Winter comp is two weeks away, June 6

We need more judges for Winter Competition / Kickback Smokin’ Brews competition next weekend, June long weekend (Saturday, June 6). Please log in to the competition portal and register. We have booked a 13-seater bus to get members there and back. This will be offered to judges and stewards in the first instance. If you’ve never judged before, you can register, and you will be placed with an accredited judge.

And that also means entries are open and bottle drop at SA Brewing Supplies and Kick Back is available from next week. All the category details and the unique specifics of this shared SABC winter comp and Kick Back Smokin Brews are in the portal or HERE.

BeerBQ, June 27 – Member free RSVP and guest tickets available now

Member RSVP (free) and guest tickets ($40) for SABC’s BeerBQ on June 27 are now available in the SABC Shop. Members need to be logged in to access the RSVP.

RSVP by logging in and grabbing a ticket here. (NOTE – you need to select: “My Account” and log in first. On a mobile phone, it is: ”My Account” is under “Menu” and log in) https://shop.sabrew.com/product-category/events/

We need to know who is coming so we can cater accurately so please jump on it ASAP.

SABC’s annual BeerBQ — It’s free for members; everyone brings homebrew, we provide the food, and it’s a great night.

If you’ve been around the club for a while, you probably know what BeerBQ is. But if you’re newer or haven’t made it along yet, here’s the short version: it’s our yearly SABC get-together where we fire up the smokers for some delicious BBQ meats, members bring kegs or bottles of homebrew to share, and we enjoy an evening of good company, food, and beer.

It’s not a competition or a judging event. There’s no pressure. Bring a keg with your own serving device – gas, tap, gun etc (we’ll supply ice), or just a bottle or two if that’s all you have. Everyone’s welcome —whether you’ve been brewing for years or you’ve just started thinking about your first batch.

If you’re not sure what to bring, bring yourself—we’ll have plenty going around. Buy a ticket for a non-member for $40 at the club shop.

It’s at the East Torrens Kensington Gardens Tennis Club, East Terrace & South Terrace, Kensington Gardens from 6pm. See you there!

Howdy yeast wranglers, here are some club updates. Lots to take note of.

May meeting date/venue

The May monthly meeting is now on THURSDAY, May 21st.

We are going to hit the road again and visit Little Bang in Stepney to have a chat with their current head brewer, Oscar. Wednesdays are noisy there with their quiz night, so we’re shifting the meeting to Thursday. Be sure to update your diaries!

Kickback Smokin’ Brews competition

If you are able to help judge or steward at the Kickback Smokin’ Brews competition on the June long weekend (June 6), please log in to the competition portal and register. We are going to book a 13-seater bus to help with travel arrangements. This will be offered to judges and stewards in the first instance.

And that also means entries are now open. All the category details and the unique specifics of this shared SABC winter comp and Kick Back Smokin Brews are in the portal or check out the last newsletter here.

SABC BeerBQ

The SABC BeerBQ date is set for Saturday, 27th June. What’s BeerBQ? Read an executive briefing here. If you can help with catering (BBQ or salads/sides), please reach out to the club — info@sabrew.com or contact a committee member directly. All food costs are reimbursed.

Just a quick note that we are meeting at The Wheaty this Wednesday. It’s a focus on entering brewing competitions.

“Process Wars” group brewdays are happening. If you have not been notified of a group to join, or heard from the hosts, please let us know or chat with us at the meeting. The identical beers being made will be tried at the June meeting and further consumed at BeerBQ….

BeerBQ!

BeerBQ I hear you say!? Yes. Put Saturday June 27, 6pm in your calendars. What’s this? The short version: it’s our yearly SABC get-together where we fire up the spit for some delicious BBQ, many bring a keg of homebrew to share, and enjoy an evening of good company, food, and homebrew. More to come…

Smokin’ Brews 2026 – Winter Competition (SABC x Kick Back Brewing)

We’re teaming up with Kick Back Brewing for something a bit different this winter—a competition built around when you drink a beer, not just what style it fits into.

Smokin’ Brews 2026 is all about occasion-based brewing, with three categories:

• Barbecue Beer – beers that stand up to smoke, fat and bold flavours
• Campfire Beer – richer, slower sippers for the end of the day
• All-Day Session Beer – clean, low-fatigue beers you can keep going back to

All BJCP styles are eligible. Judging combines a traditional BJCP technical score with a “category fit” score, so you’ll still get proper feedback, but with a bit more creative licence around how your beer is meant to be enjoyed.

The standout here is the prize: the Champion Beer of Show will be brewed commercially with Kick Back and released to the public as part of the Smokin’ Brews program. Not a bad outcome for a winter brew.

Entries open soon, with judging on June 6 at Kick Back in Aldinga. Full details and entry when it opens are on the portal comps.sabrew.com

It’s open to all brewers but SABC members will get a competition in a competition and win brewer of the year points and champion club brewer who gets their name on the perpetual trophy. It’s a nice chance to brew something a bit purpose-driven—whether that’s a smoky BBQ companion, a fireside sipper, or something dangerously easy to drink all afternoon. Also great practice for ABCSA.

ABCSA Help needed

The ABCSA Homebrew Competition is seeking a volunteer to assist with managing our Facebook presence in the lead-up to the event. This role will involve: Posting regular updates and competition information, maintaining engagement with the online community, supporting promotion of key dates and announcements, and most core content will be provided. However there is flexibility for the volunteer to contribute creatively where appropriate. We are ideally looking for someone who: is familiar with Facebook posting and engagement, can commit to consistent activity over the competition period.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the competition’s success while building your involvement in the community. If you are interested, please get in touch with Gerard Flynn or email us.

Thanks to the awesome team at Kick Back Brewing at Aldinga, our Ashes – Aus vs England Summer Competition on March 15 now has prizes for best of show, best of Aust and best of England. Thanks, guys!

The entry portal is open. All the styles and the details you need are on the website, here.

Bottle drop off is at SA Brewing Supplies, Maria Street, Thebarton to 12pm sharp on Saturday, March 14 or at the venue in Prospect from 12-1pm on Sunday, March 15.

Judges and stewards, please register in the portal too. Log in and select Edit Account Info, where you can indicate if you will judge (BJCP Comp ID 211817) or steward.

This Wednesday night’s meeting (Feb 18) is at Bowden Brewing in Plant 3, Bowden. Food is available and, of course, Bowden beers on tap. Lachlan will present his postponed talk about the latest tech in brewing, including Kegland’s RAPT ecosystem of devices.

Summer Competition

The entry portal for Summer Comp is open now. As you know, the theme is ‘The Ashes’ — Australian vs British styles. Judging is on March 15 in Prospect — entry $5.

All the styles and the details you need are on the website, here, including the British Strong that was accidentally omitted. Judges and stewards are welcome to register now too.

March will be at Crafty Robot, Grote Street, in the city, and we’ll return to the Wheaty in April. See more upcoming events in the calendar.

With the Fringe and Mad March soon upon us, we’ll be changing venues for the next two monthly meetings.

The February meeting (Feb 18) will now be at Bowden Brewing down in Plant 3, Bowden. There are lots food options and of course Bowden beers on tap. We won’t be running any club tastings at this one.

March will be at Crafty Robot, Grote Street, in the city. We’ll be hearing from two club members who now work in commercial breweries, and we’ll discuss how their professional knowledge has changed how they brew at home.

Crafties will open up from 6 pm just for SABC, so get in early if you can. We will confirm closer to the date if they will have pizza available on the night; if not, you can order in.

We’ll return to the Wheaty in April. See more upcoming events in the calendar.

Summer Competition

The entry portal for Summer Comp is open now. As you know, the theme is ‘The Ashes’, Australian and British styles. All common styles most brewers enjoy making regularly — pales, hazys, darks, ordinary and strong bitter and XXXX/VB/West End 😉 — so jump in. Judging is on March 15 in Prospect. Entry $5.

All the styles and the details you need are on the website, here. Of course, we also need judges. Please log in to the portal and indicate your willingness. It is BJCP registered competition, so you’ll get credits.

Kick‑starting 2026 at The Wheaty

Our first meeting of the year is locked in for this week — Wednesday, 21 January at The Wheaty. It’s been a couple of years since we dived into brewing tech, so we’re dusting off the gadget box. Lachlan will take us through the latest kit on the market — including Kegland’s RAPT ecosystem.

What does that mean in practice? Tech to monitor your fermentation, sending live data to your phone. Plenty of us love the idea of more data and less wasted samples — but some brewers love the zen of a floating hydrometer. We’ll have a range of viewpoints on the night, so whether you’re a gadget tragic or a traditionalist, see you there. The meeting also coincides with the Bridge Road tap takeover.  Facebook event here.

Don’t forget our bottle bingo tradition. Bring a bottle to swap.

Summer Competition 2026 – “Battle for the Ashes”

We can now announce that the SABC Summer Comp is now locked in for Sunday, 15 March at a private venue. This year’s theme is a friendly face‑off between British and Australian styles: the Battle for the Ashes. The competition portal will open mid‑February.

If you’re planning your brew schedule, the categories are online.

What’s next? Mark your calendar

The club calendar is packed. After January’s tech night, we’ve lined up an Eclectic Brewing Q&A on Wednesday, 18 February. Homebrewer‑turned‑pro and Eclectic Brewing owner will answer your questions about scaling up in the back shed. March brings the summer competition and an away meeting (venue TBC) on Wednesday, 18 March, where we’ll also be hearing from local home brewers who are now professionals about what really matters on a brew day and what not to lose sleep over.

In April, it’s back to The Wheaty to hear Chris Kerr’s competition tips, and in May we’ll explore base malt comparisons.

You can subscribe to the club calendar in your own Google, Outlook or iCal calendar so you never miss a meeting. Visit sabrew.com/calendar/ for the links.

Looking further ahead

This year, expect more brewery tours, brewing demos and social events. The committee is working on a brew‑day group project and a winter comp that will test your dark‑beer skills. Keep an eye on the site and your inbox for details.

Tell us what you want from your club. Don’t be shy, we’re keen for ideas and all ears.

Cheers,

— Your SABC Committee

Membership

Please make sure your membership is up to date so you don’t miss out in 2026. Log in to check or renew.

G’day brewers,

What a year! 2025 has been chock‑full of beer, laughs and learning, and it finished on a high last Wednesday at The Wheaty for our end‑of‑year pizzas and, along with the secret‑Santa bottle swap, we announced the club’s Brewer of the Year. After a close race that went down to the wire, Mark Lehmann emerged on top. See the full leaderboard here

Mark maintained the pressure throughout the year. He brewed superb beers for our competitions, shared at meetings and proudly represented SABC at the AABC – where he won first place in American Pale Ale and second in German Pils. Huge congratulations Mark; enjoy the trophy and the bragging rights!

Highlights from 2025

The year kicked off with a summer competition focusing on wheat beers and a deep dive into reverse‑osmosis water brewing. In March we took the meeting to Brightstar Brewing and later in the month a tour of Southern Vales breweries on a packed bus.

At April’s meeting, Darren Williams shared his tips to brewing low and non‑alcoholic beers. In May we headed to Crafty Robot Brewing to hear about Jules’ famous Franken Chiller and have a private event tasting Crafty beers. June brought our annual BeerBQ – around 25 beers were poured and a pig on a spit disappeared quickly; popular‑vote winners Adam, Darren, Wolf and Lucas picked up BOTY points.

Winter Comp in late July drew 33 entries with Lucas Veitch winning Best Beer of Show with an international pale lager scoring 42.5, while Russ, Leon, Andrew, Chris and others filled the podiums.

August’s meeting at The Wheaty focused on growing hops at home and in September Kick Back Brewing donated a mountain of hops and we challenged members to brew hoppy beers for a Sunday arvo family BBQ and hop‑driven beers. Later that month we played with beer oxidation in a fun meeting experiment. November was an “away‑game” club meeting at Shapeshifter Brewing Co. where co-owner and brewer James shared new beers and gave us a tour.

Looking ahead

We’re not taking our foot off the pedal. The first meeting of 2026 will be on the third Wednesday in January and will focus on new brewing technology – expect gadget demos and discussions on how tech is making homebrewing easier and more precise. Details will be in the new year’s email and on the website.

After that, all eyes turn to our Summer Competition on Sunday, 15 March. The 2026 comp is the Battle for the Ashes – a showdown between classic British and Australian styles. Check the Upcoming Competitions page for full style guidelines and start brewing – judging will be on Sunday, 15 March.

Thanks to everyone who judged, stewarded, poured beers, ran presentations, or simply turned up to share a pint this year. The club thrives because of your enthusiasm. We’re already excited about what 2026 will bring. Until then, put your feet up, enjoy the festive season, and raise a glass to Mark Lehman – SABC Brewer of the Year 2025.

Cheers,

Your SABC Committee

Membership

Please make sure your membership is up to date so you don’t miss out in 2026. Log in to check or renew.