National Homebrew Club Ireland

Right lads who's up for the first Kerry meet?

Where every one brings a bottle or two of their own brews and we can all have a taste and discuss ingredients and brewing methods!

I will be up for a meet for sure. I haven't any brews at the moment but I plan to brew next week. I'll say it to a mate of mine who brews too but isn't very active on here.

Any idea of a location for the meet?

Hi
I would be willing to meet up as well. The only beer I have at the moment is a Porter. It is pretty light with a couple of flaws, but still pretty drinkable, as it was my first all grain brew. I have an IPA in the fermenter, which I will bottle probably this weekend, so it should be ready in a couple of weeks.
As regards the meet-up, somewhere in Tralee would suit me best

Tralee or Killarney. Makes no real difference to me. I'm out in Firies so half way between them.
Is there any pubs in Tralee with craft beers? on tap or even bottled?
They would be more interested in allowing a homebrew meet I think.

Hi
Roundy's would probably be the best. Most other bars only really stock Guinness and Heineken products on tap and maybe a bottle or two of craft beer.

ok GrimJackien it looks like it's me you, BigDanny and maybe Danny's mate for the first Kerry meet.

When would suit you lads best?

Alright lads,

I'm BigDannys mate, he had told me about the talks of setting up a club in Kerry, great idea and i am well up for a meet and see where we go from there. At the moment i have a Black IPA and Coffee Stout which should be bottled this week hopefully so i would probably have those with me in a fortnights time.

Roundys in Tralee or I suppose Courtneys in Killarney??

I hope to brew this weekend, so I won't have anything to try for about 4 wks. But I have no bother meeting before then if that's what everyone else wants.

Hi
Sorry for the slow reply, but I was offline for a few days.
I have a Porter ready atm, and have bottled an IPA over the weekend, so I don't mind when the meet up is, as I will have a second beer ready to drink (hopefully) in a fortnight.I will be away for a few nights on the 25th though.
We should start trying to finalise a date though (to figure out a day of the week that suits everybody), so to start the ball rolling I put forward Thursday 29 Sept.

29th should be fine with me. I won't have a brew ready but I'd be interested in trying other people's.

I have a fat yak clone that's been bottles for a few weeks now and another fat yak clone that I'll bottle before the weekends finished. Thursday the 29th is good for me too. Does any one have connections at the roundy ? Just to make sure they're OK with it.

I am up for a meet, 29th works for me.  I have an all grain raspberry wheat beer thats ready.

(http://blog.frogslayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ifyoubuildittheywillcome.png)

@davebhoy I don't know anyone in roundys, I have never actually been in there. Does anybody else know anyone in there?

sorry lads I just realised that I'm working up the country on the 29th. Can we make it the week after ?

I've a mate in tralee thats half interested in brewing. I'll see if he can recommend any pubs there that might be cool with homebrewers. I Havent lived in Kerry for years so I've no idea what the pubs are like in tralee these days. 

No bother with me davebhoy

Cheers Danny. Hope everyone else is ok with the date change too.
I've a contact in hennesseys if that's any good.

Actually I'm away on the 6th but work away if it suits everyone else, no hassle.

I could prob sort out a venue in Castleisland if worst comes to worst.

I can do the 6th

The 6th is ok for me as well. I will give Roundy's a call later this week to see if they are ok with the meet, but I should be able to find somewhere else if not, but the selection of beer will not be great.

Just a thought but where is everyone from? Would Killarney be more central? or would Tralee one time and Killarney the next time be more suitable?

There's a great brewery in Killarney that I'm sure would love a local homebrew community to hold a meeting or two there.

Also if Danny can't make the 6th what about changing to the Wednesday or the Tuesday? I can make the Tue or Wed that week or the week before!

Myself & Gugs44 are from Castleisland, so either Tralee or Killarney is suitable for us.

So lads what's the plan? Are we going ahead on Thursday at the Roundy?

Sorry I have been crazy with work for the last few weeks. I will not be able to make it. I tried to get in contact with Roundys but they do not have a phone and I have not been in Tralee to call into them.

No worries.

Can everyone make next Thursday? I'll call into the Killarney brewery over the weekend and find out if we can hold our first meet there.
I'll try get a deal on the tour followed by a couple of tasters plus we can have a taste of our own too.

Could you all just message ya or nah please and I can get a rough idea of numbers. The tour is usually €12 per head which includes a few tasters and snacks but I'll chance my arm and ask what the best price they can do for us. (you don't ask you don't get!).

We could maybe even rope Andrew the head brewer into joining us for a Q&A session about our own techniques and set ups.

any way let me know what you all think and if your available

cheers

sounds like a great meet up. Their saison is excellent, good luck with the meet up lads

Fair play.
Dispite the popular misconception - its actually not easy to organise a piss up in a brewery!

Andrew is the master brewer there. See if you can get him in on the gig.
I visited a month ago, the lad behind the bar is starting homebrewing too.
They don't do a 'bar' where you buy pints, just tasting. A pissup in a brewery in Ireland is inhibited by archaic laws!

I'd be well up for that Davebhoy for whenever it can be arranged for. I informed Gugs44 as well and he should be up for it too. I haven't had a tour of the brewery yet so it would be great to do both.

I might join you guys for the brewery tour too, provided it doesn't clash with work :)

I'm keeping an eye here too...

Would be great to have a few guys that have been to homebrew club meetings before.

I happen to be in Kerry later in the week :) Do you have a list?

Are we shaping up for a national invasion of The Kingdom?

What's the itinerary for Thursday.  :)

Best Roads in the Country

Flask and Sangidges at the ready..

OK lads 6:30pm Thursday @ The Killarney brewery.
€10 per head for the tour and a small few samples plus we can bring a few of our own to share around and sample.

Andrew the old head brewer has gone back to the good ol US of A and the new guy used to be head brewer at Crean's in Dingle.
No guarantees that the head brewer will be available but if he isn't busy then he'll come say hello and answer a few questions etc

Who's in so I can give them an idea of numbers?

Sounds class. Enjoy.

I'm in Davebhoy. Thanks for sorting it out.

I'll have to run it by LadyEoin to make sure there's nothing on, but I'll most likely make it.

Love to go but I can't promise.
I'll be coming from either Cork or Midleton which means I won't be drinking as I've to drive back!

I have to bail out, sorry.
Too early for me.

I've a hot date elsewhere now sorry lads promise to make it to the next one as I go to Kerry a lot.

It ain't looking good Danny. Me and you so far mate.

Quote from: davebhoy1975 on October 12, 2016, 03:49:24 PM
It ain't looking good Danny. Me and you so far mate.

Ya man and the only beer I have is only bottled a week. Should we postpone?

I'd be happy to meet up in a week or two when my beer is ready even if it is just the two of us. This Kerry club has to start somewhere....

Yea let's postpone and re arrange for next Thursday. The latest we can do the brewery tour is 6:30. So if people want to do it later, I'll organise a bar in town. Probably Courtney's as they have a large selection of craft beers. Or the new whiskey bar as they have a good selection on tap. So either 6:30 for the tour or 8:30 in a bar.

I have 2 bottled at the moment. 2 in fermenters and a 19 ltr keg that's getting tapped tonight :)

Your right though, hail rain or shine let's do next week even if it's only the both of us.

That's fine with me, my beer should be close by then. I'd be anxious to do the tour as I haven't been on it before. You have been pretty busy lately.

I'd be happy to do the tour and then meet the lads after if that suits.

Perfect

Ok Lads. For any one who wants to do the tour, Myself and Danny are going this Thursday, the tour starts at 6:30pm. Then for anyone else who wants to meet up for the first Kerry home-brew club meet, we can meet in the whiskey bar in Killarney at 8:00pm for a couple of tasters and a chat. If any one has some fancy homemade equipment they want to show off or if any one wants to discuss anything in particular then speak up and don't be shy. I'll bring my homemade mash tun as back up in case no one else wants to do 'show and tell'.

If any of the lads from the other brew clubs would like to do the tour or come give us some pointers/share some views etc please let us know.

Hopefully this doesn't just end up me and you Danny :-X but if it does then so be it.

Let me know who's in and who's out please.

Cheers lads
Dave

Trying to get Gugs44 to go too, not that easy but I will keep pestering him. Surely there are more Kerry brewers that want to show off their beers?

Apologies chaps, I have not been on lately but I'm a definite for Thursday evening and I'll bring what I have bottled, a black ipa and a milk stout, looking forward to getting this club rolling

See ye then

Never give up on meets.

The secret is consitency - pick a day of the month that suits you both and stick to it. Clubs that put up polls often fail to maximize attendance.

The very first North County Meet was attened by 1 person (me)

We soon went on to have two regular meets in the month.

Quote from: Will_D on October 17, 2016, 09:40:13 PM

The very first North County Meet was attened by 1 person (me)

Was also one of the rowdiest and joint high score of most pint glasses knicked from a pub.  ;D

True. that's why I never went back!!

I agree with Will here. If you keep setting and cancelling dates you're guaranteed a turnout of 0.
If you stick to the planned date and only get 3 or 4 people, you're still ahead and more likely to have numbers increase each month once they see some photos and hear about the great beer shared out.

Ya looking forward to getting the ball rolling now.

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/index.php?topic=16431.0

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The above link to a possible homebrew competition hosted by the Killarney brewing company if any of ye are interested

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Sounds good Paul. Might be worth looking up what Smithwicks did last year with the NHC and see what were the positives and negatives of that.

Great idea, I'd be up for that, maybe we could discuss further at Thursday nights opening meet up

Ya see ye Thursday night

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Slightly running behind, will be 10 min late, me and BigDanny

Great to get the club up and running albeit just the 3 of us but it's a start, the venues couldn't have been more obliging and great range of beers on offer while sampling our own which were all very good, here's to more meet ups and hopefully we get more people to come along

Congrats. No turning back now.

Very enjoyable. Thanks to Dave for organising it all.

Nice one Lads  8) 

Good stuff.
Foundations laid, no stopping ye!

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Hi guys

So I was talking to the three lads that showed up and they mentioned holding the homebrew competition after the new year, which would allow for an uninterrupted entry into the nationals and enough time for ye to brew. So how does the 14th of January sound to ye? I have been able to secure 200 Euro roughly in prizes from sponsorship with maybe more being added in the mean time

*edit will certainly be more in prizes

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Great work being done down there!

First meet and a comp already - but a few questions spring to mind:

Who will be eligible for the competition?

Is it local or national?

How many entries can you handle?

You WILL need judges and stewards!

Great job getting the comp together. I should definitely have an entry ready. Are you going to pick a specific style to brew? I think that would be easier first time around.

Quote from: Will_D on October 21, 2016, 08:00:49 PM
Great work being done down there!

First meet and a comp already - but a few questions spring to mind:

Who will be eligible for the competition?

Is it local or national?

How many entries can you handle?

You WILL need judges and stewards!

Based on what was discussed with Paul last night, the competition will be open to anyone, other than that there is nothing decided yet.

Killarney Brewing want to support homebrewers, provide a venue and basically have a bash at the brewery in the new year. And I think they are completely open to suggestions on how it should be ran etc.

I have suggested that they get in touch with somebody that has more experience regarding competitions than any of the 3 of us in the club.

So I think if anyone has any suggestions post them here or message Paul himself.

It certainly was a great success for a first meet and that porter was something else Gugs. I'm looking forward to a bit of re sampling.

Massive thanks to Paul and the lads from The Killarney Brewing Company and to all the staff at The Celtic Whiskey Experience.
€200 worth of prizes already is phenomenal Paul. Fair play. Just let us know what we can do to help.

Spot on Dave. The Celtic Whiskey Experience is a serious place and they were super cool to host us and couldn't have been nicer.

They won some whiskey visitor place award last night

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Great to have a kerry homebrew meet-up. I brew when I can (when the kids allow!), based in Lixnaw. When is the next meet-up planned for? Matt

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what about Thursday the 18th or Thursday the 24th?

Does any one have any preferences?
I'd rather do it sooner than later :)

Hi all, congrats on your success with the Kerry branch of the club. I am hoping to get up and running soon, so far I am getting equipment ready and will welcome advice from all. I enjoy all the publications by members

Welcome to the NHC Banna
The local meet is a great place to learn more and share ideas/beer.

Again if ye want to call to brewery and be looked after that's not a problem. Ye would get sick of the place alright so it's good to try new places. Courtney's would be another good place in killarney anyways. Brian the manager inside there is a good guy to talk about beer

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Quote from: lop_ire01 on October 28, 2016, 02:52:15 PM
Great to have a kerry homebrew meet-up. I brew when I can (when the kids allow!), based in Lixnaw. When is the next meet-up planned for? Matt

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Welcome aboard Matt. I'm from Kiltomey myself but living in cork.   Any sign of decent beer in the pubs in Lixnaw yet? The last time I was in Quilters I asked Paddy if he had anything like a pale ale? The response was ''aaah, we have Harp, Guinness and cold Harp.''

Quote from: davebhoy1975 on November 01, 2016, 11:52:39 AM
what about Thursday the 18th or Thursday the 24th?

Does any one have any preferences?
I'd rather do it sooner than later :)

I'm up for a meet but I won't have anything to share until closer to mid December, plan on having two brews done in the next week. But I guess we could meet for a chat anyway.

Gugs is in London but I'll say it to him when he is back and see if he is up for it too.

Would be great if Matt and Banna could make it too.

Hi Matt & Banna,
You're more than welcome any time, and Paul thanks for the offer. I'd say we'll probably take you up on that, if it's still ok.
Where better to have a home-brew meet than in an actual working brewery. It's you that might get sick of us and not the other way round. How's the plans going for the comp?

I have my christmas beer in the fermentor at the mo. Just added my first dry hops along with a small amount of cardamon, cinnamon, start anise and orange peel. I boiled the blackberries just before flame out. It smells the bomb. I'll probably transfer it to a secondary fermentor while doing a second hop addition. I wanna add some soft dark sugar as well. Does any one have any advice on when to add? or should i prime with it instead?

My last batch(s) are bottled and ready to drink so I can bring along a couple of samples. They are both identical apart from one has a small amount of cinnamon added. I wanted to gauge how much was needed for my xmas brew.
I refilled the bottles that you and guggs gave me at the last meet danny so I'll return them to you full :)

Banna what equipment (starter kit) are you looking at getting?

Does Thursday the 24th suit everybody?

Cheers
Dave

I am the same as BigDanny with nothing in the fermenter as we speak although I plan on doing a double brew day on friday or at the latest 2 before the week is out, mid December would prob suit me better also

Dave, 24th is good for me. Looking forward to it.

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Quote from: davebhoy1975 on November 06, 2016, 09:37:29 PM
Hi Matt & Banna,
You're more than welcome any time, and Paul thanks for the offer. I'd say we'll probably take you up on that, if it's still ok.
Where better to have a home-brew meet than in an actual working brewery. It's you that might get sick of us and not the other way round. How's the plans going for the comp?

I have my christmas beer in the fermentor at the mo. Just added my first dry hops along with a small amount of cardamon, cinnamon, start anise and orange peel. I boiled the blackberries just before flame out. It smells the bomb. I'll probably transfer it to a secondary fermentor while doing a second hop addition. I wanna add some soft dark sugar as well. Does any one have any advice on when to add? or should i prime with it instead?

My last batch(s) are bottled and ready to drink so I can bring along a couple of samples. They are both identical apart from one has a small amount of cinnamon added. I wanted to gauge how much was needed for my xmas brew.
I refilled the bottles that you and guggs gave me at the last meet danny so I'll return them to you full :)

Banna what equipment (starter kit) are you looking at getting?

Does Thursday the 24th suit everybody?

Cheers
Dave

The brewery is free the 24th if ye want to call in. Haven't really progressed with planning much, I was in contact with John from torc brewing and he said he would be interest in getting involved. The next meeting I plan on setting a date and plan in concrete with ye

Ok lads. Looks like 24th in the killarney brewing company.

I'll be there. Will bring that book for you Dave

Cheers Danny

Hi Fellow members, Unfortunatly I have made very slow progress due to sourcing of components,some of which are yet to arrive from the far east and to add to my misery I am out of action due to a simple jerk of my leg which has left me with crutches for Christmas and of course there wont be any further building of the "brewery" until next year.
I forgot to say that I live in Ardfert and look forward to being in contact again when I have results.Joe.

Hey Joe how you getting on since hurting your leg?