BEAT at Wolverhampton was great last night. First time in the city for me, and I loved it. Defo be back. I believe a certain Robert Fripp was spotted in the audience.

Back at the studio today for some #candlemaking trials. I am trying to get back into the hobby after a couple of years off. My patience has not improved 😂 Trying my hand at a new pillar mould, and testing some plain wax melts at different temperatures to judge the difference in quality. #candles

Some heavy hitters were sunk yesterday! #bskybeer #bskybeers #beer

Some friends and I had our own mini Smokefest yesterday. We brewed a smoked Kölsch. Also, we tasted 3 versions of our home-brewed porter with different yeasts and adjuncts - a Lutra kveik, a Belgian abbey, and a parkin porter. Fascinating to see the difference between the three. #homebrewing #smoke

This mixed fermentation imperial stout, aged in rum and peated whisky barrels with raspberries, was absolutely stunning. I was concerned it might be too weird even for us, but it's a proper 10/10.

Bank holiday weekend is upon us... I'm brewing a smoked lager tomorrow, there's a new Kneecap album out today, and I'm awaiting a barrel-aged delight of a delivery from @weebeershop.bsky.social. What's not to like!

I've received news today of a new Belgian pale ale using Ernest hops from @stfermentations.bsky.social. By sheer coincidence, this beer is next on my own brewing schedule! Looking forward to trying both side by side (though I fully expect the STF to be 10000% better than my own) 😁

UK brewers of Bluesky! I am seeking advice on pH measurement at a home brew level. Any suggestions on kit to buy? Pros and cons, things to look out for? #homebrewing #homebrew

I bet this will be a good read. While I still sorely miss The Phoenix, St Helens has some cracking pubs. #StHelens

Do you remember Cains Fine Raisin Beer? It was resurrected by a now-defunct reincarnation of Cains a few years ago, using a new recipe as they didn't have access to the original. I brewed my own recipe 2 years ago which was not a faithful reproduction, so I plan to try again! Any thoughts/advice?

Today I brewed 8L of a Belgian Jester pale ale. Looking to recreate Melwood Brewery's legendary 'Jester', I used Lalbrew Abbaye Ale yeast for the Belgian esters, and 100% Jester hops. Also, this was my first attempt at adjusting water. Looking forward to this one! #beer #homebrewing

Oh, and the lazy, quick Voss English IPA turned out BANGING.

I brewed a robust porter this evening with a mate. We are splitting the batch and doing our own weird things to it, later to join back up for a surprise tasting. I'm going with Belgian Abbey yeast, whisky-soaked barrel chunks, and vanilla. It'll either succeed or fail fantastically. #homebrewing

Voss English IPA has been kegged after 2 days. Hit FG after 24 hrs so I've kegged it warm with a dry hop for a day, after which it'll be chilled and carbed. If I can be drinking it for a big brew day planned on Friday, I'll be happy. Tastes great so far, very happy with the UK hops. #homebrewing

I had a cracking day at my first Wigan Beer Festival yesterday. It had the most interesting/daring selection of craft beers I've seen available at a beer fest, including some big, boozy, heavy hitters from Emperor's and my beloved Torrside. Will be back next year.

I brewed a 6 litre batch of English IPA. I am using Voss Kveik which isn't my favourite yeast, but I fancied a quick turnaround and a bit of orange to compliment the hops - Admiral, Challenger, First Gold and Mystic. Dry hopping with Admiral, Bramling Cross and Mystic. Yum. #homebrewing

I am going to watch BEAT in Wolverhampton in June! I'm absolutely made up with this; I honestly believed the London date was the only UK date they would play. It's only an hour and a half's drive away. Brill. www.thehallswolverhampton.co.uk/events/beat-...

...I should probably add that this was a no-chill brew, with the wort and yeast added to the fermenter today. No, I didn't boil for 18 hours (though I will try anything once).

My imperial coconut stout really is going to be imperial! I had my doubts... I hit my planned 8.5L into the fermenter and was only 1 point short on my OG with 1.100 - a big improvement on the previous attempt 4 years ago. Toasted coconut to be added during fermentation. #homebrewing #homebrew #beer

Imperial coconut stout on the way. #homebrew #homebrewing #beer

Punctuating the first watch of my BEAT live Blu-ray with this fantastic wild stock ale from Little Earth Project. Both are ace. Would you believe I had to buy a Blu-ray player just to watch this, lol. Totally worth it. #BEAT #KingCrimson #beer

I recently cancelled Brewser due to the negative changes introduced in Brewser 2.0. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I received a customer survey this week, and then my disappointment that it makes zero mention of Brewser 2.0 and doesn't allow you to add any reasonable comments. Disappointed.

I think this is the third or fourth bottle of Old Red that I've bought from @weebeershop.bsky.social, and it honestly keeps getting better. A stunning oak barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation red ale. Great work as always from @stfermentations.bsky.social! #UKBeer

I have just found two cans of beer in the freezer that I put in to chill for half an hour.. two days ago. They're now slowly defrosting overnight in the back garden. I've not tried this before, it could be interesting...

Then we had a 2016 & 2014 RIS, later was rested on Laphroiag soaked oak chips and was simply sublime, basically the best RIS I've ever drunk...

Outcome of probe into demolition of cherished but derelict pub without permission

All hail the Battle Pug! Torrside are my favourite brewery - truly unique and a little bit mad. This beer is all peat, tar, and leather, in the best of ways. Cheers everyone 🍻 #ukbeer #beer

Homebrewers of Bluesky! Where should I be looking/joining on here for engagement and chats about homebrewing? I am finding Bluesky to be a bit of a desert, but hopefully I'm just not looking in the right places yet. Advice appreciated - thanks! #homebrew #homebrewing #beer #uk

Bottled the rye porter, which used Espe kveik yeast fermented at 28°C. Chocolate and coffee aroma, with a taste of chocolate and rye tang, with subtle floral hops. Dropped perfectly clear within a week without a cold crash! 6.2% ABV. Can't wait for this to be carbed up. #homebrewing #homebrew #beer

I got more sloe gin out of the vessel than expected... result! Started on the sloe port, using the gin-soaked sloes and some sugar. I will add some brandy to fortify it in several weeks' time. #homebrewing #homebrew #gin #port

8.5 litres of rye porter into the fermenter. The wort smells fantastic. Hoping that the Espe #kveik yeast will do its thing at 25°C and give us a slightly fruity ale. Brewed using Admiral and Fuggles hops. Brewed with a good friend, over good beers; what more can you ask for? #homebrewing

After twelve months of being an adult getting in the way, I am back brewing, albeit on a smaller, more refined scale.. but I have a gas stove now! This is a Bramling Cross ESB, with rum & fig 'liqueur' and bourbon barrel chips added. Go weird or go home. #homebrewing #homebrew

I finally bottled a whopping 3 litres of barleywine which had been resting in a keg for 15 months. It tastes of toffee, hedgerow and booze. Hopefully the Lalvin EC-1118 yeast will carb up well. Life got in the way of doing this sooner, but I've really enjoyed this evening. #homebrewing #homebrew

@vennart666.bsky.social Hi Mike. Shame about the Walpurgis gig! Is it likely to be rescheduled? The last two were ace.

Wyoming Sheep Ranch from Buxton is one of the few widely-available double IPAs that tastes like a true DIPA. An unbelievably accessible DIPA in a vast sea of overly-sweet double NEIPAs that fell into the wrong pool. It's fantastic. #beer #ukbeer

Megadave has sold out! And I'm all for it. This is a solid orangey IPA with a moderate bitterness. I was not expecting it to be brewed by Black Sheep. Bought from Tesco. #beer

This Guinness has been hanging around in the fridge for months. Tonight it went into a lamb and radish stew. I've not used radish in a stew before, but it lends a nice sweetness and pairs well with the stout.

I honestly can't find the words to describe this #mead. I am shocked, impressed, and laughing my head off. Love it! www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewin... #homebrewing

Finished the last bottle of my brown ale, which is nearly two years old. I wasn't convinced by this beer initially, but it's turned out good. Soft and malty, with good carbonation and a gentle hedgerow bitterness. #homebrew #homebrewing

Really enjoyed this video of the Great British Pub Crawl visiting St Helens. The Cricketers and The Lamb are my personal favourites, so it was good to see these on here. Also, good to know that some ropey-looking bars are indeed ropey! www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTbt... #StHelens #RealAle

Looking forward to the @elusivebrewing.com box from Brewser this month. I love malt, hop and yeast trials, so this demonstration will really showcase the effect that different yeasts can have on the same base beer.

Ironically enough, this Freeze pedal wasn't far off going on fire this evening! First time I've used it for a long time, it's one of my faves. Noticed my guitar signal was going weird... Touched the cable coming out of the pedal and it was red hot. Burnt my finger!

New Laura Groves EP released today! lauragroves.bandcamp.com/album/yes

Today sees the 30th anniversary reissue of Heatmiser's 'Mic City Sons'. The extra tracks are glorious; I am so happy to hear these rarities, including more unheard works of the late, great, Elliott Smith. What a lovely start to a Friday. #Heatmiser #ElliottSmith

Speaking of my cycle trips... I've been desperately searching for wild hops for weeks now, given that nearly all of my travels are done next to a water source and hedgerows. Not a single sausage. #homebrew

Nice cycle down the canal to Carr Mill dam this evening, which was pleasantly quiet. #StHelens #NewtonLeWillows

I suspect it will be a while before I get back into brewing, but when I do, copper coloured bottle caps will be my new thing. #homebrewing

I would honestly give anything for a new Rubberbandits tour! www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVV9...

SO VERY HAPPY WITH THIS! Finally, BEAT announce a physical release. Given that they aren't touring the UK, this was a no-brainer. Pre-ordered and arriving in September. Now I just need to find a Blu-ray player. www.sonicperspectives.com/news/beat-an...