The Homebrew Club of Silicon Valley
Sudzers CFO Derek w’s monthly beer column from Los Altos Town Crier features the Great American Beer Festival 2022 Brewery of the Year (5000-15,000 barrels per year group) Ghost Town Brewing, which took home three medals in highly competitive hoppy beer categories last fall. Cheers!
Hello, Sudzers!
This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, March 12th
at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
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. If you would like to pay club dues, please send $25 via paypal to derek@sudzers.org or give him $25 in person this Sunday.
– Club brew: update and plans for distribution. In addition, eligible members (i.e. you were a member in 2022) will be able to get their beer at this Sunday’s meeting.
– Brewer of the year for 2022.
– Off-flavor of the month (Mikael).
– Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition (Derek).
– Discussion of the history and style of hoppy lagers aka IPL or Cold IPA (Robert C.).
– Note: Stein’s homebrew competition has been cancelled.
– Homebrew evaluations. Here’s your chance to bring in your Black IPA if you brewed one. Remember to bring your recipe, since 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.
Hope to see you all at Steins!
Hello Sudzers,
For our February 19th meeting, we discussed the club brew. Then we tasted eight great homebrews. Thanks to Stein’s and everyone who showed up.
Business:
– We welcomed new members Chris, Peter, and George. Welcome to the club!
– The club brew was brewed January 29 using the following Bière de Noël recipe: https://sites.google.com/a/cloudyforecast.com/brewme/2021. Chris, Natan, George, Allen, and Robert brewed up 15 gallons at Allen and Ann Marie’s house. Thanks to everyone who has participated! The plan is to cold crash and carbonate the beer next weekend and then package it a week after that. More details will be available on Discord in the Events channel
– The off flavor we tasted and discussed was diacetyl. Thanks to Mikael for putting this together!
– Steins is planning on a homebrew competition and has asked the Sudzers to help with organizing it. The details are still being worked on, but it looks like it will be on the weekend of March 18/19.
– Upcoming competitions: World Cup of Beer organized by the Bay Area Mashers (details at: https://www.worldcupofbeer.com/). Registration for entries and judges/stewards is now open.
– The beers we tasted:
| Brewer | Beer Name | Beer Style | IBUs | ABV | Brewer Notes |
| Nathan | ESB | 39 | 5.5 | ||
| Peter | Blackberry Wheat | 25 | 6 | ||
| Sebastian | saison | 30 | 6.3 | ||
| Chris | Scotch Ale | 7 | Malty, a little sweet. Wee heavy but a little lighter alcohol | ||
| Kevin S | hoppy pils | IPL? | 50 | 5.5 | |
| Kevin S | hoppy pils- DH | IPL? | 50 | 5.5 | same, but one has dry hop addition |
| Allen M | Manny Lager | Imperial IPL | 63 | 8.6 | Essentially brewed an Imperial IPA with Lager Yeast |
| Kevin s | Hazy IPA V2 | Hazy IPA | 57 | 6.8 | 2nd batch with Helio Glazer yeast |
– Remember, membership dues need to be made every calendar year. If you haven’t paid yet, then you can make a payment of $25 to Derek via paypal at derek@sudzers.org
– If you haven’t already, please join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/mBQ7smguu7. All official communication (meeting information, event information, etc.) will continue to go through the mailing list, but Discord provides us a convenient way to have smaller, quicker conversations, so we encourage you to join.
– 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 the Worts of Wisdoms’ calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/
Hello, Sudzers!
This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, February 19th
at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
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:
– Collection of dues. Derek won’t be at this meeting, but you can
still pay dues by sending $25 via Paypal to derek@sudzers.org
– Update on the club brew and plans for packaging and distribution
–Upcoming homebrew competition at Steins in March
–Off flavor of the month
– Off flavor of the month
– 2022 Homebrewer of the Year.
– Homebrew evaluations. Here’s your chance to bring in your Black IPA
if you brewed one. Remember to bring your recipe, since 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.
Hope to see you all at Steins!
Robert Rohrbacher
Hello Sudzers,
For our January 8th meeting, we discussed the club brew and Derek gave his treasurer’s report for 2022. Then we tasted eight great homebrews. Thanks to Stein’s and everyone who showed up.
Business:
– We welcomed new member Chris. Welcome to the club!
– Derek reported on the club’s finances for 2022.
– The club brew will be the following Bière de Noël recipe: https://sites.google.com/a/cloudyforecast.com/brewme/2021. Chris, Allen, and Robert R. will get together to brew it this January.
– The off flavor we tasted and discussed was oxidation. Thanks to Mikael for putting this together!
– Upcoming competitions: World Cup of Beer organized by the Bay Area Mashers (details at: https://www.worldcupofbeer.com/). Registration for the National Homebrew Competition will open January 24th. See https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/national-homebrew-competition/ for more details.
– An email will go out for members to vote for the 2022 Homebrewer of the Year.
– The next style for the club to try brewing will be hoppy lagers. If you would like to take a shot at brewing one, aim for having it ready for the March meeting,
– The beers we tasted:
| Brewer | Beer Name | Beer Style | IBUs | ABV | Brewer Notes |
| Derek W | Plan Bee Honey Kolsch #4 | Kolsch | 20 | 5.9 | Changed water profile from batch 3 to decrease sulfate/chloride ratio |
| Charles S | Taras Boulba (clone) | Saison | 45 | 7 | |
| Robert R | Black IPA | 67 | 7 | ||
| Kevin S | Black Hole Sun | Cascadia Dark Ale | 82 | 7.5 | |
| Mikael | Black IPA | Well, black IPA | 100 | 7 | |
| Derek W | Biere de Noel | Biere de Garde | 30 | 10 | Robert R’s recipe |
| Allen | Mogarambo 2021 | Russian Imperial Stout | 95 | 9.8 | Kona Coffee and THCO Cacao nibs 2yr aged |
| Tim Topole | Smoke | Smoked Porter | 60 | 11 |
Extras:
– Remember, membership dues need to be made every calendar year. If you haven’t paid yet, then you can make a payment of $25 to Derek via paypal at derek@sudzers.org
– If you haven’t already, please join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/mBQ7smguu7. All official communication (meeting information, event information, etc.) will continue to go through the mailing list, but Discord provides us a convenient way to have smaller, quicker conversations, so we encourage you to join.
– 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 the Worts of Wisdoms’ calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/
Hello, Sudzers!
This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, January 8th
at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
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. If you would like to pay club dues, please send $25 via paypal to derek@sudzers.org or give him $25 in person this Sunday.
– Annual financial report (Derek).
– Date and other logistics for the club brew
– Off flavor of the month
– The next beer style to cover and who would like to present on it.– 2022 Homebrewer of the Year.
– Homebrew evaluations. Here’s your chance to bring in your Black IPA if you brewed one. Remember to bring your recipe, since 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.
Hope to see you all at Steins!
Hello Sudzers,
For our November 13th meeting, we discussed the annual end of the year party and the club brew. Then we tasted twelve great homebrews. Thanks to Stein’s and everyone who showed up.
Business:
– We welcomed new members Allen and Ann Marie. Welcome to the club!
– The club brew will be the following Bière de Noël recipe: https://sites.google.com/a/cloudyforecast.com/brewme/2021. We’re planning on brewing it in mid January 2023.
– We will have our end of the year party either on the weekend of December 10/11 or December 17/18. An email will go out to find out what day works best for people.
– The beers we tasted:
| Brewer | Beer Name | Beer Style | IBUs | ABV |
| Sebastian B | American Wheat Ale | 30 | 4.7% | |
| Kevin S | 24k Gold | blonde ale | 27 | 6 |
| Derek W | Plan Bee Honey Kolsch #3 | Kolsch | 30 | 5.6 |
| Sebastian B | American Pale Ale | 40 | 5.5 | |
| Derek W | Ya Heard | Amber | 35 | 4.7 |
| Nathan | lambic | |||
| Nathan | biere de garde | 6.3% | ||
| Robert R | Biere de Noel | biere de garde | 24 | 7.7 |
| Adam | Scotch Ale | 9.0% | ||
| Kevin S | Thiol Hazy exp | NEIPA | 54 | 7 |
| Stephan | Mowgli’s Black Cat IPA | Black IPA | 45 | 7.5% |
| Allen | Happy Cascade | West Coast DIPA | 89 | 8.4% |
Extras:
– Remember, membership dues need to be made every calendar year. If you haven’t paid yet, then you can make a payment of $25 to Derek via paypal at derek@sudzers.org
– If you haven’t already, please join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/mBQ7smguu7. All official communication (meeting information, event information, etc.) will continue to go through the mailing list, but Discord provides us a convenient way to have smaller, quicker conversations, so we encourage you to join.
– 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 the Worts of Wisdoms’ calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/
Hello, Sudzers!
This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, November 13th
at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
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:
–- Discussion: Will we have a club brew this year?
— Discussion: Will we be voting for homebrewer of the year?
–- Planning and location of our end of year party.
— Tasting any Black IPAs members brewed after the last meeting’s presentation on the style.
–- Homebrew evaluations. Don’t forget to bring your recipe as 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.
–- Derek will be collecting dues. If you’d like to pay club dues, please send $25 via Paypal to derek@sudzers.org
Hope to see you all at Steins!
Sudzers CFO Derek W’s monthly beer column from the Los Altos Town Crier, singing the praises of Narrative Fermentations and providing a primer on slushy/slushie/smoothie beers for your enjoyment. Cheers!
The slightly slushie story of San Jose’s Narrative Fermentations
Hello Sudzers,
For our October 9th meeting, we discussed an upcoming visit to Alpa Acid Brewing in Belmont and the annual end of the year party. In addition, Stepan Piotrowski gave a presentation on Black IPAs. Then we tasted six great homebrews. Thanks to Stein’s and everyone who showed up!
Business:
– Alpha Acid Brewing would like to have the Sudzers over for a visit to their brewery in Belmont and give us a presentation on what they are doing with thiol producing yeasts. The visit will be on Sunday, November 6 in the afternoon. More details to follow.
– Some of the employees at Steins have asked the Sudzers to show them how to homebrew. Robert C. will follow up with them to set up a date.
– The off flavor of the month that we sampled and discussed was Isovaleric acid. Thanks to Mikael for putting this together!
– Stephan Piotrowski gave a presentation on the Black IPAs, covering the history, BJCP guidelines, and ingredients for the style. (Available at: http://www.sudzers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Black-IPA-Sudzers-Talk-20221009.pdf) At next month’s meeting we will be tasting the Black IPAs people have made.
– We will have our end of the year party at Clandestine Brewing. Details to follow.
– The California State Homebrew Competition will be this November. Entries can be submitted until 10/13. People can also sign up to serve as judges or stewards. More details can be found at the competition website: https://castate.brewcompetition.com/
– The beers we tasted:
| Mikael | YAP | Pils | 40 | 5 |
| bill p | Cosmic plum ale | fruit ale | 0 | 5.9 |
| Mikael | Sabro | NEIPA | 40 | 7 |
| Alex | Hazy kiwi | Hazy ipa | 27 | 5.5 |
| kevin | JAKs Strong Bitter V2 | strong bitter | 50 | 6.5 |
| Stephan | Mowgli’s Black Cat IPA | Black IPA | 45 | 6.9 |
Extras:
– Remember, membership dues need to be made every calendar year. If you haven’t paid yet, then you can make a payment of $25 to Derek via paypal at derek@sudzers.org
– If you haven’t already, please join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/mBQ7smguu7. All official communication (meeting information, event information, etc.) will continue to go through the mailing list, but Discord provides us a convenient way to have smaller, quicker conversations, so we encourage you to join.
– 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 the Worts of Wisdoms’ calendar: http://www.wortsofwisdom.org/calendar/upcoming-homebrewers-competitions/