Matfen brewery/high house farm brewery

[brumbrew]

Hi all,

I'm currently up north visiting the in-laws and they are taking me on a brewery tour today.

Just setting out now, so will upload pics when I get back in a few hours.

Plenty of questions to ask.

 

[Notlaw]

Get a few Owld Hemp's down yer neck. It's only 3.8% so you can drink gallons of it!! A lovely drop.

Enjoy your day mate. I know the area very well, I can recommend the Angel of Corbridge for a spot of lunch too.

 

[geetee]

Hi all,

I'm currently up north visiting the in-laws and they are taking me on a brewery tour today.

Just setting out now, so will upload pics when I get back in a few hours.

Plenty of questions to ask.

Spent a full day there last year helping out as part of a brewery course. the owner, Gary, bought the cafe , wedding venue and brewery as a business opportunity and although he makes good beer has no real interest in brewing at all. The previous brewer ( now at Sonnet 43) who set it up created all the recipes and Gary just presses the buttons and tips the malt in.
Nice beer, nice guy and nice location but not a font of brewing knowledge, hope you enjoy it!

 

[brumbrew]

I'm also getting married there September. as you said he took over the place and just follows the recipe, still a great little day. And there 8oz burger still has me stuffed! I particularly enjoyed Nell s best.

 

[brumbrew]

Some pictures of the tour.

 

[brumbrew]

More pictures.

Note the expanded hydrometers.

 

[brumbrew]

I've also come back with these two.

I tried a bottle some of the nettle beer as the missus fancied it. It's very nice. The nettle tops are added at the end like hops.

I bought a dark dunkel weisse wheat beer to try.

 

[Twostage]

I'm a regular Nel's best drinker.

 

[brumbrew]

I'm a regular Nel's best drinker.

We're thinking of having a keg of it for guests first drink at the wedding. Matfen gold or something like that was also lovely. Has a very fruity note to it.

 

[geetee]

Glad you enjoyed your visit, it's a really nice organised brewery just that Gary is not that passionate about brewing beer. good pics though!
I had the pleasure of digging out the mash tun when I was there.

Hope you enjoy the wedding there , Andy the manager of Crown Posada, one of the best pubs in Newcastle also had his wedding there, (if you get the chance have a visit on the Quayside).
I'm sure if you ask Gary he can relabel the beer for you with a special wedding label

 

[brumbrew]

Yes they mentioned the re labelling.

I really want some of those expanded accurate hydrometers.

Anyone know where you can get these?

 

[geetee]

There's an Edinburgh firm called Stevenson Reeves that do all sorts of testing equipment for breweries and they have a range of hydrometers for accurate measurement. Not cheap though, from about £50 upwards depending on what you want.

http://www.stevenson-reeves.co.uk/reeves/ReevesCatalogue.pdf

 

[brumbrew]

Nice one. They appear to be the exact ones. And he said the invariably end up breaking one or two a year and he said they cost about 50 quid each. Just think one that goes between 1.040 and 1.050 would he great. Aswel as one that's 1.000 to 1.010

 

[geetee]

Nice one. They appear to be the exact ones. And he said the invariably end up breaking one or two a year and he said they cost about 50 quid each. Just think one that goes between 1.040 and 1.050 would he great. Aswel as one that's 1.000 to 1.010

The size of them over the limited range makes then very easy to use and you can see how commercial brewers can get consistent ABV as they can read these to 0.1 of a point.

I once misread my Wilko hydrometer as 1010 when it was in fact 1015 and this would not have happened with the finishing hydrometer 1.010 - 1020.

 

[Notlaw]

I feel a bit stupid here, but which ones are the ones that we would use? What page are they one.

 

[brumbrew]

I'm not sure the hydros we use are on there. Compared to the ones we use these are very accurate. But the alcohol ones are page 6.

 

[geetee]

I'm not sure the hydros we use are on there. Compared to the ones we use these are very accurate. But the alcohol ones are page 6.

Saccharometers for brewers on Page 4 (shorter ones on page 5) if you want to measure sugar i.e gravity. Outlines the ranges available, you would need a big glass cylinder to match the size of the instrument.

 

[F00b4r]

This is a bit cheaper: https://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/precision-finishing-glass-hydrometer.html

The Malt Miller also does one with a range from 1000 to 1060.

 

[brumbrew]

Yea the bulb on the bottom is about 2 inch diameter. The brewery were using what looked like the plastic two part casing that large drill bits come in.

 

[Demig]

What a venue for a wedding and they do some lovely beer. Owd hemp is very quaffable :)