St. Ange Brewing - Brewing and Beer Information and News

Legal Update - Sent another letter

2012-02-24T16:13:00.001-06:00

I sent another letter to my State Rep and State Senator today.

Essentially, I referred them to a recent bill in Oregon which passed unanimously in their house and senate and was signed into law in 2011.

Here's the body of that message:
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Help Legalize Organized Home Brew Events

2012-02-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

I recently had an exchange with the Missouri ATC asking if a hypothetical homebrew competition would be legal. While I am not planning one now, I thought it would be a good way to develop awareness of the hobby in the Springfield area and maybe get some more people involved. The conversation I had with Missouri ATC was cordial and polite, but yielded a very unsatisfactory answer.
The laws that govern homebrewing in the State of Missouri are in the Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 311: Liquor Control Law. The law states that “It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership or corporation to manufacture, sell or expose for sale in this state intoxicating liquor, as defined in section 311.020, in any quantity, without taking out a license."
That law would make homebrewing illegal except for the exception made in Section 311.055, RSMo, which provides that ''No person at least twenty-one years of age shall be required to obtain a license to manufacture intoxicating liquor, as defined in section 311.020, for personal or family use. The aggregate amount of intoxicating liquor manufactured per household shall not exceed two hundred gallons per calendar year if there are two or more persons over the age of twenty-one years in such household, or one hundred gallons per calendar year if there is only one person over the age of twenty-one years in such household."
So, if you live alone and are a brewer, you can make up to 100 gallons for your own “personal or family use.” If you have another adult living with you, that doubles to 200 gallons. That’s the family limit.
The trouble appears to be in how the ATC interprets this rule. The rule states “personal or family use.” However, Lafayette E. Lacy, who is the State Supervisor of the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control wrote to me, explaining that a homebrewing competition would go beyond the personal of family use exception. According to Steve Shimmens, who is the Chief of Enforcement for the ATC, the rule is interpreted as limiting this use to “personal consumption.”
So, there you have it. Homebrewing competitions are illegal in Missouri.
So, how can we get it changed? Read more »

Beer Buzz Radio - New Beer's Resolutions and Beer Mixology

2012-01-11T15:10:00.002-06:00

Well, it’s a new year, and we sure hit the ground running with the January 8th episode of Beer Buzz. To start, we have a heck of a rundown on beer related events coming up, mostly from our friends down at Mother’s Brewing Company. We also launch into some tips on making the best damn New Beer’s Resolutions and how to make them stick. Then, I make a resolution to you guys.

After we got through that barrage of beery information, we opened the floor for some discussion about the oft-disputed land of beer cocktails. Are they a good idea? Are they sacrilege? Only you can answer that for you, but we give you some good ideas on how to make them. Oh, and we mention BeerMixology.com.

Add to that a great Haiku Beer Review and more beer information than you thought we could pack into an hour, and that makes this the best show so far this year. That and it’s the only show so far this year.

Listen to it here.

Beer Buzz Radio – Christmas Dinner Pairings, New Mother’s Beer Release, and more fun

2011-12-16T06:42:00.001-06:00

On the December 11th, 2011 episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we cover a lot of ground as it relates to beer and food pairing. Most notably, we walk through several dishes you may be having at Christmas Dinner and list a few beers which would be nice to drink with that particular dish.

We also have a great Beer Lover’s Library for you, in which we cover Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer, which is an excellent guide to understanding where the flavors in your beer come from and what different forces contribute to the final flavor of your beer. He also has a great section on Beer and Food pairing, as well.

There’s also a great Brew’s Clues question, a haiku beer review for Boulevard’s Bourbon Barrel Quad, and a Drink This! segment on Mother's Foggy Notion.

Listen to the full podcast here.

#TheSession - A Dickens of a Topic - Ghosts of Beermas Past, Present, and Future (with Xmas Ale Recipe)

2011-12-03T07:12:00.001-06:00

I was on Twitter the other day and saw an interesting idea. It's called The Session, and it is a way to have a conversation across several independent blogs. Apparently, there are a lot of beer bloggers who try to come up with a themed post each month to post on the same day. This month’s theme caught my eye. It’s all about A Christmas Carol – the theme of past, present and future as it relates to beer. Look for the tag #TheSession to see other posts. Since this is a brewing blog (when I have time to brew), I’ll limit mine to beers I’ve brewed. Each of these was or will be consumed at Christmas time, so we’ll call them the Ghosts of Beermas Past, Present, and Future.
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Beer Buzz Radio - Thanks to beer, help start a brewery, and why we should be allowed to drink outside.

2011-12-03T06:49:00.001-06:00

I always run late on posting these. If you want to be updated as soon as the podcasts post to TAGsgf.com, you should probably just visit this page and subscribe to it as an RSS feed. You’ll get your updates sooner, but without my inane commentary.

On the November 27th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discussed why we are thankful for beer. There’s a sizable list, and most of it is surprising if you don’t know your history. This is easily one of the geekiest episodes we’ve had so far, because we cover a lot of historical trivia about beer.

In addition, I tell you how you can become a part of an Ozarks Brewery by donating to Horseshoe Bend Brewing Company in The Lake of the Ozarks. Go to their indiegogo page to watch a great video and find out what cool things you can get for helping them get their brewery off the ground. The donation tiers start at only $10, so it may be a cool way to start your Christmas shopping.

Speaking of which, we’ll be covering some interesting gift ideas for Christmas on this week’s show. Tune in and find out what to buy your brew-loving buddy.

Listen to the November 27th show by clicking here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Beer Geek or Beer Snob?

2011-11-07T15:27:00.001-06:00

Ever meet a beer geek? If you’ve been a fan of craft beer for more than five minutes, I’ll bet you have. You may even be one yourself. That’s good. Being a beer geek means that you love beer.

Now, have you ever met a beer snob? What’s the difference? Are they mutually exclusive, or can they coexist in the same person? In the November 6th episode of Beer Buzz, we ask this question and have a pretty lively conversation about it in the studio. We even go over some of the conversation from earlier Sunday which was posted on our Facebook wall.
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Beer Buzz Radio - Todd Frye of The Homebrewery, Learn to Homebrew Day, and Ozarks Beer Fest

2011-11-07T15:18:00.001-06:00

On the October 30th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we have a conversation with Todd Frye, owner of The Home Brewery. They have a lot going on out there lately, as they have just moved locations. They are now located on Boat Street in Ozark. They have a much larger showroom, and more variety available. In addition, they will now be offering periodic demonstrations and lessons. The first of these was on Saturday, November 5th in observance of National Learn to Homebrew Day. (I had intended to have this posted before that day, but things have been very busy in the TAG universe.)

In this episode, we talk to Todd about home brewing, discuss the Ozarks Beer Fest on November 19th in-depth, and have a good time in the studio. (Buy tickets here now.)

Listen to the episode here.

Beer Buzz Radio – Beer Trivia, Travels with Barley, and the Future of Beer

2011-10-27T15:37:00.001-05:00

On October 23rd's episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discuss some interesting statistics. Sounds fun, right? Well, these numbers are the numbers which show that Craft Beer has been continuing its explosive growth even while the beer market as a whole has stagnated for the past year. We discuss some possible reasons for that and also what could be the long-term effects.

After our first break, we introduced a new Trivia segment which will be airing weekly in which we will ask a single trivia question and award a prize to the winner. This week’s question was a good one involving the oldest brewery in the world which is still in operations. Don’t know what it is? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Sounds like Beer Buzz suddenly got smart or something, right? Well, don’t worry. We won’t get too cerebral on you. We also discuss what it would be like to dry hop with marijuana. According to the internet, it would be an expensive way to make a very crappy beer.

We also discuss Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America, by Wall Street Journal writer Ken Wells. It’s a very cool book about Ken trying to find the perfect watering hole by traveling down the Mississippi. As he puts it, “I would begin in Minnesota among folk who, geographically speaking, are practically Canadians and by reputation descended from good beer-drinking Swedes and Germans. I would slide down soon enough into the Great Beer Belly of America, for, by lore at least, Midwesterners are presumed to be the mightiest of U.S. beer drinkers."

That’s right. We’re MIGHTY.

All this, a Haiku Beer Review, coming beer events, and a guest appearance by Allen Vaughan. Whew. What a week.

Listen in here.

Cheers!

Beer Buzz Radio – 10/16/2011 - Mother’s Brewing Oktoberfest in the Ozarks, National Learn to Brew Day, and the book that will change the way you feel about big beer.

2011-10-27T15:25:00.001-05:00

OK, so that sounds like a lot. And this post is a week late. (We were having trouble with iTunes for a bit last week. It's been fixed.)

On the October 16th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discuss Mother’s Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest in the Ozarks party, which was a blast. They had two beers, a rauchbier and their harvest ale, which were only available at the event. If you haven’t caught on yet, Mother’s loves to have beers that are exclusively available at their tasting room. They want you to visit them. That’s why they’ve instituted First Firkin Friday at the brewery every 1st Friday of the month. By the way, that’s approaching fast, too.

We also talk about the upcoming Learn to Brew day, which is November 5th, and is sponsored by the American Homebrewer’s Association. It’s a national event geared towards getting those beer fans who have always thought about brewing to give it a try. If you have an interest in brewing, find a homebrewer to show you how to do it, buy The Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian or How to Brew by John Palmer, or visit the Homebrewery and get started. It’s actually much easier than it seems, and has the bonus of having the ultimate reward at the end – BEER.

Finally, we had a great Beer Lover’s Library on Sunday, when we spoke about Ambitious Brew, The Story of American Beer by Maureen Ogle. This book will seriously change the way you think about American lager companies such as Pabst, Best, and AB. I highly recommend it.

By the way, TAKE THE BEST IN BEER SURVEY. YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Anyway, listen to the show by clicking here.

Beginning Homebrewing - Get started with an equipment kit.

2011-10-25T14:21:00.001-05:00

There's a lot of home brewing ground I want to cover on this blog over the next couple of weeks, since I've not written much on it since I started Beer Buzz with TAG media and Mother's Brewing Company. If you've been listening to the show, you already know that National Learn to Home Brew day is November 5th.

Read more »

Beer Buzz Radio - The Future of Craft Beer and Our Best In Beer Survey

2011-10-10T12:38:00.001-05:00

We covered a lot of ground on Sunday’s episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company. The main topic of discussion was the future of craft beer, but we also covered some great other topics, like the Best in Beer poll (which is now available online) and what we think will be the “next big thing” in craft beer.

Don’t forget to cast your vote for the Best in Beer poll and let us know who is doing it right in Springfield. Listen to the full episode by clicking here.

Cheers!
Ben

Beer Buzz Radio - Best in Beer Survey is Live.

2011-10-06T16:48:00.001-05:00

Beer Buzz Radio, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, wants to know where you like to get a beer in Springfield. Take the very brief survey at http://tagsgf.com/bestinbeer. You have until the end of October to take the survey, but don’t wait. If you want to check out the locations before you vote, check out the map of all nominees:

View 2011 "Best in Beer" survey map in a larger map

Beer Buzz Radio - Best in Beer Survey, Bet You a Beer Game, and October Beer Events

2011-10-04T15:35:00.001-05:00

It’s October, which means lots of excuses for drinking beer. In our October 2nd episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we go over several of the best reasons. First off, we cover several craft beer events going on in the area, including two Oktoberfest events, a Harvest event, and the BIG craft beer event coming up at the Shrine Mosque on November 19th.

Second, we talk about the best reason to drink this month, the First-ever Best in Beer survey. We have our final list of Best in Beer nominees and we’ll post the survey this week. That means you can use the map below to locate and have a beer at each of the venues. Call it “research.”

View 2011 "Best in Beer" survey map in a larger map

We also discuss what it’s like to judge beer in an official capacity, and why the BJCP is a mixed blessing for beer fans. Mostly, I feel that shoehorning beer into style categories is extremely limiting for brewers, but is extremely handy for judging beer for competition. Since I judged my first competition on Saturday, we talk about how having the BJCP scoring sheet in front of me changed my perception of the beer and why that was a good thing.

Continuing the excuse to drink beer, I covered why we should start a “Bet you a beer” movement, which mostly consists of betting your lager-drinking friend that you can find a craft beer he’ll like. The conversation might go something like this:
Read more »

Beer Buzz Radio - Brief history of beer and "Best in Beer" nominations

2011-09-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Beginning next weekend, we’ll start our first-ever “Best in beer” survey, which will allow you to vote on the best places in Springfield to grab a beer. On the September 25th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we put out the final plea for your nominations for best bar, restaurant, and store to buy craft beer in Springfield.

The final list of nominations is below, in no particular order:

Bars:
Patton Alley Pub
Farmer’s Gastropub
Mud Lounge
Skinny Slim’s
Finnegan’s Wake

Restaurants:
Patton Alley Pub
Farmer’s Gastropub
Creekside Bistro
Galloway Station

Package Store:
Bistro Market
Macadoodles (Republic)
Brown Derby Wine Center
Price Cutter

Along the way to closing out the nominations, I got a little sidetracked on the history of beer in America and why it’s unfair to categorize American Lager as “bad beer.” It’s actually well made and designed for specific purpose.

One of these days, I’ll write an article on why I think American lager is treated unjustly, but not today.

Listen to the show by clicking this link.

Glassware? Solo cup? Do you care?

2011-09-20T15:58:00.001-05:00

So, during the show on September 11th, Brett and I got a little sidetracked discussing glassware and how it affects the beer you drink. Since it was on my mind, I wrote an article outlining the basics for the Beer Buzz column over at TAGsgf.com.

I don’t think glassware is what I’d call vital to a beer drinking experience (except in very rare circumstances), but it can help. For instance, drinking at Oktoberfest would be diminished a bit if you were drinking out of fragile glasses rather than the huge dimpled steins. What’s Oktoberfest without clinking glasses together heartily while yelling “Prost!”? Similarly, I think trappist ales deserve a bit more respect than the average beer, too. Glassware is one of the ways to show that beer the respect it deserves.

An American Pale Ale, though? A homebrewed porter? Glassware is fine and all, but I’d be almost as happy drinking them from a red Solo cup.

Check out the alternatives to Solo cups on TAGsgf here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Best Beer Bar in SGF? Also, more on black IPA's

2011-09-19T13:37:00.001-05:00

On this week's Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother's Brewing Company, we started our first-ever online poll. We want to know your favorite places to get craft beer in SGF. We also spoke about Black IPA's an how no one can agree on what they should taste like or even what they should be called.

OK, so let’s get this official poll rolling. You have until next Sunday at 5 PM to nominate your favorite bar, restaurant, or store for purchasing craft beer in SGF. Feel free to nominate a different place for all three categories.

Brett and I have excluded ourselves from the nomination and voting process so that the polls will not be biased by our tastes. That also means we won’t be throwing in any obvious choices should they not be nominated, so if you have a place you want to see on the list, you’d better give us a shout now. Email us at sgfbeerbuzz [at] gmail.com, find us on Twitter @sgfbeerbuzz, or post your nominations to Beer Buzz’s Facebook wall (Beer Buzz Radio). You have less than a week, so you should get going.

Nominations are closed next Sunday, and the poll will run all through the month of October. We’ll announce a winner in each category on the November 6th show. Again, there are three categories: Best Bar, Best Restaurant, and Best Bottle Shop.

Sunday’s show was all about the online poll and Black IPA. (or India Black Ale, or Cascadian Dark Ale – whatever you want to call it). Listen in here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Craft beer pet peeves, how to make the beer scene here better.

2011-09-12T16:33:00.001-05:00

This week’s show started out with good intentions. We were going to have a very open discussion about how to grow and improve the craft beer scene here in Springfield, Missouri. Unfortunately, we got a little derailed by conversations about glassware, beer etiquette, and a few other things. However, the show’s solid, and so is the beer info. Restaurant and bar owners, take note: There are some very good tips in here for how to please your beer-loving customers.

Feel free to make suggestions for how to improve the Springfield beer scene. Give us a shout at facebook.com/beerbuzzradio or find us on twitter @sgfbeerbuzz. You can also email us. Sgfbeerbuzz [at] gmail.com.

Click here to listen to our 9/11/2011 show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Chad Frederick of Little Yeoman Brewing makes beers bigger'n you.

2011-09-12T16:25:00.001-05:00

OK, so I’m a slacker. I should have posted this link for you last week, but it got lost in my hectic week. The show from 9/4 is a great interview with a local legend, Chad Frederick. Chad is the brewer and owner of Little Yeoman Brewery, located in Cabool, Missouri. They brew some BIG beers out there, and Chad’s philosophy on beer is to brew what he wants. He figures you should go big or go home.

In the studio, he produced a gallon-sized growler of his dry-hopped Vienna. It weighs in at about 8% alcohol by weight. By the way, Chad wasn’t messing around with those dry-hops, either. He like his big beers so much he got a license to produce up to 22% alcohol. Apparently, his barley wine (available only from Christmas to New Year’s), weighs in at about 18%.

Are you a fan of big beers with a lot of flavor? Check our Little Yeoman Brewery in Cabool. You can call them at (417) 926-9185, or just visit them at the brewery. They’re open 9-5:30 every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. Here's a handy map:

View Larger Map

Click here to listen to our big Little Yeoman show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Introducing Friends to Craft Beer, Preview of Little Yeoman show.

2011-08-30T12:46:00.001-05:00

On the August 28th episode of Beer Buzz brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we had a live Q&A show in which we discussed how we got into craft beer. More importantly, we discussed how to introduce your friends to craft beer, particularly those friends who like their light American lagers and do not want to try new things. We had a couple of great phone calls and some questions fired at us via email. All-in-all, it worked out to be a great show.
Make sure you tune in to KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM or listen live on TAGsgf.com every Sunday at 4 pm so you can be a part of our live shows. You can also listen to the podcasts on TAGsgf.com or find them on iTunes.

This week, our guest will be Chad Frederick from Little Yeoman Brewing Company in Cabool. They’re a very small outfit. Whenever anyone says “Farmhouse Brewery,” I think of Chad and his small operation. They make some fantastic beers, though. We’ll talk with him about what he’s brewing these days, what it’s like to be a small-scale professional brewer, and why you have to go and see him at his brewery to get a taste of his beer.

Listen to August 29th’s show here.

Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

2011-08-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

On our August 21^st episode of Beer Buzz brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we had special guest Mike Sweeney of STLhops.com. Mike’s an expert on the St. Louis beer scene and has a lot of great information on fantastic places to grab a beer. Plus, the low-down on upcoming breweries, why he likes session beers, and a discussion of the Great Taste of the Midwest Festival and why you should go next year.

Beer Buzz is Springfield’s only local craft beer radio show, and is sponsored by Mother’s Brewing Company, and airs every Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM (1060 AM) and streams live on TAGsgf.com.

Listen to the show here.

Cheers!

Great Taste of the Midwest - Highlights and thoughts a few days later.

2011-08-18T11:27:00.011-05:00

My brother, Joe, and I just visited Madison, Wisconsin for the 25th annual Great Taste of The Midwest beer festival, put on by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild. Depending on your source, the festival had somewhere between 500 and just over 900 beers available, though I'm inclined to believe the correct number is somewhere in the middle, leaning towards 800.

The festival was, of course, a blast, and we enjoyed sampling tons of interesting beers, but what struck me most about the festival was the unapologetic experimentation offered by brewers. From spicy chile beers from Buffalo Brewing Company in St. Louis to a cashew nut brown offered by Founder's Brewing Company, it was easy to think that experimentation was the order of the day.

And why not? As a brewery, your fans get to try your usual beers every day. You need something to reward them for making the trip (and taking the expense) to come see you at what could be the single hardest festival into which to gain admission. The club only sells 6,000 tickets per year, which sell out in the first day, and each ticket costs $50.

Don't balk, though. If you get a chance to go to this festival, do not pass it up, as it is worth all the trouble and more. The beers available range from the high number of bourbon-barrel aged beers to some hop monsters which made no excuses for being completely out of balance. There were also a ton of well made sour ales and some really creative and delicious session beers.
Read more »

Beer Buzz Radio - Joe Stange, journalist and very thirsty pilgrim

2011-08-17T11:23:00.001-05:00

On the August 14^th episode of Beer Buzz, my guest was my brother, Joe Stange, who is a freelance beer journalist and beer blogger at thirstypilgrim.com. Joe also co-authored the book Around Brussels in 80 Beers. In our conversation, Joe and I cover quite a few topics, including Belgian beer, why Belgians don’t understand Americans’ obsession with styles, and what bugs us about American beer culture. Also, we touch a bit on Belgian sour ales.

Listen to the podcast on TAGsgf.com. You can hear Beer Buzz live every Sunday on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM here in Springfield, or stream it live on TAGsgf.com or via the Radio Springfield app for iPhone. You can also follow the show on twitter @SGFBeerBuzz.

Enjoy the show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Todd Frye from The Homebrewery - Homebrewing, Homebrew Competition Announced at the Sertoma Summer Sizzle

2011-08-17T11:20:00.001-05:00

We were joined in the studio live on August 7^th by Todd Frye, owner of The Homebrewery in Ozark, Missouri. In our conversation, Todd announces that their store is moving. We also talk about the upcoming homebrew competition at the Sertoma Summer Sizzle, and we discuss how to get started brewing on a budget. We also answer a caller’s questions about the history of PBR and how a home brewer might successfully make a similar beer at home.

Beer Buzz airs every Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM and 1060 AM. It also streams online at the same time on TAGsgf.com. You can always find the podcasts the following day on TAGsgf.com.

As an aside, we’re always looking for show topic ideas. Have one for us? Email it to me at sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com or find me on twitter @sgfbeerbuzz.

Listen to the show here.

Cheers!

Beer Buzz Radio Preview - Todd Frye from The Home Brewery, Haiku Beer Reviews, and Your Questions Answered Live

2011-08-05T13:52:00.001-05:00

We’ll be doing our first live Q & A show this weekend, so warm up your emailing and dialing fingers. We’ll have Todd Frye from our local homebrew shop, The Home Brewery, on hand to answer brewing questions, beer questions, and any other questions you can think of.

To submit your questions ahead of time, I recommend emailing them to me at sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com. We’ll discuss as many of your questions as we can on the air.

There will also be a discussion on Mother's Brewing Company's tasting-room-only beer, PG-13, which comes out today.

We’ll also announce the winner of our Haiku Beer Review contest for this week. If you haven’t submitted your entry yet, make sure you do so before Sunday.

The show airs Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM here in Springfield, and can be found streaming on TAGsgf.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers!