“And the fast blood
Hurricanes through me
And then it rips my roof away with her fire hands
This is the longest kiss
Good night
Oh
And now I, I tremble
Because this fumble
Has become biblical
I feel like I just died twice
Was reborn again
For all our dirty sins”
“Fast Blood” - Frightened Rabbit
Why the lyric? Had to be Scottish (origins of The Picts?). Had to be emotional. Had to have ISBF resonance. Having Grant Hutchinson (drummer of Frightened Rabbit) co-host one of our Virtual ISBFs was a privilege beyond…If you know both mine and the band’s histories, you’ll get it.
It’s been an emotional few weeks. Put mildly.
Now beer…
Pictish Brewery have had a reputation for some of the finest Cask Conditioned beers from the get go in 2000,when Richard Sutton set up his David Porter kit in Rochdale.
Paul Wesley bought the brewery from him in April 2013 and - if anything - the beer quality has only elevated.
If I see Pictish on a bar, I drink it. It's that simple.
I vividly recall a conversation with the lovely Jay from Cloudwater, waxing lyrical about Pictish Brewers Gold. THAT'S the regard in which Paul's beers are held.
He's also - i think - one of only 3 brewers to cross the threshold of my house front door (the “aka” above referencing that!)
He's a class act. A fabulous brewer. And we wouldn't be without his beers.
Again, it's been a privilege to have newcomers come along to brewdays on our behalf to get involved. Get a deeper understanding of brewing great beers.
Pete Ryan, friend of the event, is one such.
Over to Pete….
Back in the early months of an extremely sizzling summer when mornings were light and afternoons hot, I(Pete Ryan) had asked Jock if it were possible to gate crash a brew day with him at Pictish Brewery in Rochdale later in the year.
Fast forward to a dark, cold, wet morning in mid-October, my friend had arranged to pick me up at 0630 on 20th October in time for a 0700 start.
Other than the basics, I had minimal knowledge of the process involved but had been advised to wear certain clothing and get an early night. I had a flick through my ‘Beer Expert’ book by Jeff Evans the night before and decided I would be fine. I was ready.
Greeted by Caz O’Donnell and the Maestro, Paul Wesley, this newly assembled Band of Brother’s (and sister) got to work on a brand new brew for the 11th Independent Salford Beer Festival(plus 2 ‘Virtuals’ during Covid). Jock stuck the kettle on (his job for the day) while Paul had Caz and I emptying 25KG bags of crisp malt into the mash tun, followed by a bit of a stir. So far so good.
Next task was separating the hops. Nobody warned me about the sticky residue they leave on your hands, and next time I will have disposable gloves with me. Jock had asked if I would be taking notes, but I decided I would not need to. I should have taken notes! Fortunately, Paul’s brew sheet was in full view and I am now able to recall - the initial hops used were Green Bullet and Southern Cross, with the late/secondary hops being Rakau, Nectaron (weren’t they an enemy of Dr Who?) and Waimea – all New Zealand hops.
Paul works incredibly hard on a brew day, and I am sure we all felt a little underutilised at times, but this brewing thing is not for amateurs. We were able to contribute to a handful of menial tasks whilst standing (my back did seize up) there admiring a master at work but there were moments when you wondered if everything was under control. However, after fourteen years as owner of Pictish Brewery, and creating over 3800 brews, Paul knows precisely what he is doing.
I do not claim to have brewed a beer, no, I experienced a brew day, with some excellent people - that is what I did. It was much more involved than I had realised, and I will be better prepared for the next one. I am grateful to Paul for allowing me the opportunity to help with his new brew – Storm Surge, a 5% New Zealand Pale, and to Caz and Jock for guiding me throughout the process. It was also nice to meet Bryn, the incoming assistant brewer, and Martin, who will be leaving Pictish once Bryn is fully au fait with everything. I now look forward to sharing this and many other cask ales with you at the forthcoming ISBFXI. See you there.
(Back to Jim….)
This beer is going to be a belter
Thanks Pete. That first Brewday is always fun. Thank you also for the words.
Thanks also to Caz & Jock for their stirling efforts too.
And to Paul. For not only the excellent beer, but also for being a firm supporter of our little event.
Thursday now Sold Out. Saturday Evening tickets here…
Back soon. With another Brewday…..
Be kind to one another
Jim x