Brewathon 10 and 11 of 11

Done. And with lots of hops too.

Beer.

Sleep.

With a smile, just a little one though.

Brewathon, 7, 8 & 9 of 11

'You're not my Mum, I don't want you' said Stan, 4, as I get home a little earlier than of late. We haven't played football in the kitchen, made paper aeroplanes, watched X-Men or wasted any Runners for at least 4 days so he's forgotten I'm his Dad. To be fair, he hasn't actually seen me since Sunday but still, I thought we'd spawned something with a longer memory than a goldfish.

But only two days of brewmania left: we finish off some Common Conspiracy (tell you later) tomorrow morning and then a triple brew of Überhop Traditional Lagerale, a special brew for my be-sandled friends to be showcased at the East Kent Beer Lovers Highlight of the Year Weekender.

I enjoy the work, but I do miss football with the lad.

Brewathon, 6 of 11

Ah, money fer old rope this double brewing lark is - get up early, work like a horse, drink beer, go to bed early. Repeat ad mortem.

So we're into week two and halfway there. Fermentations from week one have proceeded exceptionally well and the cooling has performed far better than we initially suspected it would. We're on time now and I can't see a reason why we won't have canned 10,000 litres of top East Kent Ale by Saturday evening.

Except that any brewer will tell you the moment you think things are going well something trips you up. It isn't superstition, it's observation.

So long old friends

Our old fermenting vessels left for their new home in the Essex Badlands today - it could have been an emotional affair: Stevie and I have known them, in one place or another, for 20 years or more and many, many a happy night has been had drinking beer produced by them. But they've gone to an old buddie of Stevie's, another fellow dreamer and soon to be skint, overworked but happy brewer (hi Mark). So in the family they stay and we'll be seeing them again one day.

Clearing the old FV room on time is essential to the Schedule so another hurdle, er, hurdled.

Brewathon, 4 and 5 of 11

I've mashed in 10 times this week. The way it works is thus: I start on my own (only way to be) at 06.00 hrs and Chelsea Boy (2nd brewer) or Hang 'Em High (3rd brewer) take over after I've mashed in the second brew at 13.00 hrs. They get most of the cleaning and a little responsibility, I get the obverse. Getting the logistics right is crucial and the morning is pretty much total, and high, concentration. And whilst it's exhausting it *is* extremely satisfying and, ultimately, relaxing: the phone is switched off, conversation is minimal and as many senses as I can muster are focused on the job in hand - making beer. Wonderful.

So we *can* brew this much over a sustained period. But can we get the fermenters empty on time and ready to fill next week? Two questions arise:

a) With the new shape of vessel (they're tall and thin, not short and squat) will the fermentation proceed according to plan? Early indications suggest yes, yes they will. Which is as per text book and a boon to our process.

and b) Will the cooling system be robust enough to reduce temperatures, at the end of fermentation, sufficiently fast to allow us to cask the beer on time (we like them at 7 degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours)? Early indications suggest no, no it won't. Well, not in the height and heat of summer anyway. We may just shade it for a couple months but further investment is clearly necessary. Anyone fancy a part stake in a brewery cooler?

I have to confess to feeling pretty weary. But we're in the zone and I'm already looking forward to next week's challange.

Brewathon, 3 of 10, er, make that 11

By the end of day three we had two batches of Seasider Mellow Amber Ale sitting in Fermenter Number 2 and this morning I'm knocking out a third batch, filling the 3000 litre vessel to capacity. But it's not going to be enough, according to projections (and you lot are remarkably predictable, en masse). So next week's brewing will be to absolute full 60 barrel capacity, designating Saturday as the final brewday and meaning we still finish before the end of the month.

06:30 hrs and two tonnes of shiny new stainless arrives

Brewathon, 2 of 10

Despite being hijacked by littlest brother Andy and his flash, charming friend last night (in town for filming and looking for a little late relaxation, pub style), I got the first brew of the day in on time (6am) and in top order. Hang 'em High took over for the back half of the second batch, allowing me a decent feed at home and a much needed early night. Two batches of GADDS' Number 5 now reside in FV4, bang on specification. But that's only 4 brews of 20 - there's a long way to go yet.

Yesterday's brews of GADDS' Number 7 are motoring away, faster in the new fermenter than we're used to and looking pretty good.

Taste of Kent Awards Finalists

Congratulations to the lovely Chai Stop ladies and J.C. Rook & Son who join regular Thanet finalists The Cliftonville Farmers' Market, Eddie Gilbert's Fish Mongers, and er, us in this year's Taste of Kent Awards. Many thanks to my reader, who must have voted for us (I presume?). We're joined by arch brewing rivals Hop Daemon of Faversham and Shepherd Neame, also of Faversham, in the bun fight for top beer dog in Kent.

Bring it on.

Jonny the Fish has now opened the gourmet chip shop and fish restaurant at Eddie Gilbert's. Whilst I've yet to dine, I have taken away and the smoked haddock fish cakes are utterly, joyously sublime. Get some in.

The tied house system - 1.0

I've long intended to develop a compelling argument on these pages to illustrate exactly why I oppose the current (and historic) tied house system in the UK. However, this morning one of my arguments has been very clearly portrayed by this story in the Publican.

We need quality people running our pubs - is expecting them to be able and willing to read documentation pertaining to their profession really too much? How much lower are the pub companies prepared to dumb down the noble calling of Publican simply to attract someone, anyone, to take a tenancy? And would they directly employ the same calibre of people they're happy to sell tenancies too?

I doubt it.

Have no doubt about it, the pub industry's malaise is far more of its own making than of any external factor. And that's as a result of under educated, narrow minded and short sighted management at the very top of the industry.

Brewathon, 1 of 10

The hot liquor tank (HLT) supplies all our heated brewing water but it holds only just enough for a single batch. Therefore, when double brewing, it's imperative filling and heating operations run smoothly so I can get cracking on the second brew before lunch. Today, for the first time in two years, it tripped out for no discernible reason. Now if I were the superstitious kind I'd be tempted to make up a whole load of rubbish surrounding this event based probably on some deity and punishment for an act of 'sin'. Since I'm not inclined to believe shite, or make it up, I'm happy to put it down to unusual circumstance and keep a watchful eye out for it happening again.

Besides, it only cost me an hour in the end.

Brews 1 & 2 went very well despite the minor delay and the new fermenters are looking cool.

Fingers crossed

Sometime soon I'll be shutting down the old brewhouse and building a new one in its place. This will take a certain number of days to complete, during which time we'll not be producing any beer. Therefore, in order to keep the beer (and the money) flowing we need to build up sufficient stock to see us through. The sums go like this:

I need 100 barrels (3600 gallons) of beer to shut down and we brew 5 barrels (180 gallons) per batch. I have 10 brewing days available. Therefore we're brewing twice a day, every day, for the next two weeks.

Clive and I have practised double brewing sometime ago and it's perfectly possible, though extremely hard work, with the current brewhouse (this brewhouse is nearly 30 years old and has never worked this much in its career). There is one over-riding necessity however: it must work like clockwork with no slip-ups or breakdowns, stock shortages or power failures, sicknesses or hangovers.

We can do it alright, but whether we do do it or not is now up to the gods.

Phase I - on budget but 4 days late

True to character The Capables turned up 24 hours early, got stuck in, had a cup of tea and were on their merry way within an hour and a half. They've left me with a total of 96 hectolitres of fermenting capacity. (And that ought to keep me busy for a year or two).

Delay #2

Lofty Paul and the Capables, like many businesses across the UK, have an order book under pressure due to Recent Conditions and though we've emptied the Moonhill site, delivery of the first tranche of fermenting vessels into our place has been delayed. I'm pretty relaxed about the situation: there's nothing I can do about it and it gives me beathing (and footballing) space. The same Recent Conditions have also kept you lot away from the pub a little more than is common, even by January-must-give-up-something standards, so we're able to muddle through without stress.

A working weekend it is then. I'd kept it free anyway.

In the meantime I'm busy wiring up temperature probes and solenoid valves for the cooling system upgrade. Steady enough work.

Frozen out

Snow and ice on the hill at Moonhill Farm helped me decide not to risk the journey on Thursday, the chances of the forklift working in such conditions I reckoned zero. I underestimated Lofty Paul and his gang of competents: theirs is a true ‘can do’ attitude, no fuss, no bother, just laugh and get on with it. By Thursday night they’d cleared the hill and brought one of the articulated flatbeds, complete with forklift and mini-crane, up onto site. And by Friday evening all but two vessels had been extracted and loaded. Weather permitting (though I doubt that’ll get in the way of this determined outfit) we can expect the first convoy to arrive at Hornet Close on Monday afternoon. So despite everything we're on track to install and commission the fermenters this week. Weather? Where?

Meanwhile I’m in the West Midlands sniffing hops and wishing I was on site.

3rd day in

Much restored this morning and off early back down into Sussex. Conditions got worse by the mile but I made it to within a nat's chuff of Moonnhill before Lofty Paul called to say he and his gang of banksmen couldn't get the cranes and artics' on site. Too much ice. And snow. And abandoned vehicles. Sod it, home to safety. Now Kent is snowed in.

I could have told you how frustrating that has been, after working so hard and successfully in the last two days to keep the schedule going, but I've dealt with it, and am well fed so the emotion has dissipated.

Looks like this inclement weather will knock us back by a week. Grrrr.

help....please?

I've spent the last 48 hours down in deepest, meanest East Sussex with Bird and a few, choice tools. We were at Moonhill Farm decommissioning our new (second hand) brewery with a view to lifting it out tomorrow and shipping it by road (convoy - really!) to Ramsgate in two stages, starting Monday. Under pressure and cold to the bone (4 below today) the hard, physical graft of wielding heavy hammers, spanners and pipe-wrenches has taken its toll: I'm at that close-to-tears exhaustion stage, ready to weep for Kent but for the tiny remaining amount of man-pride. Bird was a Colossus, I'd be in the mire without him (he may be a web developer now but it was his rusty, old mining engineering skills, character and strength I employed).

Back down tomorrow. Hot food and the warm comfort of family tonight.

The malt shovel, left behind by its former masters to stay with its mash tun partner. Though I have one, I'll bring this one along and mine can stay with *its* mash tun. Well, who am I to split them up?

The cost of bull

The Observer this morning is reporting on alcohol, and not in a positive way. The House of Commons Health Select Committee is publishing a major report on alcohol on Friday and NHS Confederation has just published a briefing entitled "Too much of the hard stuff: what alcohol costs the NHS".

Major claims such as 'consumption of alcohol in the UK has increased by 19 per cent over the
last three decades and is now higher than in any other European country' in this latter document lack references to substatiate the claim: track to the section entitled 'references' and it says 'For all references in this Briefing, please see the appendices: www.nhsconfed.org/publications' where there aren't any.

We're never going to get anywhere sensible in the debate on alcohol if both sides continue to use spin and bullshit to back up their claims.

Year in Beer 2010 - 80 Shilling Ale

New look pump clips will be a feature of 2010

This year's 'Year in Beer', to be published pretty soon (already done - ed), tells me we're featuring '80 Shilling Ale' throughout January and February and, since late December in the brewery is likely to be a little unsettled (I'm installing and commissioning a total of 140 hectolitres of fermentation space - phase I of GADDS' great expanding girth), I thought I'd best stay ahead of the curve and get the first batch brewed tomorrow.

So I'm sat thinking about Rannoch Moor and sweet, mellow, heady ale (a fairly one dimensional view of Scotland I'll grant you, but it does things for me). I delved through the malt store for a half kilo of the most peated malt on earth (180 ppm) and crushed it up, the resulting aroma one of sweet smokey malt and wild, weather beaten peat. Perfect for a little background atmosphere. I'm using some crystal malt for its colour and distinctive sweet flavour, oats for their general northerliness, aroma, and enriching property, chocolate malt for colour and smoothness, melanoidin malt for aroma and some amber malt for a juxtaposing drying character and toastiness.

As for hops, well, not too many; 80 shilling isn't really about hops. They're there, and they're classic British (Fuggles and Goldings), but they're far from dominant, though the Fuggles will add some smooth grassiness to flavour and aroma.

Come January, expect the kind of ale capable of driving the dampness from your bones, warming you through with its very wholesomeness and leaving you happy and ruddy faced. A fireside ale, one to drink with haggis (quorn) and something to chase a little Islay malt with. The kind of ale winter was designed for.

Apologies for the blatant re-run of this post but there is sound reason: as you can tell, I brew our irregulars two to three weeks (sometimes more) ahead of your chance to find them in Quality East Kent Outlets and it occurred to me that there's no point in telling you about them early. In the future (and it *is* ours, all of ours) I'll write about the brewing when I do the brewing and post-date publication until you can do the drinking - subsequent posts in this category will therefore make more sense, both grammatically and chronologically .

(BTW - 80 Shilling Ale was a clear favourite at the GADDS' family New Years' Eve party last night, even out doing O's Vodka Cocktails and dodgy fizzy fermented grape juice)