All Pacific Gravity news.

Meeting Recap: You can still vote!!

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Thank to all who came to our Annual Chili Cook off and Election meeting this past Saturday. We had 10 chilis to taste and judge. All were amazing, but Neil Saund took home the prize for best chili, with Michael Musgrave’s as runner up missing the tie by one vote. A fabulous Pumpkin Mole by Parker Waechter won most unique chili.

Also going on at the meeting was brew led by our very own Dan White who made Carl Townsend’s Weizenbock that we had the privilege of brewing with Firestone on Halloween. We ended up with 18 gallons of beer that was put in 4 carboys. Carl and Dan plan to ferment each one with a different yeast. 6 gallons will be fermented with Bavarian Hefeweizen yeast, 5 with American Hefeweizen yeast, 5 gallons with both Bavarian and American Hefeweizen yeasts, and 2 gallons with dregs from Firestone Feral One, Russian River Consecration, and Allagash Farm to Face.

The other major event that took place was our election for next years board. Each nominee gave a speech to the attendees about why they should be selected. Here is a summary of what each person had to say:

PRESIDENT

Lloyd Johnson wants to

  • help keep this club heading in a direction that benefits all members and see the growth of our passion, homebrewing. Finish the current ventures, that the current board has started, as well as bring back some of the old traditions we’ve lost, and hopefully start some new ones to come.
  • help promote home brewing by bringing back the monthly style home brew competition, where club members bring their home brew in the style of the month to have the chance to win a gift certificate to the Culver City Home Brew Store.
  • promote education by bringing back Big Brews where club members bring their brewing sets, to do multiple brews in one day, in one location so that they can see multiple processes in home brewing from many different levels of extract to all grain
  • schedule different different education events such as hop evaluations, off flavor testing, Cicerone training, BJCP Judge training and evaluating the test requirements, and much, much more
  • work on accomplishing our goal of becoming a 501(3)(c) non profit.

Ian Fraser wants to

  • bring back some of that inclusiveness that created the growth of the club as well as the comradery that went along with it
  • bring back the big brews to enhance the educational aspects, the bus trips to educate the knowledge of various breweries and the experiences of their brewers
  • train the next generation of leaders so that they have a vision of the club going forward that maintains our history in the process

VICE PRESIDENT

Michael Musgrave says he is

  • thankful for the great structure, reputation and relationships Brian, Tad and Ramesh have contributed and are leaving as their legacy
  • honored to work alongside the existing board members and looking forward to growing the club together
  • stoked and already mapping out our First Friday schedule for ’16!”

TREASURER

Timothy Bardet says

  • hes been member since the second meeting
  • he wants to come back as treasurer and serve as he did in previous years in this position
  • he’ll do a great job because “Everybody likes to get paid out!”

Tania Musgrave says

  • Our friendly club culture has drawn her to more and more meetings and events, and is proud to be a member.
  • Having spent time with the current treasurer, Ramesh, she feels that she knows and is prepared for the position duties.Would be honored to take over as Treasurer.
  • she is organized and has previous fundraising experience with a non-profit and love new challenges

Also up for voting is Club Member of the Year. The nominees are:

Ramesh Johnston
Tad Johnston
Andrew Whittle
Lloyd Johnson
Carl Townsend

If you were not able to attend the meeting, please send your vote no later than Saturday November 21st to board@pacificgravity.com.

We discussed at the meeting that the holiday party on December 12th will require lots of volunteers for set up, clean up, food and beer. Stay tuned for where to sign up.

Thank you to all who contributed to a successful meeting by bringing chili and beer.

Cheers

Ramesh Johnston

SoCal HomeBrewers Festival – Anyone Else Going?

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So far, 6 tent campers (Carl T, Jay H, Tom Rierson, David F., Uncle Enzo, and Brett W) and 2 RV/Trailer (me, Larry P) have advised they will be attending the fest, which will be held at Temecula’s Vail Lake RV Resort over the weekend of April 29 – May 1, 2016.

An additional 5 PGers were put on the “maybe/probably/not sure” list at the last meeting.

I will be making the campsite reservations during the week of Nov 2, so I need to know how many sites to plan for.  We are limited to 6 campers per tent site (RV/Trailers will get their own site), so a reasonable headcount will allow me to reserve the proper number of sites.

We have had up to 50 campers in past years, but we do not want to reserve for that and risk incurring a bunch of $20 site cancellation fees if we have less attendance.

If you plan to attend and stay at the PG campsite, please send an email to me at:  “brewfest {at} pacificgravity {dot} com” and advise:

(a) If you will be camping in a tent, how many – including yourself – camping slots will you need? The cost will be $30 per person for the weekend (Fri and Sat);

or

(b) If you plan to stay in an RV/Trailer.  In this case, your RV/Trailer will get its own campsite at a cost of $110 for the weekend, and must be paid at the club meeting in November. (If you want the lowdown on this option, talk to Larry Powell; he did it at the 2015 fest.)

Thank you.

Firestone Walker – Anniversary Brew Weekend Itinerary

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The time is here!  Its finally here!

Here are a couple of last minute notes for everyone along with an itinerary.

Dinner

For those of you who have signed up for dinner on Friday we have a reservation @ 7:30pm at the Taproom at Firestone Walker on Friday 10/30/2015.

The Taproom

1400 Ramada Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446

The taproom is putting together a custom menu for our group to help accommodate our group size.  If you have specific dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) you will just need to tell your server before hand.

Brew Session

Brewery Location:

1400 Ramada Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446

Firestone Walker is going to brew our beer in TWO sessions.  The first session will Mash In @ 6am BEFORE we arrive at the brewery.  We are scheduled to arrive and check in @ 8am at the brew house so that we can all be checked in by the second Mash In @ 9am.  You will be checked in for two things:

  1. To confirm that your dues to the club are fully paid.
  2. To check your ID and ticket (if you are attending) to the anniversary party.  If you are attending you will be given a wristband that will give you access to the party and allow you to skip the line for quick entry.

Please be there as close to 8am as possible so we can get everyone checked in quickly.

Some other notes for the brew day:

  • Bring photo ID!
  • Wear closed toe shoes
  • If you have eye protection please bring your own.  If you do not have any eye protection the FW team will supply some for you.
  • Our brew session starts with Mash In at 9am.  Please be punctual at 8am so that you can get checked in on time.
  • Due to the number of attendees we will likely be moving around in groups during the brew session to keep the numbers down in key areas.

Anniversary Party

There will be a line of people outside of the brewery waiting to get in to the party at 11am.  As I mentioned above the FW team will be checking tickets and ID’s when we check in at 8am.  This will help the FW focus on the lineup of guests outside when the event starts, but it also will provide our group the ability to skip the line and head directly into the party due to already having wristbands and tickets for our bottles of anniversary ale.

The facility will be PACKED with people on Saturday who are just attending the FW Anniversary Party, so please come prepared!

Cheers!

Firestone Walker – XIX Anniversary Tickets pass code distributed!

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Everyone-

If you signed up for tickets to the XIX Anniversary party you should have received an email this morning with a link to the website and a code to access our discount.  Tickets go on sale at noon.  if you did not receive an email please let me know asap.  My direct email address is bholterpg [at] gmail dot com.

If you didn’t sign up for our discount you can still purchase tickets at noon today.  Your ticket will cost you an extra $10 but it is still very much a bargain so please join us!  Ticket Link!

Cheers!

Brian

Firestone Walker Trip! Details here!

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Everyone-

The trip is a little over two months away.  I hope you are all as excited about this as I am.  This is a big event for the club and should be an amazing weekend away in Paso.  We have been invited to brew a beer of our choice on their system and to attend the 19th Anniversary party.  Reminder – your membership dues must be paid in full to attend this event.  All members may bring a guest – remember though that the Anniversary party is 21+.  Information on cost, hotel plans and schedule are listed below:

When

October 31, 2015

 

Hotels

We have two blocks of hotels setup:

Paso Robles Inn
1103 Spring St., Paso Robles, CA
$255 + tax per night
10 rooms in block open until 9/30
Adelaide Inn
1215 Ysabel St., Paso Robles, CA
$137.70 + tax per night (King or 2 Queen)
15 rooms in block open until 9/25

Brewday Schedule

The brewday starts with Mash-in @ 8am.  The brewery address is:

1400 Ramada Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446

We are brewing a Weizenbock!  This beer will be bourbon barrel aged and will be a potential component to future Firestone anniversary beer blends!  This is a tremendous honor, don’t miss out.

19th Anniversary Party

Firestone’s 19th Anniversary party is on the same day as our brew day.  Tickets to the event are $75 and include 3 bottles of the new XIX Anniversary blend.  PG Members who purchase tickets ahead of time will be given a $10 discount.

During the brew session the event organizers for the XIX Party will come through and give everyone who ordered tickets to the event wristbands so that we are already checked in and will not be bypassing the large line of people outside waiting to get in to the party.

We are going to have a sign up sheet at the club meeting tomorrow for people to indicate that they are planning on attending the XIX Anniversary Party.  After that we will distribute a code to everyone who signed up so that you can purchase your tickets online with the discount.  If you are not planning on being at the club meeting on Thursday email ” board [at] pacificgravity dot com” to let us know that you would like to attend.

Thanks!

Summer Party Countdown…this SATURDAY! (July 25th)

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20thLogodean-sombrero

Are you ready for the big event on SATURDAY!?

We still really need your help so please review the checklist and let us know what you can do help!

Thanks for those who have signed up to bring FOOD but we haven’t heard from too many of you so please let us know what potluck dishes you are bring. We really need your good food to help soak up all the great beers!!

Tables and EZ Ups are still needed so please let us know if you have some you can bring.

Here’s the full checklist and key details:

Pacific Gravity’s Summer Party Checklist

Saturday, July 25th – 2pm to 10pm

Location: Dean Sussman’s – 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades, 90272

 

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Checklist for ALL party attendees:

  • Bring BEER, BEER & more BEER! Also, bring sodas and a specialty non-beer beverage for the Red, White and/or blue competition. Please email what you are bringing to Carl at Competitions@PacificGravity.com
  • FOOD – sign up to bring All-American dishes to our POTLUCK party. (the club will supply some food but we need YOUR dishes too!) We need ALL kinds of food: appetizers, sides dishes, main dishes (pre-cooked), desserts, etc. All your specialty dishes are welcome! Thanks to the few of you who have already signed up your dishes but we need MORE food so please email us at summerparty@pacificgravity.com what dishes you will add to our feast!
  • VOLUNTEERS – we need YOU to help make this a successful party! Please email us at summerparty@pacificgravity.com . We have lots of volunteer opportunities!
    • Setup on Friday night
    • Cleanup on Sunday morning
    • More setup and food prep on Saturday morning
    • Front Gate Check-In shifts (several 1hr. slots still available between 1pm to 7pm)
    • Bartender shifts – 1hr. (please see Carl on Saturday to volunteer)
  • Beer Equipment (email Carl at: Competitions@PacificGravity.com)
    • Jockey boxes
    • CO2 cylinders
    • Bags of ice for jockey boxes
  • Other Equipment needed for the party. Please let us know if you have any of the following and would be willing to loan to us for the party. Please email us at: summerparty@pacificgravity.com . We will email confirmation back if we need you to bring items on Friday night during setup.
    • Tables
    • EZ Ups/Canopies
    • BBQs
    • Power/extension cords
    • Extra coolers/ice chests
  • Don’t forget to bring and things to know:
    • Bring BEER & other beverages
    • Bring FOOD – All American BBQ themed
    • Fee for all adult guests is $10 per guest. Kids are free.
    • Payment for past due membership – cash or credit
    • Chairs and Blankets
    • Bathing suits and towels, if you want to use the swimming pool.
    • Sunscreen
    • Jackets & sweaters for the evening
    • Cash for Raffle tickets
    • PG merchandise will be available for sale at the Front Desk.
    • Note for food contributions, we will NOT have use of a kitchen for heating or cooling so please plan accordingly. Please label your food containers so that we can get them back to you.

 

 

Mead Day 2015!

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Mead Day

It’s that time of year again… Mead Day! August 1st is the official AHA National Mead Day. Pacific Gravity will be celebrating Mead Day on Saturday August 1 at the home of Dan & Anne Hakes. We will be brewing, tasting and talking about mead. If you have some mead to share, bring it along.

This is a club potluck event, please bring beer and food to share.

The Tavern on Twentieth will be open. Drop by, socialize, and watch how easy it is to make mead! If you bring your own equipment you will have to use a water saving technique Dan is using for the water you run through the chiller. Other than that, feel free to bring your brew setup. Saturday August 1, 2015

10:00 AM

2203 W 20th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90018

Dan’s cell – 323-203-5089

 

 

Here is some information from the AHA about Mead Day.

Mead Day

What is Mead? Perhaps the oldest known fermented beverage, mead is made by combining honey, water and yeast.  Sometimes referred to as “honey wine”, mead can range from sweet to very dry, and can be flavored with flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, vegetables or virtually anything you can think of.  Making mead at home is simple, and if you have equipment to make beer, you should be ready to make a batch of delicious mead!

August 1, 2015

Get in on the Mead Day buzz!

Organized by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) in 2002, Mead Day was created to increase mead awareness and foster camaraderie among meadmakers.  Homebrewers and meadmakers around the world are encouraged to invite friends and family to celebrate Mead Day by making a delicious batch of mead together!

 

Pacific Gravity’s Summer Party Checklist

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Saturday, July 25th – 2pm to 10pm

Location: Dean Sussman’s – 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades, 90272

**********************************************************************************************************

Checklist for ALL party attendees:

  • ð Bring BEER, BEER & more BEER! Also, bring sodas and a specialty non-beer beverage for the Red, White and/or Blue competition. Please email what you are bringing to Carl at Competitions@PacificGravity.com
  • ð FOOD – sign up to bring All-American dishes to our POTLUCK party. (the club will supply some food but we need YOUR dishes too!) We need ALL kinds of food: appetizers, sides dishes, main dishes (pre-cooked), desserts, etc. All your specialty dishes are welcome! Thanks to the few of you who have already signed up your dishes but we need MORE food so please email us at summerparty@pacificgravity.com what dishes you will add to our feast!
  • ð VOLUNTEERS – we need YOU to help make this a successful party! Please email us at summerparty@pacificgravity.com . We have lots of volunteer opportunities!
    • o Setup on Friday night
    • o Cleanup on Sunday morning
    • o More setup and food prep on Saturday morning
    • o Front Gate Check-In shifts (several 1hr. slots still available between 1pm to 7pm)
    • o Bartender shifts – 1hr. (please see Carl on Saturday to volunteer)
  • ð Beer Equipment (email Carl at: Competitions@PacificGravity.com)
    • o Jockey boxes
    • o CO2 cylinders
    • o Bags of ice for jockey boxes
  • ð Other Equipment needed for the party. Please let us know if you have any of the following and would be willing to loan to us for the party. Please email us at: summerparty@pacificgravity.com . We will email confirmation back if we need you to bring items on Friday night during setup.
    • o Tables
    • o EZ Ups/Canopies
    • o BBQs
    • o Power/extension cords
    • o Extra coolers/ice chests

Don’t forget to bring and things to know:

  • ð Bring BEER & other beverages
  • ð Bring FOOD – All American BBQ themed
  • ð Fee for all adult guests is $10 per guest. Kids are free.
  • ð Payment for past due membership – cash or credit
  • ð Chairs and Blankets
  • ð Bathing suits and towels, if you want to use the swimming pool.
  • ð Sunscreen
  • ð Jackets & sweaters for the evening
  • ð Cash for Raffle tickets
  • ð PG merchandise will be available for sale at the Front Desk.
  • ð Note for food contributions, we will NOT have use of a kitchen for heating or cooling so please plan accordingly. Please label your food containers so that we can get them back to you.

Kick-off your holiday weekend right with First Friday at Gulp!

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Come join us this First Friday at Gulp to kick-off  your July 4th holiday weekend the way it was intended, with great beer and people.

Here’s the location and more info on the event:

3jul7:00 pmFirst Friday - GULP7:00 pm GULP

 

 

Summer Party – July 25th

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This year’s summer party is set for July 25, 2015 and will be held at Dean Sussman’s tiny bungalow located at 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades.  The theme for this year’s 20th anniversary summer party is set! We are gearing up for a red, white & blue All-American BBQ! Being our 20th anniversary, we want to really do it up this year and with your help we intend on having all of the traditional types of BBQ food and festivities!

We plan on cooking pulled pork, some beef brisket, a bunch of chickens and maybe some hamburgers and hot dogs! Plus, all the ‘fixins’ you can shake a stick at!

However, this being a potluck event, we need you to bring your favorite BBQ dish along to the event as well. Any BBQ theme dish is welcome, so the menu is WIDE open for you to show off your culinary skills! Please email Mimi at summerparty@pacificgravity.com what dish or dishes you plan to bring! (thanks to those who already signed up!)

The summer party is a volunteer’s event, and we need lots of volunteers! Volunteers will be needed for set up the day before and clean up of Dean’s house the day after. We pay all volunteers in beer at the event, all-you-can-drink in fact; the only catch is we need you to brew the beer so we can use it to pay the volunteers! Lot’s of beer! Now is a good time to brew a batch to be ready in time for the party.

Please email Mimi at summerparty@pacificgravity.com when you can do some volunteering – Friday evening setup, Sunday morning clean up, and/or during the party on Saturday. (thanks to those who already signed up!)

We also need your sodas for the non-alcohol drinking crowd, if you have a good soda recipe; this is a great place to show it off.  Along with our best beer of the party competition, we will also host this year’s theme competition which will be color based on our Red, White and Blue theme! Bring a batch of your favorite red, white or blue alcohol or non-alcohol (sodas count!) summertime drink and we will judge it and announce a winner at the event.

Carl Townsend (Competition Coordinator) will be sending info soon on needs for all beverages contributions: beer, soda as well as equipment needs and sign ups.

Stay tuned for additional details!