best Florida Homebrew Comp.
http://www.bestfloridabeer.org/home/
-Prizes are shaping up to be some of our best yet with unique category specific prizes for first places! A homebrew from the 'BOS Beer' winner will be brewed commercially by the Tampa Bay Brewing Company again this year!-Entries will be $6 and the deadline will be February 8th. All entrants must be Florida residents and/or members of Florida homebrew clubs.

Teach a Friend to Homebrew Success!

2008-12-15T11:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who helped out last Sunday. Another big shout goes out to all the great folks who turned out to watch the brewing of our club Golden Tripel! It seemed like everyone was having a great time. I have to personally thank Iron Mike for exhibiting such incredible patience as he worked feverishly to undo my kegging screw up. I thought it would be a good idea to dry hop the IPA (brewed during Oktoberfest) without putting the pellets in a hop sock. Can you guess what happened. The hop residue severely clogged up the dispensing tube. After many trips back and forth to his home, Mike got the brew flowing. What would I do without you Mike? ....probably wouldn't be drinking IPA!The Golden Tripel is fermenting intensely. The yeast starter kicked off the fermentation in less than 4 hrs.....that's pretty fast. Once the primary fermentation settles down I'll look to transfer it to a couple carboys. We'll keg 5 gal, and bottle the rest. It sure smells tasty! -JC

Walk the Line on Barleywine 2008 Homebrew Competition

2008-11-02T12:22:00.003-06:00

Announcing Walk The Line On Barleywine - 2008 - Homebrew Competition. Go to www.DunedinBrewersGuild.com to submit your entry online or to get more information. It is AHA sanctioned, for BJCP points. Judging date: December 6, 2008. BJCP judging guidelines will be followed, and entries can be made in all BJCP beer styles (1-23), and will be judged in the following groups (subject to changed based on entries received):

Imperial Lager (BJCP styles 1-5)
Imperial Pale and Brown Ale (BJCP styles 6-11 and 14-15)
Imperial Porter and Stout (BJCP styles 12-13)
Big Belgians (BJCP styles 16-18)
Old Ales and Barleywine (BJCP style 19)

BJCP styles 20-23 will be entered into one of the above groups, depending on the description of the entry. Each entry costs $6 and consists of two(2) unmarked and unlabelled 10-14oz brown bottles. Entries will be accepted online only from 1 November 2008 through 28 November2008. Anyone for a club entry?

10th Annual Teach a Friend to Homebrew 2008

2008-10-30T20:14:00.005-05:00

It's that time again! The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day is an international event to introduce people to the homebrewing hobby and establish relationships with local homebrew supply shops. Each year in November, homebrewers around the world are encouraged to invite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day and brew a batch of beer together. ECHO's gathering for TAFHD will be held November 9th, outside Beef O'Brady's on highway 77. Our plan is to serve the Double IPA from Oktoberfest and brew up something for our December Christmas Dinner. Things should get going about noon so come out, bring a friend, and behold the magic that is homebrew!

Panama City Oktoberfest 2008!

2008-10-30T19:59:00.013-05:00

We wrapped up a very successful 2008 Oktoberfest on the 3rd and 4th of October, having floated 7 corneys with 1 in reserve. Unlike last year, the weather cooperated and the turnout was heavy and enthusiastic due to the Friday Fest crowd. Special thanks to the brewers this year who together produced over 35 gallons!

*Dave's Amber-Blonde was a hybrid extract recipe blended with a mini-mash of corn grits. Too dark for a Blonde and too light for an Amber, it was highly popular with the crowd that quaked in fear over the excellent darker offerings served. Dave contributed 2 corneys so his Blonde was a mainstay both days.

*Rob’s Pug Butt Ale was a hit Friday night with people showing up for seconds on Saturday. He dismisses the popularity as mere marketing in the name, but that was a very tasty high octane ale.

*Jesse’s Espresso Stout was a surprise for many people daring to sample a fine stout made with cold-pressed espresso beans. If Starbucks opens a bar, this is the recipe they will be looking for. Great balance without coffee bitterness. For a select crowd, Jesse shared his Peach Wheat which was very impressive given the fact he used real pureed peaches, not peach flavor at kegging time. Peach is a tough flavor to impart and too easily over-powered by hops.

*Iron Mike’s Strawberry Blonde was an interpretation of Wicked Pete’s Strawberry Blonde. It started with a basic German Kolsch recipe, but a slow-starting Kolsch yeast forced a course change to Munton’s for more of a Blonde finish, accented by Crosby Strawberry beer flavor at kegging, that produced an ale with fruity esters and a hint of strawberries without being overpowering. Popular with the ladies and decent lawn mower beer.

*Adrian's Oatmeal Porter-Stout was just the ticket for a dark brew choice on Saturday night. Adrian started with a Porter and could resist tinkering. Was it a Porter or Stout? The world may never know, but they certainly appreciated a silky smooth roasty brew with a shaving-cream thick head and nice finish.

We got great support from Matt Coleman and Flagala Hardware who supplied propane, tubing, beer ingredients and a brewing kit for display. Dave loaned us his dorm fridge to keep the reserve corney’s cold. JC hauled out his SABCO equipment and single-handedly conducted Brew School on Saturday. He used a Flagala-provided IPA kit and demonstrated how to modify it into a double IPA with extra hops and malt. Thanks to Pat for the continued support of Beef's and the megaphone updates to the college games! Let's do it again next year!

The Bells are tolling-----for us thankfully!!

2008-03-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

Stopped in to our local convenience market last Saturday to pick up a few brews for the FSU baseball game that afternoon.....wasn't looking for anything special just a few Widemers or something of the like to quench that "more than one beer" baseball thirst. The usual selection wouldn't normally make you look twice, but as I scanned the brew cooler my eyes were met with a huge surprise. Not one, not two, but six varieties of beer produced by one of my top 5 US microbrewers....Bells Brewing out of Kalamazoo MI. Let's see they had the Amber Ale, Oberon Ale, Two Hearted Ale, Special Double Cream Stout, Kalamazoo Stout, Java Stout, and their superb Expedition Stout. They're all premium priced, but if you've ever ordered it online (like me) you'd see that the price is very competitive with internet sales....plus it's just a short drive away. Chan's on the beach has Two Hearted and Oberon (probably Kalamazoo too) right now. I'd imagine they'll have the others soon.....but there's no way I ever would've thought this local grocery would carry brew from this outstanding Michigan brewery. Wow, if we can get their Hopslam and Third Coast Ale I'll not need to look for my beer anyplace else. Do yourself a favor....try some...heck, try them all!! You'll not be disappointed. UPDATE****Chris from Chans notified me that they currently stock all the above Bells brews which is great news for you denizens of the beach side of town.....stop by and give Bells a try!! ****

March Brew at Flagala = SUCCESS!

2008-03-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

ECHO had yet another great brew day out at our favorite combined hardware store and brewers emporium.....otherwise known as Do It Best- Flagala Hardware. Matt Coleman once again provided awesome hospitality. While the spectator turnout wasn't huge from a quantity perspective it more than made up for it in quality! Lotsa new brewers turned out to see what ECHO is all about.....and I think they came away quite pleased. Iron Mike cooked up a great batch of Irish Red, while the attendees enjoyed glasses of his hoppy Canadian Ale.

What you may not know is that our own Iron Mike entered his Imperial Pumpkin Ale in the recently completed Best Florida Beer Competition. Mike's pumpkin ale is quite delicious and we were all eager to find out what the certified brew judges thought. Well.....as you would expect his beer did quite well...it didn't win, but the scores clearly show that his efforts were highly thought of.....I posted scanned images of the judges score sheets...check them out (click the images to get a closer look)! Congrats Mike for a job well done......I'm going to follow Mike's example and endeavor to enter more contests down the line!!

Finally, pictures from the Christmas fest!

2008-01-13T10:51:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pix from our big Christmas dinner held at Iron Mike's Brewhaus. The food and drink were incredible and a big thanks to everyone who participated. Hopefully we can do it again this year only bigger and better. We had a nice selection of micros and homebrew to sample, plus an incredible array of culinary delights ranging from organic lentils and cheddar cheese beer soup all the way to a delicious a grilled turkey. We'll be trying to get together in the next couple weeks in order to get our new brewing year started right! Cheers!

Christmas Party Success!

2007-12-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

I sure with more folks coulda made the party.....it was sensational. I'll post some pix as soon as they're available. We had some terrific eats and brew.....more on the way!!

Christmas Celebration at Iron Mike's!!

2007-11-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

Mike and Rachel have graciously served up there wonderful home as host point for a Beer-Themed Holiday Celebration. The date will be 15 Dec starting at 5 pm for cocktails. The dinner will commence around 6 pm. There are two stipulations....#1 is that you must bring a beer-themed potluck item or homebrew/craft beer to share...#2 is that reservations are required so that proper planning can be done. Now the really important part.....please comment (link at end of post) on this posting stating that you are coming (how many folks) and what you are bringing. We'll track the inputs until 10 December--the "go or no go" decision point. This will be a blast and I hope many of you will attend.

Teach a Friend to Homebrew Success!

2007-11-08T19:27:00.000-06:00

Once again our TAFTHB event was terrific. Big thanks to Pat Perno and the entire Beef O'Bradys crew for the best support we could ever hope for. Iron Mike's Belgian Tripel is fermenting away at the brewery while my Burleywine is chugging away in my bathtub turned fermentation tank. The Tripel should be ready for test consumption during the club Christmas party, but--alas--the Burleywine will not. The bwine needs a couple months in the secondary fermentation vessel prior to bottling....but don't worry....the wait will be well worth it! In the meantime I'll be brewing up another ten gallons of good stuff for us to sample at the party. Speaking of the party, everyone's invited to brew their own and bring it along. If we get enough commitment we'll look to have the clubs 2nd annual brew challenge. You're probably wondering just when the party will be....that's a good question. Right now, we're thinking that Saturday 15 December would be good. We'd host it at the Knights of Columbus in Parker. The cost would be minimal....maybe $5 per adult....plus we'd ask you to bring a covered dish. How does that sound? Anyway, I hope it sound as good to you as it does to me. I'll be posting a couple pix from the TAFTHB event soon....cheers!!!

October ECHO meeting at Beef O'Bradys

2007-10-09T14:49:00.000-05:00

Let's meet at Beef O'Bradys in Lynn Haven on Thursday, 18 Oct @ 7pm. We've got lots to discuss including the recent Oktoberfest plus the upcoming November and December events (Teach a Friend to Homebrew and Christmas party respectively). Hope to see many of you there!

Forgot about this!

2007-10-08T15:38:00.001-05:00

Back in September when we brewed at Iron Mikes Brewery the News Herald sent a couple gents over to see just what was up with this homebrew stuff. They chatted with the club members and took some pics of us in action. The article was published the next week and had a strong impact on the crowd's awareness during Oktoberfest. If you haven't seen the article here's a link to it...This brew's for you

Cheers to a terrific Oktoberfest event!!

2007-10-08T13:58:00.001-05:00

Once again, ECHO is a focal point at the Panama City downtown Oktoberfest. Ok, maybe we weren't the center of the universe, but there was no denying the people's love of homebrew. Of course the fact that the stuff was free probably had something to do with it, but I'd like to think that Bay county palates are finally coming around.
I got to the booth in time to help Mike hook the corny kegs up and start serving. Pat Perno and Jeremy Myers were the first on the scene to help out. It started slow in the beginning....then, Iron Mike--with the skill of the savviest auctioneer--stood out in front of the booth and started hawking our wares. Before you knew it the folks were lining up for a taste of ECHO's finest. At times the folks were lined up 10 deep for a chance to sample the brew.

What did we have? Glad you asked. We had the two brews that were cooked up at the September gathering at Iron Mikes Brewery....Mikes Cherry Wheat and my hoppy red ale (aka "Big Red). We also had Dave Brainard's Amber, and the hands down hit of the evening--Richard Sherman's German Maibock. No joke folks....the maibock was the most sought after and most highly praised brew of the evening. Great job Richard!
Our dream was to provide brew over the two day fest, but sometime around 9pm our kegs were floating big time. We actually brought up the reserve brew....the last 3 gallons of our "Poor Richards Ale". That was our first all-grain club brew that was brewed in May 2006. It certainly held up well....most folks really liked it especially considering the recipe's early-American heritage. In total we probably ran through 20+ gal of brew. Honestly, we could've used another 15-20 gal.....and probably floated those kegs too!
Aside from the admiration and appreciation of many a fest goer, the club received over three pages of contact information from many folks who'd love to know more about homebrewing. We also distributed flyers describing the club's next event......"Teach a Friend to Homebrew" which will be perpetrated at Beef O'Bradys in Lynn Haven (Sat, 3 November). We're really excited about it and have to send a huge thanks out to Pat Perno and his O'Brady's staff for hosting the ECHO event. Thanks again to everyone who volunteered and helped make this our best Oktoberfest event yet! I'm looking forward to next year already!

Thanks to everyone for a great Oktoberfest!

2007-10-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

Hi folks......I'm on a tight schedule this morning....heading to Tallahassee for the FSU vs NC State football game. When I get back tonight I'll post more on our great Oktoberfest event....whew, I'm still tired. I think everyone there had a great time and really enjoyed the brew we served. Special thanks to the following folks for helping ECHO pull this off: Mike Theobald, Dave Brainard, Matt Coleman, Candi Coleman, Jeremy Myers, Richard Sherman, Pat Perno, and the wonderful folks from the Knights of Columbus (who graciously offered up some booth space for us!). Check back tomorrow for more info and some great pictures!!

Once again Big Brew is a big success!!

2007-05-08T19:36:00.000-05:00

First of all, I've got to let out a huge thanks to Matt Coleman and the entire staff out at Flagala Hardware. Quite frankly, it just doesn't get any better when it comes to generosity and support of our homebrew club. Flagala graciously provided everything needed (sanitation elements, Griffin Spit IPA ingredients, etc) for the club to have a great Big Brew celebration. I'd also like to thank Ross and Mike for showing up early to help me get set up. The 'Spit is fermenting away as I type.....I pitched a quart of London Ale yeast starter last night around 10pm. I just love lag times less than 6 hrs!! We still have lotsa dry hopping to go, but it we're well on our way to having a great IPA to serve at our next function. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported our event!

A slow start to the new brewing year, but....

2007-03-05T22:43:00.000-06:00

....better late then never!! Tried to hold a meeting at Beef's a few weeks ago, but the turnout was light. Not much decided. Big Brew is coming in May, and we need to decide if we're going to host another club event around it. Hard to think we wouldn't....it's always a great time. Big thanks to Matt C0leman and Mark Gutcher for coming out for the meeting.

Mark informed me that McGuires is currently serving their Barleywine and Imperial Stout on tap in Destin. I checked it out and he was spot on!! They'll even serve you a special black and tan featuring these two great brews.....simply delicious. Stop by and check it out--you won't be disappointed.

Matt Coleman and Flagala hardware have a special event planned for 16 March. Local TV's channel 7 is stopping by to interview Matt and discuss homebrewing at Flagala! He's very excited and wants to involve the club if possible. Hopefully we can meet next week at Beef's to talk about this great opportunity some more. Stay tuned!

A Great Christmas Luncheon...

2006-12-18T19:33:00.001-06:00

..was had by all! Thanks to everyone who attended, and a big big thanks to all who entered the homebrew contest!

Congrats to the winners...
First Place: Ross Jeffrey (Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout)
Second Place: Dave Brainard (American Pale Ale )
Third Place: Mike Theobald (Imperial Pumpkin Ale)

Award for the first place winner:

Dave tasting:

For the Archives: Iron Mike's Brewery

2006-12-09T18:46:00.002-06:00

I think we'd all be impressed with the dedication of Iron Mike. All grain brewing at its finest.Behold the magic of homebrew!

December's Here!....it's almost that time...

2006-12-05T23:10:00.000-06:00

...for the ECHO Christmas luncheon and first club homebrew contest! As mentioned before, it will be held at the Knights of Columbus in Parker on Saturday, 16 December (11am..or so)...the site of many a great brew day...where we'll have some ham and turkey plus (hopefully) a great selection of side dishes. While I don't have an exact count, it's my impression that we'll have quite a variety of homebrews entered. The contest winners will be decided upon through a "popular vote" method. Score sheets will be handed out to all luncheon guests with some easy to follow directions describing how to score each entrant. There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.....and a free brewing lesson for the last place entrant. We'd like to kick the luncheon off at 11am or so with the brew judging to follow after everyone's had their fill of the delicious food. Also, we'll have some club brew available for consumption...some remaining Poor Richard's Ale and the most recent brew, Pliny the Elder Double IPA (clone). Please let me know (by email or posting a reply here) if you plan on coming and how many guests you'll bring along. I'm genuinely looking forward to this historic ECHO event!

Great Brews (and I don't mean Corona) from Mexico--uh, I mean Mexico Beach!

2006-11-16T06:54:00.001-06:00

Dolores Lowery of the Prickly Pears Gourmet Gallery (101 S. 36th St, Mexico Beach FL) has announced the arrival of some new Dogfish Head brews including DFH's famous World Wide Stout (18% ABV!), and Sam Calagione's new Chateau Jiahu. Her brew inventory isn't huge, but her selection is marvelous....DFH, Great Divide, Sweetwater, Rogue, etc. Stop by and check the store out...you won't be disappointed. See you later today Dolores!

JC with Dogfish Head owner/master brewer Sam Calagione at GABF 2006!:

New wine shop in Panama City...

2006-11-14T13:51:00.000-06:00

...well, not really that new, but a great one none-the-less. That would be The Wine Dog (103 W. 23rd St) in the Coronado Mall. Proprietors Clay and Terri Avedisian have a nice selection of wines, cigars, and other related accessories. They've also got a cool wine room in the back where they provide weekly tastings. I'll be there on Thurs (16 Nov) around 4pm with a small selection of brews to sample. In speaking with Clay recently, he hinted that he'd consider carrying a small selection of top-shelf micros.....well there's nothing I'd like more than to help facilitate that idea!! I'm still organizing the brew lineup, but rest assured it will be great. Don't forget our meeting tonight at Beef O' Brady's in Lynn Haven...around 7:30pm. Hope to see you all there!

November Meeting at Beef O' Brady's!

2006-11-09T20:40:00.001-06:00

Let's meet at Beef O' Brady's next Tuesday (14 Nov) at 7:30pm! We can discuss the recent Teach a friend to Homebrew event and the upcoming Christmas luncheon. In addition, we have to start planning the big club event to be hosted at Flagala Hardware in January.....busy, busy, busy...but big fun! Please come out if you can break away from your daily grind. Pat Perno and his awesome staff really enjoy supporting ECHO and I challenge anyone to find a better combination of quality brew, excellent food, and phenomenal service anywhere in the local area---period! Thanks Pat for being a stupendous ECHO supporter. Double brew day at Beef's in Lynn Haven:

Remember, our December Christmas luncheon is fast approaching (Sat, 16 Dec, Knights of Columbus in Parker). We're aiming for a noon start time....exact plan details will be discussed at upcoming meetings. Remember, there's going to be a first ever club brew contest....get your kettles boiling and bring your best!

2006 Teach a Friend to Homebrew

2006-11-04T16:24:00.001-06:00

Today's event was a great success. Six hardy souls turned out to help craft the latest club brew...our Pliny the Elder clone. We've made this recipe twice before and it received great reviews. God bless the imperial IPA! Unfortunately I neglected to bring the digital camera so I was obliged to post a pic from last Mays Big Brew. Yep, there's me and Mike working the all-grain setup as we craft our Poor Richard's ale. That brew turned out fabulous, and was the big reason I made the jump to all-grain brewing. Our Christmas luncheon is rapidly approaching and I'll be emailing a reminder very soon. Get your brews fermenting for the club competition....Mike T says don't bother 'cause he's already brewed the winner! Do you believe him? I sure don't! More to come on that subject....