A Review of 2024 (so far)

Welcome to the AGM to cover 2024 (so far) and look forward to 2025. We’ve had a great year with new members joining the mayhem, bringing new ideas and energy. 

2024 Competition Highlights

Looking back on competition brewing, we’ve done well individually, and as a club. Highlights have to be seeing our members do well and the club name being in the mix at the top of the tables. A real highlight, and kudos to our current chairman, James Pettifor, for winning the best in show at the Welsh National homebrew competition and ACB finishing as the runner-up club. A real highlight to watch unfold.

We also have our own competition later this month. If you’re able to help and can do. Please let James, Nick or Tony know. If you have a beer in the competition, they’ll also need to know, so you’re not involved in your own beer. 

Hook Norton Brewery Tour

The 3-day madness of the Hook Norton brewery tour. This 3-day event will long live in our memory. Many of us have said that it was one of their favourite brewery tours. Obviously the clone challenge is a highlight, with a some outstanding beers. 

Tony and James brewed the two outstanding beers on the day, with more voting for Jim’s beer to see our honourable chairman take the plaudits again. Thanks to Colin Miller for arranging that mammoth tour (raise a cheers and round of applause). Thanks to Nigel Saddler for lining the way with his Cask Marque weight. Not sure if we’d have got a free tour otherwise… Also have to mention Falco Feildhoff, who we met during the tour. Quite a character. 

Regions

With our group reducing from 3x to 2x regions, 2024 was the first real year of separation. The year has been a great one for cooperation and focussing on our regions. With this in mind, maintaining a strong midweek meeting calendar and keeping the traditional 1st Saturday of the month meeting going is as important as ever. 2024 has seen some cracking Saturday regional meetings held across the year. 

Suffolk meetings have stood out in my mind, with the Burnt Mill Pintle clone beer challenge being such a Saturday meeting that was well worth attending. Graham Smith won the brewer’s vote, but Sophie’s choice was my beer, so well done Graham. On coming second (haha).

Shed Brewer’s Festival 2024

The Shed Brewer’s Festival was probably the best one yet. Certainly the best one I’ve attended. The entire was rammed out, with people queuing from the moment I got there (10 mins late) until we ran out of beer at 18:30. Amazing. We also managed to raise a good amount of money for charity, raising nearly £800 for our chosen charity, Aching Arms, who help parents to deal with the loss of a baby. A very worthy cause. 

Thanks to everyone that helped, organised, leant out barrels (please make sure you have returned your barrel if you borrowed one).  

Website

The website continues to grow recipes and other valuable resources, acting as a great source of information about beer, brewing, our adventures, and other related twaddle. 

Newsletter

The newsletters have improved greatly and become much more regular, thanks to Kev Warnes. Thanks for helping out and taking the lead with this aspect of helping to information share with or members. This is a valuable aspect.

Volunteers

Thanks to everyone who has helped get things done. We run mostly by committee, with tasks being taken on and completed. The regions hold their own events and organise themselves, but the ACB side of things combines the regions efforts and helps to push the club forward. We have a great hub of people and rely on volunteers to make things happen. Often thankless tasks, but we do them anyway. Please feel free to put yourself forward. There’s no hierarchy in committees, the important thing is to get the tasks sorted out, planned in and executed in good time. 

If you want to take the lead on any aspect of the club, feel free to put yourself forward. 

I’d love to lead the way for keeping records on competition results, continue to build the recipe resource on the website (with all Jim’s recipes). How good would it be to have a Durden park style book of award-winning recipes out there for prosperity. Also, the water App that Tony is developing with Alan Osbiston. It’s already a good resource that’s only going to get better. 

Finally, in closing. Thanks to James Pettifor, for his year as Chairman. It’s been a year of leading from the front, with too many points to mention here. This has already gone on too long. Thank you to James (hear the round of cheers and applause).

Note: No wonder Colin M had hiccups after devouring this lot (surf and turf).