Fellow Homebrewers and Beer Lovers,
2019 has arrived, and things are looking great for the OVHA! I would like to thank Josh Wuertz, our 2018 president, for leading us through an exciting year of homebrewing!
I couldn’t be more excited to step into the role of president, during such a diverse era in beer and brewing. I began homebrewing in 2012, immediately after attending Chris Norrick’s inaugural homebrewing class at USI. Thanks to my brother for encouraging me to join him for it! Homebrewing sparked a fire inside of me that I had never known before. As I know many others have as well, I found myself daydreaming about my next recipe idea. Everywhere I went, I would see an item and think “how could I use that in homebrewing?” It is the greatest hobby in the world, because you brew to drink beer- and you drink beer to brew more!
In addition to my passion for brewing, I cannot put into words how dear this club and all of it’s members are to me. I have made many of great friends over the years, and how could a brewer not?? We all love the same thing! With that being said, I would like to extend the same generosity that has been offered to me so many times by past presidents, and familiar members alike: If you find yourself in a pinch needing an ounce of hops on a Sunday, or a few pounds of grain, etc.- please feel free to call me! It would be an honor to pay it forward.
Ok, enough of the sappy stuff.. Our 2019 board is truly an All-Star lineup, including FOUR past presidents! Yet another reason I’m ecstatic for the year ahead. We met right away in the new year to map out a great year for our club. Our initial meeting was very productive, and led to a few exciting announcements for the club.
#1: The total amount of half-pot money at each meeting will be split, and half of that will be awarded to the winner of the drawing (as usual). Any excess after paying our rent with the other half will be used to purchase new door prizes! (Remainder was previously put back into the club account.)
#2: Any OVHA entry in the 2019 Brewer’s Cup that places (1st-3rd), the club will reimburse that brewer for the entry fee.
#2 is an effort to support my vision for 2019: ENTER HOMEBREW COMPETIONS!! Let’s make a run for Club of the Year at Brewer’s Cup! Equally important, and even easier: ENTER Big Turkey!! It’s free, and it only requires 2 bottles of your homebrew. I will speak more on this topic at the January meeting. The board nominated 6 BJCP categories for Big Turkey, which the club as a whole will vote on 2 for the final selections. Those 6 are:
#6 Amber Malty European Lager
#10 German Wheat Beer
#16 Dark British Beer
#21 IPA
#24 Belgian Ale
#27 Historical Beer
Our first event of 2019 will be the annual club Barrel Brew. This is slated for sometime in April, and Aaron Royer and I will be heading this up, and Josh Wuertz will be acquiring a used barrel for us. Style/Barrel TBA announced soon.
In place of the usual Tech Topic for January, I will vocalize the vision for the club in 2019, in addition to voting on the Big Turkey Categories. I look forward to seeing you all there!
Cheers!
John
