Rick Stidham and Akasha Brewing Company at the November 8 FOSSILS meeting.

Rick Stidham from Akasha Brewing Company will be the guest speaker at the November 8 FOSSILS meeting.

For the uninitiated, that's Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society, the local homebrewing club, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in September.

Rick will be bringing Akasha beers and leading a "guided sampling of his delicious creations,created with the help of his talented co-brewer, Matt Meurer).

 Guests are welcome, and it's fine chance to learn what FOSSILS is all about, in addition to meeting Rick.

The meeting is on Sunday, November 8, from 6:00 p.m. through 8:30 p.m., and will be held at the New Albanian Brewing Company's original Pizzeria & Public House location at 3312 Plaza Dr. in New Albany, Indiana.

FOSSILS 25th anniversary party camp-out RSVP are needed.

I have almost no time to devote to the run-up, but I'm happy someone does. I'd promise to post some archival materials, except it isn't likely there'll be time.

Expect to see me on Saturday. Need to get my RSVP in ...

OUR SPECIAL DAY IS COMING SOON! MAKE YOUR RSVP NOW!

FOSSILS 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY AND CAMPOUT

WHEN: FRIDAY, SEP. 11TH, 7:30 PM TO SUNDAY, SEP. 13TH, 12 PM
WHERE: 7720 CORYDON RIDGE ROAD, LANESVILLE

September marks the 25th year of existence for FOSSILS. We intend to celebrate our Quarter Century in epic fashion with a weekend long party and camp-out. The Capshew's are graciously hosting our Club at their home/compound. We will be starting Friday evening with dinner and ending Sunday with Bloody Mary's and breakfast. In between will be lots of delicious homebrew and great food. Family's are WELCOME. Kids under 21 will eat for FREE. Please fill out the RSVP link above.

We will have a raffle Saturday night, don't forget to bring cash and an item to contribute. If you know of someone that used to be involved in FOSSILS, especially the early years and has drifted away - reach out to them and invite them to attend!

EVERYONE over 21 will receive a FOSSILS 25 Anniversary Commemorative Pint Glass with your RSVP.

Flashback to 1996, and a day at homebrewing booth at the Kentucky State Fair.

The Kentucky State Fair begins on August 20. Since the early 1990s, the Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS) home brewing club has run the fair’s home brew competition (2015 results here), and it also sponsors the home brewing information booth open during the fair. The Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society (FOSSILS) club typically helps staff the booth.

The original essay here was written in 1996, and the last blog reprint was in 2006 or thereabouts. I might have waited until next year for maximum symmetry.

It's interesting for me to read between these lines.

1996, I was still a full-time bartender at the Pubic House, and NABC's brewery was still six years away. There hadn't yet been a Gravity Head. I was dropped off at the Fairgrounds by my first wife, and my father was alive. The Courier-Journal actually mattered. It was still possible to sit at the bar at BBC St. Matthews (and at the Public House) and smoke a cigar. Had Buddy needed to call me at BBC, I'd have been paged by a worker holding a land line, since I didn't have a mobile device ... and so on.

And now, a vignette from another life.

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A Day at the Fair.

On the morning of the gorgeous summer Wednesday I'd had chosen to man the LAGERS information booth at the Kentucky State Fair, I awoke to that irritable feeling of discomfort that many people describe as a hangover.

I was shocked and appalled. As a trained, professional drinker of fine ales, I have "hangovers" about as often as I find Beluga caviar next to the Star-Kist tuna at the Dairy Mart down the street.

Anyway, what had I done the previous evening to even merit the mention of a hangover? I’d only had one Old Rasputin Imperial Stout ... followed by an abbey dubbel ... and a couple of Sierra Nevada drafts to ease my aching feet ... and a nightcap of Old Foghorn to chase down an evening meal of one and a half cold breadsticks and thoroughly coagulated garlic butter.

It must have been some kinda allergy, ‘coz it simply couldn’t have been a hangover.

To prepare for the rigors of the day, I ate two doughnuts and drained three cups of black coffee. Thus fortified with sugar and caffeine, I was off to greet the fair-going public.

I was driven to the fairgrounds and deposited at the first Crittenden Drive gate near the I-65 exit ramp. I stepped from the gasping car into a cloud of sweat-laden dust raised by the University of Louisville football players who were practicing nearby in the shadow of the former Mt. Schnellenberger, which has been reduced to the status of mere knob in the collective memory of University of Louisville football fans. It was a little after 10:00 a.m. when I paid the admission fee at one of the auto booths, and then produced my ticket for the next bored employee a few yards further on, who looked at me incredulously and said, "a walk-in?"

I headed for the third base side of Cardinal Stadium, took advantage of the pedestrian crosswalk through the horse promenade, joyously filled my lungs with the accompanying Bluegrass ambiance, navigated the east concourse of Freedom Hall, and emerged on the South Lawn, to be greeted by Freddy Farm Bureau. Freddy was too busy ogling the scantily clad young schoolgirls to bother with me, but I had spotted a Courier Journal booth and decided to ask if I could buy a newspaper to keep me company.

"No, we don’t have any newspapers," yawned the woman on duty, turning grudgingly away from her telephone conversation about the dating habits of fellow office inhabitants. "But there’s plenty of free maps of the fair! You want one of those?"

Sure. It had a nice recipe for pie, and a reminder that our one metropolitan newspaper is always there when it’s needed.

I turned toward my destination, only to be jarringly confronted by a beer tent that trumpeted the availability of Budweiser beers, those fine premium products from the House of Busch -- in this case, the Outhouse of Busch, where carbonated urine enriches the Busch family as it impoverishes the collective palate of the nation, which in turn worships the swill barons like medieval peasants groveling in the presence of the local nobility.

To conquer swill, you only have to think ...

The LAGERS booth was right where it was supposed to be. I assembled the free handouts (LAGERS, FOSSILS, BBC, Silo, Tucker Brewing, Nuts ‘n’ Stuff, Winemakers Supply) on the long table, surveying the sparse crowd wandering through the exhibits in the South Hall. It occurred to me to keep a log of sorts. Here are a few hours of it.

10:30 First of the very accurately billed "heartburn" specials -- loaded Chicago-style hot dogs from the stand out front of Freedom Hall on the South Lawn.

10:35 First "hey, you givin’ out samples?" question from a passer by.

10:47 First "I remember my dad’s/granddad’s/uncle’s bottles of homebrew blowing up" story, this one from a woman who now lives in Pittsburgh.

10:53 I quit trying to count the number of Kentucky Wildcats ball caps bobbing past.

11:45 Sincere man about my age (36) asks me "do you think there are any places at the Fair where I can get a specialty beer to drink?" My answer: "Do you think Auggie Busch drinks his own swill?"

12:00 (noon) Lengthy country music cerebral torture begins emanating from a stage somewhere in the distance. One Patsy Cline number was tolerable, but the remainder utterly inane.

12:05 Ball cap on ambling, tank-topped redneck reads "tell me now before I spend $20.00 on drinks."

12:10 Pleasant older gentleman asks me if I know the best way to filter red wine vinegar.

12:15 Sudden burst of energy has me out of the chair, trying to work the crowd.

12:20 Energy subsides.

12:30 First hot fudge sundae at booth on the South Lawn.

12:40 "My granny used to make it. My daddy used to make it. We’d just sit on the front porch and listen to it explode."

12:50 A teenager asks me a question. His country accent is so thick that I’m unable to understand him. I tell him I’m sorry, but I just moved here from France and I haven’t picked up the language yet.

13:15 An older man tells me stories about his late father, a rural physician in a dry county, who’d send him out for soft drink bottles to use for the homebrew, which "he’d make out of anything he could."

13:35 Mark, one of the owners of the Liquor Barn in Lexington, stops by to chat.

13:55 Idle speculation: Why do old men dress the way they do -- dress shoes and socks, knee-length shorts, golf and polo shirts? It’s like some sort of AARP-mandated public uniform, which I presume they can purchase at a discount at Wal-Mart.

14:00 Wanderlust. Off in search of TARC schedules, having concluded that I could take a bus to get to Bluegrass Brewing Company after my shift, and meet my friend Buddy Sandbach there.

14:15 First ostrich burger.

14:26 Back to work.

14:35 First gyro from booth on the South Lawn.

14:51 Fifteenth request for samples. Make that sixteen.

14:53 Seventeen.

15:10 The band in the South Hall lobby tears into an inspired rendition of the theme from "The Brady Bunch." People actually sing along. Women with babies in strollers go past me again. A cooking demonstration gets under way. Men in town for the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention wear political buttons, some Gore/Clinton, many more Dole/Kemp. I find that I’m very thirsty, but although there are leftover homebrew entries hiding in the back of the booth, one wrong move could yield a smoked spruce. So I wait.

At some point before 17:00 (notice how fond I am of the 24-hour clock?), FOSSILS Supreme Brewmaster Dennis Barry arrived to commence the night shift. I headed off in the direction of Crittenden Drive with the aim of finding the bus stop, but there was a taxi stand by the side of the Redbirds (remember, that’s the local baseball club that lied to the world about its intention to have good beer at ball games -- you don’t think the Curmudgeon would forget such a slight, do you Dale Owens?) ticket office. What the hell, I thought. I’m thirsty.

The efficient, professional cabby regaled me with stories of convention traffic, noting that religious conventions are particularly good for business, with numerous fares requesting to be picked up a block or two away from the convention hall, to be taken to "whiskey stores and tittie bars." The best of all, according to my driver, were the visitors to the annual farm implement show.

"Man, those farmers raise hell!" he exclaimed.

As we pulled into the BBC lot, I was telling my driver about ways of hailing cabs in the old Soviet Union, when you could stand on the street corner and hold up a pack of western smokes or toothpaste, and then watch the competition for your patronage. He was extremely amused by these anecdotes, and he vowed to tell his fellow drivers.

I slipped him a twenty, went inside, ordered a Dark Star Porter, clipped the end off a Punch Diademas, and relaxed, finally among my own.

Kevin Gibson in LEO Weekly: "Homebrew: Craft beer before craft beer was cool."

FOSSILS meeting in 1997.

Kudos to Kevin Gibson for this well-researched and entertaining "recent" history of homebrewing in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Kevin surveys LAGERS and FOSSILS, the latter of which celebrates its 25th birthday in September. I'll have more information on this, but in the meantime, if you were a member back in the day, keep the weekend of September 11, 12 and 13 open.

Homebrew: Craft beer before craft beer was cool, by Kevin Gibson (LEO Weekly)

The mustachioed 20-something sips away at his IPA of the week as he peers around the bar. All around him, people drink beers of all styles, colors and creeds. “Craft beer” is the buzz term of the 2010s thanks to a beer-drinking public that has increasingly demanded more and more from its beer than a 12-ounce, ice-cold bottle of “Corporate Light” can muster.

But good beer has been around for centuries. And it’s been around Louisville since the city was settled in the late 1700s and even after the fall of commercial brewing here in 1978. Home brewers kept the boilers burning in small batches during Prohibition, and they kept them burning even when light beers became the American fancy and the boilers at Falls City were turned off. At that point, the only beer Louisvillians — and most Americans — had available to drink was what many beer enthusiasts now call “corporate swill.”

FOSSILS calendar of events for 2010 -- the 20th anniversary year.

As hard as it may be to believe, 2010 is the 20th anniversary of FOSSILS, the Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society. The club, a homebrewing and beer appreciation society, has been a true bulwark in metro Louisville's movement for better beer. It was founded on September 30, 1990, in the room that eventually became Rich O's Public House. The story is far longer than I have time to tell today, but perhaps in the coming months, some of the long history of FOSSILS can be recounted here. In the interim, a brief club calendar for 2010 follows.

2010 Calendar, by the FOSSILS Secretary, Joe Bray

January 9th- Funky & Pungent Competition
February 13 - Joe Bray's Presentation on Web-based Brew tools
March 13 - Dave Pierce presentation at NABC Bank Street Brewery
April 10 - MysteryBrew
May 8 - Presidents Choice
June (TBD) - Campout/Picnic
17-19 - NHC in Minneapolis
July 9-10 - Indiana State Fair
17 - Regular Meeting
August 14 - Officer Nominations
September 11 - Brewfood Competition, Officer Presentations
30 - FOSSILS Anniversary Party
October 9 - Craft Raffle Meeting, Officer Elections
Various Member Halloween Parties
November 13 - Porter Competition
December 11 - Christmas Party

Weekend potpourri: NABCieged, beer education, Bonfire & Chorizo, Pungent & Funky, and pairing cheese with beer.

NABCieged is underway at the Pizzeria & Public House, with a surprise tapping last night of Thunderfoot perhaps serving as the major highlight of the evening. Thanks to Jared Williamson for burrowing into #3 for the Foot, and managing to have 24 NABC beers pouring all at once.

At my other blog, there's a timely update of "Here's to Beer," two non-credit courses from Indiana University Southeast, including registration information.

My weekend Bank Street Brewhouse recomendation: Bonfire of the Valkyries, NABC's Rauch/Schwarzbier (smoked/black), with Chef Josh's Chorizo Hash.

On the topic of food, tonight is the annual FOSSILS Pungent & Funky Appetizer Competition, held in the Prost wing of the Public Hosue at 3312 Plaza Drive in New Albany. Want to know something else? FOSSILS turns 20 this coming September. Where have all the years and liver cells gone?

Finally, a tip for Monday night: Will's and Roger's excellent beer and cheese pairing adventure at Campbell's Gourmet Cottage, Monday, January 11.

Next FOSSILS meeting is June 13.

Submitted. If you're a FOSSIL, you should be there. If you're not a FOSSIL, what's your excuse.

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FOSSILS FISH FRY & EQUIPMENT SWAP – June 13, 2009

Renowned cook, Steve Crull, has agreed to fry fish for the next FOSSILS meeting on June 13. Steve showed his fish frying skills at previous Otter Creek FOSSILS/LAGERS picnics. We will be meeting at Bob and Maureen Capshew’s house.
In addition there will be a homebrew equipment swap meet so that members can buy, sell or trade equipment. There are a lot of new members that need equipment and we want to get the equipment in the right hands. Please do a little spring cleaning and bring unused equipment such as brew kettles, burners, carboys, wort chillers, soda kegs, beer kegs, anything stainless steel, etc. We also plan to have a silent auction for a brew kettle that the club has acquired.

WHAT TO BRING: Excess homebrew equipment & homebrew (club will furnish food and some commercial beer).

WHERE: 7720 Corydon Ridge Road (Take I-64 west, exit Georgetown, turn left on exit ramp, turn right when road narrows from 4 to 2 lanes onto Corydon Ridge Road, go 2.5 miles. House is on the right.)

WHEN: Swap Meet starts at 4 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m.

Hallelujah! FOSSILS annual holiday bash scheduled for Saturday, December 13.

Wanna join me in feeling old?

This year's FOSSILS holiday party on December 13 will be the homebrewing and beer appreciation club's 19th such celebration. The first was in 1990, just months after the club was founded. Scant memories of it include the Hallelujah Chorus and a bottle of Armenian brandy that somehow made it loose from the cabinet.

Here's the lowdown on the 2008 edition. Obviously, the party's intended for members, but I hope I'm not speaking out of place in suggesting that the gathering is the natural opportunity to gift you and yours with a membership that qualifies the good times to start rolling. Note also that with Saturnalia beginning the day before, there'll be plenty of festive holiday beers on tap at the Publc House.

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FOSSILS Holiday Party

Date: Saturday, December 13
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Location: Prost! Room, Rich O's Public House

Again this year, the Christmas party will be catered by Rich O's. Everything is covered, including appetizers, dinner and dessert!

Festivities:

*Bring items for the raffle - gift wrapped if you wish - this is one of the best raffles of the year!
*Dress festively if you are in the mood to do so!

Event cost:

$15 per person, payable by check or cash at the door, includes appetizers, dinner, homebrew and dessert. Please bring your homebrew! If there is anything you wish to bring (desserts, raffle items, reindeer, homebrew), please do so and share the holiday spirit!

RSVP:

We need to deliver a headcount for catering, so please try to RSVP me with the number attending in your party by Friday, December 8. Guests (21 and over) are welcome to attend - please remember to include them in your RSVP.

Porter Competition and Craft Raffle on the agenda for the Nov. 8 FOSSILS meeting.

The year 2008 marks the 18th anniversary of the Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society (FOSSILS) homebrewing and beer appreciation club. The first meeting in September, 1990, was attended by seven beer drinkers, who've since been venerated as founders, although the heroic Mt. Rushmore-style statuary has yet to be sculpted on Floyds Knobs.

That's right ... I was one of them, and proud of it.

The next club meeting is Saturday, November 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Prost, the special events wing of the New Albanian Brewing Company. On the agenda is the annual FOSSILS Porter Competition (follow the link for details). Note that coordinator Ed Tash will be at the Public House to collect entries on Thursday, Nov. 6. If you have questions, contact Ed.

Also on tap for the evening is the 2008 FOSSILS Craft Raffle, as explained by Ed Needham, FOSSILS President of Vice:

The traditional craft raffle for the November FOSSILS meeting will have 'only' items made by members. The items can be anything, like homebrew, homemade wine, cider, (even a little shine if you got it).

The items do not have to be beer or homebrew related. Home canned jams or jellies, anything you have made yourself and want to enter will be fine. The goal is to see what kind of talent and creativity the members have, and to raise money for the FOSSILS activities the coming year. I'll be bringing a couple bags of my homeroasted coffee to raffle. Please put your names on the items you bring and add a little note if you feel a description is necessary.

Let's have some fun with this and cheer on the lucky people who walk away with the handmade items representing the talents of our club!

October FOSSILS meeting preview: Brew-in and officer elections on October 18.

The FOSSILS homebrewing and beer appreciation club has moved its next meeting to Saturday, October 18. Here is information on the meeting, brew-in and election of officers on the 18th at Riley Ridge.

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I just wanted to remind you to mark your calendars for the brew-in. We will have signs for where to park. John will make an Oktoberfest beer for the class demonstration, and there will be a 10% discount on all beer kits for this day only.

Come meet the FOSSILS group and other all-grain brewers. There will be snacks and food, so come enjoy the day. The brew-in and class starts at 10 a.m., with the FOSSILS meeting from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to cast your vote for new officers. Feel free to come and go as you please.

Enjoy the fall weather and happy brewing!

Becky Riley
Riley Ridge Supplies LLC
6335 Riley Ridge Road
Lanesville, Indiana, 47136

Phone: 812-952-2121

Driving directions to 6335 Riley Ridge Rd, Lanesville, IN 47136, from Interstate 265:

11.7 mi – about 20 mins … New Albany, IN 47150

1. Head west on I-265 to I-64
2. Take exit to I-64 W toward St Louis 0.5 mi
3. Merge onto I-64 W 3.2 mi
4. Take Georgetown exit 118 0.3 mi
5. Continue straight 36 ft (funny one Google!)
6. Turn left at IN-64/State Rd 62
7. Continue on IN-62 1.4 mi
8. Bear to left onto IN-11 1.5 mi
9. Turn left at Riley Ridge Rd 0.5 mi
Destination will be on the right

6335 Riley Ridge Rd., Lanesville, IN 47136

Homebrewing: 4th Annual BBC Brew Day recap.

Courtesy of Ed Needham, here's a report on the recent homebrew/brew-in event at BBC (Main and Clay).

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Pictures of the 4th Annual BBC Brew Day, on April 26th, 2008 are up! Thanks to Kevin Spaulding, Louisville Ale Club president, and his photographic talents, there are photos posted at:

http://fotoewizzard.smugmug.com/gallery/4833999_iaNg9/3#P-1-15

You can save any one of these to your computer by selecting the size you want and clicking save. By choosing 'original' size, you get all the detail and resolution of the original picture.

According to (BBC brewmaster) Dave Pierce, "The homebrewers made 190 gallons, which is a new record." The food was fabulous, the beer, wonderful, and friends ... incredible.

FOSSILS secretary of beer, Ed Needham

FOSSILS club update: The "Femur of Power" has been passed.

From Beth Howard, proud owner of the "Past President" pin.

Congratulations to winners of the 2007 FOSSILS officer elections, held by ballot on Saturday, October 13. Each race was very tight and required the expertise of the accounting firm of Frazier & Frazier to verify tabulations. No hanging chads reported.

President - Bob Capshew
Vice-President - Caleb Sunderman
Secretary - Ed Needham
Treasurer - Denny Stapp

Details regarding date and time of President Capshew's first Executive/Planning Meeting forthcoming.

Thanks to all candidates for your willingness to assume a leadership role --- I'm sure Bob and his team will be calling upon your energy and ideas.

Also --- a personal note of thanks to everyone contributing to the success and growth of FOSSILS this past year during my presidency. I especially appreciate your support as we navigated stormy waters and your patience as we adopted a new meeting schedule in 2007. A specific thanks to Tom, Melissa and Denny as my team of officers.

I also raise a pint to FOSSILS members for our club's commitment to sustaining and enhancing the homebrewing and beer appreciation culture in our community. That momentum is apparent through relationships being nurtured with our homebrewing comrades in clubs from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee and beyond; through robust participation in more homebrew competitions than ever before; and the outstanding number of awards club members are receiving in brewing competitions.

Not to mention our bar tab after club meetings!

Calendar check: FOSSILS homebrewing and beer appreciation dates for late summer and autumn 2007.

For the uninitiated, FOSSILS stands for Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society. The club was founded in September, 1990, which means its 17th birthday fast approaches. The web site is here, and the schedule for the coming months, authored by President Beth Howard, is reprinted below. If homebrewing interests you, FOSSILS is the place to start, but even if you've no interest in making your own, club activities are a great way to expand knowledge about good beer and an even better way to meet wonderful people.

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Happy Summer, FOSSILS and Friends!
Even though FOSSILS didn't meet officially during July, I have every confidence that the spirit of good beer consumption and homebrewing has been flowing freely and often with us all this summer. It has with the Howards, anyhow. Here's a quick update on a few items of interest and upcoming events that all good beer lovers should know about.

2008 PICNIC DATES SET
Thanks to all taking time to attend last month's Beer Camp/Picnic '07 wrap-up and '08 planning meeting at BBC Taproom. Reservations at Otter Creek Park's Camp Tecumseh (same place as "06 & '07) have been made for Friday, May 30 – Sunday, June 1, 2008. Please note: this is NOT Memorial Day weekend.

A new Picnic Planning Committee has been formed to coordinate logistics and details for the weekend. This will be a HUGE help to officers of each club, especially considering the timing of elections and leadership transition, so a big thank you to those who volunteered to participate. I think we'll make Ed Tash the FOSSILS Beer Camp Director (aka Committee Point Man), so we'll be in good hands! Watch for more details about committee meetings and how you can contribute to the success of another wonderful beer weekend in 2008.

KENTUCKY STATE FAIR HOMEBREW COMPETITION
Entries due: August 11
Judging: August 12
Bob Reed has on his Ky. State Fair Homebrew Superintendent hat this month and tells me that they have received a record number of entries for this year's competition. He reminds FOSSILS and friends that homebrew entries are due at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center (KFEC) on Saturday, August 11.

Judging will be on Sunday, August 12 at noon in the usual room in the South Hall of KFEC --- there's always a big sign to help find the exact spot. Because of the tremendous number of entries, Bob's estimating there will be 16 – 17 flights to judge, with at least two judges needed in each flight. He's trying to get as much set up in advance, so contact Bob if you'd like to be a judge or a steward by calling him ASAP at (502) 222-7439 or (502) 369-5898.

BEER & SWEAT AUGUST 18
The Bloatarian Brewing League returns the mutha of all homebrew keg competitions, Beer & Sweat, to its roots at The Drawbridge Inn, 2477 Royal Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY, on Saturday, August 18. Although this isn't an "official" FOSSILS road trip, we customarily have a strong contingent making the trip, so carpooling, etc. is entirely possible.

Hotel reservations are STRONGLY suggested, so make your reservations now! Standard rooms (single or double) are $69 per night; standard rooms (triple or quad) are $79 per night. All rooms are subject to occupancy tax, of course. Call (800) 354-9793 and ask for the "Beer and Sweat" room rate.

Entries due via email by midnight, Wednesday, August 8. You must specify the category, subcategory (including name and number/letter) for all entries. Entry fee is $5 for your first beer, $4 for your second beer, $3 for three through ten and any entries over 10 are FREE. Your first entry includes admission for two to the event. Entries can be checked in (and paid for) on Friday 6-8pm and Saturday, 8-12:30pm.

Judges, stewards and volunteers are also needed. Complete details on the Bloatarian Brewing League website: http://www.bloatarian.org/

STONE BREWING CEO TO VISIT PUBLIC HOUSE AUGUST 20
Cool opportunity, kids! Let's make it a FOSSILS Pub Run Night and show our support for one of our favorite breweries.

Courtesy of Roger's Potable Curmudgeon Blog:
Mark your calendars: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

Anyone up for a dram of Stone's 10th Anniversary Ale on draft? I had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron Tyrell, Stone Brewing's Midwestern regional rep, who confirmed that Stone founder and CEO Greg Koch – a craft brewing legend – will be the guest of honor at a special Stone Brewing Company night at Rich O's Public House on Monday, August 20. Planning is ongoing, but the main festivities probably will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There'll be a great Stone draft lineup for the occasion, prizes and giveaways, a chance to chat with Greg Koch, and a gratis glimpse (with detailed commentary, no doubt) of my old friend and former Rich O's bartender Buddy Sandbach's Arrogant Bastard tattoo.

BREW AT THE ZOO ON TAP AUGUST 25

The fourth annual Brew at the Zoo will be held August 25 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Louisville Zoo Oasis field. The event, produced by Friends of the Zoo, features a beer tasting from more than 20 local and regional breweries as well as food and wine samples from more than 30 local restaurants and vendors.

Tickets are required and are now available online at www.louisvillezoo.org/events and the Zoo box office through August 24 as well at the door on the day of the event. BE ADVISED --- THIS EVENT GENERALLY SELLS OUT, SO BUY TICKETS NOW!

Price includes admission to the Zoo, live music, brew and food samplings and official tasting glass. Live music at the event will include Stompbox and Two Guys Having Fun. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets on which to lounge while enjoying the music.

BREW DAY AT RILEY RIDGE OCTOBER 20
Becky and John Riley have invited FOSSILS and friends for an on-site brewing demo day at Riley Ridge Wine, Beer and Canning Supply Shop on Saturday, October 20. It will be a great day to "convert" some newbies…enjoy the fall weather brewing…and introduce FOSSILS members to their business in Lanesville.

Details forthcoming, estimated starting time is 10:30 a.m., so mark the date and make plans to attend. Riley Ridge will be donating some grain to brewers that day and we need a couple more groups to set up --- let us know if you're interested.

DEADLINE FOR AUGUST NEWSLETTER: 8/20/07
Send your news, information, etc. to http://us.f508.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=fossils.editor@gmail.com for inclusion in the next edition of the Not Dog, estimated publication date 8/25/07.

UPCOMING FOSSILS MEETING SCHEDULE
September 8
6:30 p.m. - Prost! Room at Rich O's Public House
BrewFood Competition
"Made by FOSSILS" Raffle
Officer Nominations

October 13
6:30 p.m. - Prost! Room at Rich O's Public House
Officer Elections

November 10
6:30 p.m. - Prost! Room at Rich O's Public House
Porter Competition

December 8
Time TBD - Prost! Room at Rich O's Pubic House
Holiday Bash

CHEERS!

FOSSILS club hosts BarrelHouse, beer flows freely.

In the beginning, perhaps a decade ago, BarrelHouse Brewing was a brewpub, restaurant and live music venue located in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Two years ago, as the city commenced a renewed effort to revitalize the area, the brewery itself shuffled management, moved a short distance away, shed the brewpub concept and was born again as a production brewery with distribution by Cavalier Ohio (now available in Indiana through Cavalier Distributing Indiana, Indianapolis).

Brewer Rick DeBar and his tasty recipes stayed on, and last night he visited the monthly FOSSILS homebrew club’s meeting at NABC’s Prost room.

Rick brought bombers of an assortment of BarrelHouse beers, and assisted by our own Richard Atnip, offered samples of these and two stellar drafts: BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale and Boss Cox Double Dark IPA.

It also was my first day back to work in two weeks following my shoulder surgery, and of course I overdid it, which means that my stay was short and the conversation with Rick brief, but he did say business is good, and RedLegg Ale is back in the ballpark in Cincinnati:

Ale back for Reds games BarrelHouse revives traditions with return to ballpark, Opening Day customer appreciation specials, by Jon Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer.

After a two-year absence from Great American Ball Park, BarrelHouse Brewing Co.'s RedLegg Ale will once again be on tap during Cincinnati Reds games this season and at the park's Machine Room Grille, according to Rick DeBar, BarrelHouse's brewmaster.

Indiana Beer’s Bob Ostrander was there along with Mat Gerdenich and Chris Branaman from Cavalier. If Bob does a report, I’ll follow up with a link.