Events

The IPA Club is active year round with events and activities ranging from group brewing, to competitions, to club trips and barrel-aging beer.  Check out what we do when we’re not just tasting beer.

(*hint*- we’re tasting more beer)

  1. Big Brew & Learn to Homebrew Day –  These are annual AHA sponsored events that IPA participates in every year.  Big Brew is in the first week of May while Teach A Friend to Homebrew Day is in November. Both events are group brews where participants bring their equipment onsite and brew.  There’s usually some grilling and chilling happening along with sampling of homebrew.  Click the above links for more info from the AHA site. .

  2. Oktoberfest – In the last week of September or, first week of October, IPA members host their annual O-Fest party.  This is usually at Stewart Park in the big pavilion and is open to all members, their families and friends.  The event is our version of the German tradition and features a pot luck dinner where members bring a dish to pass, grill foods and of course, sample homebrew.  Other activities include lawn games, keg tossing, and activities for kids.  This is the largest event of the year for the club and all are encouraged to attend.

  3. Brewery Trips – Every few months or so, we organize a trip to several area breweries.  The IPA Club rents a van, finds a DD and members pile in to travel around to sample many different breweries in NYS. To date, IPA has covered Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Finger Lakes and Elmira/Corning area breweries.  These are seriously fun!

  4. Iron Brewer – About once a year, participating IPA homebrewers are asked to brew with a certain “secret ingredient”  and produce the best beer possible. Winners advance to the next round and the competition stiffens. Who will be the next Iron Brewer?? Will it be you??

  5. Barrel Aging Group – A spin off of the original club, the Barrel Group organizes an occasional barrel purchase with the intent of producing 55 gallons of wood-aged beer. Participants each brew 5 -10 gallons and meet to fill the barrel. After the beer has aged, the participants meet again and pick up their barrel-aged beer.  Past barrels have included a port wine barrel, a whiskey barrel and a red wine barrel. What will be next?

For certain events, you will need to check the IPA Discussion Group or IPA Facebook page to find out the dates for the current year.