Bloody hell, it’s been cold! So with my woolly hat on I’ve been down in the cellar brewing a lot of lagers. Can’t say I nailed them all, as I was getting a lot of contamination during fermentation. Which took a while to figure out, as I do clean and sterilise each session. After a Eureka moment, I found the culprit in my cleaning system which has taken out a couple of my brews. Keep your cloths clean, people - there’s no point sterilising the tank and then wiping it down with a dirty rag! Lesson learnt.

Now we have found our feet in Aberystwyth (an amazing town, if you have not yet visited) and being inspired by the homebrew groups we have interviewed, we thought we would set up our own. Our first night will be in March and we can’t wait to get stuck in. We may also be looking to do our own homebrew competition later this year, so watch this space.

We’ve sadly had another setback on our Brew Box. Unfortunately, we sourced a component which wasn’t up to our standards and was vulnerable under load. This was a huge shame as the Brew Box was working beautifully apart from this small glitch. But we learn from our mistakes and move on. The Brew Box will be back bigger and better than ever very soon.

GREAT BEER

Most beer is good, some are excellent but a few are worth a special mention. So I would like to big up a small brewery in Cardiff, named Pipes Brewery. After a very disappointing time at the Principality Stadium watching Ireland dismantle Wales in the Six Nations in February, my mood was nowhere near the level it should have been - until we came across the Pipes pint. Ireland’s superior skill had effectively ended the game within the first 5 mins, scoring 2 quick tries and turning what is normally a festival of song and merriment into a stadium of silence and reflection. But from the ashes Pipes Brewery refuelled my fire with their beautiful California Pale Ale, a simplistic APA with the perfect tightrope walk between malt and hop. Dry with balanced citrus notes, not over hopped and with perfect carbonation. A true pint to lift most spirits. Well done guys, you have won the first Dark Farm ‘Now That’s a Great Beer’ Award!

BANANA MAN

As you’ll see from the recipes section, I’m really excited about the cool hops we’ve got in from Charles Faram, as well as testing out the Banana Split yeast from WHC Labs. That’s one of the joys about homebrewing, isn’t it? Some batches are buggered but learning how to remedy mistakes, coupled with curiosity for trying out new ingredients, styles and techniques keeps you thirsty for more. Brew on my friend!