Summer theme - update

If you're like me, you probably don't always read all the comments on a blog. So for you lazy twats, here's an overview of the comments on my "What should I have as a summer theme?". Or my answer to them. Stop quibbling.

(In case you're thick, the bit before the dash is the theme suggestion, the portion after it, my response.)


IPA - I don't have access to the enough information, in particular brewing records from Burton.

Spontaneous fermentation - that's not a bad idea. I've got stuff on British methods of spontaneous fermentation. But I've already published some of it.

Conditioning methods - Mmm. Again, it's a question of getting hold of the material. There's definitely a lot to write about. The Czech air-pressure system, for example. And Germany - how were they serving beer 100 years ago?

British pubs 1830 to 2005 - excellent idea. What's more summery than a pub? I could throw in a bit on Irish pubs, too.

Milk Stout, Boys' Bitter and AK - now that's a thought. Any excuse to discuss AK. I'd throw in XK, too.

The 1960s beer keller fad in the UK - fun idea, but no.

Mock Tudor pubs - outside my personally imposed limit of interest. I have to draw the line somewhere.

Tropical Stout - good one. It's the forgotten export. Weird, isn't it, how IPA, which disappeared decades ago is seen as the classic tropical export beer. While Stout both preceded and outlived it.

Whether brewers made any money from selling yeast to bakers or spent grain to farmers - that's too obsessive even for me. Now the trade between breweries in bottom-fermenting yeast strains. That's more promising. Where did all the yeast come from when everyone swapped to lager?

Did German/Czech/Belgian brewers in wartime resort to odd mashes of whatever malt was available as the British did? - If anything, I would expect it to be more extreme. And then a grinding halt. Though, according to my statistics book, the Belgian and Czechs brewed all the way through. But I don't have access to the material I'd need.

Seasonal October / March brewing Stock ales - not bad. But not very summery. On the other hand, I've got some cracking Truman K Ale recipes.

U.K. lager-brewing - very good. Summery and something I've been looking at. But I did a summer of lager last year.

Benelux brewing - a very reasonable idea. Except, I have virtually no decent material for Belgium and don't really know bugger all about Belgian beer, except that I like drinking it. I've got a book on Luxembourg beer. Which is something. And I've quite a few books. And I've some brewing records. Would Nelux be good enough?


Suggestions. They were certainly that. Thank you. For so massively overestimating my levels and areas of expertise. What sort of library do you think I have here? There is still room to walk two by two between the bookshelves. Just.

In my naive early blogging days, I'd have given you a choice of all of the above. That's how I ended up (honest idiot) writing on a couple of topics I would have preferred to avoid. Or that I waffled about or evaded.

What do you reckon? I pluck out the themes I'm comfortable with and put them to the vote. Fair enough, isn't it?



If you disagree, tell me now. I'm already setting up the poll.