Club Posts

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