Category Archives: Minutes

April 20, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

April 19, 2018 @ Nepenthe

  • Introductions

  • Brübakes Competition Update, April 22nd @ De Kline Duvel - Jon

    • https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baltibrew-presents-brubakes-tickets-43690968864

    • Contest is this Sunday @ 2PM.  Jon will arrive a bit early to get set up.  Competitors should look out for an email to coordinate.  Please promote the event amongst your friends and in your social media feeds.  We’ve sold 25/50 attendee tickets through the web portal so far which is pretty decent for pre-sale numbers.

  • Bylaw Revisions - Quick Update - Kris

    • The e-board has been working up the rest of the bylaw changes.  We will discuss them at the next e-board meeting and look to bring them to the club for a vote in the next few months.

  • Discussion on upcoming Baltibrew Events

    • May 5th - Big Brew @ Nepenthe

      • Jude and Jacob are interested in doing a brew @ Nepenthe.  Permits have not yet been acquired for the parking lot but Nepenthe will follow up.  Look for an email thread to coordinate. Cairan will not be there to work logistics, so that will fall to the club.

    • May 6th - 2018 Big Brew w/ Brewtherville @ BC Brewery

      • Several folks are interested in dropping in on Brewtherville’s big brew event.  It is a small group and they will coordinate amongst themselves.

    • June 9th/10th - Sensory Classes @ Jon's

      • Jon is hosting 2 days of tasting panels in June.  The first day will be faults and the second will focus on barrel flavors.  Each panel will consist of 15 different compounds. Cost will be set at $35 dollars for both days, $20 for one day.  Seats are limited to 20 per day and the tastings run from 12-3PM. Tasters should plan to arrive 20 minutes early so the panel can begin on time.

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • If you need to pay dues please see Greg or visit the website to pay via the paypal link.

  • Education - Kris

    • 2018 Baltibrewer Survey Results!

      • Result summary in attached document.  2018 Baltibrew Survey Results

      • There was interest in providing the opportunity for more focused feedback during the homebrew swap section of meetings.  We will draft a feedback form that brewers seeking comment can place on any beers they want detailed notes from others.

    • Baltibrew Yeast Capture! - feat. Christoph & Becky

      • The big 2018 education project is an attempt to capture and isolate a pure strain of saccharomyces from Baltimore.  Kris and Christoph distributed 15 capture kits to club members. A protocol sheet was included in the kits and reviewed at the meeting.  This portion of the activity centers around getting a large sampling of organisms from the area for Christoph and Becky to plate out. Please bring successful captures to the next meeting for lab work.

      • If successful isolate a good brewing yeast we will try to incorporate it in the historical Baltimore beer education project later this year.

    • Water Survey Collection

      • Jude, Greg, and Christoph provided water samples from Hampden, Fells Point, and Lutherville.  Becky and Max will provide a sample from Riverside. Kris is probably going to coordinate a tour of one of the water processing plants for his family in the next month.  He will let the group know when that is in case anyone wants to join.

  • Iron Brewer - Tea!

    • We had three entries for Iron Brewer Tea, the winner being Will’s Chai Saison!

    • Details on the next Iron Brewer competition will come at the May meeting.

March 16, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

March 15, 2018 @ Nepenthe

  • Guild Minutes - Nate

    • Guild minutes were sent out to the Baltibrew listserve.

    • The BJCP class was cancelled due to lack of interest.

    • A number of events are coming up, including the CRABs Light Rail crawl on April 8th and the VIctory Brewing Taste at Goddard Space Flight Center on March 16th (Zymurnauts).

    • MALT was happy to see so many Baltibrewers sign up for their bus trip!

    • Brubakes was plugged, there seemed to be some interest.

  • Discussion on upcoming Baltibrew Events

    • May 5th - 2018 Big Brew
      Nepenthe is not sure if they will be hosting a Big Brew event this year, as they have not worked out their lease in the near term.  Several options were proposed, including attending the brew at Maryland Homebrew or joining Brewtherville’s Big Brew. Members will reach out to the other organizations and we will pick the discussion up next month.

    • July 27th - Baseball Os vs Rays Group Outing
      The club decided to move this outing to July 28th as Saturdays are generally easier for most of the members.  We will be looking to get a block of 30 tickets in the outfield bleachers, likely cost will be $17 dollars a seat. Options for a pre-game beer include the new Suspended Brewing in Pigtown.

    • August TBD - Balitbrew Bus Brewery Trip
      Jacob and Greg are getting quotes for the bus trip.  There are a few possible destinations in play, including DC, Columbia, and Eastern Shore breweries.  More information to follow. We will likely open up registration to guild members.

  • Bylaw Revisions

    • Update to Quorum Rules - The eboard suggests changing the quorum rules as follows:

      • Individuals shall be considered members of Baltibrew upon payment of dues.  One is considered a member in good standing if current dues are paid in full.  One is considered an active member if they have participated in at least 50% of votes from the previous calendar year.  New members will be considered active upon the meeting following their initial payment of dues.

      • A quorum shall be considered the participation of a minimum of 50% of active members in good standing for a vote.

      • Changes to Baltibrew charter, bylaws, or articles will require a quorum of  ⅔ of active members in good standing.

    • The goals for this change were to:

      • Drop the quorum requirement in the short term.

      • Encourage vote participation and provides mechanisms for the quorum requirements to rise over time.

      • Not bar any good standing member from casting a vote.

      • Prevent members from stacking a vote at the next meeting with new signups.

      • Not create an unreasonable burden on the eboard to manage.

    • The rest of the draft amendments will be brought before the club for comment in future months.

    • We will vote on the changes after the club has had a chance to discuss all the draft language.

  • Brübakes Competition Update, April 22nd @ De Kline Duvel

  • Social/Event Updates - Jacob

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • Iron Brewer - Tea @ the April meeting!

  • Ed Topic - Kris

    • Meet the Ed Czar!

    • 2018 Ed Topics

      • March

        • Topic - Get to know your Ed Czar

        • Activity - Baltibrewer Survey

      • April

        • Topic - Baltibrewer Survey Results

        • Activity - Passing out wild yeast collection jars

        • Activity - Send in Water Survey Samples

      • May

        • Topic - Water Survey Results

      • June

        • Topic - Discussion - Fault and Flavors/Post -Mortem of Jon’s Tasting Panels

      • July

        • Activity - Sour Hour

      • August

        • Activity - Baltibrew Neighborhood Yeast Tasting

      • September

        • Topic - Brief History of Commercial Brewing in MD

        • Activity - Historical Beer from Baltimore

      • October

        • Topic - TBD

      • November

        • Topic - Apples and Honey - How Beer and Cider are different

      • December - Holiday Party - No Ed Topic

    • Baltibrewer Survey - Watch for an email with a link to the survey.

  • Homebrew Swap!

 

February 16, 2018 by lpbrewer

Baltibrew General Meeting

February 15, 2018 @ Nepenthe

  • The 2018 Baltibrew Event Calendar

    • March 24th - MALT Bus Trip to Philly

      Malt has provided a code for a discount to Guild Members. Let’s get out there and support another club’s event!  Purchase tickets @ https://maltbusbalt.brownpapertickets.com/.

    • April 22nd - Brübakes Competition @ De Kline Duvel

      We are looking to start a spring event for BaltiBrew. Jon is going to coordinate an event, hopefully at De Kline Duvel, in April. The idea is to pair a brewer and a baker and produce a siason and a baked good featuring the spent grain from the beer. The baked good must be 10% spent grain by weight. Looking for 6-8 competitors. It will be an Sunday afternoon event with the attendees choosing the winners. More information to come.

    • May 5th - 2018 Big Brew

      Nepenthe is not sure they will be hosting a Big Brew event this year so we may need to either find another venue or join up with another club.

    • June 9th/10th - Sensory Classes @ Jon's

      Jon is going to do his sensory classes again in June. This year Siebel has released some new flavor profiles specific to barrel aging which Jon will evaluate and may incorporate into the sessions. Price will be set to recoup costs and should be close to 40 dollars for both sessions. More information to follow.

    • July 27th - Baseball Os vs Rays Group Outing

      Kris and Detter will coordinate a block of tickets for the Friday night Os game. We could potentially drop in on Suspended Brewing in Pigtown before the game.

    • August TBD - BalitBrew Bus Brewery Trip

      Jacob/Greg will be coordinating a brewery trip with the destinations TBD. Ideas include a trip to check out the DC scene or visiting Key and some Baltimore suburb breweries. This event will be open to Guild members.

    • September 1st - BBQ and Group Brew @ Jacob's

      A potluck BBQ and Brew at Jacob’s in Towson to kick off the fall season!

    • October 12th - ChiliBrew XII!!!!!!

      Ciaran and Jacob will be leading the ChiliBrew charge this year. The event will be run similar to previous years.

    • November TBD based on pressings - Cider Buy/Honey Buy w/ Wootown

      In the past we had sent a pretty large contingent to Wootown’s honey buy in White Hall. It’s a great event on a big farm/apiary and they have great quality and affordable honey. Additionally, our cider buy from Weber’s was a big success last year so we’re going to reciprocate by opening it up to Guild members. More details to come later in the year.

    • December 12th - Christmas/Holiday Party

      A potluck in place of the monthly meeting. Business will be light and the event moved forward a week so members do not need to choose between this event and other holiday obligations.

  • Introduction of new attendees

  • Bylaw Revisions

    • Update to Quorum Rules

      The current bylaws have set the definition of quorum high enough to where the club can no longer hold a votes. A proposal was made among in those in attendance to redefine a quorum as “any dues paying and interested member” where interest is loosely defined as “has attended a meeting, conversed on the listserve, or generally expressed interest in the club in the last several months.” The in attendance membership voted to accept this new definition. The specific language of this change will be brought before the in attendance member next month.

    • Potential Bylaws Updates

      The following bylaws changes were proposed in order to simplify club business and to reflect the smaller member count. Members discussed the potential changes and each change will be formally drafted for an individual vote at future meetings.

      • Remove Brewmaster position, Merge Secretary/Scribe Duties into Meeting Czar
      • Elections are only for positions where member wants to step down or is challenged
      • Move elections to fit with Jan-Dec timeframe (announce in Oct, vote in November)
      • Voting Procedures - Allow two weeks for proxy votes via email and tally votes at meeting; Reduce online balloting
      • Quarterly E-board Planning Meetings

  • Acceptance of New Officers/Thank You to Outbound Officers!

    • The in attendance members voted to accept the slate nominees as the 2018 officer core.
    • Brewmaster - Jon Blair
    • Chilibrew Task Czar - Ciaran Ussher
    • Education Czar - Kristofer Quinn
    • Monthly Meeting Czar - Vacant
    • Free State Homebrew Guild Representative - Nate Remlinger
    • Quartermaster - Vacant
    • Secretary - Vacant
    • Social Secretary - Jacob Wolf
    • Treasurer - Gregory Schwender
    • Website Coordinator - Jude Finnell

  • BalitBrew Website Update - Jude

    • Watch out for changes to the website. We will be sunsetting some unused sections and generally cleaning things up. Event planning and chatter will move to the Facebook page.

  • Social Update - Detter

    • Max's Belgian Beer Fest (2/16 - 2/19) - Friday is the big Belgian Day, Saturday morning/afternoon is a focus on Stillwater in upstairs, and Monday is American Sours
    • Union Pinewood Derby - This Sunday 2/18

  • Other New Business/Member Announcements

    • BaltiBrew Shirt and Glassware are still available for purchase! Talk to Nick and Christoph if you are interested.
    • Jon is looking for a travel buddy for the Beeradvocate Belgian Beer Fest in Boston in June. Ping him for more information or to coordinate travel. Links for tickets can be found on the Beeradvocate site.

  • Homebrew Swap!

January 19, 2018 by lpbrewer

  • Introductions
  • Guild Update
    • The guild raised about 9k at their holiday party at Heavy Seas.
    • The tasting party from their December Group Brew will be Saturday, January 20th at DuClaw.
    • The guild asked for us to relay information about ChiliBrew as we plan it.
    • They are still working on their 501c3 application.
    • Guild Minutes will be distributed via the listserve.
  • Social Events
  • Officer Elections
    • We are still looking for a Meeting Czar/Secretary to fill out the ballot.
    • One minute stump speeches were given by nominated members.
    • Voting will be done online.  Be on the lookout for more information in the beginning of February.
  • Iron Brewer!
    • We had a great field for Iron Brewer apples.  Six contestants entered with Katie taking home the Iron Brewer cup!
    • The next ingredient is Tea!  Bring your entry in April!
  • Homebrew Swap

December 15, 2017 by lpbrewer

There was plenty of tasty food at the December potluck.  The following business was discussed.

  • Ciaran and Jacob proposed jointly sharing responsibility for ChiliBrew and Quartermaster.  The idea was received well.
  • We are still looking for nominations for Meeting Czar and Secretary.
  • January will be Iron Brewer Cider!
  • Nick is going to coordinate the winter group brew at his place.
  • We will reach out to Brandon to figure out if we will do a social/brew at Duclaw again this year.
  • Normal business meetings will resume in January.

November 17, 2017 by lpbrewer

  • Introductions - Everyone
  • Guild Notes - Jude
    • Christine Anderson is the new owner of Maryland Homebrew.
    • The Guild is registering as a 501(c)(7).  Their members will be the members of all the clubs that pay their annual guild dues.  Historically, Baltibrew has paid their guild dues in cash.
    • The Guild Holiday Party is Saturday, December 2nd at Heavy Seas.
    • Saturday, December 9th at 9AM, DuClaw is hosting a collaboration brew with the guild on their production system.  All guild members are welcome to attend.
    • Portions of that beer will be put into 4 firkins and flavored.  They will be served at the Guild's 20th Anniversary Party at DuClaw on Saturday, January 20th.  Ticket logistics are yet to be finalized.
  • Financial/Membership Update - Greg
    • Paperwork for 501(c)(7) is submitted.
    • Pay your dues.
  • Group Brew/Cider Recap - Jacob
    • The cider pickup was well attended and Jacob has a telephone number to call to organize additional buys.
    • There is interest in getting a pressing of Gold Rush apple cider from several members.  Jacob will reach out to Weber's.  Watch the listserve for additional information.
    • Jacob will ping Nick to see if he is interested in hosting the January Group Brew, as that has become somewhat of a tradition.
    • In a previous meeting, Brandon indicated DuClaw may be interested in hosting another group brew on their pilot system.  We will follow up.
  • Social Happenings - per Detter
  • Christmas Party - Kris
    • The December meeting is traditionally a pot-luck dinner.  This year the third Thursday of Decmber falls on the 21st, which is a busy time of the month for many members.  The club discussed options for changing the date/venue/format.
    • A motion was made(Kris) to move the date of the December meeting forward one week to Thursday, December the 14th.  The vote carried.  The club indicated their preference for it to remain a pot luck.
    • Ciaran will follow up to confirm if the store is available.  If a venue change is needed that information will be announced via the listserve.
    • We will coordinate items using a Google spreadsheet on the listserve.  Reminder, we will need volunteers to ensure we leave the shop clean.
  • Announcements
    • The 2018 term for officers begins in February.  Please consider if you are interested in running for any of the club positions.  More information about positions, nominations, and voting processes are available on the club website.  The list of positions is:
      • Brewmaster
      • Chilibrew Task Czar
      • Education Czar
      • Free State Homebrew Guild Representative
      • Monthly Meeting Czar
      • Quartermaster
      • Secretary
      • Social Secretary
      • Treasurer
      • Website Coordinator
    • Barry is interested in making the Brew at the Brass Tap a series, possibly coordinating specials based on the style of the brew.  Scott will provide more information as the idea matures.
  • Ed Topic - Blair
    • Jon covered ideas and methods for testing variables while maintaining consistency across those tests, stressing the importance of sanitation.  A round table discussion followed.
  • Bottle Share!

October 20, 2017 by lpbrewer

  • Introductions
  • ChiliBrew Recap - Mike
    • The event raised over $7k!!
    • We discussed doing another event in the spring, there are several possible groups we can work with on this.
    • Great job to all those involved in planning and running the event as well as to the winners, it was a big success!
  • Group Cider Buy - Jacob
    • This will be Sunday Nov 5th @ 11 AM.
    • Family friendly event at Weber's Cider Farm in Parkville, MD.
    • The club will offset some of the cost of the cider.
    • Jacob has provided more information in a separate email.
  • Iron Brewer Apples
    • Since the cider buy is now in November, this has been moved to January.
  • Social Updates - Ryan
  • Announcements
    • The Guild Holiday Day Party is coming up, look for information in a separate email.
    • The Baltibrew Holiday Day Party is coming up, we will discuss planning at the November meeting.
  • Bottle Share!

September 28, 2017 by lpbrewer

  • Chilibrew Update!
    • Chilibrew is a go on Friday, October 13th!  Competitor spots are closed.  Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket should visit the Eventbrite page (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chilibrew-11-tickets-35756439473#tickets).  Volunteer signups are also happening through the Eventbrite page.  There's a Free Volunteer Ticket option.  Ciaran will contact anyone who grabs one of those tickets with information on the volunteer schedule.
  • Chilibrew Baltibrew Table/Where's Our Jockey Boxes?!
    • The jockey boxes are at Nepethene.  Nepethene has been servicing the boxes and plans to use them for an event the day after Chilibrew.  There was some discussion about moving off of dual-ownership of the jockey boxes.  That was tabled in favor of finding a near term solution for Beer Week that would work for both events. Christoph secured Justin's 4 way jockey box for the BaltiBrew table.  Ciaran is going to check for the box of fittings to see what options we have for hookups.  Blair stopped by Jacob's and brought the banners to the meeting, which Kris completely forgot to take home.
  • Baltimore Beer Week Happenings!
    • Scott and Blair are coordinating with Barry for the Learn to Brew event at The Brass Tap.  They are starting at noon on Sunday, October 15th.  Plan is to brew a small batch outside the bar.  Anyone with a mobile setup feel free to brew along with them.  If you're free, please stop by to have a pint and talk shop.Nepenthe is hosting their yeast tasting classes during Beer Week.  Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.nepenthehomebrew.com/pages/events.
    • Little Havana is having their homebrew competition on October 18th.  Information at http://www.littlehavanas.com/event/beer-week-homebrew-event/.
  • October Brew Event!

    • Jacob is working with Baugher's farm in Westminster to get an event going in late October.  More details to follow as information on their apple crop comes forward.  Bring a carboy and fill with pasteurized or unpasteurized cider.
  • Social Event Updates!

  • Guild Notes
    • The Guild is finalizing nominations for charities that will receive proceeds from the Christmas party. Jude feels strongly that AmeriCares, a non-profit providing front line support to the devastated areas including those areas impacted by the recent hurricanes, is worthy of support.  The guild generally prefers local charities.  There will be a vote of some kind in the near future and they are soliciting nominations.  Jude would like the clubs support in recommending AmeriCares.  More information will follow, per Jude.  Full guild minutes are attached.
  • Announcements!
    • Per Nate, Dan is interested in doing a homebrew competition with the South Baltimore VFW through Wiley Gunters.  Perhaps something in late November/Early December when there is a lull in competitions.The Iron Brewer ingredient for next month is apples.   No one is sure of participation.
  • Ed Topic - Kettle Sours feat/ Blair's Boysenberry Berliner-Weisse!
    • Blair talked about his experience building a lacto starter from uncrushed grain using the method Stephen Hulbert showed him.  He compared it to his experience using other sources of a lacto.  He brought a finished example for tasting.  Spoiler, it was delicious.
  • Homebrew Swap!

August 18, 2017 by lpbrewer

 

  • ChiliBrew - Friday, October 13th @ Zion's Lutheran http://www.chilibrew.org/
    • Interested in competing?  The cost is $10. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chilibrew-11-tickets-35756439473
    • Graham is going to coordinate with brewers on the Baltibrew table, looking for 4 to 6 folks to brew and staff it.
    • Going to need lots of help with volunteers.  We will reach out to Mike Andrews to get an update next month.
  • September Group Brew - Graham's house in Pigtown on Sunday, September 10th @ Noon.  He will likely be brewing for Chilibrew.
  • August/September Social - Targeting Manor Hill on Saturday, September 30th.  More information to come.
  • Local Brew Related Happenings
    • 2017 MD Microbrewery Fest Homebrew Competition First Call for Judges -  Saturday, September 30, 2017 @ Union Mills Homestead, just north of Westminster, Maryland.   Stewards also needed.   Free admission to the Maryland Microbrewery Festival; Complimentary breakfast prepared by the excellent cooks of the host club, the Midnight Homebrewers' League; Complementary lunch provided by our sponsor and partner, Buffalo Wild Wings.  Jon Blair has already responded.
    • NASAcrabs2017 - Zymurnauts and SPBW Annual Crab Feast @ Goddard - Saturday, September 23rd.  50 bucks if you register before Sept 1.   https://maryland-homebrewers-guild.ticketleap.com/nasacrabs2017/
    • Brass Tap Homebrew Event.  From Barry - We're thinking about hosting an event at The Brass Tap during Baltimore Beer Week for people to learn about home brewing. Not sure exactly how we'd structure it, but something like having some of brewing components to show the steps of the brewing process, and walking through those steps.  Jon Blair has responded to Barry since he interested in playing host for a few hours to talk about homebrewing.  Possibly Saturday, October 14th or Sunday the 15th.
    • RAR Summer Block Party at World of Beer - August 17th @ McHenry Row from 5 to 9PM - https://www.facebook.com/events/1557046504368841/
    • Sunday, August 19th - Fiesta del Sol @ Union.  This is fundraiser with Clavel and Charmery where they will be release special barrel aged fruited goses. http://www.unioncraftbrewing.com/events/fiesta-del-sol/
    • Nepethene & Birrotecca's HOPPED -is Saturday, August 26th @ Birrotecca from 12 to 4 pm.  Get tickets early if you can as they cost more at the door.  You can get your tickets at https://www.nepenthehomebrew.com/products/hopped-ticket-general-admission-will-call. 
  • Iron Brewer - Ingredient for November is apples!
  • Ed Topic - Brett!
  • Announcements from Nepethene/Bryan/Jill
  • Homebrew Swap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 21, 2017 by Nick Lindow

I've been a bad secretary.  Thanks to Kris for providing minutes:

  • Chilibrew Update - Mike
  • Guild Notes - Jude
    • Mashout - 30th anniversary year – August 17-20 at a new location: Fort Royale Farm in Bedford, PA (just north of Cumberland). Registration is open, cost is lower than previous years: http://campmashout.com 
    • Guild looking to incorporate as a non-profit
    • Lots of competitions coming up!  See the attached guild notes.
  • Future Group Brew Plans
    • Look out for information on the September brew, which could be a group brew for chilibrew beers
  • Logistics Upload - Greg
    • 42 Paying Members - Insurance for this year submitted
    • 501c7 Application is mostly complete, preparing our financial statements
    • Will not happen in time to get the one day liquor license for Chilibrew, this isn't a problem for the event as there are other means for securing the license
  • Social Happenings - Ryan
    • Wet City's Cityscape Party - Today, Friday July 21st
    • Troeg's bus trip through AVAM Saturday July, 29th http://avam.org/news-and-events/events/troegs-trip-with-avam.shtml
    • The next BaltiBrew social will be in August or September, ideas floated included a Oliver or Monument City tap room visit.  Detter will reach out to the soon to be opened Suspended Brewing to see if they are interested in doing something.  Watch the listserve for more information.
  • August RaR Trip
    • Kris, Graham, Becky, and Christoph are headed to RaR for day trip on Saturday, August 12th. If you want to join us, let us know!  We'll work out the logistics as it closer but we're definitely going.
  • Brett Discussion - Everyone
  • Announcements
    • Ian is looking for a home for his big brew gear, if you know of a space, ping him
  • 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.