Winter comp categories, teams brew and a casual catch-up

Gus K

Now the medals and trophy for the summer comp have been presented, it’s time to look to the club’s winter competition. 

Embrace the dark side, the theme this year is Dark and Stormy. 

Brew your best beer in any of the following categories by Bjcp 2021 style guidelines:

  • 3B Czech Dark Lager
  • 8A Munich Dunkel
  • 8B Schwarzbier
  • 9B Eisbock
  • 9C Baltic Porter
  • 13C English Porter
  • 14A Scottish Light
  • 15B Irish Stout
  • 15C Irish Extra Stout
  • 16A Sweet Stout
  • 16B Oatmeal Stout
  • 16C Tropical Stout
  • 16D Foreign Extra Stout
  • 19C American Brown Ale
  • 20A American Porter
  • 20B American Stout
  • 20C Imperial Stout
  • 21B Speciality IPA: Black IPA/Brown IPA
  • 23C Oud Bruin

Three entries max per person. One per category.

Judging will take place Sunday, 10th July, 2022. Venue TBA

Club competition rules will appear on the competition website. Open to financial members of SABC ONLY (renew or join here).

Teams brew challenge

At last week’s meeting, we announced the first brewing challenge for the year. It’s a simple one – brew the Lady Burra. In short, make a well-balanced beer that would quench the thirst of after-work city drinkers in the style of one of their current core or seasonal beers. 

We’ll sample (judge) them at the May meeting.

Teams were roughly arranged last year around geography. If you want to get involved in a team’s brew day, drop us a line and tell us where you live and we’ll put you in contact. There are teams – Southern, city, inner northern, hills, western and inner northern suburbs.

Or leave a comment in the Facebook group.

Try to replicate a beer but more simply, get together, enjoy yourselves and make some beer to share.

Casual catch-up, April 3

Brenton Shoemaker won best beer of summer comp a few years ago and now he’s opened his own brewery that’s really got Adelaide beer lovers talking – Kick Back Brewing.

We’ve booked a spot for 12 on April 3 from 2pm. We know in the past we get around that many to a casual catchup and as people come and go we hope we’ll fit. We’ve told them we’re coming so we might get some flexibility. Just turn up and enjoy a beer.

Quick updates – this month’s meeting in the CBD

Gus K

This month’s meeting is next week, Wednesday, March 16. It will be at Lady Burra Brewhouse in Topham Mall, in the CBD.

We’ll meet from 7pm as usual but the kitchen is open from 6pm if you want to eat before. 

Mark and the team will give us a tour and some insight into how they brew. We’ve also lined up a special ‘teams challenge’.

Last year there was the random supermarket ingredients challenge, this month we’ll kick off another one. This one is much more traditional. 

The idea was brewers joined together in teams to brew. It was generally by geographic location. Don’t worry if you weren’t involved before, we’ll get you into a group. It’s fun and you’ll get to meet some members and learn a few things too.

We’ll also present the medals from last month’s Summer Competition. 

The SABC Winter competition will be held on July 9 or 10. The theme is ‘Dark and Stormy’. More details and categories to come.

Finally, SABSOSA 2022 — or the SA Homebrewing Competition as we’re probably calling it now — the state’s peak open amateur brewing competition, will be held on September 10 and 11.

Other events to look forward to:

Keep Sunday, April 3 in your diaries for a casual club get together at Kick Back Brewing in Aldinga.

A ‘classic’ SABC BeerBQ in July (food and all member’s beers now restrictions have relaxed), a special guest and beer pairing in April and a special celebration for the club’s 10th anniversary later in the year.

Do you know how to drink a beer? Summer comp this Sunday

Gus K

This Sunday, Feb 20 is competition judging day. To run a club comp we need as many members as possible. Whether you’re BJPC or can raise your arm with a glass to your lips, you can judge. Register in the portal so you can be allocated. https://comps.sabrew.com. If you can’t use it, just send us an email at info@sabrew.com

We can’t hold competitions if we don’t get the support to run them, especially with judging. If you’re new to the club and think judging is beyond you, don’t worry. Have a go. We’re not in it for sheep stations. 

The location is at Unit 3/77 O’Sullivan Beach Rd Lonsdale in a new brewery.  

If you can’t be there from 12, come along at 3.30pm and bring one or two beers to share around. We’re making it a social event too where we’ll announce the winners. Here’s a Facebook event for it.

Of course, you can still enter your beer for the competition. Bottle drop on the day from 11.30am, at this week’s meeting or BeerBelly by 5pm Friday 18th. Entries close on Thursday 17th February

This Wednesday’s meeting is at the Wheaty from 7pm. Again with numbers probably lower, we’re getting out and supporting a local business that does appreciate us being there.

As always, if you’ve got a beer to share or an idea to raise, bring it along.

We need your help to judge summer comp – there’s also a social event too

Gus K

The competition is running on Sunday, Feb 20. The event is up and entries are coming in — now we need your help. 

As always we need judges. Even if you’ve never judged before, we need your help. It’s just drinking beer after all. 

Register in the portal so you can be allocated even if you’ve entered. We place you in a different style or flight. https://comps.sabrew.com

Don’t be nervous. It’s fun, you’ll be with other experienced judges and you’ll learn a lot that benefits your own understanding of tasting and brewing beer.

The location is in Lonsdale in space that will become a new brewery. So you get to see it in development. 

Social event.

We can also welcome members to come to the venue for the winners’ presentation and share a beer or two. Bring one or two to share around. It’s a social event too.

Of course, you can enter your beer for the competition too. There are limits on the number of entries and entries per style.

Bottle drop will be on the day, at the meeting the week prior and at BeerBelly by 5pm Friday 18th.

The categories are;

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

One beer from each category will be crowned the winner with medals for second and third.

Entry is only open to SABC financial club members, including new financial members who join the club. There can be one entry per category and a maximum of three entries. There will be a cap on total entries..

Entries close on Thursday 17th February. Judges and stewards will be needed. Register your availability in the portal.

We still hope that the winning beer will be brewed by a commercial brewing company and released on tap at our very own stand at the July Beer & BBQ festival.

Here we go again…

Gus K

Despite the pandemic, goddamit we will have a regular meeting next Wednesday at The Wheaty from 7pm.

After seeking you opinions in a poll, we know many are hesitant about meeting and are waiting for booster shots to soak in so we’ll keep it simple. Catch up with brewing buddies and bring a beer if you’d like to have it assessed. We thought about cancelling but we also don’t want to let down The Wheaty who are also doing it tough.

If anyone wants to present either a beer or a topic, drop us a line. We’re into it.

Be aware, the Wheaty will have capacity limits and restrictions we must follow.

It’s likely we’ll also do an Australia Day Zoom meeting. Stay tuned for that.

Summer competition update.

We know you are as disappointed as we are that the summer comp has been postponed. We would like this to go ahead and we propose provisional judging on the weekend of 19-20th February. We may need to extend this to the following weekend in sessions to minimise exposure numbers for gathering etc.

We know a lot of people will want to avoid larger gatherings and keep a low profile but to run it we do need help from the community with a suggestion for venue. Preferably outdoors and undercover (at least spacious), close to facilities and central. It’s likely bottles will need to be dropped on the day and maybe at the meeting in the week prior.

We also hope to be able to offer the best beer to be pro-brewed and served at the winter Beer n BBQ (if that happens).

Can you also indicate in an email or vote/ comments on the Facebook poll if you would consider judging or stewarding?

Final meeting of the year Wednesday

Gus K

This Wednesday is our last meeting of the year and as usual, it’s a casual affair with nothing planned except we’ll get in some pizzas.

Bring a bottle of homebrew to add to the ‘secret Santa’ swap.

We’ll also be presenting the club award to SABC Brewer of the Year.

Reminders: Summer Comp closes before judging at Homebrewed on Saturday, Jan 25. That’s only six weeks to brew a beer in the styles being judged.

It’s also only eligible for current financial members — as are all events, meetings, pizzas, barrels and extras the club offers — so if you’re reading this and your membership has lapsed, it’s time to log in and renew. What better gift for the beer lover mate or family friend.

From us at SABC have a merry Christmas and a safe New Years.

SUMMER COMP 2022. GAME ON!

Gus K

Bring your best home-brew to Beer & BBQ Homebrewed festival for summer comp 2022. We are excited to announce our biggest and best Club competition in our ten-year history.

The 2022 SABC summer competition will judge three styles in an exciting collaboration with the Homebrewed Beer and BBQ Festival.

The categories are;

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

One beer from each category will be crowned the winner.

Each winning beer will be brewed by our commercial brewing partner(s) (TBA) and released on tap at our very own stand at the July Beer & BBQ festival.

Beers will be judged at the summer Homebrewed festival on Saturday 22nd January at the Showgrounds and announced on Stage on Sunday 23rd January. 

We expect a large number of entries this year. Entry is only open to SABC financial club members, including new financial members who join the club, at no cost per entry. There can be one entry per category and a maximum of three entries. There will be a cap on total entries (TBC).

Entries close on Sunday 16th January. Judges and stewards will be needed. As a reward, they will receive complimentary weekend passes for the festival.

Indicate your intention to participate via the SABC entry portal when this opens. As well as a commercial release, Beer & BBQ Homebrewed will also be sponsoring additional prizes to be announced. For full competition entry conditions, please see previous competitions announcements here.

Christmas get-together at Shapeshifter reminder

If you missed our plans, we’ve decided to keep the Christmas event simple and head to Shapeshifter Brewing Co and see their new home on Crittenden Rd Findon for a Sunday afternoon get together.

  • Date: Sunday 5th December
  • Time: 1 – 6pm
  • Location: Shapeshifter Brew Co. – Unit 2/54 Crittenden Rd, Findon

There will be a food truck on-site for eating and a wide range of head brewer James McCall’s delicious beers.

Facebook event for RSVP here so we can gauge numbers.

Meeting this Wednesday

Gus K

At our meeting this Wednesday at the Wheaty from 7pm we’ll be tasting some of the national AABC medal-winning beers from club brewers and hearing from them about how they were made and any tips on taking a good beer to great. Get your questions ready.

Beer Bingo is on as usual. Bring a bottle of your beer and take another one home. It’s slipped a bit recently so make the effort to bottle something and bring it along. It’s rewarding to get someone else’s beer to enjoy for a change. Judging by our recent successes in competitions, you might get a winning beer.

Say this out loud: Hey Google | Hey Seri, remind me to take a beer to the club meeting on Wednesday afternoon at 6pm.

Christmas event

Our Christmas event this year is a simple affair. We’re going to visit the new home of Shapeshifter Brewing Co on Crittenden Rd Findon for a Sunday afternoon get together.

  • Date: Sunday 5th December
  • Time: 1 – 6pm
  • Location: Shapeshifter Brew Co. – Unit 2/54 Crittenden Rd, Findon

There will be a food truck on-site for eating and a wide range of head brewer James McCall’s delicious beers.

We’ll still have a regular monthly meeting for our annual pre-Christmas pizza get together and secret Santa beer swap (ie beer bingo in a brown paper bag) at the Wheaty on Wednesday, December 15.

Club Christmas event at Shapeshifter Brewing Co.

Lachlan Johnson

Now that the government has given us some indication of when restrictions will be lifted (or not lifted), we’ve decided to keep the Christmas event simple and head to Shapeshifter Brewing Co and see their new home on Crittenden Rd Findon for a Sunday afternoon get together.

  • Date: Sunday 5th December
  • Time: 1 – 6pm
  • Location: Shapeshifter Brew Co. – Unit 2/54 Crittenden Rd, Findon

There will be a food truck on-site for eating and a wide range of head brewer James McCall’s delicious beers.

We’ll still have a regular monthly meeting for our annual pre-Christmas pizza get together at the Wheaty on Wednesday, December 15.

We hope to plan for a summer BBQ + homebrew event in the new year.

Australian Amateur Brewing Competition 2021 results

Congratulations to all the eight SABC brewers that won a medal, including gold in IPA by Craig Blessing, and Greg Weider winning fourth overall. It was judged in Hobart a couple of weeks ago.

The full results are here.

Club meeting this week

Gus K

On Wednesday for our regular monthly meeting at the Wheaty we’re again giving the opportunity for members to have their beer anonymously assessed by the members in small judging groups.

Bring in a beer, ideally in an unmarked bottle, and let the members guess the style and give feedback. You can fess up if it’s yours or not. We only need one 750ml bottle or a couple of stubbies.

Bring in beers for bottle bingo too. Leave a bottle and take another one.

New members welcome.

If you missed the announcement about our 2022 summer comp… it will be a banger, trust us. The only styles being judged will be: 

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

Read more here.

Summer competition 2022 and November meeting

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.

Meeting this Wednesday – all things brewing tech

Gus K

For the September monthly meeting, we have Brendan, Nick and Lachlan talking all things tech in brewing.

They will demonstrate several hardware and software solutions that can make the home brewing process just that little bit easier and help you keep track of your fermentation even when you’re away.

There will be digital hydrometers, internet-connected fermentation fridges, Pi’s, Plaato’s, cloud APIs, smartphone keg management tools and online tap lists and even a guest appearance by Alexa.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel, George St, Thebarton. 7pm.

One not to miss.