There are several things that inspire me to brew and when I am brewing. I am never one to sit still, nothing is ever perfect, and things can always be improved upon, whether this is the set-up I am brewing with or with the brew itself. I constantly find myself thinking of improvements and researching new products and ingredients that enter the market, as well as reading about other brewers’ innovations and wondering if I can benefit from any of this wisdom in my brewing. During COVID I explored going commercial and I set up “The Eternal Hop-2-Mist Brewing Co”. The commercial elevation never got lift off and the security of the day job prevailed. This sojourn did, however, result in my Facebook page and all my beer names thereafter spun around the word “Hop”. I specialise in both IPAs and NEIPAs but my preference is for the latter. I have brewed a few beautiful Wheat and Weiss beers as a side. As far as a signature brew goes, it is hard to choose between “Hop Hazard” and “Hoptimum”. The first is a classic hazy IPA, and the latter is a cloudy, heavily hopped NEIPA. The grain base and hop profiles in each differ, but they are both beautifully presented in colour, body and ABV, and well balanced between bitterness and that tropical hop explosion we all desire.
With my focus on NEIPAs I have a loyalty towards the hops with tropical notes such as Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Nelson Sauvin. That said however, I am always on the lookout for hops with both alpha and beta profiles which would be ideal to use in a SMaSH brew. In the last 12 months I have brewed a couple of experimental SMaSHs with Mosaic and Strata. The Strata was a personal favourite. For yeasts, I prefer WHC Labs and I regularly use their Dehydrated Bond (S04) and LAX (S05) in dry form. I was excited to read of a new yeast strain from WHC “Haze Heaven”, which is a liquid yeast designed specifically for NEIPAs and hazy IPAs alike, and is marketed to take these brews to the next level. I have purchased a batch, and I will be trialling this in my next brews of Hop Hazard and Hoptimim.
THE BREW SET-UP
I am fortunate to have two things which enabled me to achieve my set-up: space in what was once the garage (this is now a self-contained room) and a very understanding wife. (The order of those needs to be changed, I think). The set-up as it is now has undergone an evolution through time from my first draft design to what is largely the finished product. Liken it to building the perfect football team. I sold my Brewster Beacon all-in-one to buy the Dark Farm BrewTank and have never looked back.
My main system comprises of:
A 25 L Stainless tank with 1.5 KW heating element. The outlet goes to a small pump and then to a spray coil. This is my sparge set-up and sits above the BrewTank.
? The BrewTank has a 2.5 KW heating element with the outlet valve leading to a pump and then a 3 way valve passing liquid either into the RIMS tower (1.5 KW element) or diverting it to recirculate to the tank for whirlpooling. At the top of the RIMS tower a 2 way valve either passes liquid back to the tank (mashing) or via a Coolossus chilling coil and then back to the BrewTank (whirlpooling and chilling). The whirlpool now has the option of a hop rocket for an additional dimension to the brew finish.
? My water system has a separate pump and a 2 way valve which directs water to the steam condenser when boiling or the chilling coil for cooling the wort.
? My BrewTank heating element and temperature is controlled by an Einbrew 1V1P control panel (this was purchased when the development for Dark Farm’s control panel was abandoned). The Einbrew enables full programming of the mash and boil process.
? Having used cheap electric components and suffered multiple units burning out, I took the plunge and had my own bespoke control panel built by AMC Control Panels. This controls the sparge heating, temperature and flow control on the pump. The RIMS heating and temperature are also managed here, as is the water pump. The panel is professionally built and has full protection features should anything go wrong.
? With my brewing preference towards IPAs and NEIPAs, I decided to invest in a filler and a canning machine. I use a Kegland RAPT Cannular filler and a semi-automated canning machine, which I purchased from The Malt Miller and is their own branding. Whilst more expensive than draft dispensing, canning gives you full flavour and the hop burst on breaking the can’s seal on opening is like sticking your head in a bag of hops.
? For fermenting I have two Dark Farm Unitanks (25 L) and for conditioning, two SS Brewtech britetanks, which are fitted to my Kegland G20 Icemaster Glycol Chiller.
The BrewTank is an awesome piece of kit, and those lucky enough to own one should feel proud to do so. With a product that offers such versatility, there is always space for innovation to go further. I have made four changes to my tank which work for the better:
1. Adding a visual glass to the top front tri-clamp port. This is a wider glass (2.5” diameter) that fits to a tri-clamp housing. This allows a visual of what is happening in the tank during the mash and the boil.
2. Fitting a fine mesh strainer to the bottom outlet of the tank, this has a ½” thread which, via an additional threaded adaptor, will fit onto the butterfly valve. It assists in keeping any hop residue in the tank when it is drained.
3. To the middle front tri-clamp port, I fitted a level gauge indicator and calibrated this myself at 20 L and 25 L points. This enables me to accurately achieve the pre-boil liquid level during the sparging stage. This did mean removing the thermometer gauge, which I replaced with a Kegland RAPT digital temperature probe.
4. Adding a steam-condenser for the boil process which removes the steam problem when brewing indoors.
1 - 3 above were purchased from Aliexpress UK. Gareth at MASHED (www.mashed.beer) sells steam condensers.
TOP TIP
I went from kits to pressure fermenting kits to all grain brewing. If you are on a budget, the entry into pressure fermenting is an expensive step up, as is the progression to all grain brewing. Read and research each step of the journey and don’t be afraid to acquire second hand equipment. There is a decent market for used equipment, and selling to fund upgrades helps. The Kegland Fermzilla range is excellent, if you are on a budget. Good products can also be bought from AliExpress UK.
As your hobby evolves, so does the space it requires and the time it needs. Make sure you have both to avoid making your extended journey into brewing a wasted one.
If you could only drink one beer for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?
“Selfishly: Hop Hazard as it is my own recipe, and I absolutely crave another after drinking the first pint. Commercially: Otter Amber from the Otter Brewery in Devon, a beautiful amber session ale with a light biscuity maltiness at 4.2%.”
Tell us more about yourself
“I am 57 years old and, professionally, I work in a risk management role within commercial finance. The job does entail a lot of travelling and time away from home. When I am not travelling for work, I live near Ludlow in Shropshire with my wife of 30+ years and our two felines. Besides brewing, I also enjoy swimming.”
Follow Phil on Facebook @eternalhop2mist
