February 2026 Lehigh Valley Homebrewers Newsletter
- Steve Anthony
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Greetings Brewers,
Our meeting this month will be on Tuesday, February 24th, at the Hawk Mountain Brewing in Whitehall, PA. Our meeting, as usual will start at 7:30PM. Their kitchen will not be open, so make sure to eat something before showing up.
Dues! The officers and board of directors met in January and have decided to set dues for new and existing members at $35 for 2026. As the American Homebrewers Association is not offering a bulk membership discount again this year, we need this increase to cover cost of insurance as we do not expect to hit their 75% membership requirement for a discount based on last year's numbers. You can renew online or pay in person at the meeting.
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Kevin Gain for his service as a member of our board of directors and for helping shepherd the transition to a regularly rotating board, where each member has an offset three year term to ensure continuity. Kevin has dedicated years of service to helping move the club forward and we wouldn't be where we are today without him. I'd also like to thank Joe Kalinosky for agreeing to take up these responsibilities, and wish him luck in his term as our newest board member moving forward.
It's time to start thinking about Malt Madness XX and CRAFTED! Malt Madness is on the BJCP calendar for April 25, 2026 so add that to your calendars.
as of February 1st, so start brewing and get ready to submit your entries for the 20th iteration of this competition! A reminder to our BJCP certified judges to sign up to help judge as well! If you're otherwise available to help with the planning or execution see Dan Miller early, before he comes looking for you.
Thanks to everyone who registered for and came out for the Fegley's Craft Beer Festival. If you missed that opportunity to serve your beer, the Arts Quest Spring Beer Fest at Steel Stacks is March 28th (registration) so you still have some time to start brewing for that! Note that PA RAMP certification is required to serve at the Arts Quest festival. There are several options to do this online if needed.
Keystone Homebrew Supply has reached out with two announcement we'd like to pass along to the club. First, they are filling a pallet and have a list of grains for purchase in a limited run which are outside what they typically carry (see the PDF below). These are generally available as a sack purchase, with a couple available to be broken down. Once the pallet is full, they will stop taking orders, and if the pallet fills they will apply a 20% discount in place of the usual 15%. Reach out to Keystone for pricing if you see anything that catches your eye! Deadline to order is February 28th!
Secondly, the Pink Boots Society is looking for homebrewers to help pour homebrew at their upcoming event - ‘A New Pour’ Festival! A New Pour is a fermented beverage festival showcasing Pink Boots Society Pennsylvania members and their offerings. Celebrating diversity in the industry, their hand-selected vendors will have the opportunity to pour their craft beverages made or tailored specifically for this festival. Local food trucks that align with their goals will be parked out front, where attendees can purchase food and non-alcoholic beverages. Throughout the day, there will be live music, a chance to meet up with new and old friends, and educational seminars and panels featuring key industry folks who are doing good things. This event is Sunday, April 19th, from 2pm to 7pm, at the Pennsylvania German Society, 611 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to Keystone Homebrew Supply!
Finally, the usual reminder that we've been looking for an alternative with a low barrier to entry for notifying those interested in news, festival opportunities, or event reminders, etc. outside of the monthly newsletter cycle. To this end, we've created the "LVHB News" Google Group. If you're interested, you should be able to search for lvhb-news@googlegroups.com in the Google Groups search and request to join.
See you Tuesday,
Steve Anthony
LVHB Club President
Future Meetings:
Meetings are open to anyone (21 and older) who home brews (beer, wine, cider, mead) or is interested in learning about home brewing. Our club has over 30 certified judges and several members who have "gone pro" by opening their own brewery, meadery, or distillery! - So bring your latest craft creation and get some constructive feedback and/or accolades!
UPCOMING CLUB EVENTS
OUR BREWERS (are awesome!)
Keep an eye on this space, our brewers are always working on something!
CLUB COMPETITIONS
Nothing upcoming, but suggestions are welcome!
UPCOMING BJCP COMPETITIONS
Full list is available here.
Recommended Local Homebrew Competitions:
Competition | Date | Registrations Due | |
3/7/2026 | 2/28/2026 | ||
3/7/2026 | 2/28/2026 | ||
3/22/2026 | 2/27/2026 |
OTHER CLUB INFO
The details for most of our happenings (news, events, etc.) will either be included in the monthly newsletter or will be found on the LVHB Website Club Info page. More random thoughts, photos, and links will be shared via the club Facebook page. Find photos of our brewing activities on Instagram! @lehighvalleyhomebrewers
Are you an AHA member? It's a good time to consider adding or renewing an AHA Membership for yourself or your brewing buddy. Use our link (click the image below) and the club gets credit for your membership!
Member Benefits
Keystone Homebrew Supply offers 10% off online and in-store purchases for LVHB members as well as a points based loyalty reward program. They offer weekly local delivery on Saturday at Bonn Place in Bethlehem (just place your order by Thursday). Keystone offers full sacks of grain as well as a large selection of brewing and wine making equipment. Also, for most local competitions they provide a drop off point so you don't have to mail in your entries! https://www.keystonehomebrew.com/ Hop and Grain offers members 20% off purchases on their online store, free shipping and flexible local pick-up options. You'll find them very accommodating, even if you require a special order. https://hopandgrain.us/
Brew Hardware offers members a 5% discount as well! https://www.brewhardware.com/Default.asp
GrogTags offers members 15% off with the code on the member page - get creative with your labels and prepare for the 2025 label competition!
There's no excuse not to brew because you can't get ingredients or equipment! Thank you to the local shops that support our club!
See all the benefits of membership as well as how to join here.
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