All posts by David Larocque

Annual General Meeting of GTA Brews - April 15, 2023

AGM

Please RSVP using the form below to help us track expected attendees and make sure we hit our required quorum!

Date: Saturday April 15th, 2023 @ Common Good Brew Co.!
Time: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

GTA Brews Members: You must login to see the link and password. If you have logged in and cannot see them, please refresh the page.

The GTA Brews AGM will be held from 2:30PM-5:30 PM on Saturday April 15, 2023. This will be our first in person AGM ever, and we are so very pleased that Common Good has agreed to host us! Please try to make an effort to attend this important corporate function. We will have a mix of important club business like electing Board members and reviewing the clubs financial position paired with some funner activities like the first round of Last Brewer Standing II! To reach the quorum required to hold the meeting we need 43+ members to attend, so please mark your calendars and plan to attend!

The meeting will be chaired by current President, David Larocque.

Continue reading Annual General Meeting of GTA Brews - April 15, 2023 →

GTA Brews presents... Last Brewer Standing II!!

Competitions, Last Brewer Standing

So you've heard the rumblings, the mumblings and grumblings. Or maybe you haven't. But Last Brewer Standing is BACK. Get those COVID-19 tested, tweaked and perfected recipes ready for the big stage! After years of hogging the trophy, it's time for everyone to take a run at the reigning Last Brewer Standing champ, Kieth Caines, and claim that trophy as their own!

Continue reading GTA Brews presents... Last Brewer Standing II!! →

2022 GTA Brews Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar, Event, Needs Current Membership, , ,

Exchange Date: Saturday November 26th, 2022 @ 1:00 PM (Don't be late!)Exchange Location(s): Brunswick BierworksParticipation Fee: $10

The Annual GTA Brews Advent Calendar is back for the 9th year ...

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!

Grain Buy – Fall 2022

Bulk Buy, Needs Current Membership, ,

The GTA Brews Fall 2022 Grain Buy is open!

We're back at it again with the launch of our Fall 2022 Grain Bulk Buy!  Make sure you take a good look at the catalogue as we have some newish additions (Raven from the Czech Republic and Canada's own Prairie Malting). In addition to the grain buy catalogue on this page,  Toronto Brewing is offering GTA Brews members with 17% off items from the JaDeD wort chillers offered through their website! Details can be found in the post below.

Thanks again to Toronto Brewing for hosting, please make sure to give them your love and make some purchases on pick up day! All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca.

Key Info:

    • Sign Up Open: September 8, 2022
    • Sign Up Close:  September 25, 2022 (11:59 pm)
    • Pick Up Day: Saturday, October 15, 2022 (11:00 am – 2:00 pm)
      • PICKUP LOCATION: Toronto Brewing (Chesswood Location)
      • You MUST book a pickup timeslot
    • NO SPLITS - FULL BAGS ONLY

Reminders

    • Updates are sent to the email registered with your GTA Brews membership account
    • If you didn't get the announcement email or order confirmation, check your spam!
    • Reminder that some items are special order, and may be delayed
    • You can find all your gtabrews.ca orders on your My Account page

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!

May Meeting: Cider Brewing and Tasting with Revel Cider!

Club Meeting, ,

Date: Monday May 9th, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM ET

GTA Brews Members: You must login to see the link and password. If you have logged in and cannot see them, please refresh the page.

This month we are exceptionally excited to have Tariq Ahmed join us from Revel Cider talk to us about cider brewing! His presentation will focus on Revel Cider, their cider brewing philosophies and a guided tasting of two of their ciders. Please see details on how to get their cider below!

As with any conference call, please mute your microphone if you aren't speaking, this really helps cut down on background noise. During Q&A segments we will make use of the "Raise Hand" feature.

Continue reading May Meeting: Cider Brewing and Tasting with Revel Cider! →

Summer Thirst Quenchers Bottle Share!

Advent Calendar, Event, Needs Current Membership, , ,

Exchange Date: Sunday June 26th, 2022 @ 3:30 PM (Don't be late!)Exchange Location: To Be Announced, but in TorontoParticipation Fee: FREE

Some feedback coming out of the member survey this yea...

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!

April Meeting: Lager Brewing and Tasting with Sonnen Hill!

Club Meeting, ,

Date: Monday April 11th, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM ET

GTA Brews Members: You must login to see the link and password. If you have logged in and cannot see them, please refresh the page.

This month we are exceptionally excited to have Calum and Lauren join us from Sonnen Hill Brewery talk to us about lagers! Their presentation will focus on brewing lagers and will include a guided tasting of four of their beers, so make sure you check out some ways (see here) you can get their beers before April 11th!

As with any conference call, please mute your microphone if you aren't speaking, this really helps cut down on background noise. During Q&A segments we will make use of the "Raise Hand" feature.

Continue reading April Meeting: Lager Brewing and Tasting with Sonnen Hill! →

Pre-Meeting Post - Sonnen Hill Group Order!

Club Meeting, ,

GTA Brews Members: You must login to see details related to the Sonnen Hill Group Order!. If you have logged in and cannot see them, please refresh the page.

This may be a wee bit early to be talking about a meeting that's about 2 weeks away BUT there's good reason for it! Our guests for our April meeting will be Calum and Lauren from Sonnen Hill Brewing and the focus will be on lagers!

Part of that meeting will include a guided tasting of four of Sonnen Hill's lagers (Low & Slow, Vienna, Munich and Gold). If you plan on attending the Club Meeting on Monday April 11 @ 7:30pm - and you'd like to participate in that guided tasting you can do one of the following:

  1. Place an order for these four beers direct from the brewery; OR
  2. Locate these beers yourself via one of the retailers (e.g. Toronto Brewing; Bottega Volo) that carry Sonnen Hill's beers; OR
  3. Participate in our club's group buy in order to save on shipping. If interested in participating in the group order, please email your exact order to meetings@gtabrews.ca. All orders must be submitted by April 4, 2022.
    • Payments will be settled after the order is placed w/ Sonnen Hill
    • East End pickup location (exact location TBD).
    • At this time, we do not have a West End pickup location - if you are interested in serving as a West End pickup location, please email meetings@gtabrews.ca

If you have any questions regarding the guided tasting, please email meetings@gtabrews.ca.

Continue reading Pre-Meeting Post - Sonnen Hill Group Order! →

Grain Buy – Spring 2022

Bulk Buy, Needs Current Membership, ,

The GTA Brews Spring 2022 Grain Buy is open!

We're back at it again with the launch of our Spring  2022 Grain Bulk Buy!  Make sure you take a good look at the catalogue as we have some new additions (Raven from the Czech Republic and Canada's own Prairie Malting).

Thanks again to Toronto Brewing for hosting, please make sure to give them your love and make some purchases on pick up day! All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca.

Key Info:

  • Sign Up Open: Wednesday March 16, 2022
  • Sign Up Close:  April 1, 2022 (11:59 pm)
  • Pick Up Day: Saturday, April 23, 2022 (11:00 am – 2:00 pm)
    • PICKUP LOCATION: Toronto Brewing (Chesswood Location)
    • You MUST book a pickup timeslot
  • NO SPLITS - FULL BAGS ONLY

Reminders

  • Updates are sent to the email registered with your GTA Brews membership account
  • If you didn't get the announcement email or order confirmation, check your spam!
  • Reminder that some items are special order, and may be delayed
  • You can find all your gtabrews.ca orders on your My Account page

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!

Annual General Meeting of GTA Brews - March 6, 2022

AGM

Please RSVP using the form below to help us track expected attendees and make sure we hit our required quorum!

Date: Sunday March 6th, 2022
Time: 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Special note: When joining the Zoom meeting, please ensure your display name is your first AND last name! This will assist with attendance.

GTA Brews Members: You must login to see the link and password. If you have logged in and cannot see them, please refresh the page.

The annual GTA Brews AGM will be conducted from 8:00PM-9:30 PM on Sunday March 6th, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this will be hosted virtually using Zoom, however we hope to make this an exciting annual in-person event in the future. To reach the quorum required to hold the meeting we need 43+ members to attend, so please mark your calendars and plan to attend!

The meeting will be chaired by current President, David Larocque.

Continue reading Annual General Meeting of GTA Brews - March 6, 2022 →

2021 GTA Brews Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar, Event, Needs Current Membership, , ,

Exchange Date: Sat. November 27th, 2021 @ 11:00 AM (Don't be late!)Exchange Location(s): Common Good Beer Company (475 Ellesmere Rd, Scarborough, ON M1R 4E5)Participation Fee: $10

The Annual G...

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!

Grain Buy – Fall 2021

Bulk Buy, Needs Current Membership, ,

The GTA Brews Fall 2021 Grain Buy is open!

We're back at it again with the launch of our Fall 2021 Grain Bulk Buy!  

We hope everyone has had an amazing summer and is staying safe and healthy. Please make sure you read the instructions carefully this year as we have a new homebrew shop partner (The Homebrew Beer Academy) and a new pickup location (Brunswick Bierworks) for this bulk buy. This isn't goodbye to Toronto Brewing, but an effort to partner with both GTA area homebrew shops on these bulk buys. We plan on partnering again with Toronto Brewing for the spring buy in 2022.

All questions should be emailed to grainbuy@gtabrews.ca.

Key Info:

  • Sign Up Open: Friday, August 27, 2021
  • Sign Up Close:  Wednesday, Sept 15, 2021 (11:59 pm)
  • Pick Up Day: Sunday, Oct 3, 2021 (11:00 am – 2:00 pm)
    • NEW PICKUP LOCATION: Brunswick Bierworks
    • You MUST book a pickup timeslot
  • NO SPLITS - FULL BAGS ONLY

Reminders

  • Updates are sent to the email registered with your GTA Brews membership account
  • If you didn't get the announcement email or order confirmation, check your spam!
  • Reminder that some items are special order, and may be delayed
  • You can find all your gtabrews.ca orders on your My Account page

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!

Canadian Homebrew Day 2021

Canadian Homebrewers Association, Community, Event, ,

Yet again our annual Canadian Homebrew Day (CHD) tradition of running Learn2Brew has been cancelled due to COVID-19. But CHD is about much more than just running L2B, and COVID-19 sure won't stop us! CHD is an opportunity to take a moment out of what has been a hectic 12+ months for all of us an enjoy our hobby and craft. Similar to last year, we've organized a virtual brewing session on Zoom:

Join On Zoom (link)
Password: gtabrews
Date: Saturday June 5th, 2021
Time: 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM

If you're free, get a brew going and join us on Zoom to talk all things brewing and some regular old banter. If you're looking for something to brew, there are a few official Canadian Homebrew Day recipes from our friends at the Canadian Homebrewers Association:

David Chang-Sang, Eric Cousineau, and Colin Green will be hosting the virtual brew session:

  • David will be brewing the Tropical Stout
  • Eric will be brewing the Kolsch
  • Colin will be brewing a Triple IPA and partigyle'd Session IPA

If you are indeed brewing that day, please take some pictures and share it with our community and beyond by tagging GTA Brews and #CanadianHomebrewDay in your posts!

Member Profile: David Larocque

Community, Member Profile, , , , ,

 

What is your occupation (outside homebrewing)?

Since 2012 I’ve been working for the Ontario Public Service in various policy roles ranging from health research funding, developing Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot Project and currently working in animal welfare/cruelty policy. Essentially I support the development of government programs/legislation/regulations. I’m also a father of two young girls (3 and 1) which keeps things busy and exciting on the home front. My 3 year old is becoming quite the brewing apprentice.

What got you into homebrewing?

I got more and more interested in the craft beer scene around 2012/13, and a friend of mine started homebrewing around then. After a few chats and a bit of reading I ordered my first kit and never looked back!

Continue reading Member Profile: David Larocque →

Grain Buy – Fall 2019

Bulk Buy, Needs Current Membership, ,

The GTA Brews Fall 2019 Grain Buy is open!

We're back at it again with the launch of our Fall 2019 Grain Bulk 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, 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: Monday September 2, 2019
  • Sign Up Close: Tuesday September 17, 2019 (11:59 pm)
  • Split Night: Friday, October 4th, 2019 (5:30 pm - 8:30 pm)
  • Pick Up Day: Saturday October 5th, 2019 (10:30 am – 1:30 pm)

Reminders

  • Updates are sent to the email registered with you GTA Brews membership account
  • Please sign up to volunteer through the volunteer form below
  • If you didn't get the announcement email or order confirmation, check your spam!
  • Reminder that some items are special order, and may be delayed
  • You can find all your gtabrews.ca orders on your My Account page

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!

Barrel and pH Buffer Bulk Buys

Bulk Buy
With the hop buy and the Spring 2018 Grain Buy wrapped up, GTA Brews is at it again with two exciting bulk buy opportunities! We're launching a bulk barrel buy and a pH buffer buy - please see some details on these opportunities below. Key Dates Sign Up Open: Thursday June 7th, 2018 Sign Up Close: Thursday June 28th, 2018 Payment Deadline: Thursday July  5th, 2018 Pick-Up Date & Location: TBD IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE ANY EMAILS FOR THIS BUY, PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER AND ADD US TO YOUR CONTACTS. Continue reading Barrel and pH Buffer Bulk Buys →