Yesterday was the Winter Party hosted by Perrin! It was great to see old friends, make new friends, and share beers and chilis.

The perennial informal High Gravity beer competition (>8% ABV, brewed in 2023). After a run-off election due to a tie, Jason B won with his Double Decoction, Four-Hour Boil, American Barleywine. All of the entries were great!

For the second time, we included a chili cook-off with the party, which was a great success with seven distinct and amazing entries. After another run-off election to break a three-way tie, Aaron D won with his Classic Chili #1.

The annual officer elections also wrap up during the party. Congratulations to Aaron D on being re-elected to another term as President. Congratulations to Adrian S on being elected to join the Executive Leadership Committee as the new Director of Operations!

Here’s to another great year for the club with big events, brew days, experiments, education topics, and barrel transfers throughout the year. Cheers! 🍻

Next week at the monthly meeting is an experiment comparing different specialty grains in a stout recipe to see how they compare. Bring your tasting glasses and we will learn together what might make a positive improvement on our existing recipe collection.

Brewers of all levels are welcome to join any of the NBA meetings and events! Stop by to learn a little, taste some homebrews, and talk about our favorite fermented hobby. Reach out with any questions, otherwise feel free to just stop by. Cheers!

Happy New Year! 🎉

The NBA has big plans for 2024, so we are starting out big with a #TaproomTakeover at Falling Knife on Thu Jan 4 7-9pm, our annual Winter Party hosted by Perrin & Jules on Sat Jan 13 12-4pm, and the monthly meeting with a stout specialty grain experiment on Thu Jan 18 7-9pm at our home base of East Side Neighborhood Services in Northeast Minneapolis.

Did Santa bring you some new brewing equipment? Are you looking to improve your knowledge of beer and brewing? Now is a great time to join the club and chat with brewing-minded folks about this creative craft. Stop by any of the events or reach out to us to check it out. Brewers of all levels are welcome and everyone is encouraged to meet up — although the household membership dues are only $20 per year.

Cheers! 🍻

The monthly education topic next week will be more in the beer judging series, this time breaking into small groups to compare score sheets. Mystery beers will be provided so we can compare our notes and contrast the sensory notes that we pick up.

Come by East Side Neighborhood Services in Northeast Minneapolis on Thursday, December 21 7-9pm to partake! Cheers!

Thanks to all who participated in the Nordeast Brewers Alliance Homebrew Competition.

There were 199 entries judged.

Best of Show Winners  

Best of Show – Beer

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dan Acheson	Inspired By New Glarus	28C: Wild Specialty Beer	Urban Knaves of Grain
2nd	Troy Fenner	Princess Jasmine	2A: International Pale Lager	Motley Brue
3rd	Roy Ventullo	Your Dad’s Singel (Patersbier)	26A: Belgian Single	CRAZE [IA]

Winning Entries  

Table 1: Trappistish (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Roy Ventullo	Your Dad’s Singel (Patersbier)	26A: Belgian Single	CRAZE [IA]
2nd	Gerad Miller MHP	Biere Me	24C: Bière de Garde	Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists
3rd	Steven Powell	In Peace	26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale	Big Sioux Brewing Society

Table 2: Strong Belgian (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Cheyne Harvey MHP	Reversion To Mediocrity	25B: Saison	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	Dan Acheson MHP	New Fangled Saison	25B: Saison	Urban Knaves of Grain
3rd	Tom McGloine MHP	Une Grisette De Mineur	25B: Saison	Saratoga Thoroughbrews

Table 3: European Sour (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Tyler Bye	Sauternes “Lambic”	23D: Lambic	Nordeast Brewers Alliance
2nd	Todd Cogswell	Berliner	23A: Berliner Weisse	Tippecanoe Homebrewers Circle
3rd	Dominick Dufner	Calvaire	23B: Flanders Red Ale	STLBrewhogs

Table 4: Pale Malty Lager (12 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Troy Fenner	Princess Jasmine	2A: International Pale Lager	Motley Brue
2nd	Tyler Miller	Shout-Out To New Hope	2B: International Amber Lager	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd	Matthew White MHP	Someone Knows	2A: International Pale Lager	Seven City Brewers

Table 5: Amber Malty European Lager (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	David Scheil	Old Surveyor’s Marzen	6A: Märzen	CRAZE
2nd	Dave Matson	Where’s My Goat?	6C: Dunkels Bock	Minnesota Home Brewers Association
3rd	Chad Medford MHP	Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires	6B: Rauchbier	Red Earth Brewers

Table 6: International Bitter (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Timothy Wicklund MHP	Time To Dort It Up	5C: German Helles Exportbier	Keepers of Craft
2nd	Michael Mann Co-Brewer: Larry And Susan Kearney	Der Hund Kai	5D: German Pils	Plainfield Ale and Lager Enthusiasts (PALE)
3rd	Brandon Edwards	Czech’d Out	3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager	Keepers of Craft
HM	Dan Acheson MHP	Kiwi Juice ’23	LSX5: New Zealand Pilsner	Urban Knaves of Grain

Table 7: International Dark Lager (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Michael Mann	Mayhem	9A: Doppelbock	Plainfield Ale and Lager Enthusiasts (PALE)
2nd	Tyler Miller	AZ Dark Skies	2C: International Dark Lager	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd	Kevin Olson MHP	Temny	3D: Czech Dark Lager	ZZHops Homebrewing Club

Table 8: Pale British (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dirk Montgomery MHP	Angry Wet Hen	11C: Strong Bitter	Red Earth Brewers
2nd	Dominick Dufner	You Bitter? Yup, Bit Him Too.	11A: Ordinary Bitter	STLBrewhogs
3rd	Nick Stevens	Butcher’s Hook	11B: Best Bitter

Table 9: UK Ale (18 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dirk Montgomery MHP	Old Walking Stick	15C: Irish Extra Stout	Red Earth Brewers
2nd	Lawrence Bolton	Dark Mild	13A: Dark Mild	Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ)
3rd	Dirk Montgomery MHP	Jeff’s Not Heavy	17C: Wee Heavy	Red Earth Brewers

Table 10: Wheat (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ross Stuart	Dunkelweiss	10B: Dunkels Weissbier	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	Caleb Lee	Bachelor Party	1D: American Wheat Beer	Red Earth Brewers
3rd	Joseph Belevender MHP	Beer	24A: Witbier	Pontiac Brewing Tribe

Table 11: American Ale (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ross Stuart	Ella Blonde	18A: Blonde Ale	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	Nicholas Benoit	Cali Common	19B: California Common
3rd	Matt Hunsworth	Red Wolf Astronaut	19A: American Amber Ale	Brewers Anonymous

Table 12: American Light (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Matthew White MHP	Nite Lite	1A: American Light Lager	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Wayne Doucette	Lynn’s Lager	1B: American Lager	River City Brewers [MN]
3rd	Alex Williams Co-Brewer: Patrick Williams	Play The Hits	1C: Cream Ale	Big Easy Homebrewers
HM	Joseph Belevender MHP	Lager	1A: American Light Lager	Pontiac Brewing Tribe

Table 13: Fruit ‘n’ Sour (12 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dan Acheson MHP	Inspired By New Glarus	28C: Wild Specialty Beer	Urban Knaves of Grain
2nd	Dave Matson	Ceiling Art	28C: Wild Specialty Beer	Minnesota Home Brewers Association
3rd	Adrian Swanson	Blackcurrant Blend	28C: Wild Specialty Beer	Nordeast Brewers Alliance

Table 14: Spice, Herb, and Vegetable (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Willy Miley	Madmartigan	30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Motley Brue – Twin Cities Home Brew Club
2nd	Michael Beck MHP	Cassius’s Deception	30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU)
3rd	Jeremy Glowicki	Sleepy Hollow	30B: Autumn Seasonal Beer	Jordan Homebrewers

Table 15: American Porter and Stout (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Jeremy Beer	Imperial Stout	20C: Imperial Stout	Rum River Wort Hogs
2nd	Zach Auxier	Imperial Stout	20C: Imperial Stout	Nordeast Brewers Alliance
3rd	Michael Rensing MHP	Vinz Clortho	20A: American Porter	Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)

Table 16: Smoke ‘n’ Wood (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Cheyne Harvey MHP	Silenus, Meet Ogun	33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	Steven Powell	Smoked Helles	32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer	Big Sioux Brewing Society
3rd	Steven Powell Co-Brewer: Matt Meyers Marty Lund	BA Stout 2022	33A: Wood-Aged Beer	Big Sioux Brewing Society

Table 17: IPA (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Adrian Swanson	Idaho Sabro	21C: Hazy IPA	Nordeast Brewers Alliance
2nd	Gerad Miller MHP	Hazy Haze	21C: Hazy IPA	Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists
3rd	Patrick Moore	Citizens Untied IPA	21A: American IPA

Table 18: Specialty IPA (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Abel Pina	Nuclear Fallout	22A: Double IPA	Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union (SNAFU)
2nd	Zach Auxier	Black IPA	21B2: Black IPA	Nordeast Brewers Alliance
3rd	Caleb Lee	Nightgaze	21B2: Black IPA	Red Earth Brewers

We have a busy month with the #homebrewcompetition judging, a visit next week to Arbeiter Brewing for Taproom Takeover social hour, and more in the beer judging series at the monthly meeting later in the month.

Brewers of all levels are encouraged to meet up at any of the club events to say hello, share some homebrews, and talk about beer and brewing. See you there!

Get your entries registered today for the 2023 Nordeast Brewers Alliance Homebrew Competition! The competition is limited to the first 200 paid entries.

https://nbabrewcomp.com

Cheers! 🍻

To celebrate their new location and to hang out on a sunny October day, let’s grill and share homebrew at Beer Meister! A casual event with some brats, dogs, and sides. Please feel free to bring homebrew to share. Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/events/313478284751626

EDIT 10/18/2023

Tonight is the monthly meeting and there is a SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS. The education topic fell through, so we are going to pivot to visit Dangerous Man Brewing Co instead. Meet up at ESNS for the meeting and club business from 7pm to ~8pm and then we will head down a few blocks to have some pints.

Brewers of all levels are welcome to join any NBA events and meetings before becoming a member, so come hang out, share some homebrew (if you have it; there is always more than enough), and learn about this interesting beverage!

Cheers!

Some magic goes into turning honey into mead. That is the topic of this month’s education topic: mead making! All are welcome to join at East Side Neighborhood on Thu Oct 19 7-9pm to learn about this tasty beverage — along with some club business, of course.

What is a thiol and how does it affect your homebrew? Next week the education topic for the monthly meeting will discuss this topic with modern yeast and hop combinations. Expect to taste some wonderful examples and to learn some new techniques!

Swing by East Side Neighborhood Services on Thursday, September 21 from 7:00-9:00 PM to go over some club business and chat about the thiol topics. Brewers of all skill levels — aspirational to blue ribbon — are welcome to join!

See you there! Cheers!