November 2017 news and meeting preview

Howdy folks – some important info in this month’s update so read on…

*** DIFFERENT VENUE, DIFFERENT DAY, NO BAR, BYO GLASS ***

As announced previously at Oktoberfest and on the forum, some big changes come into effect this month, with club nights no longer being held at the Harmonie German Club and, at least for the next two meetings, not taking place on Thursdays.  This follows a long relationship with the HGC for over 10 years, and we are extremely grateful for their support throughout this period.

The next club meeting will be held on Wednesday 1st November at the Gorman Arts Centre in Civic. The address is Gorman House, 55 Ainslie Ave, Braddon, ACT 2612. Unlike the Harmonie Club, there is no bar at which to buy drinks, and this also means you’ll need to BYO glassware for the purpose of sampling fellow members’ brews.

The meeting will take place in the main hall and the education session will take place in the seminar room, as per the following map (click to enlarge):

Gorman House map

To get to the main hall, the entrance is under the covered walkway between the hall and the main office.  We will have committee members standing out directing people to either the education session or the main hall until such time as there is enough of us there to make it obvious where we are.

There is parking along Batman Street and in surrounding streets. There is also a small U-shaped driveway at the main office which is a good spot to drop any gear off but you can’t park there.

Education un-session

Kevin Hingston will be hosting November’s education session (our first in a dedicated seminar room!). Kev will be unwinding undersupply with the unpopular, undiscovered, under development, and the unwise – rethinking ingredient choice. Be there for the usual 7.30pm start, with enough time to find the room and a seat in said room.

AABC national championships 2017 (!)

A few weeks back, the club sent six judges and 58 beers to the Australian Amateur Brewing Championships in Perth. The results are now in (see here for the full publication) and well, the club has many reasons to be proud this year..

Particularly notable is that four Canberra Brewers members occupied the top five spots for champion brewers of AABC2017 (well done Steve, Chris, Andrew and Tarun), and together with all the other members that submitted their beers, Canberra Brewers came out as Champion Club!

Screen Shot 2017-10-18 at 09.02.24 Screen Shot 2017-10-18 at 09.01.42

Huge congratulations to all – let’s have a beer to celebrate, then get planning for 2018 😉

The 2017 Wig & Pen Trophy

Each year, first-placed beers from every category of the ACT championships are eligible for the Wig & Pen Trophy. It can be hard to pick the best of the best, but in the end it was Tom ‘Dicko’ Dixon’s American Stout that took the prize. Expect this best-of-show beer on tap at the Wig in 2018!

Here is a serious photo from the judging, showing Wig & Pen brewer Alan Ball with Pat Baggoley:

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And here is a slightly disturbing photo taken later, showing Dicko with Alan and Alan’s shorts:

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Club Member of the Year 2017 – NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN

We are calling for nominations for the 2017 Canberra Brewers Club Member of the Year.

The Canberra Brewers Club Member of the Year will be awarded the Craig Robinson Memorial Trophy. Craig was a member of the Canberra Brewers for many years before his sudden passing in 2009. Craig was the owner-operator of Trojan hospitality in Fyshwick and was known for his passion for brewing, generosity and devotion to the club, as well as being an all-round champion bloke.

The Craig Robinson Memorial Trophy was created in his honour, and is awarded each year to a Canberra Brewer who best demonstrates these values. The award is meant for someone in the club who goes above and beyond; not because they have too, but because they want to.

To put forward a nomination, please provide the name of the nominee and outline how they’ve best demonstrated these values and why they should be recognised as the Canberra Brewers Club Member of the Year for 2017.

Nominations can be made via Email to CRMtrophy@canberrabrewers.com.au up until 8pm on Sunday 19 November. The Craig Robinson Memorial Trophy will be judged by the three previous winners of this award (currently Andrew Blencowe, Pat Baggoley and Chris Duffy), and will be presented at our December meeting.

Six Pack Swap

It took a month off for the Oktoberfest but it’s back for November, so why not enhance the club night experience over the following weeks by joining the six pack swap? If you’re interested in joining, add your name to the list on the forum and on club night we’ll pool our beers and everyone who contributes gets to take home a mixed six pack!

Club library

Beginner and experienced brewers may be interested to know that we now have the latest edition of John Palmer’s How To Brew in the club library:

How-To-Brew-Everything-You-Need-to-Know-to-Brew-Great-Beer-Every-Time-by-John-J.-Palmer

In the club library you can reserve a copy of something and we’ll deliver it at the meeting. If the book is currently on loan, email us and we’ll arrange to have it brought back for you to borrow. Don’t have access to the library? Email us and we’ll hook you up.

See you on WEDNESDAY

November’s club meeting will be held this Wednesday 1st November at the Gorman Arts Centre (Gorman House) in Civic. 7.30pm sharp for the education session, followed by the usual club shenanigans! Bring your beer and don’t forget to bring a glass too!

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