Latest News

  • Backyard Homebrew Co. – Member Discount & Inner North Deliveries

    Backyard Homebrew Co. – Member Discount & Inner North Deliveries

    Many of Melbourne’s larger homebrew stores are a bit of a trek for our members. That usually means planning a dedicated trip or paying for shipping regularly, which adds up over time and isn’t always ideal for ingredients like yeast and hops.

    To help with this, Backyard Homebrew Co. will be trialling free delivery to Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs for Merri Mashers members.

    The idea is simple: a central drop off point where orders can be delivered once per fortnight at no cost. You’ll still need to collect your order, but it should be a much shorter and easier trip.

    In addition, Backyard Homebrew Co. are offering members a 10% discount on all purchases (excluding Braumeisters), regardless of delivery method.

    How It Works

    1. Place your order as normal via the Backyard Homebrew website
    2. Enter MM10 in the coupon code field and click Apply
    3. Select Local Pickup as the shipping method, then click Process to Checkout
    4. Enter your details and add “MM Drop” in the order notes
    5. Finalise your order as usual

    If you don’t add “MM Drop” in the order notes, your order won’t be included in the delivery and you’ll need to make alternative arrangements with the store.

    Orders will be delivered to the drop-off point (currently Brian’s place in West Preston). You’ll then be contacted to arrange collection over the following few days and provided with the collection address.

    Trial Period Drop-Off Dates
    • Before Saturday 11 April
    • Before Saturday 25 April
    • Before Saturday 9 May
    • Before Saturday 23 May

    This is a trial to see how it works for everyone. If you think it’s a good idea, please support it by using the service.

  • YVB Belgian Beerfest 2026

    YVB Belgian Beerfest 2026


    The competitions keep coming this year, and the latest to launch is the Yarra Valley Brewers’ annual Belgian Beerfest.

    There are a few exciting changes for this comp in 2026. First, the Yarra Valley Brewers have launched a new website and competition portal, making it much easier to find information and pay for your entries. Second, judging will be held at Hard Road Brewing in Bayswater. While it’s still a bit of a hike for many of us, it’s far more accessible than in previous years.

    I (Brian) have already registered my interest in judging or stewarding at the event, so let me know if you sign up and we can coordinate transport.

    Entries must be submitted, paid for, and dropped off by Saturday 9 May. Judging will take place on Sunday 17 May.

    For more information, to enter, or to volunteer, head to the Yarra Valley Brewers website. It would be great to see a strong showing of Mashers supporting this event!

  • Welcome to the new website

    Welcome to the new website

    Welcome to the new Mashers website. Feel free to explore on your own, but here are a few things that might help you understand the site.

    Firstly, it’s got all the content and tools the old site had, plus a heap of new stuff too. It’s also pretty quick and easy to update, which is important as the old site was prohibitively difficult to change.

    While this site is live, we’re still really keen for your feedback. Please either post your feedback to Discord or use the Contact Us form. It might just be a typo or grammar error you picked up, or something might not look right on your browser. Whatever it is, please feed it back so we can look into it. Feedback on the content is also highly encouraged.

    Things to note:

    We know the main image doesn’t look great on mobile devices. We don’t have many photos that work well in portrait orientation. We will try to take some and replace it soon.

    The homepage and layout were designed around engaging potential new brewers and potential club members who come to the site for the first time. All the stuff members need is there too, but first-time visitors were the main audience we had in mind.

    There is also a new section called Club Policies and Documents. This section contains two new articles for the club: our House Policy (the club’s commitment to ensuring alcohol is served responsibly and that our events are safe for members and the community) and a Code of Conduct (which sets out how members are expected to behave). These are new and we’ll communicate more about them in the near future. Until then, please have a read and let us know if you have any feedback.

    We’re also looking for member content. While the site will be maintained by the committee, we really want members to contribute content regularly. We might prod you occasionally if we think you have something that might work on the site, but you’re also welcome to offer content yourself. The main areas members can contribute to are:

    • Club History
    • Recipes

    If you have something else though, let us know.

    The events calendar is up to date and it’s awesome. You can subscribe to it as well, so your e-calendar of choice is always accurate.

    The IPA Comp page is up to date and we’ve tested the competition portal, so we know it’s good to go. There is also another Competitions page now where you can see the comp calendar for the year to help you plan your brews.

    Learn to Brew is a longer-term project. It’s there as a reminder that it needs to be done. The Growing the Craft committee have been in a holding pattern for a while now, as we realised all our efforts to reach new people would need to drive people to our website. The problem was that our website was barely functional after a lot of neglect, and it wasn’t the face of the club we wanted to put forward.

    We also have a new app we’re working on that will help us manage our equipment library. It’s not quite ready yet, but it shouldn’t take too long to complete.

    I think that’s it. Please explore at your leisure and post your thoughts and feedback.