Tag Archives: homebrew
September Meeting: Share your Kveik Beers with Richard Preiss & Lars Marius Garshol
Monday September 9th 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 six exciting meeting elements!
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- Special Guest: Richard Preiss of Escarpment Labs presents Escarpment’s Kveikstokk
- Special Guest: Lars Marius Garshol the Kveik King of Larsblog
- Recommended kveik reading to get your feet wet!
- Style of the Month: Pilsner & Pale Lager
- Brewing Garage Sale
- Structured Tasting
- Bottle Svvap
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 September Meeting: Share your Kveik Beers with Richard Preiss & Lars Marius Garshol
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
August Meeting: BOTY Winner Panel and Q&A
Monday August 12th 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!
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- Presentation: BOTY Winner Panel and Q&A
- Panelists: Chris Hughes, Darrell Kelly, Matt King, Mark Hubbard, Andrew McCready, Nick Hodowsky, Iain Robertson
- Panel Moderator: Eric Cousineau
- Structured Tasting
- Presentation: BOTY Winner Panel and Q&A
This June 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!
GTA Brews Survey 2019 – 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 30th!
Update: Survey deadline extended until 11:59 PM on Thu Sept 12th!
This survey is open to both members and non-members, since we want to hear from everybody! The survey takes as little as 5-10 mins if you elect to answer only the mandatory questions, or a little longer if you choose 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 gift cards to Brew North and Toronto Brewing! Thanks to our local homebrew stores for donating these prizes to help encourage participation, please support them with your patronage!
This club belongs to all of us, and we want to make sure are all satisfied with the value you get for your membership. There will always be some challenges, but we are always looking for solutions and opportunities to improve. Please share your thoughts in as much detail as you are comfortable with, and we promise to read and seriously consider them.
July Meeting: Brewing by the Numbers with Emily Storey
This month we have four exciting meeting elements!
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- 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
June Meeting: Sake Brewing with Marcelo Paniza
Monday June 17th 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 four exciting meeting elements!
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- Presentation: Marcelo Paniza presents Brewing Sake
- Structured Tasting
- EKG Hop Split from Bulk Buy
- Spring Showdown 2019 – Awards Ceremony
This June we are going back to our gracious host, Northern Maverick Brewing Co.. Thanks for hosting us! This month we have a special GTA Brews Menu that will be available to our members! 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 June Meeting: Sake Brewing with Marcelo Paniza
May Meeting: Backed By Bees Mead & Last Brewer Standing Finale
Monday May 13th 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 four exciting meeting elements!
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- Presentation: Mead Making presented by Vincent Sowa & David Stotesbury of Backed By Bees
- Structured Tasting
- Last Brewer Standing: Grand Finale
- Bi-Monthly Homebrew Bottle Swap
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 May Meeting: Backed By Bees Mead & Last Brewer Standing Finale
April Meeting: You are quite Silly, Sir.
Monday April 8th 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 three exciting meeting elements!
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- Presentation: Pro Brewer – Matti Cowan of Silly Sir Brewing Co. presents: Brewing with Spice and Fruit!
- Eric Cousineau presents: Intro to BJCP Certification
- Structured Tasting
This April we are going back to our gracious host, Northern Maverick Brewing Co.. Thanks for hosting us! This month the “Hoppy Hour” Snack Menu will be available to our members! 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!
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
March Meeting: Tinker Teacher Brewer DIY
Monday March 11th 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 five exciting meeting elements!
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- Presentation: DIY Homebrew Equipment with Ed Hitchcock
- Structured Tasting
- Last Brewer Standing: Semi-Finals Judging & Results
- Company Update: The Tavistock Hop Company
- Bi-Monthly Homebrew Bottle Swap
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!
Club Barrel Fill #4
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!
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- 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
January Meeting: New Year New Beer!
Monday January 14th 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 five exciting meeting elements!
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- Presentation: Intro to Brewing Water v2.2 by Eric Cousineau
- Structured Tasting
- Last Brewer Standing: Round 3 Judging & Results
- Company Update: Richard and Nate of Escarpment Labs
- Bi-Monthly Homebrew Bottle Swap
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!
December Meeting: Holiday Gathering
Monday December 10th at 7:00 PM
People’s Pint Brewing Company
90 Cawthra Ave, Unit #101, Toronto, Ontario, M6N 3C2 MAP
People’s Pint Brewing Company
90 Cawthra Ave, Unit #101, Toronto, Ontario, M6N 3C2 MAP
This month come hang out, swap homebrews, and mingle!
This December we are being hosted by People’s Pint Brewing Company. Thanks for hosting us! We request that everyone spend some money to support our wonderful host. They have plenty of beer-to-go in their bottle shop!
November Meeting: Cider Making with KW Craft Cider
Monday November 26th 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!
- Guest Presenter: Michael Kramar from KW Craft Cider
- New Format for Structured Tasting
- 2018 Advent Calendar: The bottle exchange is happening this meeting! Bring your 30 brews to swap or send a mule – We don’t want any missing dates!
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 November Meeting: Cider Making with KW Craft Cider
October Meeting: Kyle Smith and LBS Round 2
Monday October 15 at 7:00 PM
Northern Maverick Brewing Company
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2P9 MAP
Northern Maverick Brewing Company
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2P9 MAP
This month we have four exciting meeting elements!
- New Structured Tasting Format
- Build-a-Brewery Workshop with Kyle Smith of Gorman & Smith Beverage Equipment
- Last Brewer Standing: Round 2 Judging
- Bottle Exchange
This October 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 October Meeting: Kyle Smith and LBS Round 2
2018 GTA Brews Advent Calendar
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!
September Meeting: Quality Assurance with Escarpment Labs
Monday September 10th 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!
- Guest Presenter: Chris Saunders from Escarpment Laboratories
- New Format for Structured Tasting
- Monthly Swap: Bottle Exchange – No sign-up required! Just bring a 6 pack of your finest brews and you’ll receive a randomized 6-pack to take home! Please try to include your name, beer name and style on the label/sticker.
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 September Meeting: Quality Assurance with Escarpment Labs
Learn2Brew 2018 – Sun. Sept 9th
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be able to brew your own beer at home? Do you enjoy craft beer and want to learn more about how it’s made?
Come join us Sun. Sept. 9th at Toronto’s 10th Annual Learn2Brew event, hosted at Rainhard Brewing Co.
Visit this page for full details:
https://www.gtabrews.ca/learn2brew/
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!
August Meeting: Competition Q&A Panel and LBS Round 1B
Monday August 13 at 7:00 PM
Northern Maverick Brewing Company
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2P9 MAP
Northern Maverick Brewing Company
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2P9 MAP
This month we have three exciting meeting elements!
- Competition/Recipe Q&A Panel with Mike Vandervoort (Henderson Cup & TBOY 2017) and Clayton Hoy
- Last Brewer Standing: Round 1B Judging
- Summer Swap: Bottle Exchange
This August 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 August Meeting: Competition Q&A Panel and LBS Round 1B
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
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
GTA Brews 2018 Hop Bulk Buy
Member Profile: Clayton Hoy
Clayton Hoy
What is your occupation (outside homebrewing)?
Hold on to your butts! I am by title the Operations Manager for Supply Chain Division. Really, I’m mostly an implementation consultant for Warehouse Management Software. Have fun figuring out what that means.
What got you into homebrewing?
Pretty certain I was walking in Loblaws one day and noticed a can of extract they were selling. No idea if they still do or not but I was intrigued by the idea of being able to brew at home. I persisted through so many terrible beers and eventually learned a little bit.
Continue reading Member Profile: Clayton Hoy
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
Learn2Brew 2017 is Sept 17th!
The ever popular Learn2Brew event will return for 2017 on Sept 17th. Visit the Learn2Brew page for full details.
Grain Buy – Spring 2017
The GTA Brews Spring 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: Saturday Apr 29th, 2017
Sign Up Close: Thursday, May 18th, 2017 (11:59 pm)
Payment Deadline: Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017 (11:59 pm)
Split Date: Friday, Jun 2nd, 2017
Main Pick Up Date: Saturday Jun 3rd, 2017 (10:30 am – 1:30 pm) Continue reading Grain Buy – Spring 2017
2017 Hop Bulk Buy
The GTA Brews 2017 Hop Bulk Buy is now open!
Key Dates
Sign Up Open: Tuesday Jan 24th, 2017
Sign Up Close: Thursday Feb 16th, 2017
Payment Deadline: Thursday Feb 23rd, 2017
Split/Pick-Up Date: Saturday March 4th, 2017
Send questions to: hopbuy@gtabrews.ca
Updates will be sent via email you sign up with on the Continue reading 2017 Hop Bulk Buy
Brew Slam 2016 – Wrap Up
Brew Slam 2016 Awards wrapped up just over a week ago, results have been announced, scoresheets were posted, and prizes will be mailed (and emailed) out soon. I think it’s safe to finally start writing this wrap up post after what seems like almost a whole year of prep!
Some notable accomplishments and improvements we made this year:
- All judges Provisonal+ or Pro-Brewers
- Scoresheets returned same day as results Continue reading Brew Slam 2016 – Wrap Up
Details Posted for Learn2Brew 2016!
Member Profile: David Green
David Green
What is your occupation (outside homebrewing)?
I’m the VP of Engineering (and co-owner) at Innovere Medical Inc. I basically work with a small team of awesome people developing and manufacturing MRI compatible patient comfort devices and MRI devices for Continue reading Member Profile: David Green
Membership Drive for the 2016-2017 Season
As our 2015-2016 season draws to a close, we’re excited to announce that we are doing something exciting to drive membership renewal for the 2016-2017 season!
From today until Oct 1st, we have special deals on membership where you buy some swag and get your membership for FREE! After Oct 1st, membership will be available for it’s new price of $10 per year.
Click the button below to visit the Continue reading Membership Drive for the 2016-2017 Season
Cask Days Homebrew Comp 2016 – BJCP Results
Announcing the results from the BJCP component of the 2016 Cask Days Homebrew Competition! Please check the PDF link above for the list of winners. Congratulations to everyone that placed in the competition!
Judges were asked to nominate 1-3 beers from their table to move onto the selection component of the competition where the 10 brewers were selected. In total 21 beers were nominated for the selection round, and it was very difficult to pare that list down to only 10 beers. The selected brewers have been notified privately so we can begin planning, but their names won’t be announced publicly today. Cask Days will announce their names in early August.
Scoresheets containing the judge’s feedback and scores are still being sorted, but they will be sent out very soon.
In total we had 79 entries from 44 brewers submitted. Thank you to our 16 judges, and 5 stewards for their hard work on the judging day, we couldn’t have done this without you. There were plenty of excellent beers submitted and we wish we had enough capacity to brew more, but we we’re only able to select ten.
Don’t forget that Brew Slam 2016 is coming up in September! If you enjoyed this competition, you’ll enjoy Brew Slam even more since it is our flagship homebrew competition. We have thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs, plus several Pro-Ams!
Thanks for Cask Days and Toronto Brewing for their partnership on this competition!
Here’s a few pictures from the final round to tide you over!
Announcing Brew Slam 2016 (#BrewSlam2)
Click Here to go to the main competition page.
Press Release
July 5th, 2016 – Toronto, ON
GTA Brews is pleased to announce the dates and details for our Brew Slam 2016 Homebrew Competition in Toronto. These dates might seem like a ways away, but it’s actually under 3 months away so get brewing and mark the deadline in your calendar!
Entry Deadline: Sept 24th, 2016
Judging Dates: Sept 30th – Oct 2nd, 2016
Judging Dates: Sept 30th – Oct 2nd, 2016
Account registration is open now! Visit the Brew Slam 2016 page for rules and entry details!
About Brew Slam 2016
Brew Slam 2015 (recap) was our club’s first big competition. It was a huge success with 318 entries judged in only 2 days, almost 50 amazing volunteers, and thousands of dollars in prizes!
We are excited to build on last year and make Brew Slam 2016 bigger and better. Our goal is to make this the premier competition in the area for both judges and entrants. Toronto has the largest pool of BJCP judges in Canada which allows us to focus on the best quality judging and feedback possible. We are also excited to work with some fantastic sponsors for even better prizes than last year!
About GTA Brews
We are Toronto’s local homebrew club. Since establishing our club in 2013 we have gained momentum and grown into Canada’s largest homebrew club with well over 200 Paid Members. We bring Toronto area homebrewers together in person, and online, to create a friendly community where we share knowledge, talk shop, and provide feedback on each others homebrews. We welcome members of all experience levels including; potential brewers, new brewers, experienced brewers, and pro brewers.
Announcing the 2016 Cask Days Homebrew Competition
We are very excited to announce that GTA Brews, Cask Days, and Toronto Brewing have teamed up to collaborate on the first ever Cask Days Homebrew Competition. The competition will take place this July, and the deadline to enter is July 12th.
The winners of this competition will work with our partner breweries in August and September to re-brew their beer to be served at Cask Days 2016. This is a rare opportunity for homebrewers to get their name out there and share their love of the hobby with a thirsty crowd of thousands of people.
Visit the competition page to learn more and to register.
Spring Showdown 2016 Results!
Spring Showdown judging happened yesterday April 27th. Scoresheets will be emailed out in the next week or two.
First of all, a huge thanks to all the volunteers for their hard work yesterday. Without the hard work of the judges and stewards this wouldn’t have been possible! I believe this competition was a huge success!
Also a huge thanks to Jordan and Rainhard Brewing for hosting the judging! Also thanks to Patrick Brown, Mark Verok, Andrew Byer, and Eric Cousineau for acting at drop off locations!
The results are posted in pdf below:
We had 63 entries, 16 judges, and 6 stewards. I believe the judging quality was overall high, and from where I was it seemed like judges felt comfortable and were able to focus on writing the best sheets possible.
Member Profile: Andrew Kotowick
This is a new feature we are introducing on our club blog. We will periodically profile some of our club members to help build our sense of community and also to help people get to know each other more. If you would like to volunteer to be profiled please email gtabrews@gmail.com!
*Note from Eric: Andrew is our VP Communications, and also runs our social media. I’m glad he agreed to be our first club member profiled!
Andrew Kotowick
What is your occupation (outside homebrewing)?
For about 10 years I worked in the Casino Gaming industry. I’ve worked at a bunch of casinos around the province and I Continue reading Member Profile: Andrew Kotowick
GTA Brews Spring 2016 Grain Buy
The GTA Brews Spring 2016 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!
Key Dates
Sign Up Open: Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
Sign Up Close: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 (11:59 pm)
Payment Deadline: Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 (11:59 pm)
Split Date: Friday, May 20th, 2016
Main Pick Up Date: Saturday May 21st, 2016 (10:30 am – 1:30 Continue reading GTA Brews Spring 2016 Grain Buy
Announcing Spring Showdown – Homebrew Competition!
Full details are posted here!
http://www.gtabrews.ca/competitions/seasonal-competition/
Entries Deadline: Sunday April 24th, 2016
Judging: Wednesday, April 27th, 2016 at Rainhard Brewing Co.
The third competition in this series will take place in April and have the theme, Spring and Warm Weather Beers! We’ve also added cider for the first time!
Also, we have updated our software to BCOE&M 2.0.1! Check out the slick new UI!
Toronto Big Brew for National Homebrew Day – May 7th
Presented by GTA Brews and Lansdowne Brewery.
“In 1988, May 7 was announced before [US] Congress as National Homebrew Day. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) created AHA Big Brew as an annual event to celebrate National Homebrew Day around the world. AHA Big Brew is held each year on the first Saturday in May.” – The American Homebrewers Association
This event is an AHA registered Big Brew for National Homebrew Day Event.
Homebrew clubs around the USA and around the world celebrate National Homebrew Day differently. Our club has decided to celebrate it by partnering with a great local brewery, Lansdowne Brewery at 303 Lansdowne Ave.
On Saturday May 7th, we will collaboratively brew a 10 bbl batch of wort and split it among 50 club members to take home for a fee of $10 each (to cover the costs of the wort and competition). You can straight up ferment the wort as is, or Continue reading Toronto Big Brew for National Homebrew Day – May 7th
2015 Wrap Up – What A Year!
2015 was a busy year for our club! With 2016 now upon us it’s a great excuse to reflect back at what we accomplished together! It’s also a great time to look forward to the year ahead!
Brew Slam and Summer Showdown
The first thing that comes to mind, is the huge success that was Brew Slam 2015. Our club put together a big competition from scratch this year. Starting Continue reading 2015 Wrap Up – What A Year!