Category: Editor’s report and club news

By Nicholas Wiseman, Editor

The club held its final end of year bash and annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday 2 December, with the old committee dissolved and the 2012 team voted in. Leadership of the club continues on next year with Tom Dixon resuming his role as club president along with treasurer David Gilks.

Joining them are Chris De La Rue as competition secretary, Bruce Arnold as social secretary, Ben Harmer as education officer and Nick Wiseman as editor. Leaving the committee after a busy and successful year is Steve Norrie, Sam Highley, Mark Bilbrough and Dan Rayner.

Also announced on the night was the winner of the Craig Robinson Trophy which went to Ben Harmer with his behind the scenes and never requested assistance and the fact “he was not a wanker”. Honourable mentions for the award went to Chris De La Rue, Mark Bilbrough, David Gilks and the IT team.

This year’s NOOKIE ("Newcastle Or Otherwise Kinda Interstate Experience") prize went to none-other than the President, Tom Dixon, despite initial protests and offering it back for a redraw, the club spoke and he grudgingly accepted! This is the third year in a row that the President of the club has taken out the NOOKIE prize.

Memberships are now due for 2012 for those who missed the meeting and details can be found online on the forum, for those who did turn up and opted to pay by transfer please don’t forget! Next year is looking to be big with the club taking part in the National Multicultural Festival in February as well as the usual mix of competitions and social events.

By Sam Highley

Over at 666 ABC Canberra they've been running a series known as Feast, where they're looking at the culinary aspects of life in Canberra and the region. The series covers everything from growing, buying, cooking and consuming food and drink, and back in September they focussed on brewing. Of course, no focus on brewing would be complete without delving into beer, and Canberra Brewers member Chris De La Rue showed Jo Laverty from 666 around his garage with a tour of his equipment and process.

 

 

 

By Sam Highley, Editor

Gazza_Duffbowl One of the most popular days on the Canberra Brewers calendar each year is the Wig & Pen Brew Day. The extremely generous support of Lachie McOmish (owner) and Richard Watkins (brewmaster) of the Wig & Pen allowed about sixty members and friends to gather at the crack of 9am on Saturday 4 June, for a day full of beer, coffee, cheese and food.

Richard set out to provide evidence that a focus on the process, rather than the ingredients, is the best way to improve your brewing. With this in mind, he designed a beer featuring no less than sixty ingredients, including twenty different types of both malt and hops. The resulting beer was on-tap recently at the July club meeting, and the general consensus was that it was a definite winner.

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By Sam Highley, Editor

Seal The Canberra Brewers club reached a significant milestone on 10 March 2011 when the club successfully incorporated as an association in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). This followed the successful vote on various motions at the February meeting that allowed the club to proceed to the formal registration process.

Incorporation as an association allows the club to, amongst other things, obtain public liability insurance. Having this insurance will mean that the club can participate in a greater number of public and community events. Club President Tom Dixon (aka Dicko) points out that being able to provide fully insured brewing demonstrations and tastings at events like the Australian Science Festival, National Capital Craft Beer Festival and Multicultural Festival, is a great way of enhancing the connection of the club to the community.