So, it's the deep dark depths of the winter for those of us in the northern hemisphere (those south of the equator may feel smug for a few months) and it's dark, cold and rather windy. And we all know what that means...
Ninety shilling ales, porters, novelty christmas beers and a plethora of dark, rich, seasonal beers. There's remarkably little information on why winter beers tend to be so dark - the obvious answer is that the taste buds prefer something a little sweeter when the body is trying to stay warm, but we at 30 Days of IPA have our own theory...
hat makes a great IPA? You've got to get the water right for starters, either by getting incredibly lucky with your local geology or by adding the required mineral balance. Then there's the barley - where's it grown? What's the soil like? Did we have a wet summer?
Our three casks of experimental IPA have now been on board the Scottish Fisheries Museum's lovingly restored Reaper (left) for just over a month. They've been gently rocked (and more violently pitched on a couple of occasions), subjected to swings in temperature (although the Scottish spring has been significally cooler than equatorial waters) and generally exposed to all the hazards of life
Here we go folks! The 30 Days of IPA festival kicks off in just a few days with our launch event, a massive "Meet The Brewers" event at 
