Return to the Kits

Welcome back… and honestly, is that to you or to me? It’s been a while! Things have been pretty hectic and a bit stressful here, but I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and I’m grabbing onto it with both hands.

The good news is, I’ve been brewing again! Not just once, but twice since we last spoke.

I’d started to feel a bit disheartened with my beers. Something just wasn’t quite right maybe the crushed grain had lost some of its freshness or punch but a few batches had a slightly odd taste I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Now, I can happily drink less than perfect beer with the best of them, but this felt different. So, I decided it was time for a reset.

I gave all my kit a proper deep clean, sanitised everything, and ordered a kit from Crossmyloof called Farrier’s Reward a 19L kit inspired by Hook Norton’s Old Hooky. Fingers crossed, I thought… let’s see how this goes.

Then came a perfect brew day. I had the morning free,no work, no interruptions. So I headed to the brewery, coffee in hand, Slipknot on the speakers, and got started. And honestly? It turned into one of my favourite brew days ever.

Everything just clicked. Water up to temp, salts added, mash in, recirculation all smooth and steady. After the mash out and sparge, my numbers were spot on with the kit. That alone felt like a win! Then into a 90 minute boil, adding hops and finings as needed.

Target was 19L at 1.042… but I ended up with 21L at 1.044  2 points up! Not a huge difference in the finished beer, but after a run of frustrations, it felt like a real victory. Yeast pitched, fermentation underway, job done.

I was so pleased with how it all went that I’ve already ordered three more of their kits. I’ve got kegs to fill, especially after a few recent setbacks at one point I was down to just last year’s porter (which, to be fair, is just about hanging in there!).

While I was ordering, I also picked up a few extract kits as backup keg fillers always good to have something ready to go.

Fast forward to April 12th Farrier’s Reward had fermented down to 1.008, giving me a tidy 4.73% ABV. I was really happy with that. I kegged it using a no-oxygen transfer, and it was already looking beautifully clear in the trial jar. Of course, I had to have a quick taste… and wow — smooth, balanced, and properly classic. Just what I was hoping for.

I’d fermented it under 12psi, so it already had that lovely cask-like carbonation. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more.

Feeling inspired, I decided to squeeze in another quick brew while I had the time. Most of my setup is all-grain, so this one was a bit of a kitchen job a simple mild kit from Ritchies. I added 1kg of dextrose, 400g of crystal malt, and 50g of Brambling Cross, brewing to 21L with a starting gravity of 1.044 same as the previous batch. Double-checked with hydrometers and the refractometer… bang on.

Switched up the yeast to Crossmyloof’s Midland Trent Ale, and off it went. It is called Sutherland View named after taking a walk through the Italian gardens at Trentham and looking out over the lake to the monument.

So as I write this, I’ve got a keg of porter, a keg of pale (still to be sampled!), and the Farrier’s Reward ready to go. Safe to say, I won’t be reaching for shop-bought cans anytime soon.

All in all, I’m feeling back on track. I do think the crushed grain I was using has lost some of its freshness, so that’s something to sort probably time to get the mill up and running again. But that’s a job for the next chapter.

Until then, take care of yourself… and keep brewing.

Cheers,
Mark 🍻