Monday July 8th at 7:00 PM Muddy York Brewing Co.
22 Cranfield Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4B 3H1 MAP
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
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!
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!
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!
Monday April 8th at 7:00 PM Northern Maverick Brewing Co.
115 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M5V 2P9 MAP
This month we have three exciting meeting elements!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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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!
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!
Monday December 10th at 7:00 PM 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!
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!
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!
The 5th Annual GTA Brews Advent Calendar is just days away! 24 brewers will swap 24 beers at 7pm on Monday, November 26th at Muddy York. If you’re just hearing about it now, you missed the boat! K...
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If you are already a member, don't forget to Log In!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Time to announce the sign up for out 3rd barrel fill! This time the barrel is being hosted at Peoples Pint Brewing Co.
We will be filling the barrel with a golden sour. 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!
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)!
Saturday morning judging
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→
Our famous hop buy is back for 2018! This year we're excited to have almost a half of ton of hops contracted! Along with the tried, tested and true hops, some notable additions to the hop contract this year include Azacca, El Dorado, and Equinox!
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If you are already a member, don't forget to Log In!
When people think of advent calendars they usually think of candy, but since we are a homebrew club we are thinking beer. A homebrew advent calendar is the best kind of advent calendar since you g...
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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→
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!
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→
A: I am a high school science teacher by day. But that’s not *entirely* outside homebrewing. Long ago, when I taught OAC Biology, I used brewing to illustrate enzyme activity and metabolism while making 50 mL batches – call it a femtobrewery.
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:
By day I work as a Television Editor at Corus Entertainment, by night I’m a Prud’homme Beer Certification instructor and have been working with my business partner and fellow home brewer Pietro Caira to put on People’s Pint events and eventually open a brewery together. Continue reading Member Profile: Doug Appeldoorn→
I’m a database administrator and software developer. For the last 10 years I’ve worked in the IT department at Havergal College, an independent K-12 school for girls. I’ve also had the pleasure of coaching the senior softball team at Havergal since 2008. I’m also co-founder and organizer of the People’s Pint Brewing Collective where Doug Appeldoorn and I bring home brewers together to showcase their talent and creativity. Continue reading Member Profile: Peter (Pietro) Caira→
Currently I’m a brewing student in my 3rd semester at Niagara College’s Brewmaster program. Prior to that I was a software developer and wasn’t super keen on what I was building or the industry. Right now I’ve mostly be focusing on the “less fun” parts of brewing like QA/QC, cellaring and filtering. Continue reading Member Profile: Chris Saunders→
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→
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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→
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!
“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
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 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!
GTA Brews Club Members at Cask Days 2015 – photo by Ken Woods
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!→
The 2015 GTA Brews Advent Exchange is done and we’re off to the races with two separate advent calendars this year! Twice the size from last year, and twice the excitement!
Note for participants: Please remember to indicate which calendar you are drinking when posting on the FB group. Eg. “Drinking beer 21E, great job Nick Perry!”
Brew Slam 2015 judging and awards wrapped up last weekend and it was quite a whirlwind of activity. If you haven’t noticed yet, results from Brew Slam 2015 have been posted to the site. We ended up with 318 entries, 31 judges, and 9 stewards over both days of judging. Pretty great turnout for a first year competition!
Ontario, and Toronto in particular, is currently experiencing a renaissance in homebrew retail, and public interest. There are countless new homebrewers buying starter kits every day, just ask the local homebrew shops (LHBS). This is definitely related to the exponential growth that craft beer in Toronto has experienced in recent years. People have been Continue reading The Toronto Homebrew Scene→
We had a very successful club meeting last Saturday at Mark’s house! It was 35*C outside and calling for rain but we still managed to have a great time and sample lots of awesome beer. We had several members come out and join us for their first meeting, and it was a pleasure meeting all of you in person!
The Gratzer we brewed at Noble Hop at the May meeting came out wonderfully with a medium level of oak smoke character from the 100% oak smoked wheat grain bill. We brewed the wort for a club saison that will be dry hopped with 2 oz of Pekko hops Continue reading July 2015 Meeting Recap!→
When people think of advent calendars they usually think of candy, but since we are a homebrew club we were thinking beer. The idea was that we would get 24 people to sign up and brew a beer to put in the calendar. Each person would be assigned a day of the month so that we are all drinking the same beer on the same night, then we can discuss it. James Kennedy put in the effort to make it happen, organizing the exchange and making the calendar below. In the end we had 26 brewers participate in the exchange. Here’s to a month of great beers!
The calendar schedule for 2014.
I took a few blurry pictures of the exchange, it was a bit cramped and everyone was moving around!
This past weekend was our 15th monthly meeting as a club and I’m constantly amazed that so many great brewers come out to share their beers. We had a good amount of new faces and lots of repeat attendees. I found the that the quality of beer was very high this time around, including beer from several people that were insisting they weren’t that great! Remember, just because you didn’t hit your gravity or mash numbers right on, or it doesn’t taste exactly how you imagined, doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste great!
I dragged them outside in the cold for a picture!
The Brett IPA we brewed in October at Geof Trail’s house was fantastic. On the nose I got a little bit of funk but also tons of tropical fruit (mango, pineapple). Right on with what we were aiming for. I’m hoping to bottle some up to bring to future club meetings, and to do a full review.
Our wonderful hosts Shaun Staples and Peter Kirby guided us through their Brew In a Bag (BIAB) system on stove top. A great system that many small space brewers can take inspiration from. We brewed a clone of Firestone Walker’s Double Barrel Ale, which is an oak aged English Pale Ale.
Unfortunately this was the last meeting for our friend Shaun Staples who has been an active member since meeting #3 and when the group was less than 40 people on Facebook (now over 360!). Best of luck in Australia, come back and visit sometime!
8.5 lbs of Pearl / 2 row (67%)
2 lbs of Maris Otter (16%)
1 lb Munich I (10L) (8%)
12 oz Crystal 75L (6%) (preferably english crystal)
4 oz Crystal 120L (2%)
1 oz Chocolate Malt (0.5%)
0.33 oz @ 14%AA Magnum for 60 mins (13.5 IBU)
1 oz @ 5%AA EKG for 30 mins (11 IBU)
1 oz @ 5%AA EKG for 20 minute whirlpool after FO (4.5 IBU)
1 oz @ 4.5%AA Fuggles for 20 minute whirlpool after FO (4 IBU)
WLP002
1.25 oz Medium toast oak cubes for 14 days, to be added after first 24 hours. Will soak in Whiskey or Cognac first, depending on what’s handy.
![IMG_20141130_131219[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.gtabrews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_20141130_1312191.jpg)
![PANO_20141130_131104[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.gtabrews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pano_20141130_1311041.jpg)
