Weekly Update: Club Meeting Recap

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For those of you that were unable to attend last week’s club meeting – for shame.  You missed out on some fun stuff:

Bite At the Beach

  • Spots are still available.  You still have a few weeks to brew a beer for this and participate in the event.  Shoot us an email at board [at] pacificgravity.com to signup.  If your name isnt on the list at the bottom of this post we did not receive your email (or i screwed up and forgot to notate it on my list).  Just send me a reminder and shame me for poor organization.

Firestone Walker Brew 

  • The brew day has officially been set – we are going to head up to Paso Robles and brew up a batch of beer on 10/31/2015.  The brew will be at 8:00am at the Paso Brewery and will be followed by the 19th Anniversary party that evening.
  • If you signed up at the club meeting for events – thank you.  I am using that list as a tentative head count to provide FW with an idea of how many people will be attending.  If you were not in attendance that does NOT mean that you are missing out.  It just means that my head count is missing you.  Shoot me an email  at president [at] pacificgravity.com to let me know if you will be able to attend the brew and the 19th anniversary party and if you will need a hotel room for Friday and Saturday night.
  • We are NOT chartering a bus for this trip.  Many of you have expressed interest in making the trip a full weekender and I know some of you cannot make it for more than the brew itself.  You will be responsible for getting yourself to Paso for the brew.
  • The club WILL be locking down a block of rooms in Paso at one or two hotels.
  • Most importantly – the beer.  The team at Firestone Walker has asked our club to brainstorm what our ultimate brew would be and present the ideas to their team.  After announcements this past week a few of you approached me with some ideas for the beer which are included here:
    • Come up with a list of historically important beers brewed by Pacific Gravity club members.  The idea was to build off of a recipe from one of our homebrewers that we all look forward to drinking at club meetings.  Like Carl’s harvest ale, Rives’ sour quad, Craig Corley’s Belgian (fill in the blank), etc.
    • A Belgian styled beer because FW doesnt have a huge history of brewing belgian beers and it would tie in with our Belgian Brew Challenge.
    • Anything barrel aged.  FW makes some of the best barrel aged beers – it would be cool to be a part of one.
    • Hold an in house homebrew competition (using one style) and having judges choose the best beer.

LABBC

  • We wrapped up our first LABBC.  There were a total of 95 entries into the competition and the results were absolutely DOMINATED by Pacific Gravity homebrewers.  Thank you to everyone who submitted beers and helped PG have a good showing in our inaugural comp.
  • Kingsley and I won BOS – thanks to everyone who offered their congrats.
  • Scoresheets have been emailed out to all participants.  If you entered a beer and have not received an email from us email labbc [at] pacificgravity.com and we will send you a link with your entry numbers.
  • Ribbons will go out sometime soon to those of you who were not in attendance.
  • T-Shirts – We will order T-Shirts next week and should have them ready for April’s club meeting.  We had a sign up sheet at the judging day and at the club meeting.  Volunteers (staff, stewards and Judges) receive free shirts.  If you signed up for a shirt at the club meeting the price per shirt will be somewhere between $15-$20.  We will have our pay pal setup at the next club meeting for you to pay for your shirts.

April First Firday

  • Reminder that next month’s first friday is at the Doughroom in Culver City/Palms and is a bottle share.  Bring out some special beers and lets pack that place out.

Membership Renewals

  • Membership dues are due now.  Just a friendly FYI.

 

LABBC Results Posted!

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Check out the LABBC website HERE to see the results!  Congrats to all the winners and thanks to everyone who submitted beers, volunteered and helped organize.

Weekly Reminders!

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March Club Meeting & LABBC

Reminder that this month’s club meeting is this Thursday at Culver City Homebrew Supply.  We will be announcing the winners from our first Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge which took place over the weekend.  Ribbons will be on hand for those of you who took home some prizes!  We will have signup sheets on hand for LABBC shirts if you are interested in picking one up!

SCHF

Start brewing up beers for the So Cal Homebrewers Fest.  The festival is a little over a month away and we want to have a good showing of kegs on hand.

Bite At the Beach

Just a reminder that signups are open for Bite at the Beach 2015!  We still have around half of the spots open, but they are going quickly!  Send an email to board@pacificgravity.com to signup.

CLICK HERE

AHA National Homebrewers Conference

Just around the corner from SCHF & Bite At the Beach is the AHA conference in SD.  Get your beers ready!

-Brian

Get Excited About Monkish and LABBC!

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Pacific Gravity is thrilled to be just 1 day out from our inaugural Los Angeles Belgian Beer Challenge, that means in just 1 week, winners will be announced! This is super exciting because, as a ProAm competition, the Best of Show winner will have their beer brewed by our friends over at Monkish Brewing Company. DSC00873Monkish happens to be the best Los Angeles Belgian brewery around and if you haven’t visited the taproom, you need to make a trip!

Located at 20311 S. Western Ave., Torrance, CA 90501, the tasting room offers a wide variety of their Belgian brews on tap, as well as growlers and bottles to take home. As you sit in the brewery on bags of malt – sipping on delicious beers, nibbling on peanuts and pretzels, dreaming of what they have aging in the stacks of barrels, mingling with fellow beer lovers – you feel like you could stay for hours! And you should, because you need to try a little bit of everything – from spiced tripels to brett saisons, Belgian dubbels to hoppy DSC00907Belgian pales, brown farmhouse to strong dark ale, the list goes on!

The newest venture for the Monkish team was put in motion last summer with the arrival of their 5 foudres, which they will use on their journey into wild and sour beers. In addition to creating much anticipation for the results of these 1400 gallon experiments, the foudres have an aesthetic quality that stands out beautifully amongst the typical stainless steel fermenters.

Not only is the beer incredible and the environment inviting, the people are warm and welcoming. So get in there, say hi to brewmaster and owner, Henry and his team who are always more than happy to share their beers and show you around!

Brew Beer!!!!!

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I hope this post’s title grabbed your attention.  There are a LOT of events coming up over the next 2-3 months that will be made even cooler if everyone gets after it and starts brewing up some beer.

SoCal Homebrewers Fest

The SCHF is right around the corner at the beginning of May.  This is a great opportunity to show the homebrewing community how amazing our club’s brewers really are.  The club will have our draft system setup but we need you to bring beer to the festival.

Bite at the Beach

Two weeks after SCHF is Bite At the Beach where we have been invited along with Strand Brewers to donate our homebrew and serve it at a beer festival.  Last year we showed up with 10 kegs of beer and our setup with the CDS was the toast of the event (in my opinion).  Terry and Rives were up on stage talking about the great homebrewing hobby and community while the rest of us were sharing our meads, beers and ciders with the masses.  So the way I see it, if you are brewing for SCHF why not make it a 10 gallon batch and allocate one keg to SCHF and one to Bite at the Beach.  I just posted about this tonight – sign ups are open for one of 21 slots available on the draft system – but we can bring jockey boxes if we end up getting more than 21 participants.

National Homebrew Conference

Right around the corner from Bite at the Beach is the National Homebrewers Conference which is taking place in San Diego.  We have placed the club’s name down on a list to have space to pour beer.  Let’s show off what we can do for the homebrewers around the country who are making the trek out to the west coast.  If we do not get enough participation for this event we will probably let this space go.  Carl will have sign up sheets for next week’s Club Meeting at CCHBS for beers @ SCHF and the AHA conference.

I hope to see some of you at our first annual Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge this weekend.  We are going to announce the winners @ next week’s club meeting so make sure you show up and cheer for your fellow PG member’s who take home ribbons.

Cheers everyone.

Bite at the Beach – Save the Date & IPA Recipe

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Everyone-

Its time for Bite at the Beach 2015!  Last year we had the opportunity to take advantage of a shift in alcohol law that allowed homebrewers to donate their beer to non-profit events/orgs and have our beer on tap at a small craft beer festival.  You can read all about last year’s event HERE.We have been asked to do this again by the MBCC.  Just like last year, donating a keg (5 gallons) of homebrewed beer/cider or 2.5 gallons of mead or cider to the festival grants you access to attend as well (1 person per).  Last year was a lot of fun – a very unique opportunity to share our beers with the public.  Lets do it again!

Here is the flyer for this year’s event:

We’re happy to announce that this year we will be partnering, once again, with Strand Brewing Club to brew beer for a good cause! We’ll be pouring with Strand at Bite at the Beach on May 16th and we need your homebrews!

There are 21 total spots available between the two clubs, a minimum of 6 which come with a special mission. Together we are going to feature a minimum of 6 IPAs all with a specific aroma/flavor hop. Here is a base recipe and the hop options:
5 Gallon Recipe – 6 Way IPA 
Malt:
   10lbs 2row
   1lb Carafoam
   1lb Crystal (20L)
Boil: 60 minutes
   @ 60 minutes – 1oz Magnum approx 15% AA / 45-50 IBU’s
   @ 10 minutes – 1oz designated aroma/flavor hop
   @ 0 minutes – 3oz designated aroma/flavor hop
   Dry hop – 3oz designated aroma/flavor hop
Yeast:
   WLP001 California Ale Yeast (1000ml starter OR 2 vials)
Fermentation:
   Primary @ 68F for 10 days
   Transfer to secondary and dry hop @ 70F for 5 days
OG:
1.062 @ 72% efficiency
Here is  the sign up list for Bite At the Beach 2015
Sign Up List for Bite At The Beach 2015
Tap #BrewerBeer
01Rives BorlandIPA Challenge – Nelson Sauvin
02Adam WardIPA Challenge – Amarillo
03Brian HolterIPA Challenge – Pacifica
04Ryan PenrodIPA Challenge – Citra
05Lloyd JohnsonIPA Challenge – Simcoe
06Anthony BrownstoneIPA Challenge – Centennial
07Kingsley TobyIPA Challenge – Sorachi Ace
08
09
10
11
12Katie CollierKeg – German Hef
13Tania GamezKeg – Hard Apple Cider
14Kevin CollierIPA Challenge – Cascade
15Chris RemenspergerKeg (Beer TBD)
16Chris RemenspergerKeg (Beer TBD)
17Ryan PenrodKeg (Beer TBD)
18Terry MalloyLil’ Bo Steam
19Michael MusgraveKeg (Beer TBD)
20Rives BorlandKeg (Beer TBD)
21Jesse TiceKeg (Beer TBD)
Non-TapJesse TiceMeads (Bottles)
Non-TapJay AnkeneyMead/Melomel (Bottles)
(We will mark the hops that have been spoken for on this website as people signup.  You can choose a different hop for your aroma/flavor hop than hops that are listed here if you prefer)
We don’t want to have duplicate hops on display, so as people sign up for their hop of choice we will mark that spot down as reserved.  If you are interested in participating – IPA challenge or not – please reach out to board@pacificgravity.com to sign up for a particular brew (hop specific) or tap position.  Entry is granted per 5 gallons of homebrew/cider or 2.5 gallons of mead.
Of course we want you to bring all your beers/meads/ciders, but who doesn’t love a good IPA at the beach, so give it a shot!

Stone AHA Rally: Strand Brewers Bus Trip

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Everyone-

Here is a message from the Strand Brewers regarding their Bus Trip to Stone later this month.  If you are interested RSVO to the rally at the link below and email roadtrips@pacificgravity.com:

 

Hi folks!
It’s that time of year again! Every year around March, Stone hosts a rally with the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), and the Strand Brewers organize a bus trip to join in the festivities!

The rally is Saturday, March 28, 11am to 2pm, at Stone Liberty Station (NOT the main Stone Brewery). Note this is earlier than last year! That means our bus will need to leave Los Angeles around 8am to make sure we get there on time! (Departure time has not yet been finalized).

We typically invite all the Los Angeles Homebrew Clubs to join us, but Strand members get first dibs. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in attending.

Participants must be members of the AHA, but you can join (or renew) for a discounted price at the door! If you go this route, we’ve been asked to fill out the forms in advance to make the process speedier. The link to the form was broken, but the FAQ page below has some more details.

Attendees are asked to RSVP. This is just to give Stone a rough head count. We found out last year that an RSVP is not a guarantee of entry! The link to RSVP is below. Please do this!

The rally includes an informal homebrew competition, and we are the judges! Vote for your favorite beer, and the winner gets to brew with Mitch Steele, head brewer for Stone! (psst…I’m one of the contestants!)

Afterwards we will stop by a few San Diego breweries. By popular demand, we will stop for dinner somewhere before heading back! I am open to suggestions for places to visit, both breweries and restaurants, so let me know!

Cost: The bus itself will be something like $40 per person. That includes snacks and water. And yes, homebrew will most likely be allowed on the bus (still have to confirm this). Price has not yet been finalized. The rally is free, but again AHA members only! Regular membership is $43, but I don’t know what the discounted price is (the link on the FAQ page is broken).

SUMMARY:
– Let me know if you want to come ASAP (I need a headcount to reserve a bus)
– RSVP to the rally
– Send me suggestions on breweries or restaurants.

FAQ page:
This page links to the new member form, but the link seems to be broken.
http://strandbrewersclub.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1513591bf69a764269311e2e&id=296e27e086&e=7f3fcf858d

Link for RSVP:
http://strandbrewersclub.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1513591bf69a764269311e2e&id=ab11423163&e=7f3fcf858d

Entry Deadlines – 2 Competitions

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There are two important competition entry deadlines coming right up:

1)  Deadline for the First Annual Belgian Beer Challenge is Sunday, March 1st at 4:00 PM.  Registration is on-line at http://belgianbrewchallenge.com/ . Drop your entries off at the Culver City Homebrew Supply shop before the close of business.

2)  if you have entries for the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition, please note the following deadlines:

For entries in the San Diego region only:  You may drop off entries at the Culver City shop no later than 7:00 PM Thursday, March 5th.

For all other regions:  You must ship your beers via UPS so they arrive no later than March 11th.  (If you miss the Thursday deadline for San Diego, you can ship them so they arrive by the 11th.)

If anybody wants to make the road trip to San Diego for beer drop-off, please drop me a line at Competitions@PacificGravity.com no later than Thursday.  The club will reimburse you for up to $50 for gas.  Bottles need to be delivered to Ballast Point Brewing, 5401 Linda Vista Road, Suite 406, San Diego, CA  92110.

Thanks
Carl Townsend

NHC Attendance Registration – Ends Tomorrow!

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see below for information to register to attend the national homebrewers conference!

National Homebrewers Conference

Join us in San Diego for the 2015 AHA National Homebrewers Conference!
Join Us in San Diego! Apply to Register for the AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Sign Up Before 10 PM MST Tomorrow
Now’s the time, beer lovers! American Homebrewers Association members can apply to register for the 2015 AHA National Homebrewers Conference, June 11-13, San Diego.Registration application closes tomorrow, so don’t wait any longer:

Apply to register now.

With over 80 speakers and nearly 60 seminars to choose from, this year’s conference promises to be a brewing-education bonanza. And with 17 hours of Homebrew Expo over the course of three days, you’d better bring your shopping list. Last but certainly not least, there’s Club Night—the biggest homebrew party of the year!

Join us in San Diego!

Here is the information you’ll need for your registration application (a valid 9-digit AHA member number for each registrant and guest is required (e.g. one number for yourself, a separate unique number for your guest).

P.S. Already registered? Thanks! Stay tuned for more details.
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Tomorow – 20th Anniversary Club Meeting

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Everyone-

Tomorrow is the big day!  Many of us will be at Tomm & Danise’s place tonight to setup – if you can make it we would love to see  you.  The more people we get to help us setup and cleanup the day after the better.

I just want to remind everyone that just like our other meetings we should all be extremely appreciative that Tomm and Danise have opened up their home for us to celebrate 20 years of an awesome homebrew club.  With that, I want to remind you all  to be respectful of their house while you are there.  We have rented a porta potty outside which is reserved for men/boys.  Women/Girls may use the indoor restroom.  Other than that we ask that you please keep the party outside where there will be plenty of beer and food!

I strongly suggest you secure some type of ride to and from the event so that you do not get behind the wheel after you have had too many beers.  A taxi far, uber fare or favor is far less costly than what can happen if you drive when you shouldnt.

That said – I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow and hope you all have a blast (and bring your beer!!)

Brian