News

We've been at this for ten years and have always been bad at updating our web presence. But our Zoom meetings continue. Our community remains strong and active, with members joining from across Brooklyn and beyond to share their latest brewing adventures and learn from one another.

Each month we gather virtually to discuss brewing techniques, share tasting notes, and plan upcoming events. Recent meetings have featured discussions on water chemistry adjustments, hop selection for different beer styles, and troubleshooting fermentation issues.

See the note on the home page about joining our email list to get meeting details and more. It's the best way to stay connected with the club, receive reminders about upcoming gatherings, and participate in member-only bottle shares and competitions. Cheers!

Our April meeting is moving north a block to Threes, at 113 Franklin Street. This marks an exciting new chapter as we explore different brewing venues in the neighborhood. Threes has been a fantastic supporter of the homebrewing community and offers an excellent space for our gatherings.

The venue features a spacious tasting area perfect for our monthly homebrew exchanges, and their knowledgeable staff is always eager to discuss the finer points of craft brewing. We're looking forward to sampling some of their house offerings alongside member contributions.

See you there at (or, more honestly, a few minutes after) 7pm. Don't forget to bring your latest brews to share!

Join us at our July meeting at Kings County Brewers Collective. This is a special field trip opportunity to see a professional brewing operation up close. Brewsers cofounder and KCBC brewing commander Pete Lengyel will give us an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.

Pete will walk us through their brewing process, from grain to glass, sharing insights about scaling recipes from homebrew to commercial production. We'll get to see their fermentation vessels, discuss their quality control procedures, and learn about the business side of craft brewing.

There will be updates on Homebrew Con and as always bring your homebrew to share. This is an excellent opportunity to compare your creations with professional beers and get feedback from both fellow homebrewers and commercial brewers. See you at 7 pm at 381 Troutman in Bushwick.

Starting next month, we're moving all of our meetings to the second Monday of the month. Our first Mondays schedule has required us to move our meetings 2-4 times per year to avoid holidays, so this should hopefully make things easier going forward and provide more consistency for our members.

After that, we're pretty open, so think about what you'd like to do, and set it up. Member-led sessions have always been the backbone of our club, so please consider sharing your expertise or leading a discussion on your favorite brewing topic.

Howdy Brewsers! It's that time again! Get ready for some roasty stouts and smooth, chocolatey porters during our annual Stouts and Porters competition. Thanks to Joe for putting the competition together and organizing the judging sheets.

We'll start off the meeting with some focused feedback at 7pm at Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave). With an eye towards the upcoming competitions in the new year, we're encouraging anyone who is working on a recipe to bring it in to get some feedback. This structured tasting session allows for detailed discussion of each beer's characteristics, from malt complexity to hop balance.

Several members are already planning to bring potential contest entries. It's always helpful to get a few more opinions on a beer, especially since there will be enough time to rebrew ahead of a few of the bigger competitions. Even if you're not planning on entering a particular competition but would like to get a bit of discussion going about your beer, bring it on in!

The stouts and porters category offers great diversity—from dry Irish stouts to imperial Russian stouts, and from robust porters to Baltic porters. This competition is perfect for showcasing your mastery of dark malts and roasted grains.

Our November meeting is on Monday, November 7th at 7pm in the usual spot, Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave). This is a special meeting since we have the much anticipated Drew Bombard speaking to the club about all things microbiological.

Drew Bombard is a microbiologist and the QA Lab Manager at Brooklyn Brewery. Drew received his bachelor of science in microbiology from Colorado State University and previously worked in QA and microbiology at New Belgium Brewing. His experience spans both craft brewing powerhouses, giving him unique insights into quality control and laboratory practices.

Since he has been kind enough to leave the topics wide open and let us lead the conversation, start compiling any questions you have about yeast, bugs, and laboratory practices. Topics might include yeast health and viability, identifying and preventing contamination, maintaining clean fermentation environments, and proper yeast banking techniques.

It will definitely be an interesting session and you will definitely come away with a whole lot of useful info. This is a rare opportunity to learn from a professional microbiologist who works with these issues daily.

Currently, there is no one signed up for the focused tasting to start the meeting so feel free to bring something you want to share with the group to get some quality, discussion-based feedback.

Excellent meeting yesterday. Was our largest competition turnout in at least a couple years. The enthusiasm and quality of entries were outstanding, with members bringing everything from classic fruit additions to experimental wild fermentations. Congratulations to Paul for his winning barrel fermented apricot ale—a beautifully balanced beer with excellent fruit integration and complex barrel character.

Today is the last day to get a share (or two) of the NY Common barrel. Yesterday's samples were great. The beer's still not tart, but it's a lot more acidic and rounded than when we last tasted, and the rest of what that barrel does well is all present. The oak influence has mellowed nicely, complementing rather than dominating the base beer.

This barrel project has been aging for several months and represents a true collaborative effort from our members. Each share is approximately 64 ounces of unique, barrel-aged beer that you won't find anywhere else. If you already claimed one but want a second, there's still time to add your name. We need people to claim three more shares to complete the distribution.

Fellow Brewsers! Our August meeting is just around the corner on Monday, August 1st starting at 7 pm at Brouwerij Lane. To help beat the heat, we've got a refreshing line-up of delicious homebrew happenings for the evening.

Andrew will regale us with tales of his recent week-long fantasy beer camp up in Vermont where he spent time among some of the best brewers in New England and even collaborated on a brew at Hill Farmstead. This prestigious brewing camp provided hands-on experience with world-class brewers and access to some of the most sought-after beers in the country. If we're lucky (and I'm pretty sure we will be), he'll be pouring some rarities from the trip.

Alongside our Fruit Beer Competition, Paul will be leading a discussion of the various methods he (and others) have used to incorporate fruit into beers. Topics will include fresh versus frozen fruit, purees versus whole fruit, timing of fruit additions, and achieving proper fruit balance without overwhelming the base beer. If you are planning on entering the competition, make sure to sign up by noon on Sunday.

Last, but certainly not least, we will finally get to taste the Brewser-brewed Brett Hawaiian Pizza. This Rockaway Brewing and Brewser collaboration is a Bretty twist on Ray's Hawaiian Pizza IPA recipe. The Brettanomyces fermentation adds funky, fruity complexity to the tropical hop character. Expect tastiness and a unique take on a club favorite.

KCBC is hosting an open house for greater NYC area homebrewers Saturday, July 23, from 3:30 to 6:30. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet homebrewers from other clubs, tour the facility, and learn about their brewing process. They're off the Jefferson stop of the L at 381 Troutman St. Bring your questions and your enthusiasm for craft beer.

Remember also to sign up for the homebrew picnic on July 16. This annual gathering is one of our most popular events, featuring unlimited homebrew, grilled food, and outdoor games. It's a relaxed setting perfect for trying a wide variety of member brews and enjoying summer weather with fellow beer enthusiasts.

And, if you're open, swing by Rockaway on Thursday, July 28, to taste the Brewsers' mini-batch brewed in the tap room, "Brett Eats Hawaiian Pizza." It's a Brett C. version of Rockaway's Hawaiian Pizza (created by Rockaway brewer and longtime Brewser Ray Girard). This collaboration showcases the creative partnership between our club and local breweries. If you can't make it, we'll have some at the August meeting too.

Just a reminder that our July meeting is today at 7pm at Brouwerij Lane. We are going to begin the meeting with a discussion of Daniel's Bohemian Pilsner, so please try to get to the meeting on time. Daniel has perfected this classic Czech style, and we'll be discussing his process for achieving that signature soft bitterness and delicate malt character.

Alex and Andrew are going to then lead a discussion on session beers with both commercial and homebrew examples. Session beers—typically under 5% ABV—require careful recipe formulation to maintain flavor and body while keeping alcohol low. We'll be examining successful examples and discussing techniques for brewing flavorful low-alcohol beers.

If you have a homebrew session beer you are bringing, please add it to the spreadsheet so we can plan the tasting order. Categories might include session IPAs, session saisons, milds, and other lower-alcohol styles that still pack plenty of flavor.

We will also be recapping the National Homebrew Conference. Several members attended this year's conference and will share highlights from seminars, tastings, and competitions. It's always inspiring to hear about the latest trends and innovations in homebrewing from the national stage.