Silicon Valley Sudzers Homebrew Club

Hello Sudzers!

We had a brief meeting this last Sunday (7/13) at Clandestine Brewing, and we tasted three great homebrews. Thanks to Clandestine Brewing and everyone who showed up.

• Since Stein’s is currently renovating its meeting room, we discussed other possible meeting locations. Members present thought it would be good to give Laughing Monk in Sunnyvale a try. Derek said he would contact them.
• All Club Picnic organized by DOZE will be held August 17 (11:00-4:00) at Martinez Waterfront Park. Anyone interested in going can discuss this on Discord. It sounds like it’ll be a great event. Maybe people can arrange a carpool.
• Allen announced that Omega Yeast has discontinued selling its 400 series yeasts to homebrewers. He’s frozen small amounts of a couple of the strains that can be used to propagate new batches. He is willing to share these with club members. The club agreed to reimburse him for the cost of the original yeast.
• The beers we tasted:

Brewer	Beer Name	Beer Style	IBUs	ABV	Brewer Notes
Allen	Queen Anne’s Revenge	Hazy IPA	58	7.6	Styled after Tree House w/ Thiolize Spin
Adam		Imperial milk stout w/ vanilla and cocoa beans		7.9	Brewed in 2015
Allen/Nate		Barely wine		~12.8

• 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, June 13th at Clandestine Brewing in San Jose.

https://www.clandestinebrewing.com

980 S. 1st St. Ste. B, San Jose, CA

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis.
Becoming a paid member gets you access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:

1. 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.
2. All-Club Picnic on August 17th. 
3. Future meeting locations.
4. Any other announcements or miscellaneous business.
5. 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 Clandestine.

Hello Sudzers!

We had a brief meeting last Sunday, June 8th, and we tasted seven great homebrews. Thanks to Ghostwood Kitchen and everyone who showed up.

• Regarding future meeting locations: Since Steins is still in business (with new ownership), Stepan will reach out to them to see if they are willing to host our meetings.
• Homebrew competition at Santa Clara County Fair: judging will be on July 26. Registration deadline for entries and judges/stewards is June 26. For potential judges/stewards: https://forms.gle/sV5B8YAs8cjdcJr28. For entries see: https://thefair.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Home-Brew-Competition-2025.pdf.
  • There was some discussion about doing a homebrewing demo at the fair. Members present thought it would a good idea to plan one for next year’s fair
• The beers we tasted:

Brewer	Beer Name	Beer Style	IBUs	ABV	Brewer Notes
Kevin S		American lager	17	4.7
Robert R		Hoppy Weissbier	22	5.1	34B, base style 10A; Mosaic and Mandarina Bavaria hops
Kevin S		Australian Sparkling Ale	36	5.8
Stephan	Red Ryeder	American Amber	54	8	Lost my chinook in the freezer so this is 100% Cascade
Allen M	Rocket Red	Red IPA	78	7.6	Half w/ IRC7 Thiolized Yeast
Sebastian B		Wild Specialty Beer		5.9	Mixed fermentation red ale with cherry puree and oak tincture
Nathan et al.	Club Brew	Biere de Garde

• 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, June 8th at Ghostwood Kitchen in Downtown Redwood City.

https://www.ghostwood.com

911 Main St, Redwood City, CA

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis.
Becoming a paid member gets you access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:

1. 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.
2. Distribution of the club brew to anyone who hasn’t gotten theirs yet (Derek)
3. Quick update on Santa Clara County Fair Homebrew Competition (Derek)
4. Meeting locations for July and beyond.
5. Any other announcements or miscellaneous business.
6. 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 Ghostwood.

Hello Sudzers!

For our May 18th meeting, there was a presentation on thiols, and we tasted six great homebrews. Thanks to Clandestine Brewing and everyone who showed up.

• DOZE is organizing a homebrew picnic for all homebrew clubs in the Bay Area to be held in mid-August. Members present at the meeting expressed interest in participating.
• Allen Moore gave a presentation on thiols. The presentation prompted a lot of discussion. The slides are available on the Sudzers web site: http://www.sudzers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thiols.pdf:This was a follow-up to his presentation on hop oils that he gave last month: https://www.sudzers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hop-Oils.pdf. Note: other presentations can be found at: https://www.sudzers.org/presentations/
• The beers we tasted:

Brewer	Beer Name	Beer Style	IBUs	ABV	Brewer Notes
Kevin S	Easy Bitter	ordinary bitter	35	3.6
Nathan	Sneaky Strong	Helles	23	8.1
Derek	GBW (vintage 2016)	German Barleywine	75	10%
Harry		Wheat Wine	30	13.5
Kevin S	baby got back	Triple IPA	100	10.6
Allen Moore	Texas Tea	Imperial Stout (ADIS)	62	13.8	w/ Roasted Hazelnuts and Vanilla Beans

• 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/

The latest of Sudzers CFO Derek W’s occasional beer columns for Los Altos Town Crier: Enjoy pleasant Peninsula pints and support superb Bay brewers, featuring Ghostwood, Freewheel Brewing Company, and Alpha Acid Brewing Company. Cheers!

Enjoy pleasant Peninsula pints and support superb Bay brewers

Hello Sudzers!

This month’s meeting will be held at 4:00pm this Sunday, May 18th at Clandestine Brewing in San Jose. (https://www.clandestinebrewing.com)

980 S. 1st St. Ste. B, San Jose, CA

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis.
Becoming a paid member gets you access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:

1. 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.
2. Presentation on thiols (Allen)
3. Distribution of the club brew to anyone who hasn’t gotten theirs yet (Derek)
4. Any other announcements or miscellaneous business.
5. 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 Clandestine.

For our April 13th meeting, there was a presentation on hop oils, and we tasted nine great homebrews. Thanks to Off the Rails and everyone who showed up.

• There were several announcements regarding homebrew competitions:
  • World Cup of Beer: Allen Moore won 3rd place in the Imperial Stout category. Congrats!
  • Santa Clara County Fair Homebrew Competition will be held July 26. Registration and scoring this year will be on the Beer Awards Platform.
  • Alameda County Fair Homebrew Competition will be held May 31. For anyone interested in submitting entries, judging, or stewarding, information is available at: https://beerawardsplatform.com/acfhc-babo
  • Big Brew Day Competition 2025. The WeizGuys Homebrew Club is organizing a club competition. Participating clubs will brew the same barley wine recipe on May 3 (Big Brew Day). I forwarded the email invite to the members list. If anyone is interested in participating in the competition, it can be discussed on Discord.
• Allen Moore gave a detailed presentation on hop oils and how to maximize hop flavors. The presentation prompted a lively discussion and included the tasting of 2 IPAs and 1 IPL. The slides are available on the Sudzers web site: https://www.sudzers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hop-Oils.pdf
• The beers we tasted:

Brewer	Beer Name	Beer Style	IBUs	ABV	Brewer Notes
Stephan, Allen, Nathan	Duality	Cold IPA	75	7.6	34/70
Stephan, Allen, Nathan	Singularity	Cold IPA	75	7.6	Lunar Crush
Allen	Chuck’s Chillin	IPL	64	7.5	34/70
Stephan	TJ Cider	Cider		5
Stephan	TJ Cider w/ tart cherry	Cider		5
Derek	Cherry Honeycrisp	Cider		6.30%
Mikael	Bb light	American Porter	40	4
Robert R.		American Amber	40	5.90%	Single hop (Mosaic)
Adam + Maury		Rye Amber		6.6	Stephen’s recipe; https://www.campbellssite.com/beer/beverage.php?id=103

• 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, April 13th at Off the Rails Brewing Company in Sunnyvale. 111 South Murphy Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (It’s close to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station)

https://offtherailsbrewing.com

As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis.
Becoming a paid member gets you access to the special members-only events we do through the year.

Agenda:

1. 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.
2. Presentation on hop oils (Allen)
3. Distribution of the club brew to anyone who hasn’t gotten theirs yet (Derek)
4. Any other announcements or miscellaneous business.
5. 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 Off the Rails.

From 2007 to 2020, the Silicon Valley Sudzers brewed an aggressively roasty, hoppy Russian Imperial Stout called Dark Matter. Over that time period, 21 different vintages and blends were created. The original recipe, created in 2007 by Guy Cameron, who went on to brew at Russian River and become the brewmaster for Floodcraft, was inspired in part by Bell’s Expedition Stout. In 2009, a large batch was brewed by Dan Rosbrugh, which ended up taking the first place ribbon for stouts at the 2011 National Homebrew Competition regional judging in Lodi. Details about the 2011 batch are lost to time.

2009 Brew Day. Note the extremely stable setup to support the mash tun with 80+ pounds of grain and 20 gallons of water.

On March 29, 2025, about a dozen club members gathered to conduct a vertical tasting of 18 different versions dating from 2012 to 2020. In general, like the San Francisco Giants in the early 2010s, our beers generally seemed to be better (or at least better suited to aging) in even years. Following are the brewer details of the batches we tasted.

2012 brewed by Keith McKay – 20 gallon batch. Grand Prize winner of the San Jose KraftBrew Fest homebrew competition.

2014: Sixty gallons were brewed to fill a Breckenridge 53 gallon bourbon barrel and to top off as the angel’s share evaporated. 10 gallons each were brewed by Mike Conant, Tyler Dassow, Rich Kindall & Jim Williams, Chris Ringer, and Derek Wolfgram. Adam Campbell and Nathan Howell contributed 5 gallons each. The amount of time the beer spent in the barrel is unknown.

2015 batches A, B, C, D, V – One of these was brewed by Justin Vincent, one by Mike Conant, one by Nick Osborne (which sat on an aggressive amount of oak cubes for two years), and one by Derek and Steve Casselman. No idea which was which or why there are five bottled batches from four brewed batches.

2016 brewed by David Fortune

2017 Batch A (25% Mike Conant, 25% Derek, 25% Derek oak aged, 25% Marc-Andre Harvey oak aged)

2017 Batch B1 (24% David Fortune, 24% Marc-Andre Harveyoak aged, 24% Mike Conant oak aged, 15% Jay Pecot, 12% Kevin Wolf oak aged)

2017 B2 (26% David Fortune, 26% Marc-Andre oak aged, 26% Mike C oak aged, 13% Kevin Wolf oak aged, 11% Jay Pecot,)

2017 B3 (29% David Fortune, 29% Marc-Andre oak aged, 29% Mike C oak aged, 14% Kevin Wolf oak aged)

Blending and bottling day for the 2017 Dark Matter

2018 A, B blends of brews by Tim Topole, Chet Simocko, and Cliff Sullivan – the first all-electric Dark Matter. Blends unknown, but the A batch was brewed with American yeast and the B with British yeast.

2019 Robert Curlee 30 gallon batch brewed at Crescent Farmhouse Ales

2020 batch C brewed by Chris Kramer, batch T brewed by Tim Chandler, batch R brewed by Robert Curlee. During COVID, these three batches were brewed and bottled separately, then distributed via Robert and Derek leaving bottles on their front porches for members to pick up.

18 different versions of Dark Matter

The 2009 Dark Matter recipe, scaled for 5 gallons