All Pacific Gravity news.

Final Reminder for PG Bus Trip to the Stuffed Sandwich on Saturday, July 8th!

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There are still some seats available on the bus so come join us for a fun road trip. Friends are welcome.
And, don’t forget to bring a brew or 2 to share with friends on the bus.

The bus leaves at 12noon from the Culver City Home Brew Supply so please plan to arrive by 11:30am.
See more details for this can’t be missed PG adventure at: http://pacificgravity.com/2017/06/save-the-date-for-pgs-bus-trip-to-stuffed-sandwich-saturday-july-8th/

If you want a preview, then go checkout Stuffed Sandwich’s website for the July beer special offerings.

See you on the bus!

 

Upcoming Summer Events that can’t be missed!

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Bus Party/Bus Trip to Stuffed Sandwich on Saturday, July 8th

Who’s going on Pacific Gravity’s road trip to Stuffed Sandwich on Saturday, July 8th?
Please let us know ASAP if you want a seat on the bus. And, please let us know if you will be going but not on the bus. We need to give Stuffed Sandwich an estimated headcount by the end of this week. Please email Mimi at [email protected] at your earliest convenience this week.

Also, please note that Stuffed Sandwich has confirmed the lunch special as:
Half a sandwich (Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Italian Sub or veggie option) served with a side of potato or macaroni salad along with a pint of draft beer in a complimentary glass for $19.50 (a $25 value).  Note this is in ADDITION to your money for the bus ride. The sandwiches are huge, so this is a good lunch even for a big eater. We will collect orders for the special lunch as we board the bus on July 8th.
Please see the post for this trip on the PG website for more details.

Pacific Gravity’s Summer Party on Saturday, July 29th

A note from Chef Ian about our PG Summer Party on Saturday, July 29th:
SUMMER LUAU

WE ARE GOING ON A HUKILAU, A HUKI HUKI HUKI HUKI HUKILAU!  We are going to eat some ono kau kau!  At our huki huki huki huki hukilau!

Aloha and shaka bra!  This year’s summer party will feature a Hawaiian style luau theme.  This particular theme is near and dear to our chef’s heart and soul as he was a long time native of the islands.  So expect him to pull out all the stops and try to create as close to a traditional style luau as we can get without actually digging an imu (oven) pit in Deans yard!  So get out your grass skirt and palm frond hat on and hula on down to Dean Sussman’s little grass shack in the Pacific Palisades.  The address is 1310 Amalfi Drive.  The date for our luau will be July 29th.

As usual this is a huge operation and its success will depend on massive amounts of member assistance.  First off we need beer, lots of it; if you brew now you still have time to get it in the keg for the summer party.  We also need sodas for the non-drinkers, if you ever wanted to make a soda, now is a good time to try it.  This year’s drink contest will feature ‘tropical fruit’.  Any alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink or beer that features a tropical fruit will be considered for this award.  Plus we will award the best beer an honor as well.

We will need all party attendees to bring food dishes to compliment our Chef’s luau feast. So, please start thinking what you will bring.

And, time to clean out your closets! We will have collection of charity donations for The People Concern (formerly OPCC). Charity Donation Goods to be collected: – clothes, toiletries, new socks/underwear, kitchen kits, cleaning supplies, etc ( https://www.opcc.net/?nd=in )

Finally, we will need volunteers for all aspects of the party: setup-Friday & Saturday, food prep-Friday & Saturday, check-in, bartender shifts & cleanup-Sunday am.

So, please email us ([email protected] ) if you have questions or just want to sign up to volunteer!

First Friday (July 7th) in Redondo Beach

And, don’t forget that we have First Friday (July 7th) in Redondo Beach: Naja’s Place & King Harbor Brewing Taproom. (see PG website/calendar for more details)

May PG Club Meeting

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Don’t forget the May Pacific Gravity club meeting will be held this Thursday 5/18 at Culver City Homebrewing Supply at 7:30pm. The beer style of the month is Alternate Fermentables (rye, sorghum, spelt, that weird stuff in the back your fridge, etc.). Homebrew samples of the current month’s style and others will be welcome. Also, a commercial tasting will be provided by Larry Powell. Club business will cover the latest club news and upcoming events. This will be a good opportunity to get the scoop on the Anchor Brewing Party in S.F. this weekend celebrating PG as 2016 California Homebrew Club of the Year. Hope to see you there…

 

 

CCHBS

4234 Sepulveda Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90230

 

 

Other upcoming events:

May 20 – Anchor Brewing Party celebrating PG (San Francisco)

June 2 – First Friday @ LA Aleworks

July 29 – Summer Party!!

Reminder: Membership Dues Renewal

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This is just a reminder that club membership dues are still being collected. Thank you to the many of you who have already renewed your membership recently.

If you still need to pay, there are a variety of ways to submit payment.

  • Follow this link ( http://pacificgravity.com/renewals/ ) to pay electronically via Paypal. No Paypal account required.
  • Also, cash or checks (payable to Pacific Gravity) can be left on your next visit to Culver City Homebrewing Supply.
  • Want to drop it in the mail? No problem, send to PG at PO Box 2451, Culver City, CA 90231. Of course you can also pay in person at an upcoming club event such as the upcoming club meeting at LA Ale Works in Hawthorne on Thursday, April 20th.

Annual membership dues remain at $36 (standard) and $54 for a couples membership. Renewals are synced to March each year, so if you joined the club since last March, a prorated amount would be due to get you paid in good standing through March 2018. Please contact me, club treasurer Tim Bardet at [email protected] with any questions on your dues or membership status.

As our main source of revenue, membership dues help cover many of Pacific Gravity’s operating costs for things like commercial tastings, club meetings, the Summer & Holiday parties and more.

 Please renew and stay in the loop for another year of PG fun!

Thanks!

Tim

Quick Anchor Trip Update

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Hey PG!

VERY quick update to get you all ready to book rooms for our trip to Anchor on May 19th and 20th.

  • We have 20 rooms reserved with a group rate of $199 per night plus taxes & fees.
  • I’ve reached out to the members who have indicated they definitely want to go via email, survey responses, or in person. Those early RSVP’ers gave us the base on which the confidence of contracting the 20 rooms was built (almost an $8000 commitment), so they get early access to book.
  • The early RSVP crew will have today to book their rooms before I unleash our deal to the general membership (and other clubs who want to come with us) TOMORROW.

Prepare! Tomorrow, I will post again with booking information.

Michael

Pacific Gravity February 2017 Recap

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(From Terry M)

Our Homebrew Style of the Month was Amber & Brown Ales.  Kegs included:

  • Tim / Ian / Larry’s Cider;
  • Parker W’s Peanut Butter Porter;
  • Michael Patterson’s Saison and German Lager from the same wort;
  • CCHBS’s Melrose Mild; and
  • Ruben’s Oatmeal Stout in a mini freshman keg that stood tall with all the senior kegs.

Bottles/Growlers included:

  • Eli’s Doctored Porter right out of the fermenter;
  • Andrew W’s Evil Monk Belgian;
  • and a few others that I did not get to sample.

Thanks to all that brought beer to share.

Education Corner: Michael Patterson led a Single Hop tasting session. I hope everyone there was able to take advantage of Michael’s creative learning presentation.

Commercial Tasting:  Andrew W. led the commercial tasting, starting with some interesting Ambers (Dude’s Blood Orange Amber, Mission Brewery’s Amber, and Alesmith’s 2015 Decadence Belgian Amber) before launching into some interesting Brown Ale examples (Los Coast’s Raspberry Brown, Alesmith’s Nut Brown, and Port Brewing’s Board Meeting Double Brown).

An additional thank-you to Andrew for the thoroughness of the tasting session. Each commercial beer is evaluated, along with its vital stats, and the tasting itself had an interesting twist: the first example from each style had fruit, followed by a classic example, then a higher gravity example. Well done.

Raffle swag included lots of hops from the Corley Cellar (congratulations Larry) and some classic PG Glass-&-A-Beer specials.

Welcome New Members:

Josh M.

Damien S

David S.

March Activities:

First Friday will be held at our traditional March First Friday site: Irish Times Pub, 3267 Motor Ave, Los Angeles.

The 9th Annual Monster Brew will take place at Smog City Brewing, 1901 Del Amo Blvd in Torrance. Each 5-gallon pour will cost $30. Brewing starts at 6:30a, with wort distribution around Noon. See the Monster Brew section for more details and hints on how to modify the wort for your style of choice.

Our next club meeting is Thursday, March 16, 7:30pm at LA Ale Works, 12918 Cerise Avenue in Hawthorne.

March Style of the Month is Irish Ales and Stouts, in recognition of St. Paddy’s Day. Please bring your homebrew in growlers or bottles only; due to CA Alcohol & Beverage Control (A.B.C.) regulations, homebrew kegs will NOT be allowed on site.

You can drop off your entries for the 3rd Annual Los Angeles Belgian Beer Challenge at the meeting. Entry deadline is Friday, March 17. Judging will take place at LA Ale Works on March 26.

SCHBF Update:  22 of the 30 camping slots for the May 5-7 festival have been reserved. Cost is $30 per camper. Please pay at any upcoming club event. Don’t forget to follow the registration process at the California Homebrewers Association website so you can get into the festival itself.

February Club Meeting

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Hey PG!

I’m sending you all this quick reminder that our February club meeting is THIS Thursday. We’ll meet at Culver City Home Brew Supply, the style of the month is Amber and Brown Ales, and Andrew W. will host the commercial tasting. There will also be a little food and a few announcements, and a raffle and best beer of the meeting competition as always.

See you there!

Michael

16feb7:30 pmFebruary Club Meeting7:30 pm Culver City Home Brew Supply

Happy New Year!

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Hey PG!

I hope you all had happy holidays and rang in the new year surrounded by friends and family. Planning the club agenda for 2017 is almost finished, so our calendar will soon be peppered with events each month and you’ll be hearing about upcoming events via the site regularly as well.

A few items to plan for in the near term…

  • First Friday is THIS Friday at Father’s Office here in Culver City. Tania and I will be there starting around 7:30pm, bring some warm clothes and your appetite for beer and a very tasty house burger.
  • Our trip to celebrate as home brew club of the year at Anchor Brewing is coming up in early February. I know of a number of members that have expressed interest in going and I’ll be sharing more details and collecting sign ups soon. A group hotel rate seems very probable at this point and we’re still hashing out the details of transportation.
  • Tickets for the California Homebrewers Association’s Southern California Home Brew Fest (May 5th and 6th) go on sale starting on January 6th. Same venue, Vail Lake in Temecula. Last year’s festival was an excellent getaway filled with great beers, awesome food (thanks Ian), and very cool people. I highly, highly, recommend attending.

Anyway, let’s discuss and plan the 2nd and 3rd items together in person at First Friday!   See you there!

Michael

6jan7:30 pmFirst Friday - Father's Office Culver City7:30 pm Father's Office

COUNTDOWN to our PG HOLIDAY PARTY … THIS SATURDAY (DEC 10th)!!!

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Please let us know what you can do to help.

We need FOOD, BEER, assorted EQUIPMENT, DONATIONS FOR CHARITY and VOLUNTEERS for setup and cleanup.

PLEASE email us how you are going to help…see details below.

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

It is time for the Pacific Gravity and Culver City Homebrew Supply Shop annual holiday event.  Mark your calendars!  This year the party is happening on Saturday, December 10, 2016 at Dean Sussman’s house – same location as our Summer party. Dean’s address is: 1310 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA.

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 much of the main dishes, this is still a potluck party and YOUR favorite party dish will sure be appreciated!  The menu should mostly reflect past holiday parties featuring Carbonnades ala Flamandes, prime rib ala BBQ, deep fried turkeys, spiced ham and much more! Suggestions 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 at: [email protected] or Mimi at [email protected]

The dinner portion of the event will be ongoing beginning at approximately 6 p.m.
Just like our Summer Party, all food prep, cooking, consumption and cleanup will be OUTSIDE. There is NO access to the house. BBQs will be our heat source for food. Therefore, 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.

VOLUNTEERS needed for setup & cleanup:
On Friday, December 9th, starting around 6pm, we need help with setup at Dean’s. (probably ending around 8-9pm) We will be setting up tables, E-Z ups, lighting, the beer wave and anything that can be done and left out overnight.

On Saturday, Dec 10th, starting at NOON, we need help with final setup at Dean’s.

On Sunday, Dec 11th, starting at 10 am, 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 [email protected]

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.  It is forecasted to be cold on Saturday evening so please help bring some wood so we can all stay warm.

We could also use a few 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 12noon – 3pm on Saturday (and at least before 5pm, if possible.) 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 Dean’s house at setup on Friday evening or Saturday afternoon, then please email Carl Townsend at [email protected] to make arrangements to drop off your kegs at his house.

 

2nd Annual Holiday CLOTHING CHARITY DRIVE:
It’s time to clean out your closets…Pacific Gravity is having our 2nd annual Holiday CLOTHING DRIVE!
We will have boxes to collect all donations you can bring to the party.
For clothes & other items, please see the detailed 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. (Please see this link for all donations ideas: https://www.opcc.net/?nd=in_kind
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 they can always use:
Clothing
Sweat socks – for men, women and children
Sweat shirts and pants for adults – all sizes especially larger sizes
Sneakers – men’s & women’s most needed
Shower shoes/thongs
Rain ponchos for adults & children
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
sanitary napkins & tampons
Blankets (preferably wool)
Backpacks or duffel bags
Sleeping bags for adults
Diapers – all sizes
Bedding: Twin size sheets, comforters and pillows. Please note pillow must be new.

Gift Certificates
Supermarkets (Ralphs, Vons,Albertson’s)
Fast food restaurants
Book & music stores
Movie passes
Clothing stores, department stores (Marshalls, Target or Ross)

Art Supplies
Markers, finger paints, facepaints, crayons, watercolors, glue, glitter, collage materials, coloring books, activity books, stickers
BEER:
Last but certainly not least is 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: [email protected] & let him know what you will bring.  Everyone who signs up in advance will have a colorful tap tag.

Final Party Details:

Dress warm for our winter party and bring your own chair and/or blankets.

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.  Plus, a special toast to this year’s California Home Brew Club of the Year: Pacific Gravity!

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!