Perky Pecker and the previous goings on...

Hello Piddlers,

It's been a few months since my last blog, apart from the tale of "Captain Swurve"

So whats been brewing in the noisy part of the madhouse? I must admit I have had to go back to the last blog to see where I got up to! Well of course it was Porter season in November, so this saw the reappearance of Thunderbox, the first brew was the same recipe as last year. I felt the roasted smokeyness complemented the delicateness of the hop bill ok but... when you strive to make the best beer you possibly can you are always analysing the end result, and after much deliberation we decided on a subtle hop change in the off boils, leaving the bramling cross alone as this gives us the wonderful blackcurrent tones, I substituted the Saaz for Hallertau Herzbuker, firmly believing this would give us a softer and more rounded beer. I am please to announce our feelings were based partly on emotion but more so on science with astringency desire and co homulone numbers. The result is a smoother pint without losing the charachter we have all come to know and love. On a personal level I always love the first runnings from the mash tun to copper, the combination of darkness and roasted aroma from the malt gives me a lovely warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Next up was IPA LOT 71. A "proper IPA" This is the third year running we have been brewing this amazing beer. The last cask of the 2012 vintage was drunk within hours of the opening of the Beer festival at Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, a bit like Rob was last year! We age this in the time honoured manner of traditional India Pale Ale, except it doesn't go as far. Ian had kindly offered to take some to the Isle of Wight and back next time he goes to see his parents. The incredibly large hop bill matures as time goes by, So we brewed this in November and then put it to bottle Mid-January.We tweaked the recipe a tiny amount, but thats only because we can. This was the first time I used my antique hop paddle generously given to me by Great Uncle Dave of Dagenham.  The official launch of the bottle conditioned rascal is to be at Beer-ex in Dorchester in a few weeks. This is also a good opportunity to try it direct from cask, we strongly recommend someone else giving you a lift home though, Paul suggested the best barrel sponsor for the Beer-ex for this one should be Bob's Cars taxi service! We are once again proud to be the main sponsor of the whole event, so please pop along and have a natter about all things beer.

Within days I was brewing Santa's Potty for cask. I had brewed this a month before for bottles so no suprises with this one. Brewed with a duo of hops, it's a fruity number that complements the biscuit malt base superbly, it also has a cheeky hazel nutty escence. As it's our christmas ale it obviously starred in our gift packs. The least I say about the thousands of gift packs we made the better. It could be the seemingly endless amount, it could be the re-occuring paper cut on the inside of my left thumb, if you have ever cut a cut you will know this feeling. Or it could be lack of daylight, but hey ho (or ho ho ho) they all got done and that was that.

Then of course Christmas came and went, after a long well earned break (as in we were earning well to sit at home and eat and drink like pigs!) It was back early January. It was with renewed vigour Myself and Simon embarked on this year. The days scrubbing and bleaching the brewery from top to bottom before Christmas was all but a distant memory. The pure joy of a sparkling clean brewhouse was an absoloute pleasure. Then Paul gently dropped it that he had designed the "touchy feely" Perky Pecker pump clip and we had better get on with making it. I was given a clean sheet and with the minimal discussion with Our Leader I got to work on the recipe. As I had anticipated this coming I had some stong ideas of what I wanted to brew, A light coloured Amber beer, delicately hopped, not too bitter with subtle fruityness and it has to be 3.8% to match Pauls artistic handy work! It's hard to tell what the end result is going to be immediately after brewing, as wort is fundamentaly sweet barley juice and incredibly bitter at the same time, but not to worry, every morning before mashing in, sometimes before getting the blue wellies on I would eagerly pour some from the FV and let my taste buds get to work. Making sure I had brushed my teeth before breakfast, so not to arrive with minty mouth. It was with apprehensive anticipation I would take my first sip, It was day 3 that I had the Eureka moment. What a beauty, some say a thing of beauty others say a beautiful thing, what ever way you look at it it was marvellous. Exactly what I was striving for, The sweetness of cascade running through it without being that over done "cascade juice" modern beer produced by many other breweries. I personally battled through the snow and ice to deliver a cask to my local "The Giant Inn" in Cerne Abbas last night. It could be on for the weekend fingers crossed.

The next seasonal on the agenda is our eagerly awaited brew...Goldsacks. Named after our more flambouyant boss Mr Paul Goldsack. I have been inspired by the use of Maize in my maltbase, to give it a lovely golden hue, I feel we may be drinking/flavour profiling some golden beers over the next few days, all in the name of product research of course!

Happy Piddling everyone

Vic the Brewer