Since its inception in 2012, the South Australian Brewing Club (SABC) has swiftly grown to become the largest and most successful brewing club in Adelaide and the country. The club embodies a diverse membership of individuals with a broad range of brewing expertise, all coming together to share knowledge and enhance their homebrewing skills. Central to the club’s calenda is the popular monthly meeting on the third Wednesday of each month, regularly attended by over 30 participants, thanks to the generous support of The Wheatsheaf Hotel. In addition to these gatherings, the club also hosts special events and brewery visits in Adelaide and the surrounding region. Find out more on our About SABC page.
A quick reminder that the club’s Summer Competition — focus on wheat — is scheduled for this Sunday. All the details are below. Please register your entries tonight. Leaving it to the last minute leaves you at risk of being locked out or your printer running out of ink. It happens.
February meeting
Wednesday, Feb 19 is the date. We’re at The Wheaty for a deep dive into reverse osmosis (RO) water filters, using RO water and a side-by-side tasting of a recipe brewed with RO vs Adelaide metro tap.
Click attending on the Facebook event so you get reminders.
We’re off and running again this week with a meeting on Wednesday night. It might seem early, or you may have thought it was scheduled for next week, but the calendar situation is unusual this time. Since January 1 fell on a Wednesday, this is already the third Wednesday of the month. Phew. Time for a beer.
The plan was to taste the four versions of the beer brewed in December at the SABS brew day but there’s been a hiccup in the fermentation and they’re not ready yet. We’ll do that next month (TBC).
However, all is not lost. We’re cobbling together something else fun and interesting — and yes, involved beer tasting.
If you have a beer you want to present to the meeting, bring along about 3-4 litres to share. Please drop us a line if you have something. info@sabrew.com
It’s less than two weeks to our end-of-year event on Sunday, December 15. It’s a club brew day at SA Brewing Supplies in Maria Street, Thebarton. It’s a ‘System Wars’ II, the Chillers Strike Back.
We’re brewing one big 100L batch in a BIG system using a recipe from the SA Brewing Supplies recipe book. The boil will be split over four systems then using different chilling methods (immersion, plate, and no-chill). All fermentation will be at the same location for consistency.
The results will be blind-tasted at our January 15th meeting.
But wait, there’s more! There will be a BBQ (with ‘gourmet’ snags) and please bring some homebrew to share — bottles, growlers or mini kegs.
It should be a fun day to get involved in, see some different systems, share ideas, catch up with brewer friends and meet new members.
Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Let us know at info@sabrew.com or leave a comment in the event.
The Christmas Case Swap will also happen during the day. Bring your bottles to swap in an esky or box and the elves will do their magic.
Thanks to everyone who has helped make this event happen, especially Damien Burnley whose big system we’re using (and BBQ and gazebo) and Jon at SABS.
December monthly meeting But wait there’s even more… we’ve also got a regular meeting on Wednesday 18th. Tradition says it’s a casual catch-up, and the club puts on pizza. Bring a Secret Santa 🎅 homebrew bottle (or a nice crafty) to drop and swap. Wrap it up all nice and pretty.
While we scoff pizza, we’ll also present the trophies to AABC winners and the club’s celebrated Brewer Of The Year. Who will it be?
November meeting wrap
Chris and Russ were under pressure (now you’ve got the song in your head, right?! 🎵 or maybe they kept the 🎸 ‘pressure down’ 😜)
Russ did a deep dive into popular affordable plastic pressure fermenters like Fermzillas and Apollos and shared his experience using the different generations and designs for better beer.
Chris shared his techniques for using a spunding valve to correctly calculate the pressure to set to achieve perfect carbonation at the end of fermentation. Then how to use different gadgets to bottle beer from kegs to maximise long-term freshness and maintain carbonation.
If you didn’t go and order a stack of carbo caps and a digital spunding valve by the end of the night, you’re a bloody idiot.
If you’ve got an idea for a meeting or some gear or a technique to share, let us know.
Our monthly meeting is this Wednesday at The Wheaty, from 7:00 pm. Apart from catching up and trying delicious Wheaty Brewing Corps beers, we’ll focus on pressure fermentors. We’ll explore how to do pressure transfers or bottle from them or kegs to get the best results—perfect timing with Christmas around the corner if you’re thinking of gifting your brews or putting them in the case swap.
Don’t forget to bring along a bottle of homebrew to swap for another in bottle bingo. To encourage more members to participate, we’ll give all the swappers a bottle of the SABC x TAFE collab ESB. Bring one bottle of beer and go home with two!
Looking ahead, our end-of-year event on Sunday, December 15, is shaping up to be a big one. SA Brewing Supplies will host us at their Maria Street store for a Christmas Brew Day and Case Swap. This is your chance to see different brewing systems in action as we put them to the test with “System Wars” – brewing one batch, split across three systems with different chilling methods (immersion, plate, and no-chill). The results will be blind-tasted at our January meeting.
The Case Swap is also on that day: now is the time to brew a batch, bring twelve 750 ml or 24 stubbies, and go home with the same amount of different beers. Think of it as a beer advent calendar! If you want to join, sign up via the Facebook event or check in at Wednesday’s meeting.
To make the day successful, we’ll need a hand with food—BBQ chefs, salad makers, or those who can bring something to share. If the weather’s hot like last year, we might need marquees too. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Let us know at info@sabrew.com or at the meeting.
Thanks to everyone who made it to last month’s meeting. It was a great open-flowing discussion with members and winning brewers from ABCSA and thanks to Mark for bringing along some of his best hazy.
We all learnt secrets to success but what happens at brew club, stays at brew club ‘eh!
It’s what you can learn from other members in person rather than anonymous ‘experts’ in forums is the reason we’re all in a homebrewing club. And, of course, it’s a bonus to go to the Wheaty on a school night.
This week’s meeting, Wednesday, Oct 16 is at The Wheaty from 7pm.
The theme Sam is running with this month is ‘Brew tech that is shiny but useless.’
We’ve all been there – caught up in the latest brewing gadgets, only to find they don’t quite live up to the hype. Have you bought something you thought was essential but barely used? Or regret a purchase because you got caught up in the hype or invested in expensive equipment that sits unused.
On the other hand, have you discovered a hidden gem? Share your thoughts and experiences at the meeting. Show and tell if you can bring it in (sell it off too!) Celebrate the wins and commiserate over the flops!
Bottle bingo as usual. Bring in a homebrew bottle to anonymously swap.
November meeting: Nov 20 The Wheaty. Best practice tips for packaging your beer. Perfect before Christmas. Everyone loves your beer as gifts!
Christmas case swap
We’re working hard on an exciting club day on Dec 15 so keep the date spare. Also on that day, we’re doing the Xmas case swap.
This case swap has been a great success in the past. Due to popular demand, it is back.
Everyone registered brews a batch of beer and brings 12-24 bottles and goes home with the same amount but of different beers. Like a beer advent calendar. Nick McAuley is running it. Any questions ask at the meeting or in the FB group. The event is here to join.
How many ppl: 15 to 20ppl, but more would be fantastic
What: 6pack, 12, or 24 bottle/can swap
When: Sunday 15 December. (daytime)
Venue and time TBC
SABC Summer Competition – focus on wheat
The annual club summer competition is just around the corner in brewing terms, and in 2025 we are challenging you to showcase the best of wheat as the main ingredient. Our CD, Gerard Flynn, has selected eight BJCP categories featuring wheat as the star ingredient. The website’s competition page has been updated so you can find it there later.
Competition details at a glance:
Date: Sunday, 9th February 2025
Time: 11:00 AM
Venue: East Torrent Kensington Gardens Tennis Club
Cost: $5 per entry
Details are in the club calendar. Add it to yours via the subscription links.
Categories:
This competition will feature the following BJCP styles:
American Wheat (1D)
Weisse Beer (10A)
Dunkelweisse (10B)
Witbier (24A)
Saison (25B)
Berliner Weisse (23A)
Gose (23G)
Wheat Wine (22D)
Important Dates:
Portal Opens: Thursday, January 9th
Portal Closes: Friday, February 8th
Drop-off Locations: SA Brewing Supplies, Thebarton to COB Friday or at the venue on the day from 10am.
We encourage everyone to nominate to judge or steward.
Stay tuned for updates. We encourage all members to add this event to their calendars and slot in a wheat beer to your schedule.
This is a reminder that our monthly meeting is happening this Wednesday at the Wheaty from 7pm.
This month we’ll be interrogating our medal-winning brewers and generally opening up the floor to questions, feedback and ideas about brewing winning beers from ABCSA.
We’ll glean tips and taste some and learn how they crafted their winning entries.
Congratulations to all the SABC brewers who placed: Percy Balls* (7 places and best brewer of show), Mark Lehmann (4), Charles Nzama (5), Lucas Veitch (3), Lachlan Johnson (2), James Edwards (2), Matthew Kennedy (4), Gary Waters (3), Gavin Pennell, John Van Der Zalm, Brendan Macey, Gus Kingston, Darren Williams, Maz Ali, Aaron Young, Russell Saint.
Judges’ score sheets are now available in the portal for downloading as PDFs.
Thank you to everyone who helped judge, steward and administer ABCSA. It went very smoothly and we couldn’t do it without you.
Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday! Bottles for bottle bingo swapping are encouraged.
New members are welcome to join us.
AABC entry
The Australian Amateur Brewing Championship will be judged in Brisbane on October 26th. To register, visit enter.aabc.org.au and submit your beer(s). If you are interested, SABC will organise a shipment to Qld. Drop your entries with labels affixed to bottles at the September SABC meeting or at SA Brewing Supplies by October 5th. Entries will be shipped on October 8th. Alternatively, you can send your entries directly to the competition. Good luck!
This Wednesday’s monthly club meeting, August 21, is at The Suburban Brewat 26-30 Provident Avenue, Glynde (not Goodwood!). The owner and brewer, Tony will give us a tour of this brewhouse and give us the secrets to producing the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards Gold Medal-winning Sunday Session Ale.
Formally from 7pm but the taps are open before that of course. Parking is available on site or bus 174, 176, or H33 from the city.
Hello brewers, Here’s what happening next week, soon and beyond.
ABCSA is on like Donkey Kong
The ABCSA Home Brewing Championship for 2024 is open for entry! Formerly known as SABSOSA*, this esteemed event has been celebrating home brewing for over 20 years.
ENTER NOW and don’t leave it to the last minute when your printer is busted. You need a new account in the portal even if you have entered previously.
If you can judge or steward – get involved! Register your interest in the entry portal.
For full competition details, including bottle drop venue and deadlines, visit the website at ABCSA.org.au
Good luck!
*seriously, this is the last time SABSOSA will ever be uttered.
Next Wednesday’s club meeting
Next Wednesday’s monthly club meeting on (August 21) is at The Suburban Brewat 26-30 Provident Avenue, Glynde (not Goodwood!). The owner and brewer, Tony will give us a tour of this brewhouse and give us the secrets to producing the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards Gold Medal-winning Sunday Session Ale.
A night not to miss. Parking is available on site or bus 174, 176, or H33 from the city.
Xmas case swap – get brewing
We did it last year and it’s on again. Members brew a batch of beer, bottle it and swap the lot for a random selection of other beers. Put 20L in, and get back 20L of Christmas beers bathed in sunshine and good cheer. Put this in your brewing schedule and we’ll get back with more info soon. Swap venue TBC.
SABC members Blessed with good beer in Laura, SA
A bunch of members had a road trip to see the newly minted Little Blessing Brewing in the old church in the small mid-north town of Laura. Completely built from the shell of the deconsecrated church hall, club member Craig Blessing and his partner have done an incredible job building their brewery. All reports are the beers are great and the atmosphere excellent.
Events and meetings
Club dates are below and in our online calendar. After next Wednesday’s The Suburban Brew meetup, we know the September meeting (18/09) we will hear from the club’s best brewers who scored great results at winter comp and ABCSA. Get the low down on their secrets to success and try their beers.
October meeting (16/10) is looking at all the brewing tools, tech, and gadgets you need, you never knew you needed and the garbage ones you wish you kept the receipt for (curse you Temu!).
Beers offered for presentation and member tasting are always welcome, drop us a line and as always, bottle bingo is always on. Bring a bottle, and leave with a bottle. Anonymous or not, it’s up to you.
SABC Is excited to announce the ABCSA Home Brewing Championship for 2024 is open for entry! Open to all residents of South Australia, this competition is your chance to showcase your best home-brewed beer, cider, or mead. Formerly known as SABSOSA, this esteemed event has been celebrating home brewing for over 20 years, and we invite you to be part of this year’s competition.
ABCSA is South Australia’s largest amateur brewing competition and a qualifying round for the Australian Amateur Brewing Championship (AABC). All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the ABCSA categories will be eligible to enter the national competition. ABCSA is a fantastic chance to showcase your brewing, get feedback on your beers and win the prestigious South Australian Brewer of the Year perpetual trophy.
As ABCSA is closely linked with AABC, we use the AABC Style Guidelines, which are available on the AABC website. Please review the latest guidelines to understand what the judges will be looking for in both competitions.
ABCSA is entirely volunteer-driven. If you’re interested in entering, participating as a judge or steward, or even if you’re a business considering sponsorship, we encourage you to get involved! Register your interest in the entry portal.
For full competition details, visit our website at ABCSA.org.au
Greetings brewers. We hope you are enjoying the ‘dark beers’ season. The club met last week for some housekeeping, awards announcements and upcoming events. We also tasted an excellent barleywine that was the result of a member-led barrel project. Delish.
Here’s a big summary of what’s happening below. Get your spex out and read on.
Winter Competition: ‘The Euros’ Results
Congratulations to Russell Saint for winning the Belgian class and Best of Show with his Belgian Single. Other class winners include: German: Kieren Vercoe (German Leichtbier), English: Nat Warnock (English Porter), Scottish: Ben Key (Scottish Export), Irish: Brenton George (Irish Stout).
See the full results on the competition’s page. The judges’s score sheets are available to download. And of course, Spain won the football.
Upcoming ABCSA State Competition
The entry portal and website will update in early August. Key dates to remember:
Bottle Drop: closes at drop-off locations, COB August 31 or by 12pm Saturday at The Irish Club.
Judging: Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 at The Irish Club, Carrington Street
The portal will also invite judge and steward registrations. We need help to run the competition, so any time you can give is appreciated. There’s still time to brew a comp-winning beer. Good luck!
AGM / Committee Update
The Annual General Meeting was held at the club meeting as required by its constitution. The minutes including treasurer’s and president’s reports will be available soon.
Lachlan Johnson was elected as president. He’s supported by:
VP: Sam Beard, Treasurer: Leon van der Linden, Secretary: Gus Kingston. The General committee members are: Chief Steward: Nick McCauley, General Officer: Chris Kerr, IT: Julien Gibson, Competition Director: Gerrard Flynn, Head Judge: Gary Waters
The committee meets bi-monthly and welcomes the contribution of ideas and feedback.
August Meeting Venue Change
The August club meeting on August 21 (3rd Wednesday of the month) will be at The Suburban Brew Glynde. Owner and brewer, Tony, a former club member, will give us a tour of his one-year-old facility. This brewhouse produces excellent beers, including the award-winning Sunday Session Ale, which recently won a gold medal at the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards.
Transport: Buses 174, 176, or H33 from the city and plenty of on-site parking is available.
Mmmm remember sunny warm days at a brewery
Beer tour to Little Blessings Brewing, Laura
The date is getting close, August 3! Join SABC members for a road trip to Laura in the mid-north on the first weekend in August to enjoy beers crafted by our member Craig Blesing at his brand new (old church) brewery!
Limited spots are available, so please RSVP (or email) if you’re certain you’ll attend. Also, let us know if you’re planning a day trip (about 2 hours drive) or staying overnight. Depending on numbers, we may need separate sessions.
For overnight stays, check out the Laura Caravan Park directly across from the brewery. Everyone gets scones on arrival. It’s a delightful place. When we know more, we can coordinate shared accommodation or rides with fellow members.
Membership Renewals
Many of you might not realise your annual club membership has expired. To renew, head to the SABC Shop and pay to keep access to club events, meetings, competitions, discounts and extras, online group and member brains trust. If you’re unsure of your current status, find out how to check it here. The annual subscription of $60 hasn’t changed in many years and will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. The club aims to give members the best value for money it can, all for the price of a batch of beer.
What’s in planning: another Southern Vales brewery bus trip!
I was pleased to nominate Julien Gibson for SA Brewing Club Life Membership at the AGM last week. It was seconded and passed without opposition. As he was unable to be there, the award will be presented at a meeting in the future.
There’s a theory of clubs and groups that says, for every 100 people in a group, nine will be active and one person will be super-active. Julien Gibson is SABC’s one. He has been a key member of our club since its inception and puts a lot in to make it run well.
He oversaw the club’s transformation from a group of homebrewers to an incorporated club.
Introduced a modern cashless and online membership system — said to be one of the first brewing clubs to offer it. This reduces the workload for everyone else from the treasure down.
We have a shop to manage and buy club merchandise.
Our website is never down and is an important feature in presenting what the club is to the interested outsider.
He has set up and managed the competition portal for all our club competitions and SABSOSA is also said to be the first in Australia to do so.
He is the club’s public officer to keep us legal and within the associations’ laws.
He’s won many Best Beer of Show awards and places in competitions.
He was a club president and has been on the club committee for all of its existence.
His contribution to the ideas and progress of the club is highly valued.
Another year is done — a year that wasn’t without Covid disruptions but we managed to work around it. The club finally managed to host its premier event, BeerBQ, in its old format in June. All brewers bring whatever creation they want to share, food cooked and provided by the club and everyone digs in. The new venue at the ETKG Tennis Club was great and my only regret was I couldn’t be there (bloody Covid).
Our alternative events were also well attended and enjoyed — like our British cask beers night at the Hilton Hotel. In an attempt to work around the restrictions on gatherings, we introduced the team’s brew-off. The first was the supermarket challenge that resulted in some interesting and very drinkable creations.
The second was Brew The Burra — a brewing challenge to replicate Lady Burra beers. Something closer to known styles than the supermarket beers.
While fun, the team events allowed newer members to connect with others often in their local area and in turn strengthened connections within the membership.
Again we successfully ran SABSOSA, won by our own Brendan Macey, and two club competitions. Throughout the year members had some social catch-ups at local venues including Shapeshifter, Kickback and Brightstar.
All of this including regular monthly meetings couldn’t be organised by a single person and I thank the committee for all their work, even with life’s commitments, serious illness, Covid and weddings.
I won’t be standing again for president this time. I’ve enjoyed it a lot and I feel it’s time to let someone else have a go and new committee members to share their fresh ideas.
I’ll still be a part of the club of course. Thank you. Gus
We have a shop to manage and buy club merchandise.