Now that things are starting to wind down at work and I’ve brewed my last brew before the big move, I’m able to think on the progress that I’ve made over the past 18 months or so on my quest to become a small batch craft beer brewer in rural Japan.

Today’s brew day is my 2nd experiment with imparting chestnut flavour into beer.

Just tapped my first original recipe stout whilst waiting on the current brew stage to complete.

Just before I started my brew kit cleaning and sanitisation routine tonight, I started cold brewing some cacao nibs and chestnut flour.

I added 150g of houjicha (ほうじ茶), a roasted green tea into the 20L of brown ale in my fermenter this evening.

Today marks my 25th brew day and should be pretty chill, making a stout and it’s one which I’ve created the recipe for from scratch, trying to apply some knowledge that I’ve acquired through previous brews and through my course to properly design the recipe and brew schedule for it.

Today so far I’ve transferred my last brew ( a dry-hopped Amarillo single malt and single hop IPA) to keg and the aroma that filled the room was exquisite 👌.

That (Fantastic Fungi) was perhaps the best documentary that I’ve watched in years.

We have decided to add an additional conical fermenter and a glycol chiller to our home brewery!

The first of my two original recipe 80/- brews has been poured after 6 weeks of patiently waiting!

Today, I wrote two emails to other craft brewers in Kochi prefecture.

Both of my “mid-semester” assignments are now submitted and hopefully sufficient for passing grades.

TODO list for this evening: Clean and sanitise keg Clean and sanitise beer line

My next brew day is Sunday and for the first time I’ll be kegging a beer on the same day as making the next one!

I decided that for my next brew day which is on my birthday weekend to change it up a bit and try a recipe from a major brewer which I have both tasted and enjoyed and as they open source their recipes, that brewer is Brewdog and the beer is Alice Porter.

Brew day #10 today! A re-run of last week’s 80/- brew based loosely on ‘Williams Bros’ grain bill but timings, hops and yeast chosen from other similar style beer recipes.

Currently (virtually) attending a guest lecture by Dr. Daniel Kerruish, group microbiologist at Diageo, on pasteurisation.

My first attempt at an 80 shilling type beer has been a bit disappointing, possibly due to the replacement malts that I had to use.

After a shockingly exhausting four mile trek, pulling a trolley carrying a reasonably heavy gas canister.

For my first recipe based homebrew I’m going for a Scottish Export type beer.