LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Here’s yet another newsletter full of things that interest you, the Palm Beach Draughtsmen. We have a little recap on the Sunshine Challenge, a plea to get Florida out of "Beer Hell", some more Hurricane Blow-Off winning recipes, and of course a selection of humor. (We could really use more Beer or Brewing related jokes)

We are coming into summer which means a few things, brew a lot now before the dead of summer ruins your fermentation. If you were thinking of buying a refrigerator for fermenting and/or storing in, do it now so you get the most use out of it now during the summer. And this is about your last chance to prepare for Oktoberfest.

There are a few things coming up that do not have confirmed dates and/or details. A Pub Crawl is in the works for July, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Cool Brewing

Jamie

Editor--------Jamie Latimer

Co-Editor---Patti Latimer

5332 Courtney Circle

Boynton Beach, FL 33437

Reporters---You-Our members

To write articles or send

comments, please forward to the

above address, fax to (561)392-4090

or (preferably) E-mail to

For club information contact:

dALE Howell 790-1856

Let me tell ya, if you missed the Sunshine Challenge this year don’t miss it next! Michael Jacksons’ speech was great! He spoke of how he had started down the road of beer guru when he was still a teen. His first beer was a half-pint of mild (because it was cheaper) and his first articles on beer were "This is Your Pub"-a series on the regulars and publicans of various local hangouts. Over all he seemed quite a normal guy, who had happened to find a job he loved to do early on in his life.

After the seminar a group of the Draughtsmen took a mini-crawl to The Cricketers Arms- a very nice pub located down the street. They had a nice selection of hand pulled drafts including Fullers ESB, McEwans Export Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale and Ron Reikes’ Old Thumper. They also had a Breathalyzer machine that we all had to take a turn at – we all came to the conclusion that it wasn’t very accurate.

The next point on the journey was the dinner and band. The food was good and plentiful. Prime rib, Lobster Newburg, and Chicken along with a variety of sweets made for a lot of belt loosening after the meal. The band "Barlywine" was also very good . They got better as the night went on and they got loosened up. (we also were a little looser-though not as much as the blond Czecks.) Fortunately the band did not get flooded out when the sprinklers went on behind them-can’t always think of everything. When the band had finished for the night a few of the Draughtsmen-you know who you are- serenaded the crowd with TV theme songs. They finally came and told us to go home so we all went off to our respective beds-some with unlikely bed partners (again you know who you are)- for some well deserved rest.

Since moving to Florida a bit over four years ago, I’ve heard our fair state referred to in terms of beer as being a "desert", or even worse, a "beer-hell". Being a relative newcomer, I wasn’t sure why people felt that way, and if they were correct, I was curious to explore what factors were responsible for bringing about and perpetuating this condition. After all, we have several pubs with a good beer selection within a half-hour of West Palm, and there are several microbreweries in the state producing good beer. So what would cause people to feel that we live in a beer desert ? Is it the relative scarcity of brewpubs ? The ancient bottle law that our "friends" at Anheiser-Busch were able to get passed through the legislature in 1955 ? Or was it that microbrews did not lend themselves to the frosted mug/ziplock baggy (full-o-ice cubes in the pitcher) producing 33 degree beer that many enjoy ? Maybe it is a combination of the above that has created the perception amongst many that we lack beer-wise, compared to the rest of the country, but an experience I had a few Saturdays ago added another, and maybe the most significant factor, to the explanation.

I was at a local watering hole well-known for having one of the best beer selections in town. The establishment opened almost two years ago with 40 taps, each devoted to a different beer. Their selection consisted of mostly micros with a healthy amount of imports. No Bud/Miller/Coors could be found on tap, a beer enthusiasts kind of place! It was the depressing news our waitress gave us about the status of their beer selection that started me thinking about the state of beer in Florida.

Variety is slowly being cut back at this place. Several months back, they cut back from 40 to 25 taps. Not great news, but considering that no one knew how much "beer diversity" the community would support, maybe 25 taps was a more realistic number. After all, 25 taps is still a respectable number of taps. Unfortunately, there is more bad news to report. Five of the remaining 25 taps will be switched to the domestic "biggies", meaning that Coors, Bud, Lite and the like will now be replacing several micro selections, (two each from Redhook and Hurricane Reef ) and Double Diamond. Not only that, the waitress also told me that they were selling more bottles of Bud/Miller/Coors than several of the micros or imports. In other words, more people were ordering a relatively high proportion of beer that they could get anywhere else, in a place known to have a great beer selection.

I do not fault this place for changing some of their taps to the big domestic brews, nor do I fault anyone who likes Bud/Miller/Coors for consuming what they like. What this does say, is that those of us who have always complained about the lack of selection are not supporting very well, one of the few places in the area that has tried to provide a good amount of variety to the public. It is a very simple principle, "do not drink it, and it will go away", and that is what is happening to the variety at this place! I hope that bothers those of us that enjoy having a place to go with something besides what the "big three" put out, because if we don’t support the few places offering variety, most of that variety will not stay around very long!

So is this a beer "desert" ? I’m not convinced of that, and there are many positives we can point to in refuting this label. On the other hand, if this is beer "hell", then maybe we are the biggest reason that this is so, and we, acting as the "demons" in this beer "hell" have no right complaining!

Any kind soul out there have a pressure cooker that I could borrow for 6/14/98 (two Sundays from this one) ? I'm gonna try cooking the first runnings in place of a decoction and want to make sure it "works" before I run out and buy one for myself.

If anyone would like to watch this probable fiasco-in-the-making, come on

over ! (let me know if you need directions)

thanks in advance !

Andy

Gold Medal Mild/Brown/Scotch Ales

1998 Hurricane Blowoff

Ingredients for 5 U.S. gal

6.6 lb. Northwestern Gold Malt Extract

1 lb. Pale Malt

.5 lb. Black Malt

2 lb. Special Roasted Malt

.25 lb. Cara Malt

2 oz Mt.Hood hop pellets,4% alpha acid (60 min)

1 oz Cascade hop pellets,4% alpha acid (5 min)

Wyeast American Ale yeast

3/4 cup Dextrose (to prime)

Original specific gravity 1.052

Final specific gravity 1.018

Boiling time: 60 min

Primary fermentation: 15 days

Mash grains for 60 min. At 155 degrees F

Gold Medal English Pale Ales

1998 Hurricane Blowoff

Ingredients for 5 U.S. gal

11 lb. English Pale Malt

.75 lb. Crystal Malt (60 Lv)

.5 lb. Cara Pils Malt

.5 lb. Flaked Rye

1 oz Columbus hop pellets,12.4% alpha acid (60 min)

1 oz Kent Goldings hop pellets,4.3% alpha acid (30 min)

1 oz Kent Goldings hop pellets,4.3% alpha acid (10 min)

1 oz Kent Goldings hop pellets,4.3% alpha acid (1 min)

1 oz Willamette whole hop, 4% alpha acid (Dry)

Wyeast #1318 London Ale 3 yeast

Original Specific gravity: 1.058

Final Specific gravity: 1.012

Boiling time: 90 min

Primary fermentation: 8 days at 68 degrees F in glass

Secondary fermentation: 15 days at 68 degrees F in glass

Mash grains for 90 min. At 154 degrees F

Gold Medal American Ales

1998 Hurricane Blowoff

Ingredients for 5 U.S. gal

10 lb. Pale Malt

.5 lb. Cara Helles Malt

2 oz Crystal Malt (60 Lv)

.25 lb. Flaked Rye

.50 lb. Wheat Malt

.75 oz Columbus hop pellets,12.4% alpha acid (60 min)

.50 oz Cascade hop pellets,6.1% alpha acid (30 min)

.50 oz Cascade hop pellets,6.1% alpha acid (10 min)

1 oz Cascade leaf hops,6% alpha acid (2 min)

1 oz Cascade leaf hops,6% alpha acid (Dry)

Wyeast #1056

Original Specific gravity: 1.060

Final Specific gravity: 1.008

Boiling time: 90 min

Primary fermentation: 10 days at 68 degrees F in glass

Secondary fermentation: 18 days at 64 degrees F in glass

A CALL TO ARMS submitted by Mel Thompson

A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo, and

when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the

back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the

herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole

keeps improving by the regular culling of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can operate only as fast as the

slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, we all know, kills

off brain cells, but naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest

brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer

eliminates the weaker cells, constantly making the brain a faster and

more efficient machine. The results of this in-depth epidemiological

study verifies and validates the causal link between all-weekend

parties and performance. It also explains why, after a few short

years of leaving school and getting married, most Professionals

cannot keep up with the performance of the new graduates. Only those

few that stick to the strict regimen of voracious alcoholic

consumption can maintain the intellectual levels that they achieved

during their school years.

So, this is a call to arms. As our country is losing its

technological edge we should not shudder in our homes.

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