It's been a long time since I've mentioned brewing so here's an update showing some of the improvements Martin and I have made to our garage brewery (Pacific Way Brewery). After taking our previous brew in a bag setup (BIAB) to the next level by designing and commissioning a gravity fed brew tree we moved from Pacific Way (Martin's house) and into my garage. We've been adjusting and upgrading … [Read more...] about Garage Brewery Kit
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Visiting Devon
Devon is a massive County! As a family we visit on a yearly basis and there's still many areas we haven't yet travelled to. It's hard to resist the old favourites and it's interesting to see how they change each year - Croyde for example has become such a tourist hot spot and is becoming pretty crowded since we first discovered it's charms in the mid nineties. This year our base was once again in … [Read more...] about Visiting Devon
Wales Road Trip
The first camping trip in the campervan this year was to Wales. The route was governed by a visit to some friends that had recently moved out of Belper to Llandrindod Wells and then by us wanting to venture North to take in some sights and places we've always wanted to see. Belper, Derbyshire to Llandrindod Wells, Powys took about three hours on a sunny Sunday morning in early April. Catching … [Read more...] about Wales Road Trip
Portable Folding Solar Panel
Since installing a Biard 100W solar panel on the roof of the campervan, I've experienced the benefits of solar power while away with the family. I've also noticed a few downsides to a permanently fixed installation and the biggest problem came when we needed to park the van in the shade due to the sun's heat or the physical location of the pitch - obviously when in the shade the panel … [Read more...] about Portable Folding Solar Panel
UK Coast Tour
When someone mentions "Coast to Coast" in the UK I usually think of the popular route across the country that starts in the Lake District and ends in Whitby. Our recent campervan road trip version of Coast to Coast followed a slightly peculiar route based on the weather forecast at the time - from Cornwall to North Devon through Derbyshire to Lincolnshire! Here's a few panoramic photos … [Read more...] about UK Coast Tour
Campervan Solar Panel Installation
I've been running a rigid frame 50W solar panel at home for a number of years to provide 12V lighting with the intention of using it on the caravan and then the campervan but I just couldn't bring myself to mount such a big frame on the roof of a moving vehicle. After noticing a deal over at BestEcoShop for a Biard 100W Semi Flexible Solar Panel Kit I thought now would be a good opportunity to … [Read more...] about Campervan Solar Panel Installation
The Electric Campervan
After helping launch the world's first electric campervan at the NEC last October (2014) I finally got the chance to take it out and give it a right good thrashing! Over the last 6 months, Fish Media has been working with a Derby based campervan conversion company - Hillside Leisure - to update their website and create new social media channels and I finally got the opportunity to test … [Read more...] about The Electric Campervan
BrewTree – Gravity Fed Homebrew Stand
When I first started thinking about brewing in the garage I researched homebrew stands and tables - mainly on Pinterest. I was amazed at the weird and wonderful sculptures that I found, a lot of these coming from the US. I found two main types of stands that interested me, one using a step system and one using a tree like frame. The main design feature for both being that you can transfer liquid … [Read more...] about BrewTree – Gravity Fed Homebrew Stand
Testing The Grainfather – All Grain Brewing System
In July I noticed an all-in-one brewing system being tested for the UK market by James Kemp, I was curious as this product resembled the Still Spirits Turbo 500 boiler that Martin and I started all-grain brewing with a year ago. A quick search confirmed that Imake Ltd the parent company for Still Spirits based in New Zealand had launched a new product - taking the Turbo 500 as a base boiler and … [Read more...] about Testing The Grainfather – All Grain Brewing System
Normandy and Brittany Road Trip
Last year in 2013 we took a road trip in the campervan from the UK to the South of France, it was a pretty epic route of 2,260 miles but it made us realise that travelling in the campervan is a much better experience if we break the route into three hour sections to make the most of exploring as we go. This year we decided to on a Normandy and Brittany trip hugging the northern coast of France … [Read more...] about Normandy and Brittany Road Trip
Brewing a Black IPA
How time flies in the World of brewing! Mart and I have just finished brewing our 7th all grain batch of beer (see the full list on Untappd) and this time we decided to go all out and begin brewing a Black IPA. If you are new to beer and brewing, a black IPA probably sounds wrong and many posts and articles on the internet will tell you it is wrong! But the idea is that you produce an overly … [Read more...] about Brewing a Black IPA
River Dart Country Park
We've just returned from a three night break at the River Dart Country Park Campsite and managed to go outside of the school holidays as the school had Thursday and Friday as inset days. We went in the campervan with two other families who were in a caravan and a tent (6 adults, 6 kids) - each allocated pitch was one of the biggest I've been on. The place was empty on the Thursday and Friday … [Read more...] about River Dart Country Park
Tap A Draft conditioning and serving beer
After attending the Twissup in Burton Upon Trent (2010) I was sent a demonstration of the Tap A Draft Coors Home Draft system (see the post by Andy) and at the time we speculated that this would be great for homebrew if the CO2 canister could be replaced. However, this particular Coors system was designed to be recycled and it is manufactured for single use only. Just before Christmas I started … [Read more...] about Tap A Draft conditioning and serving beer
Adventures in HomeBrew
It all started in 2009 when I was discovering the different styles of beer and exploring micro breweries in my area (Derbyshire, UK) I was invited to Nutbrook Brewery to learn about the process of making beer. These guys were making beer from water, grain and hops (as you do) in their garage and I realised that this was something I wanted to do myself. In 2010 I went with Twissup to visit … [Read more...] about Adventures in HomeBrew
Touring The South Of France
“Living The Dream” … what an amazing phrase. When I first wanted a campervan the dream was to start touring the South of France, hopping from one site to the next, enjoying the views and the local customs. Getting to a point in life where I could actually afford to live the dream meant growing up, forging a career and saving. Part of growing up often means starting a family and this usually means … [Read more...] about Touring The South Of France
North Devon
Wow, last week turned out to be a pretty good week to get away. A trip to North Devon was on the cards - this time in a group of 15! We got down a day early and stayed at a site where we once had a seasonal pitch, Willingcott Caravan Club Site. I wasn't sure about the weather ... Then we cheated, and moved onto Willowfield Lake Cottages for the week - complete with personal hot tub, … [Read more...] about North Devon
The Lakes
This Bank Holiday weekend we took the opportunity to jump in the bus and drive North. After 160 miles we landed in the Lake District and pulled up to Windermere Camping And Caravanning Club Site. We took the Quechua Base Seconds XL living area which literally popped up in seconds and then took a few minutes to peg out six guy ropes. The last time I visited the Lake District it was … [Read more...] about The Lakes
LED lighting for the Campervan
In the caravan I fitted LED bulbs in the existing light units. This saves a massive amount of battery power when you are off grid - meaning you can stay away longer before you need to re-charge. Basically one 15 Watt halogen bulb can be replaced with a 3 Watt LED bulb meaning the battery will last 5 times longer on this bulb. The campervan came with halogen bulbs and no way to illuminate the … [Read more...] about LED lighting for the Campervan
Road Trip around France
A couple of years ago I took our touring caravan across the ferry for a trip around France but due to the fact that towing a caravan from Derby to Poole takes so long (220 miles at 50 miles an hour) we decided to stay only 15 miles from Cherbourg in Normandy. This year we decided to leave the caravan and hop further by having short stops in a tent - It sounds easy, but with two small children to … [Read more...] about Road Trip around France
Design a Beer – Brewday
Two years ago I went to Nutbrook Brewery in West Hallam, Derbyshire and recorded a series of videos on my iPhone documenting the process of making beer. I was told about a special 'Brewing Experience' where you can design your own beer using the brewery's bespoke software. I was lucky enough to have been given this as a gift for my 40th Birthday and this weekend I spent a day at their one … [Read more...] about Design a Beer – Brewday
Powermonkey eXtreme – Mobile Power Review
When I first saw the Powermonkey eXtreme listed in the 'coming soon' section of the Powertraveller website I got a little excited. I had previously seen they had a larger battery called the Startmonkey200 and thought this could be a backup power consideration for campers but I somehow thought they must be developing a dedicated mobile high power solution; they were. The Powermonkey eXtreme is a … [Read more...] about Powermonkey eXtreme – Mobile Power Review
Indicknowle Farm Cider
This is Geoff. He makes cider with equipment that is over 200 years old! The West family have been making cider using the same methods since the 1870's. He wanted me to try most of the different types he makes, there are four types of dry cider alone! Four pints of his 7-8% cider is only seven pounds of your English money. It's delicious! Indicknowle Farm Long Lane Combe … [Read more...] about Indicknowle Farm Cider
Touring Caravan Energy Systems
If you grew up in the UK then a fairly high percentage of you will of been away in a caravan. I spent many a happy six week school holiday with my brother and sister totally off grid with only foot pumps for water and a gas bottle for light and heat. Things have got a little bit easier these days and the whole energy system built into caravans gets more sophisticated each year. Our current … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Energy Systems
His Masters Choice (of beer)
This is what you get when you ask a professional beermonger (It's like a fishmonger, but with beer) to educate your taste buds. I asked Simon Johnson (@reluctantscoop) if he would do the honours and pick out a range of international beers that he felt would be a good selection of tasty beers that I may not of had before. The above picture shows the result in all their glory. This is Simon … [Read more...] about His Masters Choice (of beer)
ALL BEER EXPERIENCE
This is the All Beer Experience pack that I got for Fathers day. What a great gift for anyone wanting to learn about the different styles and flavours of beer. You get a glass, some malt sachets and a nice thick spiral bound book detailing everything you need to know about beer! It's very cool. It currently costs £19.95 plus £3.95 postage, but you can grab a £4 discount if you use the code … [Read more...] about ALL BEER EXPERIENCE
Wizard Ales Brewery
A couple of years ago a bottle of beer caught my eye in a specialist drink shop in Braunton, Devon. It was called 'Druids Fluid' and was produced by a local brewery called Wizard Ales based in Ilfracombe. I purchased a bottle, took it back to the campsite and predictably sent a picture of it to Twitter. When returning to the area in April this year I was pleasantly suprised to see a couple of … [Read more...] about Wizard Ales Brewery
Touring Caravan Freeview Reception
Not far from where I live, a company in Nottingham called Grade UK have been making antennas for caravans, motor homes and boats since the early 80's at one time it seemed that their Omni-Directional antenna (flying saucer) could be seen on all UK caravans. With the advent of Freeview, Omni-Directional antennas just haven't had enough power to get a good digital lock in weak areas, so … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Freeview Reception
Brewing Beer at Nutbrook Brewery
Once upon a time I bought a selection of local beers and made some Stout Cakes with a stout called 'Midnight' by Nutbrook Brewery. As per the usual, I blogged about it and took a couple of snaps. The guys at Nutbrook Brewery in West Hallam, Derbyshire got in touch to say that they loved the blog post and asked if I would like to come down for the day and watch the brewing process ... well, … [Read more...] about Brewing Beer at Nutbrook Brewery
Mission to sample local Breweries
The map you see before you is my one man mission to sample local brewery beer ... Click on a icon to see the brewery details. View Breweries near me in Amber Valley in a larger map Amber Ales Amber Ales Ltd PO Box 7277 Ripley Derbyshire DE5 4AP UK Leadmill Brewery Ltd Leadmill Brewery Ltd Unit 1 Park Hall Farm Park Hall Road Denby Ripley DE5 8PX … [Read more...] about Mission to sample local Breweries
Touring Caravan Kit
So at the start of 2009 I've been thinking about last year and the touring Caravan we bought in March 2008. We have been thinking about where we might go in 2009 and what extra kit we might need. When I first got 'the van' I was totally unprepared for the onslaught of kit required and also surprised at what kit does not come standard when shelling out for a van. For example you wouldn't dream … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Kit