Events – South Australian Brewing Club

Club brew day end-of-year event

December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 Gus K

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.

Summary:

Sunday 15 Dec from 12pm
SA Brewing Supplies, Maria St, Thebarton
Free for members but RSVP to the Facebook event so we can cater. Renew your membership now if it has lapsed.

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.

See youse all on the 15th

The Mash Tun August: The Suburban Brew next week, ABCSA and more

August 9, 2024August 12, 2024 Gus K

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.

Key Details:

Entry Fee: $8 per entry
Entries close online: Thursday, August 29

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 Brew at 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.

Calendar Dates Summary

Aug 21: Club meeting at The Suburban Brew
Aug 31/ Sept 1: ABCSA Bottle drop closes
Sept 7 & 8: ABCSA judging
Sept 14: ABCSA Awards presentation at the Wheaty
Sept 18: Club meeting, The Wheaty. ‘Best brewers reveal their secrets’
Oct 16: Club meeting, The Wheaty. ‘Best brewing kit and stuff you don’t need’
Nov 16: Club meeting, The Wheaty. ‘3V vs Brewzilla system wars, can you tell the difference?’ Beers to taste.

View the updated calendar on the website and subscribe to your Google Calendar or Outlook 365 and don’t miss an event.

Membership lapsed? To renew, head to the SABC Shop and pay to keep access to club events, meetings, competitions and knowledgebase.

Cheers team SABC: Lachlan, Sam, Leon, Gus, Nick, Chris, Julien, Gerard, Gary

Summer competition 2022 and November meeting

October 4, 2021November 20, 2021 Gus K

The club’s 2022 summer competition will be a banger, trust us. The only styles being judged will be:

Hop forward beers (IPA, pale ales etc)
Dark/Stout
Sours

You can make anything you like in these BJCP styles below.

Tip: your beer must be able to be rebrewed, all-grain and able to be replicated and consumed within three months. Ideally not super high abv or aged. We strongly encourage you to keep detailed notes on your recipe, process and brew day. You may want to go all out to win this one. There will be limits on entries per brewer and an overall cap on entries.

Open to financial club members who are amateur brewers.

Dates: Entries close: Sunday 16th January 2022
Drop off and portal opening details TBA
Judging: Saturday 22nd January 2022
Winners announced: Sunday 23rd January 20223 categories will be judged, with a winner announced in each of the three following categories:

Hop-Forward beers:

Dark beers:

Sour beers:

SABC Summer competition 2022 Conditions:

1. Entries must be All-grain, with exception of adjuncts, special ingredients. All special ingredients must be listed on entry.2. One bottle per entry as per the description of acceptable bottle type and volume set out in general club competition rules.3. Maximum of one entry per major category, 3 entries in total per brewer.4. Brewers must be able to provide detailed brewing notes to reproduce winning beers.

General club competition rules: South Australian Brewing Club (“SABC”) General Competition Rules for all club competitions:

1. Disputes concerning any competition run by the SABC will be determined by the SABC in its sole and absolute discretion.2. Any dispute should be addressed to the Competitions Director and SABC committee.3. To be eligible for any prizes, an entrant must be a current financial member to enter.4. Bottle sizes: Only glass or plastic bottles or cans larger than or equal to 500ml and no greater than 1000ml will be accepted. 700ml bottles are preferred. 330ml stubby bottles or cans will not be accepted.5. Prior to the judging of entries, the Competitions Director may declare prizes available to any and all entrants.6. Prizes offered as are and cannot be exchanged for cash or same financial value.7. The Competitions Director may vary the rules applicable to any competition by declaring the variations prior to the commencement of judging.8. Entrants must declare any conflict of interest before taking part in the administration or judging of a competition.9. SABC reserves the right to cancel, postpone or modify the competition.10. All entries must be handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers.11. The competition director reserves the right to combine styles for judging and to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries received.12. All participants in a SABC Competition shall act in good faith at all times

October club meeting

The next club meeting will be a member’s beer assessment meeting. Bring a long neck or at least 750mls of your beer and we’ll allocate it to groups for blind assessment. Don’t mark the bottle with what it is, let them guess. We’ve done it before and it’s good fun and you’ll receive sound feedback too.

Bring another bottle for bottle bingo too.

Other things

We’re planing a club barrel project. Stay tuned for that one. We’ll let you know what’s happening soon.

The Christmas event is being worked out. It’ll involve your beer in groups/teams.

Mad May continues with Fixation IPA Masterclass

May 6, 2019May 8, 2019 Gus K

Thank you to the 60 members and their friends who came to our BeerBQ on Saturday night. It was a fantastic night again this year filled with friends and great beers and food. It couldn’t be done without the support of our cooks, organisers and brewers.

**SOLD OUT ***

Good Beer Wheaty is on again from Thursday at the Wheatsheaf Hotel. This Fixation IPA Masterclass is one session not to miss. It’s this Thursday night, 9th May from 6 – 8 pm. SABC members who are going can get a free fancy of beer thanks to our great supporter The Wheaty.

You need to either email us or comment on the Facebook group post that you’re definitely going and have a ticket by 12 pm Thursday and we’ll get your name on the list. We’ll also have a SABC table reserved for us.

It’s fair to say, Fixation knows how to make an IPA and Tom Delmont has a one track mind. What makes a good IPA? What are the best hopping techniques to deliver massive aroma? Flowers or pellets? Fresh is best. Or is it? Do IBUs matter? Hazy, milkshake, brett, brut or tart — what’s the next big thing in IPAs? Will we ever reach peak IPA? There’s a tasting of a clutch of Incubator IPA’s rarely, if ever, seen outside the Melbourne venue, alongside some Fixation classics.
http://wheatsheafhotel.com.au/…/ar…/fixation_ipa_masterclass

Next club meeting is May 22 at Pirate Life, Port Adelaide for a tour. 7 pm sharp and its capped at 40 people only. Cost is $15. More to come soon.

New SABC forum is in beta. Please go to https://talk.sabrew.com/ – your SABC website login should get you in via SSO.

Forward events — See what’s coming up in the club calendar.

February news: Little Bang and comps

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 Gus K

In a club first, judging of the summer competition will be at the Kings Head, cnr King William and Sturt St. They have reserved the back room for us to use. It’s a space which should be a large comfortable place to enjoy the competition beers and have space for everyone who can join us for a beer or lunch.

Judging will start shortly after 12 pm on Saturday 23rd as we have allowed for drop off to be done by 12.15 sharp on the day.

We have only booked till 3.30, so we can also do the awards presentation at 3 pm. Being prompt and arriving by 12 and having a hearty breakfast (and lunch) is paramount to the success of the day. So everyone is invited to come down during the afternoon as a social gathering and for the presentation.

Feel free to bring guests along to cheer your success and hopefully you can stay for a beer or two afterwards. There is the possibility of a guest brewer doing a tasting at the attached Sturt St Cellars. They’re a great supporter of local brewing so some money over the bar will keep them happy and us in the good books for future needs.

It takes a lot to run a competition. If you can help during the afternoon either as a judge or a steward or even just help process the admin or the cleaning up let us know at the meeting or email. Any support would be appreciated.
Entries:
Submit your entry online and pay here (you have to log in) https://comps.sabrew.com/

Bottle drop off:
– At the club meeting on Thursday 21,
– Gary’s house at 103 Childers St, Nth Adelaide. There will be an esky on the porch if he’s not there.
– Beerbelly Brewing Supplies – Unit 3, 95 Research Road, POORAKA – Strictly until 1pm Friday 22.
– The King’s Head only on the day of judging between 12 and 12.15

As you are aware, our meeting this month is on THURSDAY 21 at Little Bang Brewing, at their brand new brewery on Henry St Stepney. We’ll get a ‘backstage’ tour of the facilities to see the differences between the old venue and this new one. Come prepared with any questions you have for the Little Bang team, it will be an awesome opportunity to understand the logistics around moving to a bigger location.

Club news and events: 24 members went on the bus tour to the Southern Vales breweries, despite a last-minute scramble to get a replacement bus and driver and a pretty hot day, we had a great time meeting the brewers and tasting some excellent (and tbh, not so great) beers. We’ll do it again soon.

Coming soon: At the end of March, we’re having a club brew day with a bit of a twist. If your brewing gear isn’t portable, don’t worry, you can join a team. More to come. Some of the beers will be for the club’s annual BeerBQ which is going to be on May the 4th. Put it in your diaries now and think about brewing your Light Sabre Lager now.

Has your membership lapsed? No worries, you can renew easily online at any time at sabrew.com.au to take advantage of all of the club benefits and events we host. Membership is 1 year from whenever you renew, no need to wait until July anymore.

FREE! Fringe show
Local Adelaide comedian, Ken Balnaves, has comedy gig coming up at the Adelaide Fringe. ‘You Bewdy’ is full of relatable stories on those day to day things we all experience -— with a bit on beer and brewing too!
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/kel-balnaves-you-bewdy-af2019
Ken has kindly given us two double passes to check out his performance this week — either Friday 15/2, Sat 16/2 or Sunday 17/2. If you are keen to go for nix, tell us what night you prefer and email us info@sabrew.com – first in, best dressed.

The Best of Adelaide Brewers Festival – BOAB is happening next weekend at the Flour Shed, Port Adelaide – it’s sure to be a great weekend event, with a host of South Aussie brewers on showcase to celebrate brews from micro and nano breweries around the state.

The Craft Beer King will also be hosting the “Brewers Stage”, talking to brewers about passions, influences and more. Head to the event page to find out how you can grab your tickets.

SABC at Forktree Brewing, Carrickalinga — SABC at enjoying beers, burgers and the view at Forktree Brewing, Carrickalinga (pic: Ben @ Forktree Brewing)

Southern Vales brewery tour tickets and Happy New Year

December 31, 2018January 2, 2019 Gus K

Happy New Year. The committee hopes you brewed a fine beer for the season. There’s not a lot to say at this time except welcome to our new members who joined over Christmas from gifts from their family or friends or new year’s resolutions to brew better beer.

The only news we have is, tickets for the McLaren Vale bus tour will go on sale Tuesday, Jan 2 from 8pm, from the SABC website shop at

Welcome

https://shop.sabrew.com/

The date is FEBRUARY 2. Tickets are $30. There are 21 seats available and are for members only – one per purchase and due to demand, you cannot buy for non-members.

*Please note, you will need to log in with the same you use to buy or renew SABC membership to see the item to buy.

The tour takes in some of McLaren Vales newest breweries and tap rooms, as well as an old favourite. Matt from My VIP driver will be driving us to:
Goodieson Brewery – meet head brewer Jeff
Shifty Lizard Brewing Co – meet head brewer Lee
Forktree Brewing – meet head brewer Ben. Lunch in the restaurant.
Swell -TBC

Pickup/dropoff point will be the Wheaty:
Depart: 9:45
Return: 17:45

If you live down south and would like to be picked up on the way, please contact us. We’ll look at adding a southern pickup point depending on numbers.

Please note that these venues have been booked based on our numbers. If you plan on driving yourself you may not be able to join our group for tastings/tours due to capacity limits.

~ Gus

Future Dates

January 16: January Bridge Road head brewer at The Wheaty (TBC)

February 20: Monthly meeting (at Little Bang TBC)/ Summer comp close and judging. Competition details here.

March 20: Water chemistry.

We want to hear from you about your club – Christmas event tickets now open

November 12, 2018December 10, 2018 Gus K

Christmas event tickets now open

Our Christmas event is on Saturday, December 8 at the Flinders Tavern from 1pm – 5pm. Members are free and guests are welcome to join us. The ticket for non-members is $25 which gets them a Burger Theory meal (inc. pint) and homebrew tastings.

Even though you’re a member, please grab a ticket here so we can generate a list of everyone attending and work out catering. You can buy one for a friend

The event is here on Facebook and below.

We want to hear from you.

The committee takes a lot of time and consideration to plan the events and direction of the club. We want to know from you how you want us to give you the most value from being a member and what you want from the club — from the simple to big events. Please take five minutes to fill out this survey. It’s mostly tick-a-box style responses with a few places to write a broader answer. It’s also anonymous. The survey is now closed.

More on Christmas.. This years summer event will be held at the Flinders Tavern by Burger Theory at Flinders University. Saturday, December 8 at the Flinders Tavern from 1pm – 5pm.. Burger Theory is proudly South Australian small business and showcases a range of local and interstate craft beers in the tav including Big Shed, Mismatch, Hawkers and Green Beacon. As always the event is free for members and non-members can purchase a ticket. Snacks, a burger meal and pint will be provided.

Members raffle
We have a couple of prizes up for grabs for members only, you just need to be in attendance to go in the draw

1 x ticket on next years McLaren Vale brewery tour
1 x Inkbird temperature controller

Kegging and pressure filling demo
Thinking about moving away from the cleaning all those bottles and getting into kegging? We’re going to provide a kegging 101 demo and will show you how to:
-connect a basic keg & co2 setup
-transfer beer from keg to keg under pressure
-fill PET bottles from keg under pressure
A limited number of PET bottles will be filled with beer from the Left Barrel brew day and available for takeaway!

As is the tradition we’ll be announcing club brewer of the year and awarding the coveted trophy. There will be a couple of brew samples available from the Left Barrel brew day. The cricket will be on the TV, and the sun shining on the balcony.

Directions
Head to the main University entrance on Registry road. Enter the Student Hub and head upstairs.
Transport
Car
– car park 6 off Registry road. Free parking on weekends.
Uber
– enter ‘Registry road, Bedford Park’ as the destination for best results.
Bus
– catch the G10 direct from the CBD to the Flinders University interchange
– catch a bus to the Flinders Medical Centre interchange and walk 10 mins or catch another bus
Ride
A bike path follows the Sturt river from Anzac Highway to Maccas on South Road – then take the backstreets.

Brew day at Left Barrel Brewing

September 10, 2018October 12, 2018 Gus K

One of the excellent opportunities our events co-ord Lachlan has been working on for members is a brew day at Left Barrel Brewing with Brad Bown on his 250L system on Saturday, October 13.

This is a great opportunity for 10-15 members to come together and brew a 250 wort and all take away 20L each (or split in pairs/Left Barrel keep 50L). It’s then up to brewers as a group choose what to make and as individuals to ferment with their own choice of yeast and add dry hops. The club will cover the cost of the grain and boil hops.

So not only is this a great opportunity to brew with knowledgeable, award-winning brewer (and foundation SABC member and prez) but brew a top notch beer for your enjoyment saving about $50 on brewing your own. That’s the same value as your club membership. The only catch is we’d like to have tastings (2-3 longnecks/2L) to compare the different decisions made on the ferment side at our Christmas drinks meeting in December.

More info on this and sign on will be at our next meeting. The numbers are limited for brewers so jump on the offer. Everyone is welcome to visit the brewery on the day and be part of the social side of course.

**Event open to SABC financial members only. You need your own 20L vessel to take away wort. Own transport required. Two litres to be made available for club tasting. Does not include yeast or dry hops or any food or drinks consumed on the day.

State Amateur Brewing Show, SA (SABSOSA) entries open and help needed

August 3, 2018August 6, 2018 Gus K

SABSOSA Entries are now open — Entries are now open to the State Amateur Brewing Show of South Australia.

The State Amateur Brewing Show of South Australia needs no introduction to most SABC members. It is SA’s premier amateur brewing competition and is open to all non-professional brewers in this state. It’d be great if SABC was well represented in the entries and even better if we do really well.

Apart from entering, the competition organisers need help. If you’re a BCJP judge or want to help steward let SABSOSA know. You can also add the times you can help with your entry. The other thing they need help with is bottle sorting on August 25/26. Not only does it help Tim, Gary and Keiran get things straightened out (because we’re expecting record entries this year) but it’s also a cruisy afternoon with some club members and a few beers. Watch out for the event or get in touch with SABSOSA or Gary.

The presentations are being held on the weekend of Sept 8-9 and that will be another opportunity for a member get together social meet-up.

If you’re just catching up, entries are open now at SABSOSA.com using the same competitions portal SABC has pioneered the use of. You will need a different account to your SABC comps one. Beers can be entered now and additional ones later with PayPal and credit cards accepted for the $5 entry fee. Entries close on August 24 and can be dropped off at a number of locations around Adelaide.

A couple of points worth noting: The preferred bottle size is 750mL but 500 ml or two 375mL firmly bound together are also accepted but be aware this is the last year two 375ml bottles will be accepted. Judging Guidelines, as used nationally, can be found on either sabsosa.com or aabc.org.au

Gawler Show entries are also open. You can enter until August 15. They also need judges step up please. Let Steve Wilkins know on 0417 879 774

BeerBQ thank you

May 6, 2018May 6, 2018 Clint Fisher

Saturday saw us enjoy another spectacular SABC BeerBQ with some 80 people in attendance. As the event continues to grow and get better and better each year, I wanted to take the time to thank a number of people for playing their part in its success.

Firstly, the committee who pulled together to make light work of a lot of tasks to get through, onya lads!

To our BBQ guru’s BJ, Sean Bradley, Jules, BobbyD and Butchy, what an effort! Meaty nirvana! Thanks guys.

A big thanks also to Lee Waters for her outstanding salads and Veggie options.

Thanks to everyone who brewed for the event, the beer turnout was truly epic with over 20 beers on tap at a terrific standard, not a bad beer in the house. Congratulations also to Joel Gaskin and Ben Till who’s beers were voted 3rd and 2nd respectively behind Wolf’s expertly brewed Pilsner which took out first place for best beer of the night, beautiful beer. Big thanks to our sponsors at Beerbelly too.

Our raffle was eventually won after several goes by that regular winner of SABC awards, Kieren Vercoe. Our thanks go to Brad at Left Barrel brewing for his support in the prize.

We’ve taken the experiences learned from this year’s event to hopefully improve things further. Please feel free to shoot us an email with any feedback for next year’s event, we’d love to make it even better.

Onwards now into competition season and if we can keep the standards high, state and national success is assured.

Thanks and good brewing!

Clint

IMPORTANT: BeerBQ announcement

May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 Clint Fisher

Previous communication about this Saturday’s BeerBQ has stated the INCORRECT address. Please accept our apologies for this mix up. The correct address below:

Colonel Light Gardens Bowling Club
Reade Park Reserve, Flinders Ave
Colonel Light Gardens, SA 5041

This address also appears on your eventbrite ticket.

Please register to attend before end of day tomorrow (Wednesday 2nd May) by following the link on the previous post.