February 2026 Update

Posted on Posted in Editor's report and club news
Three men looking up at the camera with shiny stainless steel brewing equipment in the background.
Chuck, President Weenie and Jason brewing up a batch at Zierholz for the multicultural festival.

Brewers,

Happy New year, we hope you had a great Christmas break and got a chance to brew, travel, or at least taste a few great brews. We are excited about 2026 at the club, starting with the first club meeting on Thursday, 5 February at the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David St, Turner  from 7:30pm. We will have a huge weekend following the meeting with our major fundraiser and club promotion at the National Multicultural Festival, 6-8 February, more details below!

President’s message

Two men standing together, one holds a wooden plaque while giving the thumbs up.
Jason Reilly, left, receiving the 2025 Club Member of the Year Award from the Prez.

February is a great chance to get together as a club after a big 2025 and start fresh for the new year. We need to acknowledge the massive efforts of Jason and Chuck in-particular, to coordinate the brewing of the club’s beers for the multi-cultural festival. This is a fantastic opportunity to show off the club and our biggest public activity of the year. Thanks also to Christoph from Zierholz for access to his brewery, and Richard from BentSpoke for supporting and sponsoring the club’s efforts with BentBrewer, and to all other support provided that makes the club what it is.

All of our outcomes come from the efforts of members, so we need to thank those who participate, but also look to new brewers to welcome to the club. Invite friends. If you meet brewers, invite them to a club event and encourage them to join our great club!

Brew strong!

National Multicultural Festival

The multicultural festival is almost upon us! There are still slots available for club members to assist with setup, pack-up and serving beers throughout the weekend 6-8 February. It is a great activity to get involved with, and a chance for us to talk to the Canberra Community about this hobby that we love so much. All the details are on the Canberra brewers forum.  

Crankshaft Clone Competition

A man grins while holding a T-shirt and two cases of Crankshaft while a second man smiles in the background.
Corey picks up his swag from BentSpoke head brewer and co-founder Richard Watkins.

Congratulations to Corey for taking out the Club Crankshaft Clone comp at the Christmas party. The committee is working in the background to organise a Crankshaft clone comp which will open to the public to coincide with international homebrew day in May. The aim is to promote the existence of the club to homebrewers in Canberra, in order to increase our membership. If you are keen to get involved on the organising side, please contact the comp secretaries, or any of the committee members.

Education

To kick-off 2026, we are going to explore “The why and how of yeast harvesting.” This will be a great opportunity to discover multiple methods for yeast harvesting, how to improve your success rate and to share your own experiences with other club members.

AGM and committee positions

The Club AGM will be held at the March meeting. It sneaks up on us quickly. We need maximum attendance (at least a quorum) so please make an effort to clear your schedule for Thursday, 5 March. This year we have quite a few committee members who will not be re-nominating for their existing appointments, so we need some new members to step forward and lend a hand to running the club. It is a rewarding experience, and honestly, doesn’t take a huge effort. More info. to come on the process for nominating for positions.

See you all at the Feb Meeting at the Polish Club!