Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Are you hangin' up your stocking on the wall....

It's the time of year that Santa has a ball... And yes folks he rides a red nose raindeer. Before i go off at a tangent and start warbling like Noddy Holder, It's time to bring you upto date on the last few crazy weeks at "Britains Quirkiest Brewery"
We have been flat out in the brewhouse keeping up with demand making Piddle, Jimmy Riddle, Silent Slasher, Yogi, Thunderbox, Legwarmer and of course Santa's Potty. It will be a shame to see this one disappear from the pumps in the next few weeks. The thing with beers for annual occasions, is the occassion passes and we have to wait another year for it to come round again, obvious i know, but i have become very fond of Santa over the last couple of months. In true Piddle style we dont just stick a fancy label on a pint of best and knock up a festive pump clip we actually care about the beer and it's identity and have spent a fair amount of time and effort testing, tasting and developing this special beer. This is the only brew I make using Brown malt and complementing this biscuity malt base is a duo of hops. The overall result is a lovely caramel beer with nutty insinuations. I fully intend to quaff a few of these beauties over the Christmas break, maybe cracking a few hazel nuts and some old rehashed jokes at the same time. At 3.9% a few can be had in the afternoon in true session beer style. Rob our leader has judged production levels to the kind of accuracy NASA aspire to. We have barely a dozen cases sat on a lone pallet in the corner of the cold store. I wonder what will happen to them if they don't go out on the van in the next few days, well i'm sure all my hard working thirsty workmates at Team Piddle will find a solution to this tricky problem, especially with our youngest team member Ashley turning 18 on Christmas Eve!
This week is always going to be a funny week in the brewery, I brewed the last one of the year on Thursday, it was our own cheeky rascal Jimmy Riddle, I think it must be the oats that give him his bold charachter and flavoursome mouth feel that is more fitting to an ale of a much higher Abv. This whole experience encapsultes the legend of Jimmy Riddle, next time you are lucky enough to be in a pub with Jimmy on draught, have a look at the pump clip and see exactly how many watches the chirpy blighter has about his person, and why does he have those grass stains on his knees? We marked this monumental event with the type of behaviour I grew up watching on Tizwas, my only dissapointment was Paul my other big boss has a rotten cold and couldn't join in the foam party. He loves a good party and silly shenanigans, but the good news is he is on the mend just in time for christmas, So look out Piddle Valley and the Blackmore Vale Mr Goldsack is fully recharged and ready to go, don't be suprised to wake up a bit jaded and wonder why exactly did i end up with my pants on my head " I only popped out for a quick pint", and of course "what fun those Piddle fellows are."



I intend on brewing Thunderbox a few more times this season, I think brewing Porters should follow the lead of our cidermaking chums and use the first cuckoo of the year as an integeral part of our calender and continue brewing upto this point. I may get strung up for this but I have been known to enjoy a Thunderbox from the fridge. "Stout from the fridge!!" i hear you cry, Are you mad? Well yes I am, never denied it, never will. The thing is everyone should get the optimun enjoyment from their beer, we work hard enough to buy it, a few lucky ones like myself work hard to make it so why not have it as you want it? Stout or Porter, (whatever is your persuation on this age old debate)from the refridgerator is being extremely contraversial, Personally i feel this enhances the blackcurrant flavourings gleed from the Bramling Cross hop, but this does bring me on to a real quandry i have. What is the reason for not putting your ale in the fridge? we are all told by people who really know about this stuff beer should be served at exactly 12-13 degrees C. Simply writing these ramblings of an errant brewer has made me go and grab a cold Slasher from the fridge, my mouth is positlively bursting with floral flavours now, giving way to a bitterness and finishing with a sweet aftertaste. None of the flavours have been lost in this chilling, yes it tastes different from an ambient temperatured one, but I can honestly say i love it both ways and if only I had picked up more than one from The Cerne Abbas stores I would conduct a back to back test myself right now, And yes I buy the beer I make from the village shop, I see it as my part in the circle of life, Paul and Rob pay me, I give my money to Andrew in the shop, he buys beer from Piddle brewery, he gives them money and it comes back to me again, and so the never ending story unfolds. I am interested to know your feeling on "cold ones" feel free to leave your thoughts on here, or facebook. Its all feedback that will help me on my way to producing the nirvana of beer perfection, or as it will be known "Goldsacks"
Until the next installment my happy piddlers, I wish you a happy and healthy christmas and all the very best for 2012. Dont forget the tickets for next years beerex are on sale now.... www.beerex.co.uk
Bottoms Up
Vic the brewer