From the club President
Another month has flown by, may be due to the April meeting being earlier this month.
Our last meeting saw Michael Hewes presenting a talk on recipe design which engendered excellent comment and discussion. Thanks Michael for effort it was appreciated by the members in attendance.
To follow on this month Dermott Dowling from BeerCo will be coming along and will present a session on Gladfield Malts. Dermot has been to the club previously, and has been able to pass on his great knowledge which has been a benefit to us all.
Last Sunday saw the Monster Brew Day at Pete's warehouse with a variety of brew equipment and brews being made. Hope those that came along took away a few ideas for their own brew day.
Another reason for the brew day is to provide beer for the Dinner. This year we will be holding the Dinner at William Angliss on Saturday 11th August. Keep the date free as this function is a winner. Great food and plenty of good beer.
HELP !!! HELP !!! HELP !!!
As the winter approaches with the cooler weather, it's a great time to be making salamis etc.
We are still without a coordinator for the meat club. We would like a member to become involved in the organisational activities of the meet club. We have people who have indicated that they are happy to help out, and many hands make light work, BUT we need one person who is keen enough to MAKE IT HAPPEN !
This coming Sunday sees the annual cider day. It's at Andy's place again this year so if you are interested in brewing a fermentor of apple juice, make sure you have indicated your intent to attend and be ready to roll up your sleeves. It's always a fun day .
Next month we will be holding the Annual Meeting. There will be positions on the committee that will need to be filled, so if you have an yearning to be involved and help direct the club into the future, get on board, you'll be welcome
Look forward to catch up at this months' meeting
Ian Bennett
President
The next meeting.
This Wednesday the 30th, is once again at the warehouse.
Dermott Dowling from Beerco will be doing a presentation and it is also the internal competition on Stouts.
Brewer of the month.
This months brewer is.... Ian Tomlin
Tell us a little about who you are.
53 yrs old (almost). Married for 20yrs to my long suffering wife Kate, one 18yr old daughter.
I love traveling, having emigrated from UK in 1987 I have lived in SE Qld for 10yrs Singapore for 7 and now Melbourne.
I’ve owned my own small business and currently work part time until I find my next life challenge that will hopefully see me out to retirement.
When did you join the Melbourne Brewers and what do you like about being in the Club?
I joined about 5 yrs ago after being introduced to the club and home brewing by Steve Walker.
When and why did you decide to give brewing a try?
I started brewing with one of my staff as a bit of fun at the time. Having brewed a couple of Coopers batches about twenty years ago which I don't remember coming out too well.
Do you brew kit, extract, all grain or a combination?
I started with kits & bits, I have brewed full extract and partial but now mostly all grain. It is becoming harder to find the time to brew all grain so I am experimenting with LME/Partial mashing at the moment.
I also dabble in Mead making.
How many batches are you up to?
I dont find record keeping attractive so I can't be sure but probably 15 or more beers.
What’s your favourite style to brew or drink?
I dont have a favourite style to brew or drink as I crave variety but you can't go past a good English Ale and my favourite brews to date were a German and Bohemian Pilsner.
Do you have a favourite commercial beer?
I don’t but if I had to choose one it would be Coopers Sparkling Ale.
What system do you brew with?
Braumeister 50 L - I brew with a couple of friends and we usually brew 60L batches.
What’s your favourite brewing gadget/tool?
The Bottle washer, so simple but effective.
What’s been your best highlight since you started brewing?
Probably the 2nd place for the Saison at this years Begian Beerfest competition and my haul of medals for mead at the Eltham wine show last year.
What about your biggest disaster?
When the pully rope snapped just after the malt pipe cleared the Braumeister. 13+ kgs of hot wet grain drops very very fast. Very lucky it wasn't too high as it dropped back in but with a bloody big splash!
What’s your favourite brewery to spend some time at.
I would love to visit an old English brewery such as Marstons or Samuel Smiths.
What would be your best tip for others?
Get the basics right but don't sweat the small stuff. Brewing is very forgiving, don't worry if you miss your mash temps or you forget to the late hop addition, It might not come out exactly how you wanted but the chances are it will taste OK and you can still drink it.
What do you love about brewing that keeps you picking up the paddle?
My thirst to learn, I just love how every aspect of brewing, be it the mash or yeast health, can turn into a rabbit hole of information. And the comraderie of brewing beer.
When you’re not brewing, how do you spend the rest of your spare time?
Reading about brewing beer or planning my next mead.
The Annual General Meeting
The AGM is coming around again at the June meeting, so have a think about the Club and consider getting involved to help make it what you would like to see it become.
Beerfest 2018.
Our sponsors put up some fantastic prizes this year in support of the Home Brewing Community. Lets show them some love back and get behind them when you next do your shopping or recommend a store to a new brewer. It's these sponsors that keep our competitions running so lets return the favour and support them any way you can!
Our major sponsors:
Beer of Show - Prize package from
Home Make It ($100 voucher, 2 x bags Viking Pilsner Malt, 2 x Fresh Wort Kits, 2 x White Labs English Ale Yeast, 2 x White Labs German Pilsner Yeast.
Best Novice - Fermentasaurus with pressure kit from
Keg King_________
Our category sponsors:
Pale Lager - $100 pack of malt, hops and yeast from
BeercoStrong Ale and Lager - $100 voucher for Grain and Grape from
SpiedelPorter and Stout - Malt and Yeast from
Bintani Pale and Bitter Ale - Malt and Yeast from
Bintani Speciality - $100 pack of malt, hops and yeast from
Beerco Lame beer joke of the month.
Two guys are out drinking when one of them falls off his barstool and lies motionless on the floor.
"One thing about Fred," his buddy says to the bartender. "He knows when to stop."
The Old Dick.
Since 1999, the Club Brewer of the Year trophy has been an unusual mechanical device, affectionately known as “The Old Dick”.
The trophy was built about 22 years ago by former Member Dick Seville who was a popular and eccentric Member of the Melbourne Brewers and the ABAV which preceded it. “The Old Dick” is designed to hold a 750ml bottle of beer and to gradually tilt it in order to pour the contents without disturbing the sediment, thereby obtaining a crystal clear beer.
Dick an engineer by trade would regularly take the device with him when dining at BYO restaurants and drinking his own beers, mostly bottle conditioned brown ales.
Longstanding Members will remember Dick as the quietly spoken gentleman who would bring a large plate of cheese and onion sandwiches to every club meeting which would be unveiled late at each meeting after the standard Club nibbles had been consumed. These would rapidly be devoured and were a traditional part of Club meetings for many years.
Dick was an inventive guy having a hand in building one of the first commercial washing machines ever built in Australia. Unfortunately, Dick passed away several years ago but much of his brewing equipment was donated and subsequently auctioned by the Club so many current Members have equipment designed and built by Dick and his legacy lives on.
The Old Dick was donated by Dick’s family and Colin Penrose. So next time you see “The Old Dick” remember that it, like our Club, has a rich history built on the efforts of eccentric good blokes like Dick Seville.
The Old Dick is a prestigious award given to the Club Brewer of the Year, based on all the members points tallied from all competitions entered. First, Second and Third all generate points to determine who gets to be this years Brewer of the Year.
Membership.
Membership Subs for 2018/19 are due by July 1st 2018.
The club's preferred method of payment is online
Why not be one step ahead of the Treasurer this year and get paid up early!
New members: If you believe you are not on the club mailing list, send the committee an email or bring it up with someone at a meeting to make sure we add you in.
Your membership comes with these great benefits plus many others so support the club and help keep it going.
BYO Magazine
All members receive the
BYO magazine as part of their yearly subscription.
(This is a great saving over an individual subscription)
Monthly Meetings
Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month at different locations. They are a great place to socialise, listen to talks, participate in Club competitions, BBQ's and of course taste lots of beer plus many other things.
Communications
A monthly newsletter outlining upcoming Club events and competitions as well as general Melbourne Brewers information and photos. This gets distributed by email a few days before Club meetings.
Members are also advised of upcoming events by email. Our member email distribution is also used as a forum to discuss topics of interest and to provide brewing information amongst members.
Brew Days
Periodically, Members volunteer to have a Brew Day at their brewery and invite Club Members or guys who may be interested in brewing to have a look at how they brew, equipment used etc. Brew Days are a good way for novice brewers to learn how to make all-grain beer.
Activity Days
Every so often, days are organised for a group of members to build or assemble equipment e.g. convert kegs to boilers, make immersion chillers, yeast stir-plates, counter pressure bottle fillers, temperature controllers.
Events & Excursions
Periodically the Club organises events/trips e.g. trip to Maltings, Melbourne microbreweries, weekends away at country pubs, fishing trip.
Annual Club events include the Annual Dinner, Xmas party, Steinbeer weekend and Beerfest weekend (Club run comp).
Club Buys
Club buys (Bulk buys) of equipment offer significant savings to members.
Club Library
There is a large range of brewing books and equipment available for loan by members.
Things to keep you busy.
Upcoming club events.
3rd of June, Cider day.
The Annual Dinner is set to be on Saturday the 11th of August at William Angliss.
Get a brew happening for:
30th of May, internal comp on Stouts.
1st of July, Stout Extravaganza by Westgate Brewers.
25th July, Internal Competition on American Pale Ale.
Pale Ale Mania by Worthogs, date to be confirmed.
Vicbrew 2018, date to be confirmed.
26th of September, Internal Competition on Bitter Ale.
Octoberfest by Bayside, date to be confirmed.
28th of November, Internal competition on Pale Lager.
Go to our Calendar and sync it with your own so you never miss an event.
Get some reading done after you buy some books through our book depository link.
Last but far from least, help keep the Club alive and don't forget to pay your membership fees for this financial year!
