PG Summer Party Saturday 8/31!!

Aloha!

Chef Malahini Ian here to tell you all about our big time luau plans!

This year our theme is a Hawaiian style luau and we plan to take it to the max bruddah!

The party will be happening on August 31, 2024 at Dean Sussman’s little grass shack in the Pacific Palisades.  The address is 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades CA.

The party will start around 2 PM and continue on until late evening.  The party is free for all Pacific Gravity members and their first guest; additional guests may attend for a small fee of $10.  Kids are still free.

Deans house has a large yard and a pool so all attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and swim trunks (and towel) if they plan on going for a swim.

The food will be as traditional style luau food as your haole chef can make it using mainland cooking techniques.  For some strange reason Dean did not want us to dig a traditional imu (luau oven) in his beautiful lawn.  Can’t really blame him for that one.

So I will be making Kalua pig, teriyaki beef, huli huli chicken, lomi lomi salmon and other traditional style foods.  Because our parties are pot luck style also, you are encouraged to bring your favorite party dish, Hawaiian style or not, and we will add it to the feast.  We will have a pupu table (appetizers) and dessert table afterwards if you want to bring something in those categories.

In keeping with our theme our beverage competition this year will be tropical fruits, any beverage be it soda, beer, juice or alcoholic drink that features tropical fruit will be considered for this year’s prize.  All beer, soda and other beverages are member made, so you still have time to plan yours and bring it to the party!  If you plan to bring a keg, please email Carl at competitions@pacificgravity.com  with the name of your beer/soda so you can get a festive tap tag.

As always this event is run by the volunteers, you help is needed!  Set up will be on Friday at 6:30 pm and clean up on Sunday morning are especially necessary.  The volunteer crew has always had a lot of fun while working and it is a great time.

If you have any questions about food, feel free to contact me at MasterChef@pacificgravity.com or if you have question on volunteering you may contact Parker at President@pacificgravity.com

Ian Fraser Club Chef – Pacific Gravity Homebrewers

Upcoming Styles of the Month

  • August 2024 – All styles (Summer Party)
  • September 2024 – German and Czech beers
  • October 2024 – Alternative fermentables beers (using sugars and/or grains other than malted barley)
  • November 2024 – Fruit/spice beers, meads, and ciders/berries
  • December 2024 – No style of the month (Holiday Party)

Upcoming Events

  • August: Pacific Brewers Cup Entry registration NOW OPEN.   Enter at https://pbc2024.pacificgravity.com/
  • Aug 30: Summer Party Setup 6:30 pm
  • Aug 31:  PG SUMMER PARTY 2024  2:00 pm
  • Sept 5: Pacific Brewers Cup Entry Deadline
  • Sept 6: First Friday – TBD
  • Sept 7: Pacific Brewers Cup Entry organizing
  • Sept 19: Club Meeting at Torgugo Brewing Company – Style German and Czech beers
  • Sept 21: Pacific Brewers Cup Main Judging Session

Summer Party Now 8/31

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Greetings Pacific Gravity! 

Hello All,

We have now selected a new and improved date for the 2024 Legendary Pacific Gravity Summer party – Saturday August 31, 2024.

It will be at the usual location of Il Palazzo di Sussman from 2pm until 10pm. Chef Ian is planning a Hawaiian theme, so please bring some island style sides to share with your PG Ohana.  Of course we will be holding the annual informal competition for best homebrew/soda so please share your excellent works of zymurgy and/or non-alcoholic soda!

Also, we definitely need setup help the night before, so please come by if you can, and, as always, we need help cleaning up in the aftermath to restore the Palazzo grounds to their original, pristine state on Sunday morning..

Please also be sure to let Carl know what beers/sodas you intend to bring so we can manage serving equipment.  Send him an email at c136@7d.com.

Setup: Friday 8/80/2024 6:30 pm

Event: Saturday 8/31/2024 2pm
Dean Sussman’s
1310 Amalfi Drive,
Pacific Palisades, 90272

Informal Stuffed Sandwich Visit 8/17

In her most recent monthly newsletter, Marlene mentioned that she needs to shutdown for a while due to medical reasons on 8/29.  I just spoke to her briefly and she said it might be for 3 months.

I suggest anyone who is interested should informally drop by Stuffed Sandwich on Saturday 8/17 and grab a sandwich and a beer to help support.  I specifically asked to her NOT to plan anything for us because we don’t want to add to her workload at a time of stress, but I think extra patrons would be appreciated.  It may be very crowded or not… no way to know, but it is always a good time!

Their hours are 11am-8pm

Pacific Brewers Cup Info

Entries are open  for the 2024 Pacific Brewers Cup.  This has always been a popular competition and is capped at 300 entries, so get you entries registered early!  Also, Judge and Steward registration open.  Enter at https://pbc2024.pacificgravity.com/

 

Parker Waechter – President, Pacific Gravity Homebrewers

Upcoming Styles of the Month

  • August 2024 – All styles (Summer Party)
  • September 2024 – German and Czech beers
  • October 2024 – Alternative fermentables beers (using sugars and/or grains other than malted barley)
  • November 2024 – Fruit/spice beers, meads, and ciders/berries
  • December 2024 – No style of the month (Holiday Party)

Upcoming Events

Pacific Brewers Cup Info

Thursday, August 1st is the opening entry day for the 2024 Pacific Brewers Cup.  This has always been a popular competition and is capped at 300 entries, so get you entries registered early!  Also, Judge and Steward registration is already open.

  • August:  Entry registration NOW OPEN.   Enter at https://pbc2024.pacificgravity.com/
  • Aug 17:  Informal Stuffed Sandwich Visit
  • August 22:  Bottle Drop-off at local homebrew shops
  • Aug 31:  PG SUMMER PARTY 2024
  • Sept 5: Pacific Brewers Cup Entry Deadline
  • Sept 6: First Friday – TBD
  • Sept 7: Pacific Brewers Cup Entry organizing
  • Sept 19: Club Meeting at Torgugo Brewing Company – Style German and Czech beers
  • Sept 21: Pacific Brewers Cup Main Judging Session

Pacific Gravity Holiday Party 2023

Greetings Pacific Gravity!

We are throwing our annual Holiday Party on Saturday 12/09/2023!

But first we need your help!

This Sunday 12/03/23 we will be doing the setup (and drinking beer!) over at Neil’s, so come on down and lend a hand! Not only do we need help with setup we will also need supplies from those that could supply:

  • Beer – Details/Sign up Info below
  • Firewood
  • Tree
  • Outdoor fire pit
  • Propane heater\outdoor heater
  • Chairs
  • Tables,
  • E-Z ups (canopies)
  • Power strips
  • CO2 Tanks

Holiday Party Setup and First Friday Event for the month of December. :
When:  Sunday, December 3rd at 12:00pm.
Where:  12966 Rubens Ave, Los Angeles, CA. (at Alla Road)

Holiday Party Clean up will be Sunday, December 10th at 10am – Please help out if you can.

Holiday Party Details

The Holiday party will be a Neil’s Duplex on December 9th at 5:00PM.  Also, we will announce the Member of the Year Award and the Brewer of the year award.

You can help! 
Although the club will be providing much of the main dishes this is still a pot luck party and your favorite party dish will sure be appreciated!
The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamande, meat on the BBQ, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more!

So if you have a favorite family holiday recipe and want to share it with the rest of us, this is your chance!  If you have any questions about what to bring you can ask me masterchef@pacificgravity.com.  Suggestions would include any kind of main dish but especially all side dishes, veggie dishes, salads, desserts and appetizers!

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.  Everyone who signs up in advance will have a festive tap tag.

This is an outdoor event…it will be cold!  Please plan accordingly!

Bring a chair if you can!

Holiday Party:
When: Saturday, December 9th, at 5:00 PM.
Where: 12966 Rubens Ave, Los Angeles, CA. (at Alla Road)

PG Member Survey:If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the survey,  please join us and take a few minutes to answer these 4 questions:

Click Here for The Pacific Gravity Member Survey

PG News:

  • Holiday Party is December 9th, 2023 – 5pm

 

See you there

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Pacific Gravity Summer Party July 29, 2023

Greetings Pacific Gravity!

 

RED, WHITE and BREW
This year’s summer party is set for July 29, 2023 and will be held at Dean Sussman’s Highland’s home located at 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades.

 

The theme for this year’s summer party is the American BBQ! We’ll be spotlighting burgers, smash burgers and hotdogs.

However, this being a ‘bring a plate’ potluck event we want you to bring your favorite dish along to the event as well; any dish is welcome, feel free to bring all your American BBQ side dish classics.

The summer party is a volunteer’s event, and we need lots of Read more

Pacific Gravity Holiday Party

Greetings Pacific Gravity!

We are throwing a holiday party on Saturday 12/10/2022!

But first we need your help!  On Saturday 12/03/22 we will be decking the halls and doing the set up (and drinking beer!) over at Neil’s, so come on down and lend a hand!

Then we will make merry the way we know how!
Holiday party
When:  Saturday, December 10, at 5:00 PM.
Where:  12966 Rubens Ave, Los Angeles, CA. (at Alla Road)

The Holiday party will be a Neil’s Duplex on December 10th at 5:00PM.  Rumor has it that Santa will be making an appearance.  Also, we will announce the Member of the Year Award and the Brewer of the year award, and introducing the new officers for 2023.

You can help!  Because although the club will be providing much of the main dishes this is still a pot luck party and your favorite party dish will sure be appreciated!  The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamande, meat on the BBQ, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more!

So if you have a favorite family holiday recipe and want to share it with the rest of us, this is your chance!  If you have any questions about what to bring you can ask me masterchef@pacificgravity.com.  Suggestions would include any kind of main dish but especially all side dishes, veggie dishes, salads, desserts and appetizers!

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.  Everyone who signs up in advance will have a festive tap tag.

Equipment:

We need a few more EZ-Ups, heat lamps and fire pits so please donate them if you can.  Bring a chair if you can!

We need lot & lots FIREWOOD!  If you can bring wood please do so.  December evenings can be cold so please help bring some wood so we can all stay warm.
This is an outdoor event…it will be cold!  Please plan accordingly!

We ask that all attendees are vaccinated and can provide proof of same upon request.

See you there!
Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Ian Fraser
President

Holiday Party Setup Saturday, Dec 4th, Member of the Year elections

As we move into the festive time of year, we are delighted to announce that Neil Saund will be hosting the Annual Holiday Party at his Duplex in Marina Del Rey on December 11th.

But first:  We need to deck the halls!  Please join us Saturday morning December 4th at 9:00AM to decorate the tree, put up the Christmas lights and in general, get things party-ready.

Holiday party Set-up Session:
When:  Saturday, December 4, at 9:00AM. 
Where:  12966 Rubens Ave, Los Angeles, CA
. (at Alla Road)

Things to bring:
Folding Tables, Chairs, and any special decorations you may want to put up.  Ian will be getting the tree and Tim will bring Christmas lights.

Member of the Year Nominations:
We are still accepting nominations for Member of the Year.  Nominees include:
Ian Fraser
Rob Kadota
Eric Muhlheim
Carl Townsend

The cut-off for voting is Noon on December 4th.  If you did not get a chance to vote at the Chili cookoff, you can send your selection to elections@pacificgravity.com.

Holiday Party Details
As noted above, the Holiday party will be a Neil’s Duplex on December 11th at 5:00PM.  Rumor has it Read more

Pacific Gravity Octoberfest

Greetings Pacific Gravity,
We have chosen to celebrate Octoberfest!

We will actually be holding our celebration on the last official Oktoberfest weekend on October 2nd!

So get out your dirndl’s and lederhosen and chicken dance your way over to Dean’s Backyard Biergarten for our Octoberfest celebration!
Pacific Gravity Octoberfest
Saturday October 2, 2021  2:00 PM
Dean’s Biergarten:
1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades CA

We will have beers on tap and festival style foods for your enjoyment!  Master Chef Ian has worked up a special menu serving up all the traditional style of German style fest foods!

The Wave of Beer will make its usual appearance.  If you have a keg to bring, (either beer or soda) please let Carl know and he will make up a festive Bavarian tap tag.

Due to the pandemic we will have to enforce some new protocols for the protection and safety of all.

  • We ask that all attendees are vaccinated and can provide proof of same upon request.
  • This event is NOT a pot luck event!  There will be no self-serve of food or beverages.
  • The club will set up our “land-locked” food truck stall in Deans yard serving up all the traditional style of German style fest foods!  You just walk up, place an order and your food will be handed directly to you from one of those poor bastards working the food stall (Rob and I).
  • All beers will be served in a 1 time use plastic glass by the beer-tenders working the bar.  No self-pouring allowed.  This will limit cross contamination.
  • Bottle sharing will still be encouraged with the hope that all participants remain self-aware and be cautious.

We hope to make this event a safe as possible while still maintaining a biergarten vibe for the participants.  We hope to see you all there!

Cheers,

Ian Fraser
President, Pacific Gravity

Upcoming Events:

Pacific Brewers Cup

Sign up to judge or steward now at  http://comp.pacificgravity.com/
Entry Registration starts October 15th
Entry Organizing October 30 at Tortugo Brewing Co.
Judging Day:  November 6th, 2021 starting at 8:30 AM at Tortugo Brewing Co.

VIRTUAL – Pacific Gravity Club Meeting Thursday August 19th

 

Greetings Pacific Gravity!
Greetings Pacific Gravity, I Hope you all are staying well and safe.  We have good news and bad news.Due to the rising COVID numbers and out of an abundance of caution the board has decided to postpone the Summer Party tentatively scheduled for August 28, to its new date of October 2nd, 2021.  Instead of a “summer” party, we will now call it our “OKtoberfest” party! We will have an Oktoberfest theme and foods.  If my plan comes together we will even have a special surprise in store!Because we decided to postpone the summer party we also decided to pivot and have a club meeting this month.  However, the board also decided to hold this meeting as “virtual” to avoid spreading the Delta variant to our members.  We hope that we can resume ‘in person’ meetings next month but we are monitoring the situation as a day to day and will decide based on the CDC guidance given.

For August 19, we will be holding our meeting virtually at Tortugo Brewing.  Joe has generously put together a tasting pack of beers he has ready to go.  Thank you for putting this together for us on the fly Joe!
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W. Hyde Park Blvd.
Inglewood,  CA  90302
(424) 227-9963The tasting pack will be a 4-pack of 16 OZ cans of the following:

  • 2 16oz Watermelon mint west Coast IPA; – An 8.5% ABV West coast IPA brewed with 400 lbs of fresh watermelon and 25lbs of fresh mint dry hopped with citra and lemon drop
  • 2 16oz BC25 coffee west coast IPA – A 7% ABV Single Westcoast IPA brewed with Ethiopian and Sumatra coffee then dry hopped with galaxy and mosaic hops
  • PLUS:  1 32oz Santiago Stout – A 6.7% abv American Stout With huge roast and malty notes (Lloyd Johnson’s first 100% of his own recipe on the Tortugo brewing system)!

All 5 beers for a special club price of $25!

All the beers will be available starting on Saturday, August 14, 2021.

I hope to see you all then!

Cheers,

Ian Fraser

President, Pacific Gravity

Upcoming Events

Friday Sept. 3rd:  First Friday at Richmond Grill

Thursday Sept 16, 2021: Club Meeting @ Tortugo Brewing

Saturday October 2, 2021:  Oktoberfest Party at Dean’s

Pacific Gravity Holiday Party (Virtual) from Tortugo Brewing Saturday, Dec 12th

Greetings Pacific Gravity,

I know it has been a crazy year that has seen us all in isolation, lock-down, quarantine and unable to get together to celebrate ourselves, our club and our traditions!  In fact, this year has not given us much to celebrate at all when you think about it!  The stay at home lock down continues to this day and will impact our holiday party as a result!  But we say no to the Grinch and will celebrate anyway!  The board has some really creative ideas to try and give some semblance to our traditional holiday party…VIRTUAL of course!

So I am proud to announce the PACIFIC GRAVITY HOLIDAY PARTY, VIRTUAL FROM TORTUGO BREWERY!
Saturday, December 12, 2020
6:00 PM Until ?

Here is what we have planned for this event, Joe will be offering a PG Holiday 3 pack of crowlers (32 oz cans) for $30.  These will include:

Seymour by the Fire, the Seymour Kolsch spiced with holiday spice!
Chocolate Raspberry Porter
Marzen

While the Marzen may not be a holiday beer strictly speaking, is you have ever had it, you will know why it is on the list!  So, swing by the brewery and pick up your 3 pack to help get you in the mood!

But that’s not all!  The holiday party has traditionally been about the food and sharing of beers and we want to try and make that happen too!  So, we are announcing our first ever curb side pick up of beer and food for this event!  Starting at 3:00 PM on Saturday you can drop by club president and holiday elf without a shelf Ian’s house; and pick up your holiday food and beers for the party.

The beers are from the clubs ‘teach a friend to homebrew day’ when we brewed Brown Ales on Zoom.  Carl, Parker and Ian all bottled some of their beers from that day and they will be available for pick up along with the food that will be presented.  Not only that, but Carl and Dean will be bringing some of their ‘archive’ beers that will also be given away on a first come first served basis.

What about the food?  We decided to color outside the lines this year, there will be BBQ to go as the offering this year.  Ian is cooking brisket, Rob is making pulled pork and Dean will provide us with Dean’s famous beans.  The food will be placed in ‘to-go’ containers and made available when you pick up your beers.

Ian’s address is: 3938 Glencoe Ave. Venice, CA 90291
Text on arrival to: 310 435-1329 to place your order.

We have also created a Holiday Beer Gift Exchange (OPTIONAL) for those who wish to participate.
The Board has generously seeded the gift exchange with a bunch of 750 size bottles.  If you want to join in, when you show up to pick up your beer and food, you will “pick a bottle – leave a bottle” from the gift exchange box.

We ask that your bottle be a 750 in size, wrapped, in the $10 – $20 dollar price range.  To limit potential contamination, you will not be allowed to touch, please select with your eyes, then just point at the wrapped bottle you want and it will be brought out to you.

We will also be announcing the PG Board Election results as well as the Brewer of the Year and the Member of the Year as voted on by the membership.  Plus we will have giveaways!  Craig will be raffling off gift certificates and other swag to all who attend!  This should make us all merry until next year!  I hope to see you all there!

Cheers,

Ian Fraser
President
Pacific Gravity

Topic: Pacific Gravity Annual Holiday Party
Time: Dec 12, 2020 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

 

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Pacific Gravity Holiday Party Saturday Dec 7th

Greetings!

It is time for the Pacific Gravity annual holiday event. Mark your calendars! This year the party is happening on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at Neil Saund’s duplex – at: 12966 Rubens Ave, Los Angeles, CA (at Alla Road).

The party will kick off about 5:00 P.M. If you have not attended one of the past holiday events, let us tell you this is one party not to be missed!

We really, really need your help with the following:

FOOD:
Although the club will be providing some of the main dishes, this is still a potluck party and YOUR favorite party dish will be greatly appreciated! The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamandes, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more!

Suggestions of what to bring 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 will bring. If you have any questions about what to bring, please contact Club Chef Ian (masterchef@pacificgravity.org).

The dinner portion of the event will be ongoing beginning at approximately 7pm. Please note that there will be very little space available for reheating food, so please bring your food ready to serve, not ready to cook.

Crockpots and chafing dishes with sterno fuel would be a great idea of how to bring something and keep it hot.

Also, don’t forget to label your containers or anything you want back.

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 (competitions@pacificgravity.org) and let him know what you will bring. Everyone who signs up in advance will have a colorful tap tag.

VOLUNTEERS needed for setup & cleanup
On Saturday, Dec 7th from approximately 10am to 12noon, we need help with final setup at Neil’s.

On Sunday, Dec 8th, starting at 10am, we need lots of people to help with clean up. The more we get the faster it goes. (probably ending around 12noon-1pm).

If you’d like to volunteer for set up or clean up contact us: PG Board at president@pacificgravity.org.

EQUIPMENT:
We need a few more heat lamps and fire pits so please donate them if you can.

We NEED lot & lots FIREWOOD! If you can bring wood please do so. December evenings can be cold so please help bring some wood so we can all stay warm.

We need more TABLES, e-z ups (canopies), and power strips.

We also need jockey boxes and CO2 cylinders and Sanke taps 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.

If at all possible, please bring your kegs and heavy stuff to setup on Friday evening or between 10am – 12noon on Saturday. 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 taps, and other equipment are well labeled so they all return to their rightful owners Sunday morning.

Note, if you can’t deliver beer kegs to the Neil’s house at setup on Friday evening or Saturday afternoon, then please email Carl Townsend at Competitions@pacificgravity.org to make arrangements to drop off your kegs at his house.

4th Annual Holiday CLOTHING CHARITY DRIVE:
It’s time to clean out your closets…Pacific Gravity is having our 4th annual Holiday CLOTHING DRIVE!

We will have boxes for any donations you can bring to the party.
For clothes & other items, please see the list below which will be donated to The People Concern (formerly, OPCC). They are mostly in need of men’s clothing in large sizes. Clothing can be “gently used” and should be clean.
Monetary donations will also be accepted – checks or cash. Special donation envelopes will be available at the party. Tax receipts for monetary donations will be sent to you by mail.

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
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,etc.
Blankets (preferably wool)
Sleeping bags for adults

Final Party Details:

Dress warm for our winter party, bring food and bring beer!

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!

Cheers,
Ian Fraser
President, Pacific Gravity