August Club Shop Brew - Sour Beer!

Falcons, save the date and pucker up, because for the August Club Shop Brew Session, you'll be brewing a sour beer led by Sour Patch Kid John Aitchison. John will also lead the Falcons' 2nd Annual Sour Beer tasting during the brew day, starting about 12 PM, which is open to all comers, not just the Brew Crew.

You'll be tasting commercial and homebrewed Lambics, Flanders Reds/Browns, Berliner Weiss, and Wild Ales, so come on down, get sour and funky and demolish your palate while expanding your knowledge of this increasingly popular, never dull beer category. 

John will lead the crew to brew a Belgian Lambic, a type of sour beer traditionally brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery. Lambic uses wild ale yeast such as brettanomyces bruxellensis or brettanomyces lambicus, and bacteria such as pediococcus damnosus, and is refermented into derived beers such as Gueuze or fruit lambics like Kriek. 

You'll learn how to do a turbid mash and use aged hops. John will provide the yeast, as well as brettanomyces and pediococcus, with instructions on how and when to pitch them later. 

Sunday, August 23
8:00 am
Home Beer Wine and Cheese Making Shop
22836 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills

There are 7 spots on the brew crew, including the crew leader, and we need one crew member to step forward to ferment the Falcon's Share which will be poured at club events and fests. All Brew Crew members will be brewing on the Falcons' 40-gallon all-grain brew system at the shop. Crew members will participate in all aspects of the brewing process from measuring and crushing the grain to clean up and fermentation.

Each participant will pitch in for the cost of ingredients (usually $10-$15), and take 5 gallons of wort to ferment at home. So it's very economical and a great opportunity to get some hands-on brewing experience on a larger, more sophisticated brewing system than most homebrewers have access to, learn new recipes, and, of course, a chance to hang out with your fellow Falcons and share brews and snacks. Remember to bring some cash for your share of the ingredients and a carboy or a bucket for your wort. 
 
To participate, you must be an up-to-date, dues-paid Maltose Falcons member. Your membership status will be verified prior to your spot being confirmed on the brew crew. You must sign up here by clicking the "Sign up for March Club Shop Brew" link below. Please email me your FULL NAME and CELL PHONE NUMBER at publicity@maltosefalcons.com so I can confirm your membership and contact you if there is any problems with your membership or with the brew day itself. No exceptions.
 
We welcome new members, or members who have not yet been on a Brew Crew, to sign up for this event. If you have been on a Brew Crew within the past 3 months, you are not eligible to be on this crew unless spots are left empty by brew day. Signups are at the end of this event posting. No sign ups will be accepted via the yahoogroups or email to the crew leader or the publicity director. 
 
Signups are on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the crew is filled, there may be a waiting list in case a crew member can't make it on brew day. Brew Crew Members, please arrive on time and be prepared to stay until brew day is over, which includes cleaning and stowing all equipment, utensils, work area, and classroom. That may be after 4:00 pm. The Leader of the Brew Crew is responsible for making sure that the equipment is properly handled and cleaned up, although the whole process is participatory and everything is up for discussion and debate. The Brew Crew Leader MUST provide a write-up and a few photos for the newsletter. All participants must sign a liability waiver. 

Of course, anyone who is interested in observing and learning the all-grain brewing process is welcome to come by the shop to hang out and chat with the Crew. Beer and snacks to share are always welcome.
For questions, please email me. Thanks

 
Cheers!
Matt Myerhoff
Publicity Director, Maltose Falcons
Publicity@maltosefalcons.com