Austin ZEALOTS Homebrew Club
Update: The Inquisition will be taking place in 2023. See details on the Inquisition page here on this site.
____________________________________________________
The April 2023 MEETING will be Saturday, April 29 at Independence Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 3913 Todd Ln #607, Austin, TX 78744. (Please purchase some beer there and/or to go!!
Style of the month Pale Ales and IPAs. BUT as always, bring what you have to share as we hardly follow that suggestion list. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
_____________________________________________________
The March 2023 MEETING will be Saturday March 25 at Black Star Co-op at from 2-4 p.m. (we will meet out towards the rail stop at a picnic table). Address: 7020 Easy Wind Dr #100, Austin, TX 78752. (Please purchase some food and beer at Black Star! They have crowlers to go and food to go as well.)
Style of the month is Scottish & Irish Ales. BUT as always, bring what you have to share as we hardly follow that suggestion list. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
____________________________________
The February 2023 MEETING will be Sunday, Feb. 19 at Starbase Brewing at from 2-4 p.m. Address: 4700 Burleson Rd Suite F, Austin, TX 78744
Style of the month is English Ales and all Imperials. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
____________________________________
The January 2023 MEETING will be Saturday, Jan. 21 at Vacancy Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 415 E St Elmo Rd 1 d2, Austin, TX 78745. Style of the month is Stouts and Porters. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
________________________________
The December 2022 MEETING will be Saturday, Dec. 17 at Last Stand Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 7601 S Congress Ave Building 6, Austin, TX 78745. Style of the month is Holiday beers and a free-for-all. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
________________________
The December 2022 CHILI COOKOFF will be Sunday, Dec. 11 at The Brewtorium from 4-7 p.m. Address: 6015 Dillard Cir A, Austin, TX 78752. Our Chili-cookoff will be at the Brewtorium (in the party room) on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. PLEASE BRING YOUR CHILI HOT.
We will have prizes for the top 4 chilis. We will have a ZEALOTS beer share the next weekend, so don't bring homebrew to the chili cookoff (PLENTY of delicious Brewtorium beer will be available! Hooray!). Get your chili there by 4:30-4:45 as that is when the judging will begin. CHEERS!! Thanks to the Brewtorium for hosting our event!!!
_______________________
The November 2022 MEETING will be Sunday, Nov. 13 at Beerburg Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 13476 Fitzhugh Rd, Austin, TX 78736. Style of the month is Barleywines and Big Beers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
______________________
The October 2022 MEETING will be Saturday, Oct. 15 at Vista Brewing (at the Stone Grove) from 2-4 p.m. Address: 13551 FM150 W, Driftwood, TX 78619. Style of the month is OCTOBERFESTS and other Amber lagers or ales. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
_________________________
The September 2022 MEETING will be SUNDAY, SEPT. 18 at Willard's Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 2400 Patterson Industrial Dr, Pflugerville, TX 78660. Style of the month is Pilsners and other Lagers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
___________________________________________
AUGUST MEETING - Sat., Aug. 13 from morning to 9:30 p.m. at Emma Long Park for our annual Picnic. Style of the month is Lawnmower beers and a free-for-all so bring anything. No food contest this year. See below for info on buying tickets to drive into the park in advance. Style of the month is Lawnmower beers and a free-for-all so bring anything. We will have a food contest this year. The top 3 dishes will win a prize. This year's theme is: TROPICAL FRUITS. So we are talking pineapple, papaya, mango, kiwi, lychee, coconut, jackfruit, guava, passionfruit, and starfruit. Add one of these in some way to a dish and bring it to the picnic by 2 p.m. and we will start eating! Ok the list of fruits can go on but I think these are things we imagined. The judges will be all of us: everyone at the event will get to vote on their two favorite dishes and we will tally the results and announce the winners around 3:30 p.m. (you can add your tropical fruit(s) to a meat, vegetable, serve it on its own, put it in a sauce, WHATEVER)
p.s. This is a potluck event and feel free to bring ANY food item. You do not have to enter the contest. Bring a bag of chips or hot dogs or mac-n-cheese; whatever. We will just do a fun potluck so bring anything tasty to share!! We usually eat around 2 p.m.
Some people spend the night on Friday as well if you are so inclined but it appears fewer will do this. You can purchase campsite tickets on the Emma Long website but do that soon as those are already on sale.
Exact location inside the park? We will be a little ways down (about 0.2-0.3 miles from the entry booth) on the left.....look for a ZEALOTS flag or a bunch of laughing.
PICNIC Location: Emma Long City Park at 1706 City Park Rd. Emma Long Park Buy a pass into the park from the website. You can buy them starting 14 days before (so July 31, I think). I have no idea if tickets will still be available on Aug. 13. There is pretty much no way to know this. The price is per vehicle($10).
Speaking of beer, please bring beer or cider or mead!! Bring a keg if you want but be prepared to serve it with your own equipment as we may not have the big trough and serving board. Bring CO2 if needed. Some people will have a CO2 tank with more than one hose so that may work for you. If you don't keg you can still bring your bottles, just keep it on the down low as glass containers are technically not allowed in the park. Bring ice if you need to keep your beer cold. This is a potluck so bring anything that is tasty!! We will provide the plates, cups, napkins and utensils.
WHAT TO BRING: a ticket to enter the park, a swimsuit, SUNSCREEN, WATER , floats, sunglasses, lawn chairs, pop-ups for shade, beer (or cider or mead), food to share - (even if it's just a bag of chips), a safe ride home (or spend the night) and a fun attitude!! Kids are welcome. (We will collect canned goods at the December meeting for the food banks so please don't bring those to the park).
Some might stay the night at the park. Some folks might spend Friday night at the park. Click on the Emma Long link to reserve a campsite (bring a tent). The park closes at 10 p.m. and they lock the gate. If you aren't outside the gate, you WILL be spending the night.
__________________________________________________________________
The JULY 2022 MEETING will be SATURDAY, JULY 16 at Batch Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 3220 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723. (we will meet in the brewery which is in a separate building to the west of the bar portion) Style of the month is Wheat beers and Meads. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
p.s. the annual ZEALOTS summer picnic will be once again at Emma Long Park. Date: Sat., Aug. 13. Scroll down to see the details on this event if you have not been to one of these before. It's super fun. (scroll down to August 2021 description - more details here soon)
___________________________
The JUNE 2022 MEETING will be SUNDAY, JUNE 12 at Blue Owl Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 2400 E Cesar Chavez St #300, Austin, TX 78702. Style of the month is Belgian beers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers! Note again this is a SUNDAY meeting.
________________________________________________________
The MAY 2022 MEETING will be SATURDAY, MAY 14 at Bluebonnet Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 1700 Bryant Dr #107, Round Rock, TX 78664. Style of the month is Bocks and Smoked beers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
___________________________________
The APRIL 2022 MEETING will be SATURDAY, APRIL 16 at Hedgehog Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 3200 Woodall Dr C-1, Cedar Park, TX 78613. Style of the month is Pale Ales and IPAs. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
___________________________________
The MARCH 2022 MEETING will be SUNDAY, MARCH 13 at Southern Heights Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 6014 Techni Center Dr - Ste 2-101, Austin, TX 78721. Style of the month is Scottish & Irish Ales. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
________________________________________
The FEBRUARY 2022 MEETING will be SATURDAY, FEB. 19 at Vacancy Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 415 E St Elmo Rd 1-D2, Austin, TX 78745. Style of the month is English Ales and all Imperials. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
_______________________________________________________________
The JANUARY 2022 MEETING will be SATURDAY, JAN. 22 at Last Stand Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 7601 S Congress Ave Building 6, Austin, TX 78745. Style of the month is Stouts and Porters. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more. New to the group? Come and meet us! You don't need to bring anything except yourself. Meet nice people and ask ANY questions you want about brewing. Cheers!
_______________
Austin ZEALOTS Beer Style of the Month.
(ok this is sort of a joke, but one year, someone wanted a list so here it is!)
-----------------------------------------
January - Stouts & Porters
February - English ales & all Imperials
March - Scottish and Irish ales
April - Pale Ales & IPAs
May - Bocks and Smoked beers
June - Belgians
July - Wheat beers & Meads
August - Lawnmower beers/free-for-all (picnic)
September - Pilsners & other lagers
October - Oktoberfest and Amber ales
November - Barleywines and big beers
December -Christmas beers and Free-For-All (Party)
___________________________________________________________________________
The DECEMBER 2021 MEETING will be Saturday, Dec. 18 at Austin Homebrew Supply from 6-9:30 p.m. Address: 15112 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78728. We will have a chili cookoff so if you want to win a prize, bring some chili in a crockpot and a spoon to serve it with. We will provide the bowls and spoons. Style of the month is Holiday ales and a free-for-all. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
YES this meeting will include our annual CHILI COOKOFF! Bring a crock pot of chili (anything goes to be honest; if you call it chili, you can bring it) and you could win a trophy! Your chili should arrive by 7 p.m. if you want to win a prize. Everyone will get to vote for their favorite two chilis. Please bring a snack, side dish, or dessert to share if you don't bring any chili. This is a potluck party. (we will have tables setup with power strips for the crock pots - if you want to bring a power strip, please do so and make sure your name is on it). Bring a spoon that your chili can be served with please. We will provide plates, bowls and utensils to eat with.
We will announce our year-end awards as well. THANKS TO AHS for hosting us!!
New followers: We don't bite! We are pretty laid back but will certainly answer any questions you may have about brewing beer, mead or cider. Just show up at this meeting and meet some of us. We have no dues so you are a member if you choose to be one. The style of the month is sort of a joke - bring whatever you want. If you are so new that you haven't brewed yet, come to the meeting anyway. We will have plenty - and you can buy Willard's beer as well to support them. Cheers!
____________________________________________
The NOVEMBER 2021 MEETING will be SUNDAY, NOV. 14 at Hawkins Farmhouse Ales from 2-4 p.m. Address: 80 County Ln, Lockhart, TX 78644. Yes this is on a Sunday. We will likely meet at Kreuz Market for food at about 12:45 p.m. or so before the meeting. Style of the month is Barleywines and BIG beers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
_____________________________________________
The OCTOBER 2021 MEETING will be SAT., OCT. 16 at ABGB from 2-4 p.m. Address: 1305 W. Oltorf, Austin, 78704. Style of the month is Octoberfest and Amber Ales. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
New followers: We don't bite! We are pretty laid back but will certainly answer any questions you may have about brewing beer, mead or cider. Just show up at this meeting and meet some of us. We have no dues so you are a member if you choose to be one. The style of the month is sort of a joke - bring whatever you want. If you are so new that you haven't brewed yet, come to the meeting anyway. We will have plenty - and you can buy Willard's beer as well to support them. Cheers!
___________________
The SEPTEMBER 2021 MEETING will be SAT., SEPT. 25 at Willard's Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 2400 Patterson Industrial Dr, Pflugerville, TX 78660. Style of the month is Pilsners & other lagers. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
________________________________________________________________
AUGUST MEETING - Sat., Aug. 14 from morning to 9:30 p.m. at Emma Long Park for our annual Picnic. Style of the month is Lawnmower beers and a free-for-all so bring anything. No food contest this year. We will just do a fun potluck so bring anything tasty to share!! We usually eat around 2 p.m. (they lock the park gate at 10 pm)
PICNIC Location: Emma Long City Park at 1706 City Park Rd. Buy a pass into the park from the website. You can buy them starting 14 days before. I have no idea if tickets will still be available on Aug. 14. There is pretty much no way to know this. The price is per vehicle.
FYI - if the city shuts down the park or something, needless to say that is out of our control.
Some people spend the night on Friday as well if you are so inclined. You can purchase campsite tickets on the Emma Long website but do that soon as those are already on sale.
Exact location inside the park? We will be a little ways down (about 0.2 miles from the entry booth) on the left.....look for a ZEALOTS flag or a bunch of laughing.
------------------------------------------
Speaking of beer, please bring beer or cider or mead!! Bring a keg if you want but be prepared to serve it with your own equipment as we won't have the big trough and serving board. Bring CO2 if needed. Some people will have a CO2 tank with more than one hose so that may work for you. If you don't keg you can still bring your bottles, just keep it on the down low as glass containers are technically not allowed in the park. Bring ice if you need to keep your beer cold. This is a potluck so bring anything that is tasty!! We will provide the plates, cups, napkins and utensils.
WHAT TO BRING: a ticket to enter the park, a swimsuit, SUNSCREEN, WATER , floats, sunglasses, lawn chairs, pop-ups for shade, beer (or cider or mead), food to share - (even if it's just a bag of chips), a safe ride home (or spend the night) and a fun attitude!! Kids are welcome. (We will collect canned goods at the December meeting for the food banks so please don't bring those to the park).
Many people stay the night at the park, so you are more than welcome to join. Some folks will even be spending Friday night at the park. Click on the Emma Long link to reserve a campsite (bring a tent). The park closes at 10 p.m. and they lock the gate. If you aren't outside the gate, you WILL be spending the night.
https://austintexas.gov/depar.../emma-long-metropolitan-park
________________________________________________________________________________
The JULY 2021 MEETING will be SAT., JULY 17 at Batch Brewing from 2-4 p.m. Address: 3220 Manor Rd., Austin, TX 78723. Style of the month is Wheat beers and Meads. BUT as always, bring what you have to share. :-) Please bring a tasting glass (but we will have plastic cups if needed). How much to bring? Two 12 ounce bottles or more.
New followers: We don't bite! We are pretty laid back but will certainly answer any questions you may have about brewing beer, mead or cider. Just show up at this meeting and meet some of us. We have no dues so you are a member if you choose to be one. The style of the month is sort of a joke - bring whatever you want. If you are so new that you haven't brewed yet, come to the meeting anyway. We will have plenty - and you can buy Batch beer as well (they have kolaches and a food truck as well, plus all your favorite coffee drinks).
If you want an opinion on your beer, please let us know and we will try it early and help solve any issues you may be having. Don't be shy! We will give you an honest opinion and give friendly advice. :-) If you are new, we don't bite!! Come on in and introduce yourself. Cheers!
*************************************************************************
How about some HOMEBREW HUMOR?!?! Robert Wenner has a homebrew-themed comic site!! There's a new one every Friday:
*************************************************************************
CONGRATS to David Rogers for winning Best of Show in the 16th Annual (2019) ZEALOTS Inquisition with Zungenbrecher!
1st Runner up was Bradley Janowski with Boris the Lager!
2nd Runner up was Wes and Nancy Sampson with Weiss Bock from Hell!
Full results are in files attached on the Inquisition page.
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
ZEALOTS winners at the 2017 MCAB (Masters Championship of Amateur Brwing)
are:
Ronnie Lawson - Best of Show - Grand Master Award - for his Wood-aged Stout
Matt Chrispen - 1st Place - Berry Ancho Stinger (Fruit and Spice Mead)
James Petty - 2nd place - Helles
Congratulations!!
Full list of winners: http://masterhomebrewer.org/championship/
********************************************************************************************
And Ricardo Fritzsche won homebrewer of the year on the Lone Star Circuit!! Congrats! Mark Schoppe finished second!! Kerry Martin finished 7th and Ronnie Lawson finished 15th!! Congrats on an amazing effort in 2016! Corey & Angela Martin finished 4th in the team competition!
**********************************************************************
Chris Colby has also written a homebrewing book!!! "Home Brew Recipe Bible" LINK TO PURCHASE "Chris Colby from Beer & Wine Journal serves as the brewmaster for this collection of 100 recipes for home brewing! Chris’ Vienna Lager won silver in the 2004 National Homebrew Competition, as well as a Best of Show in 2004 and several lesser ribbons from his contest days. Here, he’ll show you how to take the freshest ingredients and create a lot of different and fantastic beers to choose from." Beer and Wine Journal
Dan Ironside (Austin ZEALOTS member) has written "Idiot's Guide: Homebrewing". Purchase a copy now or download on your device. LINK TO PURCHASE "Idiot's Guides: Homebrewing breaks the brewing process down step-by-step and helps you understand how to minimize the risk of a bad batch, maximize your success, and foster the passion and pride that every homebrewer experiences when they brew the perfect beer. The author teaches readers the fundamentals -- from home brewery setup and equipment sanitization, to the proper techniques for nearly any style of beer, to bottling and aging their brews. You will learn how to select ingredients, taste beer the right way, and experiment from over 60 recipes ranging from German lagers to IPAs." Dan's Apartment Homebrewer Blog
**********************************************************************
NEWS FLASH: MARK SCHOPPE WINS the 2015 NINKASI AWARD for earning the most points in the National Homebrew Competition! Congratulations to Mark! What an effort! He was the Ninkasi winner in 2012 as well!
**********************************************************************
The Austin ZEALOTS is a loose group of members that have a common interest in brewing and/or drinking great beer. "ZEALOTS" stands for Zymurgic Enthusiasts of Austin Loosely Organized Through Suds. The club has been around since about 1990 and was started by some of Austin's homebrewers, the owners of Live Oak Brewing Co., the early owners of Austin Homebrew Supply, and employees at Celis Brewery. There is a weekly roaming happy hour at the various breweries in and around Austin (sign up for the forum, the yahoo email group for details or check Facebook). No dues or office of the CEO exist. However, we do have pseudo officials: Primary Fermenter, Secondary Fermenter and Conditioning Tank(s), just for grins. Monthly meetings are the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of the month at a location and time announced here, on the email group, and on Facebook. Our meetings usually consist of about 40 or more people who share their creations (bring a tasting glass please). We have a style of the month, but if you have homebrew that isn't in that style, bring it on! If you don't have any homebrew handy, feel free to bring a commercial example of the style of the month that you enjoy. Bear in mind that to give each person a sample, you will need to bring at least 2 twelve ounce bottles. Each year we host a Homebrew Competition called the Inquisition. It is certified and sanctioned by no one. It is unique in that judging is not to determine if you can emulate a particular classic style, but can you make quality beer. In 2012, the ZEALOTS finished 3rd in the AHA's National Homebrew Conference and Mark Schoppe finished in first place overall and became the Ninkasi Award winner (plus he won the Ninkasi in 2015!)! The ZEALOTS won the Lone Star Circuit Trophy in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 & 2016!
________________________________________________________
Use these steps to join or request to join groups inside your organization. If the group is outside of your organization, see the option in step 4 to find the group owner's contact information, and send a request to the owner to join.
Sign in to Google Groups. Learn how to join if you do not have a Google Account.
In the box at the top, enter a subject, like "cooking" or "football." (or simply search for "Austin ZEALOTS")
Optional: If a group is open, you can read messages sent by its members by clicking the group name.
To join a group, click Join group or Ask to join group. If neither button appears, you might be able to contact the group owner directly to ask to join the group. To see if group owner contact information is available, on the left, click About. Contact information is displayed in the Owners section if the group's options are set to display this.
After you’ve joined a group, you get a confirmation email. If you asked to join a group or contacted a group owner, the group owner needs to approve your application before you can participate in that group.