Brew day with Muddydisco

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evanvine

Landlord.
Joined
Sep 28, 2009
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Location
Twixt M1 Jcn27/28, Nottinghamshire
So I turn up at 07:30 as agreed and walk up to the garage side door as instructed, open it and walk in.
Garage! It’s a mini warehouse with overhead hand cranes and nearly enough room to have a 5-a-side game.
MD is standing there in front of an impressive array of HLT, Boiler, HERMS and digital temperature read-outs.
He just simply says: “hello Jim”.
Well, there I am standing “gob smacked” and manage to stammer out: “It’s Nick isn’t it?”
So we start, MD explaining that the HLT came on via a time switch and that he hadn’t been there since stupid o’clock.
The “doughing in” is straight forward, but MD has kept his grain in his fermenting enclosure so the mash comes out a couple of degrees too high.
“I think that will need 2 ltrs of cold water,” says MD and sure enough the mash temp drops to bang on 66C.
Next we are off to the house where I am led up to the computer room and I am shown how to drive “Photobucket.”
“Oh dear, ”says MD, “they’ve altered the format. I’ll have to write another ‘How to’”.
Then it’s back down stairs where I am fed and watered with bacon butties and coffee.
Back to the “Mash,” and here is where it gets clever.
The temperature is still spot on, HERMS has done its thing, so now valves are opened, flows adjusted and the sparge begins.
I just stand there mesmerised and before I know it the twin element boiler has produced a rolling boil
After 90 mins and the timely addition of hops and Protoflock the cooling coil is put in with more opening of valves etc.
The brew was “Harvest Gold”, but MD has been sworn to secrecy as to its recipe.
I walk away with an armful of previous brews lamely saying: “You must come to one of my brew days.”
Thank you very much MD. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot.

Article edited by my dear wife so there should be no Moleyisms!
 
Damn, meant to add this pic of the proud brewer MD
P1020105a.jpg
 
evanvine said:
Article edited by my dear wife so there should be no Moleyisms!
Your taking me far to seriously ;)

Excellent write-up Jim, that sounds like a most enjoyable and educational brewday.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed it Jim :D
I hope I have shown you why people have herms and pumps etc :geek: We don't have them just to have them ;)
I can't wait to see your brewday. As it proved whilst we were there you work all your calcs in your head, I have to run 1/2 a mile to the computer to ask that a question and it tells me the answer!
And I can't wait to see your hoisted hlt boiler combo and sliding rails.
And a looksee at some of those little engines you work on ;)
Oh my brewery looks dinky in that photo!
 
Nick, I more than enjoyed it, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Re pumps, HERMS and valves etc we will be able to have a more informed discussion after you’ve been to one of my brew days.

In 1983 there were no computers, never mind brewing progs, hence why I keep it in my head!

I as said when I was with you, my recipes are determined empirically (by experiment), and so unless I’m venturing out I tend to stick to my tried and tested.

You’re brewery is not “dinky” just very compact.

We talk about AG as the “Dark side”, when you come to my brew day you’ll be entering the Dark Ages!
 
Well My Harvest Gold is done! Started fermenting at 1pm saturday as of 10pm last night (sunday) it's gone from 1.038 to 1.009 :thumb: Wow never had one so fast!!!!
 
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