Not two years since the last blog post, although that’s not far off. I won’t apologise for that – there’s just not enough to say about making beer so you would need to keep a blog going with opinions and who can be bothered with opinions?
No, it’s two years since I packed in the day job to devote myself (part-time, very) to making beer. More specifically, it’s two years since I first set up my wee stall at Woodlea Stables on Saturday 1 July 2017, still hungover from my work leaving do on the Thursday and a wee night in the village on the Friday.
The first anniversary slipped by unnoticed but I thought this time I’d mark the occasion by giving a wee present to the folk who’ve made it possible – the people who’ve bought the beer. So, if you’re at Woodlea over the next few weeks* (from 29 June) and buying beer, please have a free* t-shirt.*
* Sizes available – small to fits me. While stocks last. Safety goggles may be required during use. Package sold by weight, not volume. Batteries not included. If ingested, do not induce vomiting. If symptoms persist, consult a chemist. For off-road use only. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. Do not bend, fold, mutilate, or spindle. Subject to change without notice. Keep away from open flames and avoid inhaling fumes. Do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law. Warranty void if serviced by non-authorised personnel. Parental discretion advised, text may contain explicit materials some readers may find objectionable. Hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat.
Brew Shed Beers 
Dear Steven, I have contacted you as my local brewery to ask for some brewing help please, I recently took delivery of a MiniBrew outfit from Holland. A once gallon micro brewery. Works a treat except that the small drawstring bag with the hops did not fall into the mash. I was brewing a Saison, so what I have is a malt liquor of sorts which on its 17 day fermentation. Rather than junk it, I wondered whether I could do a little tweaking during the fermentation process. I believe that with some brews, hops and even fruit are added later on. If you have 5 mins, I would appreciate your advice please.
Incidentally, these minibrew outfits are sold to breweries for small batch testing, so it may be of interest to you.
Cheers, keep up the good work
Alan Carter
LikeLike
Hi Alan. That looks like a nice machine.
Two thoughts that might be worth trying. The first thing I might do (because I think it maybe has the best chance of success) is to brew another batch of the same beer with double the amount of hops. Ferment it and blend the double-hopped beer with the unhopped beer. The unhopped beer should keep for the couple weeks you’ll need to make the second batch. The other possibility might be to make a hop tea. Just boil the hops you should have used in a small amount of water for around 20 minutes to let them isomerise and add that to the beer. This is unlikely to be the same as the beer should be but add some hop flavour to balance out the beer. Good luck.
LikeLike