March 2026

Autumn Missive from the Clerk

Unto the Brewers, Vintners, and Imbibers of Lochac does Clerk Bjorn send Greetings,

==Retrospective==

I thank THLd Dauid de Cochrane for regaling us of the goings on at Canterbury Faire. The Guild is evidently going very strongly across the water, and I am appreciative of the feedback given on the Agenda of the Annual Meeting. I hope that one day I may make the journey across to Canterbury Faire.

At the event there were no less than 7 members whose brews were judged for the Rank of Apprentice. I will announce them below.

So too was there held the event Rhythm and Brews in the Barony of Mordenvale. The traditional popular acclaim brewing competition was held, administered by Apprentice Angus MacDougall. I do not have the full record of what was entered, but I was honoured by the populace with their acclaim for my Rhodomelle based on a 14th century English manuscript translation of a 5th century Latin recipe, and I was granted the mash rake that is the perpetual trophy.

==Rowany Festival==

Rowany Festival is nearly upon us, and with it our Annual Meeting.

The business that will be conducted at that meeting is:

  1. A toast to the newest Master of the Guild
  2. Acceptance of Minutes from Previous Annual Meeting
  3. Clerk’s Annual Report
  4. Changes to the Charter
  5. Election of the Guild Clerk
  6. Rowany Festival Competition: Digitum Labendum Bonum
  7. General Tasting

As can be seen from the draft timetable, the Guild’s Annual Meeting has been set for Thursday afternoon 4-6pm in the Tavern, following Royal Court in which Craftsman Padraig Lowther is to be elevated to the Order of the Laurel for his pursuits particular in our Noble Art.

Discerning viewers will also note that a separate Guild Tasting has been set for the following day after court (4:30-6:30pm) in the Tavern, also following Royal Court.

The intent, as previously discussed on various occasions, is to allow for that we ALWAYS run out of time. So, I have set both these meetings with the intent that we may attend to the business of the Guild on Thursday, conduct our Rowany Festival competition, and prioritise the judgement of members seeking Ranking in the Guild. If we still have time on Thursday, we may yet discuss and judge other brews in the manner of our usual custom, but now we will also have plenty of time to do so on Friday, and to attend to any judge any brews that may not be able to present at the Annual Meeting.

I did not receive any nominations for Clerk before the deadline of the 26th of March that I announced severally. I did have an offer from Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane to nominate me, which I have neglected to respond to in the haste and frantic schedule I presently keep. So too has Apprentice Rosalind Beaufort nominated me this past couple of days.

I will admit that my life is very full this year, and that unkind and presumptuous interactions this past year with SCAdians in positions of influence has left me with diminished spirit and passion. I appreciate the kind words that have been offered regarding my service. I will accept the nomination and be appointed for another year, but I will not have the bandwidth to attend to it as I have these past two years. If I am appointed, I will call for other volunteers to assist in the administration of the Guild. Since the passing of the late great Mistress Rohesia, the Guild has been without a Webminister.

I will send out a separate missive calling for a vote of confidence.

In any case, I am looking forward to meeting again at Rowany Festival and sharing in the Joys and Mysteries of our Noble Art.

The Guild Bar will not be operating this year. Simply put, I did not receive enough volunteers for it to be viable. There are other related matters that I will include in my report that I will table at the Meeting.

For now, suffice it to say that if you wish to share your brews in an organised manner:

  • According to all advice I have seen from the NSW Office of Liquor and Gaming, you are not required by NSW law to obtain or hold a license if you do not receive any payments directly or indirectly.
  • There are no policies of SCA Ltd. that forbid such an endeavour. The Alcohol Policy explicitly states “it is not the intent of this document or the Board of the SCA Ltd to restrict any rights of its members but rather provide a framework for responsible alcohol service and consumption at events.”
  • If such an endeavour does not disrupt other activities at an event or otherwise compromise the integrity of the event, the authority granted to a person responsible for an event (i.e. a Steward) in section II.E of Corpora do not give them leave to unilaterally ban such an endeavour being undertaken by the initiative of SCA members.

Go forth and do good things responsibly.

===Upcoming Events===

Meeting
Sherwater Easter Camp | 3-11 April | Shire of Sherwater

Meeting & Competition
Rowany Festival | 8-13 April | Canton of Okewaite
Digito Lambendo Bonum: 11 Herbs and Spices
Brews must contain exactly 11 herbs and/or spices (in any combination). For full details, see the webpage at https://brewers.lochac.sca.org/competition-dlb/

If you are interested in hosting a Guild Meeting or Competition, please contact me so I can include it on the website and declare it via Guild channels.

If you wish to enter any of these competitions, or otherwise share your Art in absentia at these events, please reach out via the List, Facebook Group, or Discord channel. There are many who might carry brews to events from one place to another. Where that is not possible, postage services are robust, so a local member may be quite willing to receive your brew by post.

Those interested in pursuing Ranking, but are geographically challenged, may be particularly motivated to pursue this course of action. You do not have to be present for your brew to be judged, so submission by courier or post is quite possible.

===Rankings===

The Guild exists to encourage and celebrate the Art of crafting and appreciating libations, and to bring together into fraternity and community those of us interested in sharing in that Art with one another.

In that Art, we develop skills in the merit of beverages by their palatability and historicity, as well as understandings of the history of the Art itself, sharing the knowledges of these things, and serving the guild that the Art may be furthered and its merits and delights be spread to those others that it might benefit. We pursue these virtues and celebrate them in each other, and the Rankings of the Guild give a scaffold for that pursuit.

It is my pleasure to announce the following newest Ranked members of the Guild:

David of Southron Gaard achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by his hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Craftsman Luan an Fael

Tove Eiriksdottir achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by her hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Craftsman Luan an Fael

Jessica de Cameron achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by her hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Luan an Fael

Lykos of Lesbos achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by his hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Master Asbjørn Pederson Marsvin

Aleksandor Hart achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by his hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Master Asbjørn Pederson Marsvin

Emrys Grenelef achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by his hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Craftsman Luan an Fael

Ulf of Hinterland Downs achieved the rank of Apprentice, with a brew made by his hand having been found Drinkable by the witness of Apprentice Dauid de Cochrane and Master Asbjørn Pederson Marsvin

These members are now granted the right to judge submissions for the Rank of Apprentice in accordance with the Ordinances of the Guild.

Please join me in celebrating the newest Ranked members of the Guild.

My thanks to THLd Dauid de Cochrane who has taken it upon himself to extensively encourage and facilitate the business of the Guild in the Crescent Isles. I have said it before and will say it again. He is a great credit to the Guild.

The full list of Ranked Members can be found on the newly updated Guild website at https://brewers.lochac.sca.org/guild-members/

I heartily encourage members of the Guild to hold Tastings and Competitions of the Guild that the noble Art may be thus shared amongst one another and with the populace. And I further encourage members to explore the Rankings of the Guild as a pleasing yardstick of achievement, and to inspire others to like achievement in the noble Art.

Forms are available at https://brewers.lochac.sca.org/members/guild-rankings/

If you would like to run a Guild competition, please let me know so that I can advertise it on regular Guild channels.

Long may we partake in the Joys and Mysteries of the Noble Art. I look forward to sharing in that Art with you all again soon.

Yours in continued Service to the Brewers, Vintners, and Imbibers of Lochac

ᛓᛁᚭᚱᚿᛓᛁᛆᚱᚿᚢᛚᛧᛓᛆᛌᛆᛌᚭᚿᚢᚱᛓᛁᛆᚱᚿᚢᛁᚢ

Virðuligr Drottin Bjorn Bjarnylr Bassason ór Bjarneyu

Clerk

By Bjǫrn Bassason | Uncategorized | Link