Brewday Kildare Sunday 31st.. & camp overnight ALL NHC people welcome

[brenmurph]

Theres been 12 in the past year so Im sure therll b more

[JD]

Just like to say that, with the exception of his useless concept of the calendar, Bren deserves a bit of a clap on the back. He and Kellie have always been very welcoming, very friendly and super hospitable. Brewdays are fun and there's always a wide range of previous brews to taste and sample. 

Yesterday was no different. Bren roasted some barley and we had a go at brewing an Aniseed brown ale. Of course, neither of us had a clue about how much star anise was required and Google just added to the confusion with every site we visited giving a different answer. In the end we went with finger-in-the-air 30 grams into a 22 litre batch added to the boil with 10 minutes to go. With both of us declaring that we knew exactly what we were talking about we proceeded with confidence and fingers crossed. We cut down on the late hops as well in keeping with the character of a brown ale. We were winging it a bit here but our fingers were crossed so it should be alright. The final wort was definitely aniseedy in aroma and taste. The bittering hops seemed to hit a little hard on the tongue but as this was pre-fermentation, we were not a bit concerned. Remember, our fingers were crossed, so we had it covered. Once the fermentation gets done, it should balance out nicely, all going well. Overall, I'm looking forward to tasting the fruits of the experiment in a few weeks time.

Brewing aside, the hops Brendan had planted are just a sight to behold. The outdoor Saaz and the poly-tunnel Hallertaur (I think) has enough cones to supply Guinness. If they taste half as good as they look, they'll be spectacular. I'm really looking forward to seeing and tasting the results of a fresh hops brew.

Next month, assuming Brendan learns to use a calendar by then , the aniseed brew should be able give a much better account of  itself. Here's hoping.

/JD

[DEMPSEY]

Just like to say that, with the exception of his useless concept of the calendar, Bren deserves a bit of a clap on the back. He and Kellie have always been very welcoming, very friendly and super hospitable. Brewdays are fun and there's always a wide range of previous brews to taste and sample. 

Yesterday was no different. Bren roasted some barley and we had a go at brewing an Aniseed brown ale. Of course, neither of us had a clue about how much star anise was required and Google just added to the confusion with every site we visited giving a different answer. In the end we went with finger-in-the-air 30 grams into a 22 litre batch added to the boil with 10 minutes to go. With both of us declaring that we knew exactly what we were talking about we proceeded with confidence and fingers crossed. We cut down on the late hops as well in keeping with the character of a brown ale. We were winging it a bit here but our fingers were crossed so it should be alright. The final wort was definitely aniseedy in aroma and taste. The bittering hops seemed to hit a little hard on the tongue but as this was pre-fermentation, we were not a bit concerned. Remember, our fingers were crossed, so we had it covered. Once the fermentation gets done, it should balance out nicely, all going well. Overall, I'm looking forward to tasting the fruits of the experiment in a few weeks time.

Brewing aside, the hops Brendan had planted are just a sight to behold. The outdoor Saaz and the poly-tunnel Hallertaur (I think) has enough cones to supply Guinness. If they taste half as good as they look, they'll be spectacular. I'm really looking forward to seeing and tasting the results of a fresh hops brew.

Next month, assuming Brendan learns to use a calendar by then , the aniseed brew should be able give a much better account of  itself. Here's hoping.

/JD

+1 to this

[gonky]

If the new batch is undrinkable it can be blamed on me. I just have a thing for Liquorice and taught it might be nice in a beer, lol. Saying that, if what I tasted yesterday at this early stage, it could just work 

[Ciderhead]

Bren and Kellie to me are some of NHC unsung heroes for services over and above the call of duty.


TT

[DEMPSEY]

Bren and Kellie to me are some of NHC unsung heroes for services over and above the call of duty.


TT

Here here

[DEMPSEY]

And CH you can take a bow yourself as a fine example of a selfless member who helps out so many members.