<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Disclaimer: Sorry to those on the hist-brewing list that are offended by SCA
<BR>related stuff. This is a mass mailing to several lists.
<BR>
<BR>Howdy All! It's been quite on some of these lists for a while! I've got
<BR>some info to pass on to all of you who might be attending Gulf Wars next
<BR>month. I'll be teaching two classes that should interest novice and expert
<BR>alike. I gave the first one a trial run at Winterkingdom in Ansteorra last
<BR>month and it was met with smashing success!
<BR>
<BR>The first class is on hop varieties. Let me give you a run down: In the
<BR>first 45-60 minutes, we go through a discussion of the different factors that
<BR>effect a hop's bittering and flavor/aroma characteristics. This includes a
<BR>discussion of trends in these factors that make some hops used for one style
<BR>of beer verses another. (i.e. English type beers vs. German type beers,
<BR>ect...) There is also some technical stuff like hop utilization and how to
<BR>predict bitterness, but most of the discussion is centered around predicting
<BR>what _kind_ of effect different hops have. For the second half of the class
<BR>we put theory into practice. I have prepared a 10 gallon batch that I split
<BR>10 ways. Each sample was brewed following as close to the same procedure as
<BR>I could, but with a different hop! We taste these and discuss how they relate
<BR>to the theory discussed in the first hour.
<BR>
<BR>Sounds cool, no? Like I said, I learned alot by doing it myself! I didn't
<BR>have the level of appreciation myself till I went through the taste testing
<BR>with the other students!!! There were two or three non-brewers at the class
<BR>who just enjoyed the heck out of it too!
<BR>
<BR>There is a second class where we will do the same sort of discussion and
<BR>tasting session, only this time I have made a 10 gallon batch split 10 ways
<BR>with different yeasts!
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>These classes unfortunately won't make the brochure for Gulf due to a screwup
<BR>with the class-o-crat's office (This is the second year in a row they've
<BR>messed it up! I complained about it loudly). They say they'll herald it and
<BR>have it on postings around camp, but we all know how that goes.... So, I'm
<BR>putting out the word myself. Come one, come all! It should be a good time!
<BR>If you can't attend gulf, I'm tentatively planning on teaching the same
<BR>classes this year at Pennsic. (Hopefully _they_ can produce a class
<BR>schedule....)
<BR>
<BR>Ox
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