Embedded Files
Registration for the 2026 Michigan Cider Madness CLOSES ON 2/23 AT 11am!
February 2026
*** THE RESULTS ARE IN***
DÉJÀ BRÜ Will Moreau - Bronze - Pre-Prohibition Porter!
See all the results here: https://dejabru.org/
Michigan Cider Madness
Registration is still open! You can add or make updates to your entries until Monday!
https://reggiebeer.com/ReggieEntry.php...
Michigan Cider Madness Awards Ceremony
We are VERY excited to announce our Awards this year will be held at our Title Sponsor- Baynes Apple Valley & Cider Project!
Baynes is the perfect spot to hold our awards! They have fantastic food and Craft Beer and Ciders from all over Michigan! Including their own branded ciders from apples grown right there in Freeland!
We will be presenting the coveted ‘Silver Apple Trophy’ and awarding all the medals! Plus, you know there will be door prizes too! We hope you can attend and support our sponsor; there is lots there to see and taste!
CRHC Barrel update
The Barleywine barrel signup is full at this point. 2/12/26
Brewers are: Will Moreau, Larry Kula, Denny Stinehart, Lee Bentley. David Gesinski, Pete Pafford , John Pierce, Paul Naumann, Josh Dugger Tony Atk, Bill Drake, Derek Porritt, Zack Peterson
We took 13 brewers this time because we have some first time in the barrel brewers. We always taste the beers before we add them, so we don't accidently spoil the barrel. Remember, this beer will be in the barrel for at least 1 year and you will receive a portion back and the Club keeps 5 gallons for events, gifts, and competitions.
***Siciliano's Competition ***
Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition is coming! Who’s going to take home the best trophy in all of Michigan?
Registration opens March 1st
Judging is April 25th
2 entries per person. 150 entry limit
$15 per entry
Beers due April 20th
https://brewingcompetitions.com/sicilianos/...
CRHC February Meeting and Beer of the Night
Great Educational presentation on using a Oktober canner from Lee at our February meeting!
Your winner of Beer of the Night, in a landslide - Larry Kula with his Kniesenack! Tony really brought it with his pulled pork and assortment of sauces for our food offering; plus he donated back to the Club the money collected!
NATIONAL HOMEBREWING CONFERENCE
All the information you need to attend the premier homebrewing event is here: All FUN, All the CLASSES,
All the FRIENDS, All the BEER!!! Don’t miss out!
Let’s represent the CRHC!!
Registration for the conference opens the end of February. Hotel info with conference is posted now.
https://homebrewersassociation.org/
***CRHC Michigan Cider Madness 2026***
Our CRHC Michigan Cider Madness is OPEN for registration!
Cider ONLY using the 2025 Guidelines.
$15 per entry - 2 bottles per entry.
Judging March 7th at the Castle Museum.
Online Registration is also open for Judges.
Drop Off Sites: Hop Craft Supply - Saginaw. Sicilianos' Market - Grand Rapds, Blom Mead & Cider - Ann Arbor
Shipping Sites: Hop Craft Supply
https://www.reggiebeer.com/ReggieEntry.php...
***NATIONAL HOMEBREWING COMPETITION 2026***
It’s time for the National Homebrew Competition! Registration is open now through Feb 25th!
Each site has its own shipping & judging dates so pay close attention.
You must be an American Homebrewers Association member to enter this competition
(You can join now if you’re not a member)
A new reduced pricing is in effect - $19 for the first round! If you make to the final round it’s $10 extra at that time.
Each Brewer may enter 10 entries! 2 bottles each for the first round. Beer, Cider and Mead may be entered!
Gold, Silver & Bronze move on to the Final Round
($10 each - 3 bottles)
Links to all the sites are here along with all the info you need:
https://homebrewersassociation.org/national-homebrew.../
January 2026
Update to the CRHC Bylaw's wording was approved by the Officers
*Approved by General Membership on 2/6
This will need to be then approved by the general member at a meeting. Italics are the new inserts and/or wording.
ARTICLE ONE – Membership Agreements
Section 1. Membership Agreement and Code of Conduct
The Executive Board shall codify a membership agreement that is required for all
members. The agreement shall outline acceptable behavior and risks assumed by
members. The Code of Conduct is published on the Website under Documents
Section 2. Release of Liability and Hold Harmless
The Executive Board shall codify a release of liability and hold harmless that is required
for all members. The Hold Harmless is published on the Website under Documents
Section 3. Registered Members
For all purposes contained within, by paying dues you are considered an active member of the Cass River Homebrew Club, unless suspended or on probation. Probationary members cannot participate in Club trips. special events will be at the discretion of the Officers. They may attend meetings. By paying your dues you automatically agree to the Code of Conduct and the Release of Liability and Hold Harmless agreement. That the following statements will be upheld: that I embody not only the Cass River Homebrew Club, but I also am an ambassador of the home brew hobby to my community. Therefore, I agree to follow the member code of conduct during club-organized or club-sanctioned events
Section 4. Probation and Dismissal of a Member
The Executive Board shall hold an Officers Meeting with all Officers present. There must be a 60% vote to dismiss or put a member on probation. A verbal warning (at the time of the incident or as soon as possible to avoid embarrassment) with a follow up email is the first step in probation. A letter shall be sent laying out the reasons after verbal warnings according to the Code of Conduct with the Boards of Officers decision on Probation or Dismissal. The term of probation shall be 3 months, 6 months. or the balance of the year at the discretion of the Officers. Additional infractions shall result in immediate dismissal.
CRHC Survey
It’s time for the annual CRHC Survey!
This survey about our club and events helps the Officers plan out upcoming events and adds quality to our meetings.
Please try to answer by February 18th These are completely anonymous!
Please give yourself 10-20 minutes to answer all the questions and help grow our program! There are 2 pages so be sure to click the ‘NEXT’ button to fill out both.
We will have a laptop available if you would like to fill out the survey at the meeting.
https://forms.gle/3cxxszFwnWrfDFgA9
CRHC New Barrel Beer Sign Up & Info
The next beer that the CRHC is going to barrel age is…..BARLEYWINE!
We are shooting for a switch out in April !
We are surprisingly not looking for a specific recipe! If you signup up can write/use a recipe of your choosing!
We just ask that you don’t use any experimental ingredients! All grain brewers only. No DME or LME
American or English? It doesn’t matter. Barleywine is typically between 8-12%abv. (Think 10%)
Typically uses at least 20 pounds of grain.
These aren’t hopped as much as an Imperial IPA and can have some dark fruit notes. BJCP 17D & 22C
In case you are not familiar with the CRHC barrel program; you bring your 5 gallons and when we remove the beer the Club keeps 5 gallons for Club competition entries, gift bottles and Club functions, and you get an equal split of between 4 and 4.5 gallons back. We ask that you do not enter it into any competitions as it is a Club beer.
We also do a taste test before your brew is added so that in case of a fault we don't spoil the whole batch for all the brewers. We take 11\12 brewers at 5 gallons each (this is so we have extra beer so the barrel is full to start, and to top off the barrel during the year or sometimes someone will brew an extra batch)
Currently signed up are: Will Moreau, Larry Kula, Denny Stinehart, Lee Bentley. David Gesinski, Pete Pafford , John Pierce, Paul Naumann,
Comment on the Facebook post, email the Club for a spot or message Lori Moultane Kula to be added.
Will has added this info if you are concerned about mashing this large of a recipe: Message Will if you need any help
Check out this video: https://youtu.be/M9gZHlz01LE?si=LZJ9uSXhkCGZoNgS
Give this a look or research reiterated mash if you don't have the room to mash a grain bill the size of a barley wine. (Generally in the 20lb range..your mileage may vary)
Larry has also offered his 10-gallon mash tun to borrow as he made his batch already. Message him
CRHC BARREL BREWERS
It’s time to switch out another great CRHC Barrel Aged Beer! After a tasting at the Sensory Class it was determined that - The Cass River Predator Doppelbock is ready to come out of the barrel at Paul’s house.
Doppelbock Brewers were: 5gallon each
Paul Naumann, Larry Kula, Pete Pafford, Lee Bentley, David Gesinski, Denny Stinehart, Jonathan Knieper, Josh Dugger, Tony Atk, Ryon Grant, Will Moreau.
It will be switched out when the next brew is ready to go in - hopefully in April.
There is going to be a separate post for the next barrel sign up.
***Competition*** Celebrity Deathmash
Contest info that we have so far…
Styles are listed: https://www.deathmash.org/home/supported-styles
Judging is April 28th. Registration is not open yet.
Brewers can enter 3 styles only! 2 bottles per entry. $5 per entry
We will update with registration info as soon as we know more.
CRHC Holiday Party honors our Brewer of the Year
We might not have taken a ton of pictures today but our Holiday Extravaganza Party was a big hit! We kicked off the afternoon with a pizza & sandwich buffet that also included yummy desserts! Then we honored our 2025 Brewer of the Year; Will Moreau! Following that, we played our annual exchange ingredient game - with not one, but 2 dice for an added twist!
Get ready for some interesting Gilded Santa Brews! Happy Holidays to all our members! and thanks to Cody & Lindsay for having Oracle Brewing Company be our host!
CRHC Member mentioned in Zymurgy
Check out the current issue American Homebrewers Association Zymurgy Magazine (if you’re an AHA Member) and you will find CRHC member Marc Flamion on page 40!
CRHC January Meeting and Beer of the Night
What a great meeting to kick off the new year! Johnny had a cool presentation on using AI for recipe development and More!
We were all especially impressed with AI interpreting BJCP Judging remarks into advice for corrections!
Congratulations to Josh Dugger & Larry Kula for their tie victory for Brew of the Night! Josh had the Coconut Porter and Larry had a Cider made with Heritage apples.
Thanks for the yummy Chilli Mac that Holly sent!
CRHC Participating in the SVRC Winter Fest
Cass River Homebrew Club has been invited once again to have booth at the SVRC Winter Fest on Saturday February 7th from 4-9pm. Set up will be at 1pm ish. We need volunteers to take shifts pouring and people to donate Kegs (partial Kegs welcome) for serving. We have both types of hook ups and potentially have 11 taps if needed. We most likely will have a wine service area so if you have bottled wine or cider to donate that is appreciated too!
December 2025
CRHC Holiday Party
Get ready to close out the Holiday Season with our All New Returning Spectacular Super Colossal Annual Christmas Extravaganza & Holiday Brewing Gift Exchange, Contest and PARTY!
Cody & Lindsay are opening Oracle just for us to celebrate - so you know the beer will be super great!
Saturday January 24th 1pm -4pm
There will be an extreme Pizza/Snack/Dessert buffet for $10 per person.
Of course your significant other is welcome to attend! (Adults only please)
Don’t forget your wrapped brewing ingredient for our gift exchange if you want to participate in the brewing competition for the most coveted trophy in the CRHC - THE Gilded Santa! Which you get to add to AND proudly display in your home!
(Judged in April/May)
We also will be announcing our 2025 Brewer of the Year!
We will need you to RSVP by January 18th for ordering purposes! Please email cassriverhc@att.net
You can pay at the meeting 1/2 or day of or Venmo @Cass_RiverHC
Hope to see YOU there!
Brewer Of The Year (BOTY)
The updated BOTY Rules for 2026 are posted under Documents. Some minor changes to add points for Honorable Mentions and extra points for brewing at a public event as these are teaching events and bring public awareness!
The 2025 Honoree will be announced at the Holiday Party.
Michigan Cider Association Announcement
All the members of the CRHC are proud of our esteemed member Jeff as he is named Director of Membership for the MCA!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A5MqxWpXT/
***COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENTS***
For all the Historical Brewers in the CRHC - Registration for Déjà Brü is open.
This is a historic style only competition with a specific list of beers accepted.
Registration open. Beers due: Feb 13th
Judging: Feb 21st. $10 per entry. 3 bottles per entry.
AND
For our Lady Brewsters - Registration is open for SheBrew!
Both of our Lori’s have medaled at this competition in the past!
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbrewingcompetitions.com%2Fshebrew%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExUmlUc09GVDRRSTlnT2hUZXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5-Rq8rkcv7A5lZD4YCaF-eBHDLogqBOqM0g-U8UZ1xCZJb2l4_4XcbBJ_-YQ_aem_7eHdAAD4yk3pYezN2hc9gg&h=AT03jVgtaLfvZzOhRv6YWCconBDW7NWsgW8b1OAqSEG-C_1-jkNi1xlDF0aID0xCYidZYUc_m43GQvKBnkhtmt9lin-0HbREGWNg6eBLhZa613elnNC5Jto24ArUkLtr6FEP7RD5EJLBgGxX&__tn__=R]-R&c[0]=AT2UTapOpdJlBaUDlaEYr9H9_7jfse6BPBx27lK9At-oIJwx9tTnplJNyqGIX_zSDkeySab8Ca5eMcNpOFhjSQQy7QL2wuOegKbjuehzPSAmmCZaMMN6R-DXKWcl8jBQmEJU3upVqgdLP-vNx376SdezVu-kJ_ol-jthb7S7iX_K1ug
A Message from our outgoing President
Dear Cass River Homebrew Club family,
As my term as President comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve shared. What started as a group of people passionate about brewing back in 1988 has grown into a true community — one filled with laughter, creativity, and friendships forged into a family over pints of beer!
I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me for the past two years as your President and the 6 years before that, that I served as Secretary; the countless hours spent experimenting with recipes, and the joy of raising a glass together. What a great time we have had these years! We celebrated the Clubs 35th Anniversary, took many memorable trips, camped at MHF, and number of us have won Best of Show awards! I am most proud of how far the CRHC has come!
Leading this club has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I will always cherish the memories we’ve brewed along the way.
I know the Cass River Homebrew Club will continue to thrive in 2026 under our new President; Will Moreau. Our spirit of camaraderie is stronger than ever, and I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes us.
Thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your President. I’ll still be here — tasting, cheering, and celebrating alongside you. Here’s to the future, and to many more pours shared together.
With gratitude,
Lori Kula
Outgoing President,
Cass River Homebrew Club
Beer Sensory & Social Night #3
"Beer Sensory & Social" is back for its third edition!
We'll be back in Bay City for this one, as Randy will be hosting. It will be a great session, with our typical hour (approximately) of sensory practice and another hour for casual beer sharing and camaraderie. Word on the street is that Randy may have some specialty homebrew for the event as well!
Please let Johnny know if you have any beers you would like to volunteer for the sensory portion of the event. As a reminder, this an opportunity to get high quality feedback to improve your beer. If you share a beer, you are entitled to any scoresheets filled out for it, all of which include a section with suggestions to improve the beer.
You do not have to be pursuing a BJCP certification to participate in the beer judging / sensory portion of the event - all members are welcome!
Please RSVP if you're interested in attending, so that we can have enough scoresheets and pens / pencils for everyone during the judging / sensory practice!
Missing Linck 2025 News
We received the score sheets from Missing Linck 2025!
Well….kinda. I have a spreadsheet that the comments from the Judges are on and a total score. It’s gonna take me a bit to sort out who’s are who’s and copy each comment. I will send you an email with your comments and total score as soon as I can.
There were 44 entries not including the 8 in the Ancient category. The 44 were divided into Malty, Light & Hoppy, Spicy & Sour, and Not Quite Beer.
As a reminder our Club took the top 3 spots and had 5 that went to the Best of Show round!
CRHC Officers for 2026
Congratulations to our new 2026 CRHC Officers! Will Moreau, President; Lee Bentley, Vice President; Heather Bentley, Secretary; Larry Kula, Treasurer; and Denny Stinehart, Sergeant at Arms.
Beer of the Night for December
Congratulations to Johnny Lee Bavlsik on his Beer of the Night win; with his Cold IPA! He had 5 votes! Larry was 2nd with 3 votes.The members who participated in Beermas have a whole bottle of #6 - Claus Cold One to themselves
CRHC Officer Elections
Reminder: Officer elections will take place at the December 5th Meeting! If you cannot be in attendance and want to vote email the Club with your choices from the ballot that was sent to all members in good standing 2 weeks ago. Email by Thursday 12/4 CassRiverHC@att.net
November
The Days of Beermas Event
We currently have 9 entries for our "9 Days of Beermas" exchange! If you plan on participating Registrations Close on November 23rd.
The 12 Days of Beermas by CRHC
CRHC Fall Trip
The 2025 CRHC Fall Trip is over….but what great memories with even greater friends!
Members hit the road to visit 6 breweries and a special tasting at Schramm's Mead with a tour!
We visited Full Measure Brewing Co., Roar Brewing Co., Six Spoke Brewing Co., Brewery Faisan, Ferndale Project & Dog and Pony Show Brewing! Look for the next trip in Spring of 26 - These trips fill up fast as we can only take 11 or 12 members!
Homebrew Con 2026!
Here’s what past attendees and; really all AHA members have been waiting for!
HOMEBREW CON IS BACK!!
June 19 & 20th in Ashville North Carolina.
Nominations are in!
Those nominated at the CRHC meeting for 2026 Officers are listed here. You may still self nominate with a deadline of 11/22. We will have online voting open on 12/1 if you are a member in good standing and unable to attend the 12/5 meeting. Everyone eligible to vote will receive an official voting email.
Incumbents are noted with an *
President:
Will Moreau, Larry Kula
Vice President:
Will Moreau*, Lori Kula, Lee Bentley
Treasurer:
Larry Kula*, Josh Dugger
Secretary:
Heather Bentley, Lori Kula
Sergeant-at-Arms:
Lee Bentley*, Denny Stinehart, Johnny Bavlsik
We do vote from the top down so we do allow for write ins as the voting progresses.
Beer Sensory & Social #2
The BS&S will take place on Wednesday Nov 19th at the Michigan Tap Room in Stardust Lanes at 6pm. Johnny will let us know the topic. If you have any styles you would like to see covered let Johnny know!
OktoBREW ReView at the November Meeting
What a GREAT meeting last night!! Thanks to everybody that came out! Special thanks to Tony who brought us Sloppy Joes and then gave his donation back to the Club! (We always try to give the cooker $20 to help with food costs)
Lee gave us a fun demonstration of the Pinter for education! (And I think Lori & Bill took it home to ferment)
Congratulations to our 2025 OktoBREW ReVIEW winners: Tony took home the Gold, Denny got the Silver, and Lee earned the Bronze! They all received a selection of Oktoberfest style brews!
The winner of the Beer of the Night was- Denny with his Hazy IPA!
MHF Winter Fest Date
More info will be coming in the new year, but the date is set for March 21st at Camp Agawam!
Learn to Brew Day - Wrap Up!
What a GREAT day for the CRHC! Thank you to all those members that came out & participated in Learn to Brew Day! We had so many people that stopped by to check out this great hobby of ours. Thank you to ALL our brewers who brewed today; Denny, Lee and maybe new member Chad, members who answered lots of questions & shared samples, Josh who did an extract demo, and Larry cooked us a steak sandwich lunch!
October
The 12 Days of Beermas Event
**note**
If you are interested in participating in this beer exchange but are not brewing or don't have time to brew; we are allowing a 'buy in' from members in good standing. You can purchase a good quality craft beer to add to our homebrew selections!
We are only taking 24 entries so please sign up if you want to participate with either a beer, cider, or wine - homebrewed or craft. More details are in the original post below. Link to sign up The 12 Days of Beermas by CRHC
Learn to Brew Day
National Learn to Brew Day will be November 1st at Hop Craft at 11 am. Bring a friend - come brew - come share a sample - there will be FOOD too!
Learn to Homebrew Day 2025 | Facebook
Bulk Cider Day at Uncle John's
Saturday & Sunday Nov 8th & 9th
Pride Pint Brew Supply
Sad news that Niko is closing Pride Pint on Dec 1st. Facebook
WMBO Winners
Congratulations to all the winning brewers from the CRHC! We brought home 7 medals! CRHC took 3rd place in the heavy medal club!
First time GOLD medal winners: Heather and Matt.
SILVERS: Will and Lori & Larry.
BRONZE: Lori D, Marc, & Larry.
Don't forget to turn in your scores to Lori for your BOTY points.
WMBO Winners
Score sheets have been uploaded to your accounts for the West Michigan Brew Off
AND
Emails have been sent to Honorable Mention and up
The awards ceremony will take place at Third Nature Brewing Company on Saturday 10/25 at 1pm
Be sure to message Lori K with your scores & beer name/style for your BOTY points.
The 12 Days of Beermas Event
Who’s ready for a Sleigh full of fun for the Holiday Season? The CRHC is!
Members who choose to participate would bring their choice of homebrewed beer, cider, wine, or mead in 12 ounce bottles or cans to exchange with fellow participants. These would need to be labeled with the name of the brew, style, abv, and makers name. (example: if there are 12 participants you would bring 12 of the same brews)
We are planning this for the December Meeting on 12/5. We would number each brew with a sticker so that they could put in order and you’d know you got one of each. Couples who both brew can both enter and you can decide if you want to share a case or have your own. The Club will make a Facebook post each day or so with the beer and you can comment on that beer there.
Please sign up so we can have stickers prepared. https://forms.gle/NBG9fdNdSfa6CXcH7
Beer Sensory & Social
Come join us for our new monthly "Beer Sensory & Social" event! The recurring event will be held either at CRHC members residences or at local brewery, beer bars. gastropubs, etc., with different locations each month.
During the event, we'll spend about an hour doing beer judging / sensory as practice, and one more hour to hang out and enjoy / share a few beverages (though it may be longer at the discretion of the host). You do not have to be pursuing a BJCP certification to participate in the beer judging / sensory portion of the event - all members are welcome!
Please RSVP to Johnny, Will or Larry if you're interested in attending, so that we can have enough beer for everyone to participate in judging / sensory practice!
Beer of the Night - October & Chili Contest winners
Congrats to Johnny & Lori K who tied for the Beer of the Night tonight! Johnny had a Saison and Lori brought a still Apple/Honey Cider.
The 2025 Chili Contest winners were Lori K - 3rd , Agnes & Denny - 2nd, and Lee - 1st! They all received Chili medals and hot aprons, plus some spicy beers and goodies!
Reminders for tonight’s meeting
Please don’t bring your OktoBrewfest beers for Beer of the Night. The judging will be at our November Meeting.
Remember to bring your West Michigan Brew Off entries for Will & Lee to drop off tomorrow.
Please refrain from bringing any West Michigan entries for the Beer of the Night tonight. We have Judges who are judging at WMBO and we would like to keep Club beers out of their minds.
Nominations will take place at the November 7th Meeting
The President is the only Officer that needs replacing according to the ByLaws We elect a new President & VP every 2yrs. Will is only at 1 yr in his VP term and may choose to run for any position. All other positions have unlimited terms so current holders can choose to stay and run for their current position or any other. Positions are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sgt at Arms.
Learn to Brew Day
National Learn to Brew Day will be November 1st at Hop Craft. See Calendar for all the info
Stein Holding and Stein Chugging
Congrats to Larry & Will for participating in the Stein holding competition at WH Ales Oktoberfest they came in 2nd and 3rd!
and then Will went on to win the Stein Chugging Contest!
September
Bulk Cider Buy
KBoB has invited CRHC to participate in a bulk cider buy. All this info is posted on the private page or you can message Lori Kula for more info and the links to order. The Kula's will be picking up the cider on Sat. October 11th and bringing it back to Bay City for you to pick up.
October Chili Cookoff
Food for the meeting in October is a Chili Cookoff - Register with Lee; and bring enough for everyone to a sample!
OktoBREWfest Announcement
Our annual OktoBREWfest brewing event will take place on 9/13 at 11am at Hop Craft Supply Comp. The public is welcome to come and check out our Club and meet some brewers; and of course, sample some homebrew! This is a brew on site event with water available and some shared electricity. Members in good standing are eligible for up to 12lbs of twoRow Malt by messaging Lori Kula. In November there will be a club tasting event to see who made the best that day.
CRHC brought home 9 Medals from the Michigan State Fair
Congrats to the 5 members who earned medals at the State Fair this year! Will had 2 Silvers, Josh a Gold & Bronze, Lori had a Silver & Bronze, Bill & Pete brought home Silvers, and Larry earned a Bronze.
July/August
Reminder for the September Meeting
Our first fall meeting will be full of flavor! Josh is bringing us Altbier education and Holly is doing the cooking!
Also, don’t forget to email your scores for Michigan Beer Cup and the State Fair to Lori (2kula4u@gmail.com). You get BOTY points even if you don’t medal!
See you all in September!
CRHC had a heck of a showing at the Michigan Beer Cup Awards!
Special Congratulations to our Vice President Will for his Best of Show win with his Doppelsticke ‘Just a Flesh Wound’!
In total 7 Club members earned awards: Will with 2 Golds and a Silver, Josh with a Gold, Bill with a Gold, Heather & Lori K took Gold for their co-brewed Cyser, Larry took home a Silver, and Lori D earned an Honorable Mention.
MHF Wrap UP
Well, another AMAZING Michigan Homebrew Festival is in the books!
There was incredible food, fun games, and of course fantastic brews! Carlene took 2nd place in the BBQ sauce competition AND Josh won a 4tap jockey box in a raffle!
In the Michigan Beer Cup awards our Vice President Will brought home the Best of Show award (that’s 2 years in a row for CRHC; as Josh won last year!)
Members earned a ton of medals including 6 Golds, 2 Silvers and an Honorable Mention!
Thanks for everyone’s hard work for making this a GREAT MHF! Larry, Bentley’s BrewerLee, Johnny, Heather, Denny, Agnieszka, Todd, Tony, Matt, Paul, Brett, Trevor, Lori, Bill, Lori, Carlene, David, Pete, Holly, Josh, Jonathan, Kylie, and Sean
Holy Cow we had a GREAT turnout!!
What a GREAT Party
On behalf of all the CRHC officers I just want to thank everyone who came to our cookout & bottle share; and the THANK our VP Will for being a great host this year! We had a great turnout with over 20 people and of course lots of great food & drinks!
Cookout Reminder
Reminder for our Annual Cookout! Bring a dish to pass, some beers to sample, and a chair! August 1st See Calendar for details
June
Hop Craft & Pride Pint
Reminder that both our local homebrew shops will be closed on July 4th & 5th!
BIG NEWS
Exciting news from our clubs resident cider expert...Jeff Cottrell has passed his Pommelier exam! So now he really is a highfalutin cider nerd! Congratulations Jeff !
State Fair Beer Drop Off
The Kulas with be delivering any entries for the State Fair for Club Members on Tuesday July 8th. Please have your registered, paid for, and correctly labeled entries to them by Monday evening. State Fair is 3 bottles.
Missing Linck Competition
It was a CRHC Sweep! Our Club had 5 of the 8 beers in the Best of Show Round! Larry came out on top with his California Common - California Squatchin'; Lee Bentley took 2nd place BOS with his American IPA - To Be Continued; and Lori Kula earned 3rd place BOS with a Wee Heavy - Wee Little Linck. Bill Drake went to the BOS with his Altbier as did Larry's second entry - a Braggot. Congratulations to all the CRHC members who entered!
Michigan Homebrew Festival Registration
Registration for Membership and Camping is open on the MHF website
Michigan Homebrew Festival – The best beer festival you've never heard of!
THIRSTY THURSDAY - 7/17
Come meet up with your CRHC friends at Frankenmuth Brewery - the place we were founded in 1988!!
Just a casual get-together during the summer when we are all so busy!
SHE DRAGON FESTIVAL
The CRHC lady brewers have been invited to pour their beers at the Thumb Brewery again this year!
On Saturday June 14th the Thumb Brewery celebrates women in brewing, arts and music with a day on the patio! Stop in and support the Brewery and the Ladies who brew!
May
JUNE EDUCATION MESSAGE - from Jeff
I wanted to give everyone a heads up about my educational portion of the June 6th meeting.
We are going to walk through the American Cider Association Structured Sensory Analysis worksheet and talk about what we can see, smell, and taste. I only have 21 cans. Get there early so you get your own can, or you will have to split it with someone else!
GLINTCAP RESULTS
Congratulations to our resident cider expert Jeffrey Cottrell for his amazing 3rd place Best of Show in the Rosé Cider category at GLINTCAP with ‘Love River’! I do believe Jeff got beer of the night with that cider in March at the Club meeting! Way to Go!
BOTTLE SALE
The Club got a GREAT deal on some cases of 12oz bottles so of course that means MEMBERS get a GREAT deal too! We have 20+ cases for $5each so enough for everyone! We will have these at the June meeting, but if you need them sooner get a hold of the Kula’s.
MICHIGAN BEER CUP REGISTERATION
Today’s the day! Registration starts for the biggest homebrew competition in the State!
Beer Cider Mead Categories
Enter 5/15 - 7-9 5 entries per person
2 bottles per entry $12 per entry
Drop off at Hop Craft by 7/10
Judging Sat 7/19 in Kalamazoo
Awards announced at MHF 8/16
Dont Miss Out!
https://comp.michiganbeercup.com/
Gilded Santa Competition results
Congratulations to our 8th Gilded Santa Champion- Denny Stinehart!
Hot on his heals were Lori Drake -Silver & Josh Dugger - Bronze! Our judges Aaron, Jeff and Tyler from Loggers Brewing Company along with mug club member Russ- said there wasn’t a bad beer in the 13 beers they judged! Everyone had a great time and we are all looking forward to what Denny adds to the Gilded Santa Trophy!
CONGRATULATIONS
Lots of winners to announce from this first weekend in May -
Lori Drake earned a Bronze in the Pacific Women Brewer's Cup!
Josh Dugger earned our Club's lone medal in the Celebrity Deathmash Competition - a Bronze and Will Moreau got and Honorable Mention.
Sicilicano's announced their medal winners too! CRHC Members Bill and Lori Drake both earned a Bronze Medal and Larry Kula brought home a Gold and moved on to the Best of Show Round!
BIG BREW DAY -Reminder
The Club will be setting up at 11 am on Saturday for Big Brew Day.
Hop Craft does not get the big tent for this event. The Club will set up our canopies that will hold a couple of brewers and our sample table. Lee usually brings his and I’m pretty sure the shop has a tent too. Plenty of room! Come brew and/or hang out!
The Club will be brewing our Gang Brew (one of the rules is you must have 3 members) and the Brewsters of CRHC are brewing together too!
Missing Linck Yeast Notes
This yeast does not have the enzyme to break down Maltotriose.
It is top fermenting ale yeast, but we have used past versions at 55ish if you want a lager type ferment.
My brew is currently fermenting. I would suggest making a starter for this year’s version of the yeast. Mine is going very slowly (I did not make a starter).
Remember you can co-pitch if you want.
The Judging is June 6th and the BOS will be announced on June 7th at the Missing Linck Festival at Urban Artifact in Cincinnati.
As soon as I have the registration info I will get it to you. Categories You can enter are the Missing Linck, Falk, and Ancient/Historic Missing Linck.(brews made for past ML contests if you have any left).
MHF Gang Beer & Theme
Here are the rules for the Michigan Homebrew Festival's Gang Brew Competition. Wood Aged! Minimum of 8% and must be a newly brewed beer - no previously aged beers. The Club will be brewing on May 3rd at Bog Brew Day at Hop Craft. The Club Officers & anyone interested in MHF met in April and decided on our Theme and our Gang Brew.
April
NHC First Round Winner
Congratulations to our VP Will who earned a first-place finish in the first round of the National Homebrew Competition!
Will gets to send his Roggenbier on to Kansas City for the final round!
State Fair Competition Open
The Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition is open for MICHIGAN RESIDENTS ONLY!
300 entry limit, 3 entries per person, $10 per entry, 3 bottles per entry.
LETS FILL IT UP!
Home Brewing Competition | michiganstatefairllc
Gilded Santa Judging
We are so excited to announce that Loggers Brewing Company will be hosting our Gilded Santa Exchange Ingredient Competition this year! Brewer Chris along with special guest Brewer Aaron from Maple Grill will be sampling all the ‘exchange ingredient’ beers and picking the top three!
Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy some Loggers brews. Club will bring some snacks too!
If you have an entry made with your ingredient from the HolidayParty you can bring your entry that day by 12:30 so that judging can start promptly at 1pm. OR get it to the Kula’s by Big Brew Day on 5/3 and we will take it with us if you cannot attend.
This is a blind judging event. Judges will only know your beer style, ABV & special ingredient. Beers will be judged according to style but with emphasis on the use of your ingredient.
Winner gets the coveted Gilded Santa trophy for the next year and you get to add a personal touch to the trophy! BOTY points are awarded too!
No Homebrew samples that day please.
You are encouraged to bring your Holiday Brews to the meeting on May 9th
Big Brew Day
Bring your gear and make a beer!
CRHC will be meeting at Hop Craft Supply on Saturday May 3rd 11am-6pm! Come join in the FUN
March
Lori is Recovering
As most of you know our President, Lori Kula had spinal surgery in Mid-March. She is recovering well. VP Will and the Officers are keeping up with everything. Feel free to contact them or Lori if you have questions or needs.
Michigan Tap Room Special Event
Lori is very excited to bring the Siciliano's Market Trophy to the Michigan Tap Room at Stardust this Thursday! They are tapping one of the very last kegs in the State of her Belgian Dark Strong, “Dangerous Weekend”!
Come have some with us!
Kegs for Sale
Brett Volz posted: Realized I have 9 kegs.... Looking to downsize a tad. I got 3 extra 5gal corny kegs for $40/EA if interested. Figured I'd offer here before marketplace yahoos. Reach out to Brett on Facebook if interested.
Maple Sap
Hello, friends. The maple sap is flowing well this week. If anyone wants sap for brewing or for a refreshing drink, please let me know. I’ll be happy to hook you up. Cheers! - Ryon Grant
Michigan Cider Madness Results
We want to Congratulate our CRHC members who medaled at the Michigan Cider Madness competition!
Lori K took the Silver Medal in Cider with Fruit for 'Crangerine', and Pete P took Bronze in New World Cider with 'Pete’s Spark'! Lori was also awarded Best Name for 'Crangerine' by our Professional Cider Makers who were there to Judge. See the Full Results at: https://reggiebeer.com/ReggieWeb.php?Web=1000913
Special Day for our Lady Brewers
Happy International Women in Brewing Day to our CRHC Brewsters!
Our ladies do it all- they brew beer, cider & wine too! AND they have won some pretty prestigious awards! So raise a glass to these ladies today: Lori D, Heather B, Lori K, Holly D, Kylie K, Agnieszka L & Carlene D!
Welcome New Member
Welcome Derek to the CRHC! and Congrats to Jeff, Lori & Lee for their 3-way tie for Brew of the Night at the March meeting.
***CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT LINK***
Link to Register for Celebrity Deathmash: Reggie Competition Software
St. Patrick's Day Breakfast
Are you ready to kick off the St. Patrick’s Day weekend?! The Club was invited to serve a pancake & sausage breakfast on Saturday March 15th to kickoff St. Paddy’s Weekend at Tri City Brewery! The last time we did this we took donations and made a good amount. TriCity is paying for everything. We just need people to serve & clean up.
Holly is in charge of this event again this year so SIGN up on Facebook or just show up!
9am Set up.
NHC DELIVERY
If you chose Chicago as your judging center Mike Houlihan (from Hop Craft) is delivering the Club beers! Thanks Mike!!
Entries need 2 bottles for the first round, and you would need to get them to Mike by March 20th!
January - February
MEDAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED for DEJA BRU
The results from Deja Bru Historic Beer Competition are in and our VP Will Moreau is bringing home a Gold Medal for his Roggenbier! Congratulations Will!! Will Moreau, Larry Kula & Lee Bentley were among the 80+ entrants from the USA, Canada & Norway! https://dejabru.org/
***CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT***
SICILIANO'S HOMEBREW COMPETITION 2025
All the details are out for the 2025 Siciliano's Homebrew Competition! You could be the next big winner!
Registration opens on March 1st- April 7th Beers are due April 13th Judging is April 19th
3 bottles per entry $15 per entry Not sure on the per brewer limit
Siciliano's Homebrew Competition - Brew Competition Online Entry & Management
GREAT FEBRUARY MEETING
What a GREAT meeting last night! Thanks to Zack for sharing and MAKING a beer AT our meeting with More Beers new Flash Brewing Kit! Makes 5gallons in 10 mins! We should get to taste this at the March Meeting.
Beer of the Night with 5 votes went to Marc for his Belgian Triple! Hot on his heals were Johnny, Holly & Will with 4 votes each! Thanks to the Kula's for the Meatballs & Noodles for dinner.
Next Month is an Irish Stew Competition (message Lee to sign up) for our Food and Education is Fruit Beer by Josh.
***CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT***
Here are the details for the National Homebrew Competition
Registration has opened for the National Homebrew Competition! All the judging dates & info is available through the link.
You must be an American Homebrewing Association Member to enter this competition.
Michigan Mead Coalition BJCP Exam
If you are interested in learning more about tasting & evaluating mead the Michigan Mead Coalition is going to set up the BJCP Exam and run some classes. Contact them or Tony Greening for more information.
***Barrel Brewers***
We have a date to do the switch on our New Holland Bourbon/Maple Syrup Barrel at Paul’s house.
Saturday February 15th at 2pm looks like it will work for most. Please let us know if you can or cannot make this date
If picking up a beer: please bring a clean empty keg to avoid oxidation.
If dropping off: please have your beer racked off the trub into a keg or bucket. We will need to pull a sample to evaluate.
Doppelbock Brewers: Paul, Larry, Pete, Lee, Dave, Denny, Jon, Josh, Tony, Ryon, and Will
Breakfast Stout Brewers: Johnny, Lee, Zack, Trevor, Josh, Will, Pete, Jon, Dave, Paul, and Larry
***CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT***
Here are the details for the Celebrity Deathmash!
Judging: April 26th at Brewery Becker warehouse. Registration opens: March 1st thru April 6th. Registration will be through Reggie Beer.
Cost: $100 per Club plus $5 per entry.
Entry Limits: 150 total. 3 entries per person.
They do ask that each Club provide a Judge if possible.
Larry won a couple medals at last years comp, and they are very nice! We hope that we could have entries in each of the 5 categories this year.
Here are the official categories
1. Rational Belgians: 24B Belgian Pale, 25A Belgian Blonde, 26A Single, 26B Dubbel, 26C Tripel
2. Unamerican Lagers: 2a International Pale, 2b International Amber, 2c International Dark, 4a Munich Helles 4b Festbier 4c Helles Bock, 6a Märzen 6b Rauchbier, 6cDunkles Bock, 8a Munich Dunkel 8b Schwarzbier
3. Sour Patch Kids: 23 Berliner Weisse, 23b Flanders Red, 23c Oud Brun, 23d Lambic, 23e Gueuze, 23f Fruit Lambic, 23g Gose, 28a Brett, 28b Mixed fermentation, 28c Wild Specialty, 28d Straight Sour
4. Tales from the Darkside: 13c English Porter 15b Irish Stout, 15c Irish Extra Stout, 16a Sweet Stout, 16b Oatmeal Stout, 16c Tropical Stout, 16d Foreign Extra Stout, 20a American Porter, 20b American Stout, 20c Imperial Stout
5. King Charles: 11a Ordinary Bitter (new), 11b Best Bitter (new), 11c Strong Bitter (new), 12a British Golden, 12b Australian Sparkling, 12c English IPA
This is the first Official Notice of changes proposed to the CRHC By-Laws & Constitution:
Voting will take place at the March Meeting
Article TWO Section 2 Dues Add:
New Membership dues paid any time after September 30th of each year shall be $10.00per person through the month of December.
Guests are free for 2 meetings at the discretion of the Officer Board
Article FOUR Section 4
Addition:
Section 4. CRHC Brewer of the Year Competition
Members in good standing may choose to participate in the Brewer of the Year Competition held at the Club Officers discretion. Rules to the evaluated and established each year by the Officer Board. The intent of the competition and honorary award is to acknowledge extraordinary brewers in the CRHC and promote the Club in general to the public by this award. The Officer Board may dedicate up to $100 towards a jacket/shirt of the honorees choosing and they will be acknowledged on the Brewer of the Year plaque that is on display currently at TriCity Brewing Company.
***BREWER OF THE YEAR RULES***
Here are the updated BOTY Rules for 2025
The Officers put a lot of thought into the additions this year. We added a few opportunities for brew day points.
The intent of the BOTY award has always been to honor the brewer who has great beer and knowledge. We want it to be about the quality of beer and not a membership award for attendance.
We will have printed copies at the meeting on Friday.
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