Big Brew Day, February 7, 2-026
“Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Homebrew!”
Charlie Papazian
Charlie Papazian
A Big THANK YOU to all who came out for our Big Brew Day in Caledonia!
Barrel Project Rye Porter and the Best Brew Club
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Here in West Michigan, we are blessed with three brew clubs. Many wonder which beer club is the best. Do we base on attendance, growth, competition points, or most connections with our great local breweries? I say our brew day on February 7th 2026 is proof we are the best club. So, of course you ask me why? What other club has nine members volunteer to pack up their equipment and travel to the long lost city of Caledonia? Do we know how much we will need to fork over for ingredients? Nope. Do we all get lost in the thread of emails formulating a great recipe? Yep. And what do we find when we finally get through all the emails and snowy roads? Our great club members Matt Mead, Greg Sanial, the host with the most Eric Smead, Ian Purvis, Mies Martin have donated the malts, hops, and yeast (used in that order). Not to mention Kyle Thaxton who donated his barrel that started this whole elaborate plan. The recipe available in every beer software created. Did you forget your lighter? No problem, you can borrow one and forget to return it. Wes? Kyle? Can I have my lighter back? Today is the day to try something new knowing you will get all the advice you want and some you don’t even ask for. Think you have it all figured out and changing nothing. You will still get all the advice you want and some you don’t even ask for.
Of course brewing beer makes you hungry and thirsty so I guess we will have to order food. That’s boring. So Eric Smead is constantly grilling food. Kyle makes some Nordic hot dogs. Snacks brought by many. Aged beers no longer in production, beers from outside West Michigan, beers from local breweries, and of course some homebrew beers of all styles. If you leave hungry or thirsty you just didn’t try hard enough. Can you only attend if you are brewing? Hell no! That’s for clubs who are too good for themselves. We have members coming to see how they can improve their process. We have members who come that have their own breweries. We have long lost members show up. Did you remember to pay for your membership this year? Lastly, you know you are in the best club when the members are not just members. These guys are your best friends. They are better than family because they choose to stay connected. When a club ends the day with “See ya soon!” and “I love ya brother.” where else would you want to be? Sorry other west michigan clubs but you can’t “compete” with us. Thanks to this Brew Days brewers: Eric Smead, Ian Purvis, Greg Sanial, Bill Smith, Weston Hosler, Kyle Thaxton, Matt Mead, Troy Schmidt, Melanie Mayse Own secret sauce - Ric Brown, Rich St. Arnold, and George Lawlor Thanks for the support: Greg Barnhardt, Eric Fouch, Jerry McCollum, and Dave Kilgore We had a few not able to attend due to illness or life. Thanks for your good thoughts! Finally, thanks to our host, Eric Smead, and his very supportive family including his wife, Molly. He truly makes you feel at home, has a great space, has everything we need and forgot at home. He never complains about the mess we cause or leave. We are all so glad to have that man as a friend and club member. Bill Smith Secretary of Primetime Brewers 
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It's so much more than great beer.
