Servus Pacific Gravity! |
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For October we will be moving back to a Friday evening event to be held at Upshift Brewing in El Segundo
Upshift Brewing Company
339 Indiana St,
El Segundo, CA 90245
Chili Cookoff – October 14th, 2023 – Club Meeting
Our October Club meetings will also be our annual Chili Cookoff event and it will be held October 14th at Terry Molloys. Final details to follow.
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Greetings Pacific Gravity!
Our meeting this month will take place this Thursday, May 18th, 2023 at Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302.
We will get started about 7:30 PM.
May Monthly Meeting; Thursday 5/18/2023 at 7:30 PM
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W. Hyde Park Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90302
(424) 227-9963
Style of the Month is Specialty Beer:
Brian and Parker will be hosting this month and will be providing a handful of beers from their Bruery Collection. Please feel free to dust off those big beers, strange brews and finally crack those open to share. As always, please ensure that you have a safe ride home, especially with this tasting in mind, High ABV beers await you. All styles are welcome of course but May we will be exploring Specialty beers.
Smog City Monster Brew June 3rd, 2023
Do not forget the Smog City Monster Brew is just about 2 weeks away.
IMPORTANT NOTE: WE HAVE UNTIL MAY 29TH TO GET ENOUGH BATCHES RESERVED. IF WE DON’T RESERVE ENOUGH BATCHES WE MAY HAVE TO CANCEL…AGAIN
PLEASE SIGN UP NOW.
Porter has said we should not restrict to 2 batches per person, so feel free to go nuts. Note – due to a paypal quirk, you will need to sign up multiple times if you want multiple batches.
Don’t miss out – reserve you batch (or batches) now!!
(Details below)
Dues are DUE!!
The end of this month is your last chance to pay due without penalty, so if you have not had a chance yet, please take care of it.
(Details below)
It is gratifying that we have resumed gathering in person, but as always, we encourage and expect everyone will be vigilant about their own health to ensure the groups safety! Please observe all safety precautions and stay home if you do not feel well.
We hope to see you all at our meeting!
Smog City Monster Brew June 3rd
We are just over 2 weeks away from our 8th Monster Brew at Smog City Brewing Company with our gracious host, Brewmaster Porter (and lucky 13th if you count the ones he hosted previously at Tustin!). These events are always an unreasonably huge amount of fun, so please come join us!
Date: Saturday June 3rd, 2023
Time: ~7am Mash-In;
~12pm Fermenter filling
Location:
Smog City Brewing
1901 Del Amo Blvd
Torrance CA 90501
310-320-7664
If you have never participated in one of these Monster Brews, here is how it works:
Order wort ahead of time.
Purchase yeast and any ingredients desired for modification to the wort – I suggest supporting local South Bay Brewing Supply (call ahead to verify stock)
Arrive at the Monster Brew with a clean plastic or metal fermenter (NO GLASS!) which we will fill with UNFERMENTED wort.
Take it home and modify as desired and pitch your yeast
Ferment until ready for bottling or kegging
For this year’s batch, Porter will be using a base wort based on the ever popular Little Bo Pils that will allow for maximum creativity. Consider this your blank slate. 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. To see the full recipe and for modification ideas, see Carl’s extensive “How Do I Modify My Monster Brew?”
COST and RESERVATIONS
We need a headcount BEFORE the brew session, so we can plan the batch size. You must make a reservation if you want wort. The cost will be $30 for each 5 gallons of wort. You can now order as many batches as you like (though due to a quirk paypal, you will need to sign up for each batch separately). If possible, please pay in advance. If you want wort but cannot attend the event, you may designate a buddy who can attend to collect your wort. (We do not have a delivery service.)
SIGN-UP
You can sign up one of two ways:
Pay now with Paypal. If you do this your reservation is good to go. [“Smog City Monster Brew 2023 Paypal”]
Drop a line to [email protected] saying how many batches you want. Payment will be due on brew day. We will accept payment at the Monster Brew: cash or check and will be accepted – NO CREDIT CARDS (though of course you will still be able to pay via the paypal link/QR code with credit card).
FERMENTERS
Bring a pre-sanitized PLASTIC or STAINLESS STEEL fermenters for each 5-gallon batch you purchase. Absolutely NO GLASS fermenters will be allowed in the brewery due to the risk of breakage. You may bring small glass vessels with yeast or other additions, however. Fermenters must have a wide opening for the filling nozzle. Plastic buckets are ideal, but Cornelius kegs are acceptable. Again, please do not bring any skinny-neck containers – we may not be able to fill it.
If there is wort left over at the end, we will hold a lottery to determine who may purchase an additional 5 gallon allotment. Bring an extra fermenter if you are interested.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Yeast and any additional ingredients you wish to add to your wort are not included. You can bring your yeast to the brewery, or pitch it at home. We recommend getting your supplies in advance. I suggest purchasing at South Bay Brewing Supply, which is also happens to be near the brewery if you need last-minute supplies on brew day, but of course supplies may be limited, so it’s better to plan ahead!
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
We will have coffee and some light breakfast snacks in the morning. Later on, the food trucks will be setting up in the parking lot. In addition, Porter will be supplying tasting samples of some of his fine brews mid-morning. Cut off time for free pours will be shortly before the tap room opens for business.
REMEMBER TO TIP YOUR BEERTENDER!!!
It’s Time to Do the Dues!
It’s May and that means after our meeting Late Fees kick in for dues. All club members need to pay their dues to keep their membership active until March 2024. Annual dues are $42 for individuals or $63 for couples and are prorated for members who joined the club within the last year.
Keep in mind that your dues are the primary way we fund such club activities as club parties, monthly meetings, club brews and much more. Your paid membership also ensures that you’ll continue to receive the many club benefits available, access to various brewing activities, discounts and information.
There are several ways you can renew your annual dues. Club Treasurer, Craig Corley will be collecting dues at the upcoming May club meeting and other upcoming club events. You can go old school and send Pacific Gravity a check to PO Box 2451, Culver City CA 90231. And for the ultimate in convenience, you can renew your dues online via the PayPal links below:
Individual Membership – Full 1-year Renewal
Couples Membership – Full 1-year Renewal
Prorated Membership – Partial year Renewal
Along with your dues renewal, we need all members to complete a Membership Application/Liability Waiver and in the case of couples memberships, we need this for both members. You can fill out and submit your Membership Application/Liability Waiver at the following link: https://forms.gle/f2xCjNBAp5qoJjFK8
All current club members should have gotten a renewal notice via email detailing their dues renewal amount and member information on file. This is a good opportunity to update our membership records, so please let Craig know of any changes to your member information (address, email, phone, etc) or include changes with your check/renewal form.
For any individual members who might be interested, the couples membership provides full membership status/benefits to both partners of a couple including membership cards, emails, etc. Note that the couples membership is optional, couples can continue with one partner being an individual member and the other being their guest. It’s an additional $21 to upgrade your individual membership to a couples membership and you’ll need to include your partner’s name and email along with your payment.
Have questions about your dues or how much you owe? Check with Craig at the upcoming club meeting or by email at [email protected].
Upcoming Styles of the Month
May – Specialty Beers
June – Pale Beers
July – Summer Party
August – Wheat Beers
September – Festbiers and Amber lagers
October – IPAs
November – Amber and Brown Beers
December – Holiday Party
Upcoming Events
May 29: Signup Deadline Smog city Monster Brew
June 3:: Monster Brew at Smog City! 7am to 1pm
June 15: Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Company Styles includes any Pale Beers
June 22th – 24th: AHA in San Diego
July 29th – Pacific Gravity Summer Party 2023 – Get Brewing!
Greetings Pacific Gravity!
Our meeting this month will take place on April 20th, 2023 at Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302.
We will get started about 7:30 PM.
March Monthly Meeting; Thursday 4/20/2023 at 7:30 PM
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W. Hyde Park Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90302
(424) 227-9963
Ziggy, Zaggy, Ziggy, Zaggy, Oi, Oi, Oi
Ok, well it’s not exactly Oktoberfest, but April’s style-of-the-month is German Beer! Please bring your German Reinheitsgebot objects of liquid art, or modernized riffs on the classics. Of course, as always, all styles are welcome, so just bring any homebrew you would like to share!
Also, this meeting will be the awards ceremony for our legendary Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge competition. Many thanks to (in no particular order – well, except for Carl, because, come on…) Carl, Eric, Tim, Ian, Craig, Joe, Torrie, Terry, Luis and Parker for making it all happen!
We will also be discussing the monster brew and the so-cal homebrew fest.
Smog City Monster Brew April 29
Do not forget the Smog City Monster Brew is just over a week away!
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF WE DON’T RESERVE ENOUGH BATCHES, WE MAY HAVE TO CANCEL. PLEASE SIGN UP NOW
Porter has said we should not restrict to 2 batches per person, so feel free to go nuts. Note – due to a paypal quirk, you will need to sign up multiple times if you want multiple batches.
Don’t miss out – reserve you batch (or batches) now!!
See full details here
Dues are DUE!!
The end of this month is your last chance to pay due without penalty, so if you have not had a chance yet, please take care of it.
Renew you dues here
Southern California Homebrew Festival May 5-6
Also, do not forget the Southern California Homebrew festival is just over 2 weeks away!
We will have a sign-up sheet for kegs if you plan to serve them at the fest. Or you can also send Carl an email at [email protected]
(Details below)
It is gratifying that we have resumed gathering in person, but as always, we encourage and expect everyone will be vigilant about their own health to ensure the groups safety! Please observe all safety precautions and stay home if you do not feel well.
We hope to see you all at our meeting!
Parker Waechter, Vice President
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Greetings Pacific Gravity!
Our First Friday this month on April 7th, 2023 will be at O’Brien’s Irish Pub located at 2226 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica CA 90403
We will get started about 7:00 PM.April First Friday: Friday 4/7/2023 at 7:00 PMO’Brien’s Irish Pub
2226 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90403
310-829-5303Greetings PG!
April’s First Friday is upon us and, as opposed to the last bunch, we are actually holding it on a Friday!
Come join the fun at O’Brien’s! They have a section of the bar set aside for us near the front door for 10-15 people, and they plan on tapping a keg of pFriem IPA for us (from Hood River, Oregon).Please don’t forget the Smog City Monster Brew and Southern California Home Brewers Festival (details below).
It still bears repeating that though the plague of Covid has definitely slowed down, we encourage and expect everyone will be vigilant about their own health to ensure the groups safety! Please observe all safety precautions and stay home if you do not feel well.
We hope to see you all there!
Parker Waechter, Vice President
Don’t forget the Monster brew at Smog City Saturday, April 29, 2023 7am – 1pm is just a few short weeks away!
It is a morning of behind-the-scenes brew-geekery at Smog City with Porter and one of his brewers, then taking home 5 gallons of wort to modify and ferment yourself which is not to be missed. Here are some suggestions on how one might modify one’s monster brew.
This is one of the premier club events of the year!
$30 for 5 gallons of wort, limit 2 batches.
Reserve your batch(es) at https://py.pl/2HGRfr :
It is a very accessible way for a new brewer to experience the process – Bring your own pre-sanitized plastic or metal fermenter (absolutely no glass!) with a wide opening which will be filled with unfermented wort when it is ready. Take it home and modify as much or as little as desired, pitch yeast and wait for it to be beer!
Please note that this event will be doubling as an early “First Saturday” for May, since the First Friday/Saturday in May will be the Southern California Homebrewers Festival.
The Southern California Homebrewer Festival will be here before you know it, so reserve your spot today! We still have some tent camping slots available at Camp-PG for $35 per camper for the weekend. Sign up now by contacting Terry Molloy at [email protected].
DON’T FORGET to buy your admission into the festival itself. The longer you wait, the more it costs. You must do this ahead of time – admission can NOT be purchased at the gate.
FAQs:
FAQ #1: If I pay $35 to stay at Camp-PG, am I automatically admitted into the Fest?
Answer: No!! The Camp-PG only reserves a place for you to camp with your fellow PG members over the weekend. This does not cover festival admission, food or any other expenses.
FAQ #2; How can I purchase admission to the Southern CA Homebrewers Festival?
Answer: EACH attendee must follow these simple steps:
1) Go to the California Homebrewers Association website www.calhomebrewers.org
2) If you are already a registered member of the CHA and have a password, sign in, skip to #3.
a. To Register, select “Register” on the Menu line.
b. Fill in the form on the right hand side of the page.
c. Select the “Register” button
d. Note: each attendee must sign up using a unique email address.
3) Select SHOP from the Menu
a. Select Membership / SCHF from the Drop-down menu
b. Add the $10 Membership fee to your cart.
c. Check out using the PayPal site.
4) After you are redirected to the main page, Select SHOP (again)
a. Select Membership / SCHF from the Drop-down menu (again)
b. Add Southern California Homebrewers Festival Admission to your cart ($50 through 1/31, increases $5 every month)
c. Check out using the PayPal site.
5) Check your email to confirm CHA Membership and Fest Admission.
6) Log off CHA website
7) Prepare for a fantastic weekend of sampling brews from over 35 Homebrewers Clubs from around Southern/Central California and Nevada.
FAQ #3: Will there be food available?
1) Rumor has it that Chef Ian is pondering a menu that will be available for an extra fee.
2) Food trucks will be at the Festival on Saturday, you are on your own Friday and Sunday (pending Ian’s final menu).
3) You can set up your own camp-kitchen and cook your own meals.
FAQ #4: Can I bring kegs to serve at the fest?
Yes!! but please e-mail Carl at [email protected] with the Name, Style and ABV% for each keg. We need to plan out the tap space. In addition, you will get a festive tap tag for each keg.
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Greetings Pacific Gravity!
Our meeting this month will take place on February 16th, 2023 at Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302.
We will get started about 7:30 PM.
February Monthly Meeting; Thursday 2/16/2023 at 7:30 PM
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W. Hyde Park Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90302
(424) 227-9963
Oi! English Beers!
Join us for the January club meeting to kick the year off right. We will discuss upcoming events, fundraisers, brewing competitions and more!
Please bring your homebrews for everyone to enjoy.
The style of the month for February is English Beers, though all styles are welcome.
TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF SWAG!
We should have some Pacific Gravity branded items available for sale:
It is gratifying that we have resumed gathering in person, but as always, we encourage and expect everyone will be vigilant about their own health to ensure the groups safety! Please observe all safety precautions and stay home if you do not feel well.
We hope to see you all at our meeting!
Pacific Gravity Polo Shirts
The shirts are in! For all those who ordered Pacific Gravity polo shirts and have not picked them up, they will be available for pick up at the February meeting at Tortugo.
Competition Corner February 2023
Competition season is upon us, giving us several opportunities on top of each other.
First up, if you requested entries to the AHA National Homebrew Competition, you have up until February 12 to finalize your entry list. The physical entries will be due later in March. You can update your entries at https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/
The entry window for America’s Finest City Competition is now open. Entries are due by February 17th at Alesmith Brewery in San Diego. Alas, we do not have a driver this year, so you are on your own to ship them. Online registration is at https://quaff.org/AFC-2023/
Next up is our very own Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge. This competition focuses on the Belgian styles as defined in the 2015 BJCP guidelines. Here are the key dates:
Entry registration is open now until March 10th at http://comp.belgianbrewchallenge.com/.
Entry drop-off runs from February 25th through March 10th. Entries can be dropped off at Tortugo Brewing Company or the local homebrew shops.
Bottle Organizing will be held at Tortugo on Saturday, March 11th. Volunteers needed!
Sign-up for judging and stewards is open until March 22nd.
Main judging will be at Tortugo on March 25th. as a Pro-Am entry in the Great American Beer Festival.
All of the above are part of the 2023 Pacific Gravity Brewer of the Year Award.
Carl Townsend
Competition Coordinator
Upcoming Styles of the Month
February – English Beers
March – Belgian Beers
April – German Beers
May – Specialty Beers
June – Pale Beers
July – Summer Party
August – Wheat Beers
September – Festbiers and Amber lagers
October – IPAs
November – Amber and Brown Beers
December – Holiday Party
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Upcoming Styles of the Month
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Upcoming Events
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Hope your summer is going well! 
We have one more chance to party before fall sets in. Please join us Thursday August 18th at Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302. We will get started about 7:30 PM. We will have a recap of the Summer Party (thanks Dean!), as well as announcements of upcoming events such as club elections, upcoming First Friday or Second Saturdays, and important news about upcoming homebrew competitions such as Pacific Brewers Cup and the California State Homebrew Competition.
Our President Ian will be be pouring commercial samples of our styles of the month Wheat and Witbier. And, of course, if you bring your homebrews to share, we will have a full slate of enjoyment.
We have no organized food plan this month, so please plan on dropping a few buck on Torgugo’s grill, or eat before the meeting.
Hope to see you there!
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 18: Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90302
September 2: First Friday at Tortugo
September 15: Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Co.
September 3 – 25: Entry Drop-off Window for Pacific Brewers Cup
October 8, 15: (Maybe other dates too) Judging at Project Barley Brewery & Pizzeria
STYLES OF THE MONTH
