Ahh, Jon, a man with an eye for detail in th eimportant things in life.

It's a tale of commercial BS, I'm afraid. Wherry Bitter, produced by Woodfordes own brewery in Woodbastwick, Norfolk, is indeed a superb pint, and it was getting that product down me neck that turned me on to the possibility of replicating the product at home.

So, I found a Wherry Kit in Boots (When they did home brew - another sad tale of screwing the market and then abdicating) and brewed a fantastic barrel, very close to the pub product. BUT, there on the can, in small print, is the manufacturer's name as Muntons. I then had a look round several other home brew kits, and many were made under license by said Suffolk maltsters. So that's the tale.

Kim, the secret lies in the water. Breweries extract their water from bore-holes, so it's 'local' water, with the characteristics from the substrates giving local brews specific flavour. I have been obsessive enough to draw water from springs close to a famous brew, both in Essex (Ridleys) and the Mendips (Butcombe). But the poor home brewer has to use the shoite that comes out of the tap, that has had serious chemical intervention at the water treatment works. I'm told that all these chemicals argue with the enzymes in the wort, and gives that distinctive disinfectant taint to home brew. I avoid this by

a) When I'm rich, using bottled spring water.

b) When I'm poor, (ie always) filtering tap water through a decent quality water filter.

I promise this makes a big difference to the flavour. It may just be good ju-ju, but effort seems to equal results.

Skipjack