January 2026

Happy New Year!!! As we enter into 2026, we ask all members to please fill out our 2026 Membership Sign Up. Our sign up form includes options for our glassware, we have craftmaster pint glasses and belgian tulip glasses, which can be picked up at any of our meetings. This year we also have LFC stickers available for $1. We have a sticker promotion, all members who fill out the form before the January meeting will receive one free sticker. After the January meeting, all paid members who sign up will receive one free sticker. 

Reminder: dues are not required to be a member or attend meetings, but they do help fund club meetings and special events for the entire year.

Monthly Meeting

• Date: January 17th

• Start Time: 11 am – 12 pm

• Location: Propagate Lab

• Address: 15700 W 6th Ave, Golden, CO 80401

We will be starting off the year with a field trip, to the Propagate yeast lab. Brittany, who was one of the judges for our December quarterly challenge, will be giving us a tour of the facility. We will be able to ask questions, and learn about the yeast cultivation process.

White Elephant Quarterly Challenge

If you were unable to attend our December meeting and would like to participate, email lakewoodfermentationclub@gmail.com, we will randomly assign you an ingredient that you have to incorporate into your fermentation. Full challenge details can be found here.

Up Coming Competitions

• Collard Lizard Classic

  • Registration opens 12/01/2025, register here

  • Entries are due 03/06/2026

• Peterson Homebrew Competition

  • Registration opens 02/01/2026, register here

  • Entries are due 03/14/2026

• Sweetheart’s Revenge

  • Registration opens 12/15/2025, register here

  • Entries are due 1/12/2026

• Bière de Rock

  • Registration opens 01/01/2026, register here

  • Entries are due 1/16/2026

Education Corner

Yeast Vitality Starter

A yeast vitality starter is a small, quick fermentation step used to wake up your yeast—not to grow more cells.

Unlike traditional starters (which run 24–36 hours), a vitality starter uses a very small amount of wort, typically 300–500 mL of 1.020–1.030 wort, for 2–6 hours. The goal is to replenish glycogen and energize the cells so they hit your main wort running. This helps provide yeast ready to ferment.

To make one, simply sanitize a flask or jar, add the low-gravity wort, and pitch your yeast into it. Keep it warm (68–72°F for ales), give it occasional shakes, and let the yeast start metabolizing. You won’t see a krausen, but you’ll notice slight activity and a yeasty aroma. Pitch the entire contents into your batch while still active. A vitality starter improves lag time, reduces stress compounds, and is especially useful for lagers or any beer where a clean, healthy fermentation matters.