Pontiac Brewing Tribe

08/17/2025

Another epic Michigan Homebrew Festival is in the books.
From the kickoff toast Thur to the final beer poured Sat night...

We've never seen so many Blackstones, grills and smokers at club sites!
The food served all weekend proves homebrewers are awsome foodies as well...

Matched perfectly with all the great homebrews, ciders, meads and "other " fermentables to sample!

The food p**n pic of the festival definitely was the 100+ chickens roasting on spickets at the AABG site! They were delicious!
Thx for sharing with every club!

PBT did very well in the Mi Beer Cup comp this year! Picking up 7 medals plus the High Gravity award/plaque for highest average score of all the entries! 🏆
Congrats to the 7 winners!
Awards ceremony video attached.
Thx to Keepers of the Craft hbc for that!

Special thanks to PBT's event coordinator Marcus/Beersquatch for his awsome job all weekend!
His Fat Elvis French Toast placed 2nd this year.

Please post any additional pix that you may have!
Wedding pix anyone?

Looking forward to '26 MHF when PBT celebrates our 30th anniversary and Pamela's 21st B-day!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe
pontiacbrewingtribe.com About joining PBT.
Michigan Beer Cup Video 2025 Link
https://share.google/tX8WhpFmoXYUnejrZ

07/13/2025

Thanks to all the homebrewers who brought their beers Sat for the Big Brew Review!
Special thanks to Gordie and the outstanding crew at Cadillac Straits Brewery for hosting the event again this year!

The winners:
PEOPLE'S CHOICE:
1st: Jeff Fijal, Bourbon cream stout.
2nd: Steve and Kyle Anderson, Strawberry blonde.
3rd: Ed Radzioch, Czech Pils.
HM: Peter Jones, Ipa.
HM: Zach Hyso, Fruit beer.

BREWER'S CHOICE:
1st: Steve and Kyle Anderson, Strawberry blonde.
2nd: Jeff Fijal, Bourbon cream stout.
3rd: Ed Radzioch, Czech Pils.
HM: Ron Hyso, Bock.
HM: Joe Tyszkowski, Ipa.

Congrats to the winners of both categories! We had some great homebrews to vote on this year! 1st & 2nd place in both categories were decided by 1 vote...

Our next event is the Michigan Homebrew Festival in August! mhfsite.com

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe

07/11/2025

*****Attention *****
Homebrewers,

Looking for a fun & free homebrew event this weekend? Do you need homebrew supplies for your next beer? Check this out!

Cadillac Straits Brewery & supply house!
Tomorrow 3-6pm
Awards ~5:30pm.
PBT's Big Brew Review.
Sample and vote on your favorite homebrews from some of the best homebrewers in Michigan!
They will be pouring their beers and answering any questions you have.

It's free and open to the public 21 & over please!
See you tomorrow!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe
We brew the beer we drink!

07/03/2025

PBT's 14th annual Big Brew Review:
July 12th, 3pm-6pm.
Set up 2:30pm.
Cadillac Straits Brewery.

Judging beers brewed on May 17th at Rochester Mills Beer Co.

Brewers & Peoples Choice judging 1-3rd.
Custom medals & awsome homebrew related prizes to the winners!

*PLEASE fill out the attached survey so we can properly staff for the competition.

As always this event is free and open to the public. 21 & over please!
Be sure to pick up your brewing supplies while there...

Looking forward to another great homebrew comp!
Good luck to all brewers!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe
We brew the beer we drink!

06/15/2025

Usual Suspects Homebrew Crew

Thanks to the Usual Suspects hbc for inviting PBT out to their annual 24 hr Brew a Thon Friday!
The homebrews, food & brewing were awsome!

We're looking forward to the charity auction at MHF. We saw the prizes and will definitely be buying tickets to help surpass your goal for the Rainbow Connection charity.
Great job all around!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe

*Pictures attached.

06/09/2025

Thanks to UrbanRest Brewery for hosting the all IPA's comp Sunday!

All beers were brewed there for Nat'l homebrew day in May!

People's Choice top 4 IPA's:

-Soup & Salad IPA 6.8%. #5
Hops: Comet, Chinook, Simcoe & Mosaic.
John Balch brewer.

-Hopical Storm 6.0%. Mango IPA. #7
Hops: Comet, Nectran & Vista.
Steve Zimnie & Jason Weihnan Co-brewer's.

-Wheat the People
Wheat IPA 6.5% #8
Hops: Citra, Nectran & Columbus.
Carter Yount brewer.

-Tunnel Vision Neipa. 6.0% #9
Hops: Eldorado, Nectran & Peacherine.
Joel Miller brewer.

Some outstanding IPA's with very creative hop combinations provided by UrbanRest Brewery.

The winning beer that will be brewed on UrbanRest's system...
#5 Soup & Salad IPA. John Balch brewer.
Congrats to John!
Only a few votes separated these awsome IPA's.

PBT's next event is our own Big Brew Review comp.
Beers that were brewed on May 17th!

July 12th 3pm-6pm at Cadillac Straits Brewery.
Great prizes, medals and a 50/50 drawing.

Stop by Cadillac Straits and vote for your favorite homebrews, pickup supplies for your next beer and stick around for the ever popular after glow beers in the brewery!

*Zach owner/brewer announcing the winners. Pic below...

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe

05/30/2025

Big Brew Review:

July 12th.

3-6pm at Cadillac Straits Brewery.

We're hoping everyone's beer is fermenting nicely at this point!

We'd like to thank everyone who came out to brew with us May 17th in Rochester.

What a great day it was!

A record turnout at our new location!

Part II of this event is Big Brew Review July 12th 3pm at Cadillac Straits Brewery in Madison Heights.

Save the date.

Enter the beer you brewed on May 17th. We do check...

Judging will be your fellow homebrewers who brewed that day for the coveted Brewers Choice 1-3rd place.

Plus the Peoples Choice 1-3rd place as voted by the public.

Over $500 of prizes and custom medals to the winners.

Yes you can win both categories!

It was done last year by Chris Stern!

Two of the brewers who have won in previous years did not brew this year, so this is your chance to win!

Also a 50/50 raffle.

Over $200 last year! Cash is king!

Pick up your brewing supplies for your next homebrew...

Details as we get closer to July 12th!

Cheers!

Pontiac Brewing Tribe

We brew the beer we drink!

05/18/2025

Michigan homebrewers,

It was a bit of a challenge weather wise for brewing Sat but that didn't stop the hard-core Michigan homebrewers!

Sat was a record turnout for our new/old spot at Rochester Mills Beer Co in downtown Rochester Mi.
Special thanks to RMBC and Joe Price (Head Brewer).

Plus the dedicated members of Pontiac Brewing Tribe who volunteer their valuable time and energy to make this brew day what it is 14yrs running!
Especially Marcus M, Scott B & Don M!

We shared homebrews, meads and other fermentables...
One of the best was a 12yr old barely wine aged in a Buffalo Trace barrel.
Shared by The No Restraints hbc.
It paired well with their liverwurst and sour dough bread they also shared.
They've been brewing at PBT's brew day for 14+yrs!
Member Scott has been homebrewing for 50yrs!

Duke from KGoB hbc shared an awesome peach mead among many others samples while brewing Sat.

It was great to see and catch up with old brew friends and meet new homebrewers as well.

Congrats to the winners of PBT's homebrew related raffle! See pix below.

Be sure to bring your homebrews to part 2 of our event.
July 12th at Cadillac Straits Brewery.
Time TBD...
1-3rd places in People's Choice and Brewers Choice!
Plus more great homebrew prizes!
Happy fermenting!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe

* Post your pix of Saturday!

05/16/2025

Brew Day Pro Tips checklist:

-Homebrews & glasses for sampling.
-Bottled water
-Brew system/gear.
-A wind block for your burner, gonna be a bit windy... 🌬
-Cart to transport provided Mills hot water.
-Hoses & ESPECIALLY splitters.

SANITIZED howler/growler for WLP 090 yeast.
Forget yours? Buy a container $5.

-Pop up & weights for sun/rain & wind?
-Club banners
-Tables & chairs

-Cash for the awsome homebrew related raffle! Cards accepted

Not brewing, stop by for our homebrew raffle and enjoy the day with some of Michigan's best homebrewers!

-Food available at the brewery or many other fine local establishments.
Or bring your own.

Group picture just before ~3pm raffle.

See everyone Saturday!

FAQ:
*9am setup. No early birds. We need to setup....

**Hot water ~9:30am.
Temp 180, PH unknown...🤷‍♂️
***No grain/hops given after 10:30am please!

****MUST brew Sat to receive ingredients & enter Big Brew Review July 12th at Cadillac Straits.
Unless already signed up to volunteer Sat.

Cheers!
PBT

05/15/2025

From Michigan Beer Cup

Michigan Bee Cup registration is opening today, and we are putting the call out for Judges and Stewards!

Attention Homebrew Judges & Stewards!
We’re excited to invite you to join us as a judge or steward for the Michigan Beer Cup 2025, one of Michigan's premier homebrew competitions! This is a fantastic opportunity to support our amazing home brewing community, connect with fellow beer enthusiasts, and enjoy a day full of great beers and camaraderie.
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, July 19th, 2024
Location: OneWell Brewing Production Facility
3618 Gembrit Circle, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Schedule for the Day:
8:00 AM – Judge/Steward Check-In Opens
9:00 AM – Light Breakfast (Coffee, Juice, Doughnuts)
10:00 AM – Morning Judging Session
12:00 PM – Lunch Provided
12:30 PM – Afternoon Judging Session 1
2:30 PM – Afternoon Judging Session 2
We are planning for three judging sessions, and your participation would make a huge impact on the quality and success of this competition.
Whether you’re a seasoned BJCP judge / steward or a passionate beer lover with sensory experience, we’d love to have you join us for this event. Your insights help make the Michigan Beer Cup a celebration of brewing excellence.
Interested in Judging or Stewarding?
Please click the link below to sign up and confirm your participation:
https://comp.michiganbeercup.com/
Thank you for considering joining us! If you have any questions or need additional details, feel free to reach out to us directly at [email protected].
Cheers,
Jason Kniss & Brian Stephens
Organizers – Michigan Beer Cup

You only need to register your information once and can return to this site to enter more brews or edit the brews you've entered. You can even pay your entry fees online if you wish.

05/10/2025

Reminder,

Registration for PBT's Big Brew Day ends Sunday May 11th at noon. Tell your Mom PBT says hello! ❤️

A few spots remain so if you plan on brewing it's now or never...

Register at
bigbrewday.com.
When your registration is successful, you'll receive a confirmation email listing your ingredients etc.
Any issues email [email protected]
Looking forward to another fun homebrew day in beautiful downtown Rochester! 🌞
Bring your homebrews to share!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe

BIG BREW DAY May 17th 2025 100% Michigan grain and hops with WLP 090 yeast are FREE! Rochester Mills Beer Company 400 Water St, Rochester, MI 48307 Join US for a day of brewing and fun Registration link on bottom of page Still have questions or issues?   [email protected] Michigan's Largest All-...

05/04/2025

Thanks to Rustic Leaf Brewery in Waterford for hosting Nat'l homebrew day!

SNOB's invited PBT to brew again this year!
Beers were brewed for comps, MHF, Gang Beer, future meetings & just because we ❤️ homebrewing!

Big thanks to the awsome crew at Rustic Leaf for hosting all of us again this year!
Stop by and have the F-n Bob (Landry) schwarbier beer!
You'll want a second!

Pamela Canderson made a rare appearance after the recent milk carton scandel...
Sporting a steam punk look & PBT t-shirt for spring...

Congrats:
Al S. made it out of round one at the Nat'l Homebrew Comp with his 1st place American Pale ale!
On to the finals at Kansas City in June!
Good luck!

Siciliano's Cup awards were held May 3rd.

Bruce B. placed 3rd with his Kolsch.
Anand N. placed 2nd with his Belgian Dark Strong! Congrats to both!

Next PBT event is Michigan's largest all grain homebrew day May 17th! 9am.
Rochester Mills Beer Co!
100% Michigan grain and hops this year! Plus WLP090 yeast! All are free...
50% full as of 5/4.
Registration closes MAY 11th Noon!
Register at
bigbrewday.com

See everyone May 17th!

Cheers!
Pontiac Brewing Tribe