Once again this year Mark Joy and Alison Sheafor-Joy are hosting Beerstock 5060 on their property near Arlington. Beerstock was organized last year to celebrate passage of the law that made it legal for home brewers to transport their beer for sharing at meetings, festivals, parties, etc. Matt Riggs and Brad Ginn were the only reps from West Sound Brewers, and believe me, they had a great time and were very glad they went. It would be great to get more participation this year. Here are all the details from Alison, minus her contact info and directions to the event. Contact Us for directions so we can get a headcount of who plans to attend from our club:
WHAT IS BEERSTOCK 5060?:
It is the first, legal get-together of Washington homebrew clubs to taste each other’s home brew and talk brewing across home brew club lines. Thanks to the passing of Bill 5060, after July 26th, 2009 it is now legal to have this type of event. Alison & Mark Joy, from the North Seattle Brew Club & BREW, have agreed to host the party for the 2nd year in a row on their 3 acre property just North of Seattle.
BEERSTOCK 5060-2 OFFICIALLY STARTS AT 2:00 PM:
-Sample other brew club member’s beer in a Beerstock taster glass & talk with brewers.
-Bring a bottle of your home brew or pour off your tap to sit down with a BJCP beer judge and discuss its merits and brewing techniques.
-Live Band - Every Single Day and others
-Beer games, raffles and a beer quiz available with prizes awarded
-The Great Bottle Exchange
-Play horseshoes, croquet or bung toss -- get lost in the maze
-Smell, taste and compare various hops and grains
-Brewing demonstration
-Brewing equipment Garage Sale
-A pot luck dinner will be held at the bon-fire around 6:00 pm. Extra bonus points for bringing a dish made with beer. This year we have designated a culinary specialist who will taste these dishes and choose a favorite. (It would be helpful if you have a descriptive sign for your dish.)
THINGS YOU’LL NEED TO BRING:
We will provide a main course of bratwurst & sausages. Please bring a side dish for the pot luck, such as, snacks, salad, vegetables or dessert. If you want to rest your haunches while you savor some malty brew, bring a chair. You’ll want to bring things like sunscreen, bug spray and warm cloths for the evening. Bring any non-alcoholic beverages you’d like to drink and a bottle for the Great Beer Exchange. Water will be provided.
RULES, AGE & OTHER SPECIFICS:
Each attendee must be a Washington homebrew club member. Each club member may bring one guest. All attendees must be, at least, 21 years old. I’m sorry to inform you that due to complaints from last year, we are not allowing people to bring their pets.
SIGN-IN:
At the entrance will be a sign-in booth. You’ll need to sign a short waiver stating your club affiliation and that you are at least 21 years of age (bring yer ID). The waivers will be placed in a fermenter and used for the raffle later in the evening. You’ll also receive a name tag, a game card, a pencil, a beer quiz and your taster glass filled with homebrew. We’ll collect bottles for the Great Beer Exchange at the sign-in desk.
BRINGING BEER TO SERVE:
Each club can bring as many different brews as they’d like to share with other club’s members. It is up to each club to organize this. You can bring beer in bottles, kegs, or whatever. You may bring a lot or a little. All homebrewed beverages are welcome, such as, ale, lager, mead, bragot, gueuze or big hop bombs--it’s up to you.
It is not required that all attendees bring beer, but taste buds are a must.
There will be one booth per homebrew club (just like last year). Each club is responsible for their own jockey boxes and/or dispensing set-ups, signs, table, chairs, ice and shade tent. It’s nice for attendees to know what beer you’re serving, so some tape and a sign is exceptionally helpful. You might want to bring a bottle of water to rinse glasses, too. Does your club have fliers or business cards? Feel free to decorate your booth to suit your fancy. There is a prize for best decorated booth. “Best” is decided by the “whim of a madman”.
This year we would like to get a list of beers that your club will be serving at least a week before the event. We understand that it is impossible to know all of the beers that will be served, but we’d like to make a partial list available to attendees.
SET-UP STARTS AT 1:00PM:
If your club is setting up a booth, please come around 1:00 pm to start setting up. Drive into the driveway and one of the organizers will show you to the homebrew fest area and where to unload. After you are unloaded, please move your vehicle to the parking strip. During Beerstock (starting at) 2:00pm we want to keep the driveway open as a fire lane, as much as possible. Safety first.
THE GREAT BEER EXCHANGE:
This is one of the new events designed to help you meet brewers from other clubs. Bring a bottle of your home brew and we’ll pair you up with a brewer from another club. You’ll exchange bottles and tell each other about your beer and brewing methods. If you want to be part of this but have no way to bottle your beer, purchase a bottle of your utmost, favorite micro-brewed beer for the exchange. Be prepared to explain why you chose that specific beer. Maybe together you can devise a recipe for brewing that beer?
GAMES:
The big idea behind the Beerstock event is to bring the members of various Washington clubs together. At the request of others, this year a few little games have been created to further this mixing of club members.
WEATHER:
If it’s raining, we have a very large metal building that we can all move into that is the home of our future glass blowing studio. No worries, have a home brew.
BAND:
Our band of brewers, Every Single Day is going to play, again, this year.
HAVE YOUR BEER JUDGED:
This year the Washington Homebrew Association is going to organize the “judging booth”. To retain an air of camaraderie this is not a competition but rather, it is a chance to learn about your beer. WaHa is gathering BJCP judges that are highly skilled in their ability to judge beer who are also happy to talk with each brewer in depth about their beer and brewing methods. This can be both a discussion about brewing beers to-style and more importantly, about making your tasty beer even more wonderful than it already is. You can also bring a bottle of a “problem beer” that could use some sage advice.
You may either pour off your tap at Beerstock or bring a bottle of your beer for the judging. Glasses will be provided for this.
BEER SUPPLY GARAGE SALE:
Back by popular demand, this is a self-serve garage sale (unless someone volunteers to be in charge). We have a nice shady place under a large tree where you can place your excess brewing supplies for sale. Tape an envelope to each item with the price, your name & your full address written on it. The purchaser will put the money in the envelope and place the envelope in the slot of a large, heavy, wooden box, and take their purchase to their car. After dinner, we’ll have a last call for the garage sale and pass out the envelopes to their rightful owners. If leaving early, ask one of the organizers to give you your envelopes as you leave. (Must show ID to gather your envelope.)
$$$:
To keep this legal, Beerstock 5060-2 is an invitation only event that is sponsored by Washington homebrew clubs. This year we are asking each club to collect $10.00 per person. Your club Beerstock representative will collect the money from members. Each club’s Beerstock Rep can mail checks made out to Alison Sheafor-Joy to: 3410 Stanwood Bryant Rd. Arlington, WA 98223. Please write “Beerstock 5060-2” in the subject and include the name of your brew club with a contact address for a receipt. No worries, we understand that there are always members that are on the “maybe” list. When they check-in, we will ask them to pay their Club Rep rather than paying us.
What will your donation get you? We are excited to announce that this year glass taster glasses with the Beerstock 5060 logo will be provided to all who attend! At the suggestion of last year’s attendees, we are going to rent extra porta-potties. You’ll have lots of chances to win beer related prizes and swag. The main course, glasses, printing, plates, silverware, judges gifts, breakfast, etc. are all covered by the money your club sponsors. Last year we are happy to announce that we just barely broke even, and that is the goal this year.
CAMPING AVAILABLE:
You are more than welcome to camp on our property. Our property covers three acres. We are mowing a larger section of “Camp Lumpy Land” this year. The property was originally pasture land so it’s level and has no rocks but the moles have made it very, very lumpy. I suggest foam or blow-up mattresses. Don’t forget your flashlight. If you think you might be camping, send us a quick email or put it on your club reps list that he/she will share with us. I’d be useful to have a vague count on the number of tents and breakfast to plan for.
An extra sleeping option is that we have a large, steel building that can be slept in. Bring an air mattress or foam and a sleeping bag and you’re welcome to sleep on the cement floor, in the office or up in the loft. If you are thinking of bringing a camper trailer, email us first to see if it’s ok. Parking is out on the main road and very limited due to the large number of people that attend.
There will be a simple breakfast available for those who sleep over.
BEERSTOCK 5060, July 24, 2010, starting at 2:00pm
