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 →

Cheers To A Happy New Year!

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With the holidays behind us, there is only one more party night in 2015 to go and there are just a few quick things to mention before you throw on your best suit and break out the NYE noisemakers…

Holiday Party Recap

The holiday party was a smash success and we owe a huge thank you to everyone who pitched in. Whether you helped plan, or brought a dish to share or beer, or helped during setup and clean up, it all came together perfectly and much merry fun was had.

Neil, for your generous donation of the space. Ian and Marvin, for your exceptional culinary work. Terry, for playing Santa so well, raffling off all those goodies. Mimi for helping us put it all together. Brian, Tad+Ramesh, Carl… The list is SO long. Thank you for going above and beyond.

Food and Clothing Charity Drive

Another huge thank you is in order to those guests who brought donations of food and clothing for our charity drive. We ended up with three huge boxes full and it marks a proud moment for us as a club. It was great to give something back and we’re looking forward to having a charitable piece to future events too. If you have any suggestions or ideas send them to us at board@pacificgravity.com or bring them up at our next club meeting.

First Friday January 2016 Plans

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and I hope everyone has a great time out there (safely) with friends and family.  Because of the way the actual first Friday of the year lands, we’re pushing the PG First Friday event to Friday January 8th. It’ll be held at Father’s Office in Culver City starting around 7pm and going until as late as they’ll let us stay. While there is no reserved seating, I’ll be there early to try and hold down a table or two. Come early or come late, we’ll be there with beers on. Oh and they make a damn good pub burger too, if you’ve never had one this is your chance. It’s a Culver City treasure.

8jan7:00 pmFirst Friday - Father's Office Culver City7:00 pm PST Father's Office

Alright, I have to go locate a magnum of Chimay (because who toasts Champagne anymore??)  and I’m hoping to see you out on Friday the 8th.

Until then, Happy New Year from the PG board!

Michael Musgrave

 

IT’S ALMOST PARTY TIME!!!

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This is a final reminder that we need your help to make this a successful party.
We need FOOD, BEER, assorted EQUIPMENT, DONATIONS FOR FOOD & CLOTHING DRIVE, and VOLUNTEERS FOR setup and cleanup. See details below.

It is time for the Pacific Gravity and Culver City Homebrew Supply Shop annual holiday on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at Neil Saund’s party duplex. Neil’s address is:  12966 Rubens Ave. Los Angeles, CA. (It is the house on the corner of Alla Rd. and Rubens Ave.)
The party will kick off about 5:00 P.M.  This is one party not to be missed!

FOOD:

Although the club will be providing much of the main dishes, this is still a potluck party and YOUR favorite party dish will sure be appreciated!  The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamande, prime rib ala BBQ, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more! Suggestions would include any kind of main dish but especially all side dishes, veggie dishes, salads, desserts and appetizers. So, if you have a favorite family holiday recipe and want to share it with the rest of us, this is your chance!

Please let us know what you can bring! Also, contact us if you have any questions about what to bring!
Contact Club Chef Ian at: masterchef@pacificgravity.com or Mimi at mbardet@verizon.net.

The dinner portion of the event is scheduled for 7:30 PM.  There will little or no oven space available for reheating food, so please bring it ready to serve, not ready to cook!  Also, don’t forget to label your containers or anything you want back.

EQUIPMENT:

We set up the decorations and tree this last Sunday and installed 2 firepits so we NEED FIREWOOD!  If you can bring wood please do so!  It is forecasted to be cold on Saturday evening!

We could use a few more tables.

We also need jockey boxes and CO2 cylinders to help make sure all the beverages flow cold with perfect carbonation. We have more kegs than taps on the Wave, and the jockey boxes help out big time. Rumor has it we may need a few Sanke taps, so if you have one bring it along.

If at all possible, please bring your kegs and heavy stuff around noon on Saturday and help us set up. This makes the last minute activities at party time go much more smoothly. The early kegs get the best slots on the Wave. Make sure all your kegs, coolers, tanks and taps are well labeled so they all return to their rightful owners Sunday morning.

For equipment, please contact us: PG Board at Board@PacificGravity.com or Mimi Bardet at mbardet@verizon.net and let us know what you can bring.

VOLUNTEERS needed for setup & cleanup
On Saturday, Dec 12th, starting at NOON, we need help with final setup at Neil’s duplex.

On Sunday, Dec 13th at 11 am, we need lots of people to help with clean up. The more we get the faster it goes.

If you’d like to volunteer for set up or clean up contact us: PG Board at Board@PacificGravity.com
or Mimi Bardet at mbardet@verizon.net

FOOD & CLOTHING CHARITY DRIVE:
It’s time to clean out your closets…Pacific Gravity is having a FOOD and CLOTHING DRIVE at our Holiday Party!  We will have boxes for any donations you can bring to the party.
For food, please bring any canned or non-perishable foods which will be donated to the Westside Food Bank. For clothes & other items, please see the detailed list below which will be donated to OPCC. They are mostly in need of men’s clothing in large sizes. Clothing can be “gently used” and should be clean.
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
deodorant
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

BEER:
Last but certainly not least is beer, got beer?  We need all types of beer, meads, cider and sodas for this event.  Pull out your favorite holiday beverage, dust off the bottle or keg and bring it down!  We’ll have the Wave of Beer set up to help dispense your holiday homebrews.  If you plan to bring beer, soda or other seasonally festive beverage, please contact Carl at: Competitions@pacificgravity.com & let him know what you will bring. Note from Carl: “Some of you had listed “TBD”, so if you know what it is, please send me an update.”  Everyone who signs up in advance will have a colorful tap tag.

Highlighting the evening will be the crowning of the Pacific Gravity Club Member of the Year, and awarding of the trophy for Brewer of the Year.
Santa is sure to make an appearance to give away lots of great door prizes (prize donations welcome).
All club members and their guests are welcome, so plan on joining us…Celebrate the season, good beer, good food and friends the Pacific Gravity way!

COUNTDOWN to our PG HOLIDAY PARTY …. THIS SATURDAY (DEC 12th)!!!

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Please let us know what you can do to help.
We need FOOD, BEER, assorted EQUIPMENT, DONATIONS FOR FOOD & CLOTHING DRIVE, and VOLUNTEERS FOR setup and cleanup. See details below.

It is time for the Pacific Gravity and Culver City Homebrew Supply Shop annual holiday on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at Neil Saund’s party duplex.
The address is:  12966 Rubens Ave. Los Angeles, CA. (It is the house on the corner of Alla Rd. and Rubens Ave.)
The party will kick off about 5:00 P.M.  This is one party not to be missed!

FOOD:

Although the club will be providing much of the main dishes, this is still a potluck party and YOUR favorite party dish will sure be appreciated!  The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamande, prime rib ala BBQ, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more! Suggestions would include any kind of main dish but especially all side dishes, veggie dishes, salads, desserts and appetizers. So, if you have a favorite family holiday recipe and want to share it with the rest of us, this is your chance!

Please let us know what you can bring! Also, contact us if you have any questions about what to bring!
Contact Club Chef Ian at: masterchef@pacificgravity.com or Mimi at mbardet@verizon.net.

The dinner portion of the event is scheduled for 7:30 PM.  There will little or no oven space available for reheating food, so please bring it ready to serve, not ready to cook!  Also, don’t forget to label your containers or anything you want back.

EQUIPMENT:

We set up the decorations and tree this last Sunday and installed 2 firepits so we NEED FIREWOOD!  If you can bring wood please do so!  It is forecasted to be cold on Saturday evening!

We could use a few more tables.

We also need jockey boxes and CO2 cylinders to help make sure all the beverages flow cold with perfect carbonation. We have more kegs than taps on the Wave, and the jockey boxes help out big time. Rumor has it we may need a few Sanke taps, so if you have one bring it along.

If at all possible, please bring your kegs and heavy stuff around noon on Saturday and help us set up. This makes the last minute activities at party time go much more smoothly. The early kegs get the best slots on the Wave. Make sure all your kegs, coolers, tanks and taps are well labeled so they all return to their rightful owners Sunday morning.

For equipment, please contact us: PG Board at Board@PacificGravity.com or Mimi Bardet at mbardet@verizon.net and let us know what you can bring.

VOLUNTEERS needed for setup & cleanup
On Saturday, Dec 12th, starting at NOON, we need help with final setup at Neil’s duplex.

On Sunday, Dec 13th at 11 am, we need lots of people to help with clean up. The more we get the faster it goes.

If you’d like to volunteer for set up or clean up contact us: PG Board at Board@PacificGravity.com or Mimi Bardet at mbardet@verizon.net

FOOD & CLOTHING CHARITY DRIVE:
It’s time to clean out your closets…Pacific Gravity is having a FOOD and CLOTHING DRIVE at our Holiday Party!  We will have boxes for any donations you can bring to the party.
For food, please bring any canned or non-perishable foods which will be donated to the Westside Food Bank. For clothes & other items, please see the detailed list below which will be donated to OPCC. They are mostly in need of men’s clothing in large sizes. Clothing can be “gently used” and should be clean.

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
deodorant
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

BEER:
Last but certainly not least is beer, got beer?  We need all types of beer, meads, cider and sodas for this event.  Pull out your favorite holiday beverage, dust off the bottle or keg and bring it down!  We’ll have the Wave of Beer set up to help dispense your holiday homebrews.  If you plan to bring beer, soda or other seasonally festive beverage, please contact Carl at: Competitions@pacificgravity.com & let him know what you will bring. Note from Carl: “Some of you had listed “TBD”, so if you know what it is, please send me an update.”  Everyone who signs up in advance will have a colorful tap tag.
Highlighting the evening will be the crowning of the Pacific Gravity Club Member of the Year, and awarding of the trophy for Brewer of the Year.
Santa is sure to make an appearance to give away lots of great door prizes (prize donations welcome).

All club members and their guests are welcome, so plan on joining us…Celebrate the season, good beer, good food and friends the Pacific Gravity way!