This year I have been dilatory when it comes to the brewing of beer. Last year for Christmas I made a fine forty pints which were gone by New Years Eve and I then made a further 40 pints around Easter which again were gone more quickly than they should have been.
All at once it appeared I had found a use for the cellar other than using it to deposit junk and put the kids in for their parties.
Fired with enthusiasm I bought a packet of hops and determined to brew my own beer for the rest of the year. I had all the equipment I needed to make it a continuous process with two brewing bins and barrels. I even dug out an old Teach Yourself Book on winemaking and brewing I had bought forty years ago. It went on my bedside table and I looked through the more simple recipes for making beer and thought that I should buy a masher.
But then nothing. The hops stayed in their packet and the barrels and bins were left unsterilised.
I have been making up for lost time tonight. I had hoped that the house would be filled with the smell of curing hops by now.That didn’t quite happen but there was enough pungency about them to suggest they will add a good kick of flavour.
It may not be ready by Christmas but it still has the potential to all be gone by New Years Eve!
Sheep's Head Food Company 