Rowany,Canty, Fields of Gold, oh my!

Greetings fellow brewers.  I have been travelling this Kingdom, and seen the wondrous activity of our brewing community.  At Fields of Gold, held in Politarchopolis in early December, Lord Bjorn organised an area for any guild members to present their wares to the Kingdom.  Ably assisted by Jochen Schwabe, who provided a fantastic “hole in the wall”, the event was well provisioned by Bjorn’s meads and ciders, Lord Aymer’s cider, and my own yppocras and beers, as well as Bjorns snacks.  I am looking forward to what we can put together for next FoG, and, sorry about the “appley” beer and if I missed any contributors.

From FoG, my family joined the caravan and headed east, to Canterbury Faire, an event most splendid and worth the journey.  I was welcomed by our fellow brewers with open arms and proffered bottles, and enjoyed the spirits tasting held on the Monday of that event.  Many thanks to the organisers of the tastings, in particular Lord Maximilian and Lord Kotek.  It was good to see the enthusiasm for the brewing arts, and the amazing display of wares offered up for tasting.

 

At this event, two of our number, being Mistress Aveline and Lord Damien had their wares examined, and were granted elevation to the rank of Journeymen of the Guild.  Congratulations on achieving this, and I look forward to tasting your work in the future.

Again, with rankings, and after reading back through correspondence received, three members of the Guild have been added to the number of Apprentice, being Kotek  Torzhoskoi, Howard of Gildenwick and  Sir Master Vitale Giustiniani.  My apologise for not attending to this sooner, and congratulations on your apprenticeship.

 

Finally, Rowany Festival draws nigh, and as is the tradition, Master Padraig, who won last years brewing competition, and set the rules for this year’s brewers comp, to be judged at the Guild Meeting at Rowany this Easter.  His conditions for entry are as follows: “a dark ale or beer, to whatever recipe or redaction the entrant favours so long as it come from grain”.  I, for one, am looking forward to see what is offered at the tasting this Festival, and look forward to meeting more members of the Guild.  Once the date and timing of the meeting is confirmed, I will advise in all the usual places.

Your servant,

 

James Douglas

In Strathcorbie, on the feast of St Victor and Claudian, in the Reign of Eva and Felix

 

Guild Tasting at Canterbury Faire.

The Guild tasting for Canterbury Faire 2018 will be held at 4pm on the Tuesday of Faire in the Half Circle amphitheatre unless the weather is inhospitable, in which case other arrangements will be made.

Members are asked to limit their entries to two each, and we expect the meeting to run for nearly two hours so BYO water and snacks.

Bring out your Smalls for Canterbury Faire

The Guild competition for Canterbury Faire 2018 is “small’s” being low alcohol drinks, such as small ale, small mead or fermented soft drinks. Bonus points will given to those who make sufficient quantities to have it put “on tap” at the Mangy Mongol for the populace.

The competition will be judged during the A&S display on the Tuesday morning of Faire. The judging form  that will be used can be found at https://brewers.lochac.sca.org/files/2015/01/Brewers-Guild-judging-form.pdf Entrants should provide a sample of their brew and documentation to the judges by 10am sharp.

 

Online judging form and Guild Advancement

My Dear and Fellow Brewers, Greetings!

After much toil by Maximilian, which followed a motion made by Master Rurik at the Festival AGM, we now have a simple online form by which one can submit a request for an advancement in the Guild.  The link can be found here and should be pretty self-explanatory.

For those interested in grading the brews, please get in touch with Maximilian and he can arrange for you to be added to the system.

Additionally, at the tasting that occurred at Midwinter Coronation, Maximilian submitted a Cider that was judged as drinkable by divers people present; I know this by looking at the online form.  As such I would have it known that Maximilian is to be an Apprentice in the Guild, and that I look forward to further work from Apprentice Maximilian.

In Cerevisio Felicitas,

Padraig Lowther, Journeyman and Clerk of the Guild
At Innilgard on the Feast of St Hormisdas, Steffan and Branwen being in their second reign.

 

New Apprentices at Pencampwr

Congratulations to the eight new apprentices from Aneala and Abertridwr who successfully entered the ranks of the guild at Pencampwr weekend. They supplied in the region of 40 brews and nearly broke Guildmaster Drake’s liver. Well done you guys!

Rowany Festival AS L AGM and Rankings

My Dear and Fellow Brewers, Greetings!

This year’s Guild Annual General Meeting was held on the Friday of Rowany Festival, being the Feast of St Dismas the Good Thief in AS L.  The sole matter of formal business conducted was the election of a new Guild Clerk, Master Rurik having served for long enough as to feel that it was time for another to serve the Guild in this fashion.  For the post were nominated Baron Angus and myself; Padraig, Lord of the Pelican.  The Guildmembers present chose to select me for this role, for which I can only give my humble thanks again.  I also thank Master Rurik for his excellent work in building the Guild up to where it currently stands, and Baron Angus for also volunteering to stand for this post.

After this was done, I explained to all present who might not know the structure of voluntary rankings used in the Guild, and demonstrated how one might go about applying for rank within the guild.  This demonstration was to qualify myself as a Journeyman in the Guild, and thus I am proud to announce that I am also now noted as a Journeyman on the rolls of the Guild.

Once this demonstration was done, I was summoned to tourney; I had already girded myself for combat and thus moved off to joyful combat.  As for the informal tasting session that followed, I have some papers, but there was not the standardised responses in the Canterbury Style we have come to expect from or Fellows in Southron Gaard.  I am therefore desolate in that I cannot give a full report of the guild tastings, but I can say that Sorcha’s spirituous infusion was much admired, that Stephanos’ Sahti was rated as wonderfully savoury and that Thorgrim’s cider was refreshing and cleansed the palette well.

It is therefore clear that a move to the Canterbury Style of running a guild tasting is to be encouraged at the divers meetings of the Guild. To that end I have asked Rohesia, Journeywoman of the Guild, write instructions on the method of conducting a meeting in the Canterbury Style, to standardise practise throughout Lochac and to make sure that the efforts of all who Practice the Mysteries of our Craft may be noted in their good works.

 

In Cerevisio Felicitas,

Padraig, Clerk

 

Rowany Festival AS L Brewing Competition Results

Collegial Greetings to you All!

 

At Rowany Festival last, held during the reign of Gilbert and Bethony, a Competition on Small Brews Without Hops was held; Rohesia, a Journeywoman of the Guild, called this competition “Bring Out Your Smalls.”  This competition was held on St Garbhan’s day, simultaneous with the Laurel Prize Tourney, an arrangement which worked satisfactorily and which I hope to use again.

Indeed, smalls were brought out and presented, four of them in fact.  Guildmaster Drake presented a small ale, as did Giles, Lord of the Pelican; Lady Rosalind Beaufort presented a recipe from Digby, being “Hydromel as I made it weak for the Queen Mother,” while I submitted an entry of my own, also from Digby, being “Sir William Paston’s Meathe.”

The competition was well contended, and the results are as follows.  The victrix of the competition was Lady Rosalind, with myself and Guildmaster Drake tying for second and Lord Giles coming in a close third.  The prize presented to Lady Rosalind, being an unpierced mash paddle one yard long, was generously donated by the Brewers and Mercers at the Inn at the Sign of the Stone Dog.

Here ends the report of the competition; please be certain to remember that

In Cerevisio Felicitas.

Padraig, Clerk

New Compleat Anachronist on Medieval Brewing

Bring out your Smalls! Rowany Festival 2016 Competition

My Dear and Fellow Brewers, Greetings!

Having won the Rheinheitsgebot competition at Canterbury Faire just past, I have been charged to run a competition at Festival, and this charge I have accepted. After all, the more brewers in Lochac the stronger our Art becomes. However, since we are time limited and I have not seen as much ale around as I might like, I have decided to run the competition thusly.

This shall be a competition for small beverages; small ale, small mead, small cider etc. Herbs and botanicals are permitted, EXCEPT for hops; I am well aware of Lochac’s skill at beer, but I am keen to see more of Lochac’s ales, as well as herbacially assisted fermentations from other sugar sources.

Brewers Guild Competition – Canterbury Faire 2017