theneedle.net

Time to look back on what was brewing in 2009.  It was a pretty good year with 19 batches, around 90 gallons.  No drainpours or infections in the lot.  I entered a competition for the first time (and won two awards!).   I built & started using a new copper sparge manifold and increased my efficiency, at least marginally.  I got to know Promash a lot better, which I really think led to improvements in quality.

I finally finished off my huge backlog of 2007 hops brewing a slew of IPAs.   Tim and I brewed a Double IPA in February based on the Pliny The Elder recipe that appeared in the September 04 edition of BYO.  The recipe wasn’t right to begin with and we made a whole bunch of hop substitutions.  It turned out well but super bitter and without the complexity we had hoped.  Still, it got me moving through the freezer full of hops I started the year with.  Starting in June I brewed 3 batches of IPA to get through the last of those hops.  They brews were good but lacked the vibrancy they would have had with fresher hops.

There were a whole bunch of Belgians too. 10 to be exact - yikes!  I made a few Bretty beers - an Orval inspired beer and a Saison brewed with dregs from Fantome Black Ghost.  Neither turned out how I had hoped, though the Orval-esque beer is pretty good.  I had some success brewing an Abbey Single - something I’m going to tweak and brew again for next summer.  I used the yeast cake from the single to make a triple which is still improving, but has a bunch of yeast & pear right now.

I brewed five sours.  One Berliner Weisse, a Flemish Red, a Flemish Pale, a Lambic and a giant monster with 12 or 14 different cultures courtesy of Al Buck over on the Babble Belt.  Nothing but the Berliner was ready to drink this year - the Flemish beers and the one with all the cultures should be drinkable in 2011, the Lambic will be ready in 2012.  Patience patience patience.

Looking forward I want to brew more low alcohol beers & sours.  I’m tired of stuff over 6 or 7%.  I want to be able to have 2 or 3 bottles without feeling it in the morning.  That said, I’m taking full advantage of the huge delivery of hops I got before Christmas and brewing a Pliny-esque beer tomorrow (with an appropriate hop schedule this time!).  I’d also like to explore stouts & porters more.  They are such great styles but so rarely done well.  It wouldn’t hurt to try a lager either.  On the technical side I’d like to get better about fermenting temperature and pitching rates.  These are two relatively simple things that can really improve my brews.

Cheers!

I took a drive out to Strykersville on this rainy/haily day to pick up the non-smoked portion of this year’s half pig.  My chest freezer, previously only half full of hops & fruit, is now full to the brim with:

• 20.7 lbs of ham
• 16.6 lbs pork roast
• 3.25 lbs spare ribs
• 16.5 lbs chops
• 4 lbs hocks
• 16.25 lbs fat (for rendering into lard)

Huzzah!

What: Come hang out and learn how beer is made!

When: Sunday, November 8th. Noon - 5ish

Where: Bob and Ang’s place

Details: Come hang out, eat good food, drink good beer & learn a thing or two about brewing to celebrate teach a friend to homebrew day. You’re welcome to just observe or get more involved. I’m not sure what style of beer will be made that day but people who show up get at least a few bottles when they’re ready, which should be around Christmas. I’ll be providing snacks, drinks & all the necessary ingredients – just bring yourself!

Give me a call or send me a message if you think you’ll be there so I can get a rough head count. We’ll be spending time outside and in the garage so dress appropriately.

Fall hit my kitchen last night in what turned out to be a wonderful clean out the pantry & use up stuff from the windowboxes meal.  This one is definitely going to happen again.

- 1 butternut squash, peeled & cut into ~1/3 inch chunks
- A handful of chard, cut up
- A pound of pasta
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- A couple of hot peppers, chopped
- 2 sage leafs, bruised
- Rosemary Olive oil (plain would do, but I had a bunch of home-infused oil I needed to use)
- a handful of pine nuts
- Some oregano, chopped
- some basil, chopped
- Some Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the garlic, stir & after 30 seconds add the squash, sage & hot pepper.  Salt & pepper as needed.  Let that go for a while, stirring occasionally until the squash starts to brown. When the squash is just about ready add the chard & let it wilt.

While the squash is cooking boil the pasta & toast the pine nuts.

If you feel like it add a little oil to the pasta after draining.

Put some pasta in a bowl.  Put some of the squash on top of that.  Put some cheese, basil & oregano on it.  Put some pine nuts on that.  Consume.

The great “hey, we might move” crisis of 2009 seems to have been resolved. D’Youville, after letting Ang go in April, officially offered her a new job earlier this week. Had that position not come through our options were moving where a position existed (NYC area) or liquidating our assets (read: junk) on Ebay. Each option had its charm but I think that ultimately I’m happy with the way things worked out.

I didn’t realize how much the uncertainty was bothering me until it disappeared. I feel like I have a modicum of control over my life for the first time in months. From January on we didn’t plan anything past the June wedding. After the wedding we didn’t plan anything because we didn’t know where home was going to be. Now we can finally look forward a bit. I’m pretty damn happy about that.

I stand by my statement, made in an Erie, PA Perkins lobby, in February of 2000.  wow.

In other news, related only in it’s Cleveland content, one of my favorite songwriters, Kevin McMahon, is back with a new website, a bunch of new albums, a few re-releases and a live disc.  I can’t wait to hear what the  Fear of Blue and (Sic) discs sound like.

k.  back to work.

So lets see what’s been going on.  I got married, planted our rather limited garden, might be moving to the NYC area, rekindled my love of cooking and have been brewing up a storm.  Same old, same old.

I’m pretty excited about the summertime weekend & holiday train service to/from Toronto.  $28 round trip isn’t a bad deal - probably more expensive than driving (certainly if it’s more than just me heading up) but not prohibitively so, especially when parking is added in.  And way more comfortable than the bus.  They’ve got Cantillon’s Zwanze 2008 (a one-off rhubarb lambic) for sale at Beer Bistro in Toronto.  If their supply holds out a few more weeks I may take advantage of the new train.

I’m continuing to experiment with the no knead bread recipe.  I’ve gone up to 30% whole wheat flour without problems.  I think the next step is going to be to mix in some actual whole grains (pre-cooked, I suppose) - barley, faro, whatever else I have laying around the house.  Maybe I’ll sprinkle on some bulgur wheat in place of corn meal right before cooking.

It looks like I’m going to be going to ATP: NY with Woody and Patrick this fall.  It’s an insane lineup with highlights including: The Jesus Lizard, Suicide, Animal Collective, The Melvins, El-P, Akron/Family, Black Dice, Antipop Consortium, The Boredoms & No Age.  Zoinks.

Outside of that, I don’t know.  The fruit share starts today with strawberries.  A strawberry rhubarb pie can’t be far behind.  Thats certainly something to look forward to.

If I was a middle/high school student in today’s environment.  Fookin-a.

So yeah, Tortoise tonight.  Should be fun.  I’ve wanted to see them for years.

9 days ’til the wedding.  Lots of work to do, but its mostly small stuff.  Its going to be one heck of a party.

Ok, work now.