cordwood craft brewery..

Just a quick update on my brewing progress....

my attractive assistant siphons the brew into its barrel

Got myself a cheap beer kit, opened the tin and poured it in, added the water, stirred in the yeast..

Saturday was its official unveiling. We had a bit of a bonfire thing and I turned the tap on my barrel. What would my public say?

I must say that there were 'Doubting Thomases' along the way.. Gary said in a note to me
'It did sound very inviting when you described the home brew you are preparing until you mentioned 'discount' and 'Wilkos'. Still, you can always use it to put out the fire..'

Well, narners to you Gazza! I tasted it and thought 'Hmmm this certainly resembles beer'. In fact, a very nice beer, with a distinctive and pleasant liquorice note. It brought back memories of German Altbier. We necked almost the entire 40 pints with some highly complimentary comments thrown in too. I found it highly nourishing, hardly eating any of the range of delicious bonfire foods laid on although this did induce a slight swirling whilst in others making the taciturn loquacious..

I have two gallons of cider to bottle and then on to a Christmas ale brew in the barrel and possibly a bottle conditioned beer too.

cordwood craft brewery...

Years ago it was the fashion to make beers and wines at home. Ah yes, I remember it well.
Aaarrgh! Yes! I too inflicted the undrinkable on unsuspecting visitors and friends. And I too, had my palette so jaded by the experience that I began to actually believe that the stuff I was making was alright. Oh, for the days of long ago and far away.....

We were blessed with a cellar in our first home which was ideal for conditioning beers. And the kind of wines that made the French laugh at us - like rhubarb or runner bean.

That era of our lives ended when we moved home. The demands of a growing family, the pressures of work and a home less suited to brewing conspired. We put away our fermentation vessels and demi-johns.

Interest in craft brewing is growing again. American Craft Brewing has drawn our attention to the wider range of hops and other flavourings that can give beer a distinctive and modern character. The Brew Dog chain has demonstrated that there is demand. And Matt & Zoe are keen to be partners in crime in a new home-brewing adventure.

It was always an aspiration to return to the bubbling and frothing that constitutes home brewing and the process has been reborn at Cordwood. So, I'm sorry to report that those days are back folks. Beware, all who pass this way.

First, two gallons of cider are boiling their fermentation locks off. And now, 40 pints of Woodfoodes Wherry beer kit (on special offer at Wilko's) have joined the chorus and are glug glug glugging away too.

Although we have a collective folk memory that was seared by the home brew boom of the late seventies and early eighties, some hardy home brewers stuck at it, in kitchens, sheds and garages. And some of these stoic folk (bearded men in ill-judged knitwear?) went on to create the plethora of micro-brewers that have saved beer drinkers from the multinationals.

The cider might just be ready for Christmas.

But 40 pints of beer??? It will be ready for the beginning of November. I hope you are.