Well, Christmas has been and gone, and so has New Year’s Day, and I’m finally getting back into the brewing headspace – mentally and physically! I’m really itching to brew again, but I know I still have some beers to sort out first, either by drinking them or bottling them up. Most of them are under 5%, so probably not worth ageing in bottles… so a few might sadly end up as drain pours.
I haven’t been too great this week either. Some kind of flu has caught up with me, and how did you guess… it’s happened while I’m on holiday. Typical!
YouTube has been pretty quiet, but I remember it was the same this time last year. Even White Rose Al told me to take my time, as most brewers over here don’t fancy brewing in the cold anyway.
At the minute, the channel is actually loaded with content until around May, with some real legends of the brewing world trying beers I’ve sent out. I’d really love to start sending again soon. Obviously, I’d never send anything that didn’t meet my own standards, but it’s always a great feeling getting a review from people you think of as friends.
Time really does fly – I think this is my 12th year on YouTube now. I’ve tried hard not to bore people… I even condensed a grain-to-glass video down to under 3 minutes, and it still only gets about 30 views and maybe 5 comments! So maybe when the beers are good, I’ll start sending some to those who comment. And yes, I still owe White Rose Al some – not forgotten!
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I enjoy a beer, but my drinking time is pretty limited – mostly special occasions. I drive for a living, so I only get to drink when I’m clear the next day, and it’s a physical job too: up at 4am, work hard, home, shower, eat… I’m lucky if I manage three pints before I’m fast asleep!
So realistically, I probably only get through 6–8 pints a week. When I’m brewing 40 pints at a time, that’s a long wait between brews or trying something different. Moving to 15-litre batches (around 28–30 pints) means roughly one brew a month, and a month to drink or bottle – which feels much more manageable.
So I’m giving it a go tomorrow with a 5.6% English IPA. Fingers crossed for a good brew day and hopefully things will start falling into place again… just wish this blooming cold would clear off!
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