Sudzers CFO Derek W’s monthly column from the Los Altos Town Crier. Cheers!
Author: Sudzers
Sudzers July meeting
Hello Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm on Sunday, July 10th at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis, so please bring $25 and arrive as close to 4:00 as possible if you would like to pay your 2016 dues. 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:
– T-shirts for sale! Bring cash, because Derek will be selling several classic Sudzers t-shirts. Don’t miss out!
– Derek will talk a bit about the 2016 Sudzers T-Shirt.
– Discuss where and when to have the annual Dark Matter Brew Day.
– Has Thirst Third Thursday run its course!?
– Let’s find out who is going to NCHF and who can contribute beer for Hoppy hour and the main festival. Also what beer styles are people bringing?
– Reminder, Hoppy Hour tastings will happen in the September meeting.
– In October, we plan to have a competition for beers that used Gigayeast’s experimental yeast.
– Call for technical topics/presentations from some members, like Mike C’s water tutorial last year.
– An update on the Santa Clara County Fair judging.
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – 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.
See you Sunday!
June 2016 meeting notes
The Bay Area is heating up, so what better way to kick off Summer other than with a 17% barleywine? June’s meeting gave us seven delicious homebrews (including the aforementioned barleywine) and a chance to meet some new members of the beer community. Thanks to everyone who showed up, and see you next month!
Business:
– Lauren Cosby of Gordon Biersch joined us to discuss their recent homebrew competition and gave us the head’s up that we should be on the lookout for another one in the future. We’ll make sure to keep you posted. Thanks, Lauren, for joining us!
– Anil is organizing a study group for several BJCP exams taking place in November and December. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, study up on beer, refine your palate with an off-flavor tasting kit, and of course, drink some beer! Let Anil (adosaj@mac.com) know if you’re interested in joining.
– We’ll be pouring at NCHF’s Hoppy Hour this year. We need a volunteer to take charge of this event. If you’re interested, please contact Steve Hutzler (sthutz@gmail.com).
– The Sudzers is teaming up with The Grain Trust to organize the Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition. Please let Steve H. (sthutz@gmail.com) know if you’re interested in judging.
– Derek has designed a Belgian-inspired t-shirt for this year’s NCHF. Paid members will get one as part of their dues!
– Sierra Nevada’s SF Beer Camp (http://www.beercamp.sierranevada.com/festivals/san-francisco/) is June 18th. Reach out to Tim T. if you’re interested in meeting up with other Sudzers.
– The California Craft Beer Summit is September 8-10. More info can be found at http://www.cacraftbeersummit.com/.
– Sudzers Thirsty Third Thursday will be June 16th at South Winchester BBQ in San Jose.
In all, we had seven brews:
BREWER BEER IBUs ABV David Schwarzbier ~21 4.2% David J White Ale 34 5.3% Jim Saison 35 7.5% Rob IPA 60 6% Tim Hearth of Darkness 40 10.24% Jim Pliny the Younger clone inf 11% Jared Barley Win 20 17%
Thanks to Steins and everyone that showed up. See you next month!
June 12 Meeting Announcement
The next Sudzers meeting will be held on Sunday, June 12 at 4 pm at Steins in Mountain View.
Discussion topics will include:
*Lauren Cosby from Gordon Biersch will attend as follow up to the homebrew competition GB organized this spring
*Planning for NCHF, especially our plans for serving at Hoppy Hour – project manager needed
*New club T-shirt plans. Older shirts will still be for sale for $10 apiece.
*Santa Clara County Fair update
*Thirsty Third Thursday
*fall 2016 Dark Matter brew day – host needed
*Dark Matter Imperial Stout distribution to club members. Please note: this is the last meeting Derek will be carrying cases to the meeting. If you were a paid club member in 2015 and still want your free bottles, contact Derek directly to make arrangements for pickup. Bottles not picked up by June 30 will be used for club events, given to 2016 paid members, or divvied up among those 2015 members who have already received their first two bottles.
*September meeting will be focused on tasting to select NCHF Hoppy Hour brews to represent the club, and October will tentatively be the judging for the Gigayeast saison challenge. No specific agenda for August at this point.
*Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – 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.
From the Los Altos Town Crier: Balanced brews and brilliant BBQ highlight Dan Gordon’s latest
Sudzers CFO Derek W’s monthly column from the Los Altos Town Crier. Cheers!
Balanced brews and brilliant BBQ highlight Dan Gordon’s latest
May 2016 meeting notes
Mother’s Day pushed May’s meeting back an extra week, but it was well worth the wait. We saw some new faces and sampled thirteen delicious brews. Thanks to everyone who showed up, and see you next month!
Business:
– Derek W. was back and collected dues, sold t-shirts, and handed out Dark Matter.
– Jared passed out the experimental Saison yeast from Gigayeast. Thanks, Jared!
– We’ll be pouring at NCHF’s Hoppy Hour this year. This is a good chance to show off Sudzers’s best beers, so we’ll have a tasting the meeting before NCHF to determine what we’ll pour. Start thinking about what you want to brew!
– The Sudzers is teaming up with The Grain Trust to organize the Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition. Derek W. sent out an e-mail with the info, so please let him know if you’re interested in helping to organize or judge.
– Sierra Nevada’s SF Beer Camp (http://www.beercamp.sierranevada.com/festivals/san-francisco/) is June 18th. Reach out to Tim T. if you’re interested in meeting up with other Sudzers.
– The California Craft Beer Summit is September 8-10. More info can be found at http://www.cacraftbeersummit.com/.
– Santa Cruz craft beer week is May 23-27. More info can be found at http://www.santacruzwaves.com/beerweek/.
– Congrats again to Charles for getting a first and second place at the first round of NHC!
– Sudzers Thirsty Third Thursday will be May 19th at Eureka in downtown Mountain View.
In all, we had thirteen brews:
BREWER BEER IBUs ABV Tony Interlude Saison 15 7% Don Sunshine Belgian Blonde 23 7.5% David Bananas Brown Fruit Ale 30 7.3% Jesse Buzz Zed Cider - 7.8% David Conanesque VPA 65 6.1% Paul CASMO IPA - 6.8% Steve H Pine Tree IPA Lots 7% Ron Senior Smiley IPA 62 6.5% Derek Schaberg Porter 30 5.5% David P Milk Stout 27 6.5% Adam White Chocolate Wheat Wine - 9.8% Guillaume Insomnie Stout 65 8% Derek German Barleywine 80 10%
Guillaume was kind enough to share his Mad Frenchman Ale Works Belgian Dubbel recipe:
OG: 1.073
FG: 1.009
23.5 IBU
19.2 SRM
=== Grist ===
75.9% Belgian Pilsner
6.9% Aromatic
3.4% Special B
6.9% Candi Syrup Inc D-90
6.9% Pilocillo Sugar
=== Hops ===
German Magnum (10.5% AA) 1g/L target 21.4 IBU @60min
German Tettnang (3.7% AA) 1.5g/L whirlpool 10min
=== Fining ===
1 whirlfloc @ 15min
=== Yeast ===
Wyeast 3522 / Belgian Ardennes
=== Mash Schedule ===
75min @ 65C
20min @ 70C
20min @ 77C
=== Fermentation ===
Pitch cool at 15C and let rise
Hold at 23C for 14 days
When final gravity is reached, crash cool to 2C and hold for 7 days
Thanks to Steins and everyone that showed up. See you next month!
Sudzers May meeting
Hello Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm on Sunday, May 15th at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis, so please bring $25 and arrive as close to 4:00 as possible if you would like to pay your 2016 dues. 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:
– T-shirts for sale! Bring cash, because Derek will be selling several classic Sudzers t-shirts. Don’t miss out!
– Dark Matter distribution: two bottles for everyone who was a paid member in 2015!
– Jared will be passing out the experimental yeast from Gigayeast to those who requested it.
– Quick discussion on the Gordon Biersch homebrew competition. Did anyone participate?
– Reminders about the Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition and Beer Camp in SF on June 18th.
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – 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.
See you Sunday!
IPAs from LA? Yes Way! from the Los Altos Town Crier
April 2016 meeting notes
At April’s meeting we saw some new faces, sampled twelve delicious homebrews, and had a great conversation with Cassie and Jim from Gigayeast about brewing with sourdough cultures. Thanks to everyone who showed up, and see you next month!
Business:
– We’ll be pouring at NCHF’s Hoppy Hour this year. This is a good chance to show off Sudzers’s best beers, so we’ll have a tasting the meeting before NCHF to determine what we’ll pour. Start thinking about what you want to brew!
– The Sudzers is teaming up with The Grain Trust to organize the Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition. Please let Steve H. or Derek W. know if you’re interested in helping to organize or judge.
– Sierra Nevada’s SF Beer Camp (http://www.beercamp.sierranevada.com/festivals/san-francisco/) is June 18th. Reach out to Tim T. if you’re interested in meeting up with other Sudzers.
– Cassie and Jim from Gigayeast (http://www.gigayeast.com/) gave an awesome presentation on sour beers and brewing with sourdough cultures. More details on the homebrew competition using their new yeast will be given with the next few weeks or discussed at the next meeting. Thanks again, Cassie and Jim, and please come back any time!
In all, we had twelve homebrews:
BREWER BEER IBUs ABV Jared Cockshot Pilsner 26 5.38% Jared Czech the Locks 33 5.64% Joanna & Bob Hef + Lemon Rind - 6%(?) Rob Cream Ale 30 5% David Belgian Dubbel - 7.1% Tony & Marc Belgian Dubbel 18 8% Rich American Strong Ale 67 8.9% Tim Chocolate Milk Stout - 3.7% David Coconut Porter - 5.4% Rob IPA 70 7% Rob Double IPA 100 8.5% The Club Barrel Aged Dark Matter - 11+%
Thanks to Steins and everyone that showed up. See you next month!
Sudzers April meeting
Hello Sudzers! Our next meeting will be held at 4:00pm on Sunday, April 10th at Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View.
895 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
As a reminder, club dues are collected on a calendar year basis. Our CFO Derek Wolfgram will not be able to make the meeting, but membership dues ($25) can be paid through PayPal to him at derek.wolfgram@gmail.com. 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:
– Reminder that help is needed for the Santa Clara County Fair homebrew competition. If any of you want to be involved, please let Derek Wolfgram (derek.wolfgram@gmail.com) know and he will set up a meeting with our fellow organizers from The Grain Trust.
– Reminder that we’ll be pouring at NCHF’s Hoppy Hour this year. We want to make sure we have a good showing, so we’ll most likely hold a competition the meeting or two before NCHF to find the best beers to pour. We’re announcing now so people have ample time to prepare.
– Loren Gibbs, Head of Production for Gigayeast, will be joining our meeting Sunday to do a brief presentation. We’ll need to find volunteers to propagate some of their yeast for a homebrew competition.
– Discuss SF Beer Camp taking place June 18th. Let’s see if we can get a group of Sudzers up there.
– Derek Wolfgram is out (most likely until May), so Dark Matter distribution will be on hold until then.
– Homebrew evaluations. Remember, bring your recipe – 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.
There’s a lot planned, so don’t miss out this Sunday!