Back In Business

I've yet to brew on my new brew gear this year as the pump failed on me just before Christmas, but I'm please to say I've repaired it, and reassembled everything last week.

A quick test saw it burst into life and perform as it should, leak free, so the brewery is ready for action again. Having had to do the last two brews on my old gear, I can't wait to fire up the new kit.

I've two recipes in mind, one of which I should get time to do this week. Either a traditional IPA, or a Black Lager. I remember reading somewhere that sales of black lager are massively on the up (as much as 40%) in the last year, or so, and even Guinness are trying to get in the act.

What comes first, though, depends on a courier - I have all the ingredients to do the IPA but I've ordered some speciality malts and yeast for the lager. I'll see if they get here before Saturday, which is when I'd like to crack on with one or the other.

Both beers are needed for the beer club later in the year. I thought the current cold spell would help with the black lager, while the IPA could do with some time to mature, so getting it done soon sounds like a plan.

And just to round off the Simonds Bitter, the gravity reading has stayed constant at 1014, so I'll be bottling that one tomorrow, which leaves the fermenting fridge free for the weekend.