Over the last couple of weeks the constant rains of October seems to have died down, there is a freshness in the air from the glorious sunshine mixing with a November chill, and I haven't been able to enjoy any of it as I've been ill. Joy. What I have been able to do while I've been out of action though is catch up on some reading.
And carry on with the rowan wine.
The wine (water) was strained off the must into a demijohn, sugar syrup, citric acid and yeast added and it's now bubbling away. It's also probably the nicest colour of any wine I've made at this stage, a glorious pinky peachy haze. I'm hoping it keeps some of this beauty as it clears.
As for the book, it's Booze, by John Wright, which happens to be his fourth River Cottage Handbook and the 12th in the series. I have to admit to owning the entire collection, and his Mushroom, Edible Seashore and Hedgerow books are all looking more worn in my collection than quite a few of the others.
So what of Booze? Is my copy of this one going to end up worn and dog eared from use or looking new but relegated to propping up the bookshelf? Now I've had the chance to read through it I can happily say the former. The tone of the book is exactly as I had hoped from John's previous writings. It has a steady pace throughout, and delves into considerably more detail than simply a list of recipes. The detail however, is presented in a mix of lessons, stories and good humour making it both educational, interesting and fascinating at the same time.
I have been brewing since around 2010, mainly country wines and infusions, but I have learned as much from this book as I probably did over those last 3 years. I had always known the hows, but never really known the whys. Maybe this is because I gloss over the moment I start reading a paragraph of technical terminology, or couldn't focus my attention long enough to take in all the information, but this book has remedied that. Not only this, but it's re-kindled my desire to experiment a little more with my concoctions. Not just to follow recipes but go off-piste (and occasionally off pissed) with my brews, which should be easier now I understand how each component affects the other. But I digress.
The book is broken into 5 sections; The Principles, Infusions, Wine, Cider and Beer, with a small directory in the back of links to useful sites.
The principles take a look at each stage of the general "brewing" process which covers the 4 main sections of the book, has a decent list of the terms used and a handy brewing calender. The calender seems to give a nod towards the previous Hedgerow book and nods at John's interest in foraging many of the ingredients used in the brews from the first 3 sections.
The book has plenty of images running throughout, both detailed photographs and hand drawn pictures, all of which I believe are provided by John himself. Whilst the drawings themselves won't win any art prizes, they do the job of visually explaining a task better than a "posed" photograph in my opinion. I will also admit to having a chuckle at one of them. If you get a copy of this book or have one, turn to page 182 and tell me that's not a drawing of John, by John, straining the mash.
I won't delve into each section in detail, as the actual content is pretty self explanatory from their headers. However they do all follow a similar pattern; an introduction of the general techniques which will be used, a guide on the equipment required, and a look at anything which can go wrong.
I will be revisiting these many times until I don't need to, and certainly trying a few of the recipes out from each section, some of which I'm sure will appear on this blog.
For more information on the author, John has a website at www.wild-food.net and I'm sure the book itself is available from all good retailers (or as I bought it, direct from the man himself if you're lucky enough to attend any of his walks).
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