Beer and Wine Exhibit at the Fair

Minnie Knych and Jim Dunn have some details to share about the Food Preservation, Beer and Wine Exhibit at this year’s Fair. (Beer and Wine used to be part of the Food Preservation exhibit, then a few years ago it got separated. Now they’re back together again this year.)

“I have volunteered to work the Home Brewing portion of the Food Preservation, Beer and Wine exhibit at the Fair this year”, says Jim.  “Minnie is finding and organizing the volunteers.  I will exhibit the equipment I use to craft my own beer.  The intent is to show those interested in home brewing how easy and inexpensive it is to make their own beer.”

Here are a few things you can expect:

• There will be a competition at the Fair to find the best three home brew examples.  Entries will be accepted on Tuesday, August 11.
• There will be a sign up sheet for people interested in a hands-on brewing session – Jim will randomly pick 8 people who can go to his house sometime after the fair and make a 5-gallon batch of beer. Then they will go back two weeks later and bottle their beer and take home a 6-pack. (5 gallons yields two cases of beer).
• Jim will display his brewing equipment at the fair to encourage folks to try homebrewing.
• San Juan Vineyards will donate a 6 gallon carboy for the Best of Show winner in Wine and in Beer.  (A carboy is a big jug used in the process of making both wine and beer.)

Friday Harbor Grange #225 is sponsoring $50 Gift Certificates to Valmark for Best of Show in Food Preservation, Beer and Wine.

Also, Jim wrote the following short history of beer to share with you:

Beer History:

There is a renaissance in certain parts of the world of making beer.  People are learning they can make beer as good as the best beer they can buy.  They can hybridize a beer and make it their own.  Today, Craft Breweries number over 3,000 in the US alone.  Most were started by Home Brewers.

Earlier than 4,000 BC, Home Brewing may have begun even before making bread using just grain and water.  The Babylonians used recipes for beer written on clay tablets.  Different cultures used different grain, whatever was available.

The Romans provided beer for their soldiers.  In the middle ages, beer was the only safe drink since the water was so polluted.  The Mayflower carried more beer than drinking water.  The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because the beer supplies were running low.

“Beer is the greatest invention in the world.  Oh sure, some can claim it was the wheel.  But beer goes better with pizza than a wheel”
~ Dave Barry

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