A day at Hollow Oak

Hollow Oak is a ten-minute bike ride from the print works: two brewers, a converted dairy and a cat called Mash. They brew our house pale, and in September they let us help with a brew day.

What we learned

Mostly that brewing is cleaning. Four hours of the day were spent scrubbing things. The other four were the best part: smelling the hops, tasting the wort and arguing about how bitter it should be.

What’s coming

The beer we brewed together goes on at their tap takeover in November. It’s a dark, smoky lager, and we haven’t named it yet. Suggestions at the bar.