Thank you to AJ and the Hoster family for hosting us this month. Learning the history of Hoster and the impact it has had on this city was a delight to learn about. We are all looking forward to enjoying a Gold Top Dortmunder once again!

SODZ Board Elections - Elections will be held next month, please reach out to myself or one of the board members if you are interested in running for a position.

British Beer Fest at Olentangy Brewing, 4/9!

April SODZ Mtg -- Eastside Brewing on 4/18. Will be closed to the public.

May SODZ Mtg -- Ill Mannered on 5/16. Coordinated event with Columbus Craft Beer Week

June 4th -- Iron Kettle. Save the Date, Hosters will be hosting us!

June SODZ Mtg -- informal gathering at Restoration

June 23-25 -- Homebrew Con - Registration for the conference and beer entries are open

Zachrich Hop Yard -- July 23rd - More details to follow

See you in April at Eastside!

In accordance with February tradition, we met in the underground at Barleys Ale House and caught up with Angelo and head-brewer Courtney.

SODZ-member Patrick Woodward briefed us on all things fresh hops, based on his recent research and exploration of the topic. If you missed it, check out Patspints.com and also the informative and entertaining podcast All Things Beer, co-hosted by Patrick and Mark Richards (who we know from SODZ and Land Grant Brewing)

February, through the March meeting, is when we solicit officer nominations to join the SODZ Board -- this is a great opportunity for motivated members to get more involved in the club, give back to the SODZ and homebrewing community and help shape the future direction of SODZ. Current officers are eligible for another term, but we would all welcome a competitive election in March.

We are introducing a new board position as well: in addition to President, Vice President, Membership Coordinator, Treasurer and Secretary we are expanding the roles to include a Tech Coordinator– in charge of website development, social media accounts and related activities. Greg is interested in sliding over into that role, so we’re looking to backfill the Secretary position with someone who would like to take the lead in content development for email updates and social media outreach (like this!), etc. Let us know if this sounds like you!

There are also other opportunities to step up and take the lead or participate in our Homebrew Con preparations for this summer – we really need a ringleader for that, to help coordinate the talent within our club for brewing and booth preparations.

Remember to brew your entries and sign up for judging, staffing or stewarding the British Beer Fest on April 9th: https://bbf.sodz.org/

We’ll see you later this month for the March meeting at Hosters on 3/21 at 7:00 (details below and on the Facebook event page)

653 N James Rd, Columbus, OH 43219

Jay Hoster will be providing a talk about the history behind Hoster brewing company.

As of now brewing has not yet commenced so this will be a BYOB event.

There is also plenty of food to be had south on Steltzer and Broad Street area and we will be able to eat it at the brewery. Jimmy John's nearby will also likely deliver to us. Since the brewery is not yet completed it may be wise to bring a chair to get comfy in.

Directions: We are just south of the airport between Steltzer Road and the 7th Street and 5th St., Junction. We are in a warehouse complex called Airport Plaza marked by a large white and green sign. Take the entrance next to the sign and pass with the sign to their right we are in the middle of building One, ahead and to the left. 653 N. James Road. Parking is plentiful. Front and rear - if weather is good we can open the big back door.

A.J. will plan to be there by 5 if Anyone wants to arrive early.

Brewing Competition: Sessionable

This is a wide open category where the only criteria is that you make a beer 4% ABV or less. While I realize “sessionable” is technically anything less than 5%, what’s the fun in that?