All posts by GTA Brews

Welcome to GTA Brews

News

Welcome to GTA Brews, Toronto’s local homebrew club!

We are an enthusiastic group of people that love to make beer, mead, and cider at home! 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.

Check the menu above, and our Events Calendar to see more about what we do. Our Club Meetings are on the 2nd Monday of each month. Members get full access to all our events and services. Join as a Member

Keep up with our latest news:

Join: GTA Brews Facebook Discussion Group
Our Facebook Group serves as our main discussion hub. Join our group today to start socializing with over 2000 other local homebrewers. Our Facebook Group is THE place to ask your brewing questions, check out what everyone else is up to, and get inspired for your next brew!

Sign Up for: GTA Brews Mailing List
All members are automatically added to the mailing list, but anyone can sign up here. At the beginning of each month we mail out a Newsletter with a summary of everything going on. We also mail out occasional event reminders, and sign up announcement.

Club Barrel Fill #4

Needs Current Membership, , , ,

Time to announce the sign up for out 4th barrel fill! The barrel will stay in its current home at Peoples Pint Brewing Co.

We will be filling the barrel with a Flanders-style Red. Want in on this fun members-only project? Log in, then click the link below and apply for the barrel. We will randomly pick applicants to participate in the barrel fill.

This content is only available for GTA Brews Members. Please visit our membership page to join today!

If you are already a member, don't forget to Log In!

February Meeting: Little Beasts, Big Hearts <3

Club Meeting, , ,
Monday Feburary 11th at 7:00 PM
Northern Maverick Brewing Co.
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M5V 2P9  MAP

This month we have two exciting meeting elements!

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

Community, News

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 Regulations →

Brew Slam 2018 – Wrap Up

Brew Slam, Competitions, 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!!
Continue reading Brew Slam 2018 – Wrap Up →

Brew Slam 2018 – Entry Registration Now Open!

Brew Slam, Competitions, , ,

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!

Membership, News

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

Bulk Buy, Needs Current Membership,

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

This content is only available for GTA Brews Members. Please visit our membership page to join today!

If you are already a member, don't forget to Log In!

Announcing Brew Slam 2018 – Homebrew Competition

Community, Competitions, Event, , , ,
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 →