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

Bell’s Two Hearted Clone Recipe

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale was one of the first US clone beers I attempted. I remember seeing the threads on Home Brew Talk about brewing this beer and there were so many pages of homebrewers saying the clone was perfect. I couldn’t get the beer in the UK of course so I had to see what all the fuss was about.

Essentially, the recipe is a single hop IPA with Centennial used throughout the boil and as a dry hop in the fermenter. It is amazing the amount of flavour you can get out of such a simple recipe. Bell’s Two Hearted has been around for a long time in craft beer standards but this recipe is still a classic.

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Blackcurrant Wine Recipe – Fruity, Dry Red

Blackcurrants are known as the “forgotten fruit” and it is easy to see why when they are very rarely available to buy in any of the main supermarkets. The great news, however, is you can easily find them at pick your own farms up and down the UK and the next bit of good news […]

The Best Yeast For Mead?

Like any form of homebrew, whether it is beer, wine or in this case mead choosing the right yeast is the best way to ensure your finished product is as tasty as possible. Choosing the right mead yeast can make a lot of difference. Yeast is one of the very few ingredients that make up […]

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Blackberry Wine Recipe – Juicy, Full Bodied Red

Blackberry wine is the first fruit wine I ever made. It is an easy choice for where I live because blackberries grow abundantly in the village where I live. Bramble bushes seem to spring up anywhere, be it woodland, waste ground or parks so gathering fruit is not a problem and blackberry wine is one […]

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How Long Does It Take To Make Mead?

Patience is a key requirement in homebrewing any drink but we all like to get things done quickly, right? Making mead is one of the easiest home brewed beverages to make but how long does it take to make it? This is down to a number of factors so depending on what kind of mead […]

Raspberry Gose Recipe – Salty & Tart

When it comes to brewing your own beer you soon come to realise there are no hard and fast rules. You have nobody to please except yourself, this Gose recipe is by no means conventional and may even have most people scoffing at how it is made. The thing is though it is pretty delicious […]