HOMEBREW COLLAB

Category: Challenges

  • May 2026 Meet-up

    May 2026 Meet-up

    For May, we were back at Unwin’s Brewery on Oxford Street. Tucked into one of the arches under the rail line, Head Brewer and Owner Tom has built a fantastic little brewery in just six months.

    This meet-up was also the showcase of challenge #29. Each brewer recieved 400g of experimental hops from Charles Faram. 200g x CF302 and 200g x CF349 to brew anything they like with.

    We knew two things about these hops, a loose description and the alpha. Anything else was for the brewer to discover.

    • CF302 – Orange Citrus – 5.0%
    • CF349 – Floral, dank, papaya – 6.34%

    With 13 beers to try, there was time for a few pints of Unwin’s before we had to make a start.

    The usual, low to high ABV didn’t fit the challenge this time around, so we took a different approach, and loosely grouped similar styles together to help compare the hops, and maybe learn which styles they fit in with.

    Group A – Golden & Pale

    Our first grouping was pales and golden ales. With one exception all brewers utilised a roughly even split of the two hop varieties.

    BrewerStyleABVPrimary Hop(s)
    BenGolden Ale4.2%CF302/CF349
    Ian PSession IPA4.5%CF302
    AlmericPale Ale4,8%CF302/CF349
    Ian FGolden Ale5.6%CF302/CF349

    Group B – Two Hops, One Recipe

    Next up, we had a really interesting comparison from Will and Rob who switched hops so they both had 400g of one hop at their disposal.

    BrewerStyleABVPrimary Hop
    WillIPA6.0%CF349
    RobIPA5.6%CF302

    Group C – Hoppy Lagers

    Moving on to lagers, and lager adjustant beers. These were a good excuse for the brewers to brew something a little lighter that would help express the hop characteristics

    BrewerStyleABVPrimary Hop
    RemyCzech Pale Lager5.9%CF302
    MarkCold IPA6.2%CF302
    PaulCold IPA6.0%CF349
    RowanWest IPL6.6%CF302/CF349

    Group D – Darker Beers

    And finally, we finish up on the darker end of the scale. Three darker, maltier styles that really allowed the hops to sing in there

    BrewerStyleABVPrimary Hop
    PeteRed Rye IPA5.3%CF302/CF349
    TomESB5.8%CF349
    JackSchwartzbier4.9%CF302

    So, what did we learn? Well for one, I need to take better notes. As always, the quality of the beers was very high. A heavy, but fun evening.

    Join us next time, back at Basement Beer on 25th June!

    Feedback

    Thankfully, our brewers did have feedback on the hops.

    CF302

    Some of the brewers picked up an apparent sulphur aroma which did mellow out over time and give a peachy note. The flavour on this are British trad orange and floral, like an amped up first gold.

    Would definitely benefit from some conditioning.

    CF349

    Had more new world characteristics, but still restrained in intensity like an English hop. Some new world stone fruit, but still some of that hedgerow British character.

    Its thought this would suit a golden ale, American Wheat, or perhaps a hazy pale.

  • Collab 28 – How dark is your basement?

    Collab 28 – How dark is your basement?

    For the first challenge of the year we were at basement to show off the dark beers the entrants had brewed, with the showcase being judged by Ben the Head Brewer and Owner of Basement Beer.

    The Challenge

    Entrants were tasked with brewing a dark beer of any style, with an emphasis on it being commercially viable to brew and sell. Ben had agreed to judge the beers, with the winner getting a brewday at Basement and their beer being sold by Basement. Ben had also offered to time it with a canning run, so the beer would also make it into cans and potentially out to trade if there was enough available.

    The Showcase

    Its safe to say that our brewers certainly have a taste for dark beers, with an excellent range of brews on show. Naturally the club favourite style of Black IPA featured prominently amongst a strong range of beer styles. We had everything from Stouts to a Weizenbock.

    Here’s the full list of Beers and their Brewers.

    BrewerNameStyle
    Luiz & StanSputnikStout
    PaulHop TelescopeSchwarzbier
    RobJaipur NoirBlack IPA
    IanRaiders of the Lost DarkCzech Dark Lager
    Luiz & StanUrsa MajorBlack IPA
    IanThe Dirty SecretPremium London Porter
    PeteBlack Basement IPABlack IPA
    MattForever BatmanBlack IPA
    WillUther The Weiss BringerWeizenbock
    TomBlack as your HatImperial Stout
    Luiz & StanBlack HoleStout

    Ben took extensive notes on the beers as the individual brewers presented them, along with an explanation of the origins of the beer and the recipe. He’s going to take some time to deliberate and choose a winner, so watch this space for details of the winner and their brewday!

  • Christmas 2025 Meet-up

    Christmas 2025 Meet-up

    A festive shout-out to everyone who joined our end-of-year Christmas meet-up and party at Wiper and True’s taproom on 17th December 2025. We had a great turnout, and five fantastic Christmas desert inspired beers brewed for our 27th overall, and 6th Christmas challenge!

    Beer 1 – Yule Log

    First up, was Remy and Luiz with their Yule Log inspired Last Minute Shopping, 5.0% Milk Stout, rich with Cacao Nibs, Vanilla and coffee.

    Rich, chocolatey with a generous sweetness, this delicious stout definitely met the brief perfectly, and was the perfect way to begin the evening

    Beer 2 – Christmas Pudding

    Next up, we had Paul and Matt’s I’m Dreaming of a Weisse Gristmas. Inspired by the spices in a Christmas pudding and the creamy smoothness of the custard, it obviously had to be a Weissbier.

    Bang on the magic 5.6%, this German style ale was packaged full of Christmas treats, including honey, apricots, sultanas, lemon and orange peel, and just a touch of vanilla. Could you tell? Maybe not, but isn’t Christmas all about excess and wastage?

    img_0523

    Combined with the subtle banana yeasty notes, this was a beer we were both proud of.

    Beer 3 – Trifle

    For our third beer, we had Tom and Euan with a shift of style and Not a Trifling Matter, a 6% raspberry sour, inspired by the almond sprinkles, vanilla custard, fruit jelly and biscuit sponge base.

    The beer featured a complex malt base, with raspberry puree, almond essence and vanilla extract, complimented with the always popular combination of Citra, Nelson, and Simcoe hops.

    Euan made it in spirit at least

    Euan couldn’t make it on the day but was drinking along over video as we all enjoyed their perfectly balanced sour

    Beer 4 – Stollen

    Number four, was Rowan, Rob, and Almeric’s Stollenweizen, a punchy 6.8% Dunkler Weizenbock and our second German beer of the night.

    Rich, dark and strong this beer did not disappoint and provided the fruity-raisin backbone that is so familiar to anyone who is a fan of the classic German treat, and was very well recieved.

    Beer 5 – Mince Pies

    Finally, our fifth and final Christmas beer was Pete and Ben’s and didn’t pull any punches.

    Mince Pie-A-Geddon was a beasty 8.5% Belgian Dark Strong, packed full of rich Christmas delights that really brought out memories of a dessert that inspired the beer.

    This was a beer that will only get better with age. If the bottles make it into the new year that is…

    Here’s to 2026!

    As always a huge thanks to all our brewers who made it out on a cold Wednesday night to share their beers, and celebrate a fantastic year together. If you fancy joining us in January, or joining the chat, find us on Discord.

  • November 2025 Meet-up

    November 2025 Meet-up

    We were back at Basement for our penultimate meet before the end of the year.

    A small turn out – classic November – but still great to see everyone, and as always, great hospitality from Ben and the team.

    And excitingly, a new challenge, this time set by Ben. Brew a dark beer, any style you like, just less than 7%, and think of commercial viability.

    Our brewers have until we meet back up at Basement at the end of February to craft their best dark beer.

    Fancy joining in? Sign up on Eventbrite as always, our Patrons can always sign up for free, take a look at supporting us here

  • Collab 26 – 5.6 Pack

    Collab 26 – 5.6 Pack

    For our October meetup we were back at Wiper and True’s beautiful taproom. This occasion we had a challenge showcase and our Christmas draw.

    The Challenge

    As is a commonly regarded fact, if a beer’s ABV is unknown its probably 5.6%, and when you think about it, the best beers in the world are 5.6%. Augustiner Edelstoff, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to name two.

    Challenge 26 couldn’t have been more simple, brew a beer that is 5.6%.

    The Showcase

    All 5.6% are equal, but some are more equal than others, as always this sort of challenge brings out the creativity of our fantastic brewers, each putting together

    For the beer reveal details were sparse, allowing the brewers a chance to truly showcase their beer. The usual approach is to sample the beers in a rough ABV order, but that just wouldn’t cut-it, so EBC it was.

    BrewerNameStyle
    WillMosaic EverythingAmerican Pale Ale
    BenPendingWest Coast IPA
    Luiz50 CentHoppy Lager
    AlmericMy First American BeerAmerican IPA
    TomI’ve got 5.6 ProblemsJaipur Clone
    MattSmoky Old KenSmoked Amber
    Matt (again)Red(ish) AleRed Ale
    PeteSaison SombreDark Saison
    EuanEuan’s American PorterAmerican Porter
    PaulMountaineer PorterAmerican Porter
    Rowan2X + 1Imperial Stout

    A wide variety of fantastically well-made brews, and I know for sure a few sore heads the following morning. Maybe a lot of 5.6% beer isn’t as sessionable as first thought, and maybe some were exactly 5.6%(?)

    After a few trips to the bar, it was time to draw the pairings for the Christmas challenge

    Christmas Challenge Draw

    As has been tradition from the very beginnings of the club the Christmas challenge pairs up brewers and assigns them an inspiration based on a category. This year we have Christmas desserts.

    BrewersDessert
    Paul & MattChristmas Pudding
    Remy & LuizYule Log
    Tom & EuanTrifle
    Ben & PeteMince Pies
    Rowan, Almeric & RobStollen

    Anything that inspires the brewers can be put towards the beer. Going to be expecting a good number of boozy dark beers back at Wiper and True for our Christmas meetup on the 17th December. All welcome!

  • Collab 25 – Ale Fresco

    Collab 25 – Ale Fresco

    The Challenge

    For our first ever Summer Pairs Challenge, we paired up brewers and randomly assigned a ‘summer drink’. Their job was to collaborate and brew something inspired by their assigned cocktail.

    Maybe an ingredient in the cocktail, maybe a flavour profile or maybe brew a beer that tastes like the inspiration, it didn’t matter, they just needed to work together and explain their logic.

    CocktailBrewers
    Pimm’sEuan & Rowan
    Pina ColadaLuiz & Will
    MargaritaRob & Tom
    Gin and TonicIan & Sam
    Aperol SpritzPete, Paul & Matt

    The Showcase

    The group met at our regular home in Wiper and True’s beautiful taproom in Old Market, Bristol.

    For the beer reveal, as it should be, each brewing pair kept the details of the beer to themselves until the showcase.

    To start us off, we had to raise a glass to a fallen comrade. Rowan & Euan’s Pimm’s brew took an unwanted dose of wild yeast and made it into the drain before a glass. A tragic loss as a 7% sour, with notes of strawberry, raspberry, caramel, spices and zest was very promising.

    First up, at at 4.2% was Sam and Ian with Laverstoke, an excellent kettle soured hazy pale ale-based on a gin cocktail with Citra and Motueka hopped, with elderflower, lime zest, juniper and ginger. Incredibly well made and very drinkable.

    Second, with the Margarita, Rob and Tom were inspired by the famous Margarita of Napoli and presented their 4.5% Italian Pils, with Mittlefruh and Lórien hops. This crystal clear lager was fresh, light and very refreshing.

    Next up at 6.4%, was Paul, Pete and Matt with Spritz and Giggles, a classic westie inspired by Aperol Spritz featuring Chinook and Centennial hops and surrounded by orangey hops including Amarillo, Ahtanum and Ekuanot. Loaded up with fresh rhubarb and both orange peel and juice. Served with a slice of fresh orange just to finish off the experience.

    Finally, Luiz and Will’s 6.5% Pina Colada inspired NEIPA with stacks of Sabro, Galaxy and pineapple juice, really bringing out the notes you would come to expect from the cocktail. Fantasic beer!

    The night was finished up with several trips to the bar and the opening of remaining brews, including several lagers, a fantastic American Wheat-Cold IPA (WhIPA?) by Remy, and the announcement of the latest challenge.

    Another fantastic night, with a great turn out, and as always big thanks to Wiper and True for hosting us.

  • Collab 23

    Collab 23

    Christmas Reel Ales

    It’s that time of year already – Christmas! Well, at least time to announce the our annual challenge. This year, our theme is Christma Movies!

    How does it work you ask? Well, two brewers get paired up and randomly assigned a movie title. Your job is to collaborate and brew something inspired by the film. Maybe the title? Maybe a character, or a line of dialog? Perhaps a scene that has inspired you? Or something incredibly tenuous? Doesn’t matter, work it out together (and explain the connection).

    You have until our October meetup on the 24th to sign up. After that brewers will be paired up and assigned a movie title at random. Then you have until our Christmas party in December to brew and prepare to show off your best work!

    For those new to the club, all challenges are free to our Patreons who, for £5 a month support the club and allow us to organise meetups, buy club merch and attend events such as Love & Beer. Everyone else is welcome and encouraged to join us for the Christams challenge but we do ask for a one off contibution of £10 to the club. Or simply, become a Patreon, using the button below.

    If you’re new and want to take part but don’t have a brew kit (we all started somewhere), just make a note in your signup and we’ll pair you with an experienced brewer – pick their brains, find out more about their brewing journey and get stuck in to an amazing hobby.

    Patreons, sign upon Eventbrite

    Of course, everyone else is welcome to join us for our Christmas party to try the brews, meet new people and celebrate our festive get together.

  • Collab 16

    Collab 16

    Wiper and True

    For Collab #16, we visited the Bristol stalwarts Wiper and True at their beautiful Old Market Taproom.

    The idea was really simple and fun – we were tasked with designing a beer in the same way that Wiper and True design a beer and then the end goal was to make that beer and then collectively judge it against the design.

    Wiper steers away from the overly clunky BJCP guidelines and has developed a set of criteria that they design a beer against. These criteria are much more about how the beer looks, feels and tastes, rather than trying to ram it into a complex style specification.

    We found it to be a really interesting way to design a beer, so if you want to try it, please find the guide here.

    Here’s some photos from the night:

  • Collab 15

    Collab 15

    RAB and Yakima Chief

    Our friends at Reading Amateur Brewers invited us to collaborate with themselves and Yakima Chief! What an opportunity!

    A squad of HBC brewers hopped on the train to Reading on Thursday 9th March, to meet at Phantom Brewing Co. and get some chat and hop smelling with the legends that are Yakima Chief.

    On the night we delved into the details of some experimental HBC Hops that Yakmia will be sending out to us for some experimental brews.

    The Reading crew will then be joining us in Bristol for leg number 2 of Collab 15 later in 2023 where we’ll taste everyones’ brews and try to pick a fave!