The very best of the season's greetings to you all. We've been very busy at the brewery (above today in the ice and snow, -12c outside) making sure that all our customers get deliveries and brewing sufficient beer for the New Year.
It's been a while since we had warm sunny days as we approach mid-winter in Scotland, so I thought I'd share with you our search for a pint on a balmy late October Sunday.
Approaching Stronaclachar Pier, where there is really good cafe. This is where we alighted the vessel and set off on the bikes beside Loch Arklet for Inversnaid, which lies on the western side of Loch Lomond. Fab scenery but very, very steep hills down to the big loch.
The Lady Arlene enjoying a cuppa and a piece (Scots for sandwich) at Inversnaid Pier overlooking Loch Lomond and Ben Vorlich in the distance. Sitting in the sun - what pleasure!
Cycling back through Glen Arklet back towards Stronaclachar and another cuppa. Feeling very chipper having made it up the hill from Inversnaid without collapsing.
On the north side of Loch Katrine looking back towards Stronaclachar.
Just past the Strone Farmhouse with the Trossachs and Ben A'an in the distance. You might just make out the SS Sir Walter Scott as the white speck above right of the Lady Arlene's head.
After a lovely ride back along the north shore of the loch to Trossachs Pier, we headed into the Anchor's Rest above for a well deserved pint of Ossian before heading back to the brewery to check the fermentations and set the temperature and timer on the hot liquor tank on for Monday's brew of...yes, you guessed it,
Our Malt Hopper (the table structure in foreground) is now in place with the screw conveyor (the white tube) taking the malt up to the Mill on the mezzanine floor. The BIG BLUE VALVE is the gas main supply.
Upstairs the red Mill crushes the grain and the next bendy white tube conveyor takes it up to the top of the Grist Case with its 1 tonne capacity. When we mash in (mixing the grist with hot water in the mash tun) there is a third screw conveyor to take the grist from the grist case bottom to the Mash Mixer on top of the Mash Tun.
Ossian was featured to great acclaim at silver jeweller and Friend of Inveralmond Brewery Islay Spalding's Xmas Extravaganza in Dundee this weekend. Along with her really groovy Biomorphs and Kilt Pins, the star of the show was sparkling bright and spreading joy and cheer to all!
Chì Mi 'n Geamhradh
Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg in a lightly hopped malty ale - yum yum!
A very proud and pleased Fergus stands beside our brand new 400 amp, 3 phase electric power supply. The meter/switching box contains its very own cellphone so that meter readings can be sent by SMS back to the electricity company. A very contemporary electricity meter that fits in very well with our new brewery equipment. And now we can put the lights on in the evening!
Plenty of welding, cutting, brazing, dieing, crimping and buffing going on at the new brewery. Scaffolding and ladders, pipes and pipe-bridges, overstruts and understruts, flying buttresses and suspended supports...
Looking over the top of the mash tun and wort copper from above the office area. A whole mess of pipes: cold liquor, hot liquor, steam, hot wort, sparge, CIP, condensate, gas - and all in pretty colours too!
At long last after many months the new electricity substation for the new brewery has been installed. The electricity people have been digging up the road and laying new cables and are finishing off the connections.
What a modern substation looks like inside - more of a big switch and fuse box really.
The lads pondering where the really big wirecutters are.
Swedish kanelbullar or cardamom and cinnamon whirls, straight out the oven. Perfect with a cup of coffee and a chat with friends - Fika as they say in Sweden.
My 50/50 wheat/rye loaf - slow proving (rising) over a day and a night in my cold kitchen - a dense moist loaf and slightly sourdough-ish from the wild yeasts and lactics on the rye flour.
Apple and bramble pie with yeast pastry - lower fat than shortcrust but just as scrumptious.
Two apple and damson pies or pirogs - Russian-style yeast pastry turnover pies. They look a bit darker and shinier from the beaten eggwash glaze. 
Hej!
Was down in London last weekend to go to the London Scottish Regiment's 150th Messines dinner, held to celebrate the Regiment's tradition, soldiers and fallen. There I was able to sup on the lovely Ossian which as ever was on fine form and it was great to see so many of the Jocks, as we call the serving soldiers, enjoying a pint or three.
The top table with the First World War Memorial behind.
Here's very proud Managing Director Fergus standing on the mezzanine floor above the offices with the new fermenters with their shiny copper refrigeration pipework and general fitting out work in progress behind.
Our valve hoard! Now should the handles point to the left or the right...?
At long last the gas folk have laid a lovely yellow gas pipe from the main over the road to our new brewery. The pipe leads into our shiny British Racing Green meter housing and finishes in a blanked-off end. Still waiting on the meter itself, but the tunnel for the gas pipe into the brewery building is to be dug out tomorrow.
Shiny copper pipes for the internal brewhouse water supply and tank refrigeration system which are being installed all around the walls at high level.
The new grist case awaiting some modifications to increase its capacity to 1 tonne of malt grist - basically an extra strip of stainless steel (316 for the technical) 300mm wide welded onto the sides. 
Vi brygger öl i tre etapper: Mäskning, Vörtkökning och Jäsning.
och blandar det med varmt vatten i Mäskning Tanken.
Stärkelsen omvandlass till socker och vörten, som vättkan kallas, får en söktaktig smak.
Här i Inveralmond Bryggeriet vi tillsätter mycket humle
Jäsning - Vörten gå in på Jästanken, när vi tillsätter vårt eget jäst. Tio liter av jäst i varje brygd. Här vi har överjäsning, som tar tre dagari i arton och en halv Celsius. När jäsning är klar, har jästen stigit upp till ytan av vörten och det ser ut som ett beige-brunt bomullstäcke. Smaken på skummet är strävt beskt , eftersom jästen skum innehåller många hop bittra föreningar. Överjäsning få öl med fruktig och blommig karaktär.
Jastank
Mognande Tankar
Då vi fyller enkelt fåtta med ölet och bort till puben.
Heja! Skål! 
Found a few pictures involving Ossian - one of my favourites. 'S e leann blasda a th'ann - it's tasty beer. This picture was from a barbeque on the Black Isle on a glorious summer's day.
Your local friendly neighbourhood brewmaster about to sample the fine Ossian in bottle complementing the olives and crisps on the table at a luncheon in the Sidlaw Hills.
Three happy drinkers from the Atholl Highlanders praising the speed at which the Ossian firkin was emptied at the Atholl Gathering 2009 - and hoping desperately that there was another cask in the tent.
A rooftop cask with a sensational pint awaiting the thirsty photographer at a housewarming in Perth a fortnight ago. The spire in the background belongs to St. Leonard-in-the-Fields Church. The firkin (of 72 pints) was empty after only an hour and a half!
