Home of
and:
Dizzy Pig Beer.
On this page we detail a range of our beers that have been produced over the years, along with some of the brewing statistics such as IBU and EBC. So, before we introduce the beers, here's a quick explanation of these terms:
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Bitterness (IBU)
The bitterness value is measured in International Bitterness Units (IBU), for each recipe. The higher the reading the more bitter the beer. The bitterness will depend on the type of hops used and when they were added during the brewing process. An excellent calculator of IBU can be found at brewers friend by following the link below:
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Colour - EBC and SRM
The colour of beer is very important and we can determine if the beer is a pale ale or a stout without even tasting it. However, there are 2 differing scales used to classify the colour of beer, the first is the European Brewery Convention (EBC) and the second is the Standard Reference Method (SRM). At Pool Cottage, we have used both measures to class the colour of our beers. The measures can be calculated based upon the varieties and quantities of malts used, again there is a calculator on the Brewers Friend web site. Often however, the EBC or SRM are based on colour charts, with a range from 1 - 40 on the SRM and 1 - 80 on the EBC. The higher the value the darker the beer. A copy of 2 of the charts comparing the scales is shown below:
The Beer.
​As mentioned on the Dizzy Pig Story page, our first beer was an American IPA followed by a replica of the most excellent Spitfire Ale. To date we have brewed over 50 different ales many produced multiple times and have plans for loads more over the coming years.
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On this page, we have listed some of the beers created by Dizzy Pig Brewing along with their statistics. The first 6 ales are pictured below and if you click on the headings or the photo's, you can download the recipes:
Brew Date: 17/09/2016
Initial SG: 1068
Final SG: 1020
Alcohol (ABV): 6.3%
Bitterness (IBU): 58
Colour: EBC 10, SRM 5
Brew Date: 19/10/2016
Initial SG: 1052
Final SG: 1010
Alcohol (ABV): 5.3%
Bitterness (IBU): 42
Colour: EBC 12, SRM 6
Brew Date: 08/12/2016
Initial SG: 1048
Final SG: 1014
Alcohol (ABV): 4.5%
Bitterness (IBU): 26
Colour: EBC 9.6, SRM 4.9
Colour: EBC 10.3, SRM 5.3
Heffalump Ale
Colour: EBC 12, SRM 6.3
For the first half dozen or so brews that we created, we produced our own labels, which were ok, but a neighbour offered to produce a series of labels for us that look much more professional. Some of these labels are pictured below and to view the recipes, just click on the individual label.
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Wicked Pixie. This was an "Irish Red" ale that used a range of malts including Cara Red and roasted barley, giving the beer a deep ruby red colour and fine malt taste. It was named after my wife who is both tolerant and long suffering! We have brewed this beer a number of times now, each as good as the last.
Sassy Blonde. Based loosely on the Brew Dog “Trashy Blonde” recipe. This ale pays tribute to another neighbour, who insisted on the name change for reasons that escape us!
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Black Pig. It's our first effort using a little chocolate malt. Called “Black Pig” after our favourite
pig of 2017. A session stout coming in at a modest 3.9%, but with a huge flavour.
Santa's Sack. Is a Christmas ale using Maris Otter, CaraRed and Roasted Barley malts along
with torrefied wheat for added head retention. It comes with a seasonal twist of added cardamom
pods and mandarin zest. Santa's Sack was first tasted over the Christmas weekend 2017, with it's deep ruby colour and hint of Christmas spice it was an instant hit. It has been a Christmas brew for many years since.
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Amber Pig. Brewed using a range of malts including Cara Gold and American Extra Special Malt. We were aiming for a toffee/caramel flavour to the ale and that's just what we got. With an ABV of 3.8%, this is a most session-able brew.
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Honey Trap. Negotiating a reduction in the cost of fitting a log burner in the Dizzy Pig allowed us to try our hand at making a light golden honey ale based around the "Golden Balls" brew. Our friend Richard agreed that if we produce an ale specially for his forthcoming wedding he would fit the burner at a reduced cost, and he provided the honey! Coming out at a perfect 4.5% it looked and tasted awesome, so much so we immediately made a second batch for ourselves and has been brewed a few times since as a delightful summer ale.
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Imperial Pig Ale (IPA). This ale is largely based on our first Citra IPA, but with some added American special malt. We needed to brew this, as we were sadly lacking ale in the Dizzy Pig because we've been busy making ale for other people!
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Rye'd That Pig. Dizzy Pig's first go at a rye ale, which apart from crushed rye, has a range of malts that fermented out at 5% ABV. Heavy on the IBU bitterness scale, due to the liberal use of Chinook hops, this Rye IPA was not for the faint-hearted.
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Spitfire MK IV. The fourth incarnation of our favourite ale, this time we lightened it in colour to look and taste akin to Spitfire Gold. It did not disappoint. Possibly one of the favourite brews we produce, to date we are on Spitfire MK XIV!
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Shropshire Stalker. As the years advance, we all know it becomes more difficult to find birthday presents for family. So one year, my big brother received a voucher from us to brew any beer he wanted at Dizzy Pig Brewing. The thinking was to create a "Belhaven" clone and after some research on tinterweb; "Shropshire Stalker" was born,as deer stalking is his favourite pastime!
Many of the excellent ale listed above were bottled and with the labels, looked awesome. However, it was somewhat time consuming, having to sterilize, rinse, prime, fill and cap each bottle. Thus we invested in a number of cornelius kegs, taps and CO2 cylinder. We now have draft beer on tap whenever we want. This is perfect for the Dizzy Pig.
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As well as repeat brewing some of the beers already mentioned, here are some of the beers that went straight to the kegs:
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Fuggle Duck. As the name suggests Fuggle Duck was made using Fuggles hops grown at Pool Cottage. We're not sure where the Duck bit came from, but it sounded cool. The beer was an awesome summer golden ale.
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Shenanigans. Hopped using challenger hops, Shenanigans was an adaptation of Wicked Pixie, thus was an Irish red ale with a crisp refreshing taste.
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Shropshire Pils. Brewed using all german ingredients, we wanted a true German Pils reminisant of the beers we loved when living in Germany in the early 1980's. We weren't disapointed, it was up there with both Herforder and Warsteiner, (in our opinion).
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Two Bone Dawg. On a trip to visit our Daughter in Wisconsin, we found ourselves at the Bare Bones Brewery. Their IPA was stunning. So upon our return we had a bash at recreating it. Using copious quantities of Amarillo and Simcoe hops we hopped the crap out of the brew. The result, a full on, in your face IPA.
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