May Meeting Preview

Hey there brewers! Big weekend ahead, and another great meeting coming up next week, here’s a taste of what’s going on in the Best Homebrew Club in Australia!!

Club rallying to show off their skills for International Home Brew Day!

OK so it’s not part of the monthly meeting, but don’t forget it’s International Home Brew Day tomorrow!! A bunch of people have put in a bunch of work to get everything together for this event, which is shaping up to be a real showcase for beer and homebrewing in Canberra. It’s on at Westside at Acton Park (the shipping container village beside Lake Burley Griffin) and we’ll have eight brewers on site brewing along with a bunch of different demos from club members. We’ve had heaps of interest at the event’s Facebook Page, so check it out for more details. We’re publicising a 10am start time, but setup will begin from 8:30am if you want to help out. It should be a great day.

Test your taste buds

Are you struggling to dial in your senses to detect some of the more common off flavours? Well at the meeting on Thursday, May 7, we’re going to run a quick session with some beer flavouring kits we’ve imported from the UK. This is a must-do for new brewers trying to identify what’s going on in their beer, and great practice for experienced judges.

The highs and lows of mash temperatures

Darren “Spaz” Blackhurst has been dialling in his new HERMS system and has been good enough to brew two batches of bitter for this month’s Brewers Showcase. We all know that high mash temps make a thicker, higher gravity finish on a beer, right? Well let’s put it to the test and see how much difference it makes. Is it worth stressing over hitting your strike temp, or does it really not matter? The proof will be in the tasting!

Counter-pressure filling: Judgement Day

We’re also hoping to have the beers filled during the counter-pressure filling demo two months ago to see how they fared – and see if Patrick really was talking rubbish!

And of course, we’ll have the monthly raffles!

Full Pint Brewing Supplies is coming to the party this month, kindly kicking in a prize of one of the new fancy Sterilock dry airlocks (that filter air in and out of the fermenter), a pack of ultra-fresh 2015-crop Melba hops, and a pack of the Whitlabs Platinum Whitbread Ale Yeast. And that’s just the beginning! We’re also looking to secure a couple more prizes, and some great new books are on their way as well.

Reserve your books from the club library

We’re expecting a couple of new books in this week, so don’t forget to head to the club’s online library catalogue at https://canberrabrewers.librarika.com/ to peruse this great resource. You can reserve a copy of something and we’ll deliver it at the meeting. If the book is currently on loan, email education@canberrabrewers.com.au and we’ll arrange to have it brought back for you to borrow. Don’t have access to the library? Email us and we’ll hook you up.

So grab some home brew and bring it along to share with friends and have a chat.

See you tomorrow, and then again on Thursday!!