Oktober - Home Brew Digest

Styles for the coming year:
Oktober
The Birmingham Brewmasters
Officers:
Scott Harville, President
Bill Plott, Vice President
John Rhymes, Webmaster
Todd Darroch, Treasurer
Bob Nelson, Member at Large
Tracy P. Hamilton, Secretary and Newsletter
As a member of the Brewmasters, you may be
interested in signing up for the listbot, AKA mail
exploder, remailer, whatever. See the
January
American lager
February
Porter
March
Stout
April
Hops "R" Us
May
Send in the Clones
June
Wheat
July
Pilsner
August
Iron Brewers
September
Meading
October
What else?
November
Spice, pumpkin and weird
December
Heavy
Web page www.bham.net/brew/masters.html
Hoover, AL 35226
C/o Tracy P. Hamilton
Birmingham Brewmasters
2541 Dunmore Dr.
A synopsis of the September meeting:
Style of the Month – Mead!
I was unable to make a list of what we drank, being rather busy with the pizza dough. A good time was had by
all who came.
Oktober event - Brewlander Raffle
Reminder: Those who are members : I need a shirt size (hopefully Jackie can get the golf shirts to
embroider next week). Probably standard cotton/polyester blend.
Planning meeting reminisces
It was a rather more somber planning meeting than usual at Doug's house, yet Doug has volunteered his services
in giving a presentation at the October meeting at Tracy's house. Tracy may say a bit about Oktoberfest,
although the newsletter will have some info. Doug and Linda served some interesting cheese, bread to dip in a
vinagrette-type dip, and funky tiny seedless red grapes. We also talked about Todd's motorcycle. Ray, Bill
Lees, and Jeromy were also present.
Oktoberfest
Attendance is down by a third this year, and I bet none of you are going. So I have decided to bring Oktoberfest to you. There are 14
major beer “tents” in Munich (material below shamelessly ripped off from the web).
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1. Hippodrom - Wild horses
2. Armbrustschützenzelt - Bull's Eye!
A rather small, but exceedingly popular tent: this is
where young people meet those who are young at heart.
The crowd is really international, and the Hippodrom is
said to be the tent with the highest "flirt factor" among
all Oktoberfest tents. It's easy to get to know people,
especially at the beautiful champagne bar. If you don't
want to drink champagne, just try the delicious SpatenOktoberfest-beer.
The Armbrustschutzen (crossbowman) tent lives up to
its name. The Oktoberfest crossbowman competition
took place in 1895 for the first time, and has long since
become a characteristic part and a charming highlight of
the Oktoberfest.
The Hippodrome is also a great place to hunt for
autographs, since lots of TV and movie stars come here.
Just the right tent to meet people in a relaxed
atmosphere.
However, it has never really been about athletic records:
Sociability and 'Gaudi' (great fun) always come first and
are guaranteed in this tent .
Your tastebuds won't be neglected, either: Peter
Inselkammer and his team are known for their delicious
traditional dishes including roast chicken, knuckle of
pork and sausages with sauerkraut. Beer: Paulaner
Why is it called "Hippodrom"? - Because there used be
horse-races in this tent. Surprise, surprise.
3. Hofbräuhaus - Famous throughout the world
Munich's traditional downtown beer hall "Hofbrauhaus"
is probably the number one tourist attraction of the city.
The Hofbrau brewery's tent at the Oktoberfest is also
famous: Starting at noon, proprietors Gunther and
Margot Steinberg have a brass-band playing original
Bavarian music, and Masskrug lifting competitions are
held. A Masskrug contains one liter of Bavarian beer,
and the strongest "Bedienung" can carry up to 16 of
those Masskrugs.
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The Hofbrauhaus offers lunch specials, too. This year
the menu includes original Bavarian as well as
international specialities, at reasonable prices.
This tent usually attracts a mixed crowd: Many Munich
residents, but also international guests can be found
here, since the Hofbrauhaus is so well-known.
4. Hacker Festzelt - Luja! I say!
The Hacker tent is lovingly decorated with clouds and
stars. If you are from Bavaria, it immediately reminds
you of a funny, very popular local story about Aloisius,
a man from Munich who dies and goes to heaven. He
gets bored and grumpy there, spoiling everyone's good
mood. Eventually he's sent on a mission to the Munich
town hall but ends up in a beer tent.
In addition to the typical Oktoberfest offers, proprietors
Toni and Christl Roiderer present something that attracts
lots of young people: Starting every night at 5.30pm,
they have a rock'n'roll band playing, an alternative to the
Bavarian brass-music, which is predominant everywhere
else.
And after some Mass (liters) of the delicious Hacker
beer, you might even hear old Aloisius grumbling next
to you.
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5. Schottenhamel - Young people and old
traditions
This is where it starts: In the venerable Schottenhamel
beer tent, the Munich mayor usually opens the
Oktoberfest with the official tapping of the first beer
barrel, shouting the traditional "Ozapft is!" ("the barrel
has been tapped").
This year, due to the terrorist attacks in the USA, the
city council has decided to abstain from opening the
Oktoberfest with the traditional "O'zapft is". Still, the
Schottenhamel tent is where the opening ceremonies
have taken place - unusually tranquil, starting with blues
legend Albert C. Humphrey singing a peace song. Beer:
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
6. Winzerer Fahndl - Gemutlichkeit at its best
Attention soccer fans: the members of the FC Bayern
Munich team are frequent customers at this tent
belonging to the Paulaner brewery.
In the lovingly decorated tent bavarian "Gemutlichkeit"
is not just part of a toast. Proprietors Willi and Helga
Kreitmair personally take care of every detail of the
decoration.
At the Winzerer Fahndl, a lot of heart and soul is put
into everything, and not only the regular customers
realize this. The "Gemutlichkeit" is the reason for many
celebrities to come to the Winzerer Fahndl.
8. Käfer’s Wiesnschäncke - A garden for
gourmets
The famous Munich caterer Kafer is part of the
Oktoberfest, too. With their comfortable country-house
style tent and a beer garden, the Kafer familiy creates an
intimate, almost idyllic atmosphere. No wonder that
high society especially enjoys lingering here, away from
the noisy crowd.
No question that Kafer also stands for high quality
cuisine; the duck is highly recommended. If you're
looking for an Oktoberfest souvenir, get a Kafer mug. A
different one is sold every year, and the mug has
become a collector's item by now.
7. Schützen Festhalle - With the Bavaria
watching over you
The tent of proprietors Eduard and Claudia Reinbold is
not only a treat for your eyes - the Bavarian cuisine also
worth trying. Every visitor of the Schutzen tent should
try the world-famous suckling pig in malt-beer sauce.
Another famous speciality is the Krautsalat which, as it
is custom in Bavaria, is served warm.
This relatively small tent with 4000 seats is perfect for
everyone who likes an informal and cozy atmosphere.
It´s situated directly underneath the "Bavaria Hall of
Fame". Beer: Lowenbrau.
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By the way: the Kafer tent stays open until 1am;
however, after 11pm the guests are hand-picked. Beer:
Paulaner
9. Weinzelt - There's more to the Oktoberfest
than beer...
This is the tent for everybody, who wants to drink
something else than beer - and that's definitely not just
Preussen. (n., lit.: Prussians; in Bavaria used as a
diminutive for every German from outside of Bavaria) A
great selection of wines awaits you, stiil, you can enjoy a
delicious Paulaner Weissbier.
The small and beautifully decorated tent is the right
place for people who prefer being away from big,
bawling crowds.
Especially local actors appreciate this atmosphere of
"Gemutlichkeit". The Weinzelt is open till 1 am!
11. Braurosl - Bavarian "Urgestein"
The Heide family's Braurosl tent has been a part of the
Oktoberfest for ages. The tent, which is named after
brewery owner Pschorr's daughter, belongs to Willy
Heide, who has been the official spokesperson of the
Munich Oktoberfest proprietors since 1984.
Every night the Ludwig Thoma brass band play
Bavarian music. Together with the tent's own female
yodeller, they make sure that the guests are having a
really good time.
10. Lowenbrau -The lion doesn't sleep tonight!
Right above the entrance of the Lowenbrau tent, a lion
4.5 meters in height, roars loudly every minute. Maybe
that is why the party already starts at noon here.
Also, this is where the fans of the soccer club TSV 1860
meet to celebrate their team's victories. Well, sometimes
they drink to forget a defeat of the "Lions", as the
players are called.
If you are a fan of another soccer team, don´t worry: Just
be friendly and pay for a round of beers! If you want to
visit a soccer match in Munich, please note that due to
security regulations, there won't be any first league
matches on Saturdays during the Oktoberfest.
Page 6 of 1010
The culinary speciality at the Braurosl is the original
Bavarian Kaiserschmarrn, a cut-up pancake, which is
prepared in a gigantic pan. Don't miss it! Beer: HackerPschorr.
12. Augustiner-brau - Gemutlichkeit for families
Manfred Vollmer has been the proprietor of the
Augustiner tent for 11 years now, and during this time
the tent has gained the reputation of having the
friendliest service of the entire Oktoberfest.
The Augustiner tent, which offers space for about
10,000 people, is a great place for families, too, because
on Tuesdays it's "family time". That's when you can get
all the affordable specialities of the day for even less
money.
Especially recommended: the Oktoberfest Hendl (a half,
roast chicken), filled with parsley.
14. Fischer- Vroni
Fish on a stick
This tent is a must for fish lovers. Only here you'll get
the original Steckerlfisch, a grilled "fish on a stick". It is,
beside duck and Hax'n , one of the classic Oktoberfest
specialities.
Of course, on the menu you can also find whitefish and
salmon, plus all the meat dishes which are part of a
typical Bavarian menu.
The tent is small and extremely cozy, so that you can
experience the real Oktoberfest-atmosphere.
13. Spatenbrau Ochsenbraterei
Home of the Oxen
In this tent, oxen definitely are at the thing to go for,
being prepared as an amazing variety of dishes.
Sometimes visitors can't believe that so many parts of
the ox can be used to cook with.
Of course, you'll also find other specialities like
Brathendl (roast chicken) or Brezn (large pretzels) on
the menu. Starting already at noon, there's brass music
and the right atmosphere - so it's easy to just stay until
night.
Page 7 of 1010
I’m Like a Chocoholic, But For Booze (from the Onion)
Did you ever know a "chocoholic"? One of those folks who just can't get enough chocolate? I bet there's at least one in
your home or workplace. At my house, it's my wife Emily. She's got to have her little bowl of Hershey's Kisses in the
living room. She can't go shopping without bringing home some chocolate ice cream or a chocolate-cake mix. She's even
got a funny little sweatshirt that says, "My Name Is Emily, And I'm A Chocoholic."
To be honest, I'm a bit of a chocoholic myself. Except for one small detail. You see, instead of being addicted to
chocolate, I'm addicted to booze. Yep, from dawn to dusk, there's one thing on my mind: booze! Beer, liquor, wine, all
that stuff!
When my wife gets one of her cravings, she reaches for a Baby Ruth or Mars bar. With me, it's Icehouse beer. My
refrigerator is always stocked with plenty of it. I also have a little flask of whiskey in my desk drawer at work. In fact, if
you can keep a secret, I even keep some booze in my car in case of traffic jams. I just can't stand to be without booze for
too long!
I'm a lot like that Cookie Monster on Sesame Street. Only it's more like the Booze Monster. When I walk into a party
and see that they have booze of any kind, it's like, "Whoa-hoa! All bets are off! Lemme at that booze!"
I remember this one time, there was no chocolate in the house. Emily was going out of her mind, trying to scrape up
some sort of chocolate fix. In the end, she resorted to drinking a cup of hot cocoa. It was so cute! Sort of like the time I
drank all her hairspray because there was no booze in the house. Or that other time with the rubbing alcohol. Or the
Nyquil. Or the Aqua-Velva.
Another time, I was completely out of booze, and all the stores and bars were closed, so I drove 45 minutes to find a
place that would sell me some beer or something. I was kind of embarrassed, because here it was late Monday night, and I
had to work the next day, and I'm driving around looking for booze. But, hey, that's just how things are when you're a
"booze-oholic" like me! I finally found a huge all-night liquor store. You should have seen how I loaded up! Cases of this,
fifths of that. It was 5 a.m. when I finally got home, so I just said, "To heck with work!" and had my own little improvised
holiday. I called it Booze Day! I'd been working hard, getting to work on time almost every day for two weeks, so I
figured I'd earned what wound up being the rest of the week off.
Sometimes Emily and I think we should cut down a little—you know, health concerns and all. But there's always
some special occasion that gives us an excuse to go off our "diets." Halloween was Emily's last big bender. We only got
three trick-or-treaters the entire night, so the whole big bowl of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups went straight to her. (Or
straight to her thighs, as she said!)
My most recent bender was today. There was a good movie on TV, and I figured, hey, I'll need steady hands to
change the volume. Of course, it all went straight to my liver, but what are you gonna do?
For my birthday, Emily gave me the funniest coffee mug, perfect for Irish coffee. It has a little teddy bear on it with a
"don't mess with me" look on his face, and it says, "Hand Over The Booze And Nobody Gets Hurt." I laughed so hard!
That bear was just like me when I robbed the party store earlier this year! Also, the mug is really big, so it can hold a lot
of booze... another plus!
Yes, those chocoholics are a funny sort. But they won't hurt you—as long as they have their
chocolate, that is. Or, in my case, booze!
Page 8 of 1010
AMHERST, MA—Researchers at the University of
Massachusetts released a surprising new study Monday
indicating that, contrary to long-held beliefs about its
destructive effects, collegiate binge drinking is a fucking
blast.
at bars and off-campus house parties until all hours of
the night skewed our findings, preventing us from
accurately measuring just how much fun it is to get
ripped."
"Data collected at bars and fraternity parties on the
UMass campus has yielded unexpected conclusions with
regard to the practice of binge drinking," study head Dr.
Albert Greaves said. "Over the course of our research, a
consistent pattern emerged demonstrating that binge
drinking seriously kicks ass."
"There was this one bar called The Depot, where
they serve beer in these humongous three-foot glasses
that are like giant boots," Greaves continued. "You have
to stand back and tilt the thing to drink it all. Our team
conducted an experiment to see who could finish one off
the fastest. Myself, Dr. Milton Laurian and these eight
20-year-old test subjects lined up against a wall and
started chugging away. After completing the test and
subsequently throwing up all over the place, I could only
conclude that downing huge-ass boot beers is really
awesome."
Added Greaves: "That was the best fucking study."
The 250-page report comes as a surprise to the many
medical researchers who had previously found binge
drinking to have a host of negative effects. A 1996
Johns Hopkins University study concluded that binge
drinking is a destructive scourge on college campuses
that can lead to alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual assault
and alcohol poisoning. But in the wake of the UMass
study, the Johns Hopkins researchers and others have
been forced to revise their conclusions.
"It appears that our study would have benefited
greatly from first-hand observation of the binge-drinking
phenomenon," said Dr. Caroline Worsted of Johns
Hopkins. "Our failure to go out and collect primary data
Page 9 of 1010
Above: University of Massachusetts researchers
Dr. Albert Greaves (fourth from left) and Dr.
James Podriewski (second from right) gather
data on binge drinking.
According to Greaves, much of the UMass team's
research was conducted at a party at this one guy Matt's
place. "My colleagues and I were doing beer bongs, kegstands, Jell-O shots, Jager shots—you name it," Greaves
said. "We were totally binge drinking and just having a
great fucking time. The best part was the crowd—the
study was packed, and there was this amazing random
sampling of hot chicks. I was so drunk, I couldn't figure
out what the source of the unusually large hot-chick
sample was, but by that point, I really didn't care."
When the keg was tapped, Greaves and his team
went looking for a place to gather more data. "We heard
there was this awesome study on Church Street, but we
didn't have the address, so we just went wandering
around," Greaves said. "We eventually wound up
walking into this complete other study where we didn't
know anyone. Unfortunately, it turned out to be totally
lame—most of the people there were in the non-drinking
control group. We had fun for a little while busting on
them, but pretty soon we split."
Among the UMass team's findings: A 10-ounce
serving of Jack Daniels can be consumed 30 percent
faster when accompanied by shouts of "Go! Go! Go!
Go!"; the bathroom at The Lightning Lounge is a
popular place to throw up; and when Dr. Andrew
Schmid drinks five Long Island iced teas, he lies down
in the street and starts singing the chorus to The Dream
Academy's "Life In A Northern Town" at the top of his
lungs.
sign, and he's all like, 'Guys, check out the sign I found.'
It was funny as shit. I swear, I was laughing so hard, I
almost left a urine sample all over my pants."
"Dr. Schmid is what we scientists term a fucking
booze monster," team member Dr. James Podriewski
said. "This one time, we needed a whole bunch of Wild
Turkey and tonic water for a study that was just getting
going at midnight, so we sent him out to this store that's
open until 2 a.m., and we're waiting for, like, hours until
he finally comes back, and he doesn't have any of the
stuff, but he's carrying this big fucking railroad-crossing
"That was seriously the best study I've ever done,"
Podriewski said. "I don't know what those New England
Journal Of Medicine people were talking about when
they did that 1996 study in conjunction with the
Department of Education that found binge drinking to be
even more dangerous and destructive than previously
believed. As far as I could tell, binge drinking rules."
Page 10 of 1010
Podriewski, addressing reporters in front of a
massive pyramid of empty laboratory beakers, called the
study "a major success."