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| Mashing in a picnic hamper! |
By "craft" I mean that I brew in very small batches with all natural ingredients some of which I go out and find in the wild. I like to recreate and brew historical beers and I make everything in a small kitchen at home. This is how beer was traditionally made in Britain, at home in the kitchen, not in a factory with chemicals. Some people enjoy brewing for the science of it and it is just like using a large chemistry set but I like the experimenting and crafting side more. I love the taste and satisfaction of drinking a beer that I have made but the satisfaction that I'm not paying such a large portion of it in tax. I am also aiming for beer self sufficiency through brewing.
That's basically what my blog is about. I'm also hoping this blog will encourage you to brew your own beer and when you have the basic technique working well maybe you will experiment a little. You'll find recipes and notes from my brewing on this blog. I've created many experimental brews and have revived some historic recipes, techniques and ingredients that I think you'll enjoy.
You can start brewing with very simple equipment, in fact I've brewed perfectly good beer with a large saucepan, a plastic bucket and some empty pop bottles. These days I use a couple of standard 25 litre fermentation vessels, demijohns and a couple of barrels. I have also added a set of pumps and a bar to my setup so that I can draw a nice traditional draught pint.
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| You'd be amazed at what you can make beer with. Take a look at my recipe for spruce tip ale! |