Have you ever wanted to homebrew? Yes? I have great news! The RI Brewing Society is holding a “Learn to Homebrew Day.” The American Homebrew Association sponsors this event. It is open to all experience levels.
What is the RIBS? Scott Barnett is the best person to explain this. Barnett has been an active member for several years. He found the group while attending Foolproof Brewing Company‘s Augtoberfest. His first homebrew was about 25 years ago. He said in those early years, the lack of accessible guides and resources left him with some challenges. He became acquainted with Mark and the late Tess Szamatulski. This couple were the former owners of a homebrew and winemaking supply store called Maltose Express, Veracious Brewing Company, and the book Clone Brew. This book was his key to improving his craft. Barnett stated he took a break from brewing and focused on raising his children. Now that they are older, “They are my partners in making good beers. Spending time with them and making something we can talk about and work together on is what drives me now. Now, in the Internet age, the info is everywhere, but the expertise comes in talking with people about the craft.”
The group consists of dedicated people who are interested in sustaining the art of homebrewing. Barnett explained, “RIBS is a busy club. We have meetings on the second Wednesday of the month. We have tastings (members bring small samples of what they have brewed) and themed competitions. (Fall beers or mead challenges, etc.). Our club explores all things fermented, from fruits and vegetables to beer, mead, and wine. Attending a meeting gets you in touch with some of the best local minds in this regard. I am often amazed at the breadth of backgrounds, knowledge, and experience I see in this bunch regarding what to brew and how to brew it. Our membership is low-cost and provides connection to a community of brewers and fermenters. There are road trips to regional events. We had a large group of members go to a big event in New Hampshire to compete and serve our brews. We also serve at events like Brew at the Zoo. About every other meeting, there are presentations on topics by our members or guests. We have featured a guest speaker from Lallemand Brewing on their yeasts. At another meeting, one of our members who is a mead-maker talked about how to select the right honey. We’ve had a presenter discuss how to make smoked beers using heated stones. Another presentation/event was an “off-taste” evaluation. This interesting event highlights the mistakes brewers can make and how to recognize them. It was quite helpful in making homebrewers understand how to avoid common pitfalls. It is clear to me how valuable being a member could be if you are homebrewing. RIBS is open to anyone interested and is not limited to RI residents.
The group decided this day of learning the elements of homebrewing would be the perfect opportunity to increase membership, interest in homebrewing, and provide education. With the support of Julie Rondot, Farmers Market program manager at Farm Fresh RI, Barnett was able to find the perfect location. “I thought we needed to be out where we could get good traffic and shared interests. Many of our brewers focus on local hops and sourcing our malts from local brew stores. Making beer often involves a lot more than just hops, malt, water, and yeast. We use fruits, honey, corn, and other locally sourced ingredients to make some of our styles, and these adjuncts are best when fresh.” Barnett feels that, with the cost of craft beer on the rise, this would be a good opportunity to learn the craft. I had to ask if he felt this was against supporting local breweries. “We don’t see this as any kind of competition to local craft; in fact, many of the local craft industry came from our ranks in RIBS and are now commercial brewers. We look to them for expertise and advice and have been helped along by our great friends at many breweries, including our host, Foolproof Brewing. While the cost of beer has been somewhat of a driver, I think the rekindled interest in craft brewing is a reaction to people being apart in the past years … at times we are like a commercial for craft brewing because the wide range of members leads to great discussion of our travels and the craft brews we find along the way. One of our Discord channels is called “What are you Drinking now?” This platform is where we post pictures of the craft brews we find along the roads of RI, New England, and other lands.
What can you expect at this event? Accessible information geared towards a general audience. It will be beginner-friendly but also informative to a homebrewer. Barnett told me they will have various participatory stations with members available for discussions and questions. “Our plan is to highlight the stages of homebrewing. We will have stations on water types and profiles, different malts and their characteristics, hop varieties in bud and pellet form, types of yeast for lagers and ales, and information on the techniques of fermentation and carbonation.” Please note no alcohol will be sold or distributed at the event.
Why should you join RIBS? Barnett has a convincing statement, “Whether it is a presentation, a competition, or a guest speaker, I have found membership to be quite rewarding in my development as a homebrewer. Being out there in the wild on the Internet is challenging – even with AI, you can make mistakes on your brew day. My membership, along with my son’s, has made us better brewers and proud of the product we produce. I can’t bake a decent cake, but give me a few hours, and I can make you a pretty good ale (well, add the fermenting time)!”
Save the date! November 7th from 9am to 1pm at Farm Fresh RI, 10 Sims Avenue, Providence, RI. There’s a bonus: This is also the first day of the winter market!