Author: Sudzers

An invitation to join the Umunhum Brewing Co-op from Sudzers member Tim T

Hey Sudzers, do you want to learn more about the business end of brewing without investing tons of cash? Umunhum Brewing, the only California brewing co-op, is is looking for people who are knowledgeable about beer and want to know more about its production. For a one time commitment of $150 you can be a member of this co-op. I have been involved with this group more than two years and have been involved with beer recipe development and volunteering to pour beer for events like Bacon and Beer in San Francisco on Saturday 11/10. If you are interested in this group, you can contact Tim Topole via E-Mail at ttopole@yahoo.com.

Sudzers November 2018 meeting

Hello, Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, November 11th at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View. Hope to see you all there!

http://steinsbeergarden.com/
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis. Becoming a paid member gets you a discount at MoreBeer in Los Altos, as well as access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:
– If you’d like to pay dues, please send $25 via paypal to derek@sudzers.org
– Dark Matter Brew Day recap
– Finalize 2019 officers. We’re still looking for a VP.
– Discuss the upcoming Christmas party
– Please vote for Homebrewer of the Year at https://goo.gl/forms/fizlGIFgmPwWIZ5U2
– Mikael is looking for volunteers to give a presentation on recipe formulation and feedback for the BJCP exam prep. Here’s an example presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12B9CxAP5kLC4f44a3QuE3TRv96M_9Ae6/view?usp=sharing
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – club members will have lots of questions! Sign in your beer along with your name and statistics (IBU, ABV, etc.). The info is optional, but helpful in determining tasting order.

See you Sunday!

Sudzers October 2018 meeting notes

Hello, Sudzers! In October’s meeting, we learned a bit about beer in Belgium, heard about important homebrew practices that really aren’t, and tasted thirteen delicious brews. Thanks to everyone who showed up!

Business:
– Membership dues can be made to Derek via paypal at derek@sudzers.org
– Robert, Elan, and Liza recapped NCHF. As always, it was a great time, and we strongly encourage members to attend next year. It’s certainly one of the best beer events of the year.
– Dark Matter Brew Day is this Saturday, October 20 at Tim Topole’s house. We’re still looking for more volunteers to brew. We’re targeting 20 gallons and currently have 5 accounted for. If you’re interested in brewing, then please fill out the form linked to in https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bBMueweQ8mirnr5Z4-S81XvXRQDCHalw6ol-3AfLinA/edit. Even if you’re not brewing, we hope you can attend and enjoy a fun day of drinking, eating, and brewing.
– Cliff let us know about a wild ale, solera-style, barrel project in the works. He’ll email us with more details.
– Brewery Twenty Five in San Juan Bautista has a co-pilot series of beers where they partner with homebrewers to develop recipes and brew and sell the beer in their taproom. Cliff will be checking in to find more details.
– Chet let us know about an upcoming homebrew competition held by the American Chemical Society. More details can be found at http://scvacs.org/?page_id=1974
– We still need a volunteer for the Christmas Party. Please email the list if you’re interested in volunteering.
– Anyone interested in being officer for 2019 please let Derek W. (derek@sudzers.org) or Adam (cocamide@gmail.com) know
– Mikael has created a spreadsheet detailing the training sessions for the upcoming BJCP exam in January. Even if you aren’t attending, you can see the presentations and materials at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jvr3edi7Xq0KyuH4WhkFzMvsDmrkxoLEG6midiAOpXg/edit#gid=0
– Charles gave us a great look into his trip to Belgium. Certainly a travel destination on every brewer’s bucket list!
– Mike Conant gave a talk on “Important Homebrew Practices That Really Aren’t”. Download it at http://www.sudzers.org/?attachment_id=3014.
– All shared recipes can be found at https://sites.google.com/a/cloudyforecast.com/brewme/home. If you’d like to have your recipe shared on the site, then please email it in any format to recipe-share@sudzers.org. Full info can be found at http://www.sudzers.org/?page_id=2910
– For a list of all upcoming competitions, check out WoW’s awesome calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/

In all, we had thirteen brews:

BREWER     BEER                          IBUs  ABV
Cliff      Witbier                       15    4.3%
Danny      Neighborly Ale                34    4.5%
Chet       English Bitter                -     -
Adam       CBG's Old Man's Ale           -     4.1%
Cliff      Wild Ale                      0     6%
Mikael     BYO Gose Delbrueckii          7     7%
Chet       New England Sour Ale          -     -
Tim        Centennial IPA                54    7.2%
Adam       CBG's NEIPA                   -     8.1%
Danny      Helles Bock                   29    6.3%
Cliff      Cognac Barrel Aged Tripel     20    9.5%
Mikael     Black Silver Alameda Porter   34    7%
Elan       Rum Barrel Black Ale          ~20   ~7%

Thanks to Steins and everyone that showed up!

Sudzers October 2018 meeting

Hello, Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, October 14th at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View. Hope to see you all there!

http://steinsbeergarden.com/
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis. Becoming a paid member gets you a discount at MoreBeer in Los Altos, as well as access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:
– Derek will be collecting dues. Please bring $25 or avoid the line by paying via paypal to derek@sudzers.org
– We’ll recap NCHF
– We’ll discuss the upcoming Christmas party
– Tim will share details on the 10/23 Dark Matter Brew Day
– Cliff will discuss our upcoming barrel project
– There’s a new brewery called Brewery 25 in San Juan Bautista that is inviting homebrew clubs/members to brew a beer with them. We’ll try to get more details about what’s required.
– Mikael will give an update on the BJCP training sessions
– Charles will talk about his recent trip to Belgium, share some pictures, and give us tips on how to tackle a vacation there
– Mike Conant will give our Sud Talk on “Important Homebrew Practices That Really Aren’t”
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – club members will have lots of questions! Sign in your beer along with your name and statistics (IBU, ABV, etc.). The info is optional, but helpful in determining tasting order.

See you Sunday!

Sudzers September 2018 meeting notes

Hello, Sudzers! In September’s meeting, we welcomed a new member, discussed NCHF, and tasted six delicious brews. Thanks to everyone who showed up and have a great Labor Day!

Business:
– Welcome Matt to his first meeting!
– Derek collected membership dues: You can still pay via paypal to derek@sudzers.org
– Derek sold shirts: $15 for polos, $10 for t-shirts, $5 for clearance t-shirts
– If you’re attending NCHF, please fill out the spreadsheet at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19VtbpO-X6it4O4eX4V00R9bf7HvVUk1qIyY5K4pWxxo/edit?usp=sharing so we can coordinate who’s going, who’s bringing what, etc.
– The first study session for the BJCP exam is September 27th. Mikael will send an email with more information.
– Dark Matter Brew Day will be October 20 at Tim Topole’s house
– We still need a volunteer for the Christmas Party. Please email the list if you’re interested in volunteering.
– Santa Clara County Fair Homebrew competition recap (Cliff top wild/sour and 2nd place BOS brett ryes saison, Danny 2nd place IPA, Adam 2nd place dark lagers for Baltic Porter), 10 tables + Mini BOS and BOS for 64 entries, at least 1 Sudzers judge at every table except a Mad Z’s prelim flight)
– Anyone interested in being officer for 2019 please let Derek W. (derek@sudzers.org) or Adam (cocamide@gmail.com) know
– All shared recipes can be found at https://sites.google.com/a/cloudyforecast.com/brewme/home. If you’d like to have your recipe shared on the site, then please email it in any format to recipe-share@sudzers.org. Full info can be found at http://www.sudzers.org/?page_id=2910
– For a list of all upcoming competitions, check out WoW’s awesome calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/

In all, we had six brews:

BREWER    BEER                              IBUs  ABV
Chet S.   Dortmunder Export                 32    6.1%
Derek W.  Shrill Belgian Blonde Ale         30    5.2%
Derek W.  Go Go Pale Ale                    35    5.9%
Chris K.  Frozen Juice NE IPA               30    6.5%
Derek W.  Das Grosse Altbier Sticke Alt     35    6.5%
Derek W.  Oak Aged Tropical Stout with Rum  40    8.0%

Thanks to Steins and everyone that showed up!

Sudzers September 2018 meeting

Hello, Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, September 2nd at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View. Hope to see you all there!

http://steinsbeergarden.com/
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis. Becoming a paid member gets you a discount at MoreBeer in Los Altos, as well as access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:
– Derek will be collecting dues. Please bring $25 or avoid the line by paying via paypal to derek@sudzers.org
– Northern California Homebrewers Festival (http://www.nchfinfo.org/) is just a few weeks away! If you’re attending, please fill out your info at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19VtbpO-X6it4O4eX4V00R9bf7HvVUk1qIyY5K4pWxxo/edit?usp=sharing so we can start documenting who’s going and who’s bringing what.
– Just a reminder for the judges-to-be: We are having the first meeting on the last Thursday in September. Mikael will send a follow up email with more details.
– We’ll start talking about identifying Ocifers for 2019.
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – club members will have lots of questions! Sign in your beer along with your name and statistics (IBU, ABV, etc.). The info is optional, but helpful in determining tasting order.

See you Sunday!

Sudzers August 2018 meeting notes

Hello, Sudzers! In August’s meeting, we met at Mike Conant’s house in Aptos, ate a potluck BBQ, discussed NCHF, had a bottle share, and even managed to taste some homebrews!

Business:
– NCHF IS COMING! NCHF IS COMING! It’s the weekend of September 14-15. We hope to see all of you for another year of fun and tasty brews. Sudzers all typically stay in the upper campground. Some of us plan to head up on Thursday, and if you do this, you need to contact Lake Francis Resort directly and pay for Thursday night separately. If you haven’t already, purchased your pass, which includes camping, do it now!
http://www.nchfinfo.org
– Derek is coordinating NCHF festival day including organizing who brings what items such as a canopy, club sign, board for listing available brews, and the club jockey boxes for serving. For those attending, please remember to bring your own CO2 tanks with enough connections to carb your beer. It would also be helpful to bring a picnic tap just in case we don’t have enough spots on the jockey box.
– Robert is coordinating NCHF Hoppy Hour. As last year, he will work with you to collect all the Hoppy Hour kegs together by Wednesday the week of NCHF. He will drive the Hoppy Hour kegs up on Thursday and leave in cold storage over night so they are cold and settled. We don’t want foamy beers. Bleeah!
– If you’re attending NCHF, please fill out the spreadsheet at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19VtbpO-X6it4O4eX4V00R9bf7HvVUk1qIyY5K4pWxxo/edit?usp=sharing so we can coordinate who’s going, who’s bringing what, etc. We are still a few kegs short on Hoppy Hour beers. Hoppy Hour beers need to “sessionable”, so under 7% ABV.
– We are still looking for a volunteer to host the Christmas Party. Please email the list if you’re interested in volunteering.
– Don’t forget, the BJCP exam is coming up in January, 2019. Signups for the exam will be on a first come, first served basis, based on the completion of the online exam. Prior to the exam in January, we’ll have 10-12, weekly training sessions beginning in the Fall.

I can’t remember in total how many brews we had but they came from:
Kevin W.
Mikael
Bill
Several from Cliff
Several from Marc-Andre
Several from Mike Conant including a tasting of the NCHF Dark Matter keg

A HUGE thank you to Mike Conant again for hosting us and everyone that showed up with tasty food to share!