mia_mcdavid has a bill hook machete, very well employed in her large garden. The hook was a length of steel rod riveted to it to gather in the brush so it could not escape. Unfortunately, a week ago the hook broke when I was using it. Continue reading
The great hops famine of 2007. Thanks to mia_mcdavid‘s garden, this will not have much impact on my home brewing.
A cold weekend–high temperatures not much above 0oF/-18oC. Continue reading
I am brewing another stout Continue reading
colgaffneyis dance guild is meeting tonight, but we are not going to be there. mia_mcdavid has a Garden Club meeting in Roseville. Without her, I think I will just stay home. In post 35-W Minneapolis the Westward trip from Roseville is still rather grim at 6:30 PM. Also, there may be heavy rain when I would return after 9 PM. I made that trip through storms three times in the last month. That is enough for now.
The fact is I really need some time at home. Sunday was busy and I have been out the last two evenings. I have not fully unpacked from the last two weekends of camping with colgaffneyis. I am looking forward to a relaxing evening, working on a couple simple projects while watching the Mythbusters blow up things on television.
The Easter Bunny.
I am brewing a batch of beer now, a dry stout in honor of the day. It is based on Northern Brewer’s dry stout kit. The kit uses 1 lb. roasted barley, a 6 lb jug of malt extract, and 2 oz Kent Goldings for bittering hops and 5 gallons of water. I am looking for about a 6 gallon brew, so I added another 1.4 lbs of malt extract. I also used a cup of chocolate malt that was just sitting around.
Here is where things get interesting: I replaced 1 oz. of the Kent Goldings by 2 oz. of homegrown Nugget hops from our 2005 batch (stored in the freezer). We harvested these a little too late in the season, so they were past their prime. Hence going up to 2 oz. This is the purest guesswork.
Just finished the boil. I filled the bathtub with cold water and put the pot in it to cool. This will take a while, during which time I will clean the primary fermenter.
Today is mia_mcdavid‘s birthday, as lsanderson very promptly noted. Continue reading
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 
