Moley

Oh my Lord, did I really post that stuff way back in March/April Thanks for resurrecting this thread Sven. Things have moved on a little, I did 2 more beer kit brews and yesterday I did my third All Grain. That Dandelion dropped crystal clear after stabilising and fining and has since been bottled. Turned out ok in the end but probably needs leaving down the cellar and forgetting about until Christmas. 4 gallons of wine already bottled, another 4 ready for bottling, 6 gallons of Peach, 2.5 gallons of Elderflower Shampagne, 1 gallon Elderflower & Gooseberry, 2 gallons of supermarket juice wines and 2 gallons of Waste Not Want Not all happily bubbling away: And tonight after work I will be collecting 9 more demijohns off a local Freecycler.

Trouble is, it's not quite as easy as that. If I capture the photo and sample a mid-tone area I get something like 70/15/27/0 (that's CMYK, of course) which gives me something like Pantone 631 (I'm not going to split hairs about Coated or Uncoated). From my swatch that looks too light, and there's no green in it. Optically, from the photo, it looks more like Pantone 3125 (5.5 parts Process Blue, 2.5 parts Pantone Green, 8 parts Transparent White), but I know this monitor is slightly out. Ideally I would need you to cut a piece out and post it to me. He quoted RGB

So if anyone else is in the vicinity of Wolverley tonight .....

Well it ain't on the lower Staffs & Worcs, the bottom end of the Shroppie, up the W'ton 21 and round the BCN to Netherton, or on the Stourbridge & Dudley canals. Just because I got rather p!$$ed off with the almost total lack of input or response from the owners or any representative doesn't mean I'm not still looking. It'll turn up, one day, maybe. Whatever will be will be.

Sorry Steve, that's in a house Although I really can't see any reason why I couldn't take that gear onboard (as long as I sent Mrs. Mole out for a few hours). A 7ft high set-up could be a problem though MJG: Kits seem far better now that I remembered from 15 - 20 years ago, although it's worth spending a bit more on extra malt extract instead of granulated sugar. I've brewed 5 kits before I graduated to AG and they have all turned out quite acceptable for very little effort

It certainly makes my set-up look rather pathetic

I wasn't necessarily thinking about anything economically viable, just a hobby which might generate some beer money, and this is looking a few years on to when the kids have gone, or the mortgage is paid off and I can walk out on them with a clear conscience PS: Good luck with the stained glass

Yes, you can sell wares from a NB to other boaters or the general public, but you should declare it and pay a little more for a trade licence. Info here about halfway down. There are plenty that do, coal/gas etc., fender makers, jams, preserves & chutneys, numerous artists and a cheese boat. One day I'd love to cruise the system and set up a floating pottery, although I haven't as yet given the slightest thought to where the hell I'd fire it.

I suppose we get our fair share of pirates, but the ‘twat in a hat’ brigade seem to dominate. You know the sort, with gold trimming.

Now hang on a minute, I started to read that topic earlier but didn't have time to get to the end, what did I miss?

Thanks Michele, and for the PM, reply sent. It looks to me like a Wordsley Banter ought to be arranged in the not too distant future

I wasn't particularly bothered but Mrs. Mole wasn't keen on staying and Vickimole was a little scared. Thanks for the offer but I didn't realise you were there, maybe next time. Shame I didn't give advance notice of our route but we hadn't decided in advance. Anyway, I quite enjoyed the dusk/dark run down to Stourton.

Yes Alan, I am aware of regional variations, but this is just beer (and I make no apologies for associating those two words). To me, £2.50 a pint is getting expensive and £3 is totally unacceptable, I would rather go without. To cite an example, we moored by The Lock at Wolverley (scene of a previous Banter) a couple of weeks ago, I nipped in for a pint and was horrified to find their guest beers are £2.95. Quite simply, I will not drink there again. In contrast, the Dry Dock (South end of Netherton Tunnel), Enville Ales at £2.05 a pint, and a few of those slip down quite nicely I can brew something quite quaffable for 25p/pint and something really rather decent for 35p, so if Talpidae ever ventures near the Thames or destinations South, she will be adequately provisioned.

Too late to be relevant to the original question but we came down there on Thursday. Moved off late morning from Windmill End then stopped for a few hours at Merry Hell, I re-arranged some storage and re-hung a cupboard door that someone had managed to rip off while rest of crew went shopping. There are plenty of moorings at MH and I would expect it to be quite safe to overnight there. However, that was not our intention, we set off again around 4pm, down all 8 of the Nine Locks, two miles through Brierley Hill, didn't run aground once and noticed a distinct absence of 3-piece suites and white goods. Four locks down the Stourbridge Sixteen we were making for the Samson & Lion. At 45 feet long we fit just perfectly at right angles to the lock on the far side from the pub, and have stayed there on previous occasions without incident. However, the Samson has just changed hands (again), there was only one Locum Landlord pulling pints but no food being served, so we decided to carry on down the flight to Mad O'Rourke's (The Vine as was). We moored on lock bollards in the very short pound by Dadford's Shed (it was late and further traffic was unlikely) and walked down to the pub. An hour-and-a-bit later, wife & kids returned to the boat while I finished my Cow Pie, then I got a 'phone call to say that "we aren't stopping here", there were 20 or so youths hanging around the green area and our bow rope had already been untied. With the light fading we cleared the last few locks, wouldn't even contemplate mooring near Wordsley Junction, so I took us on towards the four locks above Stourton - no problem, I know the canal and quite like running in the dark.

True, I've recently started brewing again, but it's all done at home. I've done five kit brews and have now graduated to All Grain. All of mine is bottle conditioned, has a few days in the kitchen after bottling before being moved down the cellar (Victorian houses can be a PITA at times but have their 'plus' points). I've then taken a couple of dozen bottles to the boat where they stand in the base of the wardrobe or beneath the double bed and have found no problems with sediment being stirred up by the short road journey or vibration / movement of the boat. A couple of nights ago I got drawn into a towpath banter with 3 crews I've never met before, and had a most excellent evening. One of that group, Annie, a no-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth blackcountry woman, has been involved with boating for most of her life and has lived aboard (near Factory locks on the BCN W'ton level) for 17 years. She kept going back to their boat, or sending someone else to refill the jug, brews onboard (but only from kits) and reckons to usually have around 100 2-litre PETs distributed around the boat. Tell you what though, with pub beers approaching three quid a pint in some places, I've saved a fortune this past week!

Should tag on around Sunday lunchtime, if there's anywhere to moor. I'll try to post word of whether we're above or below, and how far away, feel free to knock on the roof.