Spring is here! As I write this article, there is still some snow on the ground. But the sun is warm and the snow is slowly melting. Proclaiming spring can be a touchy thing in Alaska, but I’m doing it, darn it. With spring come a whole new slew of brew club activities and events.

In this last month we managed to put on the Spring Breakup Homebrew comp. There were some great brews entered that I was happy to be a part of judging on a nice and sunny day. We had the most entries so far for a club only comp that was held at the same time. Imre Manyoky was the BOS winner with a ginger pale ale and Jeff Shearer was COC winner. Jeff was all around a big winner with a number of great beers entered. The COC was well represented but the main comp honestly could have maybe used a few more entries. I will do my best to keep everyone well updated on upcoming comps. I don’t want anyone to miss out on the great opportunity for feedback. Check out Breakup Comp result below.

Someday in the future we may actually get back to BJCP classes and certify a new round of judges. Testing dates are in the distant future. Just like everything else, it will be here before you know it! I will get back to you with more info as it comes available. Better judges will mean even greater feedback at our comps. Greater feedback and better and better beers, we will be a force to be reckoned with.

In March I finally managed to get our club insurance paperwork signed and paid for. Our club is now insured and I am overjoyed to finally have this taken care of. This by no means that we now get to slack off of course. There is a brief rundown (made as light hearted as possible) of what this insurance means for the club below.

Brew a Thon is here! On Saturday May the 4th we will be meeting up at 9551 Emerald Street, 99502. I will be there first thing in the morning at 8am to get set up and ready for the toast at 9. Brew club members will be out in force making a few hundred gallons of beer, up until we have to end our day at 9pm. I know that Kevin Sobolesky, who has been a huge help putting this on, will need help especially at the end of the day. Everything needs to be cleaned up to be sure that we leave the space we use in equal or better condition that we found it. Unfortunately it is not an option to leave anything for the next day. The more people that can help, the faster it will get done. Midnight Sun brewing has been nice enough to contribute a whole keg of Scottish ale yeast for Brew a Thon. It will be available for people to use all day or until it runs out. I believe they may have also pitched in a keg of MSBC beer for us to enjoy. They are obviously in a generous mood for their 18th anniversary that they happen to be celebrating this week. Check out their website at www.midnightsunbrewing.com for the full schedule of events, and then get out and participate. Of course as you participate in Brew a Thon or any other events, please do so responsibly. Please plan on having a safe ride home at the end of the day. If somehow you end up needing something at the last minute, just talk with a fellow club member or especially a board member. We want to make sure everyone makes it home safe.

Also, we have the annual House Crawl on May 18th. This day long, beer centric ride around town is hosted by a number of brew club members. I wouldn’t be surprised if the list is already full, but if there are spots available you should pounce on them right away! Again…my email address is president@greatnorthernbrewers.org I am happy to field your questions and concerns or will forward your email to the appropriate party. I look forward to seeing all those that manage to make it onto the Magic Bus!

Fast approaching is actual summer and actual summer events, like our summer camp out! On June 21-23 we are headed out to the Trail River group campground. Trail River is in the direction of Seward and is set in an absolutely gorgeous location. This technically is our June club meeting. There are a number of great activities you could partake in, or you could just hang around the fire if you are so inclined. This is a family and dog friendly event…so long as your family and/or dogs are friendly of course. We (the board and whoever wants to share their opinion) are still sorting out some of the finer details and will get back to you in future emails and newsletters.

About as far as I will reach in this article right now is July. There is just so dang much going on that I am kind of running out of space. For our July GNBC meeting we are invited out to the Loughrey’s for a picnic. This is another great family friendly event. We will take a long day out in the (hopefully) sun to partake in some BBQ and a number of family fun activities. There is also the E.T. Barnette Homebrew Comp in Fox Alaska on July 20. This is not a GNBC event but is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition with some great prizes. I’m quite sure that there a few club members that make the trek up there every summer. I will add more information later on how to get your amazing brews up to be judged and possibly win the $500 for BOS.

Every time I sit down to write this article, I struggle a little with what I will talk about. Then I remember that our club is crazy busy and I find myself rambling a little. I hope to keep everyone informed of the multitude of events. If I am missing anything or a little vague on the details, please email me at president@greatnorthernbrewers.com and I will get everyone updated. Thanks for everyone’s help and I look forward to seeing everyone at all these great events!

Keep your brews hot and beers cold.
-Prez Peter