Pacific Gravity Club Meeting Thursday, February 15th at Tortugo Brewery

Greetings Pacific Gravity,

Welcome to a fabulous February!

Our club meeting this week  will be at usual time and place:

February Monthly Meeting; Thursday 2/15/2024 at 7:30 PM
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W. Hyde Park Blvd.
Inglewood,  CA  90302
(424) 227-9963

Our Style Of The Month for February is Belgian beers – so please bring your superior singles, delightful dubbels, terrific triples and quintessential quads to share!

A good time was had by all who attended February’s “First Saturday” at Stuffed Sandwich.  Marlene was a terrific host as always, had a fun vertical tasting surprise in store (Also special thanks to the anonymous club member who helped make that happen – you know who you are!!).

Now we are looking forward to our March First Friday at Firestone Walker Brewing in Venice on Friday March 1!”

And let’s not forget the Monster Brew at Smog City on Saturday March 9! Please be sure and sign up early and often so we can make this event happen! If we fail to hit critical mass, this event may be canceled – PLEASE SIGN UP NOW!! (details below)

But wait, there’s more!  The Southern California Homebrewers Festival is coming up May 3 & 4 at Vail Lake near Temecula.  There are still some slots available for tent campers – If you would  like to attend, please let Terry know ASAP to reserve your spot.  I went for the first time last year, and I gotta say, it really lived up to the hype – a huge amount of fun camping with the club (and meeting other clubs) and attending the massive festival with more homebrew taps than I have ever conceived of!

See you all Thurs 2/15 at Tortugo!!

Parker Waechter
President
Pacific Gravity Homebrewers

Upcoming Styles of the Month

  • January – Winter beers
  • February – Belgian beers
  • March  – British Isle beers
  • April 2024 – Pale beers
  • May 2024 – Dark/black beers
  • June 2024 – Sour beers, smoked beers, and wood-aged beers
  • July 2024 – IPAs
  • August 2024 – No style of the month (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

  • February 15: Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Company – Style: Belgian Beer
  • March 1: First Friday at Firestone Walker Brewing
  • March 9: Monster Brew

Monster Brew 2024 at Smog City – Sign Up Now!

Porter has once again graciously offered to host a monster brew at Smog City Brewing Company.  This will be our 8th Monster Brew with Brewmaster, Jon Porter (and lucky 13th if you count the ones he hosted previously, going all the way back to his days at Tustin Brewing!).  These events are always a highlight of the year’s activities and an unreasonably huge amount of fun, so please come out and join us!

Date:  Saturday, March 9, 2024
Sign-Up Deadline: Mon March 4
Time:  ~7:00 AM Mash-In
~12pm Fermenter Filling
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. Purchase yeast and any ingredients desired for modification to the wort – I suggest supporting local South Bay Brewing Supply (call ahead to verify stock)
  3. Arrive at the Monster Brew with a clean plastic or metal fermenter (NO GLASS!) which we will fill with UNFERMENTED wort.
  4. Take it home and modify as desired and pitch your yeast
  5. 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?” post.

COST and RESERVATIONS
We need a headcount WELL BEFORE the brew session, so we can plan the batch size.  You must make a reservation by Monday 3/4 if you want wort.  The cost will be $35 for each 5 gallons of wort and you can order as many batches as you like  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:

1. Pay now with Paypal with https://py.pl/2M8HyzSGODw.  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 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 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!!!

We hope to see you all there!

Competition Corner February 2024

  • February – America’s Finest City  https://beerawardsplatform.com/afc-2024
    • Missed the entry window – capped at 500 entries
  • February – Start of AHA NHC Process
    • Feb 27 – March 15 Entry registration and payment
    • March 29 – deadline for entry changes
    • May-June Shipping and judging of first Round
    •  July 29 – August 9: Final Round Shipping/Drop-off Window (San Diego)
    • August 17 – 24: Final Round Judging
    • October 10: Award Ceremony at Great American Beer Festival
  • April – Mayfaire Competition  No info yet, but almost certain to happen
  • May/June  State Fair.
    • See if Angel City is a drop-off again
  • May –  County Fair? Unlikely
  • Replace Co Fair with Long Beach Red White and Brews?
    • American beers, 30 different styles
  • September – Pacific Brewers Cup
    •  We are running it in 2024 – Need to get plans in place
  • October California State Competition

Copyright © 2024 Pacific Gravity, All rights reserved.

Stuffed Sandwich Trip, Monster Brew, Competitions

Greetings Pacific Gravity!

There are two great events coming up that you will not want to miss.  We will be having our First Saturday next weekend at Stuffed Sandwich next Saturday 2/3 and a Monster Brew at Smog City on Saturday 3/9.  Read below for details on each!

Stuffed Sandwich FIRST SATURDAY this coming weekend!!

For February’s First Friday, we will instead be partaking of an epic FIRST SATURDAY at Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel -Please join us!

Time: Saturday, February 3, 2024 12 noon.
Location: Stuffed Sandwich
1145 East Las Tunas Dr.
San Gabriel,  CA  91776  (626) 285-9161

Marlene’s featured theme for February will be “Barlywines and Strong Ales” – this of course means very high alcohol.  Please make your travel plans accordingly! Carpooling with a designated driver, public transport, or sharing a ride-share can be a  good strategy…

Stuffed Sandwich is part of our local beer history as it specialized in craft beer before it was even called craft beer.  In addition to the great beers they will have on tap, they always have a disturbingly excellent collection of bottles for sale.

———————————————————–

Monster Brew ’24 at Smog City – SIGN UP NOW!

Porter has once again graciously offered to host a monster brew at Smog City Brewing Company.  This will be our 8th Monster Brew with Brewmaster, Jon Porter (and lucky 13th if you count the ones he hosted previously, going all the way back to his days at Tustin Brewing!).  These events are always a highlight of the year’s activities and an unreasonably huge amount of fun, so please come out and join us!

Date:  Saturday, March 9, 2024
Sign-Up Deadline: Mon March 4
Time:  ~7:00 AM Mash-In
~12pm Fermenter Filling
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. Purchase yeast and any ingredients desired for modification to the wort – I suggest supporting local South Bay Brewing Supply (call ahead to verify stock)
  3. Arrive at the Monster Brew with a clean plastic or metal fermenter (NO GLASS!) which we will fill with UNFERMENTED wort.
  4. Take it home and modify as desired and pitch your yeast
  5. 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?” post.

COST and RESERVATIONS
We need a headcount WELL BEFORE the brew session, so we can plan the batch size.  You must make a reservation by Monday 3/4 if you want wort.  The cost will be $35 for each 5 gallons of wort and you can order as many batches as you like  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:

1. Pay now with Paypal with https://py.pl/2M8HyzSGODw.  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 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 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!!!

We hope to see you all there!

Parker Waechter, President Pacific Gravity

Competition Corner January 2024

Greetings fellow homebrewers.  I hope your year is starting out well.  Personally, I’m taking advantage of the cool weather and have a “garage lager” in the fermenter.

With the beginnings of a new year, everybody in the club is tied for the 2024 Brewer of the Year award!  Now is you chance to pull into the lead. Here is the rundown on the 2024 cycle:

  • America’s Finest City:  Whoops, already full!  I was stunned to see this 500-entry competition was full before I even had the date.
  • AHA National Homebrew Competition:  AHA has revamped the schedule this year, so advance brewing and planning is needed to pull this off.  Details can be found at https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/national-homebrew-competition/ .  Entry requests open February 27th and close March 15th.  First round entries need to be shipped off in May or June.  If you advance to the finals, second round entries are due in Dan Diego by August 9th, with judging the 3rd week of August.  Final results will be presented at the Great American Beer Festival in October.
  • April – Mayfaire Competition
  • May/June  State Fair
  • May – July:- LA County Fair seems to be history.  If things change, I’ll have an update.
  • July:  Red, White and Brews.  We decided to add this competition to the cycle this year since the LA County Fair left a gap in the schedule.  Run by Long Beach Homebrewers, this competition focuses on various American Styles.
  • September:  Pacific Brewers Cup.  Pacific Gravity is running the competition this year, so we’ll need all hands on deck. More about this in the months to come.
  • October:  California State Competition

If you want to get some competition practice in, there are many other competitions out there.  Check out https://www.bjcp.org/competitions/competition-calendar/ for the full schedule.

Carl Townsend
Competition Coordinator

Upcoming Styles of the Month

  • February – Belgian beers
  • March  – British Isle beers

Upcoming Events

  • February 3: First Saturday Stuffed Sandwich
  • February 15: Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Company – Style: Belgian Beer
  • March 9: Monster Brew Smog City Brewing

Competition Corner – September 2023

We are fast approaching the end of the 2023 Brewer of the Year with just two more competitions to go.

First up:  Pacific Brewers Cup, which is being run by Long Beach Homebrewers this year.

Registration is currently open at https://www.longbeachhomebrewers.com/comp/pbc/bcoem/ , with the deadline of September 23.  This is a full-on competition with all BJCP styles.

The dropoff location is at at Stein Fillers in Long Beach.  But, if you bring your entries to the September club meeting at Tortugo on Thursday, September 21st, I’ll hand carry them to Long Beach Friday morning.  Judging at La Jara Brewing on October 7th in Norwalk. Please sign up to judge or steward using the above link.

 

 

The the last competition of the 2023 Brewer of the Year Cycle is California Homebrew Competition.  Registration is now open at https://castate.brewcompetition.com/ .
You must ship your entries to the bay area between September 30th and October 12th. Entries due by October 12.  Judging will be held October 28th – Nov 5th in the Bay area.

The winner of the 2023 Brewer of the Year will be announced at the Holiday Party!

Pacific Gravity Club Meeting Thursday, February 16th at Tortugo Brewery

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:

  • Taster Glasses $5
  • Lanyards (hold badge and have a ring for taster glasses) $5
  • We also have a couple of items if anyone is interested:
    Rice cooker (gargantuan size)
    Turkey Fryer

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

Brew now for the Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge

After a long gap triggered by the COVID pandemic, we have resurrected the Los Angeles Belgian Brew Challenge for 2023.  This competition focuses on the Belgian styles as defined in the 2015 BJCP guidelines. This year, judging will be hosted at our home brewery, Tortugo Brewing Company on March 25.  This will give you time to brew for most of the styles.  The Best in Show entry will be brewed by Tortugo as a Pro-Am entry in the Great American Beer Festival.

Here are some of the key details for 2023:

  • Entry Registration begins on February 1st and runs through March 10th.
  • Two bottles are required for each entry with a $10 entry fee.
  • Bottle drop-off begins February 25th and runs through March 10th. Entries can be dropped off at the brewery, or the local homebrew shops.
  • Volunteers for Judges, Stewards and other assistants can sign up now. Volunteers will get the official competition tee shirt.
  • Bottle Organizing will be held at Tortugo on Saturday, March 11th.
  • Main judging Saturday, March 25th at Tortugo.

For general information about the competition, go to http://belgianbrewchallenge.com/  In addition to the beer styles that can be entered, we will cover some sponsor highlights.

Sign-ups for Judges, Stewards and other assistants can be found at http://comp.belgianbrewchallenge.com/  Entry registration can be found here as well starting February 1st.

So get those brew kettles going now and good luck with your entries!
Carl Townsend
Competition Coordinator

Other Upcoming Events
January 19th 7:30 PM. January Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Company. Style of the month is Winter Beers.
February 1:  Entry Registration begins for LABBC
February 3 or 4th:  First Friday or Saturday TBD
February 16:  Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing Company
February 25:  Entry Drop-off begins for LABBC
March 10:  Entry Drop-off Deadline for LABBC
March 11:  Bottle Organizing Session at Tortugo
March 25:  Main Judging Session for LABBC at Tortugo

Competition Corner August 2022 – Here Comes Pacific Brewers Cup

Call for Entries- 2022 Pacific Brewers Cup

It is my pleasure to announce this year’s Pacific Brewers Cup Homebrew Competition will be hosted by Strand Brewers Club.  This most prestigious event is hosted on a rotating basis with Pacific Gravity Homebrewers Club, Long Beach Homebrewers Club and Strand Brewers Club.

Registration for Entries for the 2022 Pacific Brewers Cup Homebrew Competition is now open at:

https://strandbrewersclub.org/pbc/bcoem/

We are also seeking Judges, Stewards and Competition Volunteers for this event.  Registration for these positions will be available at the same website beginning August 15, two weeks from now.  2022 PBC T-shirts and other perks will be available when registering as a Judge, Steward or Competition Volunteer; please consider helping Strand Brewers Club with this event.  Breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided to all Volunteers at the Final Judging on October 15.

Final Judging for the 2022 Pacific Brewers Cup will be held on Saturday, October, 15, 2022 @ Project Barley Brewery & Pizzeria, 2308 Pacific Coast Hwy. Lomita, Ca., 90717, starting at 8:30 AM.  We are planning a morning and afternoon Judging session.

This is a BJCP and AHA-sanctioned competition.  This is also a full-category Competition based on the 2015 BJCP Guidelines, including meads and ciders.

As this Competition will be judged live and in-person and the PBC Organizing Committee cannot predict future Covid-19 activity, we are asking that all judges and stewards be fully vaccinated.  Please be advised that the PBC Planning Committee and Project Barley Brewery & Pizzeria will be doing everything possible to ensure a safe Event, in compliance with current L.A. County and BJCP/AHA recommendations.  We will also ask everyone to observe COVID protocols such as wearing a mask whenever possible and your nose is not inside a taster cup, as a courtesy and precaution.

Judges, Stewards and Competition Volunteers are invited to submit entries as well.  Due to limits on comfortable size and space, we will be limiting the competition to 300 total entries, as an added safety measure.  Registration of Entries will run from August 1 to September 25, 2022.  Please note the deadline for Competition Entries is September 25, 2022.  For more information, including conveniently located drop-off locations, as well as an Entry Mail-in Location, please refer to the above website.

Cheers & Thank You
Jeffrey Hoy, Organizer, 2022 PBC

 

Upcoming Events

August 15:  Registration starts for Pacific Brewers Cup
August 18:  Pacific Gravity Club Meeting at Tortugo Brewing
September 3 – 25:  Entry Drop-off Window for Pacific Brewers Cup
October 8, 15: (Maybe other dates too) Judging at Project Barley Brewery & Pizzeria

Competition Corner – March 2022

We have two competition updates that need your attention:

First up is the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition.  This is a multi-step process, and you must be an AHA member to register.  Step 1 is to enroll your desire to enter the competition, which you must do by March 29th, 3PM Mountain time.  AHA members will have been emailed a username (email address) and password to enroll in the competition, request the amount of beers they’d like to enter and pay for their entries.  If there are more requested entries that AHA can handle, they will create a wait list.  Actual entry confirmation and bottle submission will not occur until May, so you can still brew something if you intend to enter.   Note that you will need SIX bottles for each entry, so don’t overdo it.

Next up are details for the Maltose Falcons Mayfaire Competition.  Entry registration is now up and running at: The 44th Annual MaltoseFalcons Mayfaire Homebrew Competition!

Two bottles are needed for each entry, and costs just $10 per entry.  This year the Falcons have switched over the the BJCP style guidelines.  Entry deadline is April 22nd.  If you bring your entries to the Club Meeting on April 21 at Tortugo Brewery, I’ll run them up to the Valley Friday morning.

We also will try to set up a preliminary judging session on the Westside the first week of May, so drop me a line if you can do some judging.

Get those brew kettles going!

Carl Townsend
Competition Coordinator

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, April 2, 2022:
NOON on Saturday
4th Horseman, 121 W. 4th St.
Long Beach, Ca. 9080

April Club Meeting:
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W Hyde Park Blvd
Inglewood, CA 9030

April 29 – May 1, 2022
Southern California Homebrew Festival
Vail Lake, Temecula

 

 

Pacific Brewer Cup Winners Announced

Greetings Fellow Homebrewers:

After a year and a half of covid-related delays, we are please to announce the winners of the 2021 Pacific Brewer Cup.  Congratulation to Steven Severn of the Orange County Mash-ups for his Best of Show entry Janet’s Brown Ale, brewed as a memorial to Mike “Tasty” McDole, a renowned homebrewer who passed away just over a year ago.  Janet’s Brown Ale was itself a memorial brew first brewed by Tasty to honor the memory of his wife Janet who passed away in 2001.  Congratulations Steven, and a salute to your fallen comrades.

Our first Runner-up was a dry sparkling Cider brewed by Kyle Brawley.  Rounding out the top three was a Märzen brewed by Carl Townsend.

The Best Brewer award goes to Jon Silvertooth of Long Beach Homebrewers.  Jon had three first-place beers, and also led the charge for the Top Club award which goes to Long Beach Homebrewers.

Full result can be found at:http://comp.pacificgravity.com/ Read more

Stewards and Judges Needed for Pacific Brewer Cup Saturday Nov 6th

The 2021 Pacific Brewers Cup will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2021 starting at 8:30 AM.  We are still short of our desired number of judges and stewards.  The registration site for Judges, Stewards and other volunteers is now up and running at http://comp.pacificgravity.com/ .

We will be running both a morning and afternoon session.   If at all possible, please stay and do a second round.  To help me out with planning, when you register, please check your “availability” to reflect the one or both sessions if you can stay for both. We completed the bottle organizing session on the 30th with 172 entries. Entry registration is now closed.

Please note we are asking that all judges and stewards be fully vaccinated in accordance with LA County brewery patron rules.  Joe is allowing us to spread out over the entire brewery floor and will have the doors open.  We will also ask everyone to observe COVID protocols such as wearing a mask whenever you don’t have your nose inside a taster cup.

If you have never done stewarding before it is a fun and simple task.  (A more detailed write-up is found below). The main steps are as follows:

  • Your main job is to bring entries to the judging tables when asked by the judges. Do not open any bottles.  They may ask for just one entry at a time, or possibly 2 or 3 depending on the ideal serving temperature for the style. Beers will be organized by category and style.
  • Check the table supplies.  Tables should have scoresheets, cups, bottle openers, flight sheets, a dump bucket and bread.
  • After the judges finish writing scoresheets, check the math.  Then deliver the scoresheets to Tim, who will be doing data entry.
  • The judges may tell you which beers are “keepers”, or “dumpers”.  Recap the keepers.  You are free to sample the dumpers.
  • Collect discarded cups as needed.  As part of COVID protocols, do not drink out of any reused cup. Empty the dump buckets if needed.
  • After all the entries in a group have been judged, the judges may ask for the keeps to do a final taste-off.
  • After any taste-off, the judges may invite you to taste some of the keepers.
  • The lead judges at the table will then hand you the “Flight Summary Sheet”.  Verify the math on the form, and make sure the lead judge has signed it.  You can sign the steward line.  Then, hand it to Tim.

This competition is hosted on a rotating basis with Pacific Gravity Homebrewers Club, Strand Brewers and Long Beach Homebrewers.  This is a BJCP and AHA-sanctioned competition.  This is full-category competition based on the 2015 BJCP Guidelines, including meads and ciders.

Our host brewery this year is Tortugo Brewing Co, located at 916 W Hyde Park Blvd Inglewood, CA, CA 90302. Breakfast snacks and a full lunch will be provided to all volunteers.  In addition, we have a bunch of cool swag from Sierra Nevada Brewing and Wyeast, and gift certificates from Stein Fillers, Moonlight Meadery and Williams Brewing.

For more information, check out http://pbc.pacificgravity.com/ .

UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, Nov 5th, early evening:  First Friday at the Daily Pint, 2310 PICO BLVD SANTA MONICA, CA 90405
Saturday, Nov 6th, 8:30 AM:  Pacific Brewers Cup at  Tortugo Brewing Co,  916 W Hyde Park Blvd Inglewood, CA, CA 90302
Saturday, Nov 20,  Noon: Annual Chili Cookoff, Board Elections and Member of the Year voting. At Casa Molloy, 6738 W. 87th Place Los Angeles, CA 90045

Long Instructions for Stewards:

Stewards are responsible for assisting judges during the judging process, and interfacing with the
competition staff to preserve anonymity of entries. If judges have questions or requests during
judging, handle them as best as possible including checking with the competition staff if unsure
of something. One frequent request is to check competition entries against the database to ensure
an entry is correct, and that all supplied information has been provided to the judges.
Stewards bring the beer to the table for judging. This can be done one bottle at a time, or
multiple bottles can be brought at once (this is a common occurrence when using multiple teams
on a category, or if judges think the serving temperature is too cold). Handle the judge requests
as best you can. They may also request ice if they believe the entries are too warm.
Stewards should double-check the entry numbers before presenting the beer for judging.
Announce the entry and category for the judges. Do not open the bottles unless requested. Most
judges prefer to look at the bottles and open them themselves. Remember that beer can contain
sediment, so be careful in the handling of the bottles.

Stewards should monitor the table supplies and replenish items as necessary. Remove used cups
(check with judges first before touching their cups, as judges often save favorite samples for
later). Empty dump buckets as they fill, or if an objectionable-smelling entry is dumped. Do not
remove bottle caps without checking with judges; they may be needed to identify entries.
Judges may request assistance with paperwork, usually the Flight Summary Sheet and the Cover
Sheets. Stewards who do this job for judges will be helping to speed up the competition, and
deserve the thanks of judges. Regardless of other requests, stewards should check the math on
scoresheets, and scan them for completeness and inappropriate comments.
In general while judging is active, defer to the lead judge at the table unless you are directed
against specific competition instructions. Structure your activities so that you are doing your
work while the judges are judging; this keeps things moving along. Stewards who anticipate
judge needs and who pay attention to the judging process are quite valuable to competition
operations.

If stewards are invited to taste while judges are judging, stewards should refrain from
commenting until the judges have completed their scoresheets and turned them in, unless directly
asked by a judge for an opinion. If a steward has entered the competition, the steward should not
work in categories where they have entries.

Entry Window Open for 2021 Pacific Brewers Cup

Greetings Fellow Hombrewers:

After more than a year-long hiatus, October is here and we are eager to do some homebrew judging!   The official registration page of 2021 Pacific Brewer Cup is now up and running!  Pacific Brewers Cup is run annually (usually) on a rotating basis by Long Beach Homebrewers, Strand Brewers Club and Pacific Gravity Home Brewers Club. This year, Pacific Gravity is running the competition.   The PBC is an American Homebrewers Association (AHA)-sanctioned homebrew competition and will use the 2015 beer style guidelines published by the Beer Judge Certification Program.

The main judging will be on November 6th at our host brewery, Tortugo Brewing Co. in Inglewood CA.

Entry registration runs from October 15th through October 29th. Entries may be dropped off at any of the following locations:

Tortugo Brewing Co.
916 W Hyde Park Blvd Inglewood, CA, CA 90302
(424) 227-9963

South Bay Brewing Supply Co.
1311 Post Ave Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 328.2133

Stein Fillers Fermentation Supply
4160 Norse Way, Long Beach, CA 90808
(562) 425-0588

The Home Beer, Wine And Cheesemaking Shop
22836 VENTURA BLVD Unit 2, WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91364
(818) 884-8586

Here are the details Read more