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At last Wednesday’s meeting, the first face to face one in three months, we announced the winners of the club’s Winter competition judged the weekend before. See the medals in the Competitions portal and entrants can download judges scoresheets.

The best brewer was Wolfgang Trenkler with a Dunkles Bock. Congratulations Wolf.

Ales
1st Gary Waters Belguims are a bit funky 23B: Flanders Red Ale]
2nd Joel Gaskin The Rookie 11A: Ordinary Bitter SABC
3rd Chris Kerr Biere de Darke 24C: Biere de Garde

APA
1st Joel Gaskin Scallywags Demise 18B: American Pale Ale SABC
2nd Adrian Reich Dr Keneth Noisewater 18B: American Pale Ale
3rd Ryan Campbell Columtennial Pale Ale 18B: American Pale Ale

Dark
1st Chris Marciniak The Runaway Black IPA 20A: American Porter
2nd Brenton Schoemaker B.A. 13B: English Brown Ale
3rd Gavin Pennell All Aboard 20A: American Porter

Lager
1st Wolfgang Trenkler Bock 6C: Dunkels Bock
2nd Brendan Macey No Thrills 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager
3rd Thomas Michl Red Dog 9C: Baltic Porter

Stout
1st Nicky Thomas: Oatmeal Stout
2nd Leon van der Linden: Foreign Extra Stout
3rd Bjorn Elix Co-Brewer: Daniel Johnson: Imperial Stout

IPA
1st Luke O’Brien, Co-Brewer: Ryan Campbell & Shane Warren NEIPA
2nd Giles Hussey : Black IPA
3rd Lachlan Johnson Hazei: New England IPA

Specialty
1st Luke Beard maximum stupid: hazelnut 34C: Experimental Beer
2nd Lachlan Johnson Pinage 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vege Beer
3rd Ali Holden Spontaneity No.15 34B: Mixed-Style Beer

AGM 2020

We held out AGM at the July meeting. Thank you everyone who came (we had 40 people). The minutes are available to read here (thank’s Leon). The committee looks forward to bringing you another year of club activities.

BeerBQ

Just in case you missed the update, the club’s postponed winter event will now be held on Saturday, August 15 now due to access to the venue. Watch out for more info soon and we’ll put up a Facebook event. Be aware, the capacity is strictly 60 people due to COVID restrictions so if you want to come, jump on a free member’s ticket asap.

Bring a homebrewed beer to share and we’ll put on the food.

Next meeting – win big

August 19 at The Wheatsheaf (COVID permitting). More to come but what we are doing is giving away a SS Brewtech kettle in a draw. All you need to do is make sure your membership is up to date or renew or join now. We’re giving 16 month of membership for the cost of 12 until July 31. Get on this good deal now. Join or renew membership here.

That’s where we get to meet again on Wednesday from 7pm.

After we knock off our AGM requirements (nominations open… email us info@sabrew.com), we’ll be watching a session from the American Homebrew Association conference that was forced online. Its called Making Sense of Terpenes, Thiols, and Biotransformation in the Quest for Unique Hop Expression. These sessions are currently only available to attendees of the recent online event, however in 2021 all sessions will be available to AHA members so it’s well worth joining. For more information check out there website: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/

Winter competition judged and pending

We judged the entries for the SABC winter competition on Sunday. We unusually like to announce winners online ASAP on Sunday but we just couldn’t get to it, so we’re presenting all the medals on Wednesday. All the scoresheeting will be uploaded to the portal after Wednesday.

If you haven’t renewed your membership, now is a good time to check. As a club comp, only members at the time of announcement are eligible.

Log into the shop and check or renew now and get a COVID special of 16 months for the price of 12. https://shop.sabrew.com/product/membership/

BeerBQ now Satuday, August 15

We had to push back the date a couple of weeks because the new toilets weren’t finish at the Colonial Light Gardens Bowlo. Now we’re set for Saturday 15 August. That gives you four weeks to brew something.

More details to come. It’s free for members as usual and bookings will open soon. We are limited to 60 so again, be aware and it might be non-members and partners won’t be able to come. Stay tuned.

The Annual General Meeting for the SA Brewing Club will be held on Wednesday, July 15 at The Wheatsheaf Hotel, George St Thebarton from 7pm.

All financial members of the club are invited to attend. The agenda can be downloaded here. Nominations for all positions can be submitted by email in advance.

Howdy brewers and Iso-lords! (If you’ve not been watching Nat’s What I Reckon cooking videos, you’re missing out. I’d like to see him do a homebrewing vid).

So this week’s meeting on Wednesday night is virtual again using Zoom. It was a lot of fun last time but please be aware it is starting at the earlier time of 6:30pm to accommodate the time zone of our guest. 

Our special guest is Susan Wheeler from Hop Revolution NZ. Hop Revolution is the biggest hop farm in New Zealand and has just got their first crop in. 

Susan is a Plant Scientist and molecular biologist. She did her PhD here in Adelaide at CSIRO PLANT Industry at Waite. 

Check out their crops here https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz/ 

If you have any questions about growing hops or the biological specifics behind certain hops, this is the session you don’t want to miss! Bring a beer, settle on the couch, and join us via the internet to have a catch-up and learn! 

After the presentation and questions, we’ll have a social catch up and show and tell. Talk about a beer you’ve made recently or something you’ve learnt.

 – – – USE THIS LINK TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING – – –

https://zoom.us/j/3308073610?pwd=c243YmhDUTBTNnhCM2RyalZ4VmVjQT09

 Zoom is a video conferencing tool, you can use your desktop, laptop or download the Zoom app to your phone or tablet. You can join via video or audio-only if you don’t have camera access. FAQ here.

Winter Competition and SABSOSA

In other club news, it looks highly likely we’ll be able to hold a winter competition and SABSOSA, although it’s unclear if there will be a national competition. We’ll make an official announcement soon but if you want to get going, the categories will be mostly wide open (Pale Ales, Apa/IPA, Dark, Lagers, Stouts, Wheat and Specialty). Entries will most likely be limited to just two per person to help us keep it manageable. 

Also, Note on bottle sizes. Consistent with AABC, each entry must consist of a single container of at least 500ml and no more than 1000ml in volume. 330ml stubbies are not accepted.

Charity donation

As a club, we made the decision that this year’s Summer Comp entry fees would be donated towards a charity that will help local families that were impacted by the devastating bush fires earlier this year. SABC donated $450 to SA Bushfire Appeal. Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to everyone in our community that helped in any way with the fires — your contribution is invaluable.

Well, that escalated. One day we were cancelling our meeting and hoping for the competition to go ahead. Now, while we managed to get the competition judged {results below!} at social distancing, we now must postpone our Hills breweries tour and the club’s BeerBQ.

The committee met online last week and are determined to host BeerBQ at the very first opportunity we can after restrictions are lifted.

We want to postpone the Hills tour in hope we can still host it. If you bought a ticket, thank you and they’ll be kept in credit for the new date. If you want a refund, that’s OK too. Just email us and we’ll get it done. 

The new normal (hopefully not)

The club has subscribed to Zoom video meeting platform and we will host our regular meetings online until things change. Our meeting on Wednesday 15 will be at 7pm on Zoom and links/ PIN numbers will be sent out soon. We want it to be a catch-up and ask you to talk briefly about a beer you’ve brewed, something you’ve just done differently or ask a question about something you need advice.

As you’d imagine, everyone talking at once isn’t going to be a good experience so we’re using this as a trial. Mics off, use the chat feature and a host will facilitate speakers and responses. In the future, we’ll have special guests (from around the world) and other presentations. They can be recorded too for watching later.

Before next Wednesday, if you don’t have it or use video conferencing, please get Zoom on your phone, tablet or computer and try it out with friends or family to get used to using it. Here’s a getting started guide or this more blunt guide from the ABC – How to not suck at video conferencing.

In the meantime, if you’ve exhausted your Netflix recommendations, you can listen to our of our meeting presentations from our shop (you need to log in) like this cracker on water and treatment by Leon and Luke.

Summer competition results

The summer competition was judged by a small but to our usual standards of anonymity and independence. Thank you to Gary for making it happen when we thought it was all lost. And thank you all for entering. We were overwhelmed by the response in Belgian entries. We’re sorry we couldn’t judge the other categories. All the entry fees totally over $300 are going to be donated to the CFS Foundation.

The score sheets will be uploaded to the portal in the next few weeks, so please be patient. Medals will be posted. Please make sure your postal address is correct in the portal. In the meantime the winners of the Belgian categories were:

Cat 21 Belgian IPA
1st place. Brendan Macey
2nd place. Gavin Pennell
3rd place. Ali Holden
Cat 24 Belgian Ale
1st place. Gerard Flynn
2nd place. Luke O’brien
3rd place. Christopher Kerr
Cat. 25. Strong Belgian Ale
1st place Sam Wallwork
2nd place. Luke Beard
3rd place. Nick McAuley
Cat 26 Trappist Ale
1st place. Ben Krauth
2nd place. Gus Kingston
3rd place. Nick McAuley
Overall champion scores
1st place 44 points. Gerard Flynn
2nd place. 43.25. Points Ben Krauth
3rd place. 43 points. Luke O’Brien

Stay well everyone … and stay home.

The committee has made the difficult decision to cancel this Wednesday’s meeting. We are all aware that the whole nation, and the world, is taking unprecedented measures to try and slow the infections from COVID-19.

We don’t want to be seen to be above the expectations of the community when concerts, sports, family get-togethers and weddings are being cancelled. There is a lot of disappointment and we are sure you understand. What we all do this week will hopefully show significant benefits by this time next month.

We also planned to use our off flavours sensory kit. Not only is it quite expensive to buy and we want everyone to be able to have benefited from it, but we also cannot use it without people coming in close contact with vessels as we stick our noses into it.

It is a fast-changing situation, however, we do plan to continue hold the competition judging on Saturday albeit with changed routines (no jugs will be used, bottles opened at the tables, stewards will wear gloves and we’ll use disposable cups that we will recycle.

We understand this makes it difficult for some of you to drop your entries off without a meeting. Please watch your emails and the Facebook Group and Page for updates. You can still drop them at BeerBelly (note cutoff time on the competitions portal) and Gilbert St at 12pm on Saturday. If you’re stuck, send us an email and we’ll try and sort out an alternative.

Enter here.

We also hope our Hills bus tour goes ahead (Tickets are available here). We have committed to refunding tickets if the tour doesn’t go ahead.

The BeerBQ on May 2 is also still on our calendar. All you need to do is brew a beer for it and hope it happens.

For now, stay safe and healthy.

Gus and SABC committee.

The summer competition entry portal is now open. To enter, you need to register an account. While we use this platform a lot, you cannot use an old or SABSOSA log-ins. Once you’ve registered you can enter a beer(s) and return later, log in and enter or edit more beers, print labels and pay.

This is a Belgians competition. If you’re entering a Belgian, select one of the specific BJCP categories. If you’re entering a non-Belgian beer choose ‘other’ (the last item in the drop-down menu) and use the BJCP 2015 categories to indicate in the box what style of beer it is. E.g. 13A. Dark Mild.

The best of show and medals will only be awarded to the Belgians entered. Other beers will be judged as normal with judges sheets available in the portal after completion.

Bottle drop is currently only at BeerBelly, our meeting on March 18 or on the day by 12.15pm.

 https://comps.sabrew.com

While this was a Belgians comp, the club opened this competition up to more styles with the benefit of all entry fees set at $7 and all going to a bush fire and wildlife related charity. It also allows more members to have a go at judging which is a great learning experience.

We always need judges and stewards. Indicate your willingness to help in your entry or send an email to competitions@sabrew.com.

Judging will be held at The Gilbert St Hotel from 12pm. We estimate the presentations will be around 3pm. If you can, come down for the event from 3pm. We’ll put one some snacks and the bar will no doubt have a great line-up of beers to enjoy.

March meeting

We are at the Wheaty on March 18 and we’ll be doing the off-flavours training kits that were postponed in November.

Hills breweries tour

Watch out for an announcement and tickets for the Hills breweries tour on Saturday, April 18. The bus tour will go to Urailda Brewery, Silver Bark Brewery, Lot 100 (Mismatch) and Left Barrel Brewing with brewery tours and meet and greet from the brewers. Numbers are limited so be quick. Cost $TBC.

BeerBQ

Also fast approaching is our BeerBQ on May 2. That might not seem soon but this is a reminder to think about what you want to brew for it and schedule it in.

More dates in the Club Calendar.

This Wednesday we’re meeting at Little Bang Brewing Co. 25 Henry Street Stepney at the special ‘Fringe Event’ time of 6pm – 8pm. Like The Wheaty, LBBC is also a Fringe venue hosting comedy, so while you’re welcome to stay longer, we’ll shift our formalities to an earlier window. It’s tough to find places to meet in Mad March.

Our guest is Tony from The Suburban Brew who will take us through how as a gypsy brewer he uses Little Bang’s brewery to brew his range. Plus beers from the brewery and meals are also available.

Club brew day

At the meeting, we’ll also provide more info about the club brew day on Sunday, March 1. If you haven’t heard, we are brewing together but on five or six systems. We’ve done it before. Bring your kit and brew together, join a team, make what you want. Maybe share ingredients costs. Make a double batch. Whatever you want. Strike water and chilling available. May the best system … win? 

Pizza lunch provided by our hosts and the club. Places for brewing set-ups are limited but if your kit is mobile and you can brew, let us know in the registration. If you want to join in, either join as a team together or we’ll sort you out. 

REGISTER HERE to brew or just come along and join in. 

We’ll taste the results in a meeting in the future.

Membership

When your membership is due, you will receive an email two weeks out. Please check your spam folders and add info@sabrew.com as a contact/safe email. You can also check your membership online at https://shop.sabrew.com/product/membership/

Summer comp – venue locked in 

We’ll judge the ‘all things Belgian’ summer comp on March 21 at The Gilbert Street Hotel from 12pm. Entry portal opens soon. Bottle drop a the March meeting, on the day or at BeerBelly.

We always need judges and helpers. Come along to help or just for the winners’ presentation from around 3pm and stay for some nibbles and a beer. It’s really great The Gilbert are allowing us to use their function room

Opportunity to test ingredients

We got a message from Robert. “Hi there, I’ve started producing a biodynamic organic barley malt (green atm – Westminster) and was wondering whether there might be someone that could test the malt during a brew and provide feedback on it? I can supply 10kg of malt to test.”

If you’re interested, contact Robert with your idea of what to brew at redfernblack@outlook.com. We’d like to taste the results as well.

ANHC / Club Night reminder

We want as many members as possible to come to the Aust. National Homebrew Conference in October. Put Oct 9-10 in your diaries now and scout out plane fares. Also, think about a good theme for the club to have at club night (playing dress-ups) and what to brew. 

Calendar 

We shared this last time, you can save the club calendar and print it out for the fridge or dunny door as a JPG or a PDF. It prints up to A3. We’ve also updated the online calendar page on the site. you can add to your own calendar: https://sabrew.com/calendar/list/

2020 Club Calendar. To help everyone know what’s going on with the club, we’ve worked out all the dates of things we know in now and put them all in one handy printable or savable as an image for you to plan things now. We’ve also included the themes of meetings where we can. Some dates might change so always read club communications in emails, on the website and Facebook.

You can save the image below as a JPG or a PDF. It prints up to A3. We’ve also updated the online calendar page on the site. you can add to your own calendar: https://sabrew.com/calendar/list/

Print it for your fridge, office wall or toilet door. Save the picture to your phone’s wallpaper!.

This month’s meeting on February 19 is at Little Bang. It’s Fringe time which means venues are busy with shows. We’ll be starting a bit earlier, 6-6.30pm and we will be getting an insight into using the brewery by a ‘gypsy brewer’. More to come.

Details about the summer competition were in a previous post here. It will be judged on March 21. The entry portal will open a couple of weeks before.

This is a quick note to give some details about the club’s annual summer competition will be judged on Saturday. March 21. The theme is Belgian. We know not everyone loves the style, but not everyone loves IPAs either. If you’ve never brewed a Belgian beer before, have a go, even if it’s just a mini-batch. They make great swap beers if you don’t love yours.

Styles are by BJCP 2015 Categories. If you add a particular adjunct like fruits, indicate that in your entry. So you can make a Belgian Strong with raspberries if you want.

Venue: TBC (Either the Irish Club, The Wheaty or The King’s Head).
Entries: $5
Help: Yes please. We need judges and stewards.
Winners: announced and awards as soon as judging is complete.
A Facebook event will be up soon for info and RSVPs.

• 24 BELGIAN ALE
• 24A. Witbier
• 24B. Belgian Pale Ale
• 24C. Biere de Garde
• 25 Strong Belgian Ale
• 25A. Belgian Blond Ale
• 25B. Saison
• 25C. Belgian Golden Strong Ale

• 26 TRAPPIST ALE
• 26A. Trappist Single
• 26B. Belgian Dubbel
• 26C. Belgian Tripel
• 26D. Belgian Dark Strong Ale
• and
• 21B. Specialty IPA
• Specialty IPA: Belgian IPA

May the best Belgian win.

Forward dates:

The February meeting is Wednesday, Feb 19 and will be at Little Bang Brewing, Henry St Stepney. The kitchen is open for dinner. We hope to get a tour and a bit of insider knowledge from a gypsy brewer who uses the brewery.

February 19: Club meeting at Little Bang.
March 18: Club meeting (Wheaty) Off flavours using sensory kits.
March 21: Summer competition judging (venue TBC)
April 15: Club meeting (Wheaty) Member beer tasting and assessment
May 20: Club meeting (Wheaty)
June 17: Club meeting (Wheaty) TBC Barrel aging beers.