#ISBF9 #Brewday4 : It Started With a Walk

“There’s a crazy mirror showing us both in 5-D,
I’m laughing at you you’re laughing at me.

There’s a room of shadows that gets so dark brother,

it’s easy for two people to lose each other, in this tunnel of love…“

“Tunnel of Love” - Bruce Springsteen

Well. It actually started with a phone call.

From Malcolm (Mr Five Towns).

“Fancy a walk?” That was the gist of the conversation….

Turns out that Paul Spencer, Brewpub supremo (my word) for the Ossett Brewery stable of Brewpubs, was doing a sponsored walk in aid of a local charity.

This didn't surprise me. Paul is one of the loveliest humans in this beer game.

So. Summer. A canal walk. Between pubs.

Sign me up!

I get to the meeting point - Riverhead Brewery Tap - to find lots of people, very comfortably attired. Not looking like they were waiting for the pub to open.

Turns out, they were waiting for Paul.

And up for the walk. He's good beer people you see.

So. We get in the pub.

My eyes are immediately drawn to something rather lovely. Sat on a plinth in the next room.

A small, bright, shiny brewkit.

“Fancy brewing something for #ISBF9?” says Derren Brown (aka Paul) reading my thoughts….

“We can brew whatever you fancy….. “

“REALLY?”

Fateful words indeed.

My Heart of Darkness started pumping…

Which is how I find myself, retracing my steps, from Platform 1 at Marsden train station and walking into the beautiful village of Marsden, following Monday's train “adventure”….

To the rather lovely Riverhead Brewery.

Quickly getting down to business………

A malt bill, with almost 30% darker malts? Like a Jimbo Fever Dream! ….

If you've never brewed on a decent sized kit, take it from me, it's a sensory delight.

And with all that dark stuff and its choccy, roasty joy, if there's a heaven, I was there.

Mashing in was straightforward. The kit seemed designed to make this so, so we were swiftly done and on to other things…

Lots of stuff going on on this Brewday, mostly for Paul & Tarun, one of the Riverhead brewers. But I had some lovely light tasks like grinding some coffee beans to add to the brew later on following some steeping, with some Cacao nibs to go in later.

One of the other - slightly more menial - tasks I had, was to break up 25kg of invert sugar (think of it as an enormous block of fudge!). Bloody hard work - eventually it took both of us to complete - but finally the “fudge” was dissolving as the dark joy was transferring to the “copper”.

I love digging the mash out and this was done into smaller portions than is usual, owing to the age of the farmer collecting the sacks. And this was done in plenty of time for him to collect - with sacks (unusually) collected through the window.

Transfer to the FV completed, yeast pitched (nicking Tarun's yeast for the following Brewday!), we were pretty much done.

Riverhead is a lovely pub, with excellent beers from across the Ossett Brewery stable. Great food too (thanks for the Panko Chicken Bao, Paul!).

What a great finishing spot after a lovely canal stroll. I'll be back.

Whilst this was not my first brew in an Ossett pub (Malcolm & I brewed a Rye Ale with Robin at Rat Brewery), this was the first time I've brewed with Paul, one of Yorkshire's most respected brewers & beer people.

It was an absolute joy.

What have we brewed? Well……

Breakfast Stout - a rich 5% joyous journey into darkness.

Come and try it. First (in the Manchester area) on 7th November. At a certain Bijou Beer Bash.

A few tickets still available click here

Back soon. With more Darkness.

Be kind to one another.

Jim x