BOSS - Brewers of South Suburbia
by Jim Vondracek on 07/09/11
In the past few months, I've joined the Brewers of South Suburbia (BOSS), a very interesting group that has monthly meetings and tastings, special events, brewing projects, and an active Google Groups email listserv. Visit the BOSS website at www.bossbeer.org, where you can see the monthly newsletter. You should also check out the link there to a daily aggregate of beer-related news, very interesting.
We met on Friday night July 8th - Rick (above) hosted us at his home in Frankfort.
This photo (above) is proof that BOSS meetings aren't entirely man-centric. We're a little ways from gender equity but there are always some brave women at our meetings, venturing into what can be a man-dominated avocation. Of course, before industrialization, beer-making was a household task and women were more likely to be brewers than men.
Also, in this photo, are two pitchers of beer brewed by our host, Rick. The lighter colored pitcher holds a Belgian-style blonde which I thought was outstanding. Other homebrews brought by members that I enjoyed at the meeting were a pale ale, a maibock lager, a porter, and a black india pale ale. Especially noteworthy for me was a Scottish ale made with just a little bit of smoked malt that was just perfectly balanced and delicious.
Two first-time visitors (above) to the BOSS meeting , one of whom has recently completed a course of study leading to a career as a professional brewer. He had recently been to Cologne, Germany, which was fortunate because we were tasting beers named for that region (more about that below).
Two old (I mean long-time) members enjoying the fellowship time before the business and tasting portion of the meeting.
Rick prepared a great meal for the group!
BOSS's 2011-12 Chair, Mark, leading the business portion of the meeting - people shared some of their recent visits to breweries, upcoming events, and other resources.
Some senior members settling into the comfy chairs in preparation for the tasting portion of the meeting.
Steve, one of a number of certified beer judges in BOSS, led the group in exploring Kolsch-style beers during the tasting portion of the meeting. While there were no homebrewed examples at this meeting, we tried beers from breweries in Cologne, Germany as well as local breweries, such as Goose Island's Summertime, Metropolitan's Krankshaft and an example from New Hollander. A very interesting example was a fresh growler from a local brew pub, Rock Bottom in Orland Park.
Kolsch is an ale, but is also considered a "light hybrid", with similarities to some lagers. It's typically a light, easy-to-drink beer with low to moderate malt and hop flavors. A great summertime beer. If you'd like to read the guidelines for the style, follow this link http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1c
The gathering was enhanced by the presence of Rick's dog, who seemed to enjoy having all these strange people in his home.
Guests are welcome at these gatherings, if you're interested in joining me at a meeting, or would like more info, let me know via the comments below or send an email. The tasting schedule for upcoming meetings in 2011 and the first half of 2012 includes mead, specialty/experimental/historical beers, hefeweizen, dark lagers, Belgian strong ales, stouts, Scottish and Irish ales, and maibock.
