Save the Date for PG’s bus trip to Stuffed Sandwich: Saturday, July 8th

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Come join us for a long overdue bus trip to the legendary Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel!
(Our last bus trip to Stuffed Sandwich was June, 2011.)

Stuffed Sandwich is a destination for all beer lovers! And, a PG bus trip is not to be missed. Friends and family are welcome.

The bus will be departing from CCHBS at 12noon and returning at about 5pm on Saturday, July 8th.
Cost for the bus will be $20 per person. (payable to Pacific Gravity)

We will have a signup sheet for the bus trip at the June PG club meeting on June 15th (3rd Thursday) at the Culver City Home Brew Supply shop.  You can also email Mimi at [email protected] to reserve your spot on the bus.
Please keep in mind that your space is not official until you pay. All that you need to pay for in advance is the bus seat; you will be paying Stuffed Sandwich directly for food and beer.

Please plan to arrive at CCHBS no later by 11:30am. The bus will leave promptly at 12noon.

For those who don’t know about Stuffed Sandwich, they are a little sandwich shop that sells over 700 bottled beers from 40 different countries, specializing in Belgian Ales (over 130) and American crafted “Micro” brewed beers. People travel there from all over for their great beer selection. Please note that Stuffed Sandwich is not a bar so you cannot purchase or drink beer without a food purchase. If interested, checkout their website: http://www.stuffedsandwich.com/

Stuffed Sandwich will be offering a lunch special for PG and friends.
Details for the lunch special will be available soon.
Typically, this special includes: half a sandwich (Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef or Italian Sub) served with a side of potato or macaroni salad along with a pint of draft beer in a complimentary glass for approximately $15-20 (note this is in ADDITION to your money for the bus ride)! The sandwiches are huge, so this is a good lunch even for a big eater.

Stuffed Sandwich veterans will know that if you don’t get this lunch special you’ll be drinking out of a plastic cup unless you bring your own glass, so think ahead if you are going to eat off the normal menu. You don’t have to get the special but we will order them before we leave so you will eat first if you do. And, remember, you must order food to be able to buy & drink alcohol.

July is Sweet & Sour month at Stuffed Sandwich for their draft beers. Plus, there are hundreds of beers on their bottle list. So be prepared for some impulse buying! Bottles can be purchased to go.

Please let me know if you have any questions ([email protected]).
See you on the bus!
Mimi

Looking Back On A Great Weekend

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Someone once told me that travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. This past weekend’s PG trip to the Bay area was one of those times for me that the concept rang loudly and clearly. We couldn’t have ordered better weather and (thanks to the many tenured Bay area’ists with us) we found a bunch of great spots to haunt. The local food and beers were exceptional and the accommodations were well situated; thanks again to Ian for the hotel recommendation and help w/ booking.

The party at Anchor was a great time, in my opinion their brewery is one of the most unique in the country. The copper brewhouse, their open fermenter rooms, the hop room, and the tasting room all laid out as I assume they were on that first day in 1979 when they moved in.  Pretty cool history beyond, taught by Ryan and his co-host, both in their white jumpsuits per tradition. My personal favorite beer was a mix of Old Foghorn Barleywine and the Liberty Ale American IPA, it was a great mash up (credit to Tad for recommending that one).

I know there was some travel trouble flying back, which seems to be a common problem as of late. To those that were held back due to flight delays, I hope you made the best of the time over a few more local beers!

Thank you to everyone who came along and thank you to Anchor Brewing Company for the honor and the party. WE WILL BE BACK!

Looking ahead…

First Friday at LA Ale Works is Friday June 2nd at 7pm.

They have been rolling out new beers, lots to look forward to on their tap list. It’s been great watching them grow and I know they’re happy to host us.

June’s Third Thursday lands on the 15th and we’ll be meeting at Culver City Home Brew Supply. Style of the month is International and Czech Lagers and Luis is hosting the tasting.

These meetings at CCHBS are a perfect way to introduce a friend to our hobby and to the club so feel free to bring good people with a genuine interest in getting into zymurgy for a free orientation visit.

Also, as you’ve probably heard: We’ve started the process of hosting the annual Pacific Brewer’s Cup competition and we need volunteers to help out. Navigate to pbc.pacificgravity.com for more information. As always, we’re hoping to make a grand showing in PBC this year as a club, since of course we are hosting. Bring out your best!   🙂 

See you soon!

Michael

May PG Club Meeting

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Don’t forget the May Pacific Gravity club meeting will be held this Thursday 5/18 at Culver City Homebrewing Supply at 7:30pm. The beer style of the month is Alternate Fermentables (rye, sorghum, spelt, that weird stuff in the back your fridge, etc.). Homebrew samples of the current month’s style and others will be welcome. Also, a commercial tasting will be provided by Larry Powell. Club business will cover the latest club news and upcoming events. This will be a good opportunity to get the scoop on the Anchor Brewing Party in S.F. this weekend celebrating PG as 2016 California Homebrew Club of the Year. Hope to see you there…

 

 

CCHBS

4234 Sepulveda Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90230

 

 

Other upcoming events:

May 20 – Anchor Brewing Party celebrating PG (San Francisco)

June 2 – First Friday @ LA Aleworks

July 29 – Summer Party!!

Calling all PG Volunteers for Fun Events with The People Concern

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Pacific Gravity’s favorite charity, The People Concern, (formerly OPCC) is looking for volunteers for a few fun events.
They have 3 upcoming fund raiser events in May and June.  Please think about helping out and feel free to sign up with a friend.

Here is a brief summary of the 3 volunteer opportunities but please see the flyers below for more details.

  • (for anyone not going to SF)
    Saturday May 20th – Sisters of Sojourn is hosting a fundraiser for Sojourn on Saturday May 20th.
    Event will be held at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica.
    6-8 volunteers are needed     from roughly 5-10pm.  Volunteers would be assisting with the silent auction and check in.
    Sojourn is their shelter that serves Adult and Child Victims of Domestic Violence.  (note: no flyer below but info available on their website)
  • Saturday, June 10th – Vintage Hollywood Wine & Food Tasting Event (16th annual)
    (see flyer content below for more details)
    Location: at a beautiful estate in the exclusive Beverly Hills neighborhood
    2 shifts available:
     – 9:00am – 2:00pm – 15 volunteers needed for set up only
     – 4:00pm – 10:30pm – 30 volunteers needed and must be 21years or older**
    This event raises crucial funds for The People Concern – please see the flyer for more details. (I have already signed up for this one so hope to see some of you there.)
  • Sunday, June 18, 2017 – 8:00am – 11:30am – k9 connection Summer Fest (see flyer content below for more details)
    15-20 volunteers are needed for setup. Event will be in Malibu     at the Malibu Bluffs Park.
    All volunteers will receive a k9 connection Summer Fest 2017 jersey and are invited to attend the event itself when it runs from 12:00-4:00pm. They will have a beer & wine garden! Dogs (well-behaved and on leash) are welcome to join in on the fun once all volunteer duties are complete! (note: this is Father’s Day and they will have some nice perks for dads in attendance.)
    This is the annual fund raiser for this amazing project. K9connection is an experience-based program which educates and inspires at-risk teens through the experience of bonding with and training homeless shelter dogs.

Please contact the Volunteer Coordinators directly if you (or friends & family) are interested in signing up to help at one of these fun events. They can also address any questions about the events.

Kate Berman –  [email protected]
Rebecca Gustavson –  [email protected]

Also, you can see more info at their website: www.opcc.net/events. You can also contact me (Mimi Bardet) at [email protected]  if you have any questions or would like me to send you a copy of the flyers.

  content from Vintage Hollywood flyer:
We invite you to join us as a volunteer for the 16th Annual Vintage Hollywood Wine and Food Tasting Event to benefit The People Concern (formerly OPCC and Lamp Community), Saturday June 10th, 2017!
Where is this taking place? This event is being hosted at a beautiful estate in the exclusive Beverly Hills neighborhood.

What is the Vintage Hollywood Foundation and why do they want to host an event for The People Concern? The Vintage Hollywood Foundation is a group of dedicated volunteers with big hearts who, since 2002, have put on the Vintage Hollywood fundraising event to benefit local charitable organizations that promote the health and well-being of Southern California’s diverse community. Its Board and Committee members have combined their love of wine and food with their incredible talents and big hearts to create these successful events, and once again The People Concern has been fortunate enough to be selected as the beneficiary! This event raises crucial funds for our organization and we’d love for you to be part of it. Please click here to view the list of participating wineries, restaurants, incredible sponsors and photos of what the event has looked like in past years.

When do we need you? We need you to help make this event a success and fill a variety of volunteer roles on Saturday, June 10th 2017. Please know that this event is a lot of fun and you will be on your feet for most of the time you spend with us! Most volunteers will end up filling a variety of roles and you will be what makes this event run so smoothly.
There are 2 shifts that we need to fill and we need a LOT of hands on deck!
 Saturday June 10th, 2017 – 9:00am – 2:00pm – 15 volunteers needed for set up only
 Saturday June 10th, 2017 – 4:00pm – 10:30pm – 30 volunteers needed and must be 21years or older**

All available roles – we will gladly take your preference but will staff you where most needed
 Event set-up – we will need strong and able bodied volunteers to assist in setting the event space up (9am-2pm shift only).
 Check in & Registration – we will need volunteers to make sure all of our guests, media and celebrities are checked in
 Silent & live auction monitors – we will need volunteers who love playing on cell phones, as we will be using an electronic bidding system that works right through our guests’ cell phones!
 Winery and restaurant liaisons – we need volunteers to make sure all the participating wineries and restaurants are supported and stocked with what they need!
 The green team – we need volunteers to be circulating on-site at all times to make sure the grounds are looking pristine throughout the entire event itself.
 Event break-down – we will need strong and able bodied volunteers to help break down after the event wraps up at 9:00pm, the more help we have the faster it gets done!

If you would like to make a difference in your community and contribute as a volunteer with this fabulous event please contact:
Kate Berman [email protected], 310-401-0303 OR Rebecca Gustavson, [email protected], 310-401-0668

content from K9 Summer Fest flyer:

We invite you to join us as a k9 connection Summer Fest volunteer!  What is k9 connection and what is the Summer Fest event?
k9 connection is an experience-based program which educates and inspires at-risk teens through the experience of bonding with and training homeless shelter dogs. Each individual program serves counselor referred teens at participating schools and concludes with a graduation ceremony and the placement of each dog in a permanent home. Now in its 12th year, k9 connection’s Summer Fest is our signature summer fundraising event – drawing more than 300 of Southern California’s most devoted animal and teen supporters.

It will be a fun filled day with food, a silent auction, beer + wine garden, games and contests for dogs and humans and much, much more!
Please click here for more information, and be sure to scroll down for a video and photos of the 2015 event!

What do we need you to do? We need your helping hands to set up the event in the following roles. It will be because of your help that it runs smoothly.  Summer Fest Entrance – we need volunteers to assist with installing our entrance frontage  Summer Fest Enclosure – we need volunteers to help with putting in temporary fencing with posts to go around the entire perimeter, the size of a regulation soccer field.  Doggy Fun Zone Set Up – we need volunteers to assist with the set up the ‘Doggy Fun Zone’ track, lure system and perimeters  Tent and Banner Set Up – we need volunteers to build our pop-up tents and set up all banners on the front of each tent Vendor and Agency Area Set Up – we need volunteers to assist the with tent/booth set up to ensure it runs smoothly the process go more smoothly and quickly.  Games and Photo Booth Set Up – we need volunteers to set up all games and the backdrop for the photo booth.

 

 

 

Come join us for PG’s Party at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco — MAY 20th!

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Hi Pacific Gravity!

Just a quick reminder that our trip to San Francisco is coming soon!  Are you ready to party?!!

As winner of the California Homebrew Club of the Year for 2016, Anchor Brewing will be honoring us (PG) with a party at their brewery on Saturday, May 20th from 12noon to 4pm. (address: 1705 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94107)

PG reserved a block of rooms at a discounted rate for Friday, May 19th and Saturday, May 20th.  Last we checked, there are still a few rooms available so please come join us.

Here are hotel details:

The Carlton Hotel 

$199 per night plus taxes & fees. Parking is available at the hotel for valet charge of $35/day.

Also, there are public pay lots nearby to store your car.

To reserve a room at the discounted rate (while supplies last):

  • By phone, call Camisha Green at 415-292-1181 and let her know you’re with Pacific Gravity.
  • Via email, email Camisha at cgreen at jdvhotels.com

Many people will be driving (or flying) up on Friday so I suspect there will be a fun pub crawl in SF on Friday night.

And, probably another one on Saturday evening after the Anchor party.

Those who have been before, know that this is a weekend not to be missed!

It’s not too late, please come join us for an amazing and unforgettable weekend!

 

April Club Meeting and LABBC Ribbon Ceremony @ LA Ale Works

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Hey PG and happy Monday!

April’s Third Thursday is almost upon us, so this is a notice of where we’ll be meeting and what is planned.

ONE BIG REMINDER UP FRONT: This meeting is one of our scheduled charity drive events for 2017. Read on for more info and please bring whatever you can!

  • Kip and team have invited us to meet at LA Ale Works in Hawthorne again. Map and directions are at the end of this post.
  • We’ll start with the ribbon ceremony for this year’s Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge winners, and then move on to a few minutes of club announcements back behind the fermenters.
  • The style of the month for April is Belgian, and member Barry is all set to host the tasting. I’m looking forward to the best beer of the meeting competition too, because you know: I LOVE BELGIAN BEER!  😀 😀
  • Did you loan us a cooler for LABBC? (this year OR last)  We’ll have them available for pickup and they really need to go home. Kip has generously stored them for us over the past month, it’s time we get them out of his way!
  • LABBC left behind a ton of 2nd bottles that weren’t opened (didn’t make it to the mini best of show) and they’ve been “chillin” in my fridge at 34F. I’ll be bringing them too for random tasting and I’d like them to go home with a bottler who will clean and refill them.  If not, they are dumpster bound.
  • We’re also collecting donation items that will go on to people-in-need via our connection with the Ocean Park Community Center – The People Concern.

This is a great excuse to go through your closets and/or go to your favorite low cost stores to purchase donate-able supplies. You can shop stores like: Ross and other discount clothing stores, 99 cent stores, Costco and other whole sale stores, or even CVS, Walgreens, and Target. Want to give Money? Mimi your Charity and Special Event coordinator can take cash or checks (made out to: OPCC) for the OPCC.net organization. She’ll take it along with the purchase items for drop off.

If you have clothes & other items to donate, see the detailed list below. They are mostly in need of men’s clothing in large sizes. Clothing can be “gently used” and should be clean. Visit this link for other donations ideas: https://www.opcc.net/?nd=in_kind

Monetary donations will also be accepted – checks or cash. Special donation envelopes will be available at the meeting. Tax receipts for monetary donations will be sent to you by mail.

Below is a list of items that we can always use:

Clothing

Sweat socks – for men, women and children

Sweat shirts and pants for adults – all sizes especially larger sizes

Sneakers – men’s & women’s most needed

Shower shoes/thongs

Rain ponchos for adults & children

New underwear – men’s, women and children

Flannel and long sleeve shirts for adults

Personal & Household items

Hygiene Items

Toothpaste

Toothbrush

Teodorant

Shampoo

Disposable razors

Bar soap

Hand & body lotion

Sanitary napkins & tampons

Blankets (preferably wool)

Backpacks or duffel bags

Sleeping bags for adults

Diapers – all sizes

Bedding: Twin size sheets, comforters and pillows. Please note pillow must be new.

Gift Certificates

Supermarkets (Ralphs, Vons,Albertson’s)

Fast food restaurants

Book & music stores

Movie passes

Clothing stores, department stores (Marshalls, Target or Ross)

Art Supplies

Markers, finger paints, facepaints, crayons, watercolors, glue, glitter, collage materials, coloring books,

activity books, stickers.

These charity drive events are an excellent way for us to give back to the local community. There’s something satisfying in knowing that our donations go to people in our own city who need help. Thank you each in advance for bringing out whatever you can afford.

Until Thursday! 🙂   Cheers!

Michael

20apr7:30 pmApril Club Meeting7:30 pm LA Ale Works

 

Reminder: Membership Dues Renewal

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This is just a reminder that club membership dues are still being collected. Thank you to the many of you who have already renewed your membership recently.

If you still need to pay, there are a variety of ways to submit payment.

  • Follow this link ( http://pacificgravity.com/renewals/ ) to pay electronically via Paypal. No Paypal account required.
  • Also, cash or checks (payable to Pacific Gravity) can be left on your next visit to Culver City Homebrewing Supply.
  • Want to drop it in the mail? No problem, send to PG at PO Box 2451, Culver City, CA 90231. Of course you can also pay in person at an upcoming club event such as the upcoming club meeting at LA Ale Works in Hawthorne on Thursday, April 20th.

Annual membership dues remain at $36 (standard) and $54 for a couples membership. Renewals are synced to March each year, so if you joined the club since last March, a prorated amount would be due to get you paid in good standing through March 2018. Please contact me, club treasurer Tim Bardet at [email protected] with any questions on your dues or membership status.

As our main source of revenue, membership dues help cover many of Pacific Gravity’s operating costs for things like commercial tastings, club meetings, the Summer & Holiday parties and more.

 Please renew and stay in the loop for another year of PG fun!

Thanks!

Tim

Hotel Booking Info For Anchor Trip May 19th & 20th

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Hey PG!

 

I’m happy to announce the details for booking a room to stay Friday May 19th and Saturday the 20th with us in San Francisco.  Now that we’re finished with the early RSVP list, booking is open to all.

 

Not surprisingly, as in years past, The Carlton Hotel  gave us the best deal on rooms at only $199 per night plus taxes, fees, and parking if needed. There are public pay lots nearby to store your car, and the Carlton has a paid valet parking option too ($35 per day).

 

To reserve your room for Friday and Saturday, you have options.

  • By phone, call Camisha Green at 415-292-1181 and let her know you’re with PG.
  • Via email, email Camisha at cgreen at jdvhotels.com
  • Online, via this special link.    This worked for me, but it wasn’t super easy to figure out honestly. Might be easier to call.

 

The last time I checked, 10 of the 20 available rooms were booked so don’t wait. I’m here for questions if you have them and I am really excited to FINALLY get to Anchor for this party!

 

Thanks!

 

Michael

 

Quick Anchor Trip Update

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Hey PG!

VERY quick update to get you all ready to book rooms for our trip to Anchor on May 19th and 20th.

  • We have 20 rooms reserved with a group rate of $199 per night plus taxes & fees.
  • I’ve reached out to the members who have indicated they definitely want to go via email, survey responses, or in person. Those early RSVP’ers gave us the base on which the confidence of contracting the 20 rooms was built (almost an $8000 commitment), so they get early access to book.
  • The early RSVP crew will have today to book their rooms before I unleash our deal to the general membership (and other clubs who want to come with us) TOMORROW.

Prepare! Tomorrow, I will post again with booking information.

Michael

Competition Corner – April 2017

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Friday April 7th is the last day to enter the 2017 Mayfaire competition. Entries can be dropped off at the Culver City shop. 2 bottles per entry are needed. The Falcons will need help with judges and stewards as well. There will be two main sessions: Friday evening April 21, and Saturday morning, April 22. Both will be at St Martin in the Fields Church 7136 Winnetka Ave, Winnetka CA, 91306. Registration for all of the above can be found at http://competitions.maltosefalcons.com/ . In addition, we will be trying to set up a preliminary round several days earlier at the Culver City shop. Check back here for details.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 3rd annual Belgian Brew Challenge.  Awards will be handed out at the club meeting April 20th at Los Angeles Ale Works.  Top honors within the Club goes to Parker Waechter with his L’Estivale, a Belgian Specialty Ale, which took 4th place in the Best of Show round!  Way to go Parker!     Overall, Pacific Gravity earned the most ribbons.   A complete list of winners can be found at  http://belgianbrewchallenge.com/.   Best of show this year was a Belgian Dubbel, brewed by Joe St. John of Yeastside brewers.  His beer will be brewed at Los Angeles Ale Works.

I would like to thank the dozens of folks who helped make this the smoothest LABBC ever.  Brian did an outstanding job as head organizer, Kip stepped up with the facilities of LAAle Works, Michael collected a bunch of sponsors and arranged the tee shirts.  Dean made sure all the beers were cold, and Tim kept track of all the entries and scores.  Finally, keeping with the Belgian theme, Ian kept us fueled with an awesome batch of Beef Carbonnades.

Speaking of volunteering, we will be running Pacific Brewers Cup this September and will need everyone’s support.  The balance of the official list of competitions for accumulating Brewer of the Year is listed below.  Check back frequently as exact dues dates become known.

If you are hard-core competition junkie, there are a bazillion other contests to enter.  The AHA has their master list at http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/competitions/aha-bjcp-sanctioned-competition/.

2017 Pacific Gravity Brewer of the Year Competition Schedule

Now:                   Entries due for Mayfaire competition, Culver City shop
April, TBD:          Preliminary judging round at Culver City shop
April 20                Awards Ceremony for Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge at LA Ale Works
April 21, 22         Mayfaire Judging, Winnetka up in the Valley
July                       Los Angeles County Fair
September          Pacific Brewers Cup
October               California State Homebrew Competition