Building of the Spruce Moose brew stand

By Patrick Baggoley

Having not brewed for about five years, when I finally got the last couple of pieces of gear together to try my first all grain batch in January 2009, I decided to get back into it with a vengeance.

As most do, I spent my few couple of batches propping up various vessels on milk crates, benches and saw horses, and each time I’d end up trying a different configuration. I’d trip over things, misplace mash paddles and thermometers and generally get very confused. This meant it was hard to get parts of the process such as mash-in, recirculating and sparging properly co-ordinated and consistent.

Australian Science Festival, Miracles and Oxygen

By Darryl Barbour, President

G’Day brewers and welcome to Presidents Report #2 (such an inspiring intro surely bodes well for report #11). The committee continues to tick along, though as we only meet every second month there is not a lot of news to announce this month, but do have a few things we’ve been following since our January meeting.

We have again been invited to the Australian Science Festival which will be held across three venues from 2–15 August 2010. We’ve got a meeting with some of the organisers straight after the next club meeting so we will soon have some more details. However, if previous years are anything to go by we will be looking for up to a dozen brewers to help staff the stall over one weekend and promote the club and brewing to all and sundry (of legal age of course). Apparently gastronomy is also getting a showing at the festival, which will tie in well to the second half of the brewing craft! We will also be looking at arrangements and hopefully we can get the beer tastings back on the table this year.

OK, it’s time to get nasty

By Paul Haesler, Treasurer

Bank transfer membership renewals are welcome any time, and of course you can pay cash at any club meeting. But some time in March, myself and our good web-minion Graham will be putting our lists together and locking out the accounts of anybody who hasn't paid their membership for this year.

If anyone isn't sure whether they've paid, i'll be posting a list of renewals received so far on the forum before the March meeting, so you've got no excuse. Instructions for renewing are listed in the sticky "Membership Renewals" thread at the top of the "News" forum. In case you are reading this in mid-March, after your account has been locked, here they are again.

Disco Stu’s European beer adventure — part 1

By Stuart Whytcross

Nederland’s and Heineken

On my travels, I reckon you can get a pretty good feel for a city in terms of the beers offered in the hotels mini-bar. Upon opening the fridge in our hotel in the Red Light District in Amsterdam, I was greeted by a selection of Grimbergen and Leffe bottles. It was at this stage I was really regretting not researching Amsterdam and its breweries and pubs. Not that these were Dutch beers, but any country that recognizes good beers surely possesses a great beer culture?

Amsterdam wasn’t on my Beer Travels at all, but it had been recommended by several other travelers we met as a ‘must.’ Needless to say I was overwhelmed and excited at the beer culture of the city. In terms of beer culture, Amsterdam is thriving. Obviously they cater for their market (loads of male pom’s on bucks parties and footy trips) by offering Amstel and Heineken on tap in many small sports style bars. But you won’t have to walk far to discover some terrific outlets with some fantastic Belgian and trappist beers, and of course a good selection of local Dutch beers available both on tap and in bottles, and here is a selection of the most noteworthy.