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Rocky Mountain District
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President Biegert opened the business portion of the meeting by welcoming the attendees and thanking Fort Collins Resident Brewmaster, Todd Hansen and his staff for again hosting and sponsoring the spring meeting. (See accompanying picture.) The brewery's sponsorship is important to the District as it helps provide it with additional funds that are used to the benefit of its membership. Mr. Biegert reported that the District's Executive Board has decided to move forward with talks between them and the local International Beverage Packaging Association (IBPA) chapter on how to integrate the IBPA members into the district. Membership chairman Dana Johnson, Birko Corporation, reported that current membership is 168, down a bit due to some unexpected suspensions from failure to renew membership in 2009. He also reported that he, along with the Executive Board, will be working with brewers in New Mexico and Arizona to help brewers there become more involved in the MBAA either through the Rocky Mountain District, or by the creation of their own Southwest District. Treasurer, Dan Overmyer, Boulder Brewing Co., reported that the District is financially sound, with cash reserves equal to what they were last year at this time. Secretary, Jon Kemp, ABInBev, updated the group on improvements to the email notification method he uses for meeting notices and RSVPs. He presented the idea of establishing an online "Who's Who" with a picture and brief CV for each district member that would be posted on the District's local website run by Beverage Consult International, Inc. The membership is in favor of the idea. Publicity Chairman, Steve Presley, retired Brewmaster, reported that there have been no applications for scholarships submitted since the last meeting. To illustrate how the scholarship works an eligible member in attendance requested scholarship funds, was approved for the funds, and then purchased a copy of the MBAA book, A Handbook of Basic Brewing Calculations from the District's supply. The scholarship committee immediately reimbursed the member sixty-percent of the book's purchase price. Mr. Presley also presented to the membership a "Presidential Registry" plaque that was commissioned by the Executive Board to commemorate the District's presidents since its reestablishment in 1993. (See accompanying picture.). Entertainment Chairman, Steve Woodward, Fort Collins Feed, reported that plans are in place for the Technical Out-of-Towner to be held in Grand Junction, Colorado September 18-20. He reminded the members to make their hotel reservations early as the dates coincide with the annual Grand Junction/Palisades Wine Festival. Steve also announced that a bus will transport members to the August 19, meeting at the Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery in Nederland, Colorado, which is about a two-hour ride from Fort Collins. The evening's technical talk, How To Craft A Brew From Inception To Its Pour, was presented by Steve Presley, retired ABInBev Brewmaster. (See accompanying picture.) He described the creation of the team that developed Ascent 54, a traditional German-style dunkel weisse beer for the Colorado region, and how the team chose a beer style, arrived at a name suitable for it and its market, and developed a marketing plan that supported the beer. The presentation included details on the formulation of a typical German dunkel weisse and how, when crafting a beer, its brewing parameters can be set using standard brewing calculations. Examples of the calculations used to do this were presented and explained. The evening was closed with a very spirited raffle of prizes supplied by the District purchased from the ABInBev Gift Shop, and ones donated by Boulder Brewing Co., Mountain West Brewery Supply and Emerson Micro Motion Inc. Steve Presley    |
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