After preaching at the evening service, we invited people back to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a glass or two of Olde Badger’s Crack. It was a great hit!

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough glasses and people had to drink out of whatever was available – mugs, jugs, cafetieres, flower pots… mmm, need to do something about that for next time. Wonder if my dad still has those pewter tankards…

Today was the big day – the moment of truth – me, the Fendog, and Bow-wow nipped over to the lab at lunchtime for our first taste of Olde Badgers Crack!

My thinking had been: it only took a couple of weeks and it costs about 20p a pint, so even if it tastes a bit ropey (which it proabably will), its well worth it.

But, man, it was lush! I am a happy brewer. To my mind it was like a belgian lager but perhaps a bit darker in colour. It was certainly as good as any pint you could get in the Magdalen Arms. Wasn’t expecting it to be this nice. Certainly not at 20p a pint. Result!

Our weekly trips to the pub after the sunday evening service may be a thing of the past if we can churn this stuff out on a regular basis. But thinking about it, I’m not sure we will be able to resist experimenting a little…

I must say, my aftrenoon back at the office was particularly unproductive. I think this stuff is stronger than I had anticipated!

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My mead has proven to be someone stubborn in its clearing, but having added finings on 3rd March, today I finally bottled it with the aid of a fine young filly. It tasted foul before it was cleared properly (Trenchfoot will testify to this), but the stuff I had when bottling was mighty fine.

I can’t believe Fendog beat me to setting up a mead must! Still, I feel much better about the situation after tasting it. It officially mings.