After this incredibly long, intensely hot summer, I know I’m not the only one that is welcoming the return to the fantastic weather that we Arizonians enjoy for most of the year. As soon as the heat starts to break at night, I know that Brewing Season is about to start. My thoughts drift to the inevitable question – what am I going to brew, first? That question seemed a bit premature to me, this year. Even if I wanted to brew tomorrow, my brewery is still all torn up in pieces with a bunch of long awaited upgrades that I have been planning for several years. But fear not. I think that my labor is about to bear fruit. I’m currently putting the final touches on the new system – the Sudsmaster 3000e. What’s the ‘e’ for, you ask – well, it stands for electric. Yep, I’ve added another fuel to my brew stand. I’ve taken all the things I learned designing Dennis’ system (and added a few more things, just to make him jealous)… The new system has a 6000w HLT, and a 3500w induction plate for the boil. I also took the opportunity to upgrade my pumps to the new Spike Flow pumps (similar to the Blichmann Riptides. My garage is uninsulated, currently – but maybe in a couple of years I can finish the insulation and add an air conditioner. At that point, I will finally be able to say that brewing season is, well, all year long!
As fall approaches, we will swing into a lot of of our signature events. Our annual Oktoberfest is this weekend, and the weather should be great! Come and hang out with us at Kiwanis park on October 14th. There will be lots of great homebrew and pot luck food to enjoy. Tyler and the comp committee finished judging over 180 beers. Come cheer on your fellow ASH members as they receive their well deserved medals.
The first weekend in November (November 4th) is the annual “Learn How to Homebrew” day brewout at the clubhouse. This is the first brewout of the “brewing season” at the clubhouse, and is a great opportunity to show off your skills and equipment and to help any prospective new homebrewers understand our passion. Bring your system by (or reserve our club system), and brew up a batch. If you can’t brew that day, then consider bringing some homebrew and some friends for some show and tell.
Our lounge remodel is in the final phases. We are finishing up the drywall and hope to have the lounge back together in late November – just in time for our annual Holiday party pot luck party. If you are handy with a paintbrush or a drywall knife, we can really use your help getting that across the finish line! Also, the final touches on the design of our new RO system, with a 150 gallon capacity is currently wrapping up, and we hope to have the system up and running around that time, also. We will have to build a new, sturdy rack for those barrels and could really use some extra hands.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a big thank you to all the people that have helped us transform the lounge into a much more usable space for us. They braved the heat of the summer, long hours, and of course – a shirtless Barry after a solid schvitzing session. It’s been a labor of love and and we really hope that you will enjoy and take advantage of this new space. To complete the lounge and make it usable for more of the year, we are launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a new (or gently used) 4 ton air conditioner. When that space is completed and conditioned, we can potentially use it for third party events, which will generate revenue and keep ASH going for many more years to come. We need your help sharing that link and evangelizing the club to achieve our goal. Please consider a one time donation to this campaign. Thank you!
TLDR; It’s an exciting time for ASH. We look forward to your continued support and participation in our events. Let’s get out there and enjoy this great weather, and all the great homebrew that this season affords us!