Results are posted, and it was great to see so many familiar names both near and far at the top of the categories, including some Underground Brewers and our good friends (and often co-members) over at Brew Haven. Huge shout out to Mike L. from Brew Haven for taking home 2nd in Best of Show for his absolutely outstanding Altbier!

This event is not possible without the incredible support we get from local breweries, especially New England Brewing Co. as our hosts, and homebrewing related companies near and far that support our competition with generous donations. Be sure to check out the sponsors listed on the SNERHC site, and consider supporting them with your next homebrewing purchase!

No post about SNERHC would be complete without a massive thank you to all of the individuals who make the event possible. To our fearless leader/organizer, Andy Cox, thank you for keeping us on target and ensuring that the medals got out in record time. Paul Hayslett, without whom we’d probably have 6 judges… thank you. Andy Orefice, who gets our stewards organized and prepared for battle, Chris McCann, who took on Cellar Master duties this year, and Pat Sullivan, who ensured our competition had ample sponsors and prizes for the many many winners… again, this competition simply does not happen without you all.

This is usually the moment where I’d add pictures to the post… except, between judging and struggling to pronounce names (AGAIN, I am so sorry for all the names that I absolutely butchered along the way), I didn’t take any! The SNERHC Facebook page is the best place to see posts, photos, and recaps of the event.

Again, a huge congratulations to all the medal winners – and to ALL of those who entered, judged, stewarded, donated… or in any way supported this event, THANK YOU. SNERHC does not happen without the amazing people. Now… it’s time to get ready for next year… and the return of the pizza cutter gold medals! Cheers!

Our meeting was hosted by Pierre (and Kim!) in Trumbull. The meeting was quite well attended, and we had plenty of beers to sample as we enjoyed some food and lively conversation. Tasting notes from the beers are below… stick around until the end for a sampling of our new “emoji based scoring system” we tried out on Pierre’s cider!

Tasting Notes:

• Irish Stout (15B): Pat S. – coffee, cocoa powder, light creaminess. A lot more nose than Guinness. A touch ashy. Looks beautiful. Rich roasted malts. Very dry on the finish – just perfect. Didn’t try to be Guinness. A bit minerally, fairly sharp. Roastiness is quite high. A touch over carbonated, missing some of that smoothness. Some astringency, but that’s to be expected. A damn good beer.
  10/3/16/3/8 – 40
• International Pale Lager (2A): Santi – corn, slight grainy sweetness, but not a ton of . A touch of wine-like character than blew off. Med herbal hops. A little hoppy for the style? Inoffensive. Quite clean. White grape-y. Maybe a little much for the style for the hops and the corn. Wonderful appearance. Quickly dissipating head. Crisp dry finish. Lightly white grape upfront, but a grainy, neutral bready finish. Hint of bubblegum. Perhaps not quite as clean as you’d want. Very drinkable. Could use bubbles… 
  8/3/15/3/7 – 36 – it definitely needs bubbles. No corn, all pilsner malt. Liberty hops. Paul suggests maybe entering it as a Pre-Prohibition lager.
• International Pale Lager (2A): Pierre and Joe – very light aroma, touch of melon, plum… smells a bit like sake. Lightly sweet. Has a lager smell. Lightly golden. Could be clearer. Needs time. Thin wispy head. Finish is a bit harsh right now, could age out. A little grassy… hop bite is a bit aggressive. Nice malt character, rice coming through. Needs more bubbles and is a little full. 
  10/3/13/4/7 – 37 – 10# of jasmine rice 14# of malt
• Schwarzbier (8B): Santi – smells lovely. Lightly minerally. Getting that touch of caramel. Subtle chocolate. Roast is slightly too high there. Ruby, mahogany. Clear. Great head. Toasted bread, smoother and lower roast character than the aroma. Very dry finish but gives a light impression of sweetness on the finish. Really spot on. Maybe a touch of astringency. Could use a bubble. Lightly creamy.
  9/3/17/4/7
• Honeydew Mead (Traditional Mead – M1B): Andy T. – lots of alcohol on the nose. Honey presentation is great. Gorgeously clear. Great legs. “There’s like 1 bubble in there.” – Santi. So, technically not still. Not boozy at all, only a little on the finish as a warmth, which is surprising given the aroma. Umami. Walnut. This is really nice.
  7/6/21/8 – 42
• New World Cider (C1A): Steve V. – dry, sparkling – very pleasant apple-y nose. Light celery. Green apple. Very crisp smelling. Impression of spiciness. Crystal clear. A bit watery. Very light. More tannic than anticipated given the aroma. Would expect a little more acidity. Quite dry on the finish. “You could drink this in gallons.” – Andy T. Disappears from the glass. Want a little more flavor given the 
  10/6/20/7 – 43 – 3/4 Baldwin, 1/4 Northern Spy – from an orchard in Western Mass.

Post-Chili Cider

• New World Cider (C1A): Pierre – semi-sweet, petilant – great apple aroma. Crisp, a little bit of funk, a light red apple. Friendly wild yeast. Complex – moreso than you’d usually expect. Maybe a bit more like an English cider? A touch hazy/cloudy. Tastes cleaner than it smells. Lots of good robust apple flavor. Sweet up front, with a beautiful finish. It’s pretty sweet in the flavor… but the finish isn’t sweet.
  Numerical Scoring: 8/4/21/8 – 41 (2024 Beardsley with a touch of fresh cider from this year)
  Emoji-based Scoring: ///

Paul was gracious enough to share 4 different Polish meads with the club that he had shipped back from Poland on his recent trip overseas. His presentation is available on our Discord channel – it’s well worth checking out! Meads are certainly not in my wheelhouse, and I learned a ton during his presentation. Polish meads are a distinct style, where honey is always the most prominent flavor – any fruit or spices will have a light touch. The residual sugar content is balanced by alcohol, rather than acid or tannins, and oxidation is common (and welcome!) in sweeter styles. We tried one of each of the different strengths – with my personal favorite being the Dwójniak.

Following a few pours of mead and the excellent presentation, we continued on to our traditional tasting portion of the evening. Notes are below. Again, a huge thanks to Paul and Kathi for hosting and sharing their home and meads!

Tasting Notes:

• Czech Premium Pale Lager (3B): Santi – extremely subtle, biscuity, a touch of honey, crackers. Not very much hops… maybe a little herbal? Geranium as it warms – sweet floral. Freshly picked corn. Could have more head… could be a little clearer. There’s a bit of a sharp hop bite, harsh bitterness. Peppery. Malt character is there, very crackery. Bitterness is pretty aggressive. We thought it needed more bubbles, but we were wrong. A nice beer, but a bit out of the style, and the bitterness comes across harsh.
  7/2/12/5/5 = 31 – Totally agree with all the comments. Used all Saaz that is low AA (5oz 5gal) and it was a lot of hop matter to boil. “That’s what you get when you boil the shit out of hops”
• German Pils (5D): Mara – this is lovely – so floral. Not much malt. Light honey-cracker malt. Light cucumber. Could use a touch more pils malt character. Could be a little clearer, could use more head. Firm, clean bitterness without being harsh. Invites another sip quickly. Very dry. Maybe a touch of cardboard. Could use at least one more bubble… a little astringency. Really nice beer. I would pay for a pint of that – Paul.
  10/2/16/3/8 = 39 – All Thrall Pils
• Vienna Lager (7A): Santi – full marks on appearance. Just a stunning beer. Okay, back to aroma. Like sticking your nose in a bag of Vienna malt. Toasty. Bready. Super clean. I want to jump into the glass. What would you want different? Wow. Amazing flavor – great balance between the malt and hops. A small touch of astringency in the finish. Not a soft finish. Could be a water profile thing – could maybe be a high sulfate level? Maybe a grain husk-y quality.
  12/3/15/4/8 = 42
• Marzen (6A): Santi – again, gorgeous. Drinking with our eyes first. A good amount sulphur that’s dissipated. Some barnyard/hay. Toasty, crusty bread. Honeydew melon? A hint of honey. Could be that the fermentation could be a little more clean. Flavor is a lot of crusty bread, a hint of maybe burnt bread… molasses? New Haven style bread. It has some real character. Maybe a touch of smoke? It’s certainly not boring or un-interesting. Missing some of that clean fermentation character. A little tiny bit astringent.
  8/3/13/4/7 = 35
• New World Cider (C1A): Pat – looks gorgeous, could be a tad clearer. I smell apples. Full of apples, a little floral. There’s a little alcohol there. A little peppery, but pretty clean. Very drinkable. The alcohol is a little present. A little more sweetness could balance it out a bit more? Good acid. Dryness lingers, makes us want to drink more. Has a wine-like character. Just a really nice cider.
  6/9/20/8 = 43 – Beardsley 2024 w/ yeast added
• Cyser (M2A): Pat – needs some clarity – it’s almost a hazy white. Aroma is very subtle – but there’s a light apple, a touch of grapefruit pith. A little lemon. Some wet papery notes. No honey at all in the aroma. Could be good with some herbal additions. Flavor is quite watery, with some astringency. There’s a salty quality to it, too. Some apple-like character, but nothing is strong here. A bit bland. 3/6/12/5 = 26 – Only 2# of honey added – lots of comments about it being just a cider, wouldn’t enter as a cyser
• Mead w/ Red Currant: Andy T. – lots of legs, fucking gorgeous. Very earthy. Alcohol is readily apparent – not harsh. Deep berry, tart, not juicy. Very layered. Tart – it’s got a great bite. There’s a vegetal, almost green and stemy… broccoli rabe? Currents are super present… almost overtaking the honey, but it’s still there. Vermouthy… there’s a bitterness to it. Would like some more honey flavor. It’s very drinkable, especially given the alcohol.
  6/9/18/8 = 41 – 6 years old!
• Mead w/ Buckwheat Honey and Black Currents: Lyn – BLACK… purple and mahogany hues around the edges. Clear. Not noticing much in terms of legs. Aroma is pretty good. Molasses. Coffee. Barnyard. Feels like the buckwheat is coming through well. The fruitiness of the currents are present. Alcohol is noticeable but not dominant or offensive. Warming. T.A.R.T. Currants are making themselves known. Very dry, out of balance there – aroma gave an expectation of some sweetness. This would go really well with food – savory. Pomegranate molasses. A controversial one – especially given the difference between the aroma and flavor!
  6/10/15/7 = 38

Our July meeting – coming right on the heels of our club’s trip to Vermont, was graciously hosted by Andy T. at his home in Trumbull. Given recent conversations within the club around different fermentables, Andy put together and conducted a presentation on different sugars, with a focus on brewing of course. He went through slides that analyzed the chemistry of these sugars, their diferences in perceived sweetness, fermentability and other related topics. This was met with much interaction and discussion about mashing techniques and wort composition, which is to be another educational moment down the line.

At the end of the slides, Andy had prepared solutions of equal concentration for a variety of different sugars for us to taste and compare their sweetness and flavors. (Author’s Note: I am deeply disappointed to have missed this presentation – and I certainly can’t wait to pick Andy’s brain, and the brains of those who attended the meeting!)

It was the perfect finish to a fantastic educational segment outside on a gorgeous summer night. Everyone was so wrapped up in the presentation that the only thing we’re truly missing is pictures from the event to capture all the new learning!

On Friday, Hill Farmstead was gracious enough to offer a space for us to gather and enjoy their fantastic beers. There were plenty of lagers poured, including their fantastic 15th Anniversary Festbier, and more than a few bottles opened as well. A particular highlight and topic of conversation was the fantastic hop water, No Bad Parts, brewed by Hill Farmstead. Lightly fermented, and featuring lime juice and Strata hops, this was a huge hit with the club, and has led to more than a few attempts at creating a copycat hop water!

Saturday was spent relaxing on the lake, where we shared excellent food, beers, and naps (see pictures below). Some of us even took advantage of the lake for some kayaking, canoeing, and fishing! A day by the lake was exactly the recovery we all needed after the hours spent at Hill Farmstead. While there are a few pictures to document the days we spent up in Vermont, for the most part we were simply enjoying each other’s company, which seems like a perfect way to continue our anniversary celebration. It certainly will not be the last time the Underground Brewers make their way up to northern Vermont!

With dozens of current and former Underground Brewers, friends, and family in attendance, we had literal centuries combined homebrewing experience together under one roof. Some former members in attendance had not been to an Underground Brewers meeting in more than a decade, yet fit right back into the mix immediately. The beers, ciders, hop water, and other fermented beverages flowed freely throughout the night. Whether the conversation was about or just over these drinks, it was clear that this group has enough stories and knowledge to fill a library full of books, and more than a few kegs and bottles to go along with it.

The night only wrapped up because NewSylum was closing. Without that curfew in place, it is easy to see how the celebration would have continued well into the night!

For all those who were able to attend, thank you! For those who couldn’t, you were sorely missed! Please check out the pictures – hopefully they capture the joy and camaraderie all those in attendance got to experience. If you have more pictures, please share them so we can add them to the collection!

A few months after claiming the title, Andy got the chance to brew his beer at Twelve Percent – and on Friday, May 23 we got together to celebrate and try out the beer – which was absolutely fantastic (although I may have a bias towards the homebrewed batch). The release party was even better – with friends and family coming together to enjoy a great beer and celebrate the brewing accomplishments of an even better person. Cheers, Andy! Here’s to hoping you can retain the title at this year’s competition!

Pierre & Andy (with the help of Beth!) brewed up a 7(!!!) decoction grisette that may or may not have reached a full boil as the day progressed, while Matt and Santi brewed a take on the Underground Brewers Golden Anniversary Ale using Nugget and Victoria hops from Argentina!

If you’re interested in trying out our take on the 50th Anniversary recipe (appropriately named Dorado Anniversary Ale), it will be pouring at our 50th Anniversary Party on June 20!

I am incredibly grateful for everyone who came, hung out, and brought things to share. I can’t wait for the next one – hopefully this fall. Group brews and big bottle opening sessions are the best – thanks again to everyone for coming to hang out!

Tasting notes from the meeting are included below. We took a break in the middle of the tasting for an “educational interlude” where Andy T. led the group through a discussion about butyric acid including what can lead to its development, how to avoid creation of the compound in the first place, and the limited options for remediation (mostly through the use of brettanomyces to metabolize the compound into a more desirable flavor) should you find it present in your beer. It was an incredibly informative and engaging discussion, and I think we all learned a lot from the conversation! Some notes from the session are included here:

• Butyric Acid – it doesn’t smell or taste very nice. Vomit/rancid/cheese flavors and aromas. Not dangerous. Very beneficial – we have a lot of it in our gut… but not flavors/aromas you want in your beer.
• Human taste sensitivity – 2-10ppm… but aroma is much more sensitive (0.2ppm)
• Where does it come from? Raw food – glucose… bacteria converts to butytric acid (glucose + water) – source is from the grain!
• Water + grains gives you glucose and the bacteria are present… still active below 150F, and apparently they can still survive a boil of 90 minutes.
• Biggest risk is between mash and boil (TIME)… and a slightly lower risk between boil and fermentation – Time is the biggest factor.
• Adding CO2 increases activity of the bacteria.
• Reduce risk: grain – dry, cold, sealed. If you are doing a kettle sour or sour mash, lower the pH below 4, bacteria can’t work below that. Time – minimize time between mash/boil/start of fermentation – yeast outcompetes, takes up the glucose… alcohol produced hampers production… and lowers the pH.
• So what do you do if you have it? The longer you boil, the more you concentrate it. Brett – some strains will convert it into Ethyl Butyrate (pineapple).

Tasting Notes:

• Czech Pale Ale (3A): Matt J. – smells cold, very clean, meadow – grassy, in a good way. Herbal hops – more hoppy than malty. Light honey, lemon. Could be maltier. Lightly hazy – not quite brilliant. Bready comes through more on the flavor. More malt driven on the flavor. A little herbal-spicy hop character. Well carbonated, beautiful lacing. Maybe a little astringent. Very drinkable. Solid 7. Easily down a liter.
  8/2/15/5/7 – 37
• American Pale Ale (18B): Jon/Joe/Ernie – guava, pear, grape. Very tropical. White grape. NZ vibes. A touch of fresh mint. Not getting a ton of malt, but could just be hiding behind the hops. Absolutely beautiful. Herbal flavor… thyme, mint… pine? Spruce? The malt needs to be brought up to support the hops. Whatever the source, it’s overpowering the balance. Clean, well fermented. A little more body, a little more carb. 
  10/3/11/3/6 – 33 – Spruce Tips and Cascade
• Session WCIPA (21B): Pat S. – Orange rind/peel, pine resin, the aroma is almost chewy, light prune, maybe some green apple. Maybe too much going on in the malt… too much crystal for an American IPA. Stunningly beautiful beer. Right on the upper limit for color. Tastes like 1991. Bitter. Super bitter. Lingers forever. Gives some alcohol off that. Wouldn’t declare it as a session. Bitterness overpowers… would live well in a Red IPA. Lots of hop-plant flavor. A little harshness from the bitterness, missing some body – not quite smooth. Drinkable, needs some tweaks and would be better as a Red IPA.
  9/3/13/3/6 – 34 – leftover expired extract cans… Cashmere/Columbus/Centennial/Chinook
• Belgian Dubbel (26B): Pierre – missing some malt character. Some spicy/pepper. Yeast phenolic – good fermentation character. Needs everything to be turned up a bit, this is a little subtle. Gorgeous beer, maybe needs more bubbles. Hard to tell with these glasses. Coming across like a biere de garde. Needs more bubbles to carry it through. Sweet bready, light cherry. Needs more phenolic and esters, and some more deep malt character. Peppery. A really well brewed beer. As a BDG it would be higher. Could use at least 1 more bubble, but preferably quite a few. He should bring his bubbly friends. Delicious, drinkable, loving it… just not to style. Very sessionable.
  7/3/13/4/7 – 31 (Pierre) – “it’s a fair assessment” – aiming for a quad or a dubbel… lots of tweaking… brewed for the Armada event. Way too much residual sweetness… blended with a Czech amber lager! 50/50 blend.
• Belgian Tripel (26C): Pierre – strong phenol… but it’s so nice. Melon. Ripe banana, light clove. Baking. Inviting. A touch of earthy hops, a little apple estery. On the dark end. Maybe missing some head/effervesence. Too sweet. Lots of overripe banana. Needs to be drier. Some green banana too. More attenuated this would be spot on. Sweetness is really hurting it. No off flavors, but that’s what’s hurting it. A little thick/sweet. Some astringency. Needs more bubbles. Still quite drinkable. Needs to drop a bunch more points.
  10/3/10/3/6 – 32 – shooting for a Belgian strong blonde, but classified it as this for the Armada comp
• Irish Stout (15B): Matt J. – roasty, pale chocolate. Something vegetal. Dusty. Licorice. Light green pepper maybe? Something lightly solventy- like a water-based polyurethane. Brownies. Apple-y esters. More chocolate than coffee roast. Gorgeous appearance. Complex, dry… more roasty grain in the flavor, but still moderately low. Carrot? Coffee flavor kind of lingers. Light creaminess. Pretzel like bready quality. Toasted almond? Infinitely more complex than Guinness. Mouthfeel is fantastic. Carbonation is just right. 
  7/3/15/5/8 – 38
• Lambic with Roselle: Andy T. – smells beautiful. The barnyard-y notes are subtle and supporting, adding to the complexity. Light raspberry/fruits… vinegar… appearance is perfect. Flavor complexity is off the charts. Maybe a little something savory/meat-y… acidity is so wonderful. Sweet cherry, raspberry. Bone dry, a little tart, and so drinkable. What else would you want? Wonderful mouthfeel. Just exactly what you want from a beer with dinner.
  12/3/18/5/10 – 48 – 9 years old, using Roselle (hibiscus) from Thailand.

A number of club members made it out to NEBCO for brew day, and just a few (seemingly long) weeks later the beer was ready for release! Turnout for the release was fantastic, with the Underground Brewers joined by many Brew Haven members to celebrate the release. We all enjoyed our fair share of this delicious beer on tap, and cases were carried out the door to enjoy at home and share with friends and family. We may have even convinced some non-homebrewing patrons to try out the beer and take some home as well!

Check out the pictures from the event – and if you haven’t already, swing down to NEBCO to grab some for yourself. As of today, the beer is still available!

Many thanks to Greg and the entire New England Brewing crew for helping us celebrate our 50th anniversary, and for brewing such a wonderful beer! And a huge shout out to Em (Pints and Panels) for the gorgeous label and logo!