Competition Corner – March, 2014

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As the Ides of March approach, it is time to check up on the homebrew competition schedule.    If you have entries for the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition, here are the submission instructions.

For the San Diego region ONLY, you may drop off your entries at the Culver City shop no later than Friday, March 14th. .  (Note new address:  4234 Sepulveda Blvd, next to Dominoes Pizza.)  Mike Patterson has volunteered to hand-carry them to San Diego.   For any other region, you will need to ship your entries.  The regional addresses can be found here: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/competitions/national-homebrew-competition/competition-information/.  All entries must arrive by March 17th, regardless of site.   Also, if anyone is interested in judging in San Diego, I’ll be driving down for the Friday and Saturday sessions on April 4th and 5th.

Results are now out for America’s Finest City homebrew competition, hosted by QUAFF.  Congratulations are in order for Mike Patterson  for Flanders Red (3rd place) Kingsley Toby and Brian Holter for their Sled Dog Imperial Stout (3rd place) and Carl Townsend for his Earthquakes are Common (2nd place).  Full results can be found  at http://www.quaff.org/AFC-2014/.

Looking into April, registration is now open for Mayfaire hosted by the Maltose Falcons.  Entries are eue April 10th at the Culver City Shop.  On-line registration is up and running at http://www.maltosefalcons.com/comps/2014Mayfaire.  Please sign up to judge and steward too; they will need our help.   Judging will take place on Saturday April 26, 2013 9:00 AM at St Martins in the Fields Church 7136 Winnetka Ave Winnetka CA, 91306 (click for map).

Also due in late April is the California State Fair.  We are looking for a road trip volunteer to deliver these entries, so if you are interested, please contact me at Competitions@PacificGravity.com.

Looking ahead we will be tallying wins in the same set of competitions as last year, though please note the AHA “club-only” series has been discontinued.   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/.

2014 Pacific Gravity Brewer of the Year Competition Schedule

March 14th:         AHA Nationals entries due at the Culver City shop for San Diego ONLY.
March 17th:         AHA Nationals entries due by shipping by all other sites.
April 10th:             Mayfaire entries due at the Culver City shop
April Date TBD   California State Fair
July                        Los Angeles County Fair
September         Pacific Brewers Cup
October               California State Homebrew Competition

Smog City Monster Brew – Last Minute Notes

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Here are a couple last minute reminders for the Monster Brew at Smog City Brewery tomorrow morning:

Parking:  Porter wants us to park behind the brewery on the West side.  The back door will be open. This will free up spaces in front of the brewery for the tap room crowd.

Payment:   Please check in with Ramesh our treasurer and get your ticket(s) for the wort pour.  If you haven’t already dropped off your payment, bring cash or check ($30 per batch) to the brewery.

Buckets: Please pre-sterilize your bucket.  If you need to buy a new bucket, Tim Bardet will have a couple for sale. NO GLASS and NO Narrow-neck bottles.  Corny kegs are OK.

The entire batch has been allocated, so we cannot take any more wort reservations.  You are welcome to come see the process even if you are not buying wort.

TIME & LOCATION

The event will be starting EARLY, at 7:30AM. 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 between 2-3 PM.  Smog City Brewing Company is at 1901 Del Amo Blvd., Ste B, Torrance, CA 90501

FOOD

Smog City will have coffee, bagels, pastries, etc. for breakfast.  In addition, Porter has arranged for Serendoggity Hot Dog cart to arrive at 11:00 AM.  They have amazing hot dogs and sausages at $4-6 for extreme yumminess.

 

PACIFIC GRAVITY CLUB MEETING | March 20th, 2014 | CULVER CITY BREW SUPPLY

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Hello PG Members!

Just like ‘ol times! This month’s Pacific Gravity Meeting will be held @ Culver City Brew Supply’s new location!

Join us and get updates on club business, events, and other beer-centric items.

COMMERCIAL TASTING:   This Style of the Month is STOUT! We have some good commercial samples in the mix and will be adding to then in the foillowing weeks! Bring your best homebrewed stout and share with fellow members!

THE RAFFLE IS BACK!  We have some new items that are a must have for any homebrewer! Get some tickets and good luck!

So come on down to Culver CIty Brew Supply, get some ingredients for the weekend, share your best hombrew, and join the experience.

MARCH 20th, 2014, 7:00pm-10pm.

Culver City Home Brewing Supply
4234 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
310-397-3453
CCHBS@yahoo.com

 

Smog City Monster Brew Update!

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Everyone-

Small update.  As of this morning we still have a number of spots open for the Monster Brew this Saturday.  If you haven’t signed up yet for your wort, please email competitions@pacificgravity.com to sign up so you can reserve your spot.  We opened up the monster brew to other homebrew clubs in the area this morning to make sure we go through all of the wort – so I am sure spots will fill up fast so get your reservations in asap!

The rest of the information pertaining to this event can be found by clicking on this link – CLICK!  You can also review Carl’s recipe specific post on what the recipe is going to be along with suggestions on how to modify your wort HERE.

Here is a copy of the recipe:

  • Kolsch Malt – 550lbs – (67%)
  • German Pilsner – 220lbs – (27%)
  • Wheat Malt – 55lbs – (7%)
  • Summit – 32oz – (FWH)
  • Tettnang – 50oz – (15 min)
  • Hallertau – 48oz – (Flame Out)
  • Target OG – 1.052
  • Target SRM – 4
  • Target IBU – 25

The recipe that we are brewing is really the perfect canvas for a monster brew – I really cant wait to see what everyone comes up with individually.

Just a reminder about fermenting vessels.  At the Congregation monster brew last year we had a difficult time filling all better bottle (or other plastic type carboy’s with small openings) carboys due to the small opening at the top.  We are dealing with a large volume of wort along with hoses that are larger than typical homebrewing hoses which adds to the difficulty.  To avoid problems like we experienced last time we are not allowing skinny neck containers – please only bring fermenters that have large openings like plastic buckets or cornelius kegs.  Absolultely NO GLASS is allowed.

There will be breakfast provided by Smog City and the Serendoggity Hot Dog cart will be there around 11am.

Thank you again to Smog City for hosting this event, its going to be an amazing event.  Get your reservations for wort in!

-Brian

How Do I Modify My Smog City Monster Brew?

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This Month’s Question:  How do I modify my wort from the Monster Brew at Smog City Brewing?SmogCityLogo

 

Answer:

I hope you are all planning to join us at Smog City Brewing Company’s First Annual Monster Brew, Saturday, March 8th, 2014, from 7:30 AM to 2 PM hosted by our very own Jon Porter.  See the main article about the logistics for the day. We’ll be brewing up a batch of Kölsch-based wort.  Where it goes from there is up to you!  We’re hoping to have as many variations on the theme as possible for upcoming events such as the Southern California Homebrew Fest, club meetings and summer party.  Read more →

Smog City Monster Brew March 8th

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On March 8, 2014 Smog City Brewing Company and its Brewmaster, SmogCityLogo PG’s Jon Porter, will be hosting their first Pacific Gravity Monster Brew.  Porter is bringing the tradition from Tustin Brewing where we have had several excellent monster brews in the past. Read more →

Join Strand Brewers at Stone’s AHA Rally in March!

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Hey Pacific Gravity!

Strand Brewers Club is making final arrangements for a bus trip to the AHA Rally at the Stone Brewery on Saturday, March 15th….and Pacific Gravity members have been invited to join!

Cost will be $35 for transportation to and from Stone Brewery in Escondido and some other stops as noted below.

Note—you have to be a member of the AHA to get in for free. If you are not a member, you can sign up before the Rally at Stone Brewing for $38 which gives you a year’s membership, subscription to Zymurgy magazine, and discounts at other events.

Or if you don’t want to join the AHA, you can ride along to the Lost Abbey Brewery which we’ll hit before the Rally, enjoy the fine bistro restaurant and tasting room at Stone on your own, and come with us to White Labs afterwards.

We need you to commit by Friday, March 7th. Just respond to this E-mail. Then, based on the honor system, you can bring a check made out to The Strand Brewers when you get on board on March 15th.

Here are the details.

There will be two pick-up spots:

9:00 AM–Redondo and Marine Park&Ride lot on the Green Line (2406 Marine Ave., Redondo Beach, 90278) 

https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=redondo+and+marine+park+%26+ride&fb=1&gl=us&hq=redondo+and+marine+park+%26+ride&cid=17426062215133048589&ei=Sib9UvicMtLBoASD1YF4&ved=0CDQQrwswAA

9:30 AM–Willow Station Park&Ride lot on the Blue Line  (2750 American Ave., Long Beach 90806)

https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=redondo+and+marine+park+%26+ride&fb=1&gl=us&hq=redondo+and+marine+park+%26+ride&cid=17426062215133048589&ei=Sib9UvicMtLBoASD1YF4&ved=0CDQQrwswAA

Each lot has plenty of free all day parking.

11:30–If we get to Escondido by 11:30, we’ll stop at the Lost Abby Brewery for an hour.

12:30–leave Lost Abbey to go down the street to Stone Brewing.

The Rally goes from 1 PM to 4 PM. Expect to taste some incredibly interesting home brewed and commercial beers.

On the AHA site:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/events/stone-brewing-world-bistro-gardens-2014/

On the Stone Brewery site:

http://www.stoneworldbistro.com/aharally/

4 PM—bus ride down to White Labs tasting room. If you haven’t been there, this is one of the most educational experiences for any brewer. They serve you a four glass flite of the same beer brewed with different yeasts, and the results are eye opening.

6PM—head back north, arriving at Willow Street around 7:30 PM and Redondo & Marine by 8 PM.

Please contact me ASAP ( vicepresident@pacificgravity.com )to reserve your seat. Don’t forget you have to be an AHA member to attend the Rally (but not to come on the trip) and you’ll need to bring a check for $35 made out to The Strand Brewers Club when you show up on March 15th.

There will be beer and refreshments on the bus.

 

Cheers,

 

Kingsley

 

February Meeting Recap and Upcoming Events

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First off I want to thank Ian Fraser again for hosting us on Saturday.  We had a great turnout and a ton of great beers on hand.  I also want to thank Carl for hosting the commercial beer tasting for us.

For those of you who were

 

  • March 2014 Meeting – The March club meeting will be on 3/20 @ Culver City Homebrew Supply.  Details to be posted within the next week.
  • March 2014 First Friday – March’s First Friday (3/7/2014) is going to be @ Irish Times @ 7pm.  Thank you to Ryan and the City Tavern crew for hooking us up for the night!
  • 2014 National Homebrewer’s Competition – The rules have changed this year so make sure you read up about how to get your beer entered into the comp.  Here is a good link to review for important dates (CLICK).  Carl will get more information out in an upcoming competition post.
  • 2014 Southern California Homebrewer’s Fest – There was a new law posted last October that has put the festival in jeopardy.  The AHA and CHA are working to fix this interpretation so that the fest will be allowed to secure a permit for the fest.  Stay tuned to this site for future updates which will go into greater detail and provide you with a template letter to send to your local representatives to try to fix this problem.
  • Culver City Homebrew Supply – The store is back open and is stocked with the supplies you need to get your next batch fermenting!  You can park in any of the spots in front of the store – “LA Pizza” does not exist.  You can also park on “Little Culver” just next to the Avis.  It is a frontage type road that has ample parking and is free.  Your membership in Pacific Gravity gives you a 5% discount at the store so make sure your membership is paid up and get that discount.
  • Pacific Brewers Cup 2014 – We are hosting this year’s competition and are looking for volunteers to help us organize the event.  If you are willing to volunteer your time email Carl @ competitions@pacificgravity.com.
  • Club Membership dues are coming up in March.
  • Lastly our first monster brew of the year is now officially scheduled for 3/08/2014 @ Smog City.  We will post more details as we get closer to the event.

All of the events with dates listed above have been added to the websites calendar.  Thanks again to everyone who made the trek down to Smog City on Thursday and I look forward to seeing you all at future events.

Brian

CLUB MEETING | SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22nd 2014

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Hello PG Members:

This months PG Club meeting will be held on Saturday, February 22nd @ longtime club member Ian Fraser’s house.

We will take advantage of California’s weather and have it in his back yard…meeting starting @ 2pm and going till 5pm.

We will also have some more news for you about the Monster Brew @ Smog City, upcoming competitions,  and events.

Style of the Month is English | Scottish ales and the commercial tasting will be run by Carl our competition coordiantor. He has hand picked exapmles of the styles and will overview what goes into a good english and scottish ale!

Also, the PG raffle is back! We have some new items that you wont want to miss out on.

So bring your homebrew and join us for good beer, good eats, and good times.

Cheers,

Kingsley

FIRST FRIDAY!! | March 7th, 2014 | IRISH TIMES

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Hello PG Members!

Top of the mornin’ to ya! Keeping with Pacific Gravity tradition, March’s Frist Friday will be held @ IRISH TIMES in Palms.

Join us on March 7, 2014 @ 6:30pm. Share a dirty limrick, share a pint, grab some grub, and get warmed up for St. Pat’s day. Happy hour runs till 7pm and there will be LIVE music starting @ 9pm.

Also, If you made February’s First Friday you’ll have another chance to redeem yoursleves. I’m bringing back the “Guess the ______” game. Where correct answers could get you a pint on me!

Capture

IRISH TIMES
3267 Motor Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Corner of Motor Ave/National Blvd
www.theirishtimesla.com

CHEERS!

Kingsley