The 2016 version of the club’s lager comp was a bit of a shit-show with my lack of organization and three unlabeled beers but the best beers shone through despite my failings! Jesse Bowers submitted a beautiful bohemian pilsner that garnered three total 1st place wins. Super clear and super hoppy it was a pleasure to drink. David Disney’s Dunkel was substantial and malty and had two 1st place votes. Joe Edidin’s Vienna was toasty without being roasty, a difficult balance, and also had two 1st place votes.

Thanks for everyone that submitted beers and for everyone that showed up and participated. Here are the top three recipes.

Bowers Bo Pils

Pale, super clear, with a boatload of late hops.
85% pilsner
15% vienna
1.046 SG
22 ibu (tinseth)
Mittlefruh at 15, 10, 5, and whirlpool
WLP800

Disney’s Dunkel

93% Dark Munich (Weyermann II)
4% Melanoidin Malt
3% Carafa II Special
Mash @ 154
1.049 SG
40g Tettnang 4.7% @ 60
21 IBU
WLP833 Bock Yeast

Edidin Vienna

.5 oz 13.2% AA German Magnum @ 60 (targeting ~25 IBUs Tinseth)
.5 oz 2.0% AA Hersbrucker @ 10

WLP830 – 2 packs in a 2L 1.038 starter at 68F for 36 hours (last 8-10 hours off the stir plate to settle)

Some things are already on the calendar, others need to find a date. Make sure you come out to tour Fanatic Brewing in January and come Ice Brew in February.

Help Tom pick a date for the cider event by filling out this poll.

Submit your lagers for an informal bragging rights competition here. We can’t let Peed keep that cool stein! Expect to gather on February 27th.

Despite the forecast of cold and rainy we had about 15-20 club members swing by and about a dozen lookers, several of whom stayed for some time and asked great questions, attend this year’s Learn to Homebrew Day. We broke in the club’s new system and ran into some issues, but nothing that we couldn’t fix. We tried to brew 5 gallons of Mike Caylor’s mild recipe but the boil off rate got the better of us and we ended up with a little less than 4 gallons of imperial mild. We also made a successful extract batch of american pale ale. Thanks again to FermentStation for donating the ingredients, space, and some tasty snacks!

Maiden voyage of the Club’s new brew system

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Time for a fall water analysis.  Club will pay approximately half the cost (including shipping) for the Ward Labs Brewing Water Analysis of your water.  Your cost will be $15.  If you want to participate, please sign up here.

Let’s try not to duplicate sources (no point in that unless there’s some valid reason/you want to double check/whatever).

Please bring your water sample to the club event this coming Saturday, Nov 7, at Ferment Station.  The event is Learn to Homebrew Day.  If all goes well, we’ll do an inaugural all-grain batch on the refurbished club brewing system.  We’ll also be doing an extract batch.  If you can’t make it to that event, please make arrangements to get your sample to me by the end of this week (I work near the “corner” of Pellissippi and Dutchtown).

We just added a club event to the calendar for just a few weeks from now. Short notice, but that’s the way this plan came together. Check it out!

Sign up to RSVP and bring some food HERE.

We have set the dates for Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 PM and Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 PM in the back room of the Hardin Valley Casual Pint.  These are club-wide events, so come on down! Participants please bring a growler to share. Don’t forget your brewing notes and please fill out the form on google docs. Everyone can check the stats here.

Thanks to everyone that made the 2015 Homebruin Cup a success. We had over 30 total participants this year! For the second year in a row Michael Caylor took Best Of Show honors. The winning beer was an English Mild that clocked in at only 3.8% ABV. Runner up was a Hefeweizen brewed by Christopher Long. Congratulations to them and to all the other medalists. Full results are posted here.

I didn’t know this.  Did you?

Look who’s famous!