Here is the second edition of the Mashtronauts Uplink, our new quarterly club newsletter for 2021. Click the link below to view the PDF version of the newsletter.
Blog
March BAM Meeting
WE ARE BACK! Have you missed meeting in person to get the latest club updates, swap brewing stories, and share a homebrew or two? I know that I have. We’re excited to be able to host an in person meeting at Hoppin Grape Homebrew Supply on Tuesday April 13th. We will also provide a link to the Zoom meeting for those who can’t attend or still prefer the online meeting.
Be prepared for competition updates, as well as Lunar Rendezbrew updates. You might also have the opportunity to be recorded for inclusion in the LR27 awards show. So make yourself look presentable if you want to be on camera.
Please remember that meetings are for dues paid members. Guests are welcome, and we’re always wanting potential new members to stop in and see what the Mashtronauts are all about. But if you’ve been a member and your dues are not paid, please make sure you go to the online store and renew today. We’ll have a sign in sheet for the meeting as well.
Looking forward to seeing you all and sharing some homebrew!
March/April Awards
Congratulations to all the Mashtronauts that won medals at Bluebonnet Brew Off! This is the second competition on the Lone Star Circuit, and points count towards the club of the year. We earned another 10 points on the circuit, bringing our yearly total to 22 points. We have several Mashtronauts ranked on the Lone Star Circuit as well. You can check on individual, team, and club rankings at https://www.lonestarcircuit.com/currentStandings.html. Below is the list of winners at Bluebonnet:
Congratulations to Jonathan Reasoner for bringing home more hardware from the Boot Brew Fest in Eunice, LA. He took the silver medal in German Wheat Beers with a Weissbier, and a bronze in Brown British Beer with a Dark Mild. Great job representing the Mashtronauts on the Bayou State Circuit.
Way to go Mashtronauts! We’ll all proud of you!
LR27 Entry Sorting Day!
Aside from registration announcements and event planning, the first actual event of Lunar Rendezbrew is the sorting of entries. This bottle sort is a team effort among the club members. Entries are unboxed, scanned in, labeled with id numbers, and then boxed according to their judging flight. While it is limited who will actually be working the computers to record match up the entries received, there are a lot of other duties that we need help with.
Please make arrangements to be at Saloon Door Brewing from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday April 3rd for this sorting event. We know it’s the day before Easter, and we apologize that for this unfortunate timing. But we are pressing on and hope to put on a wonderful competition for all who entered from around the country!
We will be indoors and on our feet for a good portion of the time. So wear comfortable shoes. Also, please kindly observe any Saloon Door Policies regarding Covid protocols. They are kind enough to host our sorting event and provide cooled storage space for our bottles, so let’s be good guests for them and thank them for supporting the Mashtronauts.
AHA Homebrew Shop of the Year
The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) is taking votes now for the national Homebrew Shop of the Year Award. I personally would love to see Hoppin’ Grape Homebrew Supply receive this award for all their outstanding work and dedication to the local homebrew community. Below is the information from the AHA and how to vote.
The local homebrew shop plays an important role in our community, and not just as suppliers of ingredients and equipment. These small businesses serve as advocates for homebrewing and contributors to their local communities. Of the countless craft beer success stories today, how many of them started off as aspiring homebrewers with a visit to their local shop?
The Homebrew Shop of the Year Award aims to recognize the integral role that homebrew shops play in the homebrewing community.
Award Criteria
To win this award, AHA members will nominate homebrew shops that excel in the following criteria:
- Local homebrew community support
- Education
- Customer service & engagement
- Promotion of homebrewing to the public
- Responsible business practices
No one homebrew shop can win this award twice within a five year period.
How to Enter
Entry form submissions for the 2021 Homebrew Club of the Year Award are due by May 21st, 2021. Follow the prompts in the form to submit a complete proposal for your local shop.
Entries will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of judges from the AHA Governing Committee. A secondary round of vetting will take place following nomination involving the local shop and local homebrewers.
Keith & Mindy Brooks Fundraiser
Saloon Door Brewing · Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 12 PM – 5 PM
Come out to Saloon Door Brewing in Webster on Saturday, March 20th, from 12-5pm and help us raise money for a fantastic family, Keith, Mindy and Mia Brooks! Unfortunately, they experienced extensive damage due to the freeze. We will have BBQ plates for sale, a donation box, silent auctions, raffle tickets and a portion of our beer sales during this event will go towards their rebuild! Not only are they an amazing family, they are local small business owners at Hopping Grape Homebrew Supplies and are dear friends of ours – so please come out and help us help them get things back to normal! Cheers 
Free Homebrew Supplies
Greg Branan is getting rid of some old equipment and wanted to offer some free items to club members of the Mashtronauts. Here is a list of items available that need to go this week. Email gregbranan@hotmail.com if you are interested.
- Stand bottle capper
- large funnel
- cooler with one tap
- 2 cornelius 8/14 cold plates with stainless tubes
Winter Storm Damage Assistance
There are several Mashtronauts that I know of that have been impacted by damage from frozen pipes due to the recent winter storm that impacted our entire state. I also know of a number of Mashtronauts that have jumped in to help out our fellow club members.
With that said, I encourage anyone that has damage from this storm that could use a hand, please don’t shy away from asking for help. Many of our club members have skills that can help in your recovery, or no skills but a strong willingness to help however they can.
Please use the comments on this page to post what you may need help with, or with an offer to help. This club is filled with amazing people with huge hearts. Lets support our fellow Mashtronauts! Cheers to all!
Sanjay and Lisa’s Beer Release at 6 Wards
Mashtronauts Sanjay Thomas and Lisa Montemayor were recently asked to brew a collaboration of their semi-famous Creme Brulee Stout with 6 Wards Brewing. Some of you may be familiar with this beer as it was the Nuts N Bolts People’s Choice award winner at Lunar Rendezbrew 26 in 2019. The beer release event will be February 14th at noon at 6 Wards Brewing in Dickinson. I find it very appropriate that it is being released on Valentines Day, because you are sure to love it!
Please leave your comments below to show support for Lisa and Sanjay’s beer release. Congratulations!
Veterans Warrior Hop Competition Beer Release
Sitting Warrior West Coast IPA Release Kevin Sitta, the winner of the Hoppin Grape Homebrew Supply/Vallensons’ Veterans “Warrior Hop” Homebrew competition, will have his beer released this Saturday from 2-10 pm at Vallensons’. All proceeds benefit the Semper Fi & America’s Fund. Hoppin Grape will have packaged kits available as well if you want to brew it yourself. Great beer for a great cause supporting our veterans. Thank you to Keith and Mindy Brooks of Hoppin Grape for organizing this event. We’re proud to call you Mashtronauts!
Come out and support this great cause that Keith and Mindy have organized this for! Beer kits, stickers, and shirts will be on sale as well.
If you can’t make it and just want to support the cause, you can donate yourself to the Semper Fi & America’s Fund if you choose to do so. Just go to https://semperfifund.org/.
