Octoberfest - Friday, October 17th at 7:00 pm Larry`s Brewing Supply

The
Press
October, 2008
Volume 38, Issue 10
Founded and Chartered August 18, 1971
News items and editorial comments in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Boeing Company
What’s Happening?
Octoberfest - Friday, October 17th at 7:00 pm Larry’s Brewing Supply
Table of Contents
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3
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15
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President’s Corner
October Membership Meeting - Oktoberfest
Trip Report – Hops and Brew School
Announcements
Miscellaneous
In Memory
Calendar Of Events
Executive Board
Mick Pegg
Mark Emiley
Mark Emiley
Mark Emiley
Mark Emiley
The Press is now available online at: http://www.bewbc.org/newsletter/pcurr.pdf
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President’s Corner…
Twas the 1st of October and all through the house grapes were fermenting disturbing the spouse. The fermentor's were
inoculated with the best of care in hopes that good yeasties would soon be there. The SO2 was measured and stirred
into fruit while visions of 90 point wines were a beaut. And Connie in her nightgown and me in my drawers had just
settled down to an evening of snores ---- Oh carboys and MLF and punch downs and PH, and titratable acidity metrics
yo TA. My acids too low and my brix is too high, my temperatures soaring the yeast it will die! With visions of Two Buck
Chuck stuck in my head, I awoke drenched in sweat, it was a dream, I'm in bed. - - - Sweet fermentation dreams to you.
Mick Pegg
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BEWBC October Membership Meeting:
Oktoberfest at Larry’s!
DIFFERENT DATE AND LOCATION
Friday, October 17th at 7:00 pm
Larry’s Brewing Supply
7405 South 212th Street Suite 103, Kent, WA 98032
Bring a potluck entrée, salad or dessert (no dips or chips, please!)
Homebrew very welcome!
Map: http://tinyurl.com/run7o
Once again, the Impaling Alers have invited us to join them in their Oktoberfest celebration at Larry’s Brewing
Supply. While there will not be a real meeting agenda, there will be food and brew aplenty! Bring some food and brew
and share with everyone there!
Location for October 2008 meeting:
Larry’s Brewing Supply
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Trip Report
Hop Union Hops and Brew School Notes
Hop Union recently held its 5th annual Hops and Brew School at their facility in Yakima, Washington. This event
draws in brewers from all over the country for two 2-day sessions of hops and brewing seminars as well as tours of hops
fields and processing facilities. I attended the conference on behalf of the Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Makers
Club. Over the course of the school, I compiled notes on the lectures and tours and will be consolidating them down to
focus on information useful at a homebrewing level. There will be a basic level of understanding of hops and brewing
assumed in the summaries.
General
The class is held at the end of August right as the hop harvesting season is getting underway. Early in the
summer Hop Union sends out invitations to the conference. The registration fee includes two days of seminars and
tours, breakfast snacks, lunches, dinners, and plenty of beer. It is a tremendous learning experience and a hell of a
bargain for the price.
Tours of Facilities
During the course of the class, students are taken on two main tours, the first being a tour around the Hop Union
grounds and the second being a tour hop fields and harvesting processing facilities.
On the tour around the Hop Union facility, you get a chance to see Hop Union receiving hops from around the
area (Oregon, Washington, and Idaho primarily). After the bundles of hops are taken off the trucks, they are arranged off
in lines where they are checked for moisture, samples are taken, bundles are labeled, and they are deemed “ready” to
move into cold storage.
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On the day that we were there, a relatively “wet” set of hops came in from Oregon. These hops were a concern
because they were more prone to spontaneous combustion than others. Hence, they were “quarantined” off to a group
in the warehouse. The warehouse fire that happened a while back happened right on that site. Three bundles of hops
were actually blown out through the roof and landed hundreds of yards away.
One thing I kept in mind during this process was how as homebrewers we make every effort to keep our hops as
cold as possible. Looking at how long the hops had to have been on the trucks and then how long they were sitting
outside, I’m a little less paranoid about leaving my hops in the car if I have to run another errand while out getting beer
ingredients. Sure, it is probably best not to get them worn, but after seeing everything else the hops have been through
in the whole harvesting process, worse things have happened.
After seeing their in-processing of hops, we then toured around the warehouses looking copious amounts of
hops. It was mindblowing to realize that the hops that they would get in only represent ~1% of all of the hops in the
country.
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We then toured through their lab where they conducted testing for all sorts of things like alpha acids, oils,
humulone levels, etc. We also got to see their “bar” which was a great place to hang out, have a beer, play some darts,
shoot some pool, and smoke a cigar afterwards.
We then looked through their palletizing machine. It begins with an area to load in the bales where they get torn
up. They then go into the hammer mill where they are pulverized. All of the bales get mixed together to help balance out
variations in alpha acids. The bits of hops are then forced into a pellet die where they become the “goat food” looking
things that we are familiar with. The pellets are then sent through a shaker and screens to get a nice consistent size
before they are fed into bags, weighed out, and then vacuum sealed. It was a huge piece of machinery all go get those
hops down to a manageable size.
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On the tour of the hop fields, we first visited an organic field. I think the first thing I noticed while we were there
was the sheer number of bugs flying around. After visiting the non-organic fields, the number of bugs present at the first
field was even more pronounced. I hate to say it but the sprays used to keep pests at bay really make a difference.
They have been looking into water spray/irrigation systems from above which help cut down pests as well. We didn’t
spend too long at this field but were told that instead of the normal harvests of a couple thousand pounds per acre, these
fields were getting as low as 400 lb/acre. That kind of a sacrifice in yield is tremendous and very difficult to maintain a
profit on. New Zealand is lucky not to have the pests that we do here! Hence that is where most of the organic hops of
the world come from.
I’ll jump ahead a bit and discuss the harvesting. So, hops are typically grown up a trellis, with four main vines
heading up from the crown. They will climb up 18 feet and produce the most and best hops up at the top. To harvest
them, first a machine works its way through the field cutting them off at the bottom. Think of a truck with chainsaws
sticking out from the front bumper. Once the chords and vines are hanging only from the top, the second team moves
into place. First there is a “pickup truck” with a very wide bed with high walls (10-12 feet). Right behind it is a second
harvester truck comes through, this time with “chainsaws” sticking out of a lift on the top. The pickup truck begins driving
through the field (driving basically into the vines so that they move over the top of the truck) with the harvester right
behind it such that as the harvester cuts the vines at the top, they fall and lay down into the bed of the pickup truck. The
vines start to pile up very quickly.
We toured two hop processing facilities (one medium sized and one large). They were pretty much the same
between the two so I will describe the basic process. The trucks with the hops in the back drive up to the harvesting
facility. People then get on top of the trucks and start attaching the vines to karabiners which carry the vines up a good
50 feet so they are hanging in the air.
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They then slowly move towards the processing machine which is best described as a “vertical food-processing
chainsaw.” The hops and leaves are stripped off of the hanging vines and fall through an array of sharp teeth and claws.
I think some additional stripping off of “vine arms” happens down below, but trust me, with everything flying
around, whirring, and tearing, the last thing you want to do is lean over to see something. They said that people regularly
lose fingers, hands, arms, and anything else dangly in there. Keep them in mind the next time you have a beer.
So, the machine then starts moving the hops, leaves, and stems through a series of belts and shakers aimed at
ending up with just cones leaving the facility on a conveyor belt. These belts carry the hops off to the drying facility
where they are heated up in massive beds for several hours.
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Talk about steamy and grassy, these rooms were like a sauna for hops. Over hours, the hops would reach
temperatures of 140-150F and dry out. Once they reached the desired moisture content, they would be taken to a facility
to cool, typically for 24 hours.
This step is important for helping reduce the incidence of spontaneous combustion. Once the hops had cooled
down, they would be loaded up into the baler which would drop in a hundred pounds of hops into a bale, pack it down,
drop another hundred pounds in and pack it down once more. Then two workers would seam up the bale and get it
ready to be sent off.
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Overall, an amazing process and a lot of effort spent bringing hops in so that we can make beer. Talking with
one of the farmer I learned that this last year was the first year in 15 years that they had made a profit on their hop fields.
Keep these guys in mind when you cringe about spending $3 an ounce. While the prices will come down, it needs to be
a price that can sustain our growers. That won’t be anywhere near what it previously was.
I think the other thing that blows my mind when thinking about the hop harvesting process is that this is just one
of the four ingredients of beer. Malting in another complicated process, all designed to deliver fermentables to our beer
and yeast management is another area where we could spend a day talking about the complexities of propagation. Even
water has its own intrigues. Then I think of wine making. Sure, they put a bunch of effort into growing their grapes, but
these farmers put just as much into their hops. Harvest grapes is much simpler than hops and then after you’ve
harvested, you are pretty much set to make wine.
So then next time that you brew a beer, take a second to think of all of the people and processes needed to bring
you the ingredients you have to make your perfect glass of beer. There is a lot of thought and sweat that went into it,
even before you got there!
Seminar Notes
While we weren’t looking around the facilities and enjoying a few hoppy brews, Hop Union kept us busy with
some great speakers. I’ll summarize a few of the discussions and highlight areas which are in particular of interest to
homebrewers.
Steve Dresler – Sierra Nevada – Open Panel Question and Answers
Steve Dresler, who has been with Sierra Nevada since 1983, hosted a general Q&A session with the goal to
stimulate conversation amongst all of the brewers present. First on the list of topics was their wet hop beer. Sierra
Nevada owns a hop field “Chico Estate” (I think they are expanding to 10 acres) which they use as a source for a special
wet hop beer (I think it is their Extra Special Pale). They are in the process of stepping up production on this beer from
3-5k barrels. They load it up with Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial (may be missing another hop or two). Throughout
the years, they have been surprising close to their numbers and have kept a pretty consistent product, despite the
variations that are likely to exist. Someone asked about changes with evaporation / wort absorption due to using wet
hops. Steve hadn’t noticed any changes though he agrees there was a finite difference for sure. Probably very small
compared to the larger evaporation rate factors. He also felt that wet hop beers held up just fine in the bottle. He did
mention that they didn’t bottle condition with their wet hop beers.
A question came up about contamination with using dry hops. Sierra Nevada has very good process control and
routinely checks for infection. They do notice some increases in wild yeast but typically by that point they are overrun by
the dominant strain. Someone else asked about how to avoid “grassy” flavors with wet or dry hop beers. Unfortunately,
no good answer besides to be ready to have it balanced by malts. He also talked about their Torpedo which they use for
use for some of their dry hopping. You can see the effects in their Torpedo Ale. In discussing ways to get hop flavors
into beer he felt that hop backs were a great way to get the floral notes of hops in particular. Responding to a question of
whether or not he would recommend leaving the hop back open or closed, he felt closed for sure to preserve aromatics
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and also reduce hot side oxygen pickup. He also said that they try to add dry hops with 1 degree Plato of fermentable
beer left to help reduce oxygen pickup. That way the yeast is still active to help with oxygen scavenging. Someone
asked if Sierra Nevada was looking into reusing hops (initially using hops for aroma and flavor, then using for bittering).
Steve thought it was a possibly great idea except for the mess and logistics involved.
Going back to the concept of hot side aeration, Sierra Nevada used to use deaerated water and would routinely
flush the grist mill with nitrogen. In general this is probably overkill for ales, but might be helpful for lagers. He
recommended focusing oxygen pickup reduction efforts on post-fermentation processes.
Steve also had some recent experience with Southern Hemisphere hops. In particular he commented that apart
from customs and logistics issues, he was very impressed with the quality of hops (in particular Southern Cross,
Montelupe (sp), and Pacific Hallertau). He felt that Montelupe was like Cascade with orange and enjoyed the spiciness
of Pacific Hallertau. In considering whether or not he felt they would be moving these into the US, he commented that
basically there was no motivation for New Zealand to do such a thing since they were essentially proprietary hops and
they’d like to keep them that way.
The concept of mash hopping came up as well and Tomme Arthur fielded the question. They have really had a
hard time quantifying it but it puts a nice spin on the flavor and rounds out the mouthfeel. Someone brought up sparge
water hopping and the main comment was that it does quite a number on your liquor tank with oils on the walls!
Probably not the worst thing for a homebrewer, but imagine having to get in that liquor tank and scrub that film down.
Sierra Nevada is also doing a lot with regards to energy sustainability. They produce their own electricity, natural
gas, and methane from waste water and products. Of interest, since they don’t always have a perfectly continuous week
cycle, on low times they dose yeast into their waste water processing plant to keep the gas production going. They have
a ton of solar panels for electricity production – they’ve covered their parking lot and a lot of their structures. They
naturally have a lot of heat recovery systems. Go check out their website for more details on their amazing green efforts.
They are getting to the point where they are off the power grid and sometimes have to “dial down” production. In
general, their efforts have paid for themselves very quickly.
Overall, this seminar was a great discussion and possibly the most informative of the conference.
Tomme Arthur – Pizza Port Brewing – Planting Hop Yard For Own Production
Tomme Arthur, who has been brewing with Pizza Port since 1997, talked about a recent effort they undertook
with a local farmer to plant and harvest a small hop field to support specialty beers for the brewery. They brew a wet hop
beer called High Tide Fresh Hop. They’ve brewed it for three years and have a production of about 240 bbl. They add
the hops post-kettle in a hop back (they actually use their mash ton but now have a dedicated 10 barrel hop back which
was an old mash tun). They use Centennial in the hop back and dry hop with Simcoe. They are hoping that they will
eventually get to a sustaining harvest with the field, but for this year, they are going to have to do a 1-off beer to
showcase the hops due to the very low yield (normally low in the beginning).
Focusing on the discussion with the farmer and wet hops beers, the main thing to keep in mind is that it requires
being in touch with the harvesting. In particular, the timing and size (mainly for mechanization) of the harvest is critical.
Tomme did a great job of covering some critical hop principles. Hops love early water but late water in the form
of rain is bad, mainly for mildew. Initially the main focus needs to be on developing the rootstock. Cut back the first
shoots early in the season (March-April) to encourage a full hearty vine growth later. Growth should peak in July for a
late summer harvest. You want the area to have good drainage and a supportive trellis site. Most trellises are 18” and if
possible you should use drip irrigation. Hops need sun, water, and a healthy soil with a pH between 6.5-8.0. Once hops
get going up the trellis, don’t be afraid to cut back the leaves on the bottom 3-4 feet to reduce mildew formation and
promote air circulation. It will be a matter of time before mites and aphids find their way to your vines. Ladybugs are a
great natural predator to combat them if you don’t want to spray.
You know that your hops are ready to harvest when they are light, dry, and springy to the touch (they should
bounce back when compressed). They will be slightly papery at this point. Most importantly, you’ll see plenty of lupulin
(yellow powder) at the base. It is recommended to harvest when it is dry and not windy outside.
A few more points. When your hops are growing up the vine, if the main shoot head breaks, that is it. The side
arms will not reach the potential that the main shoot would have. Consequently, take care of that head! Wind damage
can be a big problem. When planting hops, don’t be afraid to plant them just ½” under the soil. Planting them too deep
(several inches) will greatly reduce the chance that the plant will surface before it runs out of reserve energy. Instead of
trying to figure out which side is up, just lay it on its side and it’ll take care of itself.
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And just to summarize a bit more about hop production. Washington accounts for about 70-75% of the domestic
hop production with Oregon at 15-20% and Idaho sitting at around 10%. Overall, for the hops that come through Hop
Union, about 80% are pelletized and 20% are sold as whole hops. Once hops are dried, you can crank them down to
sub-freezing with no problems (not the best for non-dried hops). You may wonder why hops spontaneously combust.
The pressure on the oil is the main culprit. Myrcene has a flash point of 104F. Tack on some pressure with that and
you’ve got a pretty dangerous situation if it can’t vent.
Bryan Selders – Dogfish Head Brewing – Non-Traditional Ingredients
Bryan Selders gave a fun and informative discussion of the array of non-traditional ingredients that we can
experiment with in beers. He began with a discussion on the approaches to beers. You can approach beer production
either practically, technically, or with a combination of both. Bryan was very driven by an intensive technical approach
dramatically tempered with a shoot from the hip mentality. Kind of a bi-polar brewer, but not in a good way, more of a
great way.
Fruits
Fruits have fermentability concerns (add sugar) but also have the concern of volatiles being stripped by
fermentation. Additionally, their components can be dramatically affected by metabolic pathway transformations. Hence,
timing is key to get the desired effect. Typically, addition of fruit is best done late to avoid too much volatilization. But
what kind of fruit should you use? Fresh is great for the flavors, but contaminated with a plethora of microbes. But some
of the microbes could be fun… Purees are good but you still need to be concerned with sanitary transfer (yes, you
should sterilize your can). With fruits, you need to be concerned about pectins. They can affect your clarity (or for
people filtering, will bind your filter quickly). You can use pectinase to break them down, but despite claims that there are
no other enzymes mixed in, Bryan is skeptical. Other enzymes may bust up your dextrins. Furthermore, active enzymes
in beer is a recipe for poor shelf life. Finally, concentrates can offer quick flavors, but even these are not always
aseptically packaged and could be a batch spoiler sometimes. They are sometimes best used on the hot side of
brewhouse but that can be hard on the delicate flavors. If you have the ability, you could flash pasteurized. Additionally,
they can taste artificial. Bryan recommends using a mixture of real fruit and extract for a great flavor.
Herbs-Spices
Herbs and spices have similar monoterpenes that are in the aroma profile of dry hops which make them a natural
and complementary addition to many beers. When attempting to formulate a recipe using spices, you can find a
chemical assay of a spice online and compare it to that of hops (in particular, dry hop concentrations). This can provide
great clues as to how you should balance the spices. When using in the kettle, you want to remember that the
monoterpenes are extremely volatile, so minimizing the time in the boil is critical. Additionally, there can be a large
difference in hops when hot compared to cold. Think about toasted versus fresh coriander. Finally, spices are known for
interacting with yeast and oxygen. Consider dry-spicing.
Wood
A long time back, (well, maybe not too long) wood was historically required for the storage of cask beers. Oak
has always been the predominant wood which contributes notes of tea, vanilla, tobacco, dryness and astringency. Wood
contributes terpenes and tannic acids. When tannic acids mix with proteins, a haze forms which precipitates, leaving
beers nice and clear. When looking at woods other than oak for additions to beer, consider first the “aroma” woods.
They have chemical constituents similar to that of hops which makes them a natural blend. And in terms of looking for
barrels used by sister fermentation products, the sky is the limit – even hot sauce barrels…
Yeast
Yeast truly drives the flavor of beer. When trying to experiment with a new yeast or maybe something
“abnormal”, try fermenting with worts of 12 and 18 Plato and comparing the difference. The conditions under which yeast
ferment provide greatly different fermentation characteristics. Always keep in mind that yeast has the ability to adsorb
lots of flavor components and then fall out of solution. This can dramatically affect the influence you are trying to achieve
with yeast as well as other products.
Bryan left with a statement that really sums it up:
“If you are afraid to put it under your mouth or nose, you probably shouldn’t put it in your beer”
Jason Perraut – Select Botanicals – Hop Botany and Cultivation
Jason Perraut gave a great presentation which really covered all of the fundamentals of the hop plant, growing,
and efforts for developing new hop strains. This is going to be a massive data dump so enjoy the ride!
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In 2007, the hop market was valued at $163.3M and was a top 12 crop for Washington. Overall, the balance of
hop production in the United States was right around 77% from Washington, 16% from Oregon, and 7% from Idaho.
The hop plant is from the Cannabaceae family. The only other plant in that family besides humulus is cannabis.
Hops have 20 chromosomes, are dioecious (male and females), are fertilized via wind pollination and are indigenous to
the Northern Hemisphere (Europe, Asia, and North America). Males have no commercial value and are considered to be
a pest in hop fields as they increase seed count in cones. Hops are propagated in a genetically identical form through
cuttings, particularly of the root / rhizomes. They can also be propagated through softwood cuttings. If you are making a
rhizome cutting, you must cut between the “eyes” on the rhizome in order to get a new viable rhizome. They are annual
plants above ground and perennial plants underground. As vines, they climb clockwise around a supporting material
using phototrophism (reaction to light) and thigmotrophism (reaction to touch).
A typical field is planted 18’ high with a spacing of either 3.5’ x 14’ (for better access) or 7’ x 7’ between plants.
Either way, this gives 889 plants/acre. They typically climb up a twine trellis which is usually either a coconut husk or
paper material. It is best if the twine material is biodegradable so that when it is cut in the field it will soon be reabsorbed
into the soil. The twine is anchored into the soil and the vines will be trained onto the trellis. They can grow as much as
1 foot in a day, and up to 18-25’ in a season.
The cones contain lupulin glands which can constitute 20-30% of the dry weight of the cone. A single well-grown
hop plant can have about 5,000 cones.
There are a few primary stages of growth: dormancy, spring re-growth, vegetative growth, reproductive growth,
and preparation for dormancy. In March – May, new growth will begin to come through. These vines should be cut back
to encourage more vigorous growth later. During this time it is good to practice weed control and fertilize the soil as
necessary. Once the second wave of growth begins to come through, you can train three vines per string. The center
vines are typically the best.
In May-July you will see most of the vegetative growth (May-June: vines and leaves, July: lateral). The
internodal length is critical. If it is too long you end up with a long plant with a bushy top which is less than ideal for
balanced cone production and proper cone exposure. You can control growth rates with training, nutrients, and watering,
done in accordance with the weather. Throughout this time it is important to consider mildew and pest control as well,
spraying (if you choose to) as necessary.
Once a critical number of light hours is reached, flowering begins (typically 16 hours). This typically works out
best between the 40-50th parallels. At this point it is desired to have 20-25 nodes going up the plant (becomes a balance
of encouraging growth to get the right spacing). This typically comes at the end of July. Cone growth can amount to
50% of the hop vine dry matter. By the end of August through October, harvesting can begin, depending on the
conditions and variety of hops. There tends to be a correlation with alpha acid production and harvest dates. Hence, a
farm that plants all high alpha acid hops can have a huge workload problem all at one time.
Summarizing again the hop harvesting process, the hop vines are cut down and the cones are separated. They
are dried to about 10% moisture, a process that typically takes 8-12 hours. They are then cooled for 12-24 hours, baled,
and transported for cold storage.
Alpha acid development is typically correlated with light, soil, time, and water but the nuances of these
correlations is poorly known. It has been shown that there is a strong correlation to weather patterns, particularly in May.
It has also been shown that overkilling on Nitrogen additions has a negative effect on alpha acids so don’t just dump
fertilizer out there!
There are currently two forms of the hop market. There a market which purchases by the “alpha” and one that
purchases “per/lb”. There is a strong trend towards the alpha market.
In the field of noble hops, they are pushing for new varieties with similar character profiles but with better yield
and disease/pest resistance. Of note, Vanguard, Santiam, Palisade, and Glacier have come through with some higher
alpha acids and a good alpha to beta balance. From looking at the numbers, you can expect to see a lot of Palisade on
the market so it may be worth your while to see how you like the hop. Another new hop that will be coming soon is
“Citra” which is a Hallertau relative (nice and aromatic) but with a high alpha.
In general, when they are looking for new hop varieties, they are looking for the following things:
- High yielding, high alpha hops
- High yield aroma hops
- Pest and disease resistance
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-
Good storability
Good brew characteristics (low cohumulone, good oils)
Overall, this was probably the best speech in the way of making sure you understand hops. My only complaint is
that this it should have been the first speech of the school! (Understandably, working with the speaker’s schedules took
priority).
Ralph Olsen’s State of the Hop Market Address
In the afternoon of the first day, Ralph got up to talk about the hop market, where Hop Union fit in it, where it
came from, and where he saw things going. At this point, a few brewers were getting a bit tipsy so a lot of this “speech”
turned into a somewhat heated discussion about how Hop Union and the hop market “screwed” the craft brewers. In my
notes, I filtered out a lot of the individual complaints and gripes so this section may seem a bit thinner than my other
write-ups, but trust me a lot was said (but some of it wasn’t productive).
Ralph has been in the hop market for a long time (1978) working for several companies before he ended up
taking over what is now Hop Union. He covered the basic hop harvesting process (which I’m not going to repeat again)
and talked about how labor is one of the driving costs of hop harvesting. For Washington this can be a bit problematic
since we have one of the highest minimum wages in the country.
Ralph mentioned that an interesting observation about hops from Oregon is that they are typically more yellow.
This is due to less photosynthetic activity because on average there is more cloud cover in Oregon. Despite this, he
notices better aromas while having lower alpha acid content.
He discussed the importance of a rigorous inspection when hops arrive. In particular, monitoring moisture and
temperature is important for avoiding spontaneous combustion and the associated warehouse fires…
Around the world, there was a 9,000 acre increase in hop fields. Germany planted about 3,000 acres, China
planted 3,500, and England planted a whopping 100 (they only have a total of 2,400 right now). These new acres will not
necessarily all produce well, especially not too soon as it takes a few years to reach full production (66% may be normal
for first year, he may expect 40%). The primary limiting factor right now is how fast we can harvest. Hop season comes
around all at once and the hops need to be harvested at the right time. It becomes a careful balance of manning and
equipment management.
Ralph had a few points about things he saw coming up. He felt that Hercules would soon be replacing many
German noble hops. Overall, aroma hops are hurting (500-1,000 of the new acres planted were aroma). In general, he
saw a “tight supply” ahead, not a “short supply.”
A lot of this all deals back to where we were coming from. In the 1990’s we had 234,000 acres planted (leading
to a surplus). In 2007 we were down to 118,000 acres. Over the past decade we had been burning through the excess
hops (typically in the form of extract) and finally reached that bottom as the hop acreage reached a bottom as well. We
went from having 200+ growers down to 50-60. Farms were either going out of business or being bought up by other
farms.
Ralph had been hearing of some of the international big boys buying hops for $77-140 a pound. They had the
money, their Euros were worth more, and they wanted it. Rates for hops began becoming more and more correlated
with alpha acids. Since higher alpha acid hops typically have higher yields, it becomes very difficult for growers to justify
planting aroma hops because they simply can’t ask for the price they need to make an equivalent profit. One of the main
things that aroma hops have going for them is that they are harvested earlier which helps spread out the harvesting
schedule. Doing a simultaneous harvesting of high alpha acid hops also drives the need to dry/cool faster which leads to
harvesters trying to cut corners which may lead to conditions prone for spontaneous combustion. So possibly watch for
more news stories in the future!
So, overall with the planting and market rebalancing, in 1-2 years we should be back to having a manageable
surplus / reserve again. Ralph justified some of the initial panic with investment / risk management. He couldn’t promise
hops that he didn’t have and had to be conservative on hop estimates because harvests don’t always come in as high
and he can’t just tell his buyer that the harvest wasn’t enough. So after things all came in, there was flexibility to
rebalance, sell unexpected excesses, and retrade through the industry. Basically, things will level out this year and start
moving back into a better “steady-state” next year, but prices will never get back down to where they were. However,
after seeing and hearing how hard the farmers have had it, I believe we can all pay a bit more for the hard work they
doing.
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Announcements
Fourth Annual BEWBC Variant Brewing Competition:
How far can your brewing abilities take you in creating
the best-tasting brew?
Year 4: Process
We’d like to invite you to join in the Fourth Annual Variant Brew Competition and design the best-tasting beer
possible with a limited set of ingredients. Since we at Boeing are adept at making small improvements to our line of
aircraft, we should be able to do the same for our beers. In this contest, competitors will be given a kit of ingredients, all
of which must be used in the brew. The kits will include malt extract or base malt (brewer’s choice), specialty grains,
hops, yeast, priming sugar and bottle caps.
This year’s Variant focus will be on process. The participating brewers must brew the exact recipe given. No
additional variations may be added (besides water). It is up to their brewing techniques and processes to create the best
brew possible. This year we will also be doing a two-phase judging. First there will be a BJCP judging of the beers
assessing the technical and stylistic accuracy of the beer. Then there will be a “tasters favorite” vote at the Winter Social
where the attendees will taste all entries and vote for the beer that they enjoy the most, regardless of style or technical
merit. The brew with the highest average score will win the title of Supreme Variant Brew and the brewer will be dubbed
Supreme Variant Homebrewer (complete with trophy).
To
enter
the
competition,
please
register
online
at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PE0Cnt9SFWXCg3GYH0NcyQ_3d_3d or contact Mark Emiley (206-2511344 or markemiley @earthlink.net) to register and receive your ingredient kit. Requests must be made by September
30th (if you really want to participate you may contact me afterwards to see if we can get a kit ready). They will be
prepared and available for pickup at Larry’s Brewing Supply in Kent, WA. You will simply need to go to Larry’s request a
kit for the BEWBC Variant Competition, check your name off, and pay your fee. There is a $10 entry fee for extract kits
or a $5 entry fee for all-grain kits, payable to BEWBC.
This year’s base style will be an English Mild (BJCP Cat 11A)
Contest Rules
1. All ingredients provided in the ingredient kit must be used in accordance with the recipe.
2. Processing aids such as Irish moss, gelatin, and water treatments may be used.
3. The batch size is 5 gallons. The brewers must provide six brown, unmarked 12 oz bottles. Entries must be
dropped off at Larry’s brewing supply before 5:00 pm on the day before Winter Social or chilled bottles
can also be brought to the Winter Social but must arrive at the starting time of the social (you can come
up to 30 minutes early as people will be setting up). The bottles must be capped with caps provided in the
ingredient kit and should be labeled with an AHA/BJCP bottle ID (http://www.bjcp.org/SCP_BottleID.pdf).
4. There are no limitations on brewing techniques provided nothing else is added to the beer. The only limitation is
that the techniques used must accommodate the recipe.
5. Competitors must be registered BEWBC and BEEWBC members (family too). One entry per person.
Supplied Ingredients
(Core recipe based off of English Mild, BJCP Cat 11A)
5 lbs Light Malt Extract (Bulk Briess) or 6.5 lbs Gambrinus Pale Malt
0.5 lbs 60 L Briess Crystal Malt
0.375 lb 120 L Briess Crystal Malt
0.25 lb Pale Chocolate Malt
0.125 lb Black Patent Malt
1 oz EKG @ 4.0% AA – 60 minutes
¾ Cup Priming Sugar
60 Bottle Caps
1 Pack Dry Yeast
15
October Beer Events:
October 17th, 7:00-9:00, Oktoberfest, Larry’s Brewing Supply
2008 Variant Homebrew Competition
This year’s Variant Homebrewing Competition will be orchestrated around the Winter Social and will focus on process.
For those unfamiliar, the Variant Homebrewing Competition is an event which focuses on allowing changes around one
particular aspect of the beer to see how significantly different and tasty of beers we can come up with. Since we at
Boeing are adept at making small improvements to our line of aircraft, we should be able to do the same for our beers.
In this contest, competitors will be given a kit of ingredients, all of which must be used in the brew. The kits will include
malt extract or base malt (brewer’s choice), specialty grains, hops, yeast, priming sugar and bottle caps. This year,
everyone must brew the same exact recipe and the variable is your brewing process. How clean is your operation? How
vigorous is your boil? How do you add your hops? All of these things (and many more) affect how the same recipe will
come out and we’ll see who can do the best with what they have.
So, what do you need to do to participate? Well, first, let us know that you want a kit. To enter the competition, please
register online at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PE0Cnt9SFWXCg3GYH0NcyQ_3d_3d
or contact Mark Emiley (206-251-1344 or markemiley @earthlink.net) to register and receive your ingredient kit.
Requests must be made by September 30th (if you really want to participate you may contact me afterwards to see if
we can get a kit ready). They will be prepared and available for pickup at Larry’s Brewing Supply in Kent, WA. You will
simply need to go to Larry’s request a kit for the BEWBC Variant Competition, check your name off, and pay your fee.
We’ll collect the “orders” and the kits will be available for pick-up starting in October (there will be a $10 entry fee for
extract kits and a $5 entry fee for all-grain kits, but think of it this way, you are getting a 5 gallon batch of beer for $5/10).
Once you get your kit, you can brew it at your leisure, aiming to have it in the best shape for the Winter Social. You will
need to save 6 brown bottles for evaluation. Entries will need to be labeled with a bottle id and dropped off at Larry’s
Brewing Supply before 5:00 pm the day before the Winter Social. You can drop them off early, don’t worry. You can
also bring properly labeled and chilled bottles to the event itself AS LONG AS YOU GET THERE BEFORE THE SOCIAL
OFFICIALLY STARTS. You can find all of the rules on the club website or in the Press.
This year we will also be doing a two-phase judging. First, there will be a BJCP judging of the beers assessing the
technical and stylistic accuracy of the beer. Then there will be a “tasters favorite” vote at the Winter Social where the
attendees will taste all entries and vote for the beer that they enjoy the most, regardless of style or technical merit. The
brew with the highest average score will win the title of Supreme Variant Brew and the brewer will be dubbed Supreme
Variant Homebrewer (complete with trophy).
The base recipe is an English Mild, a very nice and easy drinking session beer. You can learn more about the style at
www.BJCP.org. BEWBC and BEEWBC members are welcome to enter.
Once again, for all details, check the BEWBC website. Good luck!
BJCP Classes Coming Up
Learning to judge beers is one of the best steps to understanding beer and getting involved in the
homebrewing community. The core organization responsible for the certification of beer judges is the
Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The Washington Homebrewers Association has
coordinated the next BJCP exam which will be held on February 28th in the Puget Sound area. In
order to help homebrewers prepare for the exam, several Washington clubs are beginning exam
study sessions. While each of these study sessions will vary slightly, each group will be meeting to
learn about, taste, and discuss the different styles of beer covered on the exam and prepare for the
rigorous exam format.
16
The following clubs have (or are considering) begun organizing study events:
•
Cascade Brewers Guild
•
Greater Everett Brewers League
•
North Seattle Homebrew Club
•
Impaling Alers
•
West Sound Homebrewers
•
Mount Si Homebrewers
If you are interested in participating in one of these study groups, please contact the organizer for
more details. If your club is looking to begin sessions as well, please let us know and we will get your
information posted. Available information for the study groups can be found on the
www.wahomebrewers.org website in the BJCP Classes category under the Learn section.
Whether or not you are in one of the clubs, any homebrewer is welcome to take the exam. If you are
interested, you should contact the exam coordinator, Tom Schmidlin, to let him know your intentions.
Best of luck to everyone preparing for the exam! We are looking forward to a great turnout and good
growth to our judging cadre.
Novembeerfest 2008
Calling all Brew Meisters!
The Impaling Alers 2008 Novembeerfest Home Brewing Competition will take place Saturday,
November 1, 2008 at Larry's Brewing Supply in Kent Washington. This is a 2008 Washington
Homebrewer of the Year and MCAB Qualifying Competition.
Please use the following links to sign up for the competition, or volunteer to judge or steward.
Judge Registration Wizard:
http://www.HordsOfFun.Com/hbc.rw/judgewiz.aspx?w=09110D2002
Entry Registration Wizard:
http://www.HordsOfFun.Com/hbc.rw/regwiz.aspx?w=09110D2002
If you can't use the online system, you can enter the competition the old fashion way. We strongly
encourage you to try the online system though. It isn't that tough, and you might even learn
something. And hey, the AHA Nationals only allow online entry, so you could even consider it a
practice run!
http://www.impalingalers.org/files/Nfest_entry_form.pdf
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_EntryRecipe.pdf
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_BottleID.pdf
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2008_Guidelines.pdf
Note: Novembeerfest will be using the 2008 BJCP guidelines. The tool being used current has the
2004 descriptions. Do not worry! The categories are the same. Entrants are responsible for
determining which 2008 category they desire to enter and can find more information on the styles at
http://www.bjcp.org/.
17
Miscellaneous
Brewing tip of the month: Cutting Hop Vines
Once you are getting ready to harvest your hops for the year, you are left with a choice about whether or not to cut your
vine down immediately. Now, some people will be constrained to cutting it down based on your harvesting techniques.
For example, due to the equipment required for professional harvesting, it is necessary to cut down the vines. That
being said, if you have the ability to harvest directly from the vine, it is preferred to simply harvest and then leave the vine
out there until it begins to die at which point you can cut it. This allows the energy from the vine to return to the root and
allows for better wintering and a good start to the next year.
If you have a brewing tip you would like to share with the club, please send it to markemiley@ earthlink.net. It may be
common sense to you but could save someone else’s beer.
In Memory
Not sure if you frequented (or ever tried) E.B. Foote wines, but if so, here's some info. The few times I dealt with them,
Rich was very pleasant and personable. [Note: My understanding is that Eugene B. Foote, who created the eponymous
winery, started out as a Boeing Wine and Beermakers' Club member before leaving Boeing to go into the wine business
full time. It was one of the first Washington State wineries to grow from BEWBC roots. The winery was sold to Rich &
Sherrill in 1991.]
Cheers,
John Gagliardo
______________________________________________
It is with the greatest sadness that I let you know that Rich has passed away.
Rich Higginbotham
March 20, 1947 - September 15, 2008
Son, Brother, Husband, Winemaker, Best Friend
Rich passed away peacefully on September 15th from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. He
was 61. He is survived by Sherrill Miller, his wife of more than 34 years; his sister Betty
Brabban; in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was born and raised in Nitro, West-by-God
Virginia, a small town outside of Charleston. He would often tell stories about his growing-up
18
years -- being in Cub Scouts, parking cars for events at the town Moose lodge, mowing lawns to
make money, painting the local water tower with high school buddies, sneaking out of the house
after dark, lifeguarding during summer vacations at Lost River State Park, playing in the high
school marching band, and his time in the Army during the Vietnam era. He was discharged
from the Army in 1971 at Fort Lewis and decided to stay in Seattle to experience life on the
other coast. He met Sherrill in 1972, and that same year he went to work at the King County
Jail in food service. After a short time he became the Food Service Supervisor, planning menus
and ordering food for more than 1500 inmates and staff. In 1991 he and Sherrill decided to
buy E. B. Foote Winery in south Seattle. They had never made wine before, but they learned
together. They were making award-winning wine by their second vintage. In 2001 he retired
from King County to become a full-time "wineaux." The winery was growing and he was
passionate about winemaking, striving to make the best possible wines. In 2003 he was
diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. He and Sherrill worked together to keep the winery going.
As Rich became less able to do "wine work," Sherrill gradually took over more and more
responsibilities. Even when he was unable to help at all, he still enjoyed being at the winery and
listening to Sherrill speak to groups about the winery's beginning. In May 2008 he needed more
help than Sherrill could provide, and he went to live in an adult family home until his passing.
Attached is a picture of Rich from December 1998 at his and Sherrill's 25th anniversary. As a
tribute to Rich, a special wine will be bottled and labeled next year. Called "Remembrance," the
label for this red table wine will include this picture. When released, 50% of the sale price will
be donated to the Alzheimer's Association.
An open house will be held at E. B. Foote Winery on Sunday, September 21 from noon - 6 pm to
share memories and celebrate his life. At his request, in lieu of flowers, contributions should
be made to the Alzheimer's Association for further research into this dreaded disease.
Sherrill
E. B. Foote Winery
(206) 242-3852
www.ebfootewinery.com
19
BEWBC Calendar 2008
Updated 9/26
(Changes are UNDERLINED)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Date
Activity
Event or Planned Meeting Program
Website, or other info
Contact
24
WINE Program
Wine Maker’s Forum
Masonic Lodge in Tukwila
Brad S.
26, 27
28
6-8
7 - 10,14
23
BEER Event
BEER Program
Beer Event
Strange Brewfest – Water Street Brewing, Port Townsend
Beer Faults Analysis & Wild World of Wheats Selection
WAWGG Conference in Yakima
E.B. Foote Winery - Wine and Chocolate
13th Elysian Winter Beer Fest
www.waterstreetbrewing.com
Pyramid Brewing @ Safeco Field
www.wawgg.org/
www.ebfootewinery.com
www.elysianbrewing.com
360-379-6438
Mark, Sean
509-782-8234
206-242-3852
206-860-1920
Fri 28
WINE Program
March Madness
Masonic Lodge in Tukwila
Karen, Brad
1
Wine Event
Beer Event
Beer Event
Phinney Assn. Wine Tasting
www.phinneycenter.org/events.shtml
206-783-2244
21
22
29
27 - 30
Apr
May
Wine Event
Homebrew Fair @ Larry’s
Cask Beer Fest at the Seattle Center
Tim Narby's :Nota Bene Release Party 1-6
30th Anniv E.B. Foote– 1st winery by a BEWBC member
www.homebrewfair.com
www.washingtonbeer.com/cbf.htm
www.notabenecellars.com
www.ebfootewinery.com
Brewer’s Guild
206-459-2785
206-242-3852
Thur, 24
BEER Program
Belgian Brew at Ellliott Bay Brewery
www.elliottbaybrewing.com
Mark, Sean
5
5, 6
Beer Event
Wine Event
Museum of Flight Hops & Props
Taste Washington' @ Bell Harbor
Sideways - NOT
Merlot – The Washington Wine
National Homebrew Day – Big brew at Larry’s!
HopScotch Tasting
Spring Barrel Tasting at E.B. Foote Winery
2nd Saturday tasting at :Nota Bene (current employee and
memberTim Narby) and Cadence (former member Ben Smith)
American Craft Beer Week
WAHA (Wa Homebrewers Ass’n) @ Elysian w/ Dick Cantwell
7p.m.
museumofflight.org/Display.asp?Page=hopsandprops
www.tastewashington.org/
206-764-5720
206-667-9463
22
3
2, 3
1-4
June
Wine Event
Wine Event
Wine Event
WINE
Program
Beer Event
Beer Event
Wine Event
10
Wine Event
12 - 18
Beer Event
20
Beer Event
206-242-3852
www.ssaw.info
www.beertown.org/events/acbw
www.elysianbrewing.com
Beer Event
Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition Entries Due @ Larry’s
www.larrysbrewsupply.com/contact.html
Mark
Beer Event
Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition
www.bewbc.org/pro-am/index.htm
Mark
26
BEER Program
Kegging basics
7
8
13,14, 15
Beer Event
Beer Event
Cascade Brewers Cup Competition
Taste Washington - Spokane
Wa. Brewers Guild Father's Day Brewfest – St. Edwards Park
cascadebrewersclub.org/
www.tastewashington.org/
www.washingtonbeer.com/wabf.htm
Club Event
Summer Social in Kent was on Summer vacation this year
Map: http://tinyurl.com/3bnaad
4-6
Beer Event
Seattle International Beerfest Seattle Ctr. Mural Amphitheatre
www.seattlebeerfest.com
19
Beer Event
Phinney Assn. Beer Fest 4-10 Shakesbeer in the parking lot
www.phinneycenter.org/events.shtml
24 - 27
Beer Event
21st Oregon Brewer's Fest
www.oregonbrewfest.com/
Club Event
WineFest Preliminaries at :Nota Bene-Masons Grand Lodge,
Wine Event
Mark, Sean
Portland's Waterfront
Washington Wine Month
Fri 8
Nov
Mark, Sean
Sat 31
Aug
Oktobr
www.beertown.com/events/bigbrew/
www.hopscotchtasting.com/
www.ebfootewinery.com
Wed 28
July
Sept
Karen, Brad
206-667-9463
Brewer’s Guild
206-783-2244
www.washingtonwine.org/
Karen, Brad
Sun 10
Club Event
WineFest finals & potluck @Karen Beattie Massey’s
Issaquah
Karen, Brad
3, 4
16
9, 10
24
FYI
Beer Event
FYI
Beer Event
Evergreen State Fair acceptance
Puyallup Fair Entry acceptance
Evergreen State Fair judging
Puyallup Fair Entry judging
www.evergreenfair.org/
www.thefair.com
www.evergreenfair.org/
www.thefair.com
425-303-0585
253-864-7869,
425-879-6225
253-864-7869,
1st–30th
Wine Event
No meeting-Just grape pickin', deliverin' & CRUSHIN'!!
5, 6
Beer Event
Great Canadian Beer Festival - Victoria
www.gcbf.com/
12, 13
Beer Event
2nd Annual Wash. Beer Comm. Oktoberfest @ St. Edwards
www.washingtonbeer.com/oktoberfest.htm
20
Beer Event
WAHA Mead & Cider Clinic at Larry's Brewing Supply
BEWBC website
19 - 21
Beer Event
Fremont Oktoberfest
www.fremontoktoberfest.com/
Fri 17th
BEER Event
9 - 11
Beer Event
Oktoberfest potluck with the Impaling Alers at Larry’s
You
www.larrysbrewsupply.com/contact.html
Great American Beer Fest in Denver
www.beertown.org/events/
250-383-2332
253-872-6846
253-872-6846
20
WINE Program
1
1
Beer Event
Beer Event
Teach A Friend To Homebrew Day
Novembeerfest at Larry’s
www.beertown.org/events/teach/
http://impalingalers.org/
8
Beer Event
Phinney Assn. Beer Taste 7-9:30
www.phinneycenter.org/events.shtml
206-783-2244
Sat 29th
Wine Event
Harvest Open House at :Nota Bene 1-6 p.m.
www.notabenecellars.com/pages/contact.html#
206-459-2785
Dec
Club Event
5, 6
Beer Event
4-7
Wine Event
Karen, Brad
Annual Winter Social6:00-10:00
4th Annual Winter Beer Festival @ Hale’s Paladium
12th annual E.B. Foote Winery -Open House
www.washingtonbeer.com/wbf.htm
www.ebfootewinery.com
206-242-3852
!! Open positions - Can you help?
Updated 9/4/08 Changes underlined
BEWBC Executive Board 2008
Executive Board
President
VP – Wine
VP - Beer
Treasurer
Secretary
Activities Committee
Wine Activities
Beer Activities
Wine Education
Beer Education
Meeting Administration
Retirees
Name
Mick Pegg
Brad Sherman
Mark Emiley
Paul Woodward
Zach Bernson
Karen Beattie Massey
Sean Russell
Dave Albano
Jim Papson
John Falkowski
Doug DeVol
Grape Procurement Committee
Coordinator
Dean Sprayberry
Library and Equipment Committee
Library
David Buhr
Equipment
Greg Schumacher
Pat Cullins
Supplies*
Membership Committee
Membership
Richard Klep
Publications Committee
PR/Communications
Anne Brown
Editor – The Press
David Hauck
Assistant Editor
Doug Buffett
Webmaster
Dave Butner
Photography
Doug Buffett
F. Y. I.
Work Phone
206-679-2759
425-985-0780
206-544-7615
253-931-5914
425-315-3359
E-Mail
mick.pegg (at) boeing.com
shermz (at) comcast.net
mark.emiley (at) boeing.com
paul.w.woodward (at) boeing.com
zachary.e.bernson(at) boeing.com
M C Alternate Phone
20-29 253.630.3318
97-05 425.283.9960
45-14 206.251.1344
5C-AC
02-AW
-
beattiekaren (at) hotmail.com
sean.m.russell (at) boeing.com
david.j.albano (at) boeing.com
james.m.papson (at) boeing.com
john.a.falkowski (at) boeing.com
-
14-KF
02-58
8M-97
2L-87
-
426.917.3317
206.851.4315
360.802.0168
253.922.5084
206.937.0717
425-266-2083 dean.sprayberry (at) boeing.com
03-82
425.244.1647
206-662-1754 david.f.buhr (at) boeing.com
206-662-0265 gregory.p.schumacher (at) boeing.com
-
35-87
4C-70
-
206.290.3580
206.931.8565
-
206-595-8639 richard.a.klep (at) boeing.com
5X-4H
425.432.9669
206-544-3081
425-260-2178
206-655-1659
425-918-6435
206-655-1659
1F-66
2R-08 425.226.0151
43-46 206.769.WINE
425.241.8585
43-46 206.SOY.WINE
425-703-1450
206-544-2319
425-717-5870
253-657-1041
206-766-4246
-
anne.m.brown (at) boeing.com
david.p.hauck (at) boeing.com
makebrew (at) comcast.net
wine (at ) thebutners.com
makebrew (at) comcast.net
Programs:
3rd or 4th Thursday of most months, 7:00 p.m.
Location and date varies - See the Press or Club Calendar for details.
Dues & Address
Changes:
Full time employee/contractor $30, Retirees $20. Pro-rated quarterly.
Payable to BEWBC by March 31. Send dues and address/MC changes to Richard Klep 5X-4H.
Newsletter:
Distributed the first week of each month. Ads and article submissions welcome. Send to David Hauck.
th
Deadline is the 25 of the prior month.
Store /Library/
Storage:
The Library has over 170 books and other media for checkout –
Refer to \\fil-nw01-10\BEWBC\Library\Library_List.xls for items available; e-mail David Buhr and he will
leave your request in a box on top of the library cabinet in the Kent Rec.Center
*The Club Store no longer has assigned hours, but has a small assortment of essential supplies for
events such as crush. Call Jack Randles about your supply needs, or go to Larry's Brewing
(www.larrysbrewsupply.com/ , 7405 South 212th St. # 103, Kent 253-872-6846) and mention BEWBC
for a discount. The former store space is available for seasonal storage needs, such as crush.
Equipment:
Items for checkout issued as coordinated by the equipment manager
Website:
http://www.bewbc.org
Everett Club:
http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/livorno/829/index.htm
Affiliations:
American Homebrewers Association (AHA), WA Homebrewers Association (WAHA)
Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers (WAWGG)
Western Washington Amateur Winemakers Association (WWAWA)
Rec. Advisor:
Ron Anderson, 425-342-8369, 0F-KA