Pizza.  Again.  Yep, we're heading back to Ray's place (that's Brew-It-Yourself, dingus) for pizza and beer.  Again!  Ain't it great?  Get all the scoop that fit for scooping in this month's KGB Files.

Thank goodness the days are getting shorter.  This heat can not go on forever.  Till then, there’s the latest issue of The KGB Files.  GS Robert chronicles his recent travels and comrade Andrew Elliott continues his quest for BBBB domination.

Get yours, today!

July is typically a slow month here at KGB Files Headquarters, and this month is no different—for the KGB officers.  But comrade Andrew Elliott has begun what promises to be a very interesting series of articles in which he sets us up to inundate next year’s slate of Big Batch Brew Bash judges with an onslaught of hop-dominated black ales.  Check it out in this month’s KGB Files.

Oh, and a belated “Happy Independence Day” to you, comrades.  Brew free or die!

And “End the Fed!”

Get ready for the Steak Out, comrades, and don’t head over to the wrong house.  The venue has changed for this month’s meeting, so pay attention and you won’t be disappointed.  Read all about in in this month’s newsletter.

Comrades, there’s been a slight change of  plans.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, the June meeting will now be held at Don Sajda’s house.  You’ve all been there before, so there’s no need to point you to it, but I’ll do it anyway by cleverly pointing you to the event and telling you to click on his name to see a map.

Or something like that.

Today was a good day to be a Foam Ranger.  All five ribbons went to FR members, and among 107 entries, that ain’t bad.

The Ken Rich Memorial Award went to first-time entrant Britton Quinn of the Tin Shed homebrew club.

And by the skin of its collectivist teeth, the KGB kept its tenacious grip on the Heavy Hitters award.

Congratulations to all!

Score sheets that weren’t picked up after the awards ceremony will be mailed out in the next couple of days.

The style for next year’s 17th Annual Big Batch Brew Bash is Black IPA.  As there are no “official” style guidelines for type of beer, we are coming up with the Big Batch guidelines for Black IPA in the near future.  We will let everybody know when we’ve finalized everything, so keep an eye on this site.

I’ve had a few requests from folks to know the entry numbers, so I added them to the table, above.

Sorry about being so late with this one, comrades.  I have no good excuse, either.  The newsletter was done last Thursday, but I guess all I was thinking about was the Big Batch.  Anyway, here’s this month’s KGB Files.

Yesterday, Czar Herb, Ed Condon, Bill King and I logged in 102 Old Ale entries for next Sunday’s BBBB.  MOW Don tells me there were a few more entries mailed to his house.  That is a whole lot of Old Ale that needs judging.

Show up in droves, comrades.  Judging begins at 9am and, by golly, we need judges!

It’s crawfish festival time, comrades, and the KGB is getting in on the excitement.  Don’t miss out on this annual feast.  Read this month’s KGB files for more details.

The weather is drawing us outside, but one problem remains.  Well, it remains for you, comrades, not for me.  You see, I can lounge around outside with my hoppiest beverage, free from concern that the sun will skunk the living daylights out of it (or would that be into it?).  That’s because I have taken advantage of the latest in beer drinking technology – the KGB’s skunk proof stein.  The sun is no match for this fine vessel.  Try though it may, its mercaptan-making UV rays are incapable of penetrating this space age crockery.  I have put this 22 ounce mug to the test with Stone’s “100+ IBU” Ruination Ale and the last sip was just as skunk-free as the first.

Get yours, today, comrades, and get out there and enjoy this weather.  You know it won’t last but a few more days.

Oh, and if you’re out there, CB Dave, I have to say that Ruination Ale is not the beer it once was.  Mea culpa, mea culpa.