After
the fabulous success of last year's Haringey Sustainable Oktoberfest, we are
going to do it again this year. It is a beer festival to share and sample
local, home-produced beer and other drinks. There will be a band or two, and
hopefully some dancing.
It
will be held at 7pm on 12th October, at Hornsey Vale Community Centre (60 Mayfield Rd., London, N8 9LP).
The idea is once again for as many people as possible to brew something for the event, then bring a sample along for other people to try. If you don't fancy brewing (but you should – it's easy) then bring along some vegetarian finger-food to share.
The idea is once again for as many people as possible to brew something for the event, then bring a sample along for other people to try. If you don't fancy brewing (but you should – it's easy) then bring along some vegetarian finger-food to share.
It
takes about a month to make nice beer, and the event is in mid-October, so
start your brew by the middle of September.
Just
bring the drink that you have made to the Community Centre at 7pm. Whether you
are a producer or just coming along to taste and learn, bring a drinking cup;
no-one will bring disposable cups to the event, on pain of instant expulsion.
If you have never made any beer before, don't worry. It is really easy to make quite decent beer without any experience and without much equipment or expenditure. You can buy a starter kit to make 10 or 25 litres from a number of different suppliers, and typically this comes with absolutely everything you need. My favourite suppliers are LoveBrewing and The Hop Shop, who do online ordering but are also really helpful on the phone.
If you are feeling more adventurous you can make some nice beer without buying a kit. There are lots of recipes online – start here. I also make some nice mildly alcoholic ginger beer, which is easier than falling off a log, and I've also made kvass, a mildly fermented bread-based drink. Or make some cider with the fantastic crop of apples we have this year. As long as you make sure that all of your preparation bottles etc. are properly cleaned with a weak solution of bleach, and you take care to release pressure when necessary to prevent the bottles bursting, you can't fail. And Wilkinsons in Wood Green sell basic home brew kits.
If you are thinking of coming please let me know via jezza@jeremygreen.net – I'd like to plan around the right sort of numbers.
If you have never made any beer before, don't worry. It is really easy to make quite decent beer without any experience and without much equipment or expenditure. You can buy a starter kit to make 10 or 25 litres from a number of different suppliers, and typically this comes with absolutely everything you need. My favourite suppliers are LoveBrewing and The Hop Shop, who do online ordering but are also really helpful on the phone.
If you are feeling more adventurous you can make some nice beer without buying a kit. There are lots of recipes online – start here. I also make some nice mildly alcoholic ginger beer, which is easier than falling off a log, and I've also made kvass, a mildly fermented bread-based drink. Or make some cider with the fantastic crop of apples we have this year. As long as you make sure that all of your preparation bottles etc. are properly cleaned with a weak solution of bleach, and you take care to release pressure when necessary to prevent the bottles bursting, you can't fail. And Wilkinsons in Wood Green sell basic home brew kits.
If you are thinking of coming please let me know via jezza@jeremygreen.net – I'd like to plan around the right sort of numbers.
