First Friday Reminder Tonight and then some…

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Hi PG members,

Just a reminder of our First Friday tonight from 7-10pm or later at Three Weavers Brewing.  address: 1031 W. Manchester Blvd. Unit A-B, Inglwood, Ca. 90031
Three Weavers will be giving Pacific Gravity Members a 10% discount as well as our very own Emily White will be Touring us around the brewery! Hope you all can make it.

Photo credit: Thrillist

Photo credit: Thrillist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for other Reminders:
We will have a sign up sheet with us tonight for our March 5th, Monsterbrew @Smog City. We will also be able to take payments for your allotted one or two 5 gallons of wort. As well I will bring new member sign-up sheets if your still looking to join the club and take part in all our upcoming events!

Also Don’t forget about the competitions coming up:
Our very own LABBC entry window is now OPEN!! so start registering those Belgian beers. There is a 150 entry cut off, so register early!

Entry Deadline for the Thousand Oaks Homberbrews “Romancing the Beer” homebrew comp is this next Friday, February 12th at either Eagle rock Homebrew Supply or The Wine, Beer, and Cheese shop. (sorry No culver city homebrew supply drop off.)

As well there is the Strand Brewers with the “Jeff Sander Memorial Homebrew Comp”. Entry and drop deadline Feb. 27th at noon. Drop off at South Bay Brewing Supply.
1311 Post Ave, Torrance, CA 90501

 

Monsterbrew @ Smog City Brewing, March 5th

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Smog City Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On March 5th, 2016 @ Smog City Brewing Company  and its  Brewmaster, PG’s Jon Porter, will be hosting their third Pacific Gravity Monster Brew!

About the date, Yes I know its backed up to PG’s First Friday at Irish Times, but March 5th was really the best available date for PG and Smog City. So Club Member Up and make it one amazing PG event filled weekend, but make sure to plan ahead doing any Yeast starters.

Jon Porter and Dan White will be developing the base wort for this event with the theme “English”. A marris otter base, with just a small amount of carafoam and acidulated malt to keep ph in spec.  This will be a great starting point for just about any lighter beer.
Keeping with past monster brews, the recipe can be the base for whatever creative endeavor you might want to do.  For the hop heads, boost up the bitterness with your favorite English or American hop tea to make an awesome IPA, or darken it up with roasted malts to make a porter or stout. Use your imagination to make the most awesome beer ever.  Each person will need to pitch a yeast of their choice, add adjuncts to the wort, dry hop in secondary, or do nothing special to it at all.

You can always contact Carl at Competitions@pacificgravity.com for any suggestions and once we have the actual recipe values Carl can work on a “How to Modify my Monsterbrew” post.

COST

The cost will be $30 for each 5 gallons of wort.  Everybody will be guaranteed 1 batch, and if mash volume permits, a second or third batch.  Please sign up as soon as you can, by dropping an email at President@PacificGravity.com or singing up at the next club meeting on Feb. 18th.

Yeast and any additional ingredients you wish to add are not included. You can bring your yeast to the brewery, or pitch it at home. If possible, please pay in advance. You can Pay at our next Club Meeting Feb. 18th or you can drop off a check at Culver City Homebrew Supply.
Be sure to include title on an evalope “Monsterbrew Smog City” your name, telephone number, and E-mail address. All checks made out to Pacific Gravity Homebrew Club. Lastly you must pay in full at the day of the monsterbew. We take Cash, Check, and Credit Card payments.
If you paid in advance, but find you cannot attend, a 24 hour notice must be given in order to obtain a refund. On event day, all monies collected will be given to Smog City Brewing. Such notice may be sent to Pacific Gravity Treasurer, Tim Bardet at treasurer@pacificgravity.com  or to the current board members at board@pacificgravity.com.

Some of us may want to purchase more than 10 gallons. Initially, only 5 – 10 gallons may be purchased. However, if there is wort left over at the end we will hold a lottery to determine who may get an additional 5 gallon allotment. Bring an extra fermenter if you are interested.
Don’t forget to bring a sanitized fermenter for each 5 gallons you buy!

FERMENTERS

Fermenters MUST be either plastic or stainless steel. Absolutely NO Glass fermenters will be allowed in the brewery due to the danger of breakage on the tile floor. You may bring small glass vessels with yeast or other additions, however. Please make sure you fermenter has a wide opening so we can use the fire hose when it is time to pour in the wort.  Plastic buckets are ideal, but you can use a Cornelius keg if you want.  Please do not bring any skinny-neck containers.  Our aim isn’t that good!

TIME & LOCATION

The event will be starting EARLY, at 7:00AM. If that is too early, you may show up by 12 noon and still get your pre-purchased wort. Of course, you’ll not get to take part in the actual brewing. Projected ending time will be 1:00 PM.  Smog City Brewing Company is at 1901 Del Amo Blvd., Ste B, Torrance, CA 90501

PARKING

Please park on the WEST side of the building to keep the tap room lot open.
The tap room will be opening to the public at noon.

FOOD

Smog City will have coffee and other breakfast items in the morning. As well Porter will arrange for a food cart later that afternoon.
In addition Porter will be supplying tasting samples of some of his fine brews during the mid morning. Cut off time for free pours will be determined by Porter. Probably close to 11am, after that beer will be available for purchase.
AND REMEMBER TO TIP YOUR BEERTENDER!!! EVEN WITH FREE BEER.

Thank you and we will post more info about this event as is comes, also at some point we will open it up to the other clubs around the area.

Contacts:

Lloyd Johnson    President@pacificgravity.com

Carl Townsend  Competitions@pacificgravity.com

Tim Bardet     Treasurer@pacificgravity.com

The Board       board@pacificgravity.com

First Friday At Three Weavers Brewing Company

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Hey PG! February First Friday is just days away and this time we’re dropping in for a visit with our friends at Three Weavers Brewing Company. Meet there starting at 7:00pm on Friday and bring a friend!

threeweaversmap

Three Weavers has a roomy indoor/outdoor taproom with plenty of long tables and benches for seating and it’s a very short drive down Sepulveda Blvd. from Culver City. Bring out your appetite for local beer and dinner too as there are a few good dining options within walking distance. I recommend the pizza.

I also recommend that you bring along a clean growler to fill and take home at the end of the night. TW graciously pours growlers-to-go full of most of their beers and who doesn’t like fresh beer for the weekend?

Finally, [as always] bring a designated driver or take a ride service there and back. First Friday is the most fun when you get home safely.

5feb7:00 pmFirst Friday - Three Weavers Brewing Company7:00 pm

Looking forward to seeing you all, Tania and I will be there by 7:30.

Michael

HomeBrew Festival Registration: Save $10 by Jan 31

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April 29 – the start of HomeBrew Festival Weekend – will be on us in no time, and now is the time to reserve your spot.  If you sign up by January 31, you can save $10 off the official registration cost of $45.  And don’t forget to reserve your spot at PG-Land, our campsite complex at Vail Lake Resort.

Attending the Homebrew Fest in 5 Easy Steps:

(1) Go to www.calhomebrewers.org and sign up to become a member of the California Homebrewers Association.  Cost is $10.  Per California ABC regulations, you must be a CHA member to attend the festival.

(2) Click on the MEMBERS ONLY tab on the CHA website, choose the “2016 SCBF REGISTRATION”, and buy the fest registration.  Cost is $35 before Feb-1, $40 before Mar-1, $45 thereafter.   Do you want to attend for free?  Choose “Volunteer Registration” to donate 2 hours of your time and save the entire cost of registration.

(3) Pay $30 to Tim Bardet, Club Treasurer, for a camping slot in PG-Land.

(4) On April 29, drive (or better yet – hitch a ride) get to VAIL LAKE RESORT in Temecula.

(5) Enjoy sampling the food and the plethora of beer that will be present throughout the weekend.

We will send out more info as the fest gets closer.

January Club Meeting Recap

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It was great seeing all of you last night and I’m very thankful for those of you who brought out your kegs and bottles of homebrew. The combination of education, competition, and comradery exhibited last night was over the top. For those of you who weren’t able to make it out, here’s a recap.

The meeting started off with education, care of Michael Patterson and Greg Foster; a tradition we’re planning to continue beginning each meeting with moving forward.

Michael hosted a sensory perception demonstration on Diacetyl, the cause of the butter flavor that is by and large considered an off-flavor in most styles and Greg ran a Brülosphy exBEERiment that sought to investigate the differences between homemade and commercial Belgian candi sugar. Both were well executed, fun and informative. Many thanks to Michael and Greg.

Pizza was served, taps flowed and the board members reviewed current and upcoming events.

Lloyd led by announcing that my wife Tania Musgrave has volunteered to fill the open Secretary position on the Board.

Terry reminds all interested parties to contact soon if they plan to attend and camp at the SoCal Homebrew Festival, May 29th and 30th. Time is running out so act fast if you want to get involved, I’m told it’s an event that is not to be missed. General info here, email the Board for more info on our club specific plans.

Carl reviewed our competition calendar including our 2nd Annual Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge on March 26th and the Doug King Memorial Competition held tomorrow, Saturday January 23rd at MacLeod’s Brewing Company in Van Nuys. Take a look at his recent Competition Corner post for more info.

I announced my new role on the LABBC planning board as Sponsorship Coordinator and made a call for connections to breweries and businesses that might be interested in sponsoring the event. Sponsorship starts at just $50 dollars and tops out at $250. Email me for more info.

Also, First Friday for February is on the 5th at Three Weavers Brewing Company. For me, their Blood Junkie Imperial Red Ale, Kill The Lights Black Lager, and Amburana Wood Aged Porter are real highlights in their taproom and there is also a very good pizza place within walking distance which we’ll be ordering from. Getting there is easy too, just take Sepulveda south, take a left on Manchester and then another left on Isis.

Tim Jones announced proud news that Tomm Carroll will be teaching a class at UCLA focused on the business of craft beer. For those that don’t know him, Tomm is a local beer celebrity and columnist for Celebrator magazine and Beer Paper LA and he’s also one of us! Exciting news to say the least and as more details emerge I’m hopeful that Tim and/or Tomm will keep us posted.

Later on I held the commercial tasting bringing as many British Special Bitters and Commonwealth Ales to the table as I could find (they were surprisingly scarce) and Terry and Lloyd ran a really fun raffle in which most memorably Norm won a red bottle drying rack donated and later autographed by Simon Ford of Phantom Carriage fame; also a Pacific Gravity member.  I’m still laughing at that moment, photo included in the gallery below.

Finally, our Best Beer of the Meeting competition brought out a number of great brews and to my surprise and delight my Belgian Winter Ale earned the first win of the year! Thanks again to those who entered beers and to those who participated in judging.

In closing I want to say thank you again to those who brought homebrew, those who volunteered to host future commercial tastings, to CCHBS and Greg and Michael for their effort and time. I also want to welcome our newest members Josh, Pat and Nick.

Hope to see you all at First Friday and beyond!

_Michael

Just a Reminder, January 2016

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Club Meeting is tonight at Culver City HomeBrew Shop 7:30pm.

4234 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230

  • 7:30-7:45pm or later Educational Evaluation of Off Flavor: tonights off Flavor “Diacetyl” presented by Michael Patterson, so come early!
  • Bring any Homebrewed beer style tonight for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Culver City Homebrew Supply.
  • There will be a Raffle!! Also if you have Raffle prizes to donate, please contact the Board@pacificgravity.com or bring to the meeting tonight. All donation will be assets and raffled off through out the year.

Hope to see you all tonight!

Strand Brewers Invites PG to Anchor

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strand-logoAt the end of last year our friends Strand Brewers Club won the “Homebrew Club of the Year” from Anchor Brewing and they are now inviting Pacific Gravity members to go with them to the ceremony on February 13th. Space may be limited, and unfortunately there was not enough interest in getting a bus to go up there, so the Strand members are going up on their own via plains, trains, and automobiles. As well there are reserved blocked rooms in the hotel where they are staying. If interested, and it would be a awesome trip, please contact Jay Ankeney (jayankeney@mac.com), Strand’s Activities Director, for more info and to let him know you are going!! Must book by January 25th, so Hurry!

Here is Jay’s official invite:

Hey Pacific Gravities,
It turns out there is not enough interest in reserving a bus for the February 13th trip to Anchor Brewing for the “Homebrew Club of the Year” luncheon, so you are going to have to provide your own transportation.
I’d suggest you check the plane schedules as soon as you can because available flights are becoming scarce or consider buses or driving yourself. The Strand Brewers have reserved a block of rooms at the Klimpton Buchanon hotel at the discounted rate of $156, but you’ll have to book by January 25th.

Anyone interested should E-mail me and I’ll send you a special reservation link that will get you that price.
Of course, there may be other, less expensive hostelry’s in the area that you can find yourself.
So please be in touch if you want to stay at the rather posh Klimpton Buchanon.

Jay Ankeney
Activities Director
Strand Brewers Club
jayankeney@mac.com

Club Meeting: January 21st @ Culver City Homebrew Supply

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Hi Everyone,

The first club meeting of the year will be next week Jan. 21st at the Culver City Homebrew Shop starting at 7:30pm.

Culver City Home Brew Supply
4234 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230

Brew Shop

I really hope you’re all in for a good year! Your new and continuing board members have a lot of great stuff in the works. To start off:

Beer Style of the month we will be splitting into two parts as of now.

  • One: the “Commercial Tasting Style” reflecting some of the new 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines. Where we taste Commercial beers of the monthly style.
  • Two: the “Best Beer of the Meeting” competition. Where like in the past if you bring beers to the style of the month, the club would vote on the best beer of the night and you would win a $25 gift certificate from the Culver City Homebrew Supply. The difference this year is that the “Best beer of the Meeting” reflects similar or even different styles to the “Commercial Tasting styles”. Just Check out the Style page on the website for the latest monthly style guidelines.

This month in January will be “All Beer Style” for the best beer of the meeting for your chance to win the $25 certificate. Bring any beer you have that you would love to share.
Note: kegs/growlers/and bottles are all welcome to enter, but it helps to have enough for everyone to share and taste.

Next, We are adding some educational aspects to the monthly meeting. Starting off Michael Patterson will be presenting an “Off Flavor Sensory Test” each month until all the samples are gone from the kit. He will demo 1-2 commonly unwanted off flavors found in beer.  Demo will be at the start of the meetings from 7:30-7:45 or later.  Come early and learn!

Yes there will be Raffle at the January meeting!! What will be raffled off…… probably mostly beers and goods purchased from the Culver City Homebrew Supply Shop. The more Tickets you Purchase the more we will raffle off!

As we work out the details of the year and all the new anticipated events, we need your help too!!! Please feel free to volunteer.
Check out the “Commercial Tasting Styles” of the months to come this year. We would love to give anyone the opportunity to have a budget to go buy some amazing commercial beer and Host them at our monthly meeting. This Month your VP Michael Musgrave will be purchasing Januarys styles of English Bitters and Commonwealth beers. Please follow his lead.
We always need Homebrew for the club meeting of course, but for up coming events, like So Cal homebrew festival, Parties, and other pouring events. So Get Brewing!
Finally if you do have any denotable gear, beer, good, or other brewing related stuff for our raffles please bring it to the club meeting or events, or email anyone one of your board members or all of them at board@pacificgravity.com

Sorry I know that got long, but I had a lot to say. Here are the quick built points:

  • Club Meeting January 21st start time 7:30pm @ Culver City Homebrew Supply
  • New “Commercial Tasting Style” posted
  • Return of “Best Beer of the Meeting” comp, bring beer win $25 gift certificate
  • New Educational Demos at the beginning of the meetings, 7:30-7:45pm
  • Yes, there will be a Raffle!
  • We need Volunteers: for “Commercial Tasting Style” of the Month
  • We always need more Homebrewed Beer!!
  • We would love any Raffle Donations: Gear, Beer, Goods, or other Brewing related items.

Thank you all and hope to see everyone next week!

2nd Annual Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge

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Calling all home brewers! Our 2nd Annual Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge is coming up fast and I’m excited to announce the details here tonight!

Once again, PG member Neil Saund has generously donated his space to host our competition and Henry Nguyen of Monkish Brewing Company in Torrance has signed on to brew a Pro-Am version of the Best of Show beer. As you may remember, last year’s Best of Show by Brian Holter and Kingsley Toby brewed at Monkish as “Triumphus” was an unforgettable Tripel. I can’t wait to see what the 2016 Triumphus will be!

We’ll begin accepting registrations and online submissions on February 1st and drop off starting March 1st through March 12th so you’ve got some time to get over to Culver City Home Brewing Supply to grab ingredients and brew your entries.

Judging will occur on Saturday March 26th at 9am. We’ll need plenty of volunteer stewards and judges so please make sure you opt-in appropriately if interested while registering.

For more details navigate to http://belgianbrewchallenge.com  and if you have any questions email labbc@pacificgravity.com.

26mar9:00 am2nd Annual Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge9:00 am Neil Saund

Competition Corner – January 2016

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Well, a new year is upon us as well as a fresh brewing competition season. I hope you took advantage of the cool weather over the holiday season to bet some batches fermenting. I did! Each year, Pacific Gravity honors the brewer (or team) with the most homebrew competition wins. Last year we added in our new competition: Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge, with entries due March 12. Also, keep your sites on the America’s Finest City Homebrew Competition, hosted by QUAFF with entries due in late January, and the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition with open registration starting February 1-7. Read more →