April 2026

Monthly Meeting

• Date: April 18th

• Start Time: 11 am – 12 pm

• Location: Ye Olde 121 Public House

• Address: 1057 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80226 

If you’ve ever had an interest in distilling, then this month's meeting is perfect for you. Recently the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ban on home distilling, stating it was unconstitutional. We will have Austin from Ballmer Peak Distillery come talk to us about the process of distilling.

June Quarterly Challenge

Our next quarterly challenge is going to be Non-Beer. This category is wide open, think about Cider, Wine, Mead, Seltzer, Hot Sauce, Sour Dough, but the list doesn’t stop there. As long as it is fermented and isn’t a beer, it will fit this challenge. Looking forward to what everyone will craft up.

Up Coming Competitions

• Orpheus MeadFest

  • Registration opens 05/04/2026, register here

  • Entries are due 06/05/2026

• Liquid Poetry Slam

  • Registration opens 07/11/2026, register here

  • Entries are due 08/12/2026

Education Corner

Kettle Souring

Kettle souring is a fast, predictable way to produce tart beers using lactobacillus before the boil. Instead of aging sour beers for months, you ferment a portion of your wort with lacto for 12–48 hours, allowing the pH to drop to your target—usually 3.3–3.6, depending on desired tartness. Once the acidity is where you want it, you boil the wort to kill the bacteria, then proceed with standard fermentation using your primary yeast.

Safety and control are key: always work in a sanitized environment, keep wort oxygen-free during souring, and monitor pH regularly. Pasteurizing afterward prevents unwanted bacteria from carrying over into your fermenter or bottles, giving you the bright, clean sour flavor of a Berliner Weisse, Gose, or other fast-soured styles without months of aging. Kettle souring is a beginner-friendly entry into sour brewing, letting you experiment with tartness in a fraction of the time.

A Northern Brewer process has worked well for me. Details can be found here.