Fellow Homebrewers,
Spring is here, and it seems we are all experiencing a third winter. For all of us outdoor brewers, this winter has probably seemed like an eternity and I’m anxious to have some comfortable brewing weather. We’re still a couple of months out from the beginning of event season, so everyone get ready to dust off your equipment and brew up something creative! One of my favorite parts about homebrewing is being able to showcase it at our monthly meetings, or alongside craft beers at our local fundraisers/beer events. OVHA having various venue(s) to sample other member’s homebrew, and hearing feedback from event attendees has been a valuable resource to me as a homebrewer, and keeps me motivated to brew something better, or just off-the-wall.
This month, at the March meeting, VP John Mullins will be presenting Homebrewing Best Practices. As we’ve had a lot of new faces at our meetings, we thought that a quick recap of some homebrewing fundamentals would be a fitting tech topic to do early in the year. If you’re planning on entering Upcup or Indiana Brewers Cup, heed John’s advice as he has a lot of experience.
In OVHA event news; due to a scheduling conflict, Barrel Brew Day had to be rescheduled to April 7, 2018. That morning, OVHA brewers will be firing up early in the morning to brew a Wee Heavy, which will be destined for barrel aging. A few sign up spots are still available on the forum, and at the meeting on Wednesday. In related news, last year’s Barrel, a Belgian Quad aged in a Knob Creek barrel, was kegged on March 2nd and will be ready for serving at our events for 2018!
Important Upcoming Dates:
04/07/2018: Barrel Brew Day
05/05/2018: AHA Big Brew Day
05/19/2018: Upland Upcup
06/02/2018: Zoo Brew
07/06/2018: Indiana Brewers Cup
As reminder, don’t forget to start dialing in your Big Turkey recipes before this fall! A reminder that the styles will be: Category 5 – Pale Bitter European Beer & Category 19 – Amber and Brown American Beer (BJCP 2015 Guidelines).
As always, don’t forget to renew your dues and remember to bring can good(s) to the monthly meeting. It seems like a small thing for one person to do, but collectively we can all make a huge difference in many lives over the course of the year.
Cheers,
Josh
