Take a break from the stress of holiday shopping and join fellow homebrewers for the annual DRAFT Family-Friendly Holiday Party on Friday, December 13, 2013.  We will be opening the doors of the Columbian Hall (4704 Burkhardt Ave., Dayton, OH 45403) at 6 p.m. for this special event.  Members and guests are welcome to enjoy a dinner of succulent ham, provided by DRAFT.  Those in attendance are encouraged to bring a side dish and homebrew to share with fellow guests.  There will be door prizes and raffles, as well as a mystery bottle exchange (if you wish to participate-not obligatory).  As if that were not enough, brewers of the Rock-It Cup competition will be having a ”mini-cask fest” too.  Cheers!

BrewTensils will be hosting an advanced homebrewing class this Thursday night at 7 p.m.  This class is perfect for the extract homebrewer who is looking to make the “jump” into all grain brewing.  The class will be taught by BrewTensils’ own Frank Travers.  There will also be members of DRAFT on hand to discuss brewing techniques and Dayton’s very own homebrew club.  The cost for the class is free.  An RSVP to Frank at 937-252-4724 is appreciated, but not required.  Cheers!

If you love brewing, but hate bottling, this class is for you.  This class will cover the basics of kegging your own beer.  All of the information you need to buy equipment, set it up and carbonate your beer will be covered.  Best of all, the class is FREE!  RSVP to Frank Travers at BrewTensils at 937-252-4724 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 7 p.m.  Cheers!

Don’t miss this month’s membership meeting!  DRAFT’s very own Jake Browning will be giving an educational presentation on brewing lagers.  If you have ever wanted to brew a lager, you must make it to this meeting.  Jake has won numerous awards and accolades for his homebrewed lagers.

We will also be holding elections for the 2014 Board of Elections.  While nominations for the positions were originally made during October’s member meeting, it is still possible for all paid members to write in votes for potential Board Members / Trustees.  At the present time, there is an opening on the ballot for the club’s Communication Director.  If you or someone you know is interested or talented in web designing, bring them to Friday’s meeting.  They could end up helping DRAFT move into the future with a fresh, new online presence!

DRAFT meets every second Friday of the month at the Columbian Hall (4704 Burkhardt Rd., Dayton, OH 45403).  Our meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. with a social hour.  At 8:00, there is usually a brief educational presentation and business meeting.  The rest of the meeting is a continuation of social time with tasting, sampling and conversation for all.  Your first two meetings are free, so I encourage you to see if our club meets your expectations (risk free).  After that, yearly dues are only $24 per household.

Saturday, November 2, 2013 – 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Bring your brewing equipment to BrewTensils and meet, greet and converse with fellow homebrewers.  Better yet, bring a friend and show them what fun homebrewing can be!  There will be food, fun and raffles courtesy of DRAFT.

As always, filtered water and limited electricity are provided.  In addition, BrewTensils will provide 10 pounds of Briess two row malt OR 6.6 pounds of bulk liquid malt extract to those brewing on premises.  There is no cost to attend the brew out!  Simply RSVP to Frank at BrewTensils at 937-252-4724.  Cheers!

The new “Local Events” tab at the top of our homepage is the place to find the latest information on local beer events, classes and brew outs.  Please check it out and tell us what you think!

Friday night’s meeting will include an educational presentation by Dave Williamson entitled “Dude, What’s in my Beer?”.  In his presentation, Dave will explain what causes various flavors and conditions that occur in homebrewed beers.  Dave is a BJCP certified judge and has a wealth of knowledge to share with all of us!  October’s meeting is also the opportunity for membership to make nominations for next year’s Board of Directors (to be voted on during Nov. meeting).  If you are a DRAFT member, you will want to be present to exercise your democratic rights and influence the future direction of our club.

DRAFT usually meets on the second Friday of the month at the Columbian Hall (4704 Burkhardt Rd., Dayton, OH 45403) Our meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. with a social hour.  At 8:00, there is usually a brief educational presentation and business meeting.  The rest of the meeting is a continuation of social time with tasting, sampling and conversation for all.  Your first two meetings are free, so I encourage you to see if our club meets your expectations (risk free).  After that, yearly dues are only $24 per household.

The location of BrewFest has changed.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are moving this year’s BrewFest to the Mangan Banquet Center (1585 Grange Hall Rd., Beavercreek, OH 45432).  Nothing else has changed.  Dinner will still be a chili cookoff and all judges, members, entrants and sponsors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Members: Please feel free to bring a desert or side dish to go along with the chili.  DRAFT will supply the place settings.  Please bring some homebrew to share.

Sincerely,

Scott Young

President -DRAFT

BrewFest 2013

Brewfest is the annual Dayton DRAFT Homebrew festival.  Held every year on the 2nd Sat. in September, Brewfest has become Dayton’s largest homebrew competition.  Several NHC medal winners have honed their recipes at Brewfest.

*** We are currently taking entries and volunteers for judges and stewards until Wednesday, September 4, 2013***

Brewfest Link:  www.brewfest.brewcompetition.com

Eligibility
The sixteenth annual Dayton BrewFest is open to all homebrewed beers, meads & ciders. For tips on entering your beers in competitions check out Darren’s blog.

Entries & Instructions
Each entry should consist of 2- 12 ounce bottles, with all commercial labels removed. Kegged beer that is counter-pressure filled into bottles is acceptable for this competition and is considered bottled beer. All entries must be using the link on the left side of daytondraft.org. Simply fill out the form, print out the bottle tags and attach the labels to each bottle with a rubber band. If you don’t follow these instructions the competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify your entry.

Entry Fees & Deadlines
The entry fee for this competition is $5 per entry. Please make checks payable to DRAFT. DO NOT SEND CASH. Entries that are to be shipped should arrive by August 27th and can be sent to Miami Valley BrewTensils 2617 S. Smithville Rd. Dayton OH 45420. Local entries and fees may be dropped off from Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. until  Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.   Judges and stewards may hand-carry entries.

Packaging & Shipping
ALWAYS KEEP THE ENTRY FEE WITH THE BEER, regardless if the entries are mailed, dropped off in advance or hand-delivered on the day of the competition. If beers are mailed, please put the entry fee in a water-resistant zip-lock plastic bag. This will help keep the checks from being damaged by water. DO NOT SEND CASH! Make checks payable to DRAFT. Do not mail entry fees separately from the beer.

Judging
The judging will take place in open sessions on September 14th. We will make every effort to secure qualified BJCP judges. Register to be a judge on the BrewFest site at www.daytondraft.org. Judges and Stewards will be awarded experience points in accordance with the BJCP competition rules. Judges will also be supplied a sticker with their judging information on it for their judging forms. The competition will begin at 9:00 AM however we request that Judges and Stewards arrive by 8:30 AM for assignments. Local drop-offs and hand-carried entries should arrive by 8:30 AM as well.

Awards & Prizes
Every effort will be made to return score sheets with judges’ comments promptly to all entrants. Handsome wooden plaques, generously provided by contest sponsors, will be awarded for flight winners. Second and third place winners will receive ribbons. Awards will also be presented for Best of Show and Best of Dayton. Winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet and pot-luck held Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 6 PM at the Columbian Hall. Scoresheets and awards may be picked up in person at this time. Those scoresheets and awards not picked up at the competition will be mailed later. Winners will also be posted on the DRAFT website.

All entries become the property of DRAFT and will not be returned.

If you have any question regarding this competition e-mail Darren Link at darren@schwartzbeer.com

We here at DRAFT would like to give a shout out to one of our very own, Jeff Fortney.  Jeff won first place in the India Pale Ale category at the 25th annual Beer and Sweat sponsored by the Bloatarian Brewing League of Cincinnati.  The event was held on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at the Holiday Inn in Erlanger, KY.  Well done, sir!