Handpumped: Extra Sherpa Porter

It doesn't get much better than this: Fresh Porter, homemade and handpumped. Brendon came across this fantastic form of beer delivery, from where I've got no idea. Good kiwi ingenuity. While it's never going to instill the kind of confidence you want in your own brewpub, it's great for friends and family. Gives you an idea whether a eer lends itslef to the handpump too.

This particular picture is Brendon's Extra Sherpa Porter. Needs some refinement but it has been the big surprise. Well balanced bitterness (even at 60 IBU's!)with a big malty backbone and a nice amount of roasty notes to take out some of the sweetness.

Brewing has been going well, with the processes getting better and better. Sampling is not too bad either, though our processes there seem to get lost after 3 or 4 pints...

So what's coming out of the Liberty pilot brewery? Here's the list so far:

• Sou'wester Steam Beer (a well hopped, fruity, California Common, 5%). Gone!
• Extra Sherpa Porter (a bitter Robust Porter, 5.7%, full of liquer like chocolatey malt). Almost gone.
• Single Sherpa Porter (an underhopped Brown Porter, 5.5%, may ferment drier but looking too sweet early on). Drinking.
• Sticklbract Steamer (herbal hopped California Common, a little lager malt cleans up the malt profile and at 4.5% it's more sessional).
• Underboiled Festivus IPA (very fruity New World IPA, 6%, gas ran out with ten minutes of the boil remaining!). Bottled.
• Festivus IPA (hugely bitter but smooth and fruity New World IPA, great malt profile, 6%, looks and tastes superb). Secondary.
• Fat Elf Ordinary Bitter (sessional ordinary bitter, 3.9%, bubbling away). Primary.

The ordinary bitter, a steam beer, an IPA and a Stout or Porter are shaping up as regulars to refine towards. After we get them going, we'll start thinking about some seasonals.