All Pacific Gravity news.

Foam on the brain from the President

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by Ian Fraser

Happy New Year!

We are starting out a new year with some changes to the P.G. Board.  I would like to thank our outgoing officers, Eli Barone and Terry Malloy for their work on behalf of the club; and welcome in the new board:

Ian Fraser – President
Parker Waechter – Vice-President
Derek Marshall – Secretary/Communications
Craig Corley – Treasurer
Carl – Competition Coordinator
Brian Watson – IT
Dean Sussman – Activity Director

This year is Pacific Gravity’s 25th Anniversary Year and we are planning some fun events and trips to commemorate this milestone!

February is the actual anniversary month and we hope to make that particular meeting memorable!

We are planning a 25th anniversary bottle share on Saturday, February 15 at The 4th Horseman in Long Beach…any of you who went last year will know that Martin pulls out some crazy beers for this event.

We also plan to do an actual 25th anniversary party at Tomm Carroll’s TruxStop Bar and Grill much like the 20th anniversary we held there 5 years ago!  The date of this event is not settled but most likely will not be in February or March.  April has been suggested.

For March’s First Friday (on Saturday March 7, 2020) we are planning to arrange a bus trip to the Stuffed Sandwich, Marlene has promised to put together something special for us to celebrate our year.

The LABBC will be held in March also, so get brewing and enter that competition!

There will be much more big brews, pub crawls, and road trips!  So stay tuned to the social media pages and email notifications! 

First First Friday of 2020!

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Happy New Year Pacific Gravity!

Let’s welcome a new year with a new beer! Our first First Friday is this Friday, January 3rd, 2020 and we are going to visit a new brewery in El Segundo called Surfridge Brewing Co.

First Friday: January 3, 2020
Where: Surfridge Brewing Co.  137 Nevada St. El Segundo, CA 90245
Time: 7:00 PM

I hope to see you all there!

Cheers,

Ian Fraser
President

AHA / Stone Rally Bus to San Diego!

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Road trip January 11, 2020.

This just in from the AHA and California Homebrewers Association.    Please read carefully; the procedure is a bit complicated.
If you are not already a member of CHA, you will need to join.

In addition to getting a bus ticket, you need to respond to the AHA Rally RSVP at:

Rally RSVP

If you are not already a an AHA member, you will need to join.

Carl

California Homebrewers Association
December 10, 2019
Hello!
The American Homebrewers Association / Stone Brewing Co. Homebrew Brew Competition and AHA Rally is on Saturday January 11, 2020, at the Stone Liberty Station location. The CHA has chartered a coach bus to take members from the LA area to San Diego and back.
Bus tickets are for sale in our online shop at calhomebrewers.org. 2019 and 2020 Members can purchase tickets; 2020 Memberships are now available and cards will ship in January. A direct link is here:
See the sales page for more details.

Important Notes:

1) 21+ Only On Bus! You will be carded before entering the bus. Please being valid ID (in-date Driver’s License, Passport, Military ID)
2) Pricing: December, $40 (CHA Members Only), January: $50 (Open to all)
2) Bus ticket is non-refundable but is transferable.
3) Your bus ticket is NOT admission to the Rally! See our FAQ.

The bus schedule is as follows:

Saturday January 11, 2020:

Passenger Pickups:
8AM: Leave LA Union Station (800 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA)
9AM: Leave Willow Blue Line Station (200 E 27th St, Long Beach, CA 90806)
9:30AM: Leave South Coast Plaza (3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626)

11:00AM-2PM: Stone Brewing Liberty Station (2816 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106)

2PM Depart Liberty Station
2-5PM: Brewery Stop (Location TBD)
5PM Depart TBD Brewery

Passenger Dropoffs:
South Coast Plaza (3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626)
Willow Blue Line Station (200 E 27th St, Long Beach, CA 90806)
No later than 8PM: LA Union Station (800 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA)
Cheers,
Andy Carter
President, California Homebrewers Association
847-881-6204
Be sure to check out our new social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram, @calhomebrewers, for the most up-to-date information about the festival and Southern California homebrew.

Like us on Facebook      Follow us on Twitter        View on Instagram

Summer Party Reminder!

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We will feature different kinds of jerked meats paired with black beans, coconut rice, fried plantains and mango salsa. We will also feature your ginger ales and ginger beers to accompany our feast, so get brewing people! We will extend our theme into the decorations and music; as well as having a couple of surprises that will complement our theme just fine. So what can you do to help? I am glad you asked! As always this party is a giant pot luck, so if you have a special dish to share we want to try it! It does not even have to match the theme! We rely on our members for appetizers, desserts and side dishes and they have never let us down!Our summer party theme will be grooving to the rhythm of the Caribbean.  It is coming THIS SATURDAY, AUG. 3rd at 2:00 PM at Dean’s Pac. Palisades party pad:  1310 Amalfi Drive.

Also this party is really about the beer, we need beer, lots of beer! All kegs donated to the party will be eligible for the best beer of the fest prize and bragging rights to the brewer. We will also be judging the ginger ales and ginger beers as well and recognizing the winner of that category also! So pull out those old Bermuda shorts, weave yourself a thatch hat and come boogie down to our summer jam!

Here is a party checklist for ALL attendees to keep you in the groove!

  • Club Dues: If you haven’t paid already, please do so at the summer party!
  • Bring BEER, BEER & more BEER! Also, bring sodas or a non-beer beverage featuring GINGER for the “Best Ginger Beverage” competition!  Please email what you are bringing to Carl at Competitions@PacificGravity.org.
  • FOOD – sign up to bring Jamaican 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! We need LOTS of food to go with all the beer so please email Ian at SummerParty@PacificGravity.org what dishes you will add to our feast!
  • VOLUNTEERS – we need YOU to help make this a successful party! We have lots of volunteer opportunities!
    • Setup on Friday night – starting at 6pm
    • Food prep on Friday – please contact Chef Ian to help
    • Cleanup on Sunday morning -starting around 10am
    • More setup and food prep on Saturday morning – between 10am and 2pm
    • Bartender shifts – 1hr. (please see Carl on Saturday to volunteer)
  • Beer Equipment (email Carl at: Competitions@PacificGravity.org)
    • 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. 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
  • Charity Donation Goods – Our partners at The People Concern provided us with a list of what they need most for the summer:
    • NEW underwear for men and women (all sizes)
    • Sunscreen
    • Light t-shirts for both men and women (all sizes)
    • Shorts and skirts/summer dresses (all sizes)
    • Travel size toiletries
    • Granola Bars
    • Water

Don’t forget to bring and things to know:

  • Bring BEER & other beverages
  • Bring FOOD – Jamaican themed or any food that goes with beer!
  • Fee for all adult guests is $10 per guest. Kids are free. (Current members 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
  • Donations for Charity – clothes, toiletries, new socks/underwear, kitchen kits, cleaning supplies, etc.
  • 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.

DATE:    Saturday, Aug 3, 2019
TIME:    2:00 PM
PLACE:  1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades

Pacific Gravity Summer Party Checklist – Start Planning Today

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The PG Summer Party is less than two weeks away!  Please see the checklist below to get ready for the big day.

Saturday, August 3, 2019 – 2pm to 10pm

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

 

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

IMPORTANT: PLEASE EMAIL US WITH WHAT YOU WILL BRING AND HOW YOU CAN HELP!

 

Checklist for ALL party attendees:

  • Bring BEER, BEER & more BEER! Also, bring sodas or a non-beer beverage featuring GINGER for the “Best Ginger Beverage” competition!  Please email what you are bringing to Carl at c136@7d.com
  • FOOD – sign up to bring Jamaican 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! We need LOTS of food to go with all the beer so please email Ian at summerparty@pacificgravity.com what dishes you will add to our feast!
  • VOLUNTEERS – we need YOU to help make this a successful party! We have lots of volunteer opportunities!
    • Setup on Friday night – starting at 6pm
    • Food prep on Friday – please contact Chef Ian to help
    • Cleanup on Sunday morning -starting around 10am
    • More setup and food prep on Saturday morning – between 10am and 2pm
    • Bartender shifts – 1hr. (please see Carl on Saturday to volunteer)
  • Beer Equipment (email Carl at: c136@7d.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. 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
  • Charity Donation Goods – clothes, toiletries, new socks/underwear, kitchen kits, cleaning supplies, etc. See more info on PG website or on OPCC.net/Giving/WishList website

 

Don’t forget to bring and things to know:

  • Bring BEER & other beverages
  • Bring FOOD – Jamaican themed or any food that goes with beer!
  • Fee for all adult guests is $10 per guest. Kids are free. (Current members 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
  • Donations for Charity – clothes, toiletries, new socks/underwear, kitchen kits, cleaning supplies, etc.
  • 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.

 

 

 

 

June Meeting 6/20 at Smog City

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Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, June 20, at 7:30pm at Smog City Brewing Company – 1901 Del Amo Blvd B, Torrance, CA 90501

Bring your Monster Brew! Porter has been gracious enough to host our annual monster brew, but rarely gets to sample the results. Not anymore!

Our style of the month is British and American strong ales, with a commercial tasting hosted by Robert Wilkinson and Peter Moran.

Jill, of Strand Brewers Club, will be handing out ribbons from the Jeff Sanders Memorial Competition.

See you there!

Upcoming dates:

July 5: First Friday at The Doughroom

July 13: Big Brew at Carl’s House – Limited Space – Sign up with Carl

August 2: First Friday bottle-share/Summer Party setup at Dean’s House

August 3: Summer Party at Dean’s House – Get your keg on The Wave of Beer – sign up with Carl

August 15: Meeting at Tortugo Brewing

Competition Corner – April 2019

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First up, a quick reminder that Mayfaire entries are due this Friday, April 12 at Eagle Rock, Steinfillers, Woodland Hills brewing shops.  Enter now at http://competitions.maltosefalcons.com/.   Judging will be April 27 at Five Threads Brewing Company.  We will also likely do a local preliminary judging round sometime in the next two weeks.  Check back here for details. 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 treasurer@pacificgravity.com  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 →

First Friday at Santa Monica Brew Works

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Please join us for our second First Friday of 2019 when we visit Santa Monica Brew Works, located at
1920 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, California. Pacific Gravity Alum Drew Pomatti works at the brewery.
Start time will be about 7:30. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming dates to remember.
Feb. 21, February club meeting at Tortugo Brewing
March 8, March First Friday at Irish Times
March 9, Monster brew at Smog City Brewery

Cheers,

Ian

Reminder: Pacific Gravity January Club Meeting

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Don’t miss our first club meeting of 2019, headed by our new president, Ian Fraser.

When: Thursday, January 17, 2019
Time: 7:30
Where: Tortugo Brewing, 916 W Hyde Park Blvd, Inglewood, CA.

Hyde Park Blvd is a few blocks East of Three Weavers, and just North of the iconic Randy’s Doughnuts. From La Cienega and Florence, go east on Florence about 1/4 mile, turning left at the first street. Go under the metro rail tracks, proceed to the big orange building on the East side of the street.

Commercial Style of the Month:   English Bitters. Dean will lead us in the commercial tasting

Homebrew Style of the Month:   English Bitters.

Please bring some home-brewed beer to share.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Club Meetings:
February 21: Tortugo Brewing Company, 7:30 pm
March 21: Tortugo Brewing Company, 7:30 pm

First Fridays:
February 1: Santa Monica Brew Works, 1920 Colorado Ave #c, Santa Monica
March 1: Irish Times, 3267 Motor Ave, West Los Angeles

Annual Smog City Monster Brew:
Saturday, March 9, 6-ish am

See you there!

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