[FONT=Verdana, serif]It's nearly a year since I returned to home brewing beer. I originally started years and years ago [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]as a student with a few others, when we would go down to Tennants Brewery in Sheffield (long since gone), and scrounge some of their yeast to make 15 gallon batches from malt extract and hops bought from Boots, [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]plus table sugar[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]Being students we were not too particular about what we drank as long as it was alcoholic. F[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]rom being a student I carried on brewing and things got more so[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]p[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]histicated[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. I used to do partial mashes and fermented in an orange dustbin (yes that's correct, [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]that was all that was available, no food grade FVs then[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]) and used [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]returnable [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]2 pint pot stopper Bulmers Cider bottles before buying two Boots pressure barrels. In the end, [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]about 20 years ago,[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] I stopped because I hadn't the time with the old method and kits were definitely not up to much, and I had trouble with the barrels sealing properly.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Anyway, that's the past, what of the present?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I started again because I offered to make some cider for a friend because she'd been [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]given a present of a[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] kit of brewing equipment and had no idea what to do and I had some [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brewing [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]knowledge although a bit rusty. The cider was OKish, and since I now have more time on my hands I borrowed her stuff and had a go at a beer kit, a John Coopers IPA since I like that sort of thing. I was quite impressed with how this first brew turned out.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Since then I regret giving away all my original stuff including all of the kit[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif], [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]my old recipes, and home brew bibles of their day by Ken Shales, David Line and CJJ Berry. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]I remember I had also taken my S30 CO2 cylinder to the recycle centre because I no longer had a use for it![/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have tried quite a lot of kits over th[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]is[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] year, and rediscovered how enjoyable this hobby can be. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]Beer k[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]its have come a long way since all you could [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]usually [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]get was Geordie (from Woolworths if I remember [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]correctly)[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]In particular I have found[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] t[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]he Coopers Original Stout and Youngs American kits are excellent.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have now rediscovered beer (I was definitely a red wine drinker a year ago) which is how it should be since I was [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]originally [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brought up in [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]Burton-on-Trent so-called[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] '[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brewing capital of the UK[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]'[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. I continue to find out about brewing even in my limited capacity, typically how different hops can influence a beer and from that [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]I [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]am now a fan of citrussy American Pale Ales. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have plenty of new kits still to try and experiment with using different adjuncts and hop varieties, although I have decided not to go to AG since I have neither the space nor the time to do this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]The only down side has been that since I started, my local Home Brew Shop, who I had started to patronise, has closed down. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]And lastly I have discovered this Forum, which provides me and lots of others with advice and something to read, but importantly an opportunity to give something back.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Cheers [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]and Happy New Year[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Anyway, that's the past, what of the present?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I started again because I offered to make some cider for a friend because she'd been [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]given a present of a[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] kit of brewing equipment and had no idea what to do and I had some [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brewing [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]knowledge although a bit rusty. The cider was OKish, and since I now have more time on my hands I borrowed her stuff and had a go at a beer kit, a John Coopers IPA since I like that sort of thing. I was quite impressed with how this first brew turned out.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Since then I regret giving away all my original stuff including all of the kit[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif], [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]my old recipes, and home brew bibles of their day by Ken Shales, David Line and CJJ Berry. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]I remember I had also taken my S30 CO2 cylinder to the recycle centre because I no longer had a use for it![/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have tried quite a lot of kits over th[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]is[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] year, and rediscovered how enjoyable this hobby can be. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]Beer k[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]its have come a long way since all you could [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]usually [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]get was Geordie (from Woolworths if I remember [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]correctly)[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]In particular I have found[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] t[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]he Coopers Original Stout and Youngs American kits are excellent.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have now rediscovered beer (I was definitely a red wine drinker a year ago) which is how it should be since I was [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]originally [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brought up in [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]Burton-on-Trent so-called[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif] '[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]brewing capital of the UK[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]'[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]. I continue to find out about brewing even in my limited capacity, typically how different hops can influence a beer and from that [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]I [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]am now a fan of citrussy American Pale Ales. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]I have plenty of new kits still to try and experiment with using different adjuncts and hop varieties, although I have decided not to go to AG since I have neither the space nor the time to do this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]The only down side has been that since I started, my local Home Brew Shop, who I had started to patronise, has closed down. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]And lastly I have discovered this Forum, which provides me and lots of others with advice and something to read, but importantly an opportunity to give something back.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, serif]Cheers [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, serif]and Happy New Year[/FONT]
