[Trubmeisters] December meeting notes
Date: 2001-12-07 13:29

The chilling nights of December are a perfect time to be locked in a
cozy little house with 15 other people.  Too bad it wasn't so cold in
that house last night.  Where's the snow already!  Ken offered his home
to our club for the latest edition of our monthly gathering.  There were
only 16 people present.  An average sized crowd.  We had the regulars
minus Julie, Scott, and our Port Washington Brigade.  Not sure what was
happening way up Nort der eh, but Julie had Scott on a short leash, and
said if she had to be in a hospital, he couldn't go out and drink beer
either.

Unless you consider MJ's niece a new member (didn't we meet her
before?), we had no new people show up.  We learned last night that she
is not really Steve's relative.  That explains her normal appearance.
It was decided that she was the "Marilyn Munster" to Steve's "Grandpa
Munster".  Or, if you like, the "Wednesday Adams" to Steve's "Uncle
Fester Adams".  Very nice, but dressed all in black.  I guess she came
straight from work where she removes expensive jewelry from recently
deceased persons.

On the beer front, kegs are going strong.  Look at the pictures I sent
earlier, from left to right.  Brian made a 4 month lager that has no
wheat in it, but yet, it tastes just like a wheat beer.  No one was able
to explain that flavor character.  Ken had his famous Oatmeal Stout in
the next tap.  Still one of my favorite beers.  Next was Jim&Sue's ESP
beer.  I guess it makes you psycho.  Or was that ESB and it makes you
Scottish?  Psycho - Scottish, they both start with a "s", so what's the
difference.  !?!?!  (I'm not feeling very creative today.  You come up
with something better.)  The next tall keg was a Spiced Beer from Steve
(the good).  It was really a great Winter brew.  He and Tony are fitting
in well, and they make great beer too!  Speaking of Tony, his short keg
in front was a very clear yellow beverage that tasted a lot like a
lager.  A very difficult beer to make and keep from having off flavors. 
Again, these 2 new brewers are really impressing the crowds.

The dining room table carried the weight of all the bottled beverage
choices.  Kevin brought some Red Ales that were as good as always.  They
were consumed quickly.  Dan brought a growler of some Scottish Ale from
a commercial place, but I forget which one.  It was decent, but no
comparison to the Porter he makes (and brought) that competes, in my
mind, with any commercial offering.  I brought a bottle each of
Elderberry and Mint wine.  George had some Spruce beer.  I know there
were at least 2 other bottles of beer on the table that I don't remember
the source of.  So someone else will have to describe them.

Janet came with George this month.  She brought her own distillery
product.  She did an excellent job of putting it into a commercial
bottle so no one would suspect it's real source.  She feels she gets too
drunk on beer, and needs the hard stuff to keep her sober.  From what I
hear, she feels everyone  err.. I mean everything ... err, well, I don't
know what she really feels except Steve's furry chest.  She couldn't
keep her hands off it.  A little soap, and he could be used as a scrub
brush.

Chef Ken went all out with a 5 course meal.  We started out with carrots
on ice.  Then the required chips and dip.  The dip tasted fantastic, but
I was afraid to ask what was in it.  It looked like a partially digested
lunch that had been regurgitated.  Good thing the flavor and aroma was
so great.  The main course was a chili that was liked by everyone except
one person.  Of course, I am biased on chili.  After 10 years in Texas,
I can not consider a clear broth to be called chili!  Besides, there is
a reason chicken is called fowl.  It is an absolute "fowl" to put it in
food I have to eat.  It also has a "fowl" taste and texture. :-)  Even
with all that complaining, I managed to finish a whole bowl of it!  (IE
Ignore the authors personal quirks, everyone else loved it!)  The 4th
course was a chili cheese dip that more than made up for the bird bath
soup.  Meat and Cheese ... now that's a man's food!  Mmmmmmm!! I
couldn't get enough of it.  Finally, Ken made some home-made candy to
top it off with.  Add beer to that, and you have all the major food
groups plus a few minor ones too.  Then again, beer by itself is all the
major food groups.  :-)

Ken also had a warmed spiced cider beverage.  I'm not sure what the
spike was, but the bottle of Korbel Brandy next to it looked pretty
empty.  Excellent way to settle a stomach after pigging out on all the
various palate pleasers.

As mentioned last month, we had another raffle.  Since there was money
collected, George felt responsible enough to actually bring some cool
stuff.  There were 3 mash tuns and some candles.  I was out of the room
when they drew, so I am not sure if there were other things too.  The
candles went to 2 women, and the mash tuns (which some people may have
called collapsible beer coolers) went to the men.  I am not sure if that
was planned or not.  Anyhow, I won one of the mash tuns, so expect it to
show up at a future raffle when I get tired of it. :-)

Betty collected $10 from everyone at the end of the meeting (I should
have left early).  Anyhow, that is what she asked me for but it seemed
like there were no zero's on anyone else's offerings.  Do you suppose
she was trying to trick me?  We were so close to a church, that I really
felt I was actually there when the money plate went by.  With all that
money collected, I expect to win a brewing kettle next month!
(Donations are not tax deductible nor required for membership.  Postage,
taxes due, shipping, and handling must be paid for by the winner.  Send
a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope without the Address on it.  Not
responsible for lost, damaged, or consumed prizes.  Eating yellow snow
will cause hair to grow on your back.  Please use `delete c:\osama.bin
laden`.)

As I was drinking a malty beverage, the room seemed to clear out.  When
I realized I was alone, I went looking for everyone.  They were
mesmerized by something on the television tube.  (See group1.jpg on the
web site.)  I was expecting to see live action video footage from a Ms
(or Mr.) Nude America event.  But, it was not.  Instead it was a man
with a dog attached to him via his arm.  The dog was proceeding to
remove the arm from the man.  Very exciting footage.  That's why they
call it man's best friend.  Steve said he always thought that his best
friend was his left hand.

One of our female members was hunting for a fully sheathed tool with the
sheath still completely intact.  She had been asked if that style of
shaft excited her.  She admitted she didn't know because she had never
held one before.  No one present was able to supply her with the
necessary equipment to satisfy her quest.  If you have one in your tool
shed, bring it to the next meeting.

Ken has quite the beer bottle collection in his basement.  Too bad they
were all empty. :-(  You can see about half of it in the photo of
bottles I posted earlier today.  After the body heat of 16 people in a
small house, the refreshing cool air downstairs was a godsend.  (I think
I can say that about a Reverend's basement.)  We got a tour of the whole
facility.  With the bar and folding chairs, there could be a pretty wild
party there.  There was a bathroom and stove on that floor too.  Must
have been someone living there at one time.  Maybe that is what happened
to all the beer in the empty bottles.

Question for this month.  Who remembers the "generic products" from the
late 70's?  One of the bottles in the collection was "BEER".  Do you
remember the white label with simple text?  You could get almost any
product in a generic label for a few cents less than the brand names.

Dan's T-shirt was a new one I had not seen before.  It took too long to
read the whole thing, few had the chance to read the 2000 words of print
on it.  Forgot to get someone to say what he wore last month.  Sorry, no
prize could be given out then.  For next month, whoever recites word for
word ALL the print on the back of his shirt gets all the money stored in
the clubs treasury.  Be sure to ask the treasurer for it next time you
see him/her.

While we were downstairs, Tony's cell phone rang.  Steve swiped it from
him and proceeded to grill the poor lady on the other end.  I'll bet
Tony has a lot of explaining to do today when she tells him he can't see
his friends any more.  Tony, don't let her run your life.  Be a man.
Tell her you can take care of your own needs.  Women, we don't need
them.  (OK, maybe we need them once a day or so.  But other than that,
WE DON'T NEED THEM!)

I believe that next months meeting is not at the regularly scheduled
date and time.  It is at Brian and That Woman Who Made Him Marry Her's
house.  They are celebrating the annual anniversary of the day his life
was ruined.  Expect his lover to send out notices with directions and
exact meeting place, date, and time including valet parking
instructions.

Wishes of the Hoppiest of Holiday's and may the Yule Log not roll over
on top of you.  Remember, Santa only comes once a year.  The poor guy.

A Good Beer to All, and to All a Good Beer!

Jeff Kane