April 4-6, 2014
5th Annual Talkeetna Beer Trippin' - Talkeetna, Alaska
This is a loosely organized series of events which show cases Denali Brewing Company and other establishments in Talkeetna and homebrewing.
Below is a tentative schedule of events:
Friday, April 4:
7:00 p.m. - Beer Dinner at the Twister Creek Restaurant - A multi-course meal featuring Denali Brewing Beer. Last year's Golden Carboy winning beer, Aaron Christ's Munich Lager, was brewed up by Denali Brewing and will be tapped for the first time during the dinner. Space is limited call (907) 773-3537 to make reservations.
Saturday, April 5:
9:00 a.m. - Keg fill drop offs
Starting at 9:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the day one can drop off kegs at the Denali Brewing Company's tasting room to have them cleaned and filled for your trip home on Sunday or Monday. Growler orders can also be made at that time.
10:00 a.m. -Beer Bakin' at the Flying Squirrel Bakery Cafe
Learn about baking with beer with a class taught at the Flying Squirrel Bakery Cafe. One of the things they will be making is pretzels. There is a $5.00 material fees. This class is limited to 12 people so call (907) 733-6887 to reserve your spot.
11:00 a.m. -
Deadline for entries in the Golden Carboy Homebrew Contest
Entries should be turned in the the Denali Brewing Company's tasting room. Entries will be accepted starting at 9:00 a.m. This not a sanctioned homebrew competition. This is a mellow people's choice sort of affair without score sheets. Local Talkeetna residents and the brew crew at Denali Brewing will sample the beers and decide which beer they like the most. That beer will be declared the Best of Talkeetna Beer Trippin' 2013 and awarded the infamous Golden Carboy. That beer will be brewed by Denali Brewing Company and served during the next Talkeetna Beer Trippin'.
1:00 p.m. - Beer and Pizza at Mountain High Pizza Pie
Again you pay for what you want in terms of pizza and beer. Denali Brewing will tap a few special beers for this event.
3:00-5:00 p.m. - Homebrew Taste and Share
A section of the Twister Creek Restaurant will be devoted to homebrewing and homebrewers. Bring your best homebrew to share with others. This event is open only to members of the Great Northern Brewers Club so be sure to bring your membership card. However, memberships can be purchased for $30.00.
5:30 p.m. - 2014 Golden Carboy Award
The winner of the 2014 Golden Carboy will be announced at the Twister Creek Restaurant.
9:30 p.m. Taping of the Cask
One of Denali Brewing's beers has been cask conditioned for this event. This beer will betapped at this time at the Fairview Innt.
10:00 p.m. - The Harrison B Band
Come and listen to The Harrison B Band at the Fairview Inn.
Sunday, April 6:
10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Keg fill pick ups
Pick up your growlers or kegs Denali Brewing's tasting room before heading home.
10:00 a.m. - Farewell Breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse
Again you pay for what you want. The Roadhouse's breakfasts are a great way to counteract possible over indulgences the night before. As a bit of the hair of the dog beer brewed by the homebrew class of the Northern Susitna Institute's Folk School will be available. All proceeds from the sale of this beer will go directly to the Northern Susitna Institute.
1:00 p.m. - Tour of Denali Brewing Company
Come and see the brewery behind all those wonderful beers you've been drinking all weekend long.
For additional information contact Boe Barnett at boebarnett@yahoo.com.
April 5, 2014
Beer & Swine Festival - Anchorage, Alaska
Location: Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company (717 West 3rd Avenue)
Times:
Pig Dash (5K race complete with "bacon stations") starts at 12:00 p.m.
Tastings (two sessions): 2:00-5:00 p.m. and 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Cost: Prior to March 15 the cost is one tickets for $40.00 and two for $70.00 (for addition ticket pricesthere is kind of a sliding scale so one should check the webpage given below for prices). After March 14 the single ticket price goes up to $45.00 but two for $70.00 still applies (I assume the cost of additional tickets will likewise go up). Tickets will be sold at the door (iif any remain) for $50.00 and two for $70.00.
Tasting tickets will be limited to 150 for each session.
Tickets for the tastings and Pig Dash registration may be purchased online at: https://www.greenstarinc.org/beer-swine-fest.php. Note that there will be no online tasting ticket sales the day of the event.
Description: With entry into the tasting sessions one receives a sample glass and fifteen, 2.5 oz. samples of beer/wine plusa large selection of gourmet hors d'oeuvers produced by local restaurants.
Event sponsors include: 49th State Brewing Company, Anchorage Brewing Company, Broken Tooth Brewing, Denali Brewing Company, Kenai River Brewing Company, King Stret Brewing Company, Kodiak Island Brewing Company, Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company, Midnight Sun Brewing Company, Skinny Raven Sports, Odom Corporation, Lynden Transport, Midnight Sun Environmental, Architects Alaska, Specialty Imports, Bear Creek Winery and Lodging, Spenard Roadhouse, Fire Island Rustic Bakery, Alyssa McNees, Ak Starfish, La Bodega Store, Katie Sevigny Art, Great Harvest Bread Company, and Value Liquor.
All proceeds go to Green Star Inc.
According to their webpage: Green Star is a non-profit organization, based in Anchorage, Alaska, that encourages businesses to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention through education, technical assistance, and an award-winning voluntary "green business" certification program.
April 12, 2014
Snow Goose Breakup Homebrew Competition - Anchorage, Alaska
This is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition.
The styles for this year's competition will be limited to the following categories: Category 4 - Dark Lager (A. American Dark Lager, B. Munich Dunker, C. Schwarzbier); Category 7 - Amber Hybrid Beer (A. Northern German Altbier, B. California Common, C. Düsseldorf Altbier); Category 8 - English Pale Ale (A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter, B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter, C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter [English Pale Ale]); Category 12 - Porter (A. Brown Porterr, B. Robust Porter, C. Baltic Porter]); Category 16 - Belgian and French Ale (A. Witbier; B. Belgian Pale Ale; C. Saison; D. Bière de Garde; E. Belgian Specialty Ale; Category 21 - Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer (A. Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer; B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer).
In addition to the above BJCP categories there is also the Brewer's Challenge. This year's Brewer'sCchallenge is the summer Shanty.
Okay to Europeans a Shanty is a German wheat beer to which clear lemon-lime soda has been added. However, the American version of this beverage can use any kind of citrus juice. When entering the summer shanty category one most declare which style is being entered. If entering the American style the type of citrus juice must also be specified.
Beers entered in the five traditional categoriesare eligible for Best of Show. The summer shanty, however, is not.
One of the winning beers will be brewed commerically at Snow Goose and served on their deck this summer. The "Brewers Choice" award may not necessarily go to the overall Best of Show winner. This award will determined by the head brewer of Snowy Goose along with the Best of Show judging panel based upon the ease at which the recipe may be scaled up, turnaround time etc.
Entry Fee: There is not
a monetary entry fee. A recipe for each entry is required along with the appropriate forms completed.
Number of bottles required: Three 10-16 oz. bottles
Entries should be dropped off at:
Sleeping Lady Brewing Company
717 West 3rd Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
(907) 277-7716
Entry Deadline: Entries may be dropped
off at the Snow Goose basement on Friday, April 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Judging: Will take place on Saturday,
April 12 starting at 10:00 a.m. at the basement of the Snow Goose Restaurant.
For more information contact Dan Bosch at (907) 344-2335.
May 3, 2014
Zymurgist Borealis National Homebrew Day/Big Brew Celebration - Fairbanks,
Alaska
The Zymurgist Borealis Homebrew Club will meet on
Saturday, May 3 starting at about noon off of Chena Pump Road at the Chena Pump Campgrounds.
Come and join us in our celebration of National Homebrew
Day in which we commemorate the legalization of homebrewing.
There will be a a potluck and, of course, homebrew/mead to share and sample.
The meeting will
take place rain or snow or shine.
...and now for a bit of history. The Cranston Bill (introduced by Senator Alan Cranston of California) legalized homebrewing on the federal level by calling for an exemption from taxation of beer brewed at home for personal or family use. H.R. 1337, which included the Cranston Bill, was signed on October 14, 1978 by President"Jimmy" Carter. The tax exemption and, therefore, the legalization of homebrewing went into effect on February 1, 1979.
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Shown above is a view of the campgrounds seen from Chena Pump Road (coming from the Geist Road).We usually meet at the shelter shown on the right.
The coordinates of the shelter we meet at are about: 64.795° N, 147.953° W. |
For more information contact Scott
Stihler at stihlerunits@mosquitobytes.com or (907) 474-2138.
July 12, 2014
Golden Days Beer Fest - Fox, Alaska
Location: Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company's Beer Garden (2195 Old Steese Highway)
Time: 3:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Cost: The cost is $20.00 which gets you a total of 10 samples and a tasting
glass. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Silver Gulch's retail store or at the gate on July 12.
Description: There will be over 150 beers available for sampling. Note that multiple tickets may be required to sample some of the rare or harder to find beers. Food will be available to purchase.
For more information contact Silver Gulch at (907) 452-2739.
The above information is as of 02/22/2014. The date and time are not likely to change though some of the other details may change a bit.
July 19, 2014
E.T. Barnette Homebrew Competition - Fox, Alaska
This is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition.
The Grand Prize for Best of Show is $500!
Prizes will also be awarded for 1st, 2nd
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Entry Fee: Please include a check
or money order for $5.00 per entry. Checks or money orders should be made
out to Scott Stihler.
Number of bottles required: Three 12-16 oz. brown or green bottles per entry. Crown topped bottles are preferred but flip-top (i.e. Grolsch type bottles) are okay. The bottles should be free of any ink, paint or labels. Entries
with labels will be disqualified and the corresponding entry fees will
be considered donations to the prize fund!
Entries will be accepted: June 23 to July 16, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. - No Exceptions!
Judging: Judging will take place
on Saturday, July 19th at the Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company
in Fox starting at about 10:00 a.m. The best entry from each of the
seven judged categories will be entered into the final round of judging
to determine the Best of Show.
The Judged Categories |
Bock - 5
A. Maibock/Helles Bock
B. Traditional Bock
C. Doppelbock
D. Eisbock
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English
Pale Ale - 8
A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale) |
American Ale - 10
A. American Pale Ale
B. American Amber Ale
C. American Brown Ale |
Porter - 12
A. Brown
Porter
B. Robust Porter
C. Baltic Porter
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Stout - 13
A. Dry Stout
B. Sweet Stout
C. Oatmeal Stout
D. Foreign Extra Stout
E. American Stout
F. Imperial Stout |
India
Pale Ale (IPA) - 14
A. English IPA
B. American IPA
C. Imperial IPA
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In the above table the numbers represent
the BJCP categories while the letters correspond to the subcategories.
The category names have been linked to the corresponding BJCP webpage
in which the respective categories are described.
Note that depending upon the number
of entries in each of the seven categories it may be necessary to consolidate
two underrepresented categories or subcategories into a single one.
Entry Shipping: Entries should be
shipped by FedEx, UPS etc. to the following address:
ETBHC
c/o Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company
2195 Old Steese Highway
Fox, Alaska 99712
(907) 452-2739 |
There is no mail delivery
to the above address! Items mailed to that address go to a post office
not frequented by the folks at Silver Gulch. Aside from the legalities
(or lack thereof) of sending entries via the U.S. Postal Service, doing
so more than likely will result in them not being picked up in time
for the competition. Please do NOT use the U.S. Mail for shipment of your
entries!!!
Shipping to Alaska is a bit more
expensive than doing so in the contiguous United States. To save yourself
some money you might wish to consider entering the competition with
a friend and sharing the shipping costs.
Please note that FedEx
Overnight Delivery and UPS Red to Alaska are NOT delivered the next day. Although
one pays for this service such packages are delivered in two business
days. Likewise, FedEx Second-day Delivery and UPS Blue to Alaska are really
delivered in three to five business days. Please keep this in mind when
shipping your entries.
Due to the large area
covered by the 99712 zip code* NONE of the private carriers (e.g. FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, DHL, Airbourne Express etc.) will ship to the brewery
via their ground based service. Please do NOT ship your entries
by ground based carriers. Although this service is less expensive, the
entries will likely not arrive at their intended destination until well after
the competition.
When packaging your entries please
be sure to use large amounts of
bubble wrap and other packing materials. An employee of FedEx
suggested that packages should be able to sustain a three-four foot fall
and remain intact. Although this may seem a bit excessive please note
should it become apparent that entries have broken in transit, some
shipping companies may not deliver your package; such packages would simply be thrown away.
We recommend placing each
bottle within a large zip-lock bag prior to bubble wrapping. We also recommend placing the paperwork and entry fees in a ziplock bag. If shipping multiple entries please place all of the paperwork at the top of the package to act as a sort of packing list. Lining
the shipping box with a garbage bag which is then sealed around all
of the entries, packing materials etc. is also not a bad idea. Taking such
precautions should ensure that the package still be delivered despite
any mishaps which may happen along the way.
I believe shipping via FedEx
tends to be a bit less expensive than UPS. However, one should be warned that FedEx has changed their alcohol shipping policy. All declared and undeclared alcohol shipments that break are treated as dangerous goods spills. The FedEx policy for alcohol shipping is such that only known shippers are allowed to do so.
If a package containing a homebrew entry were to break AND leak, the Dangerous Goods person at FedEx would be required by policy to contact their legal department.
Although with proper packaging one can guard against entry breakage and possible leaks things still can happen. Therefore, please use extreme caution should you choose to ship your homebrew entries via FedEx.
Entry Drop off: Entries may also
be dropped off at the Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company's retail store after 4:00 p.m. on week days and after 11:00 a.m. on weekends. Please
have the entries in six-pack carriers and/or boxes (i.e. make the entries
as self-contained as possible). Note that on the final day (i.e. July 16) entries are due by 5:30 p.m.
Entry/Bottle ID Forms: The Entry
and Bottle ID Forms may be printed from the links below. We recommend you use them, however, the standard
AHA/BJCP forms may also be used. If the AHA/BJCP forms are used please be sure to include your T-shirt size and e-mail address.
Since bottles have been known to break in transit we recommend putting
the Entry Form and your check or money order in a separate zip-lock bag. Also please
attach Bottle ID Forms to each of the three bottles per entry with rubber
bands (Please do NOT use tape or glue!). If the tape or glue is used to attached these forms to the bottles, the offending entry or entries may be disqualified and the entry fee considered a donation to the cause. Whether or not such an entry is disqualified depends upon the degree to which the tape and/or glue was used AND mood of the Registrar and Organizer at the time said entry or entries were checked in. Yes, these criteria are rather arbitrary. However, one can avoid this issue entirely by simply NOT taping or gluing the Bottle ID forms to the bottles.
Three bottles per entry are
required just in case there are sufficient entries to warrant multiple
flights during the initial round of judging. Also the additional bottles are added insurance against the loss of an entire entry due to breakage. Because of the logistics
involved unused bottles will not be returned. Sorry.
Please indicate on the Entry Form
which of Category and Subcategory to which you wish to entry your beer.
A complete listing of the BJCP style guidelines may be found at the
following URL: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php.
Note that one
MUST indicate the Classic Beer Style for
entries in the Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer category. Please indicate
the classic beer style in the space provided on the Entry Form and include
the category number and subcategory letter. For example, for a Honeydew Melon, Caraway and Fennel Seed Doppelbock the classic beer
style would be Category 5: Bock; Subcategory D: Doppelbock. If you do not indicate the classic beer style for Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Beer entries then beer styles will be randomly assigned to each of these entries!
Extra awards: In addition to the normal competition we have the Battered Bottle Cap Award for the most humorous beer name and the Globe Trotter Award for the farthest traveled entry. We also give out the Club Spirit Award which is to recognize and honor homebrew clubs which support our competition. Individuals who support the competition above and beyond the call of duty are also recognized. Three or more separate entrants specifying their respective
homebrew club will receive the Club Spirit Award. Individuals
with five or more entries and, therefore, have plenty of club
spirit all by themselves, will also receive this prestigious award. In 2009 we introduced The Order of the Bronze Hyphen. A hyphen as in what separates the words anal and retentive. This award is given to those entrants who show a high degree of attention to detail and legibility when filling out their paperwork. These entrants not only filled out the paperwork completely and legibly but they also took measures to prevent and contain breakages without being excessive.
A few FYI's for new entrants:
(1) This is pretty much an internet based competition. We will notify you of developments with respect to the competition via e-mail.
(2) We try to stay out of the way of the good folks at Silver Gulch as much as possible. We will come in on the evening/night of the final day in which entries are accepted (i.e. July 16) to check them in. Please use your tracking number to check on the status of the entry package. Please do NOT call Silver Gulch! If there are problems with the tracking, contact the shipping carrier your used (e.g. UPS). The good folks at Silver Gulch do not have time to go looking for your package. Please do not bother them.
(3) Please check your e-mail on Thursday, July 17. After checking in entries we send an e-mail to the entrants telling them that their entries arrived okay. If there is some sort of problem with an entry we will notify you at that time as well. Since we often do not finish checking in entries until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., the e-mails may not be sent out until the next morning. We generally send them out when we get back home but if we are particularly tired we may blow that off until the morning/afternoon (i.e. later in the day). If you do not hear from us sometime on Thursday then there may be some sort of problem and you should contact us ASAP.
If you do not have an e-mail account and there is some sort of problem we will call you some time on Thursday.
(4) We will notify the Best of Show winner with a phone call from the Silver Gulch shortly after the overall winner has been determined. We are generally finished with the judging between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. ADT (i.e. 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. EDT).
(5) A results webpage is constructed and generally posted on the Sunday following the competition. We will send out an e-mail notifying the entrants that the results are posted and provide a direct link to the results webpage. Please do not ask us for the results prior to this.
(6) On the Monday following the competition (i.e. July 21) a certified check for $500 will be mailed to the Best of Show winner via U.S.P.S. Express Mail.
(7) The entrants' prize packages and competition score sheets are generally mail out 2-3 weeks following the competition. An e-mail will be sent out to the entrants notifying them that the prize packages are on the way.
We
need experienced judges to help out with the judging on July 19!!!
If you'd like to judge or need more
information about the E.T. Barnett Homebrew Competition please contact
Scott Stihler at home - (907) 474-2138, work - (907) 474-5450 or stihlerunits@mosquitobytes.com.
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*
Note that I was curious as to exactly how large an area is covered by the 99712 zip code. I went online (http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/99712/zip-code-99712.asp) and found that the 99712 zip code encompasses about 3,530 sq. miles (9,144 sq. km). This is greater than the areas of the states of Delaware (2,489 sq. miles/6,446 sq. km) and Rhode Island (1,545 sq. miles/4,001 sq. km). In fact, it is over twice the area of Rhode Island. Hmmm...the area of the 99712 zip code turned out to be a bit larger than I had expected.
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Forms Needed for the
E.T. Barnette Homebrew Competition |
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E.T. Barnette's Competition Advise
(click the images to hear what he has to say) |
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Pictures and Summaries of Previous Events:
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Below
is a listing of beer-related events taking place in Alaska during 2014.
Upcoming events for which I have information are listed above and the
details are given there. The dates of several of the events listed below
may not be known at present (or at least not known to me). This information
will be updated when I have more details. Most events listed here are
annual events and although the exact dates may vary from year to year
the approximate dates are correct and can be used as a guide to the
remainder of the year as well as next year.
The
Following Events are for the Year 2014 |
January 17 & 18 |
Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival - Anchorage, Alaska |
February 1 |
Fur Rendezvous Homebrew Competition - Anchorage, Alaska |
February 9 - Apri1 13
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Study Course for the Beer Judge Certification Program Examination - Anchorage,
Alaska |
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April 22
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Taste of Alaska Beer Festival - Fairbanks, Alaska |
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May 17 |
The Culmination Beer Festival - Anchorage, AK |
May 23 & 24 |
Great Alaska Craft
Beer & Homebrew Festival - Haines, Alaska |
June 15-22 |
Solstice Beer Fest - Healy, Alaska |
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Early August |
Augtoberfest - Healy, Alaska |
August 9 |
Kenai Peninsula Beer Festival - Soldotna, Alaska |
Early-Mid-August |
Anchor Town Invitational Homebrew Competition - Anchorage, Alaska |
Mid-September |
Bodega-Fest - Anchorage, Alaska |
September 13 |
Capital Brewfest - Juneau, Alaska |
Late September |
Zymurgist
Borealis Septemberfest - Fairbanks, Alaska |
Late September |
Alaska Meadery Equinox Competition - Anchorage, Alaska |
Late September |
Talkeetna Beer Festival - Talkeetna, Alaska |
October 4 |
Great Alaska Beer
Train - On a train traveling from Anchorage- Portage-Anchorage, Alaska |
Early October
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Eagle River Brew Fest - Eagle River, Alaska |
Early October |
Oktoberfest and Home Brew Competition - Valdez, Alaska |
October 17 & 18 |
Mighty Matanuska Brewfest - Palmer, Alaska |
Late October
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Southeast Alaska Autumn Pour - Juneau., Alaska |
Mid-November |
Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance Beer and Wine Tasting - Seward, Alaska |
Early December |
Humpy's Big Fish Homebrew Competition - Anchorage, Alaska |
If you have any information regarding a beer related event that should be listed in this calendar please contact Scott Stihler at stihlerunits@mosquitobytes.com or (907) 474-2138.
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