Author: Lachlan Johnson

A reminder the July meeting is this Wednesday and we will be holding the annual general meeting to elect a new committee. After the offical proceedings we will be announcing the winners of the Winter competition and tasting a barrel aged barleywine. The barleywine is the result of a member led barrel project that has been in works since late 2023, and base on the sample I had on packaging day its well worth coming along for!

The Annual General Meeting for the SA Brewing Club will be held on Wednesday, July 17th at The Wheatsheaf Hotel, George St Thebarton at 7pm.

All financial members of the club are invited to attend. The agenda can be downloaded here. Nominations for committee positions can be submitted by email in advance or will be accepted on the night.

The SABC BeerBQ is this coming Saturday! 6PM at ETKG tennis club. The chefs are already busy preparing the feast that awaits, which includes:

Slow cooked pulled pork
American style hot wings
Low and slow Beef brisket
Italian sausages
Kransky’s
and for the first time, Beer Barbacoa – mexican style pulled beef!

all that along with sides, salads, condiments.. and thas just the food menu.

There will be a vast assortment of member brewed beers, and a special treat from the recent TAFE x SABC collab. BeerBQ will be the only time you can try the collab ESB served through an English Handpump!

If you havn’t already, PLEASE register via the SABC shop – https://shop.sabrew.com/. We’re catering based on registrations so no rego means no food!

Mark your calendars for August 3rd, SABC are heading up to Laura to visit the recently opened Little Blressings Brewing. Gary has confirmed that Cat and Craig are happy to host us and had the following to say:

“Since starting this project they have transformed a small church into a destination , that serves its own beers.

Provided they aren’t feeding loaves and fishes , Craig could do a brewery tour .

Please organise designated drivers and or accomodation.
For catering purposes, indication of intent and numbers would be greatly appreciated .

The Mid north is a fantastic part of SA, we will leave times open so there is a chance for some to visit this beautiful part of South Australia, maybe a visit to Clare on the way up and Yorkes on the way back.

Seriously there are so many great choices…. As Lee says “ be a tourist on your own door step “

For more information on Little Blessings Brewing checkout their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/littleblessingsbrewing

Gus recently shared these great photos from last years BeerBQ. If you want to be a part of the action this year (Saturday June 1st), please regiser in the shop: https://shop.sabrew.com/product/sabc-beerbq-2024-member-ticket/ (If you have trouble registering, be sure to check your membershop status.)

SABC would like to congratulate Luke Scrivens as the very first SA National recognised BJCP judge. Obtaining a BJCP rank at this level is no short order, and Luke’s commitment on this long journey can’t be underestimated.

A few words from Gary:

“To those whom know Luke he is unassuming with a quick smile and cheeky manner, which belies his huge talent and intelligence .

Luke managed to finish the BJCP online exam in exemplary time and made the rest of us feel like the mere mortals we really are.

We were hoping for others to join him, so we can extend the opportunity for others to qualify as BJCP judges with enough proctors within SA , we were so close with Justin Murdock ( voted recently as the best distiller in Australia) just .5 away from qualifying . The March for more recognised judges go forth , your support of local competitions is not underestimated

Thank you to all. Your support in running these tastings and exams has been fantastic.”

Tickets for the much anticipated SABC BeerBQ are now up in the shop –> https://shop.sabrew.com/

Join us Saturday June 1st at the ETKG tennis club for a delicious blend of member made brews and mouthwatering BBQ. All financial members receive free entry and can purchases guest passes for their friends and family. Check your membership status before purchasing!

This year there will be two awards up for grabs – Brewers Choice – voted only by SABC members, and Peoples Choice voted by everyone else.

A reminder that due to a clash with Pint of Science at the Wheaty, there won’t be a May monthly meeting. Members who want to attend the Pint of Science event in its place will be elligible for a free beer courtesy of the Wheaty.

Pint of Science is a ticketed event (only $8), see here for more details -> https://pintofscience.com.au/event/from-earth-to-space-cultivating-sustainability-and-innovation

To be elligable for a free beer please email info@sabrew.com ahead of the event so we can get you on the list.

The brew day for the SABC collab with TAFE was held this week at the Regency Tafe brewery. A number of members were in attendance as head brewer Mark brewed a scaled up version of the winning ESB recipe.

The beer is going to be poured at this years Beer and BBQ event in July which will present an excellent oppurtunity to advertise SABC to an audience of craft beer enthusiest. Cartons of the brew will also be made available to SABC members – more info on this to come.

TAFE Collab

The April meeting saw the tasting of 4 ESB recipes to see which was the club favourite to scale up for the collab with TAFE. The lads from down south received the most votes with their ESB brewed using Verdant yeast, however the Nomads version was a close second and had a slightly more inviting color. Mark from TAFE will now work with both recipes to come up with the final. The brew day will be in early May with a limited number of spots open for brewers. Stay tuned for more details.

May meeting cancelled

Due to a clash with the annual Pint Of Science event at the wheaty, we have opted to cancel the May meeting instead of re-scheduling. The Wheaty is offering a free beer to SABC members who attend Pint of Science on the Wed 15th ($8 tickets – see https://pintofscience.com.au/event/savouring-the-sip-unveiling-wines-secret-flavours-and-the-vibrant-future-of-agave for details). Please email info@sabrew.com when you have purchased a ticket to be placed on the free beer list.

BeerBQ June 1st

A reminder that the BeerBQ will be held Saturday June 1st so theres less then 6 weeks to get your beers down. Registration will open in a couple of weeks.

If you can help out by making a salad or slow cooking some meats, please email info@sabrew.com. All ingredients etc will be re-imbursed.

Little Blessings Brewing Visit

August 3rd has been suggested as a weekend to head up to Laura and visit the recently opened Little Blessings Brewing – yet another SABC member going pro. The is a BYO – book your own – adventure in terms of travel and accomodation. With many members heading up at the same time there should be numerous car pooling options.

With the recent announcment that the SABC x Pirate Life beer is ready for release and all SABC members are elligible to receive a bottle, the committee has fielded a number of queries regarding membership status.

Membership lasts for 12 months from the date you sign up, and requires anual renewals to keep it active. To check you current status

Navigate to the SABC Shop -> https://shop.sabrew.com/
Select My Account and login with you SABC credentials
Select My Membership
Select Manage

You current status and expiry date will be displayed:

Maintaining an active membership is required so you can participate in competitions (such as the upcoming winter comp), attend member only events (such as the BeerBQ and Tafe collab ) and receive member only freebies (such as the SABC x Pirate Life beer). If you didn’t receive an email last Thursday detailing how to order your SABC x Pirate Life beer from the shop, your membership has likely expired. Go ahead and renew now, and you can also order your beer from the shop.

Pirate Life x SABC Collab 

The day has finally arrived! The barrel aged strong ale we brewed with Pirate Life has been bottle conditioned and is ready for labeling (and it’s a pretty cool label!). Pirate Life have invited SABC to an evening labeling session and drinks at the Port Adelaide brewery on Wednesday 10th April. Exact time TBC, but assume ~6:30pm.

 All financial members are eligible for a free bottle of the beer, and if you can’t make it on the night we will arrange for alternative pickups  at the April monthly meeting (17/04) and the BeerBQ (01/06).

To secure your bottle you’ll need to register through the SABC store and select your pickup location. We will email financial members a link to the shop when it’s ready. Additional bottles can be purchased from Pirate Life.

TAFE Collab

Around 6 groups have formed to brew ESB recipes that the club will collectively sample and choose their favorite at the April meeting. We will run the tasting blind so we select the best beer by taste without being swayed by ingredients (There was discussion about these at the March meeting).

The chosen recipe will be scaled up and brewed at TAFE with a view to serving it at this years Beer and BBQ Festival – now confirmed for July 12-14th.

Winter Comp

A reminder the winter comp has been announced for the end of June. See full post here for all the details.

ABCSA

ABCSA (formerly SABSOSA) has been set for judging on the 7/8th of September. Bottle drop will close Fri Aug 30, and the awards presentation will be Sat 14th. Mark those diaries now!

AABC/ANHC

A reminder that with ANHC announced for Nov 1st, the national comp can be expected to run on Oct 31st.  This should allow 4-5 weeks to rebrew ABCSA entries that qualify.

A few members have already signaled their intent to attend ANHC. We would love to see a strong SABC contingent there to continue our run of club night wins. If you don’t know much about it and would like to know more, have a chat to some of our members who regularly attend. (Gary, Kieren,Lachlan)

Grain and Grape closure

Not strictly club news, but for many Grain and Grape in Melbourne has been a stalwart of the home brew seen for as long as we have been brewing.  I was somewhat shocked and saddened to hear owner John is retiring in May and as the lease is up the store would be closing. I can only hope that the massive void left by G&G will make it easier for other home brew retailers who have supported our club such as BeerCo, Granarium and SA Brewing Supplies.