#ISBFXI Brewday 3 - Beer & Community : Steam Machine Brewing

“Well old Tom Paine he ran so fast
Left me standin’ still
And then there was a piece of paper in my hand
Standing at the top of the hill
And it said, "This is the age of reason"
And "These are the rights of man"
I kicked off religion and monarchy
It was written there in Tom Paine's plan…”

“Tom Paine’s Bones” - The Trials of Cato

‘Twas a long day. And a very long drive. But when you get to your destination and feel that sense of…….belonging. That’s when it hits. I’d admired what Nick Smith and his small team have been doing since being introduced by Daisy in 2024. “The Fellowship of Beer” that Nick and the Team created, is truly a wonderful thing, that is something that I truly do not say lightly.

What hit me was the fundamental sense of “community”, both the “Fellowship” and the links to the local Community that they have built. Kind of the essence of what we try to achieve with ISBF. There’s the feeling of a bond between us, from 117 miles away.

Yes, Nick won Beer of The Festival (no easy feat!) with our first collab “Look Down, Look Down”, but this is a little more of an emotional bond.

And I felt all that whilst sat at the brewery, enjoying a coffee and hearing a tune come on and exclaiming “Trials of Cato!”

Was a proper day.

This year, with the brewdays, we’re trying to get members of the wonderful #ISBFFamily involved. Many of these lovely people are keen (and talented) Amateur Brewers. Many are Beer Enthusaists. They are all a simply lovely bunch of humans (I’m in tears as I write this) without whom this event wouldn’t be possible.

One such is Bevis, A lovely human that I am proud to call “friend”. He’s also a member of the aforementioned “Fellowship of Beer”, so there could not be a finer companion for this day.

Jim

Over to you Bevis….

“I’m heading out at half past five on a late September morning, but I’m more annoyed at Robert Smith writing about 10:15 Saturday night, rather than penning a track about this much slept through part of the week, which I am rudely roused from to attend to ISBF business.

It is no great shakes because I’ve been greatly looking forward to this trip, enough to cushion the uncomfortably early start, to get to the rather Northerly Steam Machine Brewery in Newton Aycliffe for the start of their working day, only really made possible by Jim’s driving through a predawn darkened morning.

I dive into Jim’s car and it seems only a couple of Fugazi tracks before we are passing Leeds and being embraced by the raising sun, and heading on north along a rather thankfully uneventful drive that delivered, due to Jim’s diligent driving, safely to Steam Machine.

The reason I have been looking forward so much for this brew day is that ten years ago, I managed to get hold of a bottle of Steam Machine US Brown ale, which very much impressed me. But this was a random find and wouldn’t be followed till the beginning of 2024 when I stumbled online onto the Steam Machine ‘most exclusive beer subscription service’ that I signed up to.

I have continued to enjoy the delivery of a myriad of bottle conditioned beers of all styles - many barrel aged - all showing a brewery of genuine ale magic. Not only magic, but truly unique, with it being led by a head brewer with a genuine love of all things beer, backed up by a community who act as an advisory board on that subscription, “The Fellowship of Beer”.

That head brewer and owner, Nick Smith arrived, greeted us with hugs and lead us through the front bar to where the real magic happens, a place of shiny stainless steel brewing vessels, wooden spirits and wine barrels and sacks of ingredients to for us to start of the brewing of their contribution to ISBF 11. A Black Forest Dunkelweizenbock, not only chosen from suggestions from the Fellowship of Beer members, but a true spiritual successor of their ISBF beer, “Look Down, Look Down”, a Cherry Chocolate Dubbel. Switching from that Belgian style to this Teutonic big beer style.

Another gratuitous barrel shot!

No. This is not AI. This is me doing some physical work!!! (Note to Phil….)

We all started gathering the grains for this mighty brew, for the mash and the sparge. To create a liquor full of malty fermentable sugars, and chocolate malt to help give a richer flavour and add a darker colour. Adding low alpha hops to manage a low bitterness, then there may have been a slight infringing the Reinheitsgebot - the German beer purity law - with the inclusion of cacao and cherries, which transforms a dark malty strong German style beer into something like the dark chocolate cherry gateaux, without sullying the affair with ‘pastry’.

I think Nick is pleased with the results…..

Then beers from the bar and the Fellowship were imbibed (not by me - Ed!), compared and contrasted whilst listening to a playlist of folk rock, before we had to part company for the long journey home.

But what is fermenting now, for Steam Machine’s second beer for the ISBF, isn’t just a collaboration of a beer festival and a brewery, but the coming together of two ale loving families.”

(Back to Jim now!) Thank you Bevis for the lovely words. HUGE thanks to Nick, Gulen & Amy for inviting us along to brew this fascinating beer. Big thanks too for Robin (my previous Co-conspirator at First & Last last year!) and to Angela & Sam (Fellow “Fellowship” members) for coming along and getting involved in what was truly - for me - quite an experience.

A truly lovely day, with lovely humans, making beautiful beer, with love and community at its heart.

If you find yourself within striking distance of Newton Aycliffe, don’t pass up the opportunity to visit Steam Machine, It’s truly a lovely place.

Do I REALLY need to ask you where you can get to try this truly unique beer? A few tickets still available for Thursday and Saturday Evenings by clicking here

Come and join us. We do things a little “different” at Hemsley House.

Back soon with Brewday 4.

Be kind to one another.

Jim x

This Webpost is dedicated to the memory of Des Fisher, one of the original #ISBFFamily when we started in 2014, who has passed away suddenly.

A caring and generous soul, kind hearted, he was loved by many. He introduced me to real Belgian beers, his cellar was a thing of legend.

He helped make this event what it is and he will be sadly missed by many.

The hearts of the #ISBFFamily go out to (and our arms around) Claire & Scott at this sad time. And our love and thoughts go out to them and their family.

Des. I'll find something Belgian tonight.

Sleep well. Jx