Wed., July 15th, 2009

7:00 p.m., A regular club meeting at O'Marro's, 20th & Oregon Streets, Oshkosh. Re-cap of our Homebrew Event For Charity, and more.
BREAKING NEWS: SOB Homebrew Event for Charity, June 27, 2009
O'Marro's Public House parking lot ...more information
Join the SOB's...
Our club has just the right mix of fun, technical stuff, and brewing. And joining is easy. Just contact the SOB's or come to our next meeting. You can try us out before you make a decision.

Member Benefits...

Contact the SOB's...
Tip of the Day...
With extracts, use a light, unhopped base extract and steep specialty grains for flavor and color.
SOB Seal of Approval...
We're Only In It For The Money
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Petaluma, CA

For several years, Lagunitas has celebrated the 40th anniversaries of various Frank Zappa albums. The latest is "We're Only In It For The Money", a Belgian style Trippel.

The labels are nothing more than the album covers, with the BATF-required legal information on either side. For Zappa fans, this is a nice reminder of the Mother's musical and artistic influence. For beer lovers, it's a reminder of Lagunitas' brewing excellence.

We're Only In It For The Money is relatively "light" for a trippel, weighing in at 8.2% ABV. But its flavor has more depth. Relatively dry and clean, this trippel has more body than many of the Belgian brands and has a bit more color. It's also more highly hopped, which you would expect from the brewer of Maximus IPA.

The aroma is all Trippel, with only a subtle, spicy hop aroma. The label and web site don't divulge the use of candy or other sugars, but you just can't get this flavor any other way. Alcohol is the primary flavor, but it's not as dominant as in Malheur or some other Belgian varieties. Lagunitas includes some malt flavor and a lingering hop flavor.

We're Only In It For The Money is Belgian-inspired, but uniquely American. Makes you want to "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance."

O'Marro's Publik House in Oshkosh is the new home of
the Society Of Oshkosh Brewers! 8 good beers on tap and many, many more in the cooler. A good music selection and live bands! Stop in and say hi to Shawn and Brandy!

SOB Poll...
Homebrewers, when do you brew most of your beer?
December thru Febru
March thru May
June thru August
September thru Nove
About the same all
Beer Wit & Wisdom...
Here with my beer I sit,
While golden moments flit;
Alas! They pass unheeded by.
And as they fly,
I, being dry,
Sit, idly sipping here
My beer.

-- George Arnold
Competition Corner...
Club-Only Competitions:

[more information]

May 2009
Extract Beers

August 2009
Amber Hybrid Beers

September/October 2009
European Amber Lagers

November/December 2009
Belgian Strong Ale

January/February 2010
The Session Challenge – English Brown Ales

March/April 2010
American Ales

May 2010
Extract Beers

August 2010
Mead

September/October 2010
Sour Ale

November/December 2010
Strong Ale

January/February 2011
English Pale Ales

March/April 2011
Bock

May 2011
Angel's Share

August 2011
Mead

September/October 2011
Specialty/Experimental/Historic Beers

November/December 2011
Hail to Hefeweizen


Upcoming Competitions:

Send competition information to the SOBs at srehfeldt@realsob.org.


General Competition Info:

Visit these sites for competition information and beer style guides.
http://www.bjcp.org/
http://www.hbd.org/
http://www.beertown.org/
Member News:

Let us know how your beers do in competition! Send your scores or photos to the SOBs and we'll include it here.

SOB's "Homebrew Event For Charity" A Success!

Given the fact that we were not able to serve our homebrew at this event, relying on commercial beers to make up this loss, it looks like we are going to be able to donate close to $2,000 to the Mid-Morning Kiwanis group's Children's Education Funds. We would like to thank all those who donated items for the silent auction as well as are media friends, attendees and all the volunteers who made this happen. In the coming months, we will meet to discuss the possibility of holding this event next year. We are attempting the petition the state to allow us to serve homebrew samples and will have more information on how you can help change this ridiculous statute. The federal government allows this, but not the state of Wisconsin. Stay tuned for more information on our quest this antiquated law.

Proposed Increase of Federal Excise Tax a Serious Threat to Small Brewers and Your Beer Choice – Contact Your Senators Now!

Small brewers are facing an imminent and extremely serious threat to their businesses. The consequences of remaining silent have the very real potential of reducing your choice of beer and dramatically increasing the price of any beer that you purchase.

The Senate Finance Committee in Washington, DC is currently considering a proposal to increase and equalize the excise tax for alcohol beverages as part of healthcare reform deliberations. This proposal would triple the excise tax for 4.5% ABV beer and impose even higher excise tax rates for higher ABV beers.

If such a proposal becomes reality, there is no question that many small brewery businesses will suffer, some will close and consumers will face higher prices and diminished choice in the marketplace.

The Brewers Association brewery members and leadership have been actively engaged in building the case against an excise tax increase, recently submitting a letter to the Committee outlining our opposition.

We need you to speak out now. Today or tomorrow at the latest.

If you live in the following states it is most urgent that you contact your Senator who is on the Senate Finance Committee:

Arizona
Arkansas
Delaware
Florida
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oregon
Texas
Utah
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Your ask of them is simple.

Oppose the Tax Increase. Let them know that you oppose, in the strongest possible terms, raising the federal excise tax on beer because of the serious consequences it would have on small brewers and the craft beer they brew. Additional talking points appear below.

Once again: If one of your Senators sits on the Senate Finance Committee (roster of members below), urge them to oppose this proposal in committee deliberations.

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Take Action - Call and/or email your Senators’ Washington or district offices and make your personal case against this massive excise tax increase.

As always, thanks for your support.

Charlie Papazian
President, Brewers Association

Senate Finance Committee Members:
Baucus, Max (MT), Chairman
Bingaman, Jeff (NM)
Bunning, Jim (KY)
Cantwell, Maria (WA)
Carper, Thomas R. (DE)
Conrad, Kent (ND)
Cornyn, John (TX)
Crapo, Mike (ID)
Ensign, John (NV)
Enzi, Michael B. (WY)
Grassley, Chuck (IA)
Ranking Member Hatch, Orrin G. (UT)
Kerry, John F. (MA)
Kyl, Jon (AZ)
Lincoln, Blanche L. (AR)
Menendez, Robert (NJ)
Nelson, Bill (FL)
Roberts, Pat (KS)
Rockefeller, John D. (WV)
Schumer, Charles E. (NY)
Snowe, Olympia J. (ME)
Stabenow, Debbie (MI)
Wyden, Ron (OR)

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE TO SMALL BREWERS EXCISE TAXES

Small brewers are small Main street businesses, typically employing 10 to 50 employees.

* Small brewers represent only 4% of the entire U.S. beer market by volume, with 95% of them being very small businesses (producing 15,000 barrels or less per year).

We strongly oppose proposals to increase the excise tax on beer.

* Proposals to increase and equalize the tax among all types of alcohol will tax small brewers at the highest rates because our specialty, gourmet and innovative beers typically have higher alcohol contents.

* Brewers already pay a disproportionately higher share of taxes compared with other products – federal, state and local taxes represent over 40% of the retail price for beer while the same taxes equal nearly 24% of the price for all other purchases.

Higher taxes will worsen the economic recession – resulting in less competitive products, reduced sales and revenues, lost jobs and, for some small brewers, business closures.

* $1 per case excise tax increase will typically cost the consumer at least $1.69 due to successive mark-ups as the case moves from brewer to wholesaler to retailer.

* Many small brewers are struggling to deal with the consequences of the 2008 spike in ingredient and operational costs.

SOBs win second place in the National AHA Big Brew You Tube Contest!

The SOBs produced a video showcasing their part in the AHA Big Brew Day, a nationally recognized Homebrew day, held on May 7th of this year, and for that, garnered second place! The video can be seen here.

Buy Someone a drink - Anywhere in the U.S.!

GiveReal.com allows people to buy real drinks for friends, family and colleagues anywhere in the country. From the GiveReal.com website, or through Facebook, friends can buy drink credits, which can be redeemed by using any major credit card at over 500,000 bars and restaurants.

Utah Tears Down "Zion Curtain"

Beginning July 1st bars in the state of Utah will no longer required to be a “private club” thanks to a new state liquor law signed by Gov. Jon Huntsman on March 30th. The new law eliminates the rule where customers are required to fill out an application and pay a fee before being allowed into a bar. It also allows restaurants to remove the partitions, commonly called the “Zion Curtain”, that separate the bartenders from the customers within restaurants allowing them to directly serve patrons over the bar counters. These changes have been the most radical changes made in 40 years. The changes are being made for efforts to increase the state’s tourism industry which is currently $6 billion per year.

Schlitz Beer Announces "Schlitz Guys"

Oshkosh, WI-- In a different approach to market the release of their original Schlitz Beer recipe the brewery has created the "Schlitz Guys"-- a team of 45+ "average joes" that will be traveling throughout Wisconsin for promotional stops at various waterholes and taverns.

Former Deputy Sheriff, OFFL team owner and MOGHOS golfer Joe Friday is excited to be part of the "Schlitz Guys" team, even though it's not what he expected. "I was told there'd be chicks on these stops, but so far it's just a bunch of old guys," said Friday. "But hey-- the beer's cold and as long you don't mind the old farts pawing at you most of the night it's okay-- I just didn't see that coming."

At each promotional stop Friday and company will sit on a bar stool, drink Schlitz and be available for autographs, words of wisdom and flatulence-release contests. The "Schlitz Guys" tour will continue for at least another week with schedule stops at Omro, Larson and perhaps Pickett.

Having trouble finding the hops you need?

Hops have become hard to find and expensive. If you brew an IPA or other hop-dripping beer, you've probably spending more on hops than malt. What are your alternatives if you can't find the variety your recipe calls for? Check out this handy Hop Substitution Guide (source: Zymurgy magazine).

AHA Club-Only Competition Schedule

The SOBs are actively participating in the AHA Club-Only Competition series. The contests are held throughout the US and they vary from Big Beers to Meads. The competition schedule is shown below, in our Competition Corner. More information is available at beertown.org.Proposed Increase of Federal Excise Tax a Serious Threat to Small Brewers and Your Beer Choice –

Contact Your Senators Now

Other News...

College Chiefs Urge Debate on Drinking Age
Beer Makers Get Crafty
Merger of the Tasteless
Why Beer Prices Are Rising
Enjoy Oktoberfest like a local
Small town Czech bars
Biofuels Affecting Beer Production
Double Digit Craft Beer Growth
New Belgium Helps Brew Biodiesel


Upcoming Events...

July 11, 2009
Brews 'n Blues Festival
Oshkosh
July 18th, 2009
2009 ALE Club "All-American Beers" Competition!
Entries due Friday, July 10th
August 1, 2009
Mead Day
www.beertown.org/events/meadday/
August 8, 2009
23rd Annual Great Taste of the Midwest
Olin-Turville Park, Madison
September 24-26, 2009
Great American Beer Festival
Colorado Convention Center, Denver
www.beertown.org/events/gabf/
October 23, 2009
St. Gabes Beer Festival

November 7, 2009
Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day
www.beertown.org/events/teach/
Members...
Member-only features are in work. Look for brewing tools, recipe archiving, and forms for updating your membership information and communicating with other members.
Brewing Tools...
CO2 Volumes - How much pressure do you need for draft beer to achieve the right amount of carbonation? This tool will tell you! Try it >>
One Beer, Please...
Ng goi bei gee bear jou
-- Chinese Cantonese
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