Category Archives: Events

February 12, 2023 @ Union

Sensory Tasting Panel (Part 2 of 2)

• This month we finished the second half of the Seibel's barrel aged compound tasting panel by sampling the following flavors/aromas:
  • Almond
  • Exotic
  • Woody
  • Smoky
  • Whiskey

Iron Brewer Cider

• We had seven entries for Iron Brewer Cider! There was a tie between Jude's Aged Cider from 2019 and Dan's fermented cider from this year's buy from Weber's farm! The two of them decided jointly that the next Iron Brewer will be Iron Brewer Tea (black, green, herbal, etc). They have also decided that this does not need to be a beer based Iron Brewer. Other beverages (such as kombucha) are welcome. We typically allow at least two months so folks can plan and execute their ferementations, so we will decide next month whether to judge Iron Brewer Tea at the April or May meetings. Congrats to Jude and Dan!

Ed Topic Stipends Reminder

• To encourage engagement, BaltiBrew is offering a stipend for members that would like to experience and report back! The specifics are still to be worked out, but the idea is that if a member has an idea on an experiment to run, the club would reimburse for the cost of materials (up to $40 or so dollars) on the stipulation that regardless of how the experiment turns out, that an ed topic would be presented by the brewer. If you've been on the fence about diving into a novel technique, ingredient, or side-by-side brew this is an opportunity to dive in with support from the club. Ping the listserve or the board and let us know what you're considering!

BruBakes IV!

• BruBakes is returning on Sunday, April 23rd! Our competitor roster is almost filled out. Now it is time to promote the event. Max brought fliers for anyone who knows of businesses that are willing to promote the event. We are also soliciting for the prize pool. BruBakes is a homebrew & baked good competition. Contestants brew a saison and make a baked good with a portion of the spent grain (at least 5% by weight of the baked good must be spent grain). This is a fundraiser for the club and we normally treat it as a club showcase, with most of the contestants being BalitBrewers. Contestant tickets are free, attendees will be 20 dollars. It's a smaller, low key event (we normally shoot for 60-100 attendees). Tickets are available at https://baltibrew.ticketspice.com/brubakes-iv. Please spread the word!

Upcoming Events

• While BaltiBrew hosts several events each year there are a number of other events in the state that it would be great to make a presence at as a club.
• MASHOUT is returning again in 2023 from August 17th through the 20th. It is a 4-day outdoor celebration of the homebrewing hobby and is attended by a large number of brewers and fermentationist from around the area. The MASHOUT website and more information is available at https://mashout.ticketspice.com/mashout. Jon, Jude, and several others are very interested in attending this year and seeking to find other BaltiBrewers to have a presence.
• The Annapolis Homebrew Club has directly reached out to us to try to organize some intra-club events. We have extended the invitation to BruBakes in April. One of their marquee events is the Pints 4 Paws Homebrew and Craft Beer Festival. It's been held on June 10th this year and several members are interested in competing/attending. https://annapolishomebrewclub.com/pints4paws/ 
• We will publicize other events as they are announced this year.

Home Brew Swap!

• Our next meeting will be Sunday, March 12th at Union (to be confirmed)! Cheers!

To accommodate the Super Bowl later in the evening, the February meeting on Sunday the 12th has been moved forward to 1PM. The meeting will still take place in the Duckpin Room at Union.

January 8, 2023 @ Union

Sensory Tasting Panel (Part 1 of 2)

• In March of 2020, the club procured the Siebel's Barrel Aged Compound Tasting Panel kit with the intention of splitting it over two club meetings(spoiler: that didn't happen). This month we cracked it open and held a sensory tasting panel and discussion on these flavors/aromas:
  • Vanilla
  • Coconut
  • Caramel
  • Tobacco
  • Peat-like
  • Barnyard
• We will pick up next month with the rest of the kit:
  • Almond
  • Exotic
  • Woody
  • Smoky
  • Whiskey

Guild update

• Max is headed to the guild meeting tonight and will forward the minutes when he receives them. He provided a preview of some of their agenda:
  • The guild holiday party was a success and they will share information about the charitable donations.
  • The annual guild picnic is on for the first Saturday in June.
  • Judging for the MALT Turkey Shoot competition is scheduled for January 22nd. If you plan to enter now is the time to do so (https://turkeyshoot.brewcompetition.com/).

Ed Topic & Stipends

• In February the club will finish the Barrel Aged compounds tasting panel and in March the plan is for a demo & discussion on the effect of grist milling on mash efficiency. As Union has provided a stable home for the club and meetings have moved to Sunday afternoons rather than Thursday evening, the event space and event time are more conducive to doing working/interactive sessions rather than presentations. Kevin is going to follow up with the board to get an understanding of what Union is comfortable with.
• To encourage engagement, BaltiBrew is offering a stipend for members that would like to experience and report back! The specifics are still to be worked out, but the idea is that if a member has an idea on an experiment to run, the club would reimburse for the cost of materials (up to $40 or so dollars) on the stipulation that regardless of how the experiment turns out, that an ed topic would be presented by the brewer. If you've been on the fence about diving into a novel technique, ingredient, or side-by-side brew this is an opportunity to dive in with support from the club. Ping the listserve or the board and let us know what you're considering!

BruBakes IV!

• BruBakes is returning this spring! We have tentative pencilled in the afternoon of Sunday, April 23rd for this year's BruBakes competition. Kevin (thanks again) is going to confirm if Union will allow us the use of the Duckpin room for the event. If so, we will spin up the ticketing site and get to work on organizing. We need about 8-12 entrants to make BruBakes happen. As a refresher, BruBakes is a homebrew & baked good competition. Contestants brew a saison and make a baked good with a portion of the spent grain (at least 5% by weight of the baked good must be spent grain). This is a fundraiser for the club and we normally treat it as a showcase of the club, with most of the contestants being BalitBrewers. Contestant tickets are free, attendees will be 20 dollars. It's a smaller, low key event (we normally shoot for 60-100 attendees). If you are interested in brewing, baking, or helping organize the event, please ping the board!

Club Bylaws

• The current club bylaws have not been updated in a long time. They were written at a time when homebrewing was in the public zeitgeist and engagement was much higher. For anyone interested they are online here: https://www.baltibrew.org/about-us/. While not a pressing issue, the club should consider updating them to better reflect the needs of the membership.

Iron Brewer No Hops!

• Congratulations to Rajesh for taking home the BaltiBrew Iron Brewer cup in battle No Hops! His Raspberry Gose defeated Jude's Mead and Kevin's Sahti to claim the prize. With a new reigning Iron Brewer the door is open for more club challenges!

Home Brew Swap

• Many apologizes for leaving anyone out who brought beer to share. Kevin's English Bitter, the Reed's two-way Mexican Chocolate-Pepper-Coffee Ale, Emily and Jerry's Imperial Stout, and my own small english ale were sampled, along with some tasty beer from our host, Union Brewing. Looking forward to our next meeting, Sunday, February 12th at Union! Cheers!

Our monthly meeting will be at Pickett Brewing on Saturday, October 15th at 3 PM. This is a social gathering to relax after Chilibrew XIV. No homebrew is allowed, but stop by to sample some of Pickett's offerings and talk shop!

A Chili and Homebrew Competition benefiting Baltimore Greenspace!

You be the judge! Sample all you can eat and drink, and vote for the best Chili Con Carne, Vegetarian Chili, and Homebrew beer! Benefiting Baltimore Greenspace, which helps to preserve community garden, pocket parks, and urban forests for generations to come.

Date: Saturday, October 8, 2022 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Location: Zion Lutheran Church (near City Hall)
Tickets: https://baltibrew.ticketspice.com/chilibrew-xiv

With summer travel is in full swing and most of the club unable to attend, our July meeting has been cancelled.

Our spring homebrew and baking competition returns this year as "Brübakes" unites Homebrewers and Bakers to celebrate spring, sustainable brewing practices and the DIY spirit!

Tickets available on Eventbrite!

About this event

Competition Overview:

• Brewers must design a Belgian-style Saison ale to be served with a baked good. The catch? Bakers are required to use spent grain from the brewers' mash (at least 5-10% by weight) to create their counterpart.
• Those who are up for the challenge may act as both brewer and baker.
• Competitors need to bring at least 5 gallons of homebrew and about 120 baked good samples (Expecting about 60-80 attendees).
• Recommend freezing your spent grain after brew day.
• Baltibrew will provide ice. Dump buckets and water pitchers will be available.

Attendee Overview:

• Must be 21+ years old to attend.
• All you can sample homebrew and baked goods.
• Ticket includes a Baltibrew Brübakes Belgian-style sample glass.
• Ticket proceeds will be used to fund future Baltibrew events, gatherings, and charitable donations throughout the year.

Voting:

• Popular Vote in 3 categories (Best Brew, Best Bake, Best Overall)

Location:

• Duckpin Room @ Union Craft Brewing

The club has changed our monthly meetings to afternoons on the second Sunday of each month. The club meets at Union Craft Brewing.

June 18, 2020 @ Zoom

Suspended Drops In!

• Josey from Suspended Brewing in Pigtown stopped by to show us around the brewery and talk about his journey from homebrewer to probrewer. He was also nice enough to supply the group with some samples for our Zoom meeting. Suspended will open for carry-out this weekend. Many thanks from BaltiBrew!
• Two 50 dollar gift cards to Suspended were raffled off to attendees. Congratulations to Becky and Kevin!

ChiliBrew XIV

• An offline check in with Ciaran and Jacob confirmed that nothing firm was in the works for our marquee event this fall.
• The club brainstormed some on what might work for a 2020 ChiliBrew. Ideas included moving possibly to an outdoor, moving it to Spring 2021, moving to a remotely judged competition, and keeping it charity focused.

Club Shirt Update

• If you want to weigh in on the shirt design, hit up Max’s feedback form in the next week. Everyone will order individually from the company, pickup to be arranged. Watch the listserve for an order link.

New Event Cancellations

• MASHOUT

Events Not Cancelled

• Zymernauts/SPBW/Guild Crab Feast, September 19
• Guild holiday party, Saturday December 5.

Social Events

• Evan proposed a remote Virtual Tasting and Franks was interested in assisting. Watch for updates on the listserv regarding timing, format, and potential cost.
• As restrictions are lifted and COVID metrics in MD are changing, the club discussed the possibility of an Outdoor Summer Meetup and what members might or might not be comfortable with. Consensus was approached regarding a September Group Brew, definitely outdoors, potentially at a members home. Sharing food was expressed as a concern and all plans would be dependent on how the COVID situation develops.

Inclusivity and Advocacy Support Discussion

• Being mindful of current events while also aware of homebrewing’s rather homogenous demographic makeup, an open discussion was held regarding inclusivity and the appropriate role of hobby organizations such as BaltiBrew in advocating or otherwise being proactive in supporting inclusivity or movements regarding social justice. Several members are moving the discussion forward in a small setting with the goal of bringing a more developed dialog back to the general membership at a further meeting.

May 21, 2020 @ Zoom

Bad News/Cancelled Events!

• BJCP course
• BURP’s Spirit of Free Beer
• FOAM’s Battle of the Bubbles
• AHBC’s Pints for Paws
• All BAM festivals
• Howard County Fair homebrew competition
• DC Brewers’ Cherry Blossom competition
• Wootown’s Mead Day
• HomebrewCon
• Great American Beer Festival
• National Homebrew Competition
  • Entries received were either donated to workers or distilled into sanitizer.
  • Entry fees, but not shipping costs, were reimbursed.
• Guild summer picnic
  • Even if the park lets us in, 50+ folks in one space will not be feasible.
  • Patapsco State Park should reimburse us if the state guidelines do not allow us to gather, perhaps if we don’t get reimbursed and we are “stuck” with the pavilion, a small group of us can go

Good News & Possible Events!

• Probrewer Guest - Mobtown dropped in to discuss their journey from idea to brewery.
  • Congratulations to raffle Winners Matt H and Jude. Each got a $50 gift card to Mobtown.
• Club Shirts - Max - If you want to weigh in on the shirt design, hit up Max’s google form in the next week. Everyone will order individually from the company, pickup to be arranged.
• Trivia Night - A good time was had. We are looking for ways to stay connected socially this summer.
• AHA Big Brew Report - Folks who brewed at the virtual AHA Big Brew reported in on how their beers turned out.
• MASHOUT
  • Official word from Buck: The club founders voted 12-8 to have MASHOUT. “I (Buck) spoke with the property owner and he is okay with us not yet signing a contract yet. Therefore, we have some more time to make a final decision. I feel like June 15th is the absolute latest we can wait to make a decision.”
• Zymernauts/SPBW/Guild Crab Feast, September 19
  • Right now NASA is at “stage 4” which means no one is allowed there. Stage 3 means employees only. If it gets to stage 2 (everyone allowed) the event could be held at NASA.
  • We could possibly move the event somewhere else, like maybe Centennial Park. Crabs will be available regardless.
• Guild Holiday Party, Saturday December 5.
  • It’s a long way away so we don’t know yet if/how it will happen. At any rate they will not be soliciting businesses for donations.

Whatcha up to!