February 2019 Board Minutes
Bloatarian Brewing League Board Meeting Minutes
04 February 2019 / Toast (Start) Time: 7:19 PM / Location: Brink Brewing Co.
In Attendance
Andy Melchers (P), Jerry Hartmann (VP), Ray Gerdes (T), Emma Williams (S), Pete Bender (MP), Wayne Wischerath (CC), Roxanne Westendorf (PP), Steve Barlage, Phil Meyer, Peggy Meyer, Mike Williams, Rob Westendorf, Joe Geil
Upcoming Board Meetings
Monday, March 4th @ 7:00 PM at the Williams Estate on Upper Lawndale
Upcoming Club Meetings & Events
Friday, February 15th @ 7:00 PM at the Norwood Community Center
James Czar to present a “beta” version of his speaker proposal for HomebrewCon presentation to solicit feedback regarding which parts work best, need editing, should be cut, etc.
Beer School: Homebrew Tips from Brewing College & Pro Brewer Experience
“During his two-year journey to a degree in Brewing Science and working as a professional brewer, James has had many “Aha!” moments — times when he realized or recognized a specific technique or bit of knowledge that would really be helpful in his homebrewing. Join him as he shares these often humorous stories from school and work, as well as tips and tricks for making your homebrewing easier, less stressful, safer, more productive, and more fun.”
There will be a raffle - bring cash!
Special February Meeting Giving Opportunity
As some of you probably know, Sierra Nevada released a special beer called Resilience IPA late last year to raise money to help with the recovery from the Camp Fire in California.
Sierra Nevada published the recipe for the beer online, and Rob has brewed a batch. He will be bringing a 5-gallon batch to the February club meeting and is requesting that anyone wishing to imbibe make a donation (suggested, $3/glass, but any amount welcome) that he will be sending Sierra Nevada to add to the recovery fund.
Rob will personally match the amount collected at the February meeting, and the club will also match up to the first $250 donated by members. Please bring a few dollars and support this great cause.
Friday, March 22nd*** @ 7:00 PM at the Norwood Community Center
***This is a deviation - note that this is the 4th Friday in March!
Name that Beer with Wild Card Modifications
Saturday, May 25th: Beer & Deer at the Westendorf’s
Rob guarantees a great time and a free pint glass to anyone who shows up!
Upcoming Competitions
Saturday, March 2, Moerlein Bockfest Challenge
Bockfest in 2019 will see the return of the Moerlein Brewers Challenge! There are fifteen teams slated for this year, eight or nine of which are BBL, three Cincinnati State, two or three CMI, a MASH team and a NKY team.
Saturday, March 2, Bockfest
*Registration closes on Sunday, February 17th at 9:00PM*
“If you’re entering Bockfest, DO IT. RIGHT. NOW.” -Rob W.
Saturday, March 9, Liberty Home Bockfest
(All German styles except sour; Municipal is brewing the winner)
Entry registrations accepted 01/02/2019 8:00 AM, EST through 03/01/2019 11:59 PM, EST.
Saturday, April 20, HammerDown Brewcup
At Braxton Brewing, hosted by the NKY Homebrewers Guild
Account registrations accepted 02/01/2019 11:59 AM, EST through 04/16/2019 11:59 AM, EDT.
Registrations for judges or stewards accepted 02/01/2019 11:59 AM through 04/16/2019 11:59 AM.
Ray says it’s “a pretty good time”, which is high praise.
Saturday, May 18, Bloat Open @ Norwood Community Center
Agenda
Treasurer’s Report
We are net positive for the month! Yayyyyy! Keep those membership dues coming if you haven’t settled up yet for 2019.
New Business
Communications Overhaul - MailChimp & LinkedIn
Email
We are migrating our club email communications to MailChimp to streamline the communication experience both for you and for those board members who head up information distribution.
If you are used to receiving messages from BBL through the Google Group and have not received anything in the last week, make sure to add bblminister@gmail.com to your Safe Senders list or address book.
The “Bloatarian Brewing League Feb Newsletter” was sent via Mail Chimp on Wednesday, January 30th – check your Spam folders.
LinkedIn
We will be claiming the LinkedIn page that was auto-created by LinkedIn for the club (thanks, IRS).
An email will be sent to the club once the Company Page is live – please follow us to help us build awareness of what we do and recruit new members.
We are a 501 (c) 7 Not-for-Profit Social Club if that makes your boss feel any better.
Brink for a Cause
Join Roxanne on February 26th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Brink Brewing Co. as she partners with Brink through their Brink for a Cause series to raise money for her beloved local Georgia Tech alumni network’s annual freshman scholarship.
National Homebrew Competition Applications Results
You should hear back about your application in the next few days. Should your application be successful, next steps and important dates can be found here.
Two Bloats will be presenting at HomebrewCon this year, James and Roxanne.
Ongoing Business
Bockfest 2019
The Beer-ionette
This exciting new idea for a game at Bockfest is now a reality! We now have the apparatus constructed, which will be demonstrated at the February meeting – thanks Rob!
“Understanding the Flavor of Beer” Tasting Class
Roxanne will be running this session on Saturday of Bockfest. Tell your friends! Tickets are $25/person and available for purchase here. Roxanne will need a few volunteers to help with stewarding and the sensory evaluation for this event – please contact her if you are interested and able to help.
The Parade
We are applying for a spot in the Friday night parade. Mark your calendars and come walk with us – it’s a lot of fun!
Bockfest Hall Booth - Volunteers Needed
We have a booth in the hall Friday (6pm – 1am), Saturday (11am – close) and Sunday (11am – 6pm). We need at least one Bloatarian in the booth at all time and are planning 2 – 3 hour shifts. Watch your email for a call for volunteers coming soon.
BBL Mentorship Program
We have had 16 mentees at this point in the program! Potential mentors talk to Wayne, potential mentees, ask at the Listermann’s counter about how to sign up!
Brewing Heritage Trail Opening Date
The signs for the trail are already up, and the grand opening will take place on Saturday, April 27th in OTR. Rob and Roxanne will be doing a demo brew in Grant Park on that date as part of the event.
Esoteric Brewing Progress
Esoteric Brewing Company expects to announce an opening date in their Walnut Hills location within the next month. To contribute to Esoteric’s start-up funding, visit their website. If you are interested in investing at a higher level, please contact Brian. As plans come to fruition, a Bloats event will be planned and communicated to the club.
Humble Monk Brewing Co.
A new brewery focusing on Belgian breweries is opening soon in Northside!
Bloatarian Tap Handles
Member price is $40 (at-cost), non-member price is $50. Check in with Roxanne at meetings if you are interested. They’re beautiful!
Possible Topics for 2019 – 2020 Meetings
All Things Yeast
Yeast Experiment
Mashing Chemistry
Decoctions
Brew-in-a-Bag Techniques
Safety (5-10 minute topics before formal topic for all meeting)
Beer Swap Night
Blending Night (TRASH Guest)
Factors that Affect Efficiency
Chime in with additional suggestions!
Previous Business
Schoenling Bock Tapping
We had some nice press on Twitter and the event went well.
“Big crowd, everybody got drunk and hungover, and the Schoenling Bock is worth getting hungover for.” -Rob W.
BBL Shirt Order
You may have seen the new club shirts at Beer & Sweat. Due to an enthusiastic response from those who didn’t get in under the wire on the first order, we’ll be putting in a second order within the next month or so. An email will be sent to the club list when the Paypal site is live for orders. There are six shirts from the first round of orders that still need to be picked up – if you’re one of the slackers, contact Greg Schmidt at bravo_gs@yahoo.com to arrange to pick yours up!
“Is this meeting adjourned yet?” -Steve B.
“No.” - Everyone else
Meeting Adjourned in Anti-Record Time at 8:54 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Emma Williams
Secretary