NFBL Education Opportunities
Each year, our goal is to not only promote homebrewing education to the community, but also to provide educational opportunity to our members. Our hope is that we all continue to brew good beer and to have some fun doing it. NFBL educational strategies include: educational information in the newsletter, standard tastings at meetings, periodic presentations at the general membership meetings, occasional educational seminars in addition to the regular meetings, club brews, and community brews.
Learning About Beer at Meetings and Events
At many of the monthly meetings of the NFBL, we like to feature a particular style of beer. We discuss that beer style, including how to brew it, how to evaluate it, and how to identify the subtleties of the beer style that only it possesses. If someone has that style of beer on hand, we encourage the brewer to bring it along for sharing and tasting, so that club members are able to share in the joy of homebrewing and so that brewers can receive informal feedback from other members.
Periodic Presentations at NFBL meetings
We provide educational discussions at the membership meeting once a quarter. Currently, these presentations are scheduled at the beginning of each quarter: January, April, July, and October. For some months, but not all, presentation topics are tied to the featured style of the month. Information about the presentations is published in the newsletter.
Educational Seminars
In addition to the quarterly meeting presentations, we will offer some brewing and beer education seminars. These seminars will be scheduled periodically throughout the year and advertised in the membership newsletter.
Educational Information
Club Brews
NFBL club brews are great ways to get lots of hands-on education, see many different brew techniques, and to learn more about our
fellow brewers. Typically, the NFBL hosts three club brews a year.
NFBL Monthly Tasting Schedule for Meetings and Educational Sessions
| Month |
General Meeting Presentation |
Styles for Commercial and Homebrew Tasting
All Homebrews are welcome and do not have to be in style.
60 oz works best.
(5) - 12oz bottles
or
(1) -2 liter
|
| January |
Let's get the new year started. |
Smoked Beers: |
| Febuary |
Doctored Beer: Diacetyl
Commercial Style Discussion and Tasting
Gabe Grass will discuss: Low Tech Fermentation Temperature Control |
Strong Ale:
Old Ale
English and American Barley Wine
|
| March |
Doctored Beer: Sherry-like and Winey
Commercial Style Discussion and tasting
Speaker: TBD Brewing high-gravity beers |
Belgian Strong Ale: Blonde Dubbel Tripel Golden Strong Belgian Dark |
| April |
Doctored Beer: Estery and Clovelike
Commercial Style Discussion
Speaker: TBD Using adjuncts – does it change the way I brew? Using barley, wheat, rye or oats – does it change the way I brew? |
Wheat and Rye: Weizen Dunkelweizen Weizenbock Roggenbier American Wheat and Rye Wit |
| May |
Doctored Beer: Nutty
Commercial Style Discussion
Adam Goodson will conduct a Membership poll: What is the single most
important change that you made in your brewing that you felt made the
biggest difference
in the quality of your beer? |
Amber and Light Hybrids:Altbier
Blonde Ale
Cream Ale
Kolsch
California Common
|
| June |
Doctored Beer: Astringency
Commercial Style Discussion
Speakers: TBD
In-person Travel Channel stories |
American and English Ale:
Standard/Ordinary Bitter
Special/Premium Bitter
Extra Special/Strong Bitter
American Pale
American Amber
American Brown
English India Pale American India Pale
Imperial India Pale
Cascadian Dark
|
| July |
Doctored Beer: Lightstruck and Sulfitic
Commercial Style Discussion
Richard Abt will discuss How to make Sake
|
Light Lagers:
Bohemian Pils
German Pils
American Pils
Munich Helles
Dortmunder Export
|
| August |
Doctored Beer: Sweetness
Commercial Style Discussion
Open Discussion
“
Ask your Elder Statesmen”
Members Q & A
|
Mead:
Melomel
Metheglin
Braggot
|
| September |
Doctored Beer: Papery/Stale
Commercial Style Discussion
Speaker: TBD
Extract brewing – techniques to maximize your extract brewing
|
Amber and Dark Lagers:
Vienna
Oktoberfest
Märzen
Dark American
Munich Dunkel
Schwarzbier
|
| October |
Doctored Beer: Phenolic
Commercial Style Discussion
NFBL Pub Games.
|
Scottish and Irish Ale:
Scottish Light 60/
Scottish Heavy 70/
Scottish Export 80/
Irish Ale
Strong Scotch Ale
|
| November |
Doctored Beer: Alcoholic
Commercial Style Discussion
Speaker: TBD
Improving head retention/the properties of beer foam
|
Porter:
Brown
Robust
Baltic
Stout:
American
Dry
Sweet
Oatmeal
Foreign Extra
Russian Imperial
|
| December |
Best and Worst of the year |
Best and Worst |