Saturday, July 29, 2023

26 East 50th Ave, Vancouver

Our annual summertime BBQ/party/fundraiser extraordinaire is back! Sample from a multitude of taps of delicious beer, cider, mead, etc. plus a delicious taco bar with plenty of sides, snacks and vegetarian/vegan options.

We’ll also be celebrating the winners of the recent VanBrewers competition. Did you place in the competition? Come and get your medals and prizes!

Free entry for members who bring a (full) 19L keg, $30 for those who don’t, $40 for non-members.

Get your tickets here! VanBrewers members, make sure you’re logged in to purchase your tickets.

Bring extra cash or your credit card for 50/50 and raffle tickets.

The location is right on the Ontario bike route, less than 2 blocks from stops on the #3 and #49 bus lines and a short walk from Langara Station on the Canada Line. Please don’t drive.

The VanBrewers Code of Conduct is in effect for this event and applies to all attendees.

Presidents of other homebrew clubs, please send an email to competitions@vanbrewers.ca if you’d like to attend. We’d like you to attend!

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN FOR THIS EPIC HOMEBREWERS

Take notice that the Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association (VanBrewers) will take place on Saturday, February 4 at 12:00 PM at Container Brewing (1216 Franklin Street, Vancouver). The meeting will be held in their upstairs space.

Container Brewing is graciously hosting us in their space. Please help us thank them by buying a beer or two or by picking up a few cans to-go. Food will be available for purchase at the Burdy food truck outside. Homebrew is welcome (bottles/growlers, no kegs) to be shared during the AGM.

Only VanBrewers members in good standing (e.g. paid-up) as of the date of the AGM may attend the AGM. Renewals and new memberships can be done online. Refer to the box above for your current membership status and expiry date.

The By-Laws of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association are available for review (PDF).

The minutes of the 2022 AGM are available for review (PDF).

We require one member to serve as the Election Chair and run the election portion of the meeting. This member can not be nominated for a position on the 2023 Board of Directors. If you are interested in volunteering, please email secretary@vanbrewers.ca.

Agenda

•     Call to order and verification of quorum
•     Move acceptance of the agenda and election procedures
•     Move acceptance of the minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting
•     Call for nomination of the election chair
•     Report from the President
•     Reports from Officers & Directors
•     New Business / Questions from the Floor
•     Election of 2023-2024 executive
•     Adjournment

Election for the Board of Directors

All officer and director positions on the VanBrewers Board of Directors are for a one-year term which expires at the conclusion of the AGM. Any member in good standing may stand for election to any position. The Board consists of the following positions:

• President (1) – Leader of the club and primary external face. Helps to know a few people in both homebrewing and commercial brewery circles.
• Treasurer (1) – Requires some accounting experience. Have to keep track of club’s financials, including expenses, income from club events/merchandise.
• Secretary (1) – takes meeting minutes, maintains our records, does annual society filings and ad hoc society business.
• Directors-at-large (2 to 4):       
  • Attend monthly executive meetings and monthly club meetings.
  • General responsibilities may include membership management, planning club meetings, maintain social media presence, website management, coordination of local homebrew competitions and judging, coordination of national competition shipments.
  • Coordinate/collaborate on at least one major project or club function per year (e.g., education events, advent calendar, juice buy, collaborative brew days, awards sponsorship).

Nominations may be made in advance by email to secretary@vanbrewers.ca. Email nominations must be received before 11:59 PM on Friday, February 3, 2023.

Members must be present at the AGM to vote; our by-laws do not permit proxy voting. A Zoom option may be available for members who have moved out of Vancouver; if this interests you, please email secretary@vanbrewers.ca. Members attending via Zoom will be considered “present” for the meeting and eligible to vote.

Code of Conduct

The VanBrewers Code of Conduct is in effect at the AGM and all other club activities and events. Please review the Code of Conduct prior to the AGM.

Take notice that the Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association (VanBrewers) will take place on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 7:30 PM via Zoom. We had really hoped to hold this year’s AGM in-person, but… well. 

A link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to members-in-good-standing prior to the AGM.

Only VanBrewers members in good standing (e.g. paid-up) as of the date of the AGM may attend the AGM. Renewals and new memberships can be done online. Refer to the box above for your current membership status and expiry date.

The By-Laws of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association are available for review (PDF).

The minutes of the 2021 AGM are available for review (PDF).

Our current and long-time treasurer, David Haywood, has moved from Vancouver and is not standing for re-election. As such, we are seeking a new treasurer to join the VanBrewers board. As well, at least one at-large director position is open for nominations. All other current board members have indicated their desire to run again, however, nominations for all positions are open for nomination.

We require one member to serve as the Election Chair and run the election portion of the meeting. This member can not be nominated for a position on the 2022 Board of Directors. If you are interested in volunteering, please email secretary@vanbrewers.ca.

Agenda

1. Call to order and verification of quorum   
2. Move acceptance of the agenda and election procedures   
3. Move acceptance of the minutes of the 2021 Annual General Meeting   
4. Call for nomination of the election chair   
5. Report from the President   
6. Reports from Officers & Directors   
7. New Business / Questions from the Floor   
8. Election of 2022-2023 executive   
9. Adjournment

Elections for the Board of Directors

All officer and director positions on the VanBrewers Board of Directors are for a one-year term which expires at the conclusion of the AGM. Any member in good standing may stand for election to any position. The Board consists of the following positions:

• President (1) – Leader of the club and primary external face. Helps to know a few people in both homebrewing and commercial brewery circles.
• Treasurer (1) – Requires some accounting experience. Have to keep track of club’s financials, including expenses, income from club events/merchandise. 
• Secretary (1) – takes meeting minutes, maintains our records, does annual society filings and ad hoc society business.
• Directors-at-large (2 to 4): Attend monthly executive meetings and monthly club meetings.
  • General responsibilities may include membership management, planning club meetings, maintain social media presence, website management, coordination of local homebrew competitions and judging, coordination of national competition shipments.
  • Coordinate/collaborate on at least one major project or club function per year (e.g., education events, advent calendar, juice buy, collaborative brew days, awards sponsorship).

Due to the AGM being conducted on-line, we are encouraging nominations in advance. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the AGM, but submitting nominations online will allow us to prepare for voting in advance and make the meeting run smoother. You can submit a nomination by filling out the nomination form. Advance nominations must be submitted by 7:30 PM on February 2, 2022.

Members must be present at the AGM to vote; our by-laws do not permit proxy voting.

Code of Conduct

The VanBrewers Code of Conduct is in effect at the AGM and all other club activities and events. Please review the Code of Conduct prior to the AGM.

Thursday, March 25, 2021 – 7pm PDT

For our March 2021 meetup we’re delighted to be joined by Matt Hamill and Morgan Rattray from Red Shed Malting in Penhold, Alberta. Matt and Morgan will give us a virtual tour of their family-run malting operation.

This presentation is open to both VanBrewers members and non-members. Members, you will receive an email with the Zoom information as usual. Non-members, you may register for the meeting here.

Red Shed Malting – Penhold, Alberta Red Shed Malting is a 4th generation family farm that combines the Hamill parent’s love of agriculture with the Hamill son’s love of craft beer. We’re focused on supporting our community, and crafting Canadian, Sustainable, and Traceable malts in one of the best malt growing regions in Canada! We were the first craft malthouse in Alberta, and we brought the first malt roaster to Canada (if you think it looks remarkably similar to a coffee roaster, you’re on the right track!)We work hard on the farm, with our partners at the Lacombe Field Crop Development Centre, to ensure our quality extends from the best seed, to the best malt, to the best beer in your glass. 

Matt Hamill – Penhold, Alberta Matt attended Malt Academy in Manitoba, and won a Nuffield Farming Research Scholarship in 2017 where he was able to travel the world learning about best practices in malting and related industries. When he’s not at the malt house, his day job in agricultural banking keeps him active in the farm community attending trade-shows and talking to farmers. Matt also volunteers with the Piper Creek Optimist Club of Red Deer, Olds College Ag Lenders Workshop, & the Advancing Ag’s mentorship program.

Morgan Rattray – Calgary, Alberta Morgan is the Sales Manager for Red Shed Malting, a BJCP Certified Judge, and sits on the Board of Directors for the newly formed Pink Boots Society Canada (Marketing Lead), as well as her local Homebrew Club’s Board – The Cowtown Yeast Wranglers (General Board Member.) She’s the first non-family member to join Red Shed Malting, and for a city girl, she’s learning the ways of the farm pretty quickly! She’s a fast reader, slow knitter, and jokes that one day she’ll start the Dead Beer Society as an ode to her love of historical and seldom produced beer styles. (Lichtenhainer forever!)

Take notice that the Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association (VanBrewers) will take place on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 7:30 PM via Zoom. A link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to members-in-good-standing prior to the AGM.

Only VanBrewers members in good standing (e.g. paid-up) may attend the AGM. Renewals and new memberships can be done online (https://vanbrewers.ca/join/annual-membership/). As a reminder, we have recently transitioned to a new membership platform; please log into your account on https://vanbrewers.ca to verify your membership status.

The By-Laws of the Vancouver Homebrewers Association are available for review (PDF).

The minutes of the 2020 AGM are available for review (PDF).

Agenda

1. Call to order and verification of quorum
2. Move acceptance of the agenda and election procedures
3. Move acceptance of the minutes of the 2020 Annual General Meeting
4. Call for nomination of the election chair
5. Report from the President
6. Reports from Officers & Directors
7. New Business / Questions from the Floor
8. Election of 2020-2021 executive
9. Adjournment

Elections for the Board of Directors

All officer and director positions on the VanBrewers Board of Directors are for a one-year term which expires at the conclusion of the AGM. Any member in good standing may stand for election to any position. The Board consists of the following positions:

• President (1) – Leader of the club and primary external face. Helps to know a few people in both homebrewing and commercial brewery circles.
• Treasurer (1) – Requires some accounting experience. Have to keep track of club’s financials, including expenses, income from club events/merchandise. 
• Secretary (1) – takes meeting minutes, maintains our records, does annual society filings and ad hoc society business.
• Directors-at-large (2 to 4): 
  • Attend monthly executive meetings and monthly club meetings.
  • General responsibilities may include membership management, planning club meetings, maintain social media presence, website management, coordination of local homebrew competitions and judging, coordination of national competition shipments.
  • Coordinate/collaborate on at least one major project or club function per year (e.g., education events, advent calendar, juice buy, collaborative brew days, awards sponsorship).

There is currently one vacant Director-at-large position; the other members of The Board have indicated that they will stand for nomination in their current positions. We encourage anyone interested in serving on the Board to stand for nomination.

Due to the AGM being conducted on-line, we are encouraging nominations in advance. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the AGM, but submitting nominations online will allow us to prepare for voting in advance and make the meeting run smoother. You can submit a nomination by filling out the nomination form. Advance nominations must be submitted by 7:30 PM on January 27, 2021.

Members must be present at the AGM to vote; our by-laws do not permit proxy voting.

Code of Conduct

The VanBrewers Code of Conduct (PDF) is in effect at the AGM and all other club activities and events. Please review the Code of Conduct prior to the AGM.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… time for the annual VanBrewers Advent Calendar! Every year, 24 VanBrewers submit 28 bottles of their amazing homebrew and produce the legendary VB Advent Calendar. This members-only perk easily holds its own against every commercial beer advent calendar on the market.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/BrPvnGwuh1cusrtu5

If you would like to participate:

1. Complete the sign-up form in full.
2. You will be invoiced for $35. For this you will be given 28x 12oz bottles (pick-up TBD).
3. You will provide VanBrewers with 28 bottles of homebrew (all the same beer).
4. The bottles must all be labelled with your name, ABV, name of beer and style. Your label can be elaborate and rival any commercial beer, or it can literally be duct tape and sharpie.
5. You will return the box of 28 beers to a TBD location by November 22nd.
6. We will organise them into 24-bottle advent calendar boxes that we are having made.
7. The advent calendars will be available from a TBD location in late November
8. Everyone will have same beer on the same day – a thread or chat will be created.
9. December 1 – start your advent calendar!

Participation rules:

1. Participation is limited to VanBrewers members in good standing only.
2. 1.If you sign up please don’t leave us dry and not turn in your beer.
3. We want 28 bottles. That’s 28! This is so we have spares if some get broken and we can create 3-4 extra sets which we will give to some of the lovely people who have been so kind to us over the year.
4. The first 24 people to sign up will be invoiced. If they fail to pay the invoice the option will pass to the next in the list. There will be a standing wait-list.
5. No sets are for sale, the only way to get the beers is to brew and participate.
6. Please don’t use your own bottles, the boxes are being specifically made to our bottles.
7. Any beer or cider is acceptable.

If you have any questions please email David: treasurer@vanbrewers.ca

VanBrewers has set up a trial with Lallemand in regards to sending out packets of their new strain WildBrew: Philly Sour. This yeast is able to sour a beer without needing to kettle sour. We will mail out dry yeast packets to any paid-up VanBrewers member free of charge. Once everybody gets their packet, we can all brew our beer and do a show-and-tell of our experiences with this strain at the November 26th club meeting. Please fill in this form if you would like to participate; deadline to sign up is be October 22nd.

https://forms.gle/THGWmzng7gNo1Bqt7

For the last number of years, VanBrewers has partnered with Taves Family Farms in the Fraser Valley for a bulk apple juice purchase. In recent years, this has been expanded to include other fruit juices, as well as a heritage cider mix. While 2020 has not been kind to most of us, thankfully we can all again participate in this years 2020 VanBrewers Juice Buy!

The juice buy is for paid-up members in good standing only. If you’re not a member, but wish to participate, we can sign you up at the same time so you can make that tasty, tasty cider! Please complete the order form below, and it will be updated as and if the farm runs out of anything. First come, first served for what stock is available.

https://forms.gle/HSuqJVpmos9APsVr6

Pandemic got you down? Looking to brew something new and help others in the process? Vanbrewers is hosting the All Together initiative. Full disclosure, we’ve been meaning to post this for a while but we all seem to be operating a little slower these days…

For every member that brews this beer, Vanbrewers will donate $10 to Coast Mental Health. CMH is a Vancouver-based non-profit that provides individuals with mental illness with support services, housing, employment, and education. Simply email president@vanbrewers.ca to let us know you’re participating.

Our friends at Centennial Homebrewing and Fraser Mills Fermentation are here to help! For everyone that buys ingredients for this recipe at either of these stores will receive 10% off their order.

Join us in the Vanbrewers facebook group to post your brewing updates so we can all follow along!

Recipe here: https://vanbrewers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ALL-TOGETHER-HOMEBREW.pdf

As homebrewers, we all know that the brewing community lacks in diversity. As a club, we’ve discussed the importance of ensuring we create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for celebrating our shared passion for brewing. Vanbrewers has always operated as an inclusive club where discrimination is not tolerated.

But we need to do more. We need to speak up and say it out loud. We need to demonstrate it.

We are proud to participate in the Black is Beautiful brewing initiative to help bring awareness to systemic racism and promote inclusivity in our homebrew community.

For every member that brews this beer, Vanbrewers will donate $10 to Hogan’s Alley Society.

If you are unable to brew but would like to participate, you are welcome to donate. Vanbrewers will be matching donations up to $500. Simply email president@vanbrewers.ca to let us know you’re participating.

Our friends at Centennial Homebrewing and Fraser Mills Fermentation are also here for the cause! For everyone that buys ingredients for this recipe at either of these stores will receive 10% off their order.

Weathered Souls has provided the homebrew-scaled recipe, which is a big gorgeous stout. Everyone is welcome to put their own little creative spin on it, hence the graphic with shades from tan to black.

*Join us in our facebook group to post your brewing updates so we can all follow along!*

Recipe here: https://vanbrewers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Black-is-Beautiful_Homebrew-Recipe.pdf