A Word from Bazza / December 2017 Round-up

[Bazza]

Hi All,

It's Friday, the fridge is full and I'm in a good mood, so thought I'd send out another, ahem, 'monthly' roundup of all things NHC. The only thing that could turn this mood for the worse would be to look out the window and see the whole place covered in- ah bugger, that's all folks...nnng...Christmas...bye...

Given that the afore-mentioned Christmas is almost upon us updates are relatively thin on the ground, as we all prepare to eat some oversized birds and hand round random tat attached to gift receipts to each other. We do, however, have the small matter of the Nationals fast approaching, but more on that later.


Past competitions / events – there've been quite a few
30th Sept – South Kildare Lager  Competition  - Lock 13 Sallins
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/south-kildare-lager-competition/
By all accounts a hugely successful competition.  Well done to Jonathan, Declan, Peter and Oisin.

1st October - Brewtonic Homebrew Cup
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/brewtonic-homebrew-cup/
Well done to DoubleG, Vinyljunkie and Hingo and all involved.

7th October - Capital Sour Competition – 57 The Headline
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/capital-sour-comp/
Congratulations to Simon, Ian and Sean. Great idea for a competition.

27th-29th October - Sweetmans Homebrew Challenge and Cask Weekend
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/sweetmans-homebrew-challange-and-cask-weekend/30/
Inaugural competition by our friends at JW Sweetmans. Well done to Brian, Alan and Tadeusz. Some class entries there.

23rd September/11th November - Inter Club "Ready Steady Brew" Competition Wicklow Wolf Hop Location in Roundwood
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/inter-club-ready-steady-brew-competition/
Some great pictures on the thread.  Well done to John and Ciaran, Wooden Skull and the Liffey Brewers.

25th November - Brew Na Bóinne 2017 Stout Competition - Boyne Brewhouse
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/competitions/save-the-date-brew-na-boinne-2017/
Another well run competition with excellent prizes. Congratulations to Oisín, James, John, Colin. Great work!


Future Competitions/Events
17th February/3rd March 2018 – the Nationals
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/members-only-area/2018-national-brewing-championships/  [members only thread]
Some guide dates on drop days, etc already posted. Please check the thread for further updates, as details such as venue, judges, categories, Club Cup, general logistics, etc are firmed up.
Probably be a good idea to brew some beer too.

12th May 2018 – Brewcon and Ticket Pre-Sales
Details are still being finalised but rest assured there are some very exciting speakers being lined up for this event. It's not to be missed!
AND... as a special wee treat to you all we'll be offering you the chance to buy your tickets before Christmas!!
Your better half unsure what to get you? No longer a problem! The whole beauty of it is that when they buy you the ticket, they're also committing you and, more importantly, them to the date of the event. No excuses; everyone's a winner  Claaawsss!!! (Tyrone speak for 'not cyat')
So stay tuned for the imminent ticket announcement!


Other Topics
NHC Merchandise
Second round of the NHC glass order is still short on numbers to make the order financially viable, if we can get to over 40, we should be good to go. However, this will not be complete in time for Christmas at this stage:
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/new-board/nhc-stem-glass-order-batch-2/

Please add your ideas for future merchandise items to the following thread:
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/chit-chat/merchandise-ideas/

Club Membership / NHC Groups / Competitions
Membership is still only 10 euro and 'Holidays are Coming'.
As always, please let us know if you need any help growing your club, organising a competition, or anything else you think may be of benefit to your brewing group and club-wide.

Affiliate Discounts
For the young Bazza, growing up in frugal Tyrone, the Late Late Christmas Show was pretty much the equivalent of watching Jim Bowen on Bullseye displaying to the losing contestants what they weren't getting. Aww...
Tear-jerking insights aside, if you want to save a few bob on your Christmas shopping, or want to steer loved ones away from the usual scarves, slippers or Pokemon onesies, then please don't forget to make use of your membership discounts with our affiliate members:
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/members-only-area/membership-benefits-2015/
Remember, if you show up at your first club meet of the New Year dressed as Pikachu, with none of your own homebrews, you've only yourself to blame.


Lastly...Bazza's final thought
As you can see from the above round-up of past competitions, there've been quite a few concentrated between the months of September and November, to say nothing of the ones that were kicked off but never saw fruition. I'd like to hear any ideas on how we can more sensibly handle this (is it even a problem?), and possibly spread the events out more evenly over the year. More effective use of the NHC calendar (yes; there IS one) is one thing that springs to mind, but I'd be happy for your thoughts and input.
To echo what I've said on previous notes, please continue to use the forum for all your questions, tips, notifications, write-ups, etc. Let's make this work for both new and current members.

Anyway, good luck with your Christmas preparations, and all the non-brewing stuff too   Don't forget to tune in for my special Christmas posting on December 25th at 3:15 PM. Don't, however, be fooled by the Santa and mince pie references; it was all pre-written back in August.

Cheers,

-Barry

p.s. If any of the above has been inaccurately posted, let me know and I'll grudgingly update
p.p.s. I've made a mental note to cut the Tyrone references down to less than five for the next time

[delzep]

Any thoughts on moving the nationals a month later in future years to take advantage of the usual nothing to do January as well as not trying to squeeze in brews during the busy Christmas period?

Nice write up BTW 

[molc]

So many laughs, so little time. Another great round up there

[Will_D]

Excellent review Barry.

Many thanks and may all your prezzies be HB related

[lordstilton]

+1 on delzeps request... Trying to brew in December is a balls

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

Brewing one right now for the nationals, there's always time for a brew if you make it.

[lordstilton]

Easier said than done for some... I assure you