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spkguitar

Brew #4: Dry Irish Stout (Guinness) – Brew Years Day!

This time, I get to use my Christmas present: an outdoor camp stove! I went and got a new separate propane bottle and got set up in the garage.

Had only a few issues;

  • I wasn’t familiar with the regulator, so I had the thing blasting (as Emeril says, “use your knobs!”)
  • The severe heat caused a boil over; sticky all over the place
  • I scorched the wort enough so that big sheets of black film were floating in it

I’m still SUPER happy with the new set up. I even hooked up the spare TV and was watching bowl games while I was doing it.

This one’s going to age for awhile once I get it in the bottles. I’ve got two batches of Dry Irish Stout to brew, so I intend to have 4 cases ready for St. Patrick’s Day this year!

 

Brew #1 Results: Saison de Noel Belgian Farmhouse Ale

And here it is: the result of my first real home-brewed beer. It had only been in the bottle for one week at this point, so technically it wasn’t ready, but I was extremely anxious to try it out. It is unbelievably delicious. Tastes very much like Sam Adams Christmas Ale.

I didn’t have any measuring equipment yet when I originally brewed this, so I don’t know the *exact* ABV percentage, but it has to be up there a bit (8-10%), because I got HAMMERED off of 6 of them.

Looking forward to more of them after they age a little more. This is the one I’m taking to the family holiday parties, so I’m really excited.

If you are interested in making this, kits are available from Northern Brewer in two forms; the extract kit and the all-grain kit.

Northern Brewer is also really great in that they make the recipes for their kits available. Since the links above are to limited edition kits, here are the recipes and instructions for each:

AG-SaisondeNoel

SaisondeNoel

Brew #3: Cream Ale!

So Brew #3 is a Cream Ale, similar to Genesee; my first “yellow” beer. Brewing this time, I was prepared for the stove-top debacle from last time, and fired up the bridge burner first thing. It still took way too long, but at least it was manageable.

I didn’t get any pictured this time, but I will post the results of this brew for sure!

Princess vs. Witch… have you ever noticed?

Halloween is coming, and of course that gets everyone thinking about and looking at costumes. Since I have ALL GIRLS in my house, the amount of girl costumes I look at is excessive.

But have you ever noticed…?

Witches and princesses have some remarkable similarities:

Princess vs Witch

See what I mean? Pointy hats, etc?

I mean seriously; Princess vs. Witch? How do you tell them apart?

Beach Vacation? Or Wait Fest?

So… We’re on vacation at the beach with my brother and his two boys. (thank god; some testosterone!)

We’re all getting ready for the beach in the morning; the boys? Ready to go at 8:30. The girls? Still struggling to have “everything they need” at 10:00.

The boys ended up getting tired of it later in the week and just started taking off and meeting up with us later.

Welcome to my world, boys!

Sleepover…

So we had the neighbor girls (yes, more girls) over for a sleepover last night. We had to have both of them, because the youngest was complaining. I suggested a “kid trade”; bring one of theirs, send one of ours, but only wife kept arguing that it would be OK. I kept reminding her of what happened the other day when they were all together, and their dad even brought us a bottle of wine when he brought them over saying, “You’re going to need this.” (Yes, I love my neighbors!) But we didn’t drink it and only wife kept arguing that it would be OK.

Then she fell asleep at 10:30.

I was up with them stopping arguments, telling them to turn it down, separating them, re-uniting them, etc etc etc until 2:00 am. All while only wife slept peacefully.

It’s all about the kids, and they had a good time.

It’s all about the kids, and they had a good time.

It’s all about the kids, and they had a good time.

It’s all about the kids, and they had a good time.

It’s all about the kids, and they had a good time.

No beer and no TV make Homer something, something…

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