Due to a stuff up we’re unfortunately unable to confirm we can unlock the hall tonight. If you have ACT Championships beers to drop off committee members will be there to receive them. Apologies, we will post further information about re-scheduling the meeting.
Brewers, the September meeting is coming. So is the ACT Amateur Brewing Championships. You should have you bottles ready for next week’s entry. We are still enrolling judges and stewards. Good luck to all those with a beer, cider or mead in it. I hope you get a good result and maybe make it through to the Nationals.
Remember to bring some of your home brewed beer to share with all of the other brewers at the meeting. You can bring bottles, growlers or even a Corny Keg, it is up to you. A good guide is to bring about as much as you want to drink. There is a Nookie ticket for members who bring beer or buy raffle tickets. If you don’t know what the Nookie prize is, then come and find out.
Ant for Plonk, who are participating in our Members Benefits scheme, will be coming to chat about the great range of beers he has at Plonk and providing some prizes for the raffle. He will also be telling us about the Rodenbach Tasting with Brew Master Rudi Ghequire being held at Plonk on Sunday the 8th of September at 12:30. For details see Plonk’s Facebook page.
With a recent popularity explosion of hazy beers such as New England IPAs, as well as their acceptance in the 2019 Australian Amateur Brewing Competition, it’s an appropriate time to discuss beer clarity.
The September Education Session will focus on many aspects of beer clarity, specifically;
– Factors influencing wort & beer clarity
– Methods to improve clarity ie filtering, finings, long-term chilling
– Methods to reduce clarity ie malt & yeast selection
– Effects of clarity on beer flavour and preference
This won’t be a NEIPA talk – that’s just a topical example. Fundamental aspects are in focus here.
There will be two samples of a heavily dry-hopped pale ale for attendees to taste: one is clarified and the other is not (they are otherwise identical beers, from the same batch). You will be invited to sample both and discuss any perceived differences. Anyone willing to bring their own fined & non-fined samples of their beer are welcome and encouraged to do so, send a PM to MBT discuss further.
We held our first Picnic in a Park meet up last Sunday. We had a core group who all enjoyed time to catch up, talk about and taste each other’s beers. Everyone feel very welcome to suggest a time and place for the next one.
We will have two beers available that are brewed by two of our brewers, Corrie and Peta, from Ethiopian Black Malt from Voyager Malts. They are a Munich Helles and a Pale Ale, designed to show off the malt. We are looking to do more experiments with friendly suppliers and are looking for volunteer brewers.
Brewers, the days are starting to get longer. Comp 2 has come and gone. Well done to all those who had a beer in it. I hope you had a good result or at least some good feedback ready to go again for the ACT Comp.
Thanks to all the judges, stewards and other helpers who have volunteered to help out at the Coopers Master of the Brewniverse competition. This will give the clubs reputation a big boast. There is still time to join in if you want to be a part of something special.
The August meeting education session will demonstrate making malt tea. No it is not a hipster drink, it helps predict the colour of you final beer. There will be great raffle prizes including an Inkbird temperature controller from our friends at Beerco. There is still space if you want to join the Six Pack Swap.
Remember to bring some of your home brewed beer to share with all of the brewers at the meeting new and experienced. You can bring bottles, growlers or even a Corny Keg, it is up to you. A good guide is to bring about as much as you want to drink. There is a Nookie ticket for bringing beer. If you don’t know what the Nookie prize is, then come and find out.
Dermott from BeerCo will be showcasing their malts, in particular those from Crisp Malting Group. There will also be a demonstration on brewing a malt tea, which is a useful tool to predict the colour of a finished beer.
As always, the education session commences at 7:30pm in the education room in Gorman Arts Centre, with the monthly club meeting commencing shortly afterward in the main hall. This is a very worthwhile session for any brewer looking to learn more about malt.
The committee have been looking how we can include members who struggle to get to the monthly meetings. We are looking to organise regular ‘come as you are’ park meet-ups on weekends. We will name a time and place, and all member are invited to turn up and catch up with other members. There won’t be any official proceedings, raffles etc. but the club will provide some support and members could run a six-pack swap. We plan to have these meet ups member driven, family friendly and held in different parts of the Canberra district so they can be ‘nearby’ everyone, every now and then. We plan to socialise the idea more in the next few weeks.
This month we are hot and cold on the top raffle prize. We have an Inkbird temperature controller that can be used to control your fermentation. Controlling fermentation temperature is a fantastic way to improve your beer and this little beauty will get you on your way.
Competition 2 was run and there were some smashing beers. Full results are on the forum.
It is time to be brewing for the ACT comp so refine and rebrew your best beers as you can make it through to national via this completion.
Membership benefits are growing and there will be a few more announcements on the night. Membership cards are available at the meeting. If you can’t get to the meeting, email the committee and we will work out how to get it to you
This month you might be interested in malt. There is ‘Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse (Brewing Elements)’ by John Mallett is available. Order your book online by going to the library page https://canberrabrewers.librarika.com/ and pick it up at the next meeting.
The six pack swap is still open for this month. Just bring at least six beers in 330ml or larger bottles and go home with six beers from other brewers. This way you can take time to enjoy the beers you only get a quick taste of on club night. See the forum to let the others know what you are bringing.
Have a great August and brew like a champion.
In the next week or so, Wayward brewing will have a limited release beer around town. It is their Banoffee Wheat beer and it is a result of the #mywaywardbrew competition they ran earlier this year that was won by one of our members Warwick Ferguson, AKA Woz, with a toffee malt inspired wheat beer. The focus was on the banana ester from the right yeast with a hit of rich toffee malt to give it a banoffee flavour. Banoffee pie is the classic British dessert that features banana and toffee.
Woz calls his backyard brewery Chook’n’Walrus, a combination of Woz’s wife’s and his nicknames for each other (too cute). He has been brewing since 2016 when Chook gave him the normal Coppers home brew setup. He soon hit the limits of that format and, early last year, moved up to a Grainfather. His favourite brews are Pale Ales, IPA’s and Porters but he is not scared to get a bit out-there, hence the idea for the banoffee wheat beer.
The Walrus really enjoyed his time at the Wayw
ard brewery. They looked after him every step of the way, including delaying things when he had a family medical emergency that delayed the brew day a few weeks. Fay from Wayward was his main contact through the competition and planning and was incredibly helpful. On the brew day, good things got better. Woz worked with Shaun Blissett, Wayward’s head brewer to scale up the Banoffee Wheat beer to a commercial batch. As Woz put it “Shaun was great. Gave me an amazing run down of all aspects of Wayward brewing. Couldn’t be more helpful or welcoming.” They gave him the full brewery tour and even had him help decide some of the ingredients on their next ‘macadamia’ beer.
For Woz this was an amazing experience and something he can brag about for years. For Wayward, it was a chance to do something new and different again. Sound like a great combination but you can judge for yourself when you get to try some.
More info is here.
https://www.waywardbrewing.com.au/post/mywaywardbrew-winner