All posts by GTA Brews
Brew Slam 2019 – Entry Registration is 7 Days Away!
Visit this page for the full details: gtabrews.ca/brew-slam/
[BREW SLAM 2019 – Toronto, ON]
Entry Registration Opens: Sept 25th, 2019
Entry Deadline: Nov 2nd, 2019
Judging Dates: Nov 8th – 10th, 2019
Entry Limits:
- Total cap of 850 PAID entries
- Per-entrant caps: 2 pp for Sept 25 – Oct 2, then up to 6 pp starting Oct 3
ENTRY REGISTRATION FOR BREW SLAM 2019 (#BREWSLAM) IS 7 DAYS AWAY, SO IT’S TIME TO SHIFT GEARS AND GET READY!
GTA Brews is excited is excited to build on last year’s massive success which saw 826 entries, from 191 entrants, in 8/10 provinces, judged by 75 judges, over just 3 days, making this the largest homebrew competition in Canada! We are ecstatic to have John Palmer attending as our guest of honour (Nov 8-10) to help ring in our 5th year!
This is a BJCP sanctioned competition, and also part of the Canadian Brewer of the Year (BOTY) circuit. The judging will take place at Amsterdam Brewery (Leaside) from Nov 8th to 10th. Judging will be performed by BJCP ranked judges and pro brewers, using the BJCP 2015 Guidelines and Provisional Styles.
OUR COMPETITION RULES HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO ALLOW MORE PEOPLE TO ENTER
This year we have implemented a few changes to the structure of the competition in order to encourage more entrants:
- The total cap has been moved to PAID entries, rather than registered entries
- The per-entrant cap is staggered to allow prospective entrants a full week opportunity to register at the lower cap
Announcing Brew Slam 2019 – Homebrew Competition
Click Here to go to the main competition page.
Press Release
August 26th, 2019 – Toronto, ON
Inquiries about Brew Slam 2019 should be sent to: comp@gtabrews.ca
GTA Brews is excited to announce our fifth annual, nation-wide, homebrew competition for beer, mead, and cider; Brew Slam 2019 (#BrewSlam)! We are excited to build on last year’s massive success which saw 826 entries, from 191 entrants, in 8/10 provinces, judged by 75 judges, over just 3 days, making this the largest homebrew competition in Canada! We are ecstatic to have John Palmer attending as our guest of honour (Nov 8-10) to help ring in our 5th year!
This is a BJCP sanctioned competition, and also part of the Canadian Brewer of the Year (BOTY) circuit. The judging will take place at Amsterdam Brewery (Leaside) from Nov 8th to 10th. Judging will be performed by BJCP ranked judges and pro brewers, using the BJCP 2015 Guidelines and Provisional Styles.
Continue reading Announcing Brew Slam 2019 – Homebrew Competition
Emily Storey’s Planck’s Constout
July Meeting: Brewing by the Numbers with Emily Storey
This month we have four exciting meeting elements!
-
- Presentation: Brewing by the Numbers by Emily Storey
- A presentation breaking down entry statistics from Brew Slam 2018
- Guest: Kathy Yan Li will discuss the new Canadian Homebrewers Association
- Structured Tasting
- Bottle Swap
- Presentation: Brewing by the Numbers by Emily Storey
We are going back to our gracious host, Muddy York Brewing Co! We request that everyone spend some money to support our wonderful host. Don’t forget to buy some bottles from their shop!
Continue reading July Meeting: Brewing by the Numbers with Emily Storey
Last Brewer Standing #1 – Winner!
We have a winner!! 🏆 The final round of our Last Brewer Standing competition pitted Evan Bonsell and Kieth Caines against each other, and they were instructed to brew a Maibock. The final judging took place at the May Club Meeting, using a blind judging panel to select the winner. This was a long, fun ride that began last summer with 32 brewers, and we can finally announce that…
Kieth Caines has been crowned the Last Brewer Standing!!
Club Barrel Fill #4 – Recap
On May 25th we emptied the beautiful Golden Sour (from Fill #3) that went in barrel back on April 28th 2018. It is a beautiful, golden sour. With just a hint of oak from the barrel a great tartness and beautiful mouth feel. Very nicely executed beer.
Once the Golden Sour was out, we immediately refilled the barrel with our 4th recipe, a Flanders Red style beer. Realizing there will be some residual bacteria and Brettanomyces yeast that should add an interesting skew to the style. For good measure we also added 8 packs of Wyeast Roeselare Blend (3763), graciously donated by Brew North.
We hope to let this beer age for a year in the barrel at our generous hosts, People’s Pint. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements on the next style going into the barrel and the opportunity to be a part of it!
People’s Pint even put their portion of the Golden Sour (#3) on the GTA Brews tap!
Continue reading Club Barrel Fill #4 – RecapWelcome to GTA Brews
We are Toronto’s local homebrew club and our goal is to help our members learn how to make the best beer/mead/cider possible! We run events, competitions, bulk buys, and lots more. Club Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month. Join as a Member to get access to all our events and services. Keep up with our latest news:
Join on Facebook: GTA Brews Facebook Discussion Group
This group serves as the main discussion hub for over 2000 local homebrewers. Ask your brewing questions, and check out what others brewing to get inspired for your next brew!
Sign Up for: GTA Brews Mailing List
New members are automatically added to the mailing list, but anyone can sign up here. Emails consist of Monthly Newsletter and occasional reminders about events/sign-ups.
Announcing Spring Showdown 2019 – Homebrew Competition
Click Here to go to the main competition page and register!
Our popular seasonal homebrew competition is back for 2019! As usual, we will be accepting all styles of beer, mead, and cider. Since this is our small competition, entry will be restricted to GTA Brews members only.
This seasonal competition is designed to be a “low stakes” introduction to BJCP competitions for club members to enter their beers for feedback and fun. The focus is on providing excellent feedback, so we keep the entry cap and fee low. Our hope is that lots of first-time entrants will find themselves on the winners list and be motivated to continue entering competitions. This competition will be judged by BJCP Judges according to the 2015 BJCP Guidelines.
Continue reading Announcing Spring Showdown 2019 – Homebrew Competition
2019 Club T-Shirt Order!
If you’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get your hands on club t-shirts, now is your chance! Between Mar 30th and Apr 11th, you can pre-order your very own GTA Brews club t-shirt! Visit the club Swag Shop to order.
Note: Shirts will be available for pick up on Grain Buy weekend (Apr 26th & 27th)!
We have two designs available, in both men’s and women’s styles, each with several colour options!
Club Logo Shirt
This shirt design puts the club logo front and center so everyone knows you are a member of the best homebrew club in the world!
How To Whitelist Emails from @gtabrews.ca
Are you having issues with Gmail sending club emails to your spam box? Please whitelist our domain so that this never happens again!
The first step is to create a Filter in Gmail for all emails from our domain.
1. Go to Settings
2. Go to “Filters and Blocked Addresses”
Continue reading How To Whitelist Emails from @gtabrews.caClub Barrel Fill #4
2019 Bulk Hop Buy
February Meeting: Little Beasts, Big Hearts <3
Monday Feburary 11th at 7:00 PM
Northern Maverick Brewing Co.
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M5V 2P9 MAP
Northern Maverick Brewing Co.
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M5V 2P9 MAP
This month we have two exciting meeting elements!
-
- Presentation: Pro Brewer Q&A – Erin and John of Little Beasts Brewing Co
- Structured Tasting
This February we are going back to our gracious host, Northern Maverick Brewing Co.. Thanks for hosting us! We request that everyone spend some money to support our wonderful host. Their food is fantastic (try the Jamaican patties), and they have plenty of beer-to-go in their bottle shop!
Continue reading February Meeting: Little Beasts, Big Hearts <3
Help Support the Modernization of Ontario Homebrewing Regulations
GTA Brews is calling for every Ontario homebrewer to join us in asking the Government of Ontario to modernize the framework regulating the consumption of homebrew at events. Homebrew clubs sit at the center of the homebrewing community, and modernization of homebrewing regulation would enable them to continue to grow the hobby in Ontario.
Over the years we have run into many hurdles while planning homebrewing focused events. We have compiled a list of issues we see with the current framework, and elaborated them in the form of a letter. We are asking Ontario homebrewers to send this letter to their MPP, and cc the Minister of Finance. This will show the Government of Ontario that the citizens of our province want to see this included in their plan to modernize the Alcohol Industry.
Cheers, and thanks in advance for your help!
Eric Cousineau
President, GTA Brews
If you have any questions or comments about this letter, please email info@gtabrews.ca
How To Help
Step 1) Find Your Local MPP
– Use this tool to find your local MPP using Postal Code
Step 2) Create a new email draft with subject:
Request for Modernized Homebrewing Regulations in Ontario
Step 3) Address the email to
• Your local MPP (from step 1)
• cc/ Finance Minister Vic Fedeli (vic.fedeli@pc.ola.org)
Step 4) Copy and paste the letter below then
• Replace [*Local MPP*] with the name of you local MPP
• Replace [*Sender Name*] with your first and last name
Step 5) Send the email, and pass this along to your homebrew friends!
Letter to Your MPP
Dear [*Local MPP*],
The Government of Ontario is currently consulting with the public on opportunities to modernize the rules for the sale and consumption of alcohol. I support the general intent of modernizing a highly regulated sector, however I wanted to express my desire to see some targeted modernization efforts for the consumption of homebrewed beer.
Continue reading Help Support the Modernization of Ontario Homebrewing RegulationsBrew Slam 2018 – Wrap Up
Brew Slam is wrapped up for another year, and what a year it was! Most prizes were shipped out to our winners before the holidays, and I finally have time to write my annual wrap up post. With 826 entries judged, were were Canada’s largest homebrew competition again for 2018!
The judging and awards for Brew Slam happened back in November, but we’ve been hard at work since then working on all the wrap up tasks to be able to mark the competition complete for another year. Don’t stop reading now because some pretty amazing things happened this year that I want to share.
Full house at the Saturday afternoon judging session
Competition Stats 2018:
- Largest Canadian homebrew competition, ever!
- 826 entries judged
- 847 registered entries
- 8/10 provinces, Yukon, CT/PA, and ISRAEL!
- 191 participants with entries
- 135 volunteers: 75 judges, 54 stewards, 22 sorters, 10 crew
- Likely the most judges in any Canadian beer competition, ever!
- 31 award categories
- 7 judging sessions, avg 7.5 entries/pair per session
- Over $16,000 in prizes!!
Brew Slam 2018 – Entry Registration Now Open!
Entry registration is now open, and spots are already filling up quickly! Visit the Brew Slam 2018 page to learn more, and register your entries.
Entry Registration and Drop Off
Registration will close on Nov 3rd, or when the 850 entry cap is hit. Entries will be accepted at drop off and shipping locations beginning on Oct 11th. If you need to drop off earlier for any reason, please email us.
If the cap is hit, the site won’t allow any more entries to be registered. In this case we will do our best to follow up on unpaid entries, and verify if the entrants still need the spot(s).
Please do everyone (especially our Registrar) a favour, and only register entries you actually plan to submit, then pay for them right away. We will provide regular entry registration updates on social media.
Volunteering
Brew Slam is a volunteer driven competition, so please consider donating a bit of your time to help this competition happen. The Brew Slam 2018 comittee has been hard at work for months laying the groundwork for another fantastic year, please help us out by registering as a volunteer.
We need help with Bottle Sorting (Nov 4th), and Stewarding/Judging (Nov 9-11th), learn more on our Brew Slam Volunteer page. If you have a friend that is a BJCP judge, please encourage them to attend!
Membership Renewal 2018 – Renew before Oct 1st to avoid initiation fees!
It’s that time of year! Time to renew your GTA Brews membership!
CLICK HERE to renew now!
Last year’s memberships expire on Oct 1st, so you need the renew soon to maintain your active membership status! Don’t forget Fall 2018 Grain Buy is open now, and membership renewal is needed to participate!
As we continue to streamline club operations, we’ve made a few adjustments to the membership structure. Here’s a quick summary of the new format:
- Dues: $20/year plus $5 initiation fee for new (or lapsed) members
- Membership is now valid for 1 full year after sign up date, and renewal is automatic each year using the same credit card!
- Members are welcome to bring household family members to occasional events
Due to a limitation in our membership software we have disabled the $5 initiation fee until Oct 1st, to allow current members to transition into the new membership subscription.
Membership is excellent value, and includes access to fall and spring grain buys, annual winter hop buy, monthly meetings, discounted homebrew supplies at Toronto Brewing, club projects like our barrel project and homebrew advent calendar, and much more!
Membership dues pay for the operating of the club, including paying for web services, advertising, club projects, AV equipment, Specials Occasion Permits from LLBO and more. The club is also planning to incorporate as a non-profit entity in the next 3-6 months, and there are some one-time costs associated with that transition.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at membership@gtabrews.ca.
Grain Buy – Fall 2018
The GTA Brews Fall 2018 Grain Buy is open!
Believe it or not, but summer is OVER! That means it's time for the 2018 Fall Grain Buy!
Thanks again to Toronto Brewing for hosting, please make sure to give them your love and make some purchases on pick up day! Don’t forget, now they deliver your online order to breweries all over Toronto for FREE!
All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca
Key Info:
- Sign Up Open: Friday August 31, 2018
- Sign Up Close: Wednesday Sept 26, 2018 (11:59 pm)
- Payment Deadline: Sunday, Sept 30, 2018 (11:59 pm)
- Split Date: Friday, Oct 12th, 2018
- Pick Up Date: Saturday Oct 13th, 2018 (10:30 am – 1:30 pm)
- Updates will be sent to the email on the sheet
- Please sign up to volunteer with split/pick-up in the volunteer tab
- If you didn't get the announcement email, check your spam
- Items highlighted in RED special order, and may be delayed
Announcing Brew Slam 2018 – Homebrew Competition
Click Here to go to the main competition page.
Press Release
August 10th, 2018 – Toronto, ON
GTA Brews is excited to announce our fourth annual, nation-wide, homebrew competition for beer, mead, and cider; Brew Slam 2018 (#BrewSlam)!
Last year saw 804 entries, from 8/10 provinces, judged by 73 judges, over just 3 days, making this the largest homebrew competition in country!
This is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition, and also part of the Canadian Brewer of the Year circuit. The judging will take place at Amsterdam Brewery (Leaside) from Nov 9th to 11th. Judging will be performed by BJCP ranked judges and Continue reading Announcing Brew Slam 2018 – Homebrew Competition
GTA Brews Survey 2018 – Now Open!
Our annual general survey is now accepting submissions! We use the results of this survey each year to help inform the direction of the club and identify areas of strength and opportunities to improve. The survey will remain open until 11:59 PM on August 22nd Sept 11th.
This survey is open to both members and non-members, since we want to hear from everybody! The survey can take as little as 5-10 mins to answer only the mandatory questions, or longer if you elect to write more detailed answers (and we hope you do).
How can we make the best homebrew club in the world even better?!
Participants are eligible for a drawing of Continue reading GTA Brews Survey 2018 – Now Open!
GTA Brews went to HomebrewCon 2018!
HomebrewCon is wrapped up for another year, and this year marked our best year ever for club attendance! In attendance we had: Zack, Eric, Rebecca, Matti, Sara, Jesse, Sasha, Jim, Laila, Kathy, Victor, and Fred!
Next year will be in Continue reading GTA Brews went to HomebrewCon 2018!
July Meeting: Cowbell Stephen and LBS Round 1A
Monday 9 July at 7:00 PM
Muddy York Brewing Co.
22 Cranfield Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4B 3H1 MAP
Muddy York Brewing Co.
22 Cranfield Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4B 3H1 MAP
This month we have three exciting meeting elements!
- Pro Brewer Guest: Stephen Rich from Cowbell Brewing Co.
- Last Brewer Standing: Round 1A Judging
- Summer Swap: Bottle Exchange
We are going back to our gracious host, Muddy York Brewing Co! We request that everyone spend some money to support our wonderful host. Don’t forget to buy some bottles from their shop!
Continue reading July Meeting: Cowbell Stephen and LBS Round 1A
GTA Brews 5 Year Anniversary Party
Event Details:
Saturday May 12th, 2018
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Junction Craft Brewing
Grain Buy – Spring 2018
The GTA Brews Spring 2018 Grain Buy is open!
Thanks again to Toronto Brewing for hosting, please make sure to give them your love and make some purchases on pick up day! Don’t forget, now they deliver your online order to breweries all over Toronto for FREE!
All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca
Key Info:
Sign Up Open: Mon Apr 9th, 2018
Sign Up Close: Thurs May 3rd, 2018 (11:59 pm)
Payment Open: Thurs, May 10th, 2018
Payment Deadline: Thurs, May 17th, 2018 (11:59 pm)
Split Date: Friday, May 25th, 2018
Pick Up Date: Saturday May 26th, 2018 (10:30 am – 1:30 pm)
Notes:
- Updates will be sent to the email on the sheet
- Please sign up to volunteer with split/pick-up in the volunteer tab
- If you didn't get the announcement email, check your spam
- Items highlighted in RED special order, and may be delayed
Announcing Spring Showdown 2018 – Homebrew Competition
Click Here to go to the main competition page and register!
The sixth competition in this small competition series will take place in May, and since we skipped Winter Warmer, we will be accepting all styles of beer, mead, and cider!
These seasonal competitions are designed to be a “low stakes” introduction to BJCP competitions for club members (and anyone else) to enter their beers for feedback and fun. This competition will be judged by BJCP Judges according to the 2015 BJCP Guidelines.
Continue reading Announcing Spring Showdown 2018 – Homebrew Competition
Club Barrel Fill #3
Brew Slam 2017 – Wrap Up
Brew Slam 2017 is finally wrapped up after almost a whole year of planning, and a ton of execution. What a year! The last of the prizes made their way into the hands of our winners this week, so it’s finally time to write my annual wrap up post. With 806 entries judged, I’m very proud to say that we met and exceeded our goal for 2017 of becoming Canada’s largest homebrew competition (by almost 300 entries)!
The judging and awards for Brew Slam 2017 happened back in November, but we’ve been hard at work since then making sure that everyone got their prizes as fast as we could. Don’t stop reading now because some pretty amazing things happened this year that I want to share.
Continue reading Brew Slam 2017 – Wrap Up
2017 GTA Brews Advent Calendar
Learn2Brew 2017 Recap
This past weekend saw Toronto’s 9th annual #Learn2Brew event, with both east and west locations again this year! One change we tried this year is moving it to September, during Toronto Beer Week (TBW), to take advantage of the warmer weather.
Huge gratitude to our generous hosts Rainhard Brewing Company, and Common Good Beer Co. This event wouldn’t be possible without local breweries like these two that support the homebrewing hobby.
Learn2Brew is an event where a half dozen brewers set up and demonstrate the brewing process. We invite the public to come in, learn about homebrewing, and hopefully get inspired to join this wonderful hobby. Here’s a smattering of pictures to give you an idea Continue reading Learn2Brew 2017 Recap
Grain Buy – Fall 2017
The GTA Brews Fall 2017 Grain Buy is now open!
Thanks again to Toronto Brewing for hosting, please make sure to give them your love and make some purchases on pick up day! Don’t forget, now they deliver your online order to breweries all over Toronto for FREE!
All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca
Key Dates
Sign Up Open: Friday Sept 15th, 2017
Sign Up Close: Tuesday Oct 10th, 2017 (11:59 pm)
Payment Deadline: Tuesday, Oct 17th, 2017 (11:59 pm)
Split Date: Friday, Oct 27th, 2017
Main Pick Up Date: Saturday Oct 28th, 2017 (10:30 am – 1:30 pm) Continue reading Grain Buy – Fall 2017
Membership Drive for the 2017-2018 Season
As our 2016-2017 season draws to a close, we’re excited to announce that we are doing a membership drive again this year to encourage members to renew for the 2017-2018 season.
Visit our new membership page to join/renew now!
Membership Structure Changes for 2017-2018
Based on overwhelming feedback from our annual club member survey, we have decided Continue reading Membership Drive for the 2017-2018 Season