Welcome to the homepage of the Heart River Homebrewers! We are an informal group that began as an organized club back in January of 2004. We usually meet on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30PM at the office of Custom Data, 677 10th Street East, Dickinson, ND.
The next meeting is planned for November 20, 2008 at 6:30PM at Custom Data, 677 10th St. East, Dickinson, ND.
Town & Country Liquors on 1218 W Villard St in Dickinson (701-483-9463) and Jerome Distributing sponsor a beer tasting and evaluation by providing a six-pack of a different beer each month for the club to sample and evaluate. Click on Evaluations under Pages from the menu at right to view our assessment of each beer sampled.
Present: Dale Sattler, Jon Stika, Dennis Froemke, Todd Solem, Ryan Jilek, Jeremy Jahner, Rocky Stoltz, Paul Ellerkamp, Kelan Luptak* and Jeremy Kruse*.
*New members
Old Business:
Ryan raised a question about including all the mash and sparge water up-front in a single infusion mash, and the consequences of conducting such a mash. Stika offered to research a response to the question. Jon offered the following: A thin mash that included all of the typical mash and sparge water at once (~2.5 quarts water per pound of barley malt) favors a more complete conversion of starch to sugar, but requires a longer mash time to achieve as the enzymes (alpha and beta amylase) are more dilute than in a typical mash of 1.25 quarts water per pound of barley malt. The thin mash would result in increased fermentability and therefore produce a drier, thinner mouth feel beer. One reason why conversion would be more complete in a thin mash is that amylase is not inhibited as much by a higher sugar concentration as it would be the case in a typical mash. To adjust for the differences of a thin mash, the mash could be conducted at a higher temperature and higher pH which favors alpha amylase, and be conducted for a shorter period of time, giving beta amylase less opportunity to produce more fermentable sugars. Another issue with thin mashes is that they do not easily form a filter bed in the mash tun and can therefore present problems with the runoff into the brew pot. Reference: The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing by Dave Miller pp. 128-129.
New Business:
Ryan and Rocky reported on their brewing session from the previous week. They each brewed high gravity beers (barley wine) with single infusion mashes. Ryan collected a first-running batch of 1.080 (for a barley wine) and a second running batch of 1.060 (for an IPA). Rocky collected a single batch with a starting gravity of 1.076 for a barley wine. They also reported mash efficiencies of 72%-74%, and that all batches began fermenting quickly after pitching yeast.
Dennis reported at length about brewing his first batch of beer from an extract kit. He also displayed pictures of parts of his brewing process. Congratulations to Dennis on brewing his first batch. We look forward to sampling it at the next meeting!
Ryan provided a draft format for a flyer to provide to Town & Country Liquors that would include our evaluation and the brewers description of the beer of the month provided by T&C. The group approved of the format, and Ryan will be responsible for producing the flyers each month and providing them to T&C.
Paul reported that Ron Rhoades from Consolidated Communications encouraged the Heart River Home Brewers to produce brewing-related shows for cable Channel 18. Todd moved to pursue the proposal, seconded by Jon. Ryan said he had the video equipment and expertise to record the shows and Jon offered to write and present the shows with assistance from other club members. Further discussion centered around how the shows could be structured. Ryan suggested the shows could progress through the brewing process and also tie-in to the current topic of the Techniques column of Brew Your Own. Motion passed and tentative plans were made to begin producing the first show around the first of the year.
Ryan mentioned that he and Paul were planning to order used kegs from Northern Brewer during a special NB was having on the kegs. No one else was interested in going in on the deal at this time.
Beer of the Month from Town & Country Liquors was Firebrick Vienna-style lager brewed by the August Schell Brewery of New Ulm, MN. The beer had a good malt aroma and flavor typical of Vienna malt and had a deep copper color. The malt was balanced by the subtle flavors of noble hops, most likely Hallertauer and Tettnanger, with a light noble hop finish. Firebrick was a very nice example of a Vienna-style lager.
Home brewed beverages brought to this meeting included; Hefe Weizen brought by Ryan, which had good flavor and aroma but was under carbonated. Ryan mentioned that the beer was in excess of what would fit in a keg at time of packaging and so was transferred to a bottle and primed with some PrimeTabs. Dale brought a bottle of dandelion wine which had a very nice citrusy flavor. Dale briefly discussed the process of making the wine and the quantity and quality of dandelion blossoms required. Paul brought three beers which included a Honey Ale made with 5 pounds of orange-blossom honey, a (Spanish Peaks) Black Dog Ale clone, and an English Ale, all of which were good, however the English Ale was quite young and would benefit from further conditioning.
Ryan acquired 19 cases of various Goose Island and RedHook beers from T&C at a discounted price. The beer was divided up among the members present and Ryan reimbursed accordingly by each member who took some of the beer home.
Present: Paul Ellerkamp, Rocky Stoltz, Ryan Jilek and Jon Stika.
President Ellerkamp called the meeting to order at 6:30PM at Custom Data.
The group discussed a summer picnic and decided that the event would be held at Jilek’s on Saturday September 13 at 4:30PM. Ryan offered to grill beer-can chicken and the rest of the members would bring pot-luck items.
This month’s contribution from Town & Country Liquors was Bass Pale Ale brewed by the William Bass & Co. of England. The Bass Pale Ale had a very malty aroma and flavor up-front, hops in the middle, and a butterscotch-biscuit finish. It was copper-colored with good foam, but not as hoppy as typical of American-style Pale Ales.
Other beers brought to the meeting included; Summit Scandia Wit, Alaskan Summer Ale, Surly Brewing Co. CynicAle, Moosehead lager, and Hazed and Infused by the Boulder Beer Co.. The Summit Scandia Wit was very citrusy, malty and smooth. The Alaskan Summer Ale was a Kolsch-style ale that was very light and refreshing. The CynicAle was a very complex Belgian-style ale with many spicy and fruity flavors. The Moosehead lager was a slightly sweet slightly skunky lager. The Hazed and Infused had a huge hop aroma and flavor but low hop bitterness. It was a bit hazy as it has wheat malt as part of the grain bill. A very good and unique beer.
Ryan brought up a couple brewing techniques for discussion. The first was the idea of conducting a short boil instead of a typical hour-plus boil when all-grain brewing to shorten-up the brew day. The group discussed possible reduced hop utilization (isomerization) and resulting bitterness, as well as the possibility of limiting the time for volatile compounds such as acetaldehyde, etc. to be purged during the boil. It was decided that hop bitterness could be compensated for with a late malt addition or a greater hop charge and that the yeast could clean-up some of the undesirable flavor compounds during the secondary fermentation and conditioning period.
Ryan also brought up the idea of mashing with a full amount of both mash and sparge water instead of adding sparge water after the mash. Discussion revolved around the fact that the mash would be relatively thin and favor more complete breakdown of carbohydrates because the concentration of sugars during conversion is low in the dilute mash and thus does not inhibit enzyme activity. This could result in a drier beer with less body than desirable.
July 24, 2008Meeting of the Heart River Homebrewers
Present: Paul Ellerkamp, Rocky Stoltz, Dale Sattler, Jon Stika and Tanner Stika.Meeting held at Custom Data.
President Ellerkamp called the meeting to order at 6:30PM.The group briefly discussed a summer picnic.No motion was made but a group consensus indicated September would be a preferred time to have the picnic.
This month’s contributions from Town & Country Liquors were two Sam Adams Long Shot beers; Grape Pale Ale and Weizenbock.The Grape Pale Ale was interesting, with a slightly sweet green grape finish, but not as hoppy as a typical Pale Ale.The Weizenbockwas very good and smooth and very true to style with dark color and a slightly spicy, licorice finish.
Rocky brought a beer he brewed with a Big Ben Pale Ale kit from Midwest Brewing.The beer was very good and balanced with a malty finish but was more characteristic of an English Mild than a Pale Ale for lack of hoppiness.Rocky also brought some Nut Brown Ale brewed by South Shore Brewery of Ashland, Wisconsin.The beer was very smooth with a nice dry hazelnut finish.
Paul brought his Liquid Bread which was an attempt at cloning Fat Tire.The beer was fermented with two different yeast (New Belgium Brewing yeast and a Belgian Abbey Ale yeast).The beer was closest to a Brown Ale in style and found to be very drinkable.Paul also brought some Brutal Bitter brewed by Rogue Brewing Co.The Brutal Bitter was an excellent beer and true to the Bitter style.
Ryan brought some Sweetgrass IPA brewed by the Grand Teton Brewing Co.The beer was a good IPA, but the sweetgrass flavor and aroma was difficult to detect in such a big beer.
Dale brought some rhubarb/apple wine which was slightly sweet with excellent color and flavor.
HRHB meeting minutes – May 22, 2008 Custom Data Dickinson, ND
Present: Paul Ellerkamp, Dale Sattler, Dennis Froemke, Ryan Jilek, Rocky Stoltz (at 9PM) and Jon Stika.
President Ellerkamp called the meeting to order at 7:40PM.Motion to change the starting time of regular monthly meetings from 7:30PM to 6:30PM that was tabled at the last meeting was discussed.Sattler called for a vote on the motion and the motion passed.Starting with the June 2008 meeting, the regularly scheduled monthly meeting will begin at 6:30PM.
Beer of the month from Town & Country Liquors – Rogue Mocha Porter.Following is the evaluation: Malty-roasty aroma.Flavor was complex with sweetness up front, good hop flavor in the middle, with a slightly dry cocoa/coffee finish.A very late hop flavor, but not as hoppy or dry as a Stout.Nice head formation and retention.
Ellerkamp reported that the lagering box built by Stika from plywood and an old water cooler from Jilek had stopped running and was most likely beyond repair.Jilek suggested that the insulated box could be connected to an existing refrigerator to cool it and it could still be used for the intended purpose.
The summer picnic was briefly discussed but no action taken.
The idea of a requirement for membership in the HRHB club was brought up by Jilek and briefly discussed by the group. Jilek suggested that to be considered a member in good standing, each member should be required to brew a batch of beer or wine at least once a year, and share it with the membership present at a regularly scheduled meeting. No motion was made on this topic.
Stika brought some Avery White Rascal Belgian Wit beer.Ellerkamp brought some; Hoegaarden Wit, homebrewed Grand Cru and Belgian Wit (Patersbier kit) and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine.Sattler brought some chokecherry wine.
The Avery White Rascal was very yeasty and spicy and generally not well received by the group.The Hoegaarden Wit was excellent.The Grand Cru was only slightly carbonated as it had not had much time to condition but was otherwise judged to be very good and would be even better once carbonation and conditioning is complete.The Patersbier Belgian Wit was good but had a very pronounced butterscotch (diacetyl) flavor.The diacetyl was not offensive, but more pronounced than typical for the style.Ellerkamp reported he had problems with the yeast initiating fermentation and it was theorized that perhaps the yeast finished weakly and did not appreciably reduce the diacetyl in the secondary fermentation.The Bigfoot Barleywine was a VERY INTENSE beer.Huge malt, hops and alcohol flavors were almost overpowering.Definitely a beer that must be sipped!The chokecherry wine had excellent color, body, and flavor and was well balanced between sweet and dry.
Jilek suggested a flyer of our beer-of-the-month evaluation could be published and provided to Town & Country to promote their beers. No formal action was taken on this issue.
Motion by Jilek seconded by Stika to adjourn.Motion passed, meeting adjourned.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Heart River Home Brewers will be on June 26, 2008 at 6:30PM at Custom Data.
Present at the April 24, 2008 meeting were; Ryan Jilek, Todd Solem, Rocky Stoltz, Dale Sattler*, Dennis Froemke and Jon Stika.In the absence of President Ellerkamp, Vice President Jilek called the meeting to order at 7:30PM.*Dale Sattler is a new member recruited by Paul Ellerkamp.
Ryan informed the group that he had made an arrangement with Town & Country Liquors of Dickinson that T&CL would provide the club with a different beer for evaluation each month, and that the club would agree to post the evaluation on the club website.The beer provided by Town & Country Liquors for this meeting was McEwan’s Scotch Ale brewed by Scottish Courage Ltd. of Edinburgh, Scotland.Evaluation of the beer found it to be sweet with a very strong malt aroma described as “a baked biscuit covered in malt syrup”.The flavor was described as “drinking chocolate cake” with a distinct alcohol flavor in the profile.The beer had excellent head retention, Brussels lace on the side of the glass and was a deep brown in color.
Rocky brought some of his Coffee Stout which had a very good coffee aroma and flavor with a slightly dry finish…overall a nice example for the style.Jon brought Boulevard Pale Ale, Stone Mill Pale Ale and some of his own Pale Ale.The Stone Mill Pale Ale was judged better by virtue of maltiness and smoothness than the Boulevard Pale Ale.Jon’s Pale Ale was judged to be smooth with a citrusy hop aroma and a medium malt finish.Todd brought a wine he made from locally grown Concord grapes.The wine was light in color with a slight astringency and some acetic acid detected by Dale.Dale brought some Dandelion wine that included some lemon.The wine was very light in color with an excellent flavor and balance.
Dale mentioned that Dave Walter was interested in becoming a member of the club.Dave formerly operated a homebrew supply business in Dickinson.
Ryan mentioned that he had a plastic conical vessel of approximately 16 gallon capacity and a small refrigerator that he would be willing to sell.Ryan said the refrigerator would hold 3 or possibly 4 Cornelius kegs.
Motion made by Froemke, seconded by Stoltz that the club consider starting the monthly meetings at 6:30PM rather than 7:30PM.Solem asked that the motion be tabled until the next meeting at which the President was present before the motion would be voted upon.
Discussion took place regarding a deadline for Froemke to brew his first batch of beer.Though no motion was made on the subject it was generally agreed that he should have his first batch of beer brewed before November 2008.
Discussion also took place regarding the club developing a bank of brewing yeast.Ryan mentioned that he had experience preparing slants for the purpose of preserving yeast.
Ryan moved to adjourn, seconded by Solem.Meeting adjourned.
Present at the December 27, 2007 meeting held at Custom Data were Ryan Jilek and Jon Stika. Ryan and Jon sampled “Hop Ottin’ IPA from Anderson Valley Brewing Co. of Booneville, CA, “Firebrick” Vienna style lager from August Schell Brewing of New Ulm, MN, and Spaten German Lager from the Spaten brewery of Munich, Germany. The Hop Ottin’ IPA was indeed very hoppy and well made. The Firebrick was a good Vienna style lager slightly Americanized with a little more hoppiness than the traditional Vienna. Spaten lager was, as always, an awesome German lager. Other topics discussed were oxygenation of wort starters, fermentation and lagering methods and temperatures, brewery design, and the need to elect officers (President and Members at Large) at the January 2008 meeting. Please plan to attend the January meeting to vote for the elected positions coming due and/or to defend yourself from becoming elected to a position. Ryan suggested that we consider holding the next meeting at the new location of JD’s BBQ in Dickinson to sample the variety of beers he now has on tap (including Hoegaarden and Guinness). Ryan will investigate this further and offer a suggestion to the club before the next meeting. The next meeting of the Heart River Homebrewers is scheduled for January 24, 2008.
The Heart River Homebrewers met on November 29, 2007 at the home of President Jon Stika. Members Jeremy Jahner, Ryan Jilek, Paul Ellerkamp, Dennis Froemke, Rocky Stoltz, Todd Solem, and Jon Stika enjoyed pizza, wings, beef sticks, crab salad and many different kinds of beer and wine, both commercial and member produced. Rocky and Ryan brought a Fat Tire clones. Jeremy brought some Redhook Sunrye. Paul brought his own Hefe Weizen, IPA, Trippel, and Oktoberfest and several commercial beers from his beer-of-the-month stash. Todd brought crabapple-cranberry and grape wines. Dennis brought Guinness. Jon supplied some English Mild ale. The group watched the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys football game during the meeting. Special guest was Kyle Hartel who brought Miller Sharps NA. The next meeting is scheduled for December 29th at Custom Data.
Heart River Homebrewers is a club based in Dickinson, North Dakota dedicated to the art and science of beer and wine making and their enjoyment in moderation to promote health and happiness.
