Making Better Beer: Lessons from Home Brewers Who Went Pro at Crafty Robot Brewery this Wednesday, 18 March.
What really makes the difference between a good beer and a great one?
For this month’s South Australian Brewing Club meeting, we’ll hear from two brewers many of us already know well as members of our club — Nate Warnock and Michael Rowley — who began as home brewers and are now brewing professionally in Adelaide.
Having made the transition from home brewing to craft breweries, Nat and Michael bring a unique perspective on the brewing process and which parts truly matter most when it comes to improving the quality of our beer.
We’ll walk through the brewing process step-by-step—from preparation and cleaning through mash, sparging, boiling, cooling, fermentation and conditioning—allowing members to ask questions, compare approaches, and learn which practices really improve beer quality and which things home brewers may worry about more than necessary.
It should be a relaxed night of brewing conversation, practical insights, and plenty of opportunity to pick the brains of two brewers who have successfully made the leap from home brewing to professional brewing.
From 7pm. Food might not be available, but Uber Eats is welcome
Summer Competition
The Ashes summer competition was judged yesterday. Thank you to all the judges and stewards and especially Russell for hosting. The results will be announced at the meeting on Wednesday and score sheets in the portal by the end of the week.
It was a fine day for judging, with clear conditions and steady hands at the table. England built its innings the old-fashioned way — steady scoring right down the order, plenty of solid knocks in the mid-thirties and very few mishaps. Australia suffered an early collapse; however, there was some flair at the top of the order, including a spectacular “century” on the competition scale (over 40) that drew admiration from the judges. There was even a brief “rain stops play” moment when one bottle gushed dramatically on opening.
In the end, though, England’s consistent lineup kept the scoreboard ticking and ultimately won the match on aggregate. Australia produced the standout performance — a knock reminiscent of a Travis Head counter-attack — but the collapse meant it wasn’t quite enough to chase down England’s aggregate total.
Teams brewing event
More details on the team brew challenge that Mark Lehmann has devised will be out at the meeting, and it’s a good one. Keep an eye on emails if you can’t make it. It’ll be a good one. Match racing to use a sporting analogy again. Same ingredients, the focus is on the process to make an IPA. Everyone is welcome to join in. There will be members hosting brew days N,S,E & W for you to join.
Calendar
- April 15: Tips for competition entry (*NOT at The Wheaty, venue TBC)
- May 20: Base malt comparisons