2012 L.A. COUNTY FAIR

25^th ANNUAL

HOME-BREW BEER COMPETITION

Regional Competition

Sanctioned by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP)

Under the supervision of the

 Maltose Falcons Home Brewing Society

Entry Fee - $7.00 per entry

It pays to have a wife who loves a good bargain.

When My wife goes grocery shopping, she always checks that spot in the back where the market sticks its day-old stuff and close-outs. Twice now, I've gone with her to an Albertson's with a good beer selection and found buried treasure back in that hiding place. Once before, it was a couple of bombers of Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Today, it was two 6-packs of Stone Ruination IPA for half off. As far as I can tell, they were back there just to make room in the cooler for something else.

From BlogDowntown:

It appears that the relaunch of Angel City is beginning under the new ownership who bought the brewery from longtime Falcon and brewery founder Michael Bowe. The first batch of beer is a Belgian White Beer temporarily called "Test Beer B" and is on tap at a few places around downtown.

Brewing beer with friends is about as good as it gets!

Today I'm brewing a cream ale with my friends Jim and Jimmy Alden. We're using 20% Quaker Quick Grits in the recipe.

Other than a mistake and scorching the grits the first time (another trip to S&F for another bag of grits fixed that), things are rolling along nicely. Big Jim is manning the BBQ and we'll soon be eating brats and saurkraut. Won't want to be around us after lunch!

Featuring Ventura Surf's Best Beers on Draught!!!

Mondo's Cream Ale

Surfer's Point Vienna Lager

Shaka XPA Extra Pale Ale

Our monthly Club Shop Brew is set for Sunday June 10th at 8:00 a.m. Our Club Treasurer, Kent Fletcher will be leading this crew with the brewing of his Elkwood Wheat.

Your June newsletter.

The Circle of beer life.  

Hello my felllow brewers. Wow is all I've got to say about this year's Mayfaire Festival. What a lot of fun! Since I had to drive home, I stopped drinking early and started shooting video and still photos. I combined some photos and video to make a fun video of our time together. I hope you enjoy it. I uploaded to youtube.com and made a link as follows:

Mayfaire Festival Video - Select Here

David Lester

        Just when I think that a Falcon Fest that I have attended could not be topped.... BOOM! Mayfaire 2012 arrives and I realize that each event just gets better and better.  And no, it is not the fine homebrew talking, as I have had time to come down from that, do all the wonderful “back home, must do laundry, must clean camp kit” and decided that I needed to write this down immediately.

For years I have used wood chips and cubes soaked in random sprits and wines. I finally broke down and bought a barrel that I could fill on my own from Woodinville, a nice little 8 gallon Bourbon Whiskey Barrels that just got dumped. I spent the day making a nice stand to place it on top of a cart to move it around.

Anyways, I waited a few weeks to get mine but I just noticed that both Bourbon and Rye 8g Barrels are available again.

http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/barrels/

I just started a batch of Kosher-style brine-cured dill pickles.  When the weather warms up enough that I can find pickling cucumbers for as little as 99 cents a pound, I like to do that.

We will be releasing the following beers on Draught!

Firestone Wookey Jack Black IPA

Firestone Parabola Russian Imperial Stout

Firestone Velvet Merkin (Aged in Bourbon BBLs) Oatmeal Stout

Firestone Solace Unfiltered Wheat Ale

Call for Reservations  - http://draughtsrestaurant.com/

Strand Brewing

Flight Night Thursday, May 10th from 4:30pm to 9:00pm

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(Most of this article originally appeared in BeerAdvocate the Magazine in March 2011. The reprint is inspired by the latest goofiness at SCHF. Read below for more.)

Congrats to the following Falcons for placing in the 2012 First Round of the AHA

Fox Barrel Cider Dinner

Saturday, May 26th @ 5:00pm

Live Music at 7:00pm

Call for Reservations

Featured Ciders:

SCHF was a blast! For those of you who are heading to NHC in Seattle or are willing to donate a keg or two to the cause of reminding folks why the Falcons are the Falcons - Whatcha got in the hopper?

Kegs are due into the shop by 5pm on Sunday June 17th so that Fletch and company can load them up and take them to Seattle.

The kegs will be brought back to the shop following the NHC.

Please make sure to label your kegs with these instructions - AHA Conference Labels

Hey we need to know what you've got to bring so we can plan what the hell to do - so take a moment and let us know what beer you're going to be bringing (or are willing to drop at the shop by Thursday night)!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE - Results are being held for the Fest on Saturday. Apparently we're doing this old school, but By Grabthar's Hammer, the results will be up Saturday night!

UPDATE - It took a while (Damn you Southern California Homebrewer's Fest!), but the IPA's are judged. Best of Show should happen on Thursday and then the results will be announced!

There will be a Firestone Night at The Instant Replay, the West Valley's best dive/craft beer bar on Monday, April 23 at arnd 6pm.

On the menu is:  Velvet Merlin, Double Jack, XV and others to be named.

Come show this local dive bar some love! http://theirbar.com

Our monthly Club Shop Brew is set for Sunday May 13th at 8:00 a.m. Our Club Publicity Director, Steve Cook, (me) will be leading this crew with the brewing of a Belgian Blond Ale.

I spent some time the last couple of days weeding my hop yard.  Mind you, this is a 5-foot by 25-foot parcel of land on one side of my home that mostly serves as access to the gas meters.  Over the years, I have managed to create plots for hop vines that get trellised both up against the house and, on the opposing side, up against a fence along the property line that is sadly leaning and needs some support.

A free competition brought to you by Boston Ber Company. BJCP Classes 1-23, entry requires 4 bottles (with another 3 held in reserve)

http://www.samueladams.com/promotions/LongShot2012/

Top four brewers selected in the second round are flow, all expenses paid, to the GABF in Denver, CO. Top two brewers (announced at the GABF) will have their beer brewed by Boston Beer and a nice $5k honorarium.

Beers for Californians are due at one of the 3 MoreBeer locations, so factor that in!