An overwhelming deluge of good advice on beer making! I am most grateful to
all (and sundry, of course!)

Goldings hop sounds interesting - especially if it is (at least partially)
responsible for Theakston's Old Peculier. Would I be correct in thinking
that it is a golden colour, when it's on the vine? That might look very
attractive . . .

Those here who assume that I am a complete novice in this department would
be 100% correct. I made some wine once, from a kit, but that's the nearest I
have ever got to this stuff. The advice about using mashed malt sounds good,
my gut feeling is that fresh is best, but I may have to begin with the
extract, just to be on the safe side. The fewer things to worry about, the
better, in the first instance, at least! I can introduce more 'variables'
one at a time.

WRT growing plots full of barley and milling it . . . well, I think you may
have me mistaken for someone who doesn't live in an end-terrace in Bury and
has to grow his veg in tubs! And you're right, Martin . . . I'm not after
the Heineken spring water. In fact, I'm not even going to go for the "pure"
bottled tap-water currently being peddled commercially by Coca-Cola (I kid
you not! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3523303.stm )

I suppose that when I wrote "from scratch", what I should have written was,
"not from a kit"! I appreciate the history lesson in brewing, though - all
stuff I was unaware of previously. If I know the background, it will stay in
the back of my mind, and give me something to aim for . . .

The "Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency" sounds right up my street! I may
well "check it out", as our American friends might say. It will go with my
solar panels and wood pellet stove.

I will take the advice about the sugar - I don't fancy any of those complex
alcohols. If I was after that effect, there's always meths, or Esso
unleaded, or something, I suppose!

And if hops ARE related to cannabis (thanks Kay!), that would explain the
"smoked ale" they were serving at the Trackside over Christmas. Made from
smoked hops - absolutely delicious! ;-)

To be honest, this friend of mine and I got to know each other originally
because we both had an interested in, well, let's say 'indoor gardening'.
But cannabis has turned out to be a very dangerous 'gateway' plant . . . now
I spend all my money on gardening tools, and I've had to remortgage my
house. My family have left me because I spend all my time putting up
trellises and on internet gardening groups. I've checked in to a 'rehab'
centre, but always end up talking about their collection of rubber plants
and umbrella trees . . .

Only joking. But our conversations DO seem to have moved onto gardening in
general, and it's the same 'home grown' spirit which has inspired him to
suggest brewing, I think. So I think it may have to be a 'joint' effort . .
.. ;-)

Thanks again, all!

Andy

"What's so unpleasant about being drunk, anyway?" - Arthur Dent
"Ask a glass of water" - Ford Prefect

From Douglas Adams' "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy"