What is the best thing to do during a lockdown, when there is nothing on your timetable and the brewery has plenty of capacity? When you have time for big ideas and to finally apply knowledge you've been gathering for a long while. You experiment. You brew thick, bold beers with extremely high gravity that really challenge the brewer and brewhouse. You research barrels from all over the world. Bourbon - for sure. Scottish single malts - oh yes. Nerdy Laphroaig and superb Rum from Barbados? Bring it on. Various sherries. Tequila. Mezcal. Marsala. Apricot brandy. Triple Sec. Expensive maple syrup barrels - fuck - yeah.

And that's exactly what we did in the winter of 20/21. Porters. Stouts. Imperial Reds. Wheat Wines. Barley Wines – up to 35° Plato. Double Mash. Malts from brewer's heaven - roasted Rye. Marris Otter. Belgian Abbey. Beechwood smoked. Peated Malt... Hallelujah! The stirrer groans. Lautering takes what feels like days. A lot of manual work, the brewhouse is at its limit. You sweat. You suffer. Some things work, some don't.

Then the barrels finally arrive - over 100 of them, a whole semitrailer full. We take the caps off. Sniffing at each barrel. Feelings of happiness. Absolute anticipation. Now it's time to prepare and fill the barrels. Even more anticipation.. A few liters of each brew go into a steel keg for back blending with the matured beer later.

A hard wait begins. Fierce trepidation, because a lot of money is at stake. Hardly control, we can do virtually nothing more than watch the humidity. And have patience.