Spring has Sprung....

[Frances]

You can brew beer in only one week????

[gjbingham]

My ten gallon brew sculpture takes aoubt 4 or so hours to go from water and grain to sweet wort, which goes into a carboy for 10 days to 6 months or so, depending on the type of beer you're making. Hefeweitzen - 10 days. Most really nice ales - a couple of weeks. Lagers, longer and colder ferments. Bottle or keg - 3 or so days later - cheers!

Once in the carboys, 90 minutes of cleanup for all the brewing. I hate, hate, hate this part!

[Frances]

Hey, that's quite fast.

Mmmmmmm, I love Hefeweitzen! ....I'll leave the cleanup to you though...

[rafv]

I am pleased to see that there are some other beer nuts about. I have never tried brewing my own but with a bit of help I just may give it a go. We managed to drink the ale and even see a little of the parade. Back to work today and spring has sprung into summer, temps in the mid 70s, thats hot for May. The pics of the setting out are from last week and a couple from the weekend.

[rafv]

Temps in the mid 70s again today. I had to damp the bricks down, I cannot remember doing that in the first week of May before. I built the arch former first thing and then sprung the arch. It took most of the morning.

[dmun]

Good looking arch! And I like that brick vent you can see behind the potted plant in the other picture. Much classier than our tacky aluminum things.

[rafv]

Sorry I have not posted for a while, all the great spring weather has kept me busy in the garden. Not to mention a beer festival in Boston last weekend and a great walk around the Lincolnshire Wolds on the Sunday. Start and finish at a pub plus one half way round.
I have been working on the oven in between all this though. A few pics to show progress. Got the base completed, the reinforced concrete (4in thick), the insulating firebrick on top and the bit to the side will be the barbecue. I have started the oven base but I dont seem to have the photo of that. I will take one tomorrow. It is getting to the interesting bit now I am about to start the dome. So far it has been hard graft, digging, concreting, wheeling bricks and every thing from the front of the property. Tomorrow it is all new, domes are a step into the unknown. Thanks to the forum and all the stuff you guys have posted in the past and knowing I can call on you for help should I need, I am feeling quite confident. I hope it is going to prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Many thanks.

[gjbingham]

Gorgeous brickwork rafv. This is going to be a fun one to watch go up. Keep up the great work!

[Frances]

Originally Posted by gjbingham

Gorgeous brickwork rafv.

For once George is absloutely right!

I love that double archway there... and no doubt at all you'll just stroll through the dome building. It'll be interesting to see what you do for the outside... more of your great brick work maybe?

[SpringJim]

Yes, make sure you post some photo's in the oven photo's section too.

You've done a fine job balancing that brickwork...good job!