Well, here it is. ManawaBrew. The combination of the province of Manawatu in New Zealand and brewing - mainly beer at the moment.
It's a story of a bloke who got a home brew kit for Christmas in 2010 and another bloke who got the same home brew kit on St Paddy's day in 2011. From there it has been a magical tour around the internet looking and learning about home brew. Learning to ditch some things and pick up in others. Learning about the difference in hops - flavours, aromas, bitterness vs nose, the difference in liquid malt extract (LME) and dried malt extract (DME), the difference in malt only brew vs malt and dextrose brews.
The movement from home brew to actual scale brewing hasn't happened just yet. we've only been playing for a year and its still a massive learning curve. Both of us are yet to have a bad batch, both of us are yet to catch a bug. A year with successful brewing is a hit in anyone's books. I've read some forums with people getting bad batches every couple of months. The one most important fact I have read EVERYWHERE I have visited is SANITISE!!
We both have supportive partners who are more than happy to be our test subjects, albeit not really liking what we brew for us. Although it does have its merits. If we move into a commercial scene, perhaps their palate will help us...
My current brew is a Licorice Stout. Recipe section to follow once we figure out what to do.
