A 3625 litre (20 Barrel) week!

Yes fact fans, this week we're brewing twice with one of the batches being a big 12 barrel (2175 litre) run, as well as putting beer into various different containers like casks, kegs and bottles... the fun never ends!

First up tomorrow is a big batch of our now semi--permanent very tasty session beer "Temple of Love" which has lots of Chinook, Cascade and Summit involved, then on Wednesday we're using a brand-new US hop called Jarrylo in an extra-pale brew which will, hopefully, be something interesting and tasty!

We're also replenishing supplies of casks, kegs and also bottles following last week's huge sales which have almost cleared us out... we're not complaining though, obviously.

New beer Thursday!

It seems as if we've been brewing repeats all the time recently - mainly due to them being in demand, but also because they're damn good beers and we like drinking them - but it was deemed time to make something new, and here's the result!

With a name culled from the pioneering Ska/punk band "Operation Ivy" (featuring a very young Tim Armstrong!) this is a straight-up US pale ale, but done the British way with no crystal malt but plenty of hops and attitude!

Using Munton's super-pale malt plus some Caragold for body and Wheat for head retention, this is an extremely pale brew with a restrained bitterness from Magnum and a big, citrussy, fruity hop character from Chinook and Centennial in the copper plus a big charge of Cascade and Mosiac in the dry-hop to add layers of citrussy blackcurranty skunkiness!

Look out for it in a few weeks... it'll be worth waiting for.

Happy birthday to us.....

Yes hop fans, Thursday is our second birthday!  Things have changed a lot since we began brewing here in Pontyclun two years ago, but what hasn't changed is head brewer Gazza's commitment to hops and flavour in the beer... we've learnt a few things along the way and have has some ups and downs - as is to be expected - but we're confident, with the opening of Hopbunker in Cardiff and the overall reception the beers are now getting, that we're on the right track and just need to keep plugging away...

So from Gazza, Jay, Gav and Steve here at Pixie Spring, may we ask you to raise a glass (of our beer preferably!) to us and, above all, keep the lupulous faith....

"Statement of Intent v3" uses a similar malt base as in previous years (pale, wheat, caraGold and Melanoidin) although this year we're using the new Propino variety as a base malt which gives great extraction and a solid malty flavour.  Hops will be Summit, Columbus, Amarillo and Mosaic in the copper plus Citra and Cascade dry-hop, decided on during a staff meeting about the beer last week!

This year's thing

Hopbunker is reality!

Some people said it would never happen... some people tried to stop it happening...  some people didn't care either way.  But, whatever your views, Hopbunker - our brewery tap - has passed the massive hurdle of the first night "preview session" and is ready to open for the public on Saturday at 18:00!

It's taken just over a year from the first contact to opening night; I shan't bore you with the details but we've had lots of issues and setbacks but have come through them all to produce what we hope will be a So, here's a few photos from the opening night, now please spread the word and come down to enjoy the fruits of our labour!

Hopbunker, Northgate House, The Kingsway, Cardiff, CF10 3FD, Wales.

Scrum at the bar!

Pumps

Jay showing off the view from the front door

View from behind the bar just after opening

Final clean just before the first opening!

Havin' it large

Our unusual latrines!

Hopbunker is almost open!

Barring Russian invasion or suchlike our first bar, Hopbunker, will open this Saturday 13th June after a long and tortuous build, but we hope you'll think it's been worth the wait!

So, spread the word and come along to sample some lovely craft beers, ours and selected guests will be available on cask and keg...

Front of the bar!

First delivery

Full cellar

Restocking with P&H...

... which is "pale and hoppy" as any fule kno.

Tomorrow Gazza and Gav (Jay is temporarily unavailable waiting for appliances!) will re-brew one of our most popular beers of recent times, "Mate Spawn and Die" which, in a bit of coincidence, Gav helped to brew the first time around and also provided the music which gave it the name, so it's only fair he's involved with the brewing the second time around!

An almost entirely Pacific affair (apart from the Summit bittering hops) involving hedgerowy, leafy Green Bullet and fruity floral Waimea in the copper and the gorgeously intense fruitbasket of a hop which is Vic Secret for dry-hopping, this 5.4% pale beauty showcases the tropical fruit of pacific hops to a tee.

Then on Thursday it's the turn of yet another rebrew, this time "Citraic" our mad-popular 5.2% pale ale with masses of juicy, fruity hoppy goodness in the form of Citra and Mosaic hops, hence the name!  It has flavours of blueberries, mango and tropical fruit and always sells well, so well that the whole lot sold out in less than a week so we're brewing it again straight away!

It's getting closer....

.... hopefully within the next few weeks!  We've now got a sign so it must be imminent!

For those who don't know or have been living under a pebble on Neptune recently, this is our bar in Cardiff (opposite the castle on the Kingsway) which will, once it opens, have 20 keg and a dozen cask beers on sale - ours and a whole load of guests too.

We've had quite a few problems with the building, build and just about everything else, but it's finally coming together now and isn't far away...