Hi SODZ Members,
With the conclusion of last weeks May meeting at Ill Mannered the official SODZ Monthly club meeting season comes to a close. But the 2025-2026 season is not over yet, we still have Iron Kettle, the June “unofficial” meeting and the summer picnic. In the last month the club has been active and thank you to all who attended and participated in the rousing events since our April meeting. Here is a recap and events to look forward to.
SODZ May Club Meeting Ill Mannered
SODZ May Monthly Meeting at Ill Mannered Recap
Thanks for coming out to Ill Mannered Brewing in Powell for our May cub meeting on Monday May 18th. The rain held off for a nice gathering on the patio and wrapped up the official 2025-2026 monthly club meeting season. Members were able to tour the brewery with a tour from co-owners and brewers Brian Mathias and Tom Ayers. Our May Club Competition theme was Yellow Fizzy Beers and we had 19 entries. Thanks to our judges Aaron Davis and John Boker. Here’s who placed:
- 1st: Scott Elliott’s Big Brew Single Belgian Single
- 2nd: Brad Reardon’s Sweet Spring Lager
- 3rd: Scott Elliott’s Schoolhouse Kolsch
- Honorable Mention: Scott Elliott’s Wedding Lager International Lager
Congrats to all! Please find the Leaderboard with current standings for Brewer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Scott Elliot wins the May Club Competition
Aaron and John judge the May Club Competition
2026-2027 Board:
- President – Sandy Hugill
- Vice-President – Jeremy Eberle
- Secretary – Jared Parko
- Treasurer – Kelly Woods
- Membership Director – Aaron Davis
- British Beerfest – We had another great showing for the British Beerfest on April 25th at Parsons North Brewing. Thank you to all who volunteered to help assist, steward and judge the competition and to Parsons North for hosting. There were 131 entries judged and SODZ members’ entries fared well with 8 SODZ members receiving medals for their crafted brews. A special congratulations to Pat Woodward for his Best in Show Foreign Export Stout, Hurricane Export Stout.
SODZ British Beerfest Winners at Parsons North
British Beerfest judging Parsons North
- Big Brew Day Thank you to all who attended Big Brew day on May 2nd at Columbus Brewing Co’s production facility on Harrison Ave. CBC made a mash and brewers collected FREE wort to boil on site using a gas kettle, while some carefully transported their hot wort home. There is just something nice about driving around with fresh wort on big brew day, better than that new car smell. The recipe was for a Trappist Single and we are excited to try members’ creations at upcoming meetings. For those who did not brew on site it was still a good time to socialize and experience different brewing setups.
- Progressive Home Brewery Tour – This was a new event organized by Aaron Davis on May 9th. Thanks to Aaron for organizing and to Pat Woodward, and Eric Saas for hosting. Several homebrewers traveled to club members’ homes in the Clintonville area and were able to see first hand how homebrewers brew and enjoy the hobby. Contact Aaron if you are interested in hosting or attending next year.
Pat Woodward shares some brews on the Progressive Homebrewery Tour
Eric Saas and members on the Progressive Homebrewery Tour
- Barley’s Afternoon with the Brewers and Barleys Homebrew Competition Winner. Barleys hosted the annual Barley’s Afternoon with the Brewers on Sunday May 17th. We celebrated Pat Woodward’s Blackout Imperial stout as the 2025 winner. Stop by Barleys to try Pat’s imperial stout on tap while it lasts. For 2026 there were several SODZ member beers with a score of 42 or higher. Pat Woodward took home 1st place with his Way Aye British Brown Ale. We look forward to celebrating next year when his British Brown ale will be on tap!
Upcoming Events and Updates:
- Buckeye Brewcraft is up and running in the new location. The new address is 1102 Gahanna Pkwy, Gahanna OH 43230. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11am-6 pm, and Sunday 12-4 pm.
- Iron Kettle June 13th 9:00 am Buckeye Brewcraft 1102 Gahanna Pkwy, Gahanna OH 43230. This year’s Iron Kettle will be held on Saturday, June 13th, starting at 9 am. We’ll be at Buckeye BrewCraft’s new location in Gahanna! And calling all of you electric brewers: we’ll have access to 110V and 220V circuits! And preheated strike water. So let’s brew! This year we will also allow you to select your yeast and purchase from Buckeye Brewcraft on site. Fill out this survey to RSVP, so we can make sure we have enough kits! RSVP by June 1st to secure your spot. Iron Kettle submissions will be judged at the Summer Picnic for Brewer of the Year points. Here’s the current leaderboard.
- June Social Unofficial Meeting – Please join us for our “unofficial” June meeting 6/15/26, 7 pm – at Restoration Brew Worx in Delaware . No formal program or club competition, come out, bring your homebrew and socialize.
- Summer picnic – August 8th – We are planning to meet at the Central Ohio Anglers and Hunters Club. We are still waiting for official approval from the Shooting Clubs board but we expect them to approve our request to host the summer picnic soon. Beers brewed during the Iron Kettle competition will be judged at the summer picnic. This almost goes without saying but bring your homebrew and come hungry. The Summer picnic is a great opportunity to socialize and those who would like to camp overnight are welcome to. If you are interested in the range activities before tapping beer be on the lookout for future updates for the picnic or reach out to a board member.
- Monthly Club Competition Coordinator – Bill Koeppen will be taking over as the new coordinator in the fall. Stay tuned for some potential updates to the Monthly club competition theme updates.
- Webmaster Position – John Boker has graciously volunteered to fill the role of club webmaster. Thank you John.
- Judge Coordinator for Beer For Boobs and British Beerfest – The club will be looking for a new Judge coordinator for the Beer for Boobs fall and British Beerfest in the spring. If you are interested please let a SODZ board member know. Thank you Kelly for serving in this role.
- Club Equipment Inventory – SODZ owns jockey boxes, pin casks, and a grain mill. These items are free for club members to borrow. The board will be working to create an inventory list of these items and a process to checkout items. If you are interested in an item please reach out to a board member.
- Member Pulse Survey – Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey about your homebrewing approach, setup, and interests. Your answers may be shared with Buckeye BrewCraft to help both SODZ and Buckeye BrewCraft better serve our homebrew community. Please also fill out the survey if you have any special talents you would like the club to know about and if you have any interest in volunteering.
Note: Any personal information (e.g., name, etc.) will not be shared outside SODZ.
- Volunteer of the Year: If you have volunteered for any events please be sure to check the current Leaderboard and make sure your points have been captured before the end of August. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered this past year.
Thank you all for making SODZ the club it is and keeping the homebrew flowing! Cheers to 30 years!