Meeting Notes from 5/24/2023
President Paul Callahan presiding
Location: Santoras at Galleria Mall
1) AWOG – Will have AWOG wrap up meeting and start planning for next year.
2) Education –Mark Zambron did a “beer in a bag” demo.
3) Essential business will be brewed on June 3 rd . Zoom will be available at whatever time people
want to log in. Dan suggests 8am.
4) Socials – This months social was at Lilly Belle meads in Lancaster. Seems like everyone had a
good time and enjoyed several meads. Personal favorite was the ginger mead.
5) June 8 th social will be at Hamburg brewing for everyone who enjoys a relaxing night out in the
beer garden. July will be at Wayland, August at McCarthy’s and September at Blackbird cider on
Chandler. We will be attempting to get a cider making lesson from Blackbird. August business
meeting will be at Dan Gestwick’s to share southern English brown. I will be arranging a socials
list. If you have a place that you feel we should have a social, let me know and I will add it to the
list.
6) John Crossett is starting to organize a study course. If you would like to be involved, contact
John. There was also a request for a mead study course. Beer study course will probably start in
October.
7) Keith has volunteered to organize a picnic in September. The theme of Imperial stout and steak
was suggested, so start brewing those stouts now. Brian Milleville was not in attendance so it
was suggested we have the picnic at his house. Brian really needs to make it to meetings.
8) Paul will be contacting Vinnie or Colin at Flying Bison about doing Brew at the Bison in
September.
9) Combined event with UNYHA has not started planning.
10) Erie county fair is Aug 9 th – 20 th . Mark is signing us up to have a table again. Volunteers can start
signing up with Mark.
11) Treasurers report was given. Dan wants everyone to know that if you do an education session,
you will be reimbursed for any beer or supply purchases (i.e. cups).
12) John Crossett went out to Vermont to judge the Greg Noonan homebrew memorial competition
and came home with the 1 st place BOS. Congratulations John!
13) Dude hates Cancer is August 20 th . Start brewing those beers now.
14) We are working on “Brew around the world” where we would get random ingredients from
local breweries and brew a fabulous beer with them.
15) Everyone who showed up at the business meeting received a package of Sabro cryo hops. Yeah!

June Meeting notes

1. July 14 is our monthly social. We voted last month to move it to Thursdays as most breweries are closed early in the week.The venue is Steel Leaf Brewing Company 4545 Transit Rd, Buffalo, NY 14221.  Corey Dudish is brewing there and is doing a terrific job! Let’s make sure that we show some good support!  There was also mention at the meeting to invite the brew goddesses. Anyone with contact info can either take it upon themselves to reach out or send me the best contact and I’ll take care of it.  🙂
2. Mark Zambron is doing another terrific job at the Erie County Fair this year! I believe the window to participate, as a brewer, is between 8/10-8/23. (please correct me if I’m wrong, Doc. 🙂 Sean W. will be brewing on 8/14,  I’ll be doing a presentation comparing extract, partial mash, and all grain brewing on 8/18. Mark is doing a demo on 8/13. 
3. Thanks to all the gents who participated in the NHC this year! The slide show and recap were great! Thanks for putting that together, Brian M. Thanks to Todd for a little cool swag.  🙂  Thanks Sean, for bringing some cool hops! Nice bonus!  The slide show should be up on the new website soon, if it isn’t already 🙂 Thanks, Keith!  

https://niagarabrewers.org
4. Thanks to John C. and Mark S. for a really cool comparison of ale yeasts and lager yeasts with a lager grain bill. The beers were REALLY tasty, too. 🙂  
5. On July 26 Paul C. will do a presentation on Kviek yeasts for our business meeting’s education component. 
6. Lastly, there has been a lot of contention about where our business meetings should take place. Some don’t care. For some, distance is a real factor. Some others think we should meet at a brew pub, if not a brewery. Some think that going back to hosting at different houses would be cool. Either way, our next business meeting will be hosted at the home of our generous generous, long time club member, Brian Milleville.Brian, would you please send out directions to your place?  Thanks!

Hello Everyone,

We held our February business meeting at Crazy Jakes on January 22nd.  Approximately 22 members were present.

We recapped our February social and discussed upcoming events.  Brian Milleville presented Dark Mild and provided two homebrewed examples for us to try. Jim Gorman will be discussing mash tun construction at our March meeting, and brewers are encouraged to bring their tun to discuss different setup options.  In addition, we tasted samples from each of the barrels for the club barleywine project.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our March Social will be held on March 12^th at Belt Line Brewery and Kitchen at 545 Swan St. in Buffalo.  Belt Line is a new brewery that opened in January.  They’ll provide us with a tour of their facility.  Partners and friends are welcome to attend.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is scheduled for March 15-16 at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.  Registration is open, and entries are due March 2nd.  Dropoff locations are Niagara Traditions, Flying Bison, and Southtown Beverage (Rochester).  If you are interested in volunteering at the event (e.g., judging or stewarding), you can use the registration link above.  The awards banquet details are being finalized, so look for more information soon.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.  We will be helping Niagara Traditions with their homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping with the homebrew demo, or Niagara Traditions if you’re interested in pouring beer at the event.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event, and Tom Reed will organize it.  If you’re interested in helping with the demo, contact Tom.

Maple Weekend at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is scheduled for March 30-31 from 9am-4pm.  There will be a brewing with maple homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping with the homebrew demo.

The Erie County Fair will be holding their homebrew competition soon, and entries will be due April 5^th at the fairgrounds or at Flying Bison.  See their website for accepted styles and entry information.

Finally, UNYHA will be holding their hombrew competition on May 18^th, with entries due by May 8^th.  Entries can be dropped off at Niagara Traditions.

We held our January business meeting at Crazy Jakes on January 22nd.  Approximately 20 members were present.

We recapped our December and January socials and other events, and discussed upcoming events.  Tom Reed presented on Old Ales and provided two examples for us to try.  Brian Milleville will present in February.

Upcoming events and notifications:

Our February Social will will be a joint educational/social event on the evening of February 12th.  Former president Scott Kroon’s non-beer life involves temperature measurement and calibration, and he’s offered to do a brief lecture on temperature measurement as well as to provide us with an opportunity to calibrate any temperature devices we bring with us. Starting at 6pm (note the earlier time), we will meet at Scott’s work, Conax Technologies (2300 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga).  Bring your thermometers, temperature controllers, or anything else you’d like calibrated, and Scott will have temperature controlled baths set up at key calibration points, including fermentation, protein rest, and saccharification rest.  Please arrive on time since no one will be able to let you in once the presentation starts. 

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is scheduled for March 15-16 at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Museum.  Registration will be open soon, and entries will be due on March 1st.  Dropoff locations will be Niagara Traditions, Flying Bison, and Southtown Beverage.  We are in need of someone to take on the role of head steward – please email John Crossett if you are interested or have questions on what that would entail (jpcrossett@gmail.com).  The banquet and awards ceremony will be held at the same location following judging on Saturday, and will feature a people’s choice competition for any homebrew served at the banquet.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.  We will be helping Niagara Traditions with their homebrew demonstration.  Please contact Keith Curtachio if you’re interested in helping.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event, and Tom Reed will organize it.  For those who attended the meeting on Tuesday, I just received word that the kitchen space (Bite Size Science) we’ve used in recent years will be available for our use.

Hello Everyone,

Our January Social will be held at Sato Brewpub on January 8 from 7-10pm.  Head brewer Andrew Hardin will be joining us.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is tentatively scheduled for t         he weekend of March 15th.  This is a large event and requires assistance in a variety of roles.  If you are interested in helping in any way, please email John Crossett (jpcrossett@gmail.com).

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm. We will host a homebrew demonstration at this event.

The NYS British Real Ale Festival is February 9th in Rock Stream, NY.  Prior to the event, they will hold a homebrew competition. Entries are due by January 16th.

We had a good turnout for our November meeting at Dan G’s house. About 20 members attended.

Our second annual Beer Advent Exchange boxes were distributed.   If you have any questions, contact Dan G.

Learn to Homebrew Day was November 3^rd at Niagara Traditions  Tim C and and Keith lead a homebrew demo, and many club members stopped by to talk with attendees and share their homebrew.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Roggenbier presented by Caelen and Bob.  They shared two homebrew and one commercial examples.  Thanks Caelen and Bob for giving the presentation.  We’re seeking volunteers for January.

We tasted samples from the barleywine bourbon barrel project.  Next into the barrels, in 3-15 months time, will be a Russian Imperial Stout and a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. If you have any questions about the project, email Vince.

Upcoming Events:

Santas of Swig is scheduled for Saturday, December 1st (TODAY) from 1-4pm at Buffalo Iron Works.  This is a homebrew tasting/competition with all proceeds benefiting the Matt Urban Center’s Hope House Homeless Shelter for Women and Children.  Please see http://sultansofswig.wixsite.com/sultans/santasofswig for more info.

The Multi-Club Homebrew Holiday Party will be held Monday, December 3^rd at Flying Bison from 6:30-9:30pm. Please bring a dish to pass. You can also bring a bottle of home/commercial beer for a secret santa bottle exchange, a new blanket to donate to Warm up WNY, and/or $5 to donate to Food Bank of WNY.

The December social is scheduled for Wednesday December 12 from 6-9pm at the new Blackbird Cider Works Buffalo Cider Hall. The address is155 Chandler Street Suite 4, Buffalo, New York 14207

Note, there will be no December meeting because the date falls on Christmas.

The Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of March 15th.  If you are interested in helping in any way, please email John Crossett.

The Art of Beer at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is scheduled for Friday, March 8 from 6-9pm.

Beerology at the Buffalo Museum of Science is scheduled for Saturday March 23rd from 6-10pm.

The NYS British Real Ale Festival is Februrary 9th in Rock Stream, NY.  Prior to the event, they will hold a homebrew competition. Entries are due by January 16th.

Hello Everyone,

We had a good turnout for our October meeting. About 20 members attended.

Our October social at Community Brew Works had a great turnout of around 25 people.  The new space is a major upgrade, and we got to see it up close with a tour by CBW president Ethan Cox.

In the next week or so, please complete this Social Survey to help us plan better social events: https://buffalocas.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Sty28Pk3h8r2qp

Our second annual Beer Advent Exchange is gearing up.  If you’re signed up, please get a case of beer to Dan G. by November 24^th. An ideal place to get them to him is at our November social at Pizza Plant (details below). Beers will be re-distributed back to participants at the November business meeting, which will be at Dan’s house (details below).

The Greater Toronto Area Brew Slam is Friday, November 9^th through Sunday, November 11^th.  Entry deadline is Saturday, November 3^rd.  There is a stipend and accommodation allowance for judging if traveling from out of the area.  Please see https://www.gtabrews.ca/brew-slam/ for more info on brewing or attending.

Santas of Swig is scheduled for Saturday, December 1st from 1-4pm at Buffalo Iron Works.  This is a homebrew tasting/competition with all proceeds benefiting the Matt Urban Center’s Hope House Homeless Shelter for Women and Children.  Please see http://sultansofswig.wixsite.com/sultans/santasofswig for more info.

A BJCP Mead exam will take place on January 19th, 2019 at 810 Meadworks in Medina.  See Alex P. for information about the exam.  Classes will be the first and second Wednesday in November at Lilly Belle Meads in Lancaster from 7pm to 9pm.  Please contact Mark Z. to sign up for the classes.

The Multi-Club Homebrew Holiday Party will be held Monday, December 3^rd at Flying Bison from 6:30-9:30pm. More details will follow on Facebook and via email as they are nailed down.

Learn to Homebrew Day is November 3^rd. There will be a homebrewing demonstration at Niagara Traditions starting around 11am, and members are encouraged to attend and to bring homebrew to share with prospective new brewers.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Double IPA presented by Vince with one homebrew and two commercial examples.  Thanks Vince for giving the presentation.  Next month’s style will be Roggenbier.

The November social is scheduled for the Williamsville Pizza Plant (7770 Transit Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221) on Tuesday, November 13^th from 7pm to 10pm.  Note that Dan G. will be getting there early (6:30) to accept any advent calendar beers.

The November Business Meeting will be held at Dan G’s house. Dan’s address is 22 Primrose Lane, East Amherst, NY 14051. As with a normal business meeting, there will be brief updates on local beer news and events, style presentation, and sharing of homebrew, so bring your tasting glass.

Business Meeting Minutes September 25th, 2018

Hello Everyone,

We had a good turnout for our September meeting. About 20 members attended.

The big news from the meeting is that Keith C. was elected as our new Vice President. He brings many years of experience as a former President and we are glad to have his help. Congratulations Keith. With this, Ken D. takes over as President and now former President Scott rides off in to the sunset.

Our social at Hamburg brewing had an ok turnout of around 10 people. A great location and they are upping their beer game.

The Bourbon Barrel filling took place Saturday, September 1st. Things went pretty smooth and the plan is to start tasting in a few months.

Another successful Buffalo Beer Week concluded. Hope you got out to enjoy some of the great events. Thanks to everyone who helped organize events.

The Salt City Brew Club annual competition was Friday, September 28th & Saturday, September 29th. A quick scroll through the results shows NAH President Ken won first in Bitter and Malty beers with a Dark Mild and member Mark S. placed second in Belgian Ales for his Belgian Dubbel. Congrats to you both and my apologies if I missed anyone.

Our second annual Beer Advent is gearing up. Bring in a case of good homebrew or purchased beer and get back a case of 24 different beers. Please see Dan G. to sign up and for more info. Only 2 spots remain.

The SNOB homebrew club has their Son of Brewzilla competition with judging on November 2nd and 3rd. Entries are closed but you can still sign up to judge. Judging takes place at the new Fat Head’s brewery. Even though you can get their beer here now, it is worth the trip.

The Greater Toronto Area Brew Slam is Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th. Entry deadline is Saturday, November 3rd. There is a stipend and accommodation allowance for judging if travel from out of the area. Please see https://www.gtabrews.ca/brew-slam/ for more info on brewing or attending.

Santas of Swig is scheduled for Saturday, December 1st from 1pm to 4pm at Buffalo Iron Works. This is a homebrew tasting/competition with all proceeds benefiting the Matt Urban Center’s Hope House Homeless Shelter for Women and Children. Please see http://sultansofswig.wixsite.com/sultans/santasofswig for more info.

A BJCP Mead exam will take place on January 19th, 2019 at 810 Meadworks in Medina. See Alex P.to sign up for the exam. Classes will be the first and second Wednesday in October and November at Lilly Belle Meads in Lancaster from 7pm to 9pm. Please contact Mark Z. to sign up for the classes.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Kellerbier presented by Tom R. with one homebrew and two commercial examples. Thanks Tom for once again giving the presentation. We do need someone to present a style or give a technical presentation for the October meeting.

The October social is scheduled for the new CBW on 7th street on Wednesday, October 10th from 7pm to 10pm.

With that, it was motioned to close business and drink beer.

Business Meeting Minutes August 28th, 2018

Hello Everyone,

We had a good turnout for our August meeting. About 20 members attended.

The election for Vice President is coming up next month and we are looking for nominations. The roll consists of helping the President for one year and then taking over the role of President for the next year. To be nominated you need to:
-Homebrew
-Been a member for 2 years
-Pay your dues

Please contact skroon@niagarabrewers.orgs with questions or nominations.

The Erie County Fair was from August 8th through the 19th and once again we had a homebrew demo booth to reach more people in the community. Many batches of beer were brewed and we got to speak with a lot of people on homebrewing and beer. Thank you again to Mark Z. for organizing this and setting up and taking down the booth.

The Dude Hates Cancer was Saturday, August 11th from 12pm to 3pm at Resurgence Brewing. A good time was had by all as usual.

The annual Brew’s Picnic was Sunday, August 12th at Sheridan Park. Some members from all the local homebrew clubs showed up and a good time was had. Attendance was light considering how many homebrewers there are in the area. Das Hausbrauers are going to run it next year to change things up.

A steinbier demo took place on Sunday, August 19th at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village. I heard that upon putting in the second rock there was much frothing and boiling. Now the wait to see how it turns out.

The Bourbon Barrel filling is taking place Saturday, September 1st from 10am to 2pm. Please see your emails for further information and have your beer ready to go.

The Salt City Brew Club annual competition is Friday, September 28th & Saturday, September 29th. Entry deadline is Friday, September 14th. For more information please see http://comp.saltcitybrew.org.

The Greater Toronto Area Brew Slam is Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th. Entry deadline is Saturday, November 3rd. There is a stipend and accommodation allowance for judging if travel from out of the area. Please see https://www.gtabrews.ca/brew-slam/ for more info.

Our second annual Beer Advent is gearing up. Bring in a case of good homebrew or purchased beer and get back a case of 24 different beers. Please see Dan G. to sign up and for more info.

Buffalo Beer Week starts Friday, September 14th and runs through Sunday, September 23rd. Lots of things going on so please see http://www.buffalobeerweek.com/ for many more details.

A BJCP Mead exam will take place on January 19th, 2019 at 810 Meadworks in Medina. See Alex P.to sign up for the exam. Classes will be the first and second Wednesday in October and November at Lilly Belle Meads in Lancaster from 7pm to 9pm. Please contact Mark Z. to sign up for the classed.

The educational portion of the night consisted of learning about Mixed Fermentation presented by Ken D. with one homebrew and one commercial example. Ken gave a great presentation and gave some great tips on how to get into mixed fermentation as a homebrewer. Tom R. is presenting the style next month.

The September social is scheduled for Hamburg Brewing on Tuesday, September 11th from 7pm to 10pm.

With that, it was motioned to close business and drink beer.