The Newsletter, June 2018

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.

Fermymate.com

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

Tell us a little about who you are.
Originally from New Zealand, my wife Erica and I relocated to Melbourne 8 years ago. Currently living in Croydon South, I'm a 35-year-old Electrical Lines Supervisor based in Burwood for Zinfra Group, responsible for maintaining the United Energy Electricity Network as part of a team of 200, I am the father of 2 children, Joel (5) & Charlotte (1)
When did you join the Melbourne Brewers and what do you like about being in the Club?
I joined the Melbourne Brewers last year, to get me out of a brewing rut. I enjoy the internal comps and discussing brewing techniques with the other members.
When and why did you decide to give brewing a try?
I started brewing 4 years ago after brewing with a mate back in the land of the long white cloud.  The main reason being the science behind brewing and the cost of beer in Australia is fricken criminal.
Do you brew kit, extract, all grain or a combination?
I brew all grain, unless the stocks are getting low, then out come the extract.
How many batches are you up to?
Ran out fingers, took my shoes off, ran out of toes,  200+ at best estimate.
What’s your favourite style to brew?
IPA.
What about your favourite style to drink?
Who doesn't love a heavily dry hopped IPA.
Do you have a favourite store bought beer?
 If I had to choose I'd have a Pinhead Pilsner.
What system do you brew with?
Self Built Electric HERMS.
What’s your favourite brewing gadget/tool?
My Refractometer.
What’s been your best highlight since you started brewing?
Not placing last in Beerfest, mainly as it was the first comp I entered & getting positive feedback from the judges.
What about your biggest disaster?
Got sidetracked and left the element on the HLT, dang that element was glowing.
What’s your favourite brewery to spend some time at?
Supporting the locals, the Public Brewery in Croydon.
What would be your best tip for others?
Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize.
What do you love about brewing that keeps you picking up the paddle?
I like the freedom brewing gives me, a tweak here a tweak there.
When you’re not brewing, how do you spend the rest of your spare time?
Not that there's much spare time, I brew almost every Sunday. When I do get out of the garage, I like to fly radio controlled aircraft and tinker with bits & pieces.

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:

Champion Brewer - $500 voucher for Grain and Grape
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
Best Club - 10 x bags Malt from Cryer Malt.
_________
Our category sponsors:
Pale Lager - $100 pack of malt, hops and yeast from Beerco
Wheat and Rye - $100 voucher from Brewers Choice
 Dark Ale and Lager - $100 voucher from Clever Brewing
Strong Ale and Lager - $100 voucher for Grain and Grape from Spiedel
Porter and Stout - Malt and Yeast from Bintani 
Pale and Bitter Ale - Malt and Yeast from Bintani 
American Pale Ale - $100 voucher from The Brewers Den 
Farmhouse and Wild - $100 voucher from Greensborough Home Brew
Speciality - $100 pack of malt, hops and yeast from Beerco

 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.

A big welcome to this months new member, James Christiansz.
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!
Anyone who pays their Subs on or before the June Club meeting will go in a draw to win a copy of Gordon Strong's Modern Homebrew Recipies https://www.bookdepository.com/Modern-Homebrew-Recipes-Gordon-Strong/9781938469145

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.

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.

Last but far from least, help keep the Club alive and don't forget to pay your membership fees for this financial year!