The 2009 Bimonthly Series - Jan/Feb - 'Great Scot!'

I get very enthusiastic about some things and they tend to dominate for a period of time - golf, letter writting and blogging are just three examples - then for reasons unknown I can't bring myself to continue with the activity and move on to something else or just do nothing for a while.

Thankfully, brewing isn't like that. I'd be poor indeed if it were. And thirsty.

Last week we delivered the first of the year's 'Great Scot!' - a very pale beer redolent of hops with a firm bitterness and dryish finish. And with smoke. Not as much as last year but it is there never the less. Why? Because I can and as far as I know no-one else does, well, not in a pale ale anyway. I use malted barley dried over peat fires, properly done in Islay where they use it for whisky. The smoke is quite different in character to the hardwood smoked malt of Bavaria - the phenolic peat is more complex and demanding. It's very Scottish. I do like it, but I recognise it isn't everyones' cup of tea. Marmite beer, as they say. Thankfully, 80 Shilling Ale is also available for the non-peat lover, such is the beauty of this year's bi-monthly special program.


You'll find it on every decent bar top in East Kent until the end of February. If you can't get there then try the usual haunts on Burn's Night where it ought to create an interesting counterpoint to Macsweens finest.

There you go - I blogged again at last. It's quite enjoyable.