Monster Brew Canceled, RIP Fred Waltman

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I have two items of bad news, one considerably worse than the other.

It is with deep regret that I report the passing of our founder, Fred Waltman. Fred started Pacific Gravity with Steve LaBrie in 1995 after breaking off from the Woodland Hills-based Maltose Falcons.  He also founded the Culver City Homebrew Supply Company.
He remained passionate about beer with blogs, guides and travel writings that made many of us who knew him envious. He was our cat herder on the annual Europe trips and many of the folks he introduced us too remain friends to this day. Here is a picture of Fred along with his cousin Jim (left) at the Uerige brewery on Sticke day, 2010.

For those of you in the local area, we will hold an impromptu “Lift a Pint for Fred” memorial tomorrow night (June 2) at Firestone Propagator starting about 5 PM.  We will  also have a tribute to his memory at the June club meeting on June 15th at Tortugo Bowery.

Come join us, lift a pint to Fred’s memory.
— Ian Fraser

In other news,  we regret to announce that the Smog City Monster Brew scheduled for this Saturday, June 3rd has been canceled. We were unable to to sell enough batches to make it viable for Smog City (39 out of the 55 minimum needed).  For those of you who pre-paid via PayPal, you should have received separate notice of refunds. Please don’t show up at Smog City Saturday morning, no one will be there until their regular hours. Also, please share this information with anyone you know who might have been planning to join us.

As a heads up, planning is underway to hold a monster brew and yard sale at Scholb Brewery on August 5th, 2023, jointly hosted by Strand, Long Beach, So Cal Cerveceros, and Pacific Gravity brew clubs.  Look for details in the coming weeks.

Thanks
Craig Corley
Treasurer
Pacific Gravity Home Brewers Club

Monster Brew Rescheduled to June 3rd

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OK folks, looks like we get another chance!

Smog City Monster Brew – new date – Sat, June 3rd

I’m pleased to announce that we have a date for the rescheduled Smog City Monster Brew.  After consulting with Smog City, we’ve selected Saturday, June 3rd as the make-up date.  But, keep in mind we still need to get sign-up for at least 20 more batches to make this a viable event.  So please do not procrastinate, or this event might be canceled again!

For those of you who pre-paid and/or signed up before the prior April 29 date, you are automatically signed up for the rescheduled event. If new date doesn’t work for you, let me know and I’ll remove you from the list / issue a refund.

We still need to sell 55 batches to make this work. We only made it to 25 batches on the last try before canceling.

Please share the new date with anyone who might be interested. Full info on the Smog City Monster Brew can be found on our web site at:  http://pacificgravity.com/2023/04/smog-city-monster-brew-apr-29th-sign-up-now/

thanks
Craig Corley
Treasurer
Pacific Gravity Home Brewers Club

Smog City Monster Brew Now Scheduled for June 3 – Sign Up Now

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We are now back on track for a Monster Brew at Smog City Brewing Company. This will be our 13th Monster Brew with Brewmaster, Jon Porter, going all the way back to his days at Tustin Brewing.  Everybody has a blast at these events, so please come out and join us!

Date:  Saturday, June 3, 2023
Time: Mash-In: Approx. 7:00 AM
Fermenter Filling:  Around Noon
Location:  Smog City Brewery 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

If you have never participated in a Monster Brew, here is how it works:
1)  Order wort ahead of time*.
2)  Bring a clean fermenter, which we will fill with UNFREMENTED wort.
3)  Take it home and add whatever yeast and other ingredients you like to customize the batch.
4)  Ferment until ready for bottling or kegging.

*For those of you who pre-paid and/or signed up before the prior April 29 date, you are automatically signed up for the rescheduled event. If new date doesn’t work for you, let me know and I’ll remove you from the list / issue a refund.

Read more →

Pacific Gravity response to the Coronavirus (COVID -19)

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Dear Club Members,

Considering the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to assure you that Pacific Gravity is taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of our membership and guests. In an abundance of caution and to avoid exposure the Board has decided to suspend club meetings and events for the short term as this situation develops.

As of this moment, judging for LABBC will still happen this Sunday (3/15), but this could change, so please check for any last-minute notices. Given that this is a discretionary event, we recognize that some of you may wish to not participate. If this is the case, please contact Carl Townsend (Head judge)  as soon as possible.

We will be taking a number of precautions at the judging site to avoid any unnecessary exposure. Specifically,
1) You will be asked point blank as you enter if you are sick, or even think you might be sick, or if you have been exposed to anyone with Covid-19. (We would hope that you would refrain from even coming out.)
2) Please avoid unnecessary body contact. Do a fist-bump if necessary, but avoid shaking hands or hugs. We will be spreading you out to avoid crowding.
3) Please wash your hands thoroughly using the CDC guidelines a couple of times throughout the morning. We will provide plastic gloves for use if desired. If you have hand sanitizer, please bring some along.
4) Do not pass around cups of beer. Do not swig out of the bottles, even if they are nearly empty. We will have plenty of cups available.
5) Lunch will be served up by our chef. Please do not serve yourself. If the weather cooperates, please spread out to eat using the outdoor tables. (This also avoids food smells in the judging area.)

Other Upcoming Events:
The March meeting scheduled for March 19th is cancelled.
The Monster brew scheduled for March 28, 2020 at Smog City Brewing is postponed, tentatively until May.
AHA has notified us that the first round judging for the National Homebrew Conference has been postponed.
We are staying in contact with the CHA and monitoring their response and will provide updates about SCHBF (May 1-3, 2020) as they become available.

While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our club’s membership and public health officials assess our risk to be low, we are focused on caring for the health and well being of our members, their families and our community at large.

We apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused.

Please maintain your focus on keeping yourselves and your families safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Ian Fraser
President
Pacific Gravity Homebrewers

Sign-ups needed now for Monster Brew

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We still have plenty of space for the Monster Brew session at Smog City this Saturday, March 9th!  But, we need a headcount BEFORE the event, so you must must make a reservation NOW if you want wort.  The cost will be $30 for each 5 gallons of wort.  You can order several batches if you like.    If possible, please pay in advance.

You can sign up one of two ways:

1) Pay now with Paypal.  If you do this your reservation is good to go.

2) 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, check and credit card will be accepted.

Please also see my posts on Monster Brew:

11th Monster Brew March 9th at Smog City Brewery

Monster Brew Modifications

Hope to see you there!
Carl Townsend
Pacific Gravity Home Brewers Club

Monster Brew Modifications

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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 sixth Annual Monster Brew, Saturday, March 9th, 2018, from 7:00 AM to noon hosted by our very own Jon Porter. We’ll be brewing up a batch of European 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 club meetings, Southern California Homebrew Fest, and the summer party.

The recipe for the wort can be found below. Read more →

11th Monster Brew March 9th at Smog City Brewery

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Smog City Brewing Company 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

Can you believe it?  Pacific Gravity has been doing Monster Brews with Smog City’s  Brewmaster, Jon Porter for 11 years!  With five trips to Tustin Brewing and five hosted at Smog, we will be making our 11th Monster Brew on Saturday, March 9th, 2019.  Everybody has a blast at these events, so please come out and join us!

Date:  Saturday, March 9, 2018
Time: Mash-In: Approx 7:00 am
Fermenter Filling:  Around Noon
Location:  Smog City Brewery 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

Jon Porter and Carl Townsend are developing a base wort that is sure to 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 “How Do I Modify My Monster Brew?”

COST and RESERVATIONS

We need a headcount BEFORE the brew session, so you must must make a reservation if you want wort.  The cost will be $30 for each 5 gallons of wort.  You can order several batches if you like.    If possible, please pay in advance.

You can sign up one of two ways:

1) Pay now with Paypal.  If you do this your reservation is good to go.

2) Drop a line to tr[email protected]  saying how many batches you want.   Payment will be due on brew day.  We will accept payment at the Monster Brew; cash, check and credit card will be accepted. Read more →

Pacific Gravity Reminders: First Friday, Monster Brew

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This Friday (March 2) is First Friday!

First Friday will be held at our traditional March F.F. site:

Where: Irish Times, 3267 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Time: 7:30pm

This Saturday (March 3) is Monster Brew Saturday!

Don’t miss out on a chance to see a 15-barrel batch of beer brewed up close, taste some of Jon Porter’s excellent creations, and take home your own 5-gallon batch to modify as you see fit. See 2018 Monster Brew for more details.

Southern California Homebrew Festival

We still have some camping slots available.  See Southern California Homebrew Festival for details.

DUES are DUE.

March is dues month: $36 per individual, $54 for couples.

 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HOMEBREW SUPPLY SHOP!

 

MONSTER BREW, MARCH 3: RESERVE YOUR WORT NOW!

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There are just a couple of days left for Pacific Gravity members to reserve Monster Brew wort.  We will be reaching out to the other homebrewers clubs in the area on Saturday, February 10, 2018.

To reserve a 5-gallon batch or two, send an email to Tim Bardet: [email protected].

For more details, click here.

Smog City Monster Brew March 11th

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Smog City Brewing Company 1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

On March 11th, 2017,  Smog City Brewing Company  and its Brewmaster, PG’s Jon Porter, will be hosting their Fourth Pacific Gravity Monster Brew!

Update:  We have plenty of wort!  If you want to order more batches, they are available!! 

Jon Porter and Carl Townsend have developed the base wort for this event with an English theme.  But, keeping with past monster brews, the recipe can be the base for whatever creative endeavor you might want to do.  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.

You can always contact Carl at Competitions AT pacificgravity.com for any suggestions and look for Carl’s article  can work on “How to Modify my Monsterbrew”.

COST

The cost will be $30 for each 5 gallons of wort.  Read more →