Sunday 27 February 2011

69 is a magic number

The 69 hop varieties stretched across 15 metres of Brew Warf floor

We did it! Thanks to a well stocked hop store at Brew Warf and Melissa Cole allowing us to raid the cupboard at Lovebeer, 69 hop IPA is now a stark reality. I won’t bore you with a big long list again but Motueka, Glacier, Nelson Sauvin, NZ Cascade, Strisselspalt were added to the other 64 varieities to make the task of choosing a name for the beer a great deal more enjoyable . Now is a good time to introduce my brewing colleagues for the most numerously hopped beer ever to be made ever in the universe ever.

Steve Skinner
Not to be confused with Steve Skinner the Archbishop of Truro, Steve Skinner is an American brewer abroad. Steve grew up in Michigan and was an avid home brewer while he worked as a personal chef and butler to someone very rich and very lazy. It was only when he met Phil Lowry that he started to brew on a commercial scale. Steve has “been around a bit” in terms of collaborations, consorting with a list of names which reads like a who’s who of the London craft brewing scene.

Phil (Phillip to his mum) Lowry
Born Bertram Prendergast, Phil grew up in leafy Kent. Schooled at Eton and Winchester Phil developed a love for beer at a young age and after completing his degree in cookery and needlecraft at Oxford he embarked on building his own beer retailing empire. Phil’s greatest achievement was introducing me to Jean-Marie Rock. Passionate and knowledgeable, Phil will have tried more different beers this month than most people would drink in a lifetime.

Angelo Scarnera
Very much the quiet man of the Brew Warf team, Angelo is set to take over the reins when Steve returns to America. A deeply passionate brewer and a nice chap!

The Brew
With this brew we were pushing the Brew Warf equipment to its limits and Steve had to be on his game to keep it from derailing. I wasn’t really any help as I spent most of the day playing up for the cameras, complaining about my hangover and dragging random people through the brewery to meet the team and watch the brew going in. Ever the goal hanger I did personally add all 69 hop varieties. The hopping rate of the beer turned out to be 8.75g/litre or 3.1lb per barrel.

For the first time in my brewing career I sampled a few beers while I worked. Phil and Steve kindly provided me with an unending range of bottled beers from the US, London, Yorkshire and Kent. Some were superb, some were not!

The wort that is in currently in the fermenter tasted very promising. It should be ready to sell by mid March in cask at Brew Warf and other leading beer houses.

7 comments:

BeerReviewsAndy said...

hahah nice one, Phil kept his needlework quiet ;op

which beers did you get from lovely yorkshire?

Tandleman said...

I was round the corner in the Rake while you were strutting your stuff. So they told me(Friday). On enquiring, I was variously advised that I may not find the beer in Brew Wharf worth the trip, but I am reassured that with you at the helm, albeit in a temporary capacity, that for a brief window at least, that may change.

Hop on.

Steve said...

Tandleman, I would love for you to try the beers at Brew Wharf and draw your own conclusions. While you are there make sure to say hi.

Steve Skinner

ZakAvery said...

Hop 69? Surely Diaegeo will implode with fury?

Tandleman said...

Steve - Next time for sure.

Stuart Howe said...

Tandleman hi, I tried two of the Brew Warf beers and they were very good. I have a well-deserved reputation for be picky and I couldn't find a lot wrong with them. Glad you're going to see for yourself.

We tried Rooster's Black IPA Andy. Not very black and not very bitter but not unappealing.

We were thinking of calling it VAT69IPA Oral Stimulation Zak. I'm sure Diageo will approve.

Jeff Rosenmeier said...

Nice one! Who do I sue? ;)

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