What's a Maltose Falcons Meeting Like?

The club meets almost every month at the Home Beer Wine Cheesemaking Shop in Woodland Hills, but if you've never been you may have a few questions. Here's a meeting in a nutshell - 70-100 people show up to the shop around noon on a Sunday. In the back of the shop we have a classroom that turns into our clubhouse. People bring beer, socialize and then sit down for a period of commercial tasting, technical demonstration, club business, lunch and most importantly - homebrew sharing.

Meetings typically last from 12-4:30. People wander in and out all the time, so feel free to stop by for a visit. You don't have to be a member to attend your first meeting, but we do ask that if you attend more that you become a member and enjoy all the benefits of being a Falcon! 

From our handy new member's guide we present:

Monthly Club Meeting in Detail

Time / Place – High noon on the first Sunday of every month except festival months (May, August, October). Please note that in the case of holidays (like July 4^th) we move the meeting to the following Sunday.

Bringing Beer to Share – Got beer you want to share with everyone? Great! There are usually 60+ people at each meeting so you’ll need to bring at least:

• Six 12oz bottles, four 22oz bottles or a growler. (or really share and bring a keg)
• Recipe notes – people will want to know what you did to make your beer

If you bring your beer, you’ll be eligible for a “best of meeting” prize (new glasses, a gift certificate, etc).

Beer Troubleshooting – If you’re worried your beer has a problem, find the Grand Hydrometer (usually in the right corner of room facing the boards) and ask about "Troubleshooter's Corner"

Meeting Schedule

• Social “Hour” – 12-12:30 – Hang out, catch up and grab a beer and a seat.
• Style Presentation – 12:30-1:30 – The Grand Hydrometer shares 4-5 commercial examples that fit that month’s theme – say “Saison”, “Stouts” or “Beers of the OC”.  Homebrews that fit this description may be thrown into the mix for discussion.
• Tech Demonstration – 1:30-1:45 – We have a usually brief presentation on some technical topic like easier ways to rack your beer.
• Business/ Sampling Homebrew  – 1:45-2:30 – As we discuss our business of the day – next happenings, festivals, what the club needs to buy, etc. we also discuss the first of our homebrews with the brewers standing up and telling us what they did. Members get to taste the brew and offer their comments on what they sense.
• Lunch – 2:30-3:00 – Our burgermeisters always prepare a nice spread at a reasonable price. Take a moment, get some food in the way of all that beer. (Despite the name - the chow is rarely "burgers"))
• More Sampling – The home stretch as we finish the homebrews. More brewers presenting their wares.
• Vote for the Best - As the meeting closes its time to pick the best beer of the meeting.
• Cleanup – All the fun comes at a price. Please stick around for a few minutes and help us straighten up! Your help is greatly appreciated.

What the Meeting is All About