Now What?

Now, I find myself on the horns of a dilemma. I had developed a couple of recipes that sounded like fun, tailored for my Mr Beer keg. Just yesterday, Mr Beer sent me a coupon for 10% off any recipe in their database.
So, I poked around a bit, and found a couple of recipes that sound really tasty. After I figured the discount, the price came out to almost exactly the same.
Now what do I do? Experiment, Or a tried and true recipe? I'M SO CONFUSED!

Back To Beer

There's one theme I constantly go back to; in this blog, in my other online sites, in my old podcast. If you start with wort, and use yeast, you're a homebrewer. I've seen and heard others try and draw the lines more restrictively.

Really, it doesn't matter what method you use to get your wort. Did you develop your recipe, fine-tuning your grain bill until it had just the flavor profile you wanted? Did you think long and hard about the hopping schedule, so each addition brought something unique? Great! Did you heat up a can of mix? Good! I do both, depending on time, money, and mood. There's room for both ends, and anything in between.

So, The beer I have fermenting now, and the next, are both kits from Mr Beer. (I don't get anything. They aren't a sponsor.)

Is it the best I've ever had? Well, no. That's not the point. It's good drinkable beer that I made. That's the only claim I make, and really, the only claim I ever make.

Unexpected Expected news

I apologize for the delay.

I have several sites online, as you may know, and I wrestled for some time with exactly where to put this. The news was rather personal, but relates in many way to what we all grapple with daily.

Over the last 10-15 years, I've found myself in declining health. I've had increasing difficulty in standing without support, and walking without assistance. I've been seeing doctors, to try and pin down a cause, and I finally got some answers. They aren't good.

I have a form of ataxia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia) without specific cause, and therefore no specific course of treatment. It also means I'm not getting better.

That takes some getting used to. The future doesn't look anything like it did a few months ago. I had hoped for a retirement full of exploration, adventure, and travel. Instead, I look at a future of isolation and immobility.

Now that I've decided where to put my thoughts, I hope to more faithfully document those thoughts. As we work through a treatment plan, I intend to let you all know how I'm doing, and whether or not the plan is showing any success.

One bright ray of hope is that there is a plan. It seems relatively certain that there will be a decline in my abilities, But we can do a great deal to ensure that the downward slope is as shallow and gentle as possible.

The on thing that I hate about this more than anything else is the isolation. So many friends, from so many years, that I'll probably never see again. That makes me sad. I hope to find, somehow, a way to become more mobile, and see some of those people who have touched me so deeply over the years.

Well, that's all for now. I promise to post more frequently.

OK, My Turn

I've thought about this a bit. Nearly everyone else has weighed in on this, so I might as well, too.

Budweiser ran an ad during the Super Bowl, I'm sure you know. They've been criticized for the tone of the ad, I'm sure you know.

If you read my blog you know I'm a homebrewer. If you know me, you know I happen to like Bud. It's actually a very good beer. I've always said the problem is not that Bud is bad. It's all about choice. Their are times when what I really want is an American pilsener. Just not all the time.

However, I have to partially agree with the ad. There are some in the craft beer community who are entirely too pretentious. I love playing with fruits, spices, herbs, flavors. Your beer doesn't have to have these to be good.

There's plenty of room in my fridge to have both Budweiser and an artfully crafted microbrew.

Am I Bad?

I have a Mr Beer fermenter. It's a concession to my physical state. I can't lift a big fermenter any more, so I have to make smaller batches. It's worked well for me.

I also just ordered a Mr Beer American Ale refill for it. The kits  make really good, not spectacular, beer. I needed something quick. It was on sale. It was on a site where I get a cash rebate. It just seemed to make good sense.

Of course , me being me, I couldn't leave "well enough" alone. So, to the regular ale I added, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tbs orange zest, 1 tbs cinnamon, and 1/3 cup molasses. My intent was to boost the alcohol slightly, and make this a heartier tasting ale, for the cold winter.

Did I succeed? We'll find out in a couple of weeks. Am I bad for using a kit? I don't think so. I've said for years, if you make a wort and use yeast. you're a homebrewer. All the rest is choice.

First Time For Everything

Well, I've done something I never thought I would do. I ordered a Mr. Beer refill. What can I say? I had the money, I got a rebate, and the beer is very good.

I ordered the American Ale. I'm sure it's a very good beer, but I can't just leave it alone. I have to do something. I was thinking of using it as a base for a holiday ale of sorts.

I would start with the can of hopped extract, and add a bit of brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and orange zest. I think it sounds yummy, and I have everything on hand, so it won't cost a penny.

I think I'll do it.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!

 

Sometimes, I'm really stupid. I mean, really, incredibly dense.

In my last post, I related the story of the delays I encountered in getting my supplies. I had ordered ingredients for 3 different beers, 2 ales and a lager. The original plan was to quickly get the ales done, so I would have beer while the lager slowly did its thing.

Because of the delay, I had to get the schwarzbier started right away. That left me with two sixpacks to last about 6 weeks. The math doesn't quite work out. What could I do? Maybe (cringe) buy some beer? Get a new fermenter?

My eyes fell on the bottle I used to use as my fermenter. I'm 61, and  physically disabled. I fall down a lot, and can no longer carry, or lift, 5 gallons of beer. That's why I use a Mr. Beer keg as my fermenter, now. Two gallons is an ideal size; easy to lift, enough to last awhile.

Suddenly, the heavens parted, a choir of angels started singing, and I realized something. Just because a bottle holds 5 gallons doesn't mean you have to brew that much.

Duh.