What are the Bay Area Mashtronauts?

The Bay Area Mashtronauts (BAM) is a homebrewing club based in the Clear Lake area. Members share a passion for making and drinking homecrafted adult beverages. While the majority of members specialize in beer, the club also includes mead-makers, wine-makers, cider-makers, liqueur-makers, and even the occasional soda maker.  This is a club of hobbyists.  We do this for FUN. Our attitude is roughly stated by the saying, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew."  Or mead.  Or cider. Or, well, you should get the idea by now.

Where and when does BAM meet?

BAM’s monthly meetings begin at 6:30 pm on the second Tuesday of every month. The President will cover any club business at 7:00 pm.  Meetings are held at B&S Brewers Guild located on NASA Rd 1 in Clear Lake, TX.

Do I need to be a homebrewer to join?

Absolutely not! You do not need to a homebrewer to be a member of BAM. This is a club of people that share a passion for drinking homecrafted beer. While the vast majority of members are homebrewers it is not required. Be warned though, chances are once you get around the hobby, you’ll want to give it a try too.

What if I am just starting homebrewing, will I be out of place?

BAM has members with a variety of different experience levels ranging from “still thinking about their first brew” to those that are competitive at a national level. The goal of this club is to enjoy each other’s company while helping to educate each other about making beer. Experienced members remember what that first batch was like and are more than happy to offer suggestions if asked.

What does BAM do?

We are a  club of hobbyists centered on all things homebrewing.  BAM sponsors an annual homebrew competition/party – the Lunar Rendezbrew. This traditionally takes place in the July/August timeframe. BAM also hosts brew-ins, FARTs (What? Keep reading.), pub crawls, and countless other social engagements. Members have been known to meet for a good bike ride (the club includes several avid bikers) or head off to a Dynamo game.

How much are dues?

Dues are $20 per person and $30 per family. Paid 2010 dues gets you a pair of Sam Adams Perfect Pint glasses, or 3 for a family membership.  If you join midway through the year, your initial dues will be prorated. 

How do I join?

Well, you can join BAM online through Paypal.  All the information is contained on the Dues & Payments page.

Who is in charge of this operation?

BAM holds an election every November to determine the officers for the following calendar year.  The Current Officers can be found In the Cockpit.

What is a fart? Ok I know what a fart is… but what is a FART?

FART stands for Friday Afternoon Revival Time. When you are sitting around on a Friday night preparing to watch mind numbing television, FART is the alternative. Come hang out with some BAM members enjoying a frosty adult beverage at a local drinking establishment. The bar usually changes each week so be sure to check our online calendar to find the location for that week.

What is Rendezbrew?

The Lunar Rendezbrew is the Bay Area Mashtronauts annual celebration of all things beer occurring in late July/early August. A big part of the Lunar Rendezbrew is a homebrew competition. This competition is associated with the Lone Star Circuit, a series of homebrew competitions occurring throughout Texas. Beyond the homebrew competition, the Lunar Rendezbrew is an eat lots of food and drink all the beer you can safely handle party complete with live music and games. Details about the latest one are HERE.

I went to a meeting and they keep asking for help with judges and stewards at Rendezbrew. I’ve never done anything like it before. Would I be able to help?

There is no better way to learn about beer than to help at the Lunar Rendezbrew. There is absolutely no experience required to steward. The job of a steward is to pour each judge a sample of beer (and of course one for the steward). The judge’s will evaluate the beer and give it a score. The steward records those scores. Many stewards have indicated that they learned more from being a steward than anything else.

Judges are usually a bit more experienced than stewards. The most experienced judges are often certified by the BJCP. Ideally, every judging session includes at least one BJCP judge and a couple of amateur judges. Traditionally, people who have stewarded several times feel comfortable enough to participate as an amateur judge.

Ok, so then what the heck is the Nuts & Bolts competition?

The Nuts and Bolts competition is the Bay Area Mashtronauts intra-club competition.  While not officially sanctioned by the AHA, this competition gives the winners bragging rights for the whole year.  The competition typically pairs beginning brewers with more experienced brewers.  Its a great way to learn and even more fun.

What is with the nicknames?

Upon joining BAM, members are assigned a Mashtronaut nickname. It’s just another quirky way to have some fun. To receive your nickname, please go to the Mashtroforums and introduce yourself to the club. “The Force”, Mike Wiley, is the official designator of nicknames.  The forum can be found by clicking on the Mashtroforum link. 

How do I find out who is who?

Checkout our nickname directory!!

Where can I go to learn more?

Far and away the best place to learn more about BAM is to participate in our online Mashtronaut Forum. BAM members use this as a place to ask questions about brewing, share recipes, and generally enjoy each other’s conversation (usually in the form of sarcastic banter). This is an absolutely invaluable resource if you have questions about how to brew.  The forum can be found by clicking on the Mashtroforum link.  To gain access to it you will have to register as a User of the Mashtroforum.  The folks that own the forum have some simple rules about using it.   The big one is you have to afirm you are 13 or older to be allowed access. Once you have access, make sure you read the Forum Policies.  Those are the rules we work by in the forum to get along as well as we do.  As few as they are, they are enforced.