September 2025

I can't believe we are already in the ‘ber months, but I’m ready for that cool fall weather. As well as the beers that come with it! It’s even time for Oktoberfest month, woohoo! Here are some of the upcoming Oktoberfest events around the area. Vail Oktoberfest Sept 5-7 and Sept 12-14. Breckenridge Oktoberfest Sept 12-14. Denver Oktoberfest Sept 19-21 and Sept 26-28. Last but certainly not least (and the one I’m most excited for) Oldtoberfest at Old 121 Sept 27 & 28

Monthly Meeting

• Date: September 20th

• Time: 11 am – 12 pm

• Location: Old 121 Brewhouse

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

At our September meeting we will be tasting the quarterly challenge entries, hearing about what people made, and finding out the winners. More info about the challenge below. Remember to fill out the entry form, and drop off entries at Old 121 by Sunday September 14th by 6pm.

SMaSH It Up Quarterly Challenge

For our September Quarterly Challenge, we are going to be focused around SMaSH beers. This means Single Malt and Single Hop. For all grain brewers select a single grain to use for the mash. For extract brewers select a single malt extract to use, don't mix dry/liquid extracts, no other grains for steeping or partial mashing. Then you just need to select a single hop to use for the entire brew. You can have multiple hop additions, it just has to be the same hop. Entry form and drop off details can be found here.

Education Corner

Closed Transfer Kegging: Minimizing Oxygen Exposure

Oxygen exposure ruins fermentations, especially beer, leading to off-flavors reminiscent of cardboard. Fortunately, achieving a closed-transfer kegging process isn’t as difficult as it sounds. With a few extra components, you can create a closed-loop system to minimize oxygen contact.

The exact setup depends on your fermenter. Here’s how I do it with glass fermenters:

1. Purging the Keg:

   • Fill one keg with sanitizer.

   • Use CO₂ to push the sanitizer into a second, vented keg.

   • The emptied keg is now filled with CO₂

2. Closed-Transfer Setup:

   • Just before transferring, release the CO₂ from the keg.

   • My carboy topper is modified into a closed-transfer tool:

     • One side has a CO₂ hookup.

     • The other side connects to a keg’s out post.

3. Transferring the Beer:

   • Using low pressure (2-4 PSI, since I use glass), I push beer from the fermenter into the purged keg. If you use glass, please use caution. 

   • Once transferred, I immediately purge the keg’s headspace with fresh CO₂

This process ensures minimal oxygen exposure, preserving the beer’s quality from fermenter to keg.