Meetings: First Tuesday of the month, Happy Gnome (www.thehappygnome.com) in St. Paul

Dues: $12 every two years (or 50 cents/month)

Current Member Not Really In Charge: Joe Gerteis

Runner-up to the CMNRIC: Wookiee

Saint Paul Home Brewers is not a typical club.  Most clubs have outings, events and tours.  Saint Paul does not do these things.  We gather once a month (or so) to laugh, critique and plan.  Several times a year we throw together a brew day on the club's 50-gallon system.  

 Saint Paul Home Brewers is a loose confederation of people who would rather be brewing.  And yet the fact is there for all to see, plain as the shiny chrome plates with our names attached three times in a row to the AHA Club of the Year Trophy.  We have style.  Bombast too, but style undeniably.  People always ask, how can I organize a club like that?  You can't of course.  It just kind of happens!

The main goal of this club (other than having fun) is to help people become better brewers.  This can be accomplished many ways.  Make sure you tell each other exactly what you think of that beer that just went around the table.  If it is flawed, tell them why, how to recognize it, and how to fix it.  If you lie and say it’s great, then turn your head and roll your eyes, you just cheated that member of a chance to become a better brewer.  Remember the bad ones and use them as a source of jokes for years to come and learn from the good ones.   An active email list is essential.  You can get immediate help with almost any question or problem.  Our club list averages about 30 posts a day.

- Enter competitions and volunteer to help out.

- Have access to an excellent water supply that you don't have to tinker with.

- Have access to one of the best homebrew retailers in the nation.

- Have your members get involved in the AHA and the BJCP.

- Enter the AHA Club-Only Competitions 

- Make sure you have at least a couple of Grand Master level judges.

- Be sure to make fun of said Grand Masters.

- For cripes sake GO TO THE AHA CONFERENCE, where else are you going to find 1,000 very happy people you have everything in common with?  

 SPHBC and QUAFF members sharing an Anchor Steam together in Oakland

- Think big.  Plan to take over the world one beer, mead or cider at a time, and make sure you have fun doing it.

- But the single most important thing, make sure you have a Wookie!