April 17, 2025

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 10
• Homebrews: 13

David Johnson started the meeting at 7:10 PM. Keith Linn opened the meeting with a toast to Ric Bailey for his birthday.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Tom Maddock (absent)
  • Ben Farhner carried the golden chalice in his stead for taking 2nd place last month.
• Beer of the Month: Tom Maddock’s Vienna lager
• Ass of the Month: Daniel Stubblefield (absent)

No guests were present. Beers were introduced and an intermission taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

NWA Women’s Shelter Fundraiser

• The event was held on Saturday, April 12, 12–3 PM at Bentonville Brewing.
• About $12,000 was raised at the event.
• Attendees had lots of good feedback about the venue this year.

Jack McAuliffe Tribute / Home Brew Showcase

• The 2025 Home Brew Showcase is on Saturday, May 10 in Siloam Springs
• FLOPS is planning to include a tribute to Jack McAuliffe, honoring his induction into the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. Keith Linn reached out to Kolin Blakely about honoring Jack at the event and he is onboard with that.
• James Harvey is waiting to hear back from the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame.
• Kolin Blakely is still looking for more brewers for the event.

Big Brew Day

• FLOPS is planning to brew on the Fossil Cove small system in their taproom, starting at 7 AM on Saturday, May 3. OZ is now planning to join FLOPS at Fossil Cove for this event.
• FLOPS and Fossil Cove need a headcount of members planning to attend.
• David Johnson will talk to Kevin Elsken about bringing food.

Weiz Guys Big Brew Day Competition

• FLOPS is planning to participate in the Weiz Guys competition again this year.
• 1 entry per club. Entry window is September 1—October 21, and the competition is on November 8.
• The winners will be featured in Zymurgy and can designate a charitable organization for donations.
• James Harvey made a motion for FLOPS to hold a competition for the best beer from Big Brew Day to send to the Weiz Guys competition. The motion was seconded, and approved by members with a vote.
• Randy Germann made a motion for the club to pay for the entry fee and shipping. The motion was seconded, and approved by members with a vote.

Membership

• Membership dues for 2025 are due. Members should see Chris Abel, Treasurer, to pay their dues.

New Business

Hop Schedule

• [James Harvey]
• 2025 St. Louis Microfest
  • May 10 in St. Louis, MO
  • Registration is now closed
  • Judging on April 22–26
  • More info here
• Summer SMaSH 2025
  • July 12 in St. Louis, MO
  • $10 entry fee
  • Entries due June 25
  • More info here
• Honey Beer Competition
  • August 9 in St. Louis, MO
  • Entries due July 18
  • More info here
• MO MASH In 2025
  • August 23 in Rolla, MO
  • $10 entry fee
  • Entries due August 16
  • More info here
• Mead Stampede
  • July 10 in Oklahoma City, OK
  • $10 entry fee
  • Entries due June 15
  • More info here
• Historic Arkansas Museum Hop-Off
  • July 11 in Little Rock, AR
  • No entry fee
  • More info here
• James Harvey requested information from members on non-AHA events that should be included on the hop schedule.

Bugs, Beers, and Birthday Cake

• Keith Linn is hosting a crawfish boil for his wife’s birthday on Saturday, April 26 at 6 PM. More information is available on the members-only Facebook page.

Flopswear Update

• Keith Linn has the group buy orders at his house, and will provide shipping charges to Chris Abel for the club to reimburse.

Education

• David Johnson presented on exogenous enzymes.

Meeting closed at 8:25 PM, opening up to GODS, the Greater Ozark Drinking Society.

Brewer of the Month

1. Ric Bailey
2. Lewie Lewis
3. Alex Smith

Beer of the Month

• Ric Bailey’s Double IPA

Ass of the Month

• Tom Maddock for not claiming his chalice

Meeting concluded at 8:44 PM.

January 16, 2025

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 13
• Homebrews: 20

Meeting started at 7:12 PM with a toast by Kevin Elsken to Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2024. Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing by signing HR 1337 in 1978.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Keith Linn (absent)
• Beer of the Month: Keith Linn’s 11-year-old mead
• Ass of the Month: Ken Gill

Guests

• Amanda McWhirt, leads the hop program at the U of A
• Daniel, has been to FLOPS before but it has been a long time

Amanda McWhirt gave a presentation on the U of A hop research program.

Beers were introduced and an intermission taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

Frost Fest 2025

• February 1, 2025, 1–6 PM
• There are four members interested in participating. Daniel Stubblefield interested as a backup fourth person in case someone drops out.
• Kevin Elsken is bringing the club jockey box with 5 taps, and Ben Farhner can bring 4 more taps.
• There will be a group text to coordinate among the participants.

Iron Brewer Competition

• Q4 2024 Bière de Garde (24C) results:
  • 1st place: Keith Linn
  • 2nd place: Randy Germann
  • 3rd place: Matt Daniels
  • Honorable mention: Ric Bailey, only 0.6 points away from 3rd place
• Q1 2025: Irish Stout (15B), due April 17, 2025 at FLOPS
• Q2 2025: Kentucky Common (27), due July 1, 2025 at OZ
  • David Johnson will present on the Kentucky Common style at the February meeting.
• Q3 2025: Doppelbock (9A), due October 7, 2025 at FLOPS
• Q4 2025: Belgian Dark Strong (26D), due January 15, 2026 at OZ

New Province King for a Day

• Brew day is February 8, 2025, starting around 9 AM. Wort should be ready around noon.
• Participants can bring a kettle and boil on site, or may bring a vessel to take wort home to boil.
• Judging day is March 15, 2025, where the beers will be served.
  • James Harvey made a motion for this to be the club social event for March. The motion was seconded and members approved it with a vote.

Club Memberships

• Memberships need to be renewed for 2025. Members should see Chris Abel, Treasurer, to pay dues.

AHA Membership

• Kevin Elsken encouraged members to join the AHA for its club benefits.
• The club received a $80.96 insurance rebate for 2025 from the AHA.

New Business

Sensory Evaluation Session

• The first session is Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 10 AM at Black Howler.
• Seating is limited to 12 slots, with 2 reserved for Black Howler employees, so members are encouraged to sign up soon.

Flopswear

• Keith Linn set up a site to purchase FLOPS merchandise.

Podcast with Black Howler

• Patrick Bohannan was interviewed on 103.7 The Buzz’s podcast Tap Time in their January 3 episode.

Hop Schedule

• National Homebrew Competition
  • Final round is in Kansas City, MO on June 26–27
  • Registration opened on January 28, 2025
  • $29 per entry
  • More info here
• Kansas City Bier Meisters
  • February 22, 2025 in Kansas City, MO
  • Registration is closed with 774 entries
  • More info here
• Bluebonnet
  • March 21–22, 2025 in Fort Worth, TX
  • Registration closed on January 25, 2025
  • More info here
• 2024 Red Earth Brewers Spring Brew Off
  • April 12, 2025 in Oklahoma City, OK
  • Registration opens February 1, 2025
  • Entries due March 21, 2025
  • $12 per entry
  • More info here

The Future of Homebrewing

• The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had an article about the closing of New York City’s last home-brew supply store, Bitter & Esters, and the future of homebrewing as a hobby.

Miscellaneous

• Social event for February
  • Chris Abel made a motion for Frost Fest to be the club social event for February, James Harvey seconded the motion, and members passed it with a vote.

Meeting closed at 8:24 PM, opening up to GODS, the Greater Ozark Drinking Society.

Brewer of the Month

1. Tom Maddock
2. Daniel Stubblefield
3. Kevin Elsken

Beer of the Month

• Tom Maddock’s Chocolate Stout

Ass of the Month

• Kevin Elsken for giving members a hard time for bringing too many beers.

Meeting concluded at 8:49 PM.

December 19, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 11
• Homebrews: 17

Meeting started at 7:08pm by Kevin Elsken with a toast by Keith Linn.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Daniel Stubblefield (absent)
• Beer of the Month: Daniel Stubblefield’s Bière de Grade
• Ass of the Month: James Harvey

Guests

• HB Fink, works at Fossil Cove part time
• Kolin & LeAnn Blakely, run the Siloam Springs Center for the Arts and the Art of Home Brew Showcase

Beers were introduced and an intermission taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

Frost Fest 2025

• FLOPS can bring a maximum of 4 people and needs to provide at least 1 bbl of beer total.
• Kevin Elsken, Ty Weston, Ben Farhner are interested. Ric Bailey and Keith Linn are possibly interested.

Iron Brewer Competition

• Q4 2024: Bière de Garde (24C), due January 7, 2025 at OZ
• Q1 2025: Irish Stout (15B), due April 17, 2025 at FLOPS
• Q2 2025: Kentucky Common (27), due July 1, 2025 at OZ
  • David Johnson, FLOPS’ Vice President for 2025, will plan an education segment on this style for the February meeting.
• Q3 2025: Doppelbock (9A), due October 7, 2025 at FLOPS
  • Randy Germann was tapped to do an education segment on this style in 2025.
• Q4 2025: Belgian Dark Strong (26D), due January 15, 2026 at OZ
• Q1 2026: Vienna Lager (7A), due April 16, 2026 at FLOPS
• Q2 2026: Irish Red (15A), due July 7, 2026 at OZ
• Q3 2026: Rauchbier (6B), due October 15, 2026 at FLOPS
• Q4 2026: Hydromel (M1?), due January 5, 2027 at OZ

Miscellaneous

• A nice time was had at the Christmas social at Mad Rooster on December 14th.
• Amanda McWhirt from the U of A will be presenting at the January meeting. OZ members are welcome to attend.
• Anubrew in Rogers is close to reopening. Doc Farmer was in there a couple of days ago; they’re stocking shelves, and their website is out of date, but they should be fully open within a week.
• Patrick Bohannan has grain by the pound available. Members should email or text him if they are interested.
• David Johnson still has HopKick available. Members should contact him if they are interested in some.
• Randy Germann brought the finished product from the MoreBeer flash brew kit that he brewed. It only took him 50 minutes to brew!

New Business

New Province Brewing: King for a Day

• Brew day: February 8, 2025
• Judging day: March 15, 2025 at New Province
• New Province will brew Philosopher King onsite to mash-out, then homebrewers will do the boil at New Province or at home, hop it how they like, and ferment at home.
• Participants should take pictures and document what they do at home.
• Lewie Lewis will set up a signup page for this event

2025 Officer Election

• Officers for 2025 were selected in a no-contest election:
  • President: Kevin Elsken (incumbent)
  • Vice President: David Johnson
  • Secretary: Ben Farhner (incumbent)
  • Treasurer: Chris Abel (incumbent)
  • Hop Scheduler: James Harvey
  • Mug Watcher: Keith Linn (incumbent)
  • Communications Chair: Ric Bailey

Hop Schedule

• Bluebonnet
  • If you’re not signing up on Jan 4, you’re probably not getting in!
  • March 21–22, 2025 in Fort Worth, TX
  • Entries due January 25, 2025
  • $15 per entry
  • More info here
• Bière de Rock
  • Only French & Belgian styles
  • February 1, 2025 in Aurora, CO
  • Entries due January 11, 2025
  • $9 per entry
  • More info here
• Bataille des Biѐres
  • February 1, 2025 in Lafayette, LA
  • Entries due January 18, 2025
  • $10 per entry
  • More info here
• Bluegrass Cup
  • February 8, 2025 in Lexington, KY
  • Entries are closed
  • More info here
• Kansas City Bier Meisters
  • February 22, 2025 in Kansas City, MO
  • Entries are closed
  • More info here
• Bluff City Extravaganza!
  • February 22, 2025 in Memphis, TN
  • Entries due January 31, 2025 (already 189/300)
  • More info here
• 2024 Red Earth Brewers Spring Brew Off
  • April 12, 2025 in Oklahoma City, OK
  • Entries due March 21, 2025
  • $12 per entry
  • More info here
• NHC
  • January 28th entries open
  • Awards in KC
• All AHA/BJCP sanctioned competitions can be found here.

Miscellaneous

• Ozark Beer Co. is releasing BDCS 2024 on December 28th at 11am.
• Black Howler Beer Co. sponsored the brewer’s choice competition at Art of Home Brew Showcase earlier this year, and Keith Linn won, with his winning beer brewed and served at Black Howler. Patrick Bohannan presented checks from the proceeds to the Siloam Springs Center for the Arts ($1000), FLOPS ($245), and OZ ($245)
• Kolin Blakely announced that the Art of Home Brew Showcase will take place on May 10th or 17th in 2025.
• David Johnson reached out to Justin McGinnis about the women’s shelter brewing event. They are looking at April or May 2025, but there are no details yet.
• Ivory Bill Brewing Co. is closing at the end of the year. They released their final Vintage Ale barleywine (boiled 13+ hours) on December 20th.

Kevin Elsken led a brief education round-table discussion.

Brewer of the Month

1. Keith Linn
2. Ben Farhner
3. Ty Weston

Beer of the Month

• Keith’s 11 yo mead

Ass of the Month

• Ken Gill for skipping the meeting to go the beach with the ladies

Meeting concluded at 8:39pm.

Here is the latest version of the bylaws as of 12/2024:

FLOPS Bylaws

November 21, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 15
• Homebrews: 23

Meeting started at 7:11pm by Kevin Elsken with a toast by Daniel Stubblefield.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Ben Farhner
• Beer of the Month: Ric Bailey’s Bière de Garde
• Ass of the Month: Daniel Stubblefield

Guests

• Allison, works at Orthodox
• Jeff, friend of James Harvey
• Natalie, walked in from Fossil Cove
• Imro, friend of Daniel Stubblefield

Beers were introduced and an intermission taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

Iron Brewer Competition

• Q4 2024: Bière de Garde (24C), due January 7 at OZ
• OZ will select their 2025–2026 styles at their December meeting.
• FLOPS selected the following styles for 2025–2026:
  • Belgian Dark Strong
  • Vienna Lager
  • Rauchbier
  • Irish Stout

Germannfest

• Some stats from Randy Germann:
  • 91 people
  • 4 sponsors
  • 19 beers on tap
  • 16 lbs of brats
  • 30 gal of beer consumed
  • A good time and thanks to everyone that attended!

New Business

Club insurance

• Club insurance through AHA has been renewed successfully after the expiration snafu.

Frost Fest 2025

• February 1, 2025, 1–6pm (setup 9am–12pm)
• FLOPS received an official invite for the club to participate.
• The club would receive a $300 stipend for participating. The officers need to determine how that would affect the club as a non-profit.
• If members are interested in participating, plan on brewing for it soon!

U of A Hop Program

• Daniel Stubblefield brought in some hops to share from the U of A hop program:
  • Cashmere
  • Crystal
  • Zeus
  • Red Vine
• Amanda McWhirt will be coming in to give an education presentation at the January meeting.

Q3 Iron Brewer Results (Imperial Stout)

• 1st place: Kevin Elsken
• 2nd place: Alex Smith
• 3rd place: Doc Farmer

Bylaws

• Greg Newman made a motion to accept the new club bylaws, Ty Weston seconded the motion, and the members passed it by a vote.

Hop Schedule

• Bluebonnet 2025
  • March 21–22, 2025 in Fort Worth, TX
  • Entries due January 25, 2025
  • $15 per entry
  • More info here
• Bière de Rock
  • February 1, 2025 in Aurora, CO
  • Entries due January 11, 2025
  • $9 per entry
  • More info here
• Bataille des Biѐres
  • February 1, 2025 in Lafayette, LA
  • Entries due January 18, 2025
  • $10 per entry
  • More info here
• Bluegrass Cup
  • February 8, 2025 in Lexington, KY
  • Entries due January 30, 2025
  • $10 per entry
  • More info here
• Kansas City Bier Meisters
  • February 22, 2025 in Kansas City, MO
  • Entries due February 2, 2025
  • $12 per entry
  • More info here
• Déjà Brü
  • February 22, 2025 in St. Paul, MN
  • Entries due February 7, 2025
  • $10 per entry
  • More info here
• David Johnson relayed that the women’s shelter event will happen again in 2025, likely in late March or early April.

2025 Officer Nominations

• Kevin Elsken gave a shout out to the 2024 officers and what they’ve accomplished this year:
  • Reworked the Brewer of the Year point system to better reflect the club goals
  • Purchased a club tent and a second banner
  • Implemented bookkeeping software
  • Invested in a Certificate of Deposit
  • Updated check signers
  • Wrote and approved new club bylaws
• Kevin Elsken discussed the board of directors and officer positions.
• Nominations were taken for open officer positions for 2025:
  • Vice President
    • Greg Newman nominated Randy Germann, who accepted
    • David Johnson nominated himself (he also serves at the VP for OZ)
    • Randy Germann subsequently forfeited his nomination to David Johnson so it will be a no-contest vote.
  • Hop Scheduler
    • James Harvey nominated himself
  • Communications Chair
    • Greg Newman nominated Ric Bailey, who accepted

Miscellaneous

• Ken Gill mentioned that Anubrew in Rogers is planning to reopen in about two weeks.
• Ken Gill gave away some glassware.
• Ty Weston gave away some hats.
• Alex Smith gave away some equipment.
• Social Event
  • OZ is having their social this month at New Province on December 14, 3–5pm
  • Daniel Stubblefield made a motion for FLOPS to host their holiday social at Black Howler on December 14 at 6pm after OZ’ social, Randy Germann seconded the motion, and members approved it by a vote.
    • Note: The location has since changed to Mad Rooster in Fayetteville.
  • There will be a bottle exchange, so please bring beer!
• Daniel Stubblefield proposed a group tattoo of a hop & skull design. David Johnson and Matt Daniels are also already interested.
• Great Southern Beer Fest 2025
  • James Harvey mentioned that Ale-truism is not interested in throwing the event next year and Larry McCallister is out because he will be opening his brewery. OZ wants to launch an exploratory committee to see if it’s feasible for OZ and FLOPS to put on the event themselves.
  • David Johnson proposed putting an event together between the clubs in place of GSBF.
  • Randy Germann proposed hosting a homebrew competition instead of an open event.
  • James Harvey made a motion to elect two people from FLOPS to join the exploratory committee, Forrest Adams seconded the motion, and members approved it with a vote. Daniel Stubblefield and Greg Newman nominated themselves to join the committee and were approved by members.
• Randy Germann shared his experience brewing MoreBeer’s flash brewing Hefeweizen kit. He will report back with more details once the batch is done.
• James Harvey promoted the food bank volunteer event that he organizes. He just did it again last Saturday with OZ members. Members should contact him if they are interested in participating.
• James Harvey promoted going to Oktoberfest in Bamburg next year. There are already 6–8 others interested. Members should email him if they are interested in going.
• David Johnson has a liter of HopKick available. Members should let him know if they’re interested in some. It works for hop water, soda, etc. in addition to beer.

Brewer of the Month

1. Daniel Stubblefield
2. Kevin Elsken
3. Tom Maddock, Ben Farhner, Randy Germann

Beer of the Month

• Daniel Stubblefield’s Bière de Garde

Ass of the Month

• James Harvey for not knowing the Brewer of the Month rules and being deaf.

Meeting concluded at 9:10pm.

October 17, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 18
• Homebrews: 24

Brewer of the Month

1. Ben Farhner
2. Ric Bailey
3. Randy Germann

Beer of the Month

• Ric Bailey’s Bière de Garde

Ass of the Month

• David Johnson for not bringing beer

Meeting concluded at 9:07 PM, opening up to GODS (the Greater Ozark Drinking Society).

September 19, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 18
• Homebrews: 25

Meeting started at 7:17 PM by Kevin Elsken with a toast by Keith Linn.

Kevin Elsken shared a recap of his trip to Scotland.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Ric Bailey
• Ass of the Month: Larry McCallister

Guests

• James & Stephanie: interested in brewing; use to brew back in Vancouver, WA and have been in NWA about 3 years.

Old Business

Iron Brewer Competition

• Q3 2024: Imperial Stout (20C), due October 17 at FLOPS
• Q4 2024: Bière de Garde (24C), due January 7 at OZ
• Members were requested to come up with ideas for 2025 to bring to next month’s meeting

Paella on the Patio

• September 20 at Black Howler
• Kevin Elsken made a motion to make this the club social event for the month, Greg Newman seconded, and the motion was passed by club members.

Oktoberfest NWA

• Saturday, October 12, 1–6 PM at Butterfield Stage in downtown Rogers
• The event is a benefit for the Rotary Club, so brewing & serving earns BOTY points

Fayetteville Falltoberfest

• September 29, 12–6 PM
• Organizer reached out to FLOPS about participating; they’re looking for servers and open to serving homebrew as well
• Maybe the club will get more of a heads up next year through their brewer’s guild contact

New Business

Off-Flavor Sensory Kit

• Kevin Elsken ordered the sensory kit.
• Sensory tastings will be broken into 2–3 sessions, dates to be determined. All paid members will be welcome, although each session will need to be limited to about 15 or 16 people due to the size of the off-flavor samples.

Homebrew Ingredient Desert

• Anuway in Rogers is working on reopening.
• Doc Farmer is working with Natural State for bulk grain ordering.
  • Roughly once monthly ordering cadence, full sacks only
  • Reach out to Doc to order full sacks
  • Greg Newman proposed a Google Group to coordinate split sack orders
• Patrick Bohannan is also offering Imperial Yeast for sale to home brewers, and will also sell grain in smaller quantities for the time being.
• A suggestion was made to ask Daniel Stubblefield about his CO2 filling setup and if it could be used by the club as a membership perk.

Club Administration

• Kevin Elsken proposed recruiting a board of directors from among commercial brewers in the area.
• A discussion ensued about having a separate board of directors versus the current club officers being the board of directors, and what distinction there is or should be between the board and the officers. The officers will discuss this further.

Hop Schedule

• Foam Cup
  • November 23 in Tulsa, OK
  • Accepting 500 entries!
  • Ken Gill is willing to drive entries to the event
  • More info here
• Yületyde Holiday Homebrew Competition
  • December 7 in Denton, TX
  • Entries due October 18
  • More info here

Miscellaneous

• Keith Linn’s Orange Creamsicle IPA is now on tap at Black Howler!
• Doc Farmer’s barrel project is doing an exchange on December 7. He will send out the recipe and email reminders.

Education

• Ben Farhner presented on brewing with herbs

Brewer of the Month

• 1st: Ben Farhner
• 2nd: Greg Newman
• 3rd: Matt Daniels and Doc Farmer (tie)

Ass of the Month

• Daniel Stubblefield for not showing up

August 15, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 15
• Homebrews: 20

Meeting started at 7:08 PM by Kevin Elsken with a toast by Daniel Stubblefield.

Last Month

• Brewer of the Month: Ben Farhner
• Ass of the Month: Chris Abel

Beers were introduced and an intermission was taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

Great Southern Beer Festival Recap

• FLOPS received a $750 check from Ale-truism for the club’s support of GSBF.

Iron Brewer Competition

• Q3 2024: Imperial Stout (20C), due October 17 at FLOPS
• Q4 2024: Bière de Garde (24C), due January 7 at OZ
• Members were requested to think about ideas for 2025 and encouraged to think outside of the standard BJCP style guidelines.

Paella on the Patio

• Ken Gill is hosting an event at Black Howler Beer Co. on September 20 at 5 PM.
• Please RSVP to the Facebook event or via email so Ken has a headcount for food.

AHA Membership

• Kevin Elsken asked members to consider joining the AHA.

New Business

Upcoming Oktoberfests

• Oktoberfest NWA
  • Butterfield Stage in downtown Rogers, AR on October 12, 1–6 PM
  • Homebrewers can participate this year, so members are encouraged to sign up and bring beer. There are 35 slots currently available.
  • This event is hosted by the Rotary Club so it qualifies for Brewer of the Year points for a charitable event.
  • More info here
• Fayetteville Falltoberfest
  • Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville on Sunday, September 29, 12–6 PM.
  • No homebrew, just another excuse to drink beer.
  • More info here
• Black Howler Oktoberfest
  • Black Howler Beer Co. on October 12

Off-Flavor Sensory Kit

• Kevin Elsken will be ordering a 25-off-flavor sensory kit for the club to use.
• Sensory tastings will be broken into 2–3 sessions, dates to be determined. All paid members will be welcome, although each session will need to be limited to about 15 or 16 people due to the size of the off-flavor samples.

FLOPS Administration

• Bylaws for the club complete by EOY
• The club officers are exploring the idea of implementing a board of directors, and looking into recruiting commercial brewers in the area as board members. Patrick Bohannan expressed interest.

Kevin’s 400th Batch

• Kevin Elsken brewed his 400th batch of beer last weekend! It was a batch of Old Toe Sucker.
• Kevin shared some statistics on his brewing over the years. He has definitely not brewed a coconut lime Kölsch.

Keith’s Orange Creamsicle Brew Day

• Patrick Bohannan will be brewing Keith Linn’s Orange Creamsicle Milkshake IPA, which one judge’s choice at the Art of Home Brew Showcase in May, at Black Howler Beer Co. on August 24th.

Events

• Hungry Hollow Oktoberfest
  • September 28 in Cassville, MO at Hungry Hollow Brewing Co.
  • Limited to 20 submissions!
  • No entry fee
  • More info here
• Arkansas State Fair
  • October 16 in Little Rock, AR at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds
  • Entry deadline is September 30
  • $8 entry fee
  • More info here
• Kettle Klash
  • October 12 in Battlefield, MO
  • Entry deadline is October 1
  • No entry fee
  • More info here
• Brew in the Lou
  • October 12 in St. Louis, MO
  • Cash prizes!
  • More info here
• Labor of Love
  • October 14 in Dallas, TX
  • Entry deadline is October 10
  • No entry fee
  • More info here

Miscellaneous

• Club Social
  • Members voted to make Keith’s Orange Creamsicle brew day at Black Howler on August 24 this month’s club social event.
• Homebrew supplies
  • Patrick Bohannan will have Imperial Yeast available at Black Howler starting August 16, and can order bulk grain as well. Members can reach out to him with any ingredient needs and he’ll try to meet them.
  • Doc Farmer shared that New Province and Natural State are also willing to help homebrewers with bulk grain orders.
• Doc Farmer brought WLP006 yeast to give away.
• Daniel Stubblefield brought a plethora of brewing supplies to give away.
• Kim & Tim Penhallegon brought delicious smoked queso and fixings to share.
• Daniel Stubblefield is planning to host a brew-in October or November.
• Randy Germann is hosting Germannfest on Learn to Homebrew Day, November 2nd.

Education

• Randy Germann presented on lager brewing
• Kevin Elsken followed up with some additional lager methods and experiments from Brülosophy

Brewer of the Month

• 1st: Ric Bailey
• 2nd: Kevin Elsken
• 3rd: Ben Farhner

Beer of the Month

• Ric Bailey’s ESB

Ass of the Month

• Larry McCallister for wishing decoction mashing on us all

Meeting concluded at 8:51 PM.

July 18, 2024

Fossil Cove Brewery, Fayetteville, AR

• Attendance: 13
• Homebrews: 22

Meeting started at 7:10 PM by Kevin Elsken.

Last Month

• Brewer & Beer of the Month: Keith Linn (absent)
• Ass of the Month: Patrick Bohannan (also absent; Kevin Elsken wore the hat in his honor)

Guests:

• Mario, friend of Daniel Stubblefield
• Jacob from Austin, friend of Ty Weston
• Ian, food science major with a minor in brewing at U of A and has an internship at Mad Rooster
• Coach, was in the group that started FLOPS 30+ years ago!

Beers were introduced and an intermission taken to sample the beers.

Old Business

Great Southern Beer Festival Feedback

• Larry McCallister said the event organizers were happy with the event. They raised $62,000 for charity!
• Greg Newman said there was not enough breeze down in the Homebrew Holler.
• Ken Gill requested more food options.
• Larry McCallister said that the commercial breweries got rid of around half of what they brought, which was in line with their expectations. There were 14 breweries this year, and they are looking to expand next year and draw in breweries from outside Arkansas.

Iron Brewer

• Q3 2024: Imperial Stout (20C), due October 17 at FLOPS
• Q4 2024: Bière de Garde (24C), due January 7 at OZ
• Kevin Elsken requested members start thinking about styles for next year, particularly off-beat ideas, focusing on certain ingredients, etc.
  • Ken Gill suggested making the collaboration with U of A’s hops and rice one of the styles.

Weiz Guys comp

• OZ won Heavy Medal Brewer and Heavy Medal Club!
• Kevin Elsken proposed incentivizing participation in this competition next year via Brewer of the Year points.

AHA membership

• Kevin Elsken recommended members joining the AHA, particularly for club insurance coverage.

New Business

• Ric hosted a brew-in last weekend (July 13).

Club Plans for H2 2024

• Kevin Elsken is still in talks with U of A regarding collaboration opportunities.
• The club is looking to grow membership and is open to ideas on how to spread the word and draw in new members.

Admin

• The club officers are still working on club bylaws, with plans to complete them by end of year.
• SMS marketing campaign update
  • There were 14 signups at GSBF.
  • Keith Linn has been running it so far but the club plans to formalize the process and get more people access so it’s not dependent on a single person.

Hop schedule

• Tennessee State Fair
  • August 10 in Lebanon, TN
  • Entry deadline is August 10
  • $10 entry fee
  • More info here
• 7th MO MASH IN
  • August 16 in St. James, MO
  • Entry deadline is August 12
  • $9 entry fee
  • More info here
• The Limbo Challenge
  • August 17 in Dallas, TX
  • Entry deadline was July 26
  • More info here
• Alamo City Cerveza Fest
  • September 14 in San Antonio, TX
  • Entry deadline was July 27
  • More info here
• Boerne BierFest
  • September 28 in Boerne, TX
  • More info here
• Kettle Klash
  • October 12 in Battlefield, MO
  • Entry deadline is October 1
  • No entry fee
  • More info here

Events

• Ken Gill is hosting Paella on the Patio on Friday, September 20 at Black Howler
  • Ken will start cooking at 5 PM and food will be ready at 7 PM.
  • Ken needs a head count for food, so please RSVP if you plan to come.

Club Social Options

• Daniel Stubblefield is hosting an “F U Boston Mountain” part on August 31.
• David Johnson’s pro-am beer, a cherry hazelnut sour, will be released in the next couple of weeks. This is the beer than won 1st place at the women’s shelter event earlier this year. More info to come.

Education

• Matt Daniels gave a presentation on overnight mashing, including samples of 60-minute versus overnight mashed Belgian single.

Meeting closed at 8:12 PM without ceremony.

Brewer of the Month

• 1st: Ben Farhner
• 2nd: Greg Newman
• 3rd: Kevin Elsken

Beer of the Month

• Ben Farhner’s Gruit Stout (tied with Greg Newman’s IPA, but Ben broke with tie)

Ass of the Month

• Chris Abel for missing 2 meetings in a row

Meeting concluded at 8:42 PM.