Welcome to the new website of the Canberra Brewers Club, which also incorporates the club newsletter known as The Ferm. Firstly, i'll introduce myself. My name is Sam Highley (aka sammy) and I was elected to the position of Ferm Editor for 2010. I've been brewing for just three years or so, and like most brewers I started out by making kit beers from the likes of Coopers and Morgans. Is that really brewing, or is it just fermenting?
I soon discovered the limitations of hopped-extract kits, and moved into making extract beers with hop additions within just a few months. I was immediately blown away by the possibilities of crafting a beer from malt extract, hops and yeast, and shortly thereafter i'd purchased a mash-tun and was diving into all-grain brewing. I think it's safe to say — and my family will back me up on this — that it has become an all-consuming passion for me, with almost every spare moment taken up with either brewing, or researching brewing and brewing-related topics.
The main reason that I agreed to take on the role this year is that I believe that both the club newsletter and website could do with a refresh, and also a strong push to take them both to a wider audience. Looking back through past issues of The Ferm — the first issue of which was published in March 1995 — it is clear that there is a wealth of quality information within the club, that could be of great benefit to the wider brewing community both in Australia and abroad. So what better way to refresh them both than by rolling them into one, and here we are!
I strongly encourage members to submit items for publication and help further the aims of the club, notably to "promote the brewing of beer and the art of making it", and to "improve the quality of the beer we brew via education, competition and discussion". I can safely say that some of the best information that i've received in the last few years — as a novice brewer — has been through the members of this fine club. We are always looking for items for publication such as brewing techniques, new gadgets, commercial beer reviews, beer-related travel and, of course, your best recipes. And remember, words can become boring, so remember to include plenty of photos with your article. On that note:
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