I AM MAN AND I BREWED BEER!!!!!!!!!!!

So last week I went to Quantum Brewery in Stockport, and brewed with the uber talented and easily persuaded Jay Krause owner, drayman, salesman, secretary, brewer, bottler, cask washer and all around nice guy to brew a beer that was concocted while he was hungover ( I don't think it was fair either) and while i was about 4 pints into my session at the Leeds International Beer festival. Needless to say it was talked about and discussed and then agreed upon then a date was set and before I knew it I was on a train way past the time he usually gets up to brew beer but I'm sure that he wasn't complaining about the lie in.  So there lie in the journey to Stockport at a modest 8 in the morning only to arrive at the station and meet Jay round the back, into the car I went and off to a unnamed store we went to pick up ingredients. Interesting wish list of items Marshmallows, Nutmeg, Vanilla, and Almonds were bought paid for and then joked about for about an hour. I mean come on think about it, 2 guys with homeless looking beards at 10 o'clock in the morning buying sweets and then getting into a van the jokes were endless and laughs were had. So onto what most of you are really wanting to read about the damned beer so here it is: its a Smoked toasted marshmallow almond, nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon porter/stout thing. I'm pretty sure I know what you are thinking while reading the ingredients out loud and that its not going to work and why the hell would Jay let an idea like that anywhere near his shiny brewery and to be honest I still don't have the answer but what resulted might actually work. Now I wanted to brew a beer that would be the Friend of Ham winter warmer and this could be it but all those little balls of sugar might have something different to say. So back to the beer the malt bill was epic with loads of Pale Malt, some Chocolate Malt, Peat Malt, Wheat, Cara malt, and I'm pretty sure I'm missing one or two. The hop bill was simple Magnum and Columbus very low quantities of both, Magnum in at 30 and Columbus in at what we will call 60ish. As the Magnum went in the mallows followed it and we patiently waited and hoped they would melt and not clog up the pipes. We hoped and prayed drank some SK2 and then looked and they were gone so in went Columbus and then the mixture of the almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg followed closely by the chef's vanilla (which was crazy stuff, just go buy some and see for yourself.) Following this we cracked open a Pond Hopper from Odell/Thornbridge which was very nice but I'm glad I decided to bring it because I don't think I could have finished it by myself, the carbonation was thick and steady until the last swallow but it was nice and nothing to look down on. So we did a transfer to FV1 and I found out that I'm the damned best button pusher in the entire known universe and there I got to see what will become beer and it was thick and lovely and great and every other nice adjective you can think of. We were pushing for 6 percent drinkable cask beer but I think the yeast and the sugars had themselves a good time and they have pushed it up to a dangerously (hopefully) drinkable over 6.5 percent keg beer. So when the beer is ready you can come find it at Friends of Ham in Leeds and possibly if others are brave enough to take some in other great beer bars near you.

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