Hi,

It’s that time of the month again when we get school night out and sneaky couple of beers (you all don’t drink during the week, do you?)

This Wednesday we’re at the Wheaty and it’s all about hops — growing them and using them in your beers. Stuart Binnion from Silver Hop Springs and Fresh Hops Co-op of Australia is our expert special guest to tell us how and the lessons he has learnt from growing hops on his property in Longwood in the Hills.

There’s also a some winter comp beers for tasting, including a A/B comparison taste test of a stout.

Event on Facebook for Y/N/ Maybe

Winter Competition

We’ll be presenting the awards and generally celebrating the winter comp placegetters. Congratulations Lucas Veitch, who won best beer of show with his outstanding International Pale Lager, scoring a 42.5!

Now on with ABCSA. Entries are open, and bottle drop is only around the corner (Sept 13).

ABCSA has got a schmick new website and entries are open now along with stewarding and judging registrations.

Calendar updates

• September 13: ABCSA Bottle drop.
• September 17: Club meeting, the Wheaty (*TBC)
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.
• October 15: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• November 19: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• December 20: Club meeting, the Wheaty

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other calendar versions available on the Calendar page).

If you know someone interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

The Brewer of the Year leaderboard has been updated with points scored from the Winter Comp 2025 and the July monthly meeting. Lucas Veitch has built on his points earned at BeerBQ to now sit atop the ladder, followed closely by Mark Lehmann who gained 2 places. Russ has surged up the leaderboard with 3 great Winter Comp entries, and as he has indicated he will present a beer at the August meeting he’ll be just a few points off 1st place by the end of August.

Take note! It’s not just about competition entries now, those extra points from presenting beers at meetings could make all the difference come December.
If you have a beer you’d like to present, please let us know in advance of a monthly meeting (email, facebook, DM).

We wanted to get the scoresheets from the Winter Comp up ASAP so members can utilise feedback for ABCSA, and it turns out that means revealing the results.

Congratulations Lucas Veitch, who won best beer of show with his outstanding International Pale Lager, scoring a 42.5!

The results for all tables were as follows:

Table 1: Lager

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Lucas Veitch	Pale Lager	International Pale Lager
2nd	Nicholas Hauschild	International Dark Lager	International Dark Lager
3rd	Mark Lehmann	The Cockup	International Pale Lager

Table 2: Ale

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Russell Saint	Sparkylicious	Australian Sparkling Ale
2nd	Paul Quirk	Maaa	American Amber Ale
3rd	Tali Warnock	Even Cowgirls Cry	American Amber Ale

Table 3: APA

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Andrew Howlett	Dads Pale Ale	American Pale Ale
2nd	Lucas Veitch	American Pale Ale	American Pale Ale
3rd	Russell Saint	Home Grown Cascade Pale Ale	American Pale Ale

Table 4: Stout

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Leon Van Der Linden	Kingston Delight	Tropical Stout
2nd	Russell Saint	Anise Myrtle Tropical Stout	Tropical Stout
3rd	Mark Lehmann	April Sun In Cuba	Tropical Stout

Table 5: Specialty

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Chris Marciniak	Southern Hemisphere Xmas Ale (Aged)	Specialty Spice Beer
2nd	Leon Van Der Linden	Mondo Gusto	Specialty Spice Beer
3rd	Mark Murray	Spiced Christmas Ale	Specialty Spice Beer

Congratulations to all the place gettings. BOTY points will be updated soon.

If you had an entry in the competition, head to the competition portal and log in to review your score sheets

Thanks to everyone who judged, stewarded and got this show happening, and of course, everyone who entered.

August meeting, Wednesday 20th at the Wheaty

This month, growing hops in the Adelaide Hills and brewing with them with Stuart Binnion from Silver Hop Springs and Fresh Hops Co-op of Australia.

He will tell us about reviving hop farming in South Australia on his property in Longwood. Also if you do get access to fresh hops, how to brew with them.

Event on Facebook for Y/N/ Maybe

Calendar updates

• August 20: Club meeting, The Wheaty – growing hops and brewing with whole cones.
• September 17: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.
• October 15: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• November 19: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• December 20: Club meeting, the Wheaty

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other calendar versions available on the Calendar page).

If you know someone interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

Winter Comp ran yesterday with 33 entries judged over 5 categories. It was a great Sunday afternoon at ETKG with some outstanding beers from our ‘core range’ categories, as well as some interesting herb and spice combinations in Specialty.

The judges and stewards were thanked with a big ol’ batch of Texas chilli (recipe here if you are interested).

We know you’ll be keen for the judges’ feedback so you can prep for ABCSA. We’ll get the scores sheets scanned and uploaded to the portal ASAP. The winners will be announced at the August meeting at the Wheaty on Wednesday, August 20, with BOTY points added to the leaderboard soon after.

The August meeting is all about growing your own hops and brewing with them, with guest speaker Stuart Binnion.

Amateur Brewing Championships, SA (ABCSA)

The next comp on the calendar is ABCSA. The entry portal is OPEN, and you still have seven weeks to brew before drop-offs close, so there is still time to knock out a few!

AGM links fixed

In last week’s newsletter, the links to the president’s and treasurer’s reports weren’t shared correctly. This has been fixed so if you had trouble last week please try again.

• President’s report.
• Treasurer’s report.

Winter Comp

The winter comp will be judged this coming Sunday, 27th June, at ETKG. Entry registration will close at 5 PM Friday, so don’t delay – head to the competition portal now to register your entries. Please also update your profile in the portal to indicate if you can judge or steward. If you can’t make it to ETKG Sunday, drop your entries off at SA Brewing by midday Saturday.

AGM

The AGM was held last week at the July monthly meeting, and there have been a few changes to the committee. The committee for the next 12 months will be:

Position	Name
President	Lachlan Johnson
Vice President	Chris Kerr
Treasurer	Leon van der Linden
Secretary	Gus Kingston
Competition Director	Gerrard Flynn
General Officer (IT)	Julien Gibson
General Officer	Mark Lehmann
General Officer	Glen Phillis
General Officer	Neil Chappell

Minutes of the AGM can be viewed here. The President’s report is here, and the Treasurer’s report is here.

I would like to thank the outgoing committee members: Gary Waters, Nick McAuley and Sam Beard.

August Hop talk

At next month’s August meeting, we have Stuart Binnion from Silver Springs Hops coming along to talk about growing your own hops. Given the hoppy theme of the meeting, it would be great to pair it with a hoppy beer. If you have something you can bring along, let us know and we’ll gift you some free hops in return (as well a points towards Brewer of the Year)

Keg King Kegscale offer

Keg King is releasing a new product called Kegscale that tracks how much beer you have in a keg. It’s similar to the now-discontinued Plato Keg that I have demoed at a few meetings. See a short video here. Keg King is offering the club a bulk buy price of $70 each (minimum order 20 units). If you are interested in this offer, email the club.

If you have any suggestions on other bulk buys you would like the club to consider, let us know!

The regular third Wednesday of the month SABC club meeting is this week.

This Wednesday at 7pm we will be holding the Annual General Meeting of the SA Brewing Club, inc. The president and treasurer will provide reports for the last 12 months of club activity, and an election will be held to appoint a new committee.

As an incorporated not-for-profit group, we are required by law to hold one. Please come along and hear about the year and what’s in the future, and guide the direction of your club, one of the biggest and most successful homebrewing clubs in Australia.

All members are invited to attend and nominate for positions on the committee by email to info@sabrew.com or on the night before the meeting starts, either by self-nominating or by another member.

The current committee has proposed a number of constitution updates. These will be put to a vote at the AGM and require a two thirds majority to pass. The changes are intended to reflect the more modern mechanisms by which the club is managed(email over paper!), a standard period of 2 weeks for notification periods, and minor wording tweaks.. A summary of the changes has been included on the AGM Agenda available here. A draft copy of the full constitution with changes is available here.

The positions open are the required exec of president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, then up to eight committee places some with associated roles (competitions director, IT, events co-ord).

The AGM and special meeting to vote on changes to the club’s constitution won’t take long. The 2025 agenda is here, and the minutes of the 2024 AGM are here.

Please email or comment on the Facebook event. Apologies and questions/ comments if you can’t make it. Remember, there are always great Wheaty beers to enjoy.

After the AGM, which should only take 20 minutes, if you want to bring a beer to share as a tasting and short presentation, please email info@sabrew.com to let us know. Brewer of the year points are earned by bringing a beer.

BOTY

The BOTY leaderboard has been updated with points earned at the BeerBQ. Nick M and Lucas V have surged up the rankings with the points they picked up for their outstanding beers, and a bunch of new members picked up their first points by contributing beer to the night.

The next haul of points will be available at the Club Winter Comp in two weeks time.

Winter Competition

The entry portal is open now for SABC’s members’ only winter competition that is being judged on Sunday, July 27th from 1pm.

Drop off is at the venue from 12pm or at SA Brewing Supplies, Maria Street by 12pm, Saturday, July 26th.

The styles are broad and popular to give members a chance to test your winners before ABCSA in September: Lager, Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Stout and Specialty.

Jump in and enter your beers ASAP so we can plan. Judges and stewards are welcome to help, as always, but please register in the portal.

Calendar updates

• July 16: Club meeting: The Wheaty / AGM and more.
• July 27: SABC Winter Competition (EKTG) Details here
• August 20: Club meeting, The Wheaty – growing hops and brewing with whole cones.
• September 17: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other calendar versions available on the Calendar page).

If you know someone interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

Just a couple of weeks on from the last Beer n BBQ, we had our own peak beer festival for members and their guests — BeerBQ — on Saturday night on the revered ‘EKTG deck’ stage. More below, but first, July’s meeting…

AGM 2025

Members are advised that the Annual General Meeting of the South Australian Brewing Club will be held on 16 July 2025, The Wheatsheaf Hotel at 7pm. The agenda is here, 2024 minutes are here.

Other business and nominations for committee positions should be submitted to the secretary by email by 7pm Tuesday, July 15 or prior to the election at the meeting.

After AGM business, we’ll be back to a normal meeting with tastings and a stout old grain vs. new grain ‘ex-beer-iment”. If you’d like to share a beer, email us to grab the slot.

BeerBQ, 2025

Last Saturday night, we had a perfect night under the stars for the club’s annual BeerBQ. Club members brought about 25 different beers to share. From pils, pales and IPAs to stouts and wee heavies, there wasn’t a bad beer.

Thanks to BJ (Bjorn), assisted by Lachlan, for cooking the full pig on a spit all afternoon, Paul for his brisket and to everyone who chipped in with food or help to make it one of the best events we’ve ever held.

Winners on the night in the ‘bottle cap’ popular choice awards voted by members, guests and ETKG members were: Adam, Darren, Wolf and Lucas. They get points in the Brewer of the Year competition, as does everyone who brought a beer along.

Praise from the tennis club members who join us each year was strong too.

June meeting recap pH meters

Thanks to Leon for presenting at our June meeting. Everyone went away with a better understanding of how pH meters work and how to use them. You can grab his slide deck here.

Calendar updates

• July 16: Club meeting: The Wheaty / AGM and more.
• July 27: SABC Winter Competition (EKTG) Details here
• August 20: Club meeting, The Wheaty.
• September 17: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other calendar versions available on the Calendar page)

If you know someone interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

SABC’s annual BeerBQ is this Saturday night. What is it, and how does it work? If you’re an old hand, you’ll know it’s free; everyone brings homebrew, we provide the food, and it’s a great night. It’s free, but you must RSVP by logging in and grabbing a ticket here. (NOTE – you need to select “My Account” and login first. On a mobile phone “it’s”My Account” is under “Menu”)

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 spit for some delicious BBQ, many bring a keg of homebrew to share, and enjoy an evening of good company, food, and homebrew.

It’s not a competition or a judging event. There’s no pressure. Just bring a bottle or two if that’s all you have of something you’ve brewed (if you’ve got some), try what others have made, and have a chat. 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 $30 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!

June Meeting – PH Meters

The June meeting is this Wednesday and we’re back at The Wheaty to talk about pH Meters. Leon, our resident expert on the subject, will dive into the hows, whys and whens of measuring pH during brewing.

We’ll also be offering pH meter calibrations, so bring your meter along and see how it compares to everyone else.

Meeting Tasting Slots

We have 3 tasting slots available this month. If you’ve brewed a great beer you want to show off, or an average beer you want constructive feedback on, bring it along to share, and you can earn BOTY points to add to your tally! Please email us or contact a committee member directly to let them know you would like a slot as they are limited.

BeerBQ, BeerBQ, BeerBQ

There’s less than 2 weeks to go until BeerBQ (Saturday, June 28th, 6PM). You know the drill. Lots of amazing homebrewed beers, lots of delicious BBQ, lots of prizes and BOTY points on offer. Head to the SABC shop to register your free member ticket, purchase a ticket for your friends and/or family and get ready for a fantastic night.

>> Get your tickets now <<

It’s free for members, login to the shop. Please book your ticket so we have catering numbers. Guest tickets are $30.

If you’re able to help out by putting together a salad, please email the club or reach out to a committee member. All ingredient costs will be reimbursed, and a little help will go a long way!

Join the SABC Facebook Group event to chat about what you’re bringing.

Merch

If you’re feeling cold and want something warm to wear to BeerBQ, or be spotted shopping at Norwood Foodland in an SABC hoodie, the shop has merch for sale. Buy now and we’ll bring it to the meeting on Wednesday to save postage.

ABCSA launched

ABCSA, South Australia’s largest amateur beer brewing competition and only qualifier to nationals, has launched for 2025 with a new Facebook page. Follow to keep up to date with the competition dates and details.

Calendar updates

• June 18: Club meeting. The Wheaty – pH meters and water chemistry with LvdL
• June 28: SABC BeerBQ (EKTG) — Tix on sale soon, so renew your membership
• July 16: Club meeting: The Wheaty / AGM and more.
• July 27: SABC Winter Competition (EKTG) Details here
• August 20: Club meeting, The Wheaty.
• September 17: Club meeting, the Wheaty
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other cals available on the Calendar page)

If you know someone interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

It’s that time of year folks, SABC’s biggest annual event the BeerBQ is now less then 3 weeks away – Saturday 28th June.

This year we’re going all out with a pig on a spit! It will be paired with the crowd favourite slow cooked brisket along with wings, gourmet sausages and all the usual sides and trimmings. An absolute feast!

Then theres the beer. As always members are encouraged to bring along some of their finest to share. We reguarly see the full spectrum from noble German pilsners, to big American stouts to whatever outrageous concoction Kieren has put together.

As part the new Brewer of the Year format, members will receive BOTY points simply for bringing beer to share, with even more points up for grabs in the brewers choice and peoples choice awards. Refer to the BOTY page for more details.

>> Get your tickets now <<

It’s free for members but you must order your ticket so we have numbers. Guest tickets are $30.

Join the event on Facebook to stay up-to-date and give us a sneak preview on what you’ll bring along.

Dark and roasty, warm and toasty. Hello winter. A quick sprint around what’s going on.

Last month’s meeting at Crafty Robot was great. Nice to go somewhere new and support them. Thanks, Jules, for the presentation on his frankenchiller/heater, too. If you’ve got a suggestion for a meeting venue, or a topic you’d like to present on, let us know.

SABC represent at Beer & BBQ

First, we’re doing a casual catch-up at Beer & BBQ this Saturday. If you’re going along, wear some club kit and watch out for members.

A suggested meet-up spot might get suggested on Facebook on Friday, so keep an eye out, or suggest one.

If you don’t have a ticket, jump onto it now. Tickets are selling out, probably because it’s the last time (so said Johnny Farnham… we’ll see).

If you’re going on Sunday or other times, share your plans in the group so you can find a wing-person.

SABC’s BeerBBQ

Not to be confused with Beer & BBQ, our annual event that is more than 10 years old and will keep going. It is on Saturday, June 28. It’s a simple concept — everyone brings beer, everyone shares beer, and the club puts on an amazing smorgasbord of food.

Tickets for members are FREE (so renew your membership now), and for guests, it’s $30. They’ll be in the shop tonight. Please get a ticket so we know how many to cater for. There’s a whole spit this year.

It means brew this weekend (for BeerBQ and July’s winter comp!

June meeting — all about pH and water

Our resident water biologist and water quality expert will be hosting an explainer pH meters, how to use them, test them and why pH matters. Bring your pH meters for testing.

Award-winning homebrewers say it’s one of the most important changes they made to their brewing to take their beer to the next level.

Calendar updates

• June 18: The Wheaty – pH meters and water chemistry with LvdL
• June 28: SABC BeerBQ (EKTG) — Tix on sale soon, so renew your membership
• July 16: Club meeting: The Wheaty / AGM and more.
• July 27: SABC Winter Competition (EKTG) Details here
• September 20-21: ABCSA Judging (Irish Club) — You know what to do.

Subscribe to this calendar in Google (other cals available on the Calendar page)

If you know someone who is interested in the activities of the club, please forward this email. If you’re reading this and would like to find out more, please email us info@sabrew.com and come to a meeting.

We are meeting at Crafty Robot Brewing this Wednesday night.

They’re normally closed on Wednesdays but will open exclusively for us from 6pm. Head in early to buy an extra beer. It’s be great to get a huge rollup to this city brewery at 180 Grote Street. Having the full venue also allows us to run our planned presentation from Jules about his heavily modified wort chiller… the Frakenchiller!

The kitchen can offer a very limited pizza menu, however, Uber Eats/ takeaway food is welcome too.

This is a meeting not to miss. Meetings are for members, so renew now. Many members have May to May memberships, so yours might have lapsed. Also, feel free to bring a guest along too.

Reminder: SABC’s annual BeerBQ is just six weeks away — Saturday, June 28.

It’s time to think about what beer you’re going to share at the club’s best night of the year. There are BotY points for anyone who brings beer, but also the popular vote for best beer of the night gets extra points. It’s at East Torrens Kensi Tennis Club again, and of course, it is free for members. Guest price $TBC. Don’t miss out, make sure your membership hasn’t lapsed.

Top day out — Southern Vales Breweries Tour

Last weekend, 20 members toured some of the best breweries in the Vales region. It was an excellent day filled with opportunities to explore the facilities, chat with the brewers, and sample a variety of fresh, unique beers. After getting started drinking from Swell Brewing’s wide range, our bus driver Gavin took us on to Aldinga to enjoy a private lunch at Kick Back Brewing, surrounded by stainless steel tanks. Brenton, a former SABC member, now the owner and head brewer, provided us with an extraordinary experience that truly exceeded our expectations.

Next stop was Penny Red Brewing Co, a smaller outfit but no less enjoyable. They had some nice red ales and we scored a few fresh cleanskin cans to take home (and Driver Gavin benefited a few to enjoy later).

Then at our final stop, the brewer at Shifty Lizard, Brewer and owner Lee, showed us how the small Willunga main street brewery has grown since our first visit in 2018. A couple of beers and a group photo (bottom right), and it was time for the trip back to Crafty Robot (and a snooze).

Thanks to Nick McAuley for organising a fantastic day out. We’ll do it again for sure. See some happy snaps below.