Yes again, another month has passed us by….the good news? The snow is about gone! The bad news? None! We have nothing but warmer weather ahead, which we all know means camping, tourists, fishing, bears, tourists, hiking, tourists, traveling, and hopefully some time left over to do a little home brewing in between all of those activities!

I don’t know about you, but I am seriously delinquent in the brewing area. This year has been my busiest year to date since I moved here in 2007 (yes, I am barely a legal Alaskan by most standards, but hey the First Lady of Brewing has been here for almost 25 years, so I guess I qualify by association). I always wish I had more time to brew, but there is always next winter! Club activities combined with work, family, and home projects fill my plate quite full.

Talkeetna Beer Trippin was a HUGE Success once again! Thank you to Denali Brewing Company/Twister Creek for all that they do to make this club event bigger every year. Stay tuned to next month for Joe Michael’s Talkeetna wrap up article.

I would like to pass on sincere thanks to Dan Bosch for running the annual Snow Goose Breakup Competition for the club, and thank you to all that entered and participated as judges. Check out this month’s newsletter or the club website for the final results. And don’t forget that there are now new totals tallied for the HomeBrewer Of The Year (HBOTY) award as well on the website at http://www.greatnorthernbrewers.org. The club brews were bottled at last.

We had a 2 year old Flanders Red and a 1 year old Russian Imperial Stout. It was a great day of team work as always. And we are ever grateful for Dennis and Dena Sessler for being such fantastic hosts for this club event. Its not easy to commit your garage to years of storage for beer. So, the next time you see them be sure to buy them both their favorite brew – they deserve it!

As some of you may have heard Joe Michael has stepped down as Treasurer of the club due to time constraints. We wish him the very best and look forward to his ever creative involvement with all the club activities. He is a true asset! And please welcome Tim Bisson as your new club Treasurer. He has been a prior board member, winner of many competitions, and long time club member. He will do a fine job keeping the clubs books in order! Thank you Tim.

As for the month of May and beyond? Hang on tight, because it’s filled full of good stuff: House Crawl, Brew-A-Thon, Haines Brewfest, and another Club Brew! We will also be holding our final meeting of the year on May 15. But don’t worry – there will be many summer activities to keep us all connected. Check out Facebook at http:// www.facebook.com/gnbc1 for all of the details, watch your email inbox for announcements, or contact anyone of the club board members.

And last, but definitely not least, was the wedding of John and Rose Craig. I hope that you had a chance to attend this event – I believe that we had very near 100 people! The ceremony was definitely the most passionate and unique I have ever witnessed. Incredible food, decorations, music, and goodwill were enjoyed by all. Never underestimate the power of people to donate their skills and time for a good cause – especially when it’s in the name of love (and the love of beer)! John and Rose wanted me to extend a very genuine and heartfelt thank you to everyone involved. They were truly moved by everyone’s involvement.

So what are your big summer plans? As for me and my lady, well, come late June we are embarking on a 4000 mile travel trailer adventure from Michigan across the lower 48 to Alaska with my two daughters. I sincerely hope to make brewery visits and craft beer as high on the list of destinations as Mt. Rushmore! I am sure when I return I will have many beer photos to share. I hope your summer will be just as adventurous.

Until next month, I wish you tight lines and cold beer my friends.
Beer on!

 Flame out, Prez Tim