About Neil

I started out like every other brewer trying to get into the hobby, reading, attempting, drinking, sometimes failing but mainly enjoying myself.

Over time I developed my skills and became more knowledgeable up until the point where knocking up a batch of beer at home is second nature.

I developed my skills enough, in fact, to become a professional brewer. I now get to brew for a wider audience than I ever imagined and it all started from making up batches on the kitchen stove.

Entries by Neil

Watermelon Wine Recipe – Fresh, Fruity & Refreshing

A watermelon wine is a tricky balancing act. You need to balance the delicate flavour and enhance the aroma that would be lost if the wine is too dry. This watermelon wine recipe has had multiple iterations and will show you how to make the best watermelon wine without losing that subtle flavour. Balancing Flavour […]

Safale US-05: Complete Guide To Using Safale US-05

Safale US-05 may be one of the most commonly used yeasts in the worlds, both in a commercial environment and a home brew one.  Also known as “Chico” or California Ale the yeast is used extensively on the West coast of the US In my experience as a professional brewer, we used US-05 extensively in […]

Complete Guide To Wine Yeast

The amount of wine yeast strains available to homebrewers is vast and getting bigger all the time.  Choosing a wine yeast for your next wine now means looking through the offerings of 3 or 4 different yeast producers then reading the specifications and descriptions.  To help you understand different yeast strains and varieties we have […]

Guinness Clone Recipe

When it comes to duplicating one of the most iconic beers in the world it is always going to be tough. Guinness has a simple recipe but is hard to replicate, especially when you are comparing to draught versions which are carbonated with a blend of nitrogen.

Safale S-04 – A Guide To Using S-04 Yeast

Safale S-04 by Fermentis is possibly the most popular dry English ale yeast on the market. It is the yeast I have most experience of using both as a homebrewer and as a commercial brewer.  S-04 is a British yeast strain that is highly flocculent and fermentation times are pretty quick. This is what made […]