Brew Day at Two Bros., Warrenville, IL - May 3

I was at Two Bros. for the tour and a few rounds yesterday and this was mentioned. Info taken from knaves.org:

The AHA's Big Brew Day. Homebrewers across the country get together to brew beer today, because we can. This year Two Brothers Brewery has once again offered us a great opportunity. They will mash a light-colored wort of around 17° Plato (1.070 OG) for us in the new brewery's mash tun. Participants will get 5 gallons to finish as they please. Bring your own burners, kettles, wort chillers, racking equipment, carboys, and anything else you'll need. Steep with specialty grains, add extract if you like, and add your own hops. You can arrive for mash-in at 9:00am, or show up around 11:00am to set up for your boil. Everyone must be done by 5:00pm. Homebrew is welcome, and Two Brothers Beer can be purchased. Two Brothers is co-located with the Brewers Coop at 30W315 Calumet Ave. in Warrenville; map here. For more details, contact Rodney Kibzey.

Definitely sounds interesting and fun. I may have to attend.

bump.

I can't make it as I'll be out of town, but just in case anyone missed it as this fell off the first page.

Two Bros. added a little info on their site.

There will be no tours this Saturday due to National Big Brew Day. Every year the American Homebrewers Association has a Big Brew Day where they try to get as many homebrewers as possible to brew that day. For the last few years we have invited local homebrewers into the brewery and given them wort off our system. Then they take that wort and add their own hops and yeast (and sometimes more malt) to make their own beer. It sounds like it will be a record turn out this year so we will not have room to give tours. Our new tour schedule will start on Saturday May 10th.

Speaking of Big Brew Day, we will be making a new beer that will be draft only and available in a select number of accounts (and our Tap House of course). This is a beer I have been wanting to do for a long time. I am really excited.

I wanted to go, but I have a previous commitment. Sounds like a good time

I went and it was a pretty good time. Originally, the wort was supposed to be the base for their pale ale, but was changed last-minute to a Chisswick Bitter as a tribute to Michael Jackson.

First runnings were given to about 12 brewers at about 11 a.m. (a little late start). Initial runnings were 1.080+ so pretty much everyone is doing an imperial ... I took an initial gravity reading at about 120°F and it was 1.072. So, rough estimates would put it closer to around 1.085 at about 70°F

I steeped a little biscuit, 40L°, Pilsner and Special B and had to practically double my hops schedule. Two brothers provided the club with several pizzas, not to mention the wort and all the water we needed.

I should have about 5.5 gal of a an imperial Bitter/IPA in about 5 weeks.