The Newsletter, June 2018
From the club President
After Dermott Dowling from Beer Co gave his presentation last month it was pleasing that so many took the opportunity to jump aboard the bulk grain buy. With such support we can confidently move forward on other similar opportunities.
The cider day was another terrific day for the members. This year the new hydro press was on show and certainly made a huge difference to pressing the juice. Thanks again to Chris Duckworth for organising the day that has become an annual event not to be missed. Thanks also to Andy Davidson and his family for generously opening their home as the venue.
At this months' meeting the club will conduct the annual meeting. All positions on the committee will be declared vacant. It's a great opportunity to get involved and have a say in the future direction of the club.
Personally it has been a satisfying twelve months for me as President and I encourage others to be part of the decision making to help grow the club.
I'd also like to thank those that have been part of the committee for a number of years and who will not be seeking re election. Your time, effort and knowledge have been appreciated.
The annual dinner looms on the 17th of August. It's a Friday night and is to be held at William Angliss at 550 Little Lonsdale Street in the City. Always a great night so lock in the date and think about brewing for the event.
At the meeting this month Peter Vinogradoff a Westgate Brewer is coming along to demonstrate his fermentation control system "Fermymate" . He is looking for some feedback to enable him to satisfy the needs of home brewers.
Look forward to catching up on Wednesday night.
Ian Bennett
President
The next meeting, 27th June.
Junes meeting is back at the warehouse and it's the AGM. So come along and have a voice and get involved in the direction the club takes over the following year. All committee positions are up for nomination with some members willing to continue but some are retiring. So the Club is looking for both fresh faces and old ones to volunteer and keep things ticking for the next year.
There will also be a guest speaker from Westgate discussing his fermentation control system.
Brewer of the month.
This months brewer is.... Richard Lyones
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:
Lame beer joke of the month.
Guy walks into a bar, orders a beer. As the bartender hands it to him, the guy realises he really has to take a leak urgently. However the bar is crowded, and he doesn't want to leave his full beer on the bar because he's afraid someone will drink it. After a sudden burst of inspiration, he pulls out a small pad of paper and writes on it: "I spit in this beer." Putting the note on the beer, he heads off to the bathroom. When he returns, he's delighted to see his full beer still sitting there with the note. Upon closer examination, though, he sees that someone has written on the note: "So did I."
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.
The Annual Dinner.
Set to be held this year on Friday the 17th of August at the William Angliss Institute on Little Lonsdale Street, it's sure to be a great night. Make sure you have crossed off the day in your calendar and consider brewing for the night.
Membership.
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.
(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.
The Annual Dinner is set to be on Friday the 17th of August at William Angliss.
Get a brew happening for:
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.