#ISBFX Brewday 8 with Five Towns - Impeached! (aka The Jock Shock)

“I, endlessly guard the things that I believe
And wear my heart in pieces on my sleeve
Watch me as I bleed
Pink & Red, Red & Pink
I think I'm stuck somewhere between

What do you need?
Of course, I'm gonna sell you lies
'Cause it's worse to try and tell you why

You don't really want what I got to give, (to give, to give, to give)
You don't wanna know what my secret is… “

“Pink & Red” - Larkin Poe

The calls always end with “You know what to do…. “

People are so much more important than beer. That's another tenet of ISBF. And few matter more than Malcolm Bastow.

It's not about the winning of awards, it's about the person. And what he means to me & mine.

A tower of strength, when we most needed it.

We've got history.

It's not just anybody that I'll travel to Wakefield for on 3 hours sleep….

Setting off at 5:30am - having only got home from Bellingham 6 hours earlier - only for Malcolm…..

Getting to The Shed of Dreams by 8:30, a quick (essential) coffee and we were mashing in.

A mostly Pale Malt grist with some wheat, brewing on Malcolm's kit was one of my earliest brewing experiences. And feels like a comfort blanket.

Like the shed itself. On such limited space, it's a rare old dance to stop from bumping into each other!

But the heavy duty stirring is worth the effort - as you'll find out…..

Following another strong coffee, transfer started. I did say this was mostly Pale….. The place smelled like a warm malty hug. A joy. The smells of a brewday are so uplifting.

Something that I'll miss when this all stops….

Again, I get all the dirty jobs….. Breaking up the hops.

This time - unusually for Malc - not something New World. Something more classic and European.

Hallertau Blanc. A perfect match for the style we were going for.

This is going to be fruity. The Hallertau were perfect for this…. Time for lunch…

Tony's chippy is - quite simply - legendary in the ISBF story. The only thing better is a Malcolm Sunday Dinner. Eh Stu?

Transfer time. Getting prepared for a - these days - rare manual dig out…

Hitting an original gravity of 1065 was just about where we wanted to be for destination strength. Around 7%. This was going to land in the ballpark. A Home Run if you will….

In a world of double figure Hectolitres (100L per Hl), Malcolm's kit is tiny at merely 3. So, whilst digging out is plenty exercise for this desk feline, it is the smallest in this cycle.

Other than the cleaning out of the kettle (those hops don't fly out themselves!), we're done. Time for beer. And the legendary “Mad Axeman” (Tigertops Brewery - IYKYK) receiving a National Award from the SPBW (Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood) for his Edwardian Porter at the mighty Harry's Bar.

More beer in the beautiful Fernandes then I'm off to Kirkgate for the convoluted return journey (via Dewsbury. Well, you HAVE to….the WRLRR is legendary!)

Anyway. What YOU want to know is not about the Burning Sky American Brown that I drank, but WHAT HAVE YOU BREWED???

And you'll get it first…… blah blah blah…..

A work of love. With a true friend. It means stuff to me does this. More than I can ever say in person (I'm getting a little emosh just writing that….)

Come join us. Click “tickets”. You know you should!

Back soon (by the time you read this, I'll have done two more brewdays since then - and this brew was last Saturday!)

Be kind to one another.

Jim x