Traditionally, the Iron Kettle competition is centered around a secret ingredient that must be utilized in the beer.

We’ll be doing it a bit differently this year by providing all participating club members a “Black is Beautiful” kit from Gentile’s. This imperial stout recipe was developed by Weathered Soul Brewing and has been tweaked and brewed by over a thousand pro breweries across the country (including many here in Ohio).

This time, the secret ingredient(s) will be chosen and provided by the brewers. If you have a inventive, wild, or unique idea for something to tweak your beer with, keep it a secret. As all the base styles will be the same, your yeast and secret ingredient(s) choices will be your opportunity to make your beer stand out from the rest. The beers brewed at Iron Kettle will be judged later for bragging rights.

• What You’ll Need To Bring

Your all-grain brewing set up which may include, but isn’t limited to:
Burner
Kettle
Mash Tun
Propane Tank
Fermentation Vessel (Carboy/Bucket)
Pump/Extension Cords
Cleaner and sanitizer
Oxygen
Grain mill
Tents/Canopies are advised in the case of bad weather
Table/Chairs
Chiller/Hose Splitter/Pre-chiller/Bucket/Ice/Hose(s) – In addition to the Brewery’s hose bib, AJ will try to rig one of the tanks with a garden hose outlet and several barrels of water in it to provide another source of chilling water. If possible, plan on using a pre-chiller. An ice run may have to be made at some point. The less water the group needs the better everyone can be accommodated.

Secret Ingredient
The secret ingredient(s) that you provide can be used during the brew day, during fermentation, or any other time you want to add it. You do not need to utilize it on site, but you’ll need to declare your secret ingredient prior to the kits being distributed.

Yeast
Please bring as much of your chosen yeast as needed for the kit(s) you’re brewing. You do not need to pitch on site, but you’ll need to declare your yeast strains prior to the kits being distributed.

• What’s Optional To Bring

Kegged Beer
AJ has offered kegerator/tap space if you’d like to bring a keg of beer to share.

• What You Don’t Need To Bring

Ingredients
Each brewer will receive an all-grain kit for a 5 gallon batch, including all malt and hops.

Brewing Water
Filtered water will be provided at the brewery. (If it can’t be, we’ll notify everyone prior to the event.)

Lunch
The club will provide a lunch around midday.

• When and Where Is This?

Dan Meyers, AJ and Hoster Brewing Company (655 N James Rd #1837, Columbus, OH 43219) will be hosting this event on Saturday October 17th. Brewers can arrive anytime from 8:00am on but should be setup and ready for a 9:00am start, at which time the kits will be distributed.

They ask that participants park at the far ends of the rear lot, in such away as not to block an emergency vehicle if necessary, leaving the center portion of the lot (outside the brewery) available for set up of brewing equipment. They have dollies and flat rolling carts to make bringing in your equipment easier. With prior arrangement, it’s even possible for participants to drop off equipment a day early and pick items up the following Sunday or Monday.

• How Do I Reserve My Spot?

Email Ryan Bell at spiderwrangler@gmail.com. If you are brewing with a partner, make sure to let Ryan know the total number of kits you’ll need (1 kit per brewer).

This is a fun event to brew as a team. If you are brewing as a team and planning on doing a 10-gallon batch, just let Ryan know so he can have two kits on hand for you and your brew partner. Ingredient kits will be provided for all participating current club members, so if you’re brewing with a non-club member and request an additional kit for them, that cost will be covered by them (or you if you’re really nice).

If you want to brew but don’t have a portable brewing system and would like to team up with someone, let Ryan know.

If you have the ability to brew a 10-gallon or larger batch and are willing to have someone team up with you, let Ryan know that too.

• When do I need to commit to this event?

The deadline to sign up is Sunday October 11th by the end of the day. That will give Ryan and Gentile’s a chance to make sure that they can order in all of the necessary ingredients and make up the kits in time.

** If there are any further changes to these details, we’ll update everyone asap. **

Please join us for the upcoming club meeting on Monday, September 21st.

Unfortunately, we’re still meeting virtually via video call using Zoom. Most of you have experience using this, but some don’t. If you don’t, download the Zoom app or visit the Zoom.us website to sign in and get oriented prior to Monday.

Closer to the meeting, we’ll send out a link (and password?) to members to join into the meeting.

Approximate Schedule:
Social time 6:30-7:00pm
Announcements/Club Business 7:30-8:00pm
Open Discussion/Q&A 8:00-8:30pm
Social Time 8:30-9:00pm

We’ll run through a few announcements and update everyone on current and future club events (the barrel project, brewer of the year, Beer 4 Boobs benefit, etc.)

We’ll also hear the pro brewer’s perspective about what it’s been like to operate during the Covid outbreak.

If there are any further details to share between now and then, we’ll update via the club Facebook page.

See you soon.

Due to the stay-at-home order ongoing in Ohio, we again met via video call on Zoom. We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed it.

Here’s a quick recap:

• A toast was held for Jeff Lewis, a longtime SODZ member and accomplished homebrewer, who passed away in April.

• Sara Hagerty from Origin Malt provided a malt talk. It included some barley and brewing history and information, a look into what Origin Malts is working on within the industry., and a question and answer session afterwards. It was a great talk.

• The British Beer Fest was unfortunately cancelled this year. The Lucci Cup British Strong Ales beers will still be judged, although not for any medals – just bragging rights. Richard Sheppard has volunteered to judge the entries.

• The Ohio State Fair Homebrew competition, a great competition and favorite of SODZ members, has been cancelled for this year.

• We got an update on our local homebrew shops, all of which are still open. If you’re not sure about a shop’s shopping/pickup procedures, give them a call first.

• Mitch gave us a brief update (and view of the barrel, via video) on the barrel project we’re having with the Dayton and Cincinnati clubs. Our barrel was filled on 3/22 and will continue to be aged.

• Homebrew Con in Nashville has been cancelled, but replaced by a virtual conference. For just $99, you get three days of Live Sessions, a Keynote Address by Bailey Spaulding, Jackalope Brewing Co., a Virtual Homebrew Expo, Homebrewer Meet-ups, Sponsored Demonstrations, Virtual Happy Hours and an Annual Awards Announcement and Prize Drawing. The link for general info, scheduled sessions and registration is here:
  https://www.homebrewcon.org/

• Big Brew, Barley’s Homebrew Competition, and the Iron Kettle have all been postponed.

• The June meeting scheduled for Restoration with HOPS and DOH will be postponed. We still plan to hold the Saison competition between the three clubs with the winner brewed by Frank at Restoration.
  

Tomorrow (May 18th) we will be having another SODZ Virtual Club Meeting to look ahead at club activities for the summer/fall & will have a special guest presentation by Sara Hagerty of Origin Malts.

When: May 18, 2020 @ 7pm (“Doors” open at 6:30pm)
Where: Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97642651720?pwd=cHowVlJjVGo1OEZZRVNOMCtkcnhxQT09

Note: this link has the meeting password embedded in the URL, so you should not have to enter a meeting password, but if you are prompted to provide a meeting password it is: 101150

When you click the link above for the meeting and launch Zoom, you should be brought into the SODZ Meeting waiting room. Starting at 6:30PM we will “open the doors” for anyone that wants to socialize a bit before the meeting. (this will also be a good opportunity to test and make sure you aren’t having any technical issues joining the meeting.)

At 7PM we will call the meeting to order. This will include temporarily muting all attendees, and SODZ President (Jason Wing) will conduct the meeting per an agenda that includes any updates we have on various club events & resources.

After the agenda has been completed we will make sure that anyone that would like to speak at the meeting will have a chance to do so.

Conducting a SODZ meeting in this format is still new to all of us, so we appreciate your patience and your help in making this a good experience for all. So grab a pint or 2 of your favorite beverage and hopefully we’ll see you on Monday evening.

For those of you that are unable to join us Monday night, we will have a meeting summary posted later this week on SODZ.org with any pertinent info.

Please reach out to any of us on the board if you have questions.

Thanks,

Jason, Eric, Seth, David & Stacy

Please join us for our next club meeting this Monday, May 18th.

Due to the stay-at-home order currently ongoing in Ohio, we will be meeting via video call using Zoom. Many of you have experience using this, but some don’t. We invite you to download the Zoom app or visit the Zoom.us website to sign in and get oriented prior to Monday.

Closer to the meeting, we’ll send out a link (and password?) to members to join into the meeting.

Approximate Schedule:
Social time 6:30-7:00pm
Sara Hagerty Malt Talk 7:00-7:30pm
Announcements/Club Business 7:30-8:00pm
Open Discussion/Q&A 8:00-8:30pm
Social Time 8:30-9:00pm

We’ll run through announcements, update everyone on upcoming meetings and competitions, the barrel project, Homebrew Con and Virtual Homebrew Con, and update our Brewer of the Year standings.

As a special guest, we’ll hear from Sara Hagerty from Origin Malts, who will be giving a malt talk.

If there are any further details to share between now and then, we’ll update via the club Facebook page.

See you in cyberspace.

Join the world’s largest virtual Big Brew on
May 2, 2020.

Big Brew for National Homebrew Day is the homebrewing community’s annual celebration—a chance to fire up the brew kettle and raise a glass to the greatest hobby there is: homebrewing!

Be counted in this year’s record-breaking virtual Big Brew event.

Pledge to brew here: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/national-homebrew-day/big-brew-registration/

Find the recipe here: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/pangaea-proxima-polar-ipa/

Due to the stay-at-home order ongoing in Ohio, we met via video call on Zoom. We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed it. It was great to hear from a few of our out-of-town members.

Here’s a quick recap:

• British Beer Fest has been cancelled for this year.

• We’re still exploring options for judging Lucci Cup beers. Stay tuned for more information.

• The State Fair Homebrew Competition is still on for June 6th. Stay tuned for more information.

• We got an update on our local homebrew shops, all of which are still open. If you’re not sure about the shopping/pickup procedures, give them a call first.

• We put a final call out for officer nominations. All officers are in their first year in the positions and are willing/interested to serve again.

• The Barrel Project with the Dayton and Cincinnati clubs is ongoing. Our barrel was filled on 3/22. Thanks to Mitch for hosting the barrel.

• Homebrew Con is still on for June 18th-20th, although the National Homebrew Competition has been cancelled. Refunds are ongoing for the competition.

• The Big Brew was scheduled for May 3rd, but has been postponed until late summer or fall. Stay tuned for more information. If you still want to participate in a virtual Big Brew, see the following link: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/national-homebrew-day/

• Barley’s Homebrew Competition has been postponed. Stay tuned for more information.

• The Iron Kettle and summer picnic dates are still to be determined.

• The Brewer of the Year standings are 1.) David Curran 2.) Eric Saaz 3.) Richard Sheppard. The winner of this year’s competition get to brew a batch on the Brew Dog’s NanoDog system.

• The May meeting is scheduled for Elevator. If we’re not able to meet in person, we’ll do another virtual meeting. Sara from Origina Malts is planning to give a malt talk during that meeting and we’ll do our best to make the talk work with however we meet.

• The June meeting is scheduled for Restoration with HOPS and DOH. We’re still planning on a Saison competition at that meeting, so if you’re interested in entering, you can brew any of the following styles to enter with Saison as the base. Saison (25B), Fruit Beer (29A), Fruit and Spice Beer (29B), Specialty Fruit Beer (29C) and Spice, Herb and Vegetable Beer (30A). The winning beer from among the three clubs will have their beer brewed by Frank at the brewery.

For those members who will be joining our Virtual April Meeting, here’s some important information.

You can access the meeting beginning at 6:30pm. Members will be admitted from a waiting room. Join at the link below:

https://zoom.us/j/97295358637?pwd=UHZZR3gvWmdUNUZ1Z1BTVis2UkdPUT09

Just before 7:00pm, we’ll announce that we’re getting started, explain how we’ll conduct the meeting, and how everyone can ask questions.

We look forward to seeing and hearing from you all. This’ll be a new experience for the club and we appreciate your patience.

Please join us for our next club meeting this Monday, April 20th.

Due to the stay-at-home order currently ongoing in Ohio, we will be meeting via video call using Zoom. Many of you have experience using this, but some don’t. We invite you to download the Zoom app or visit the Zoom.us website to sign in and get oriented prior to Monday.

Closer to the meeting, we’ll send out a link (and password?) to members to join into the meeting.

The start time of the regular meeting is 7:00pm, but we encourage anyone to join in anytime from 6:30pm on – to socialize and especially get oriented using Zoom.

We’ll run through announcements, update everyone on upcoming meetings and competitions, talk about what our local homebrew shops are doing during this time, officer elections, the barrell project, update what we know about Homebrew Con, the Big Brew and Iron Kettle, club picnic, and update our Brewer of the Year standings.

If there are any further details to share between now and then, we’ll update via the club Facebook page.

See you in cyberspace.

We just wanted to give you a quick update about the status of the club. We’ve had to make some difficult decisions here recently.

The March meeting was cancelled at Ill Mannered but we had planned to reschedule there for April. That meeting is looking increasingly unlikely to happen.

We’ve also decided to cancel British Beerfest for this year. The combination of an unknown return date and the difficulty of trying to reschedule during summer (or later) has convinced us to cancel for this year.

In summary, all club activity is suspended until further notice.

The club will return when it makes sense to and we’ll keep monitoring the situation in the meantime.

We hope that you and your loved ones are safe.