By LOIS KINDLE
Sun City Center resident Debbie Caneen is always coming up with new ideas for getting folks together.
Her latest, starting a craft beer and wine club in the community, took off with a bang after she created a new Facebook group to see if others shared her interest. The first person to respond was Corbett Brown.
Brown has 30 years of experience as a home brewer. He and his wife had recently moved to Sun City Center from Oklahoma, where he was president of a wine share group and member of a home brew club.
Caneen and Brown, who are neighbors, got together in July to compare notes and walked away from their meeting with a plan. It was a “marriage made in heaven,” Caneen said.
Craft Beer & Wine Club of Sun City Center founder Debbie Caneen and her neighbor Corbett Brown, a home brewer for 30 years, met in July to put together a plan for the newly formed group, which had its first meeting Aug. 4.
“My goal was to find people who wanted to make their own beer and wine and share it with each other,” she added. “After our first group meeting on Aug. 4, I was blessed to meet others in our area who have great knowledge about local resources, the fermenting process and an interest in experiencing new flavors.”
Kelly Bertke Freeman, a new club member, is shown here at the first Craft Beer & Wine Club of Sun City Center meeting Aug. 4. She was among 22 people who signed up. Since then, the club has grown to more than 100 members on its Facebook group page.
In the first 10 minutes of that meeting, the 22 people who showed voted unanimously to open membership to all residents of greater Sun City Center. They wanted the freedom to structure their club without restrictions or burdensome rules.
Kings Point resident Michelle Mason, who is associated with Seniors in Service, volunteered to step up and function as an unofficial secretary to keep club records. She told members about a Senior Demonstration Program Grant through AmeriCorps Seniors that could benefit the club by providing secondary liability insurance (for members on club business) under the auspices of Seniors in Service.
“The grant supports the idea that social clubs improve mental well-being,” said Seniors in Service CEO Robin Ingles. “We’re trying to facilitate the formation of any club that furthers that goal.”
At that meeting, Derrick White from Afford-a-Brew in Land O’ Lakes spoke about the basics of home brewing. Attendees got to taste three beers and a mead [wine], plus appetizers prepared by Sun Towers’ Chef Jerry Badders.
Microbrewer Derrick White, of Afford A Brew in Land O’ Lakes, discusses the brewing process at the Craft Beer & Wine Club of Sun City Center’s Aug. 4 meeting.
The group’s next meeting will be Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sun Towers theater. Regular monthly meetings will take place the first Thursday of each month. The location, which could be at Sun Towers, Kings Point or the Sun City Center Community Association, will be announced.
Monthly field trips will be planned. Tentatively the group is set to visit Corporate Ladder Brewing Company in Palmetto at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16. Single folks bring either a bottle of wine and couples a bottle of wine or two beers for sampling.
The private Facebook page, Craft Beer & Wine Club of Sun City Center “Fermenting Fanatics,” already has more than 100 members.
“I’m excited to learn with others who enjoy beer and wine and especially the fermenting process,” Caneen said. “Beside beer and wine, this could include sourdough bread, kimchi and sauerkraut – essentially anything fermented. It’s all about sharing ideas and having fun.”
Anyone interested in joining the club can visit its Facebook page and send a request to Caneen, the administrator, or call her at 813-892-2990.
Courtesy photo
The newly formed Craft Beer & Wine Club of Sun City Center “Fermenting Fanatics” already has more than 100 members. It’s open to all residents of greater Sun City Center. To learn more or sign up, visit the club’s private Facebook group or call Debbie Caneen at 813-892-2990.