NHBC Cincinnatti--CLUB NIGHT planning

[EdWort]

Update on the shirts. No word on the grapic, but with 6 colors, the setup charge alone is 120 bucks.

Here's a different idea. Go to http://www.zazzle.com/ and have a custom shirt made. I'm thinking of having a shirt with HomeBrewTalk.com on the front and my avatar on the back. Thoughts?

On another note, it looks like I am flying in solo as family scheduling conflict messed with my driving in idea. I'll have to travel with some bottled Apfelwein instead of a keg. SWMBO says I owe her big time.

 

[PseudoChef]

Yeah, I'll be there Thursday at some point. I am however, trying to split my time accordingly between my local club that I'm coming up with and the HBTers.

I figure everything's going the way of organized, drucken chaos at night though and will all work out in the long run.

 

[amishland]

I hope to be finalizing my plans this week, and I should be coming.

 

[Demon]

Just talked to SWMBO about it, she thinks its will be a good weekend away. I'm 50/50 on it for now, should know for sure within a couple weeks.

 

[PseudoChef]

Not to come across aggressive, but make up your mind as soon as possible. This conference will sell out any day now: the two hotels are already booked as is the banquet Saturday night.

 

[olllllo]

and there is no a-la-carte like there was in years past.

 

[EdWort]

Ok guys, making a few shirts with our great logo will cost $25+ each that is IF I can get my hands on the artwork. www.zazzle.com can make custom one off shirts pretty reasonable. Here's an example of Club night shirt with HomeBrewTalk.Com on the front and and the Avatar with SN on the back. I don't know what font Tex uses for his HBT Decals, but this is fairly close.

And for the Ladies

Ya'll can pick your shirt style & color, but I think the name on the front and the avatar and sn on the back will generate interest in HBT.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[olllllo]

Cool ED!

Here is the word on the internet access, which is not good.

Hello Rob,

This is Rob Westendorf. I'm the chairman of the local committee. I checked with both the hotel and the AHA. Internet access inside the ballroom is not included in our contract with the hotel, and it's a rather hefty extra charge to provide it. Wireless access is available for free in all of the "public spaces" of the hotel. There is a public reception area immediately outside of the ballroom, which should have access. That's probably the best we're going to be able to provide.

See you in June!
Rob

I'll check on the internet access charge, but I'll expect somrthing like $200/day.

I sent an email to find out the precise location of the ballroom. I can forsee 3 possibilities.

1) The room is close enough.
2) The room is not close enough, but we can setup out own pirate WAP to bridge the connection. (risky)
3) I *might* be able to get a Verizon data card with a router like we did last year, however, it was a spotty connection. You know... cellphones and hotels.

 

[EdWort]

I have a Sprint 3G card and can setup sharing on my notebook. It may have good reception.

 

[olllllo]

Here is the floorplan.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/meetings/overview_map.html?propertyID=1542

When I find out the exact location, I will post.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I like the shirts, EdWort!

I have some questions for the masses.

First the stupid question - Has anyone confirmed with Keith that we do, in fact, have a booth at Club night?

With EdWort flying in rather than driving, how are we going to serve beer? I have kegs but no picnic taps and probably not enough time/money to build a rig.

I think a theme and food still need to be worked out, right?

 

[olllllo]

I have a Sprint 3G card and can setup sharing on my notebook. It may have good reception.

That's great. You know how hotels can be with reception sometimes, so it's always a craphoot depending on how far into the hotel bowels we are.

Anyone in Cincy have Sprint or Verizon and can tell us, generally about reception?

 

[EdWort]

With EdWort flying in rather than driving, how are we going to serve beer? I have kegs but no picnic taps and probably not enough time/money to build a rig.

I have 3 picnic taps I can bring.

 

[olllllo]

I like the shirts, EdWort!

I have some questions for the masses.

First the stupid question - Has anyone confirmed with Keith that we do, in fact, have a booth at Club night?

With EdWort flying in rather than driving, how are we going to serve beer? I have kegs but no picnic taps and probably not enough time/money to build a rig.

I think a theme and food still need to be worked out, right?

I've registered us for a booth and confirmed with Keith about signage and handouts.

I have one or 2 picnic taps that I can throw in a bag.


Yes, we still have no theme or menu.

 

[Yooper]

I'm driving, and can bring a couple of kegs. I can't bring a CO2 tank, though. I can bring that portable little gun charger thing for serving, though, and a couple of picnic taps and beer line.

Since I have to leave for the NHBC on Sunday at 6 AM (long story why, involving dropping a kid off at a college), I can NOT bring food as I first planned. I would have no way to keep it from Sunday early AM to Thursday/Friday for the conference.

Edit- LOVE the t-shirt idea.

 

[olllllo]

The WRT54G router can be flashed with DD-WRT ti create a Universal Wireless Repeater. The repeaer will grab an open network and create a new open network.

The nice thing about the WRT54G is that it supports up to 30v DC if we needed to go off of batteries instead of the wallwort.

We need some spy photos of the hotel so that we can dress this thing up as a potted plant or a knick-nack on a shelf.

 

[EdWort]

As much as this is cool, who is going to have time to keep an eye on their notebook, router, etc to keep it from walking off. I think I'm going to be too busy drinking beer, chatting with folks, taking loads of pics, etc. to even mess with a computer. I'm contemplating staying at the Courtyard Marriott 1/2 mile down the road and use points instead of the $100 a night at the Sheraton. If I do, my Sheraton reservation will be up for grabs.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

As much as this is cool, who is going to have time to keep an eye on their notebook, router, etc to keep it from walking off. I think I'm going to be too busy drinking beer, chatting with folks, taking loads of pics, etc. to even mess with a computer. I'm contemplating staying at the Courtyard Marriott 1/2 mile down the road and use points instead of the $100 a night at the Sheraton. If I do, my Sheraton reservation will be up for grabs.

I was thinking the same thing. While I'm in the main banquet hall I'm going to be too busy doing other things to take my laptop out. I don't want to lug the thing around all night and I sure don't want to leave in in a room full of hundreds of people that I don't know while I'm drinking.

I'll leave mine in the room and use the hotel free WiFi from my room to post pictures here. If I *HAD* to make a post or check something in the main banquet room I could always use my phone if the reception is good enough.

 

[olllllo]

THe notebooks will be fine as they will be behind our booth. The booths are pretty much manned by someone.

As for the rogue router, it would be a $30 loss for me. More bragging rights if I were to pull it off than anything.

 

[olllllo]

We had 3 lappys going last year.

 

[EdWort]

Anyone know what font is used for the HBT decal? I want to go and get my shirt in the works.

 

[olllllo]

billpa would know.

Where's he been?

Taking a guess on IMPACT as the font.

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

That's great. You know how hotels can be with reception sometimes, so it's always a craphoot depending on how far into the hotel bowels we are.

Anyone in Cincy have Sprint or Verizon and can tell us, generally about reception?

I have Verizon and it is decent, but not great. I typically get 2 bars inside buildings. Sprint seems spotty, awesome in some spots (the only carrier you could pick up inside the building at my former employer) and non-existent in others. I can't say for sure at the hotel, but If I am in that neighborhood, I can stop in and see what kind of reception I get there.

 

[EdWort]

OK,

I ordered my NHC Club night Shirt from www.zazzle.com. The font is Brushed Pressed. It should look like this.

 

[Yooper]

Ok- you convinced me! I ordered mine, too. I got just a white t-shirt with my most notorious avatar on the back. This is going to be so much fun!

 

[MrFebtober]

I'm now officially in (plus swmbo), as mentioned in the private thread.

Also from other thread: If desired I will happily brew the beer of HBT's choosing for the event, seeing as I'm local and all. Any suggestions are welcome (though I would like to brew a beer that best represents HBT) and if need be it can be put to a vote.

I also have a several-month-old batch of apfelwein that would be an easy way to fill another tap handle. Plus, is there anything HBT is better known for than apfelwein?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I have one or 2 picnic taps that I can throw in a bag.

I have 3 picnic taps I can bring.

ok, so there's 5 taps. What about CO2 tanks? EdWort mentioned shipping a multiple faucet serving device, is that still an option?

Yes, we still have no theme or menu.

Crap. Perhaps a few of us should take charge and get together some evening this week (HBT chat, Skype, etc.) to brainstorm and come up with a few ideas?

As for the rogue router, it would be a $30 loss for me. More bragging rights if I were to pull it off than anything.

Are you still thinking about doing this? I revisited the hotel's website yesterday and discovered that the only free wifi that they offer is in public areas. It's not even free in guest rooms.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I've registered us for a booth and confirmed with Keith about signage and handouts.

I may be missing it, but I don't see us listed on the official NHC club night page as a participating club:

Club Night Participant Clubs

• Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (AABG)
• Antioch Sud Suckers
• Bloatarian Brewing League (BBL)
• Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ)
• Brew Free or Die
• Brewers of Central KY (BOCK)
• Brewer's of Ohio's Zymurgist Eclave (BOOZE)
• Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP)
• Brewmasters of Alpharetta
• Cary-Apex-Raleigh Brewers Of Yore (CARBOY)
• Chesepeake Real Ale Brewers Association (CRABS)
• Chicken City Ale Raisers
• Cincinnati Malt Infusers (CMI)
• Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (CRAFT)
• Covert Hops Society
• Cowford Ale Sharing Klub (CASK)
• Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists (DRAFT)
• Fermental Order of Renaissance Draughtsmen (FORD)
• Final Gravity
• Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
• Frederick's Original Ale Maker's (FOAM)
• Free State Homebrew Club Guild
• Greater Huntington Homebrewers
• Hop Barley & The Alers
• Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS)
• MECA Brewers
• Midnight Homebrewer's League
• Motor City Mashers
• Mountain Ale & Lager Tasters (MALT)
• Music City Brewers
• Primetime Brewers
• Red Ledge Brewers
• Rocket City Brewers
• Saint Paul Homebrewers Club
• Salacious Homebrewers in Toledo
• Savannah Brewer's League
• Scioto, Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists (SODZ)
• Tippecanoe Homebrewer's Circle (THC)
• Treasure Coast Brewmasters
• Upstate New York Homebrewer's Association (UNYHA)
• Urban Knaves of Grain
• Washington Homebrewers Association (WAHA)

To anyone who's been to NHC before, what is there to do Saturday during the day if you did not sign up for seminars? The calendar appears to be blank. Anyone have any suggestions (drinking beer is assumed).

 

[olllllo]

Just fired off an email to Frank about this.

I may be missing it, but I don't see us listed on the official NHC club night page as a participating club:

Club Night Participant Clubs

• Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (AABG)
• Antioch Sud Suckers
• Bloatarian Brewing League (BBL)
• Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ)
• Brew Free or Die
• Brewers of Central KY (BOCK)
• Brewer's of Ohio's Zymurgist Eclave (BOOZE)
• Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP)
• Brewmasters of Alpharetta
• Cary-Apex-Raleigh Brewers Of Yore (CARBOY)
• Chesepeake Real Ale Brewers Association (CRABS)
• Chicken City Ale Raisers
• Cincinnati Malt Infusers (CMI)
• Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (CRAFT)
• Covert Hops Society
• Cowford Ale Sharing Klub (CASK)
• Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists (DRAFT)
• Fermental Order of Renaissance Draughtsmen (FORD)
• Final Gravity
• Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
• Frederick's Original Ale Maker's (FOAM)
• Free State Homebrew Club Guild
• Greater Huntington Homebrewers
• Hop Barley & The Alers
• Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS)
• MECA Brewers
• Midnight Homebrewer's League
• Motor City Mashers
• Mountain Ale & Lager Tasters (MALT)
• Music City Brewers
• Primetime Brewers
• Red Ledge Brewers
• Rocket City Brewers
• Saint Paul Homebrewers Club
• Salacious Homebrewers in Toledo
• Savannah Brewer's League
• Scioto, Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists (SODZ)
• Tippecanoe Homebrewer's Circle (THC)
• Treasure Coast Brewmasters
• Upstate New York Homebrewer's Association (UNYHA)
• Urban Knaves of Grain
• Washington Homebrewers Association (WAHA)

To anyone who's been to NHC before, what is there to do Saturday during the day if you did not sign up for seminars? The calendar appears to be blank. Anyone have any suggestions (drinking beer is assumed).

 

[MrFebtober]

ok, so there's 5 taps. What about CO2 tanks? EdWort mentioned shipping a multiple faucet serving device, is that still an option?

I've got a dual-reg CO2 setup I can lend to the cause. It's currently configured for three kegs. I just got fresh 5# tank, too.

I'd love to help out however I can. What have been some past themes you guys have done?