Despite its name, this book by ICB’s own Les Howarth is not a recipe book. It says as much on the back cover: “It is a database of ingredient information that should assist the home or craft brewer in creating their own recipes in order to replicate commercial beers…” What Les has done here is […]
As I am one of the very few Irish adults who do not own any kind of motorised vehicle, and Irish public transport being what it is, I spend quite a bit of my time walking. My mp3 player is something of a life line for me, taking the monotony out of the journey as […]
Great news for craft beer in Ireland; our friends at The Porterhouse Brewing company, last featured in TheBeerNut’s article about our visit to their brewery for the launch of Hop Head, have announced that they will be venturing into the realm of bottled beer.
Since the disastrous house infection cost me two fermentors and huge quantities of beer, I have cooked up four batches to fill those sad empty cornelius kegs. Hops Sweepings Ale, Tettnanger Blond and Cascarillo Pale Ale are all in kegs now and, with the exception of a clearing issue with Hops Sweepings Ale, everything went […]
What could that be? Dump beer down the drain. I, like many others in Ireland, ferment in plastic. The convenient and cheap polypropylene bucket is the workhorse of amateur brewing in the UK and Ireland. We know there are drawbacks and have been told all about scratches in the seemingly smooth surface giving nasties […]
If you have been following this thread in the forum you will know that I have made a submission to the Alcohol Advisory Group on behalf of the members of this website. Thanks to TheBeerNut for the idea and taking everyone’s opinions, expressed over a six page long thread and melding them into a coherent […]
Successive Irish governments have attempted to curb alcohol consumption by artificially inflating the price with alcohol duty. The logic behind this approach is that people tend to buy less of any commodity if the price increases. The recent recommendation, by the HSE to increase alcohol duty is perfectly in line with this logic and they […]
The long awaited, second Irish Craft Brewer tasting session took place on the 19th of July, in the Bull and Castle Beer Hall. With almost 30 people in attendance, I am very glad that it took place in this excellent pub and not in my kitchen, like the last one. This is a great venue […]
I have experimented with wheat beers quite a bit and have always ended up with nice, drinkable beer, but the buggers never turn out the way I want them to. The first time I did a wheat beer, I was trying to do a Wit beer, also known as a Tarwe or Blanche beer. The […]
As anyone who has read any of my articles, or posts in the forum will know, I am a pretty obsessive amateur brewer. And, like most amateur brewers, I harbour the dream of going professional and brewing for a living. Now, I have no formal training in brewing and have learned everything I know about […]
