Sudzers May meeting

Hello, Sudzers!

This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, May 21st
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.


– Off flavor of the month. 

– Distribution of the club brew to members who haven’t received their cans yet. 

– Homebrew competition at Santa Clara County Fair

– Distribution of homebrewing equipment donated at last month’s meeting

– Homebrew evaluations. 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!

Sudzers April 2023 meeting notes

Hello Sudzers,

For our April 16th meeting, we discussed this year’s Homebrew Con and the next beer style to be presented. Then we tasted five great homebrews. Thanks to Stein’s and everyone who showed up.

– Ed dropped off some brewing equipment he no longer uses. At the moment Kevin has it. We will send out a list so that members can claim any of the equipment they would like.

– Homebrew Con will be June 22-24 in San Diego. The discussion was rather short, since no one present at the meeting is planning on attending. However, if anyone is planning on going, they can use the Event channel on Discord to coordinate activities with other members who will be in San Diego.

– For the next beer style, Sebastian offered to give a presentation on kettle sours (tentatively in June).

– The beers we tasted:

BrewerBeer NameBeer StyleIBUsABVBrewer Notes
SebastianGerman Helles Exportbier255.3
PeterSt PattysGolden ale304
ChrisSMASH Pale aleClone of Alvarado “Mai Tai”
StephanOops All CaraRedRed Pale Ale566.3
StephanMurphy’s LawHazy IPA??6.4

– 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/

Sudzers April meeting

Hello, Sudzers!

This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, April 16th
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.

–  Distribution of the club brew to members who haven’t received their cans yet. 

– Homebrew Con, June 22-24 in San Diego.

– Next beer style to be covered. A volunteer would give a presentation covering the history and brewing details for that particular style.

– Homebrew evaluations. 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!

Sudzers March 2023 Meeting Notes

Local homebrewer Al came to share that he would like to donate his homebrew equipment to the Sudzers, including keggles, cooler mash tun, carboys, and corny kegs. Robert C will send out a spreadsheet later this month to allow members to claim one item apiece on a first come, first served basis, and Al will bring the equipment to the April meeting for distribution.


Congratulations to 2022 Sudzers Homebrewer of the year Mikael Hakansson, who gets to be the proud keeper of the very large Sudzers cup trophy, featuring a new engraved nameplate with his name, for the next year (and he got to take it home on Caltrain, which must have been fun!)


Mikael also presented our off-flavor of the month, eugenol, which gives beers a spicy or clove flavor. May be desirable in some styles, but certainly not all.


Derek W shared details about the upcoming Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition, which will be held in July, and which the Sudzers organize with The Grain Trust. Judging will be conducted on Saturday, July 22 at the Fairgrounds. Mark your calendars now if you might be interested in judging or stewarding (no experience necessary, although it helps), and a formal call for judges will go out in the next few weeks. 


Steins has decided to cancel their homebrew competition for this year, although we may help them organize it for 2024. 

Robert C provided an informative presentation (with tasting samples) of the IPL/Cold IPA/West Coast Pilsner/Hoppy lager styles. Slides will be shared on the Sudzers website when available.  

Allen M and Chris T shared stories of the adventures in brewing and canning this year’s club brew, a Dark Winter Ale/Biere de Noel/Biere de Garde based on Robert R’s recipe. An allocation of three 16 ounce cans was distributed to each 2023 paid Sudzers member at the meeting. For remaining members, allocations will be available for pickup at the April and May meetings, after which you will need to make arrangements to pick your cans up from Derek in Redwood City. If you would prefer to get your cans from Derek rather than waiting for the club meeting, please email him at derek@sudzers.org

Homebrew tastings:

1Derek WPlan Bee Batch 5Honey Kolsch
2Kevin SJAKs strong bitterstrong bitter
3MikaelJB3Cold IPA
4Kevin SAfternoon DelightSession IPA
5AdamHoppy brown lagerBrown lager?
6Derek WBoonoonoonoos StoutTropical Stout
7Derek WCherry Apple CiderCider
8Club BrewBiere de NoelDark Winter Ale

From the Los Altos Town Crier: Ghost Town’s Nose Goblin is hard to find but worth the search

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!

https://www.losaltosonline.com/food/ghost-town-s-nose-goblin-is-hard-to-find-but-worth-the-search/article_7f22f8dc-bd2c-11ed-abe5-6f37794dc894.html

Sudzers March meeting

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!

Sudzers February 2023 meeting notes

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:

BrewerBeer NameBeer StyleIBUsABVBrewer Notes
NathanESB395.5
PeterBlackberry Wheat256
Sebastiansaison306.3
ChrisScotch Ale7Malty, a little sweet. Wee heavy but a little lighter alcohol
Kevin Shoppy pilsIPL?505.5
Kevin Shoppy pils- DHIPL?505.5same, but one has dry hop addition
Allen MManny LagerImperial IPL638.6Essentially brewed an Imperial IPA with Lager Yeast
Kevin sHazy IPA V2Hazy IPA576.82nd 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/

Sudzers February meeting

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

Sudzers January 2023 meeting notes

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:

BrewerBeer NameBeer StyleIBUsABVBrewer Notes
Derek WPlan Bee Honey Kolsch #4Kolsch205.9Changed water profile from batch 3 to decrease sulfate/chloride ratio
Charles STaras Boulba (clone)Saison457
Robert RBlack IPA677
Kevin SBlack Hole SunCascadia Dark Ale827.5
MikaelBlack IPAWell, black IPA1007
Derek WBiere de NoelBiere de Garde3010Robert R’s recipe
AllenMogarambo 2021Russian Imperial Stout959.8Kona Coffee and THCO Cacao nibs 2yr aged
Tim TopoleSmokeSmoked Porter6011

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/

Sudzers January meeting

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!