Category Archives: Minutes

March 22, 2019 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew Monthly Meeting Minutes
March 21 @ De Kleine Duivel

Introductions - Old Members/New Faces

Guild Updates

  • Based on the feedback from the club the Guild Holiday party will feature 4 prize categories next year.
  • The guild is still in the process of applying for non-profit status.
  • The BJCP course at MDHB started on 3/10. It’s a shorter 7 week course and a great way to sample a broad range of classic styles.
  • Guild Summer Picnic and Wheat Beer is on for Saturday, June 1st. They secured their normal shelter. This is a family friendly event in Patapsco Park. There is a $3 a car entry fee for the park.
  • If you are planning on going to Homebrewcon in Rhode Island this year they are trying to coordinate between the clubs. Ping John if you are making the trip to get plugged in to other MD clubs.
Guild Minutes Available in PDFDownload

Upcoming Events

  • MALT Bus Trip, March 23rd
    17 seats were still available as of monday. If you don’t have anything going on this weekend please support the MALT club. Tickets are available at https://maltbus.brownpapertickets.com/.
  • Brubakes, April 14th!
    Competitor spots are still open. We have 8 or maybe 9 brewers/bakers present! Jon is looking into a glassware order. Time to get the word out!
  • Big Brew, May 4th!
    Brewtherville is going to do Big Brew @ BC Brewing and has extended an invitation. Jude will follow up with more information

Old Business

  • Nepenthe is open! Check it out!
  • Group Brew on 3/2 was a success! We brewed a traditional lambic and used Jon’s coolship. It was bubbling away a few days later so we definitely caught something. Caiti and Becky brewed a second portion to make up for some spillage during transfer. Caiti, Kris, and Becky will coordinate a tasting for some time next year to see how it came out!
  • Club gear liquidation is on the calendar.  Ciaran will take inventory when he has time.
  • New quorum: 7 for simple majority, 9 for 2/3 majority

New Business/Member Announcements

Ed Topic - Wild Cider & Mead Fermentation! (Part II)

  • Caiti gave a wonderful talk and Q&A on making Kombucha and brought three different fermented teas to sample. We will consolidate and send out a summary.

IRON BREWER WEISSE

  • Kris notched his first Iron Brewer victory with a traditional hefeweizen featuring a ferulic acid rest!

*Homebrew Swap!*

February 22, 2019 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew Monthly Meeting Minutes
February 21 @ De Kleine Duivel

Guild Update - Max

  • The Guild Christmas party went well. They are distributing several thousand dollars amongst the various charities. Max made a note of the odiferousness of Baltibrew’s table location in hopes that they will no assign a club there next year.
  • The guild is coordinating a brew for their 20th anniversary. More to come in the guild minutes.

Introductions!

Upcoming Events

  • March 2nd, Group Brew @ Caiti & Jake’s!
    Looking to coordinate brewers to fill on of Jon’s coolships. If you are interested in brewing or taking home a portion of the finished wort, let us know! Pancakes @ 10AM, brewing to start by noon!
  • MALT Bus Trip, March 23rd https://maltbus.brownpapertickets.com/
    There are still seats left! MALT will depart from the Springhill Suites in Columbia and adventure in Northern Virginia and Frederick. The trip starts at 9:15AM and returns at 9:15PM. General tickets are 50 dollars, friends of MALT can get 10 dollars off with a special discount code.
  • Brubakes, April 14th! - Competitors Needed!
    De Kleine Duivel has giving the okay to host us again! We’re targeting 8 to 12 competitors this year and no more than 60 attendees. The format will stay remain the same, brew a saison and bake something that features the spent grist as at least 10% of the reciepe weight. Be sure to freeze you grain after brewday. We’ll get a site up shortly. More to come!
  • Big Brew, May 4th!
    Jude will coordinate with Brewtherville and provide more information. They seem excited to team up.

Old Business

  • Nepenthe is open! Check it out!
  • Club gear liquidation is on the calendar. It will take some time to organize.
  • New quorum: 7 for simple majority, 9 for 2/3 majority

New Business/Member Announcements

  • New Business Cards - Kris ask for permission to run off 1000 new business cards to update our marketing materials. Vote was passed unanimously by those in attendance (quorum was met).

Ed Topic - Wild Cider & Mead Fermentation! - Caiti

  • Caiti gave a great presentation on wild fermentations with lots of information on making ciders and mead! Notes are attached here along with these additional links Caiti wanted to distribute.
Wild Cider and Mead NotesDownload

IRON BREWER WEISSE @ MARCH!

Homebrew Swap!

January 18, 2019 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew Monthly Meeting Minutes
January 17 @ De Kleine Duivel

New Officers

  • Meeting Czar – Jon
  • Social Secretary – Jude
  • Treasurer – Greg
  • Ed Czar – Becky
  • Guild Rep – Max
  • Chilibrew Czar – Caiti (et al)
  • Webmaster – Kris

Overview of 2019 Events

  • Friday, February 15th - Baltibrew Invades Nepenthe
  • Saturday, March 2nd - Spring Group Brew @ Caiti’s
  • Saturday, March 23rd - MALT Bus Trip to Virginia Breweries
  • Sunday, April 14th - Brubakes!
  • Saturday, May 4th - AHA Big Brew
  • Saturday, June 1st - MD Homebrew Guild’s Picnic & Wheat Beer Competition 2 Patapsco St Partk
  • Saturday, July 13th - Lyft Trip to HoCo Breweries - Sapwood Cellars, Black Flag
  • August TBD - MashOut
  • September TBD - Zymurnaut’s Crab Feast @ Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Saturday, September 21st - Fall Group Brew @ Jon’s
  • Friday, October 11th - Chilibrew XIII
  • November TBD - Cider Buy and Wootown’s Mead Day
  • Saturday, December 7th - MD Guild’s Holiday Party
  • Thursday, December 12th - Baltibrew Holiday Potluck (No Regular Meeting)

Old Business - Bylaws Amendments passed!

  • Fewer officers
  • No more club gear…Auction?
    We’d like to get a list together of what’s in Balitbrew’s inventory and then see what format makes the most sense to divest it.
  • New quorum: this month it’s 7 for simple majority, 9 for 2/3 majority

Meet the New Ed Czar

  • Becky has many things planned for this year. Caiti will be talking about wild fermentation at the next meeting and Judy from Checkspot will be coordinating a visit later in the year.
  • The sensory seibel kit will be done at the general meeting, probably split out between 3 or 4 dates so all club members have the chance to participate.

Next Iron Brewer?

  • Kris’ challenged Jon to battle Hefeweizen. Judging will be at the March meeting!

New Business/Member Announcements

  • Max’s Sour Wild Ale Day – Feb 18
  • Online engagement - Kris looked at some statistics and facebook does get us much engagement. Far more eye’s came to the site from posting on reddit. Greg advocated for trying a meetup group. It’s 10/15 dollars a month depending on the subscription level. We trimmed the IT costs down about that much last year by moving to new hosts and consolidating things so we’ll apply the savings to that for a while. Greg will follow up.

*Homebrew Swap!*

November 16, 2018 by lpbrewer

The November meeting was canceled due to weather.  Watch the listserve for information on the following items.

  • Guild Holiday Party is on December 1st.
  • Baltibrew's December meeting, which is a Holiday Potluck, will probably be move to the second Thursday in December, the 13th.
  • Changes to Bylaws were approved unanimously.
  • Officer Nominations are still open.
  • Iron Brewer IPA is on for the December meeting!

October 23, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

October 18, 2018 @ Jon’s House

  • Bylaw Revisions Update

    • Jon presented a list of several bylaw changes addressing the following areas:
      • Officer Reductions
      • Election Procedural Changes and Timeframes
      • Quorum Requirements
    • Greg requested that the language surrounding the club’s guild dues payment be modified so that the money comes directly from the club account.
    • Jon presented a proposal to liquidate the club inventory due to lack of use and interest in maintaining it. The jockey boxes would default to Nepenthe as they put in the vast majority of time, labor, and maintenance costs for the upkeep of the boxes. Other items would be offered to club members.
    • The specific language for the amendments presented at the meeting will be circulated to the membership and 2 votes will be held on the website for the charter changes and liquidation.

  • Tasting Panels

    • This will be the last year Jon will coordinate the tasting panels.
    • The club may seek to continue doing pallet training as part of club events or education topics in the future.
    • Following up on the previous motion/vote, the club reimbursed Jon $240 for the cost incurred in coordinating the event.

  • Club Calendar

    • We expect planning to take place in November to map out club activities for 2019.

  • Officer Nominations

    • Chilibrew Czar - Caiti was nominated and accepted on the condition that everyone is aware she and Jake may be relocation in the late spring. She will work to record all the information she can regarding Chilibrew logistics.
    • Education Czar - Becky was nominated and accepted.
    • Free State Homebrew Club Guild (FSHCG) Representative - Max was nominated and accepted.
    • Meeting Czar - Jon was nominated and accepted.
    • Social Secretary - Jude was nominated in absentia.
    • Treasurer - Greg was nominated and accepted.
    • Webmaster - Kris nominated himself.

  • Upcoming Events

    • Mead Day on November 3rd @ Snyder’s Apiary
    • Guild Holiday Party on Saturday, December 1st @ HS Brewery
      Baltibrew secured a spot.  Our theme will be farm oriented and will focus on the use of local/regional ingredients. Raj is coordinating and we need to know who will be volunteering to brew/cook for the table! Tickets are $25 dollars a head.

  • Iron Brewer IPA is on for December - Current Iron Brewer - The Reeds

  • November Meeting 

    • Jon will inquire about De Kliene

  • Homebrew Swap!

September 21, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

September 20, 2018 @ De Kleine Duivel

  • Introductions

  • Guild Update - Nate

    • Christmas Party Charity Vote
      The Guild is holding a vote for the beneficiary of their Christmas Party. Our vote is due by Sunday. We will post a poll on the website.
      The Christmas party venue is still in flux. More information to come. Raj is interested in coordinating a Baltibrew theme/table. If anyone knows businesses that would be interested in donating items for the silent auction, let Nate know.

  • Bylaw Revisions Update

    • Officer Reductions
      The e-board is recommending eliminating the Secretary and Brewmaster positions and merging their duties into the other officer positions. The specific verbiage will be circulated for discussion. This change is mostly due to the reduction in interest in formal group brews and the recent active member count.
    • Election Timeline Changes
      The e-board is recommending changing the officer term to coincide with the calendar year and streamlining the election process. This would move nominations to October, Stump Speeches to November, and elections/acceptance in December.

  • Discussion of Baltibrew Events

    • September 29th/30th - Sensory Panel Reschedule
      Jon still has spots open for his tasting panels. This will be the last year he will coordinate them. Barrel flavors will be on the 29th, flaws & flavors on the 30th. The cost is $20 for 1 session, $35 for the pair. Greg recommended that Baltibrew reimburse any non-covered cost that Blair might incur as a result of the lack of interest. Jon will provide cost information for later action.
    • October 12th - Chilibrew XII!!!!
      • This years beneficiary is the Teachers' Democracy Project (https://www.tdpbaltimore.org/).
      • Competitor signup is closed.
      • General Ticketing (https://chilibrew.yapsody.com/event/index/293111/chilibrew-xii)
      • Volunteering - A volunteer ticker is available on the yapsody page. It’s a great way to attend for free and help out with this awesome event.
      • Baltibrew Table - Kris will spin up an email thread to coordinate. We will try to run a new set of business cards to hand out.
      • Anyone who knows a business that may be interested in donating items for the silent auction, get in touch with Jacob. The idea of donating some "learn to brew events" was suggested as a way for the club to encourage attendees to pick up the hobby.
    • October General Meeting
      As many people are wrapped up in beer week events and attendance in October is normally light, the meeting will be held at Jon’s house and be informal.

  • Social/Event Updates

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • Nepenthe Brewery Update
      Construction is continuing. The homebrew shop will be accepting online orders soon. The roof doesn’t leak and electricity has been run. They are shooting for a November opening!

  • Iron Brewer Call for Challengers - Current Iron Brewer - The Reeds

    Jon challenged the Reeds to an IPA battle in December. Bring your entry!

  • Ed Topics

    • Yeast Capture Update - Tasting!
      5 different samples of Baltimore yeasts were distributed for tasting! Becky and Max’s capture from Riverside Park produced an extremely fruity aroma with a very clean taste. The Locust Point Flower capture yielded a mild-spicy phenolic profile. Anyone with tasting notes is encourage to email Kris!
    • Brut IPA Tasting!
    • Baltimore Brewing History
      Christophe is helping with a project to extract information from a book on the history of brewing in Baltimore. Watch out for more information.

  • Homebrew Swap!

August 17, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

August 16, 2018 @ De Kleine Duivel

  • Introductions

  • 501c7 Application/Bylaw Revisions Update

    • Nothing more will happen on the 501c7 application in 2018.  We will revisit this in 2019.

  • Discussion of Baltibrew Events

    • September 8th - Fall BBQ & Brew @ Jacobs
      The original event was scheduled for the holiday weekend so the event has been rescheduled to September 8th.
    • September 29th/30th - Sensory Panel
      Seats are still available, contact Jon if interested.
    • October 12th - Chilibrew XII!!!!
      • We have one sponsor so far and are seeking a few more. Anyone with a lead on an interested business should reach out to Jacob.
      • Competitor Signup Open we have 17 so far and are hoping for about that many more.
      • (https://chilibrew.yapsody.com/event/index/286756/chilibrew-xii-competitor-ticket)
      • General Ticketing to follow.
      • Volunteering is a great way to attend this event for free.  Caiti will be the volunteer coordinator. Reach out to her if interested.
      • Kris is going to chair the Baltibrew Table, if you are interested in brewing for the table, please reach out.  We are looking for 4 brewers to rep our club at the event.

  • Social/Event Updates - Jacob

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • Nepenthe Update - Things are as busy as ever! They are hoping to open their doors by November!

  • Iron Brewer IPA

    • The Reeds took home the Iron Brewer trophy with their New England IPA!  Congratulations!

  • Ed Topics

    • Yeast Capture Update!
      Becky grew up six yeast isolates from the group captures and they are currently fermenting in one-quart batches.  We will take gravity and pH measurement next week to see how well these solo organisms ferment.
    • May I Have Your Attenuation, Please!
      A discussion on attenuation and the new Brut IPA style.

  • Homebrew Swap!

July 20, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

July 19, 2018 @ Nepenthe

  • Introductions

  • 501c7 Application/Bylaw Revisions Update

    • No new news on the 501c7 application as yet.

  • Discussion of Baltibrew Events

    • Sensory Panel Update - Jon
      Seats still available. Contact Jon if you are interested.
    • August 4th - August Brewery Trip - Greg/Jacob

    • August 16th-18th - MASHOUT

    • September 1st - Fall BBQ & Brew @ Jacobs

    • October 12th - Chilibrew XII!!!!
      If you are interested in brewing for the ChiliBrew table contact Carian.

  • Social/Event Updates - Jacob

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • Thank you to Nepenthe!
    • Upcoming Monthly Meeting Locations
      • August & September - de Kleine Duivel

  • Iron Brewer Call for Challengers - Current Iron Brewer - Will

  • Homebrew Swap!

June 22, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

June 21, 2018 @ Nepenthe

  • Introductions

  • 501c7 Application/Bylaw Revisions Update

    • Our application for 501c7 status was denied by the IRS due to the gross receipts from our charity fundraiser. Greg has reached out to Maryland Nonprofits for guidance and we are waiting to hear back.

  • Discussion of Baltibrew Events

    • July 14th/15th - Sensory Classes @ Jon's
      Seats are still available. Day 1 will focus on barrel aging flavors. Day 2 will focus on common flavors and faults. 20$ for one session, $35 for two. Talk to Jon to sign up.

    • July 28th - Union Collective Opening

    • August 4th - August Brewery Trip
      The current plan is to do a local trip, starting at Key around noon the relocating to the Mount Vernon area in the early afternoon to the area of Brew House 16, Charm City Meadworks, The Brewer’s Art, The Brass Tap, & Wet City. We’re exploring options to encourage ridesharing, possibly making a Lyft or Uber credit available to folks who share cars. More to come.

    • September 1st - Fall BBQ & Brew @ Jacobs

  • Social/Event Updates

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • We will have alternate meeting locations later this summer as Nepenthe is moving to their new space. We will meet at the shop one last time in July. The August meeting is TBD and the September meeting is confirmed for De Kleine Duivel.

  • Iron Brewer Call for Challengers - Current Iron Brewer - Will

  • Ed Updates

    • Water Wrap Up!
      A couple of us visited the Ashburton water treatment plant for a tour. It’s an amazing operation and the staff was very friendly and informative. One items to pass on is that as far as the laboratory chemist was aware there are no changes the chemical protocols when the city pulls from the Susquehanna and the city does not use chloramines to treat the water at this time. We may drop in on the older Montebello plants.

    • Baltibrew Yeast Capture
      Becky has a few captures plated out in the labs and has detected at least one strain of budding yeast that is likely Saccharomyces. We’re not sure about the attenuation properties of any of the organisms. A back up plan to do a local fruit wine is in the works should we strike out on organisms that can ferment malt.

  • Ed Topic - Sour Hour feat/ Michael Tonsmeire (Sapwood Cellars, The Mad Fermentationist, American Sour Beer)!

  • Homebrew Swap!

May 18, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

May 17, 2018 @ Jon's House

  • Introductions

  • Guild Update - Kris

    • There are lots of guild events coming up, please check the calendar and listserv for updates. Minutes from the meeting are available for review. (Guild Minutes May 2018)

  • Bylaw Revisions - Status Update

    • An e-board is meeting next Tuesday. The bylaw changes will be on the agenda for that meeting. More to come.

  • Discussion of Baltibrew Events

    • Brubakes Recap
      What a great event! Thank you to all the contestants and attendees. Paul from De Kleine Duivel is be interested in hosting again next year with an increased number of tickets. Attendance this year was about 40-50.
    • Brewtherville Big Brew Recap
      Greg and Christoph dropped in on Brewtherville’s event. BC Brewery looks great and the beer is tasty. They have filled 18 of their 24 taps and looks to have the space to grow their operation considerably. It’s right off the light rail. Anyone who has a chance to check it out should drop by.
    • Sensory Classes @ Jon's
      Due to scheduling conflicts the dates of the tasting panels have been moved to July 14th/15th. Reach out to Jon to sign up. The cost is $20 for one session, $35 for the pair.
    • Orioles Outing
      July 28th is the same day as Union Collective grand opening which many members plan to attend. Since the tasting panel has been moved to July we’re going to cancel the July Orioles outing in lieu of supporting Jon’s event and the Union event.
    • August Bus Trip
      Greg and Jacob are working up the itenary. More to come on this trip. Looking at an early August weekend.
    • ChiliBrew XII
      Anyone interested in helping out with ChiliBrew should contact Jacob. Baltimore Beer Week has not finalized the exact week in October yet. Since we try to schedule ChiliBrew as a kickoff event we’re waiting on that decision. It will likely be October 12th but could possibly be on the 19th. Stay tuned.

  • Social/Event Updates - Jacob

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • Feedback Sheets for Beer Evaluation @ Meetings
      The Baltibrewer survey revealed the desire for a slightly more formal procedure to request feedback on homebrew during the monthly meeting. A draft feedback sheet based on the BCJP score sheet was circulated. The general consensus was that it was too busy. A revision featuring more hedonistic categories will be available at the next meeting.
      Draft Homebrew Feedback Label
      Draft Homebrew Feedback Form
    • Iron Brewer Update
      Due to waning interest in the current Iron Brewer format, the contest will change from a recurring Chopped format to more of an on-demand Bobby Flay’s Throwdown competition. The rules discussed were:

      • There is no scheduled Iron Brewer contest.
      • Any club member may challenge the current Iron Brewer to a competition on a given style/ingredient.
      • It is up to the challenger and the Iron Brewer to come to a gentlepersons agreement on when the finished beer will be judged. We can’t expect the Iron Brewer to defend challenges at every meeting.
      • If the Iron Brewer repeatedly refuses to defend their title, it will be abdicated.
      • Once a challenge is issued and accepted, any other club members may brew a beer for the competition.
      • Judging will remain hedonistic.
      • The prize remains glory and possession of the sweet Iron Brewer mug.
      • The current Iron Brewer is Will.

  • Ed Topic - Kris

    • Baltibrew Yeast Capture! - Collection of captures
      Many of the captures are showing mold or fungal growth. Fingers crossed that some of the recent captures show more promise.
    • Baltimore’s Water System!!!!
      Look out for a blog post in the Education section summarizing the presentation. The tour of the Ashburton treatment plant is June 21st @ 10AM. Kris will send reminders.

  • Homebrew Swap!

 

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Upcoming Events

April 13, 2025
  • BaltiBrew Monthly Meeting - Social
    Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
    Location: Sapwood Cellars Brewery, 8980 MD-108 Suite MNO, Columbia, MD 21045, USA
    Description:

    This April the club will be meeting at Sapwood Cellars for a social meeting in Howard County. The plan is to head to Black Flag afterward.

Baltibrew is a collective of homebrewers dedicated to the art and science of beer.
baltibrew@gmail.com

Join us every second Sunday at 3pm.