Practical Homebrewing in the UK
It was about thirty years ago, when home brewing first started becoming a rage in the UK, that Jim Dunleavy decided to give making beer a try.
“In the mid seventies home brewing became very popular in the UK and you could buy beer kits and brewing equipment in every corner chemist (drugstore). Having just been drinking in pubs (I was 18 at the time) I couldn’t resist the thought of cheap beer so I tried a Boots Lager kit. The results weren’t spectacular, but were satisfying enough to keep me buying kits and I carried on that way for several years, learning the craft and improving my brewing skills,” says Jim, who resides in Washington, England.
“The first brewing book I bought was David Line’s Big Book of Brewing, which was dedicated to all-grain brewing. It was a revelation to me,’ explains Jim, “I wasn’t even aware that you could use professional brewing methods at home. I bought an Electrim boiler and began on the journey of perfecting my mashing skills! Since then I’ve bought many books, including the CAMRA Guide to Brewing and Real Ales for the Home Brewer by Marc Ollosson, which is a book of clone recipes for well-known British beers.”
“I’m always trying new things,” explains Jim. One of the ‘new things” which Jim has been trying includes liquid yeast. “I’ve constantly striven to improve my brewing – for me, quality is the driver now, not economy. I’ve recently started using liquid yeasts in my beer, which has produced a step change in quality as well as introducing me to the back art of yeast cultivation!”
Jim has also been surprised by the number of other home brewers out there, “For me, the most interesting thing has been sharing my experiences with like-minded people via the internet. When I started my site and forum just over two years ago I felt as though I was one of a dying breed – I soon discovered how wrong I was! Not only have I passed on what I’ve learnt over the years to other home brewers, I’ve also made new friends and learned a lot from them. And you never stop learning!”
Jim brews for friends and family and brews in five gallon batches every couple of months When asked to describe his own brewery, Jim says, “I would describe my set up as low-tech. I use an electrim plastic boiler as both my mash tun and boiler and a plastic brew bin fitted with a sparging bag for sparging. I have a couple of fermenting bins, thermometers and hydrometers and I use pH test papers to test the mash pH. For conditioning I use plastic pressure barrels (I have 3) and very rarely use bottles.”
In conclusion Jim had this advice to give to other home brewers, “Join a good internet group or local brewing group that’s interested in the type of beer you want to brew and ask plenty of questions. Getting good advice is the key to success.”
One great place for beer brewing info is Jim’s own website at http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/ which includes a forum where you can get advice from fellow brewers.
