Yankee Brew News Archive

New England Homebrew Clubs: Maine Ale and Lager Tasters: M.A.L.T.

Originally Published: 12/96

By: Gregg Glaser

The Maine Ale and Lager Tasters, established on April 24, 1989, is the homebrew club for the great state of Maine. M.A.L.T., with about 88 members, meets monthly, alternating between the fourth Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and the fourth Monday at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held at different members' homes and often include a short educational session, as well as socializing and tasting beer. Club business is discussed at separate executive committee meetings. Dues are $15.00 per year.

The club publishes "The Malt Extract." This monthly newsletter contains club news, New England beer events, competition announcements, helpful hints and beer information from the Internet. M.A.L.T. special events include pub crawls, a Christmas party and participation in the Beer Judge Certification Program. Club-hosted competitions are the Common Ground Fair Homebrew Competition, the Yankee Brewers' Conference (part of the New England Homebrewer of the Year competition) and the M.A.L.T. Clone Challenge. The club also competes in the American Homebrewer Association (AHA) club-only competitions.

Notable M.A.L.T. members are: Dr. Thomas J. O'Connor III, New England Homebrewer of the Year two years in a row and a multiple winner at AHA National Homebrew Competitions; Bill Giffin, another New England Homebrewer of the Year and AHA Nationals winner; Michael LaCharite, M.A.L.T. co-founder and owner/brewer at Maine's Casco Bay Brewing (featuring the Katahdin line of beers); Tim Connelly, brewer at Gritty McDuff's brewpub in Freeport, Maine; Steve Hale, M.A.L.T. co-founder and brewer at St. Louis (Missouri) Brewing; Jeff Hinckley, brewer at Sugarloaf (Maine) Brewing, Martin Stokes, national award-winning cider maker; and Dan Merrill, winner of Best New Artist at the 1995 Kerryville Folk Festival in Texas.

M.A.L.T. can be reached at POB 464, Topsham, Maine, 04011 or via the Internet's World Wide Web at http://www.maine.com/brew/hbclubs.htm.

Page 2 M.A.L.T.