Afghanistan deployment helps brew quality

I am loving my deployment to Afghanistan. I am horrible about not waiting long enough to consume my brews. This is really helping me with waiting so am taking this opportunity to brew via webcam to stock up over the next 9 months. I am the king of putting a date on the board for drinking but always go at least a month early. Then I end up finding my "sample" bottles a month later. Once I down them I think to myself, "Wish I had waited the extra month."

I have a Barleywine in the hopper and SWMBO put mead in the primary for me last week. The Applewine I made before I left was not to be touched until Halloween but she hooked the keg up last week and carbed it. I hear it turned out great and produces a MONSTER hangover.


I have her on a "schedule" so I will be 4 kegs up when I get home for my mid-tour leave and 8 kegs up when I get home from the deployment. Then I should just have to brew once a week to keep on the same schedule.

Yea we do go through a lot of homebrew at my house, my motorcycle club has at least one party a week so supply always runs low. I am planning for 20gallons a month.

The number of carboys, primaries, and kegs I am buying is killing me but hey I only have to buy this stuff once. Unfortunatly everything takes up more space than I anticipated. SWMBO has no idea there is a freezer on the way to the house next week.

I have turned the den into my mancave complete with keggerator. Once the freezer shows up to provide extra storage the room will be complete. I am debating getting rid of my pool table to make room for a bar.

I really need to get back so I can stop "planning and purchasing" and start enjoying again.

I'm not sure SWMBO is the appropriate acronym, haha.

She must know quite a bit about brewing though, which is awesome.

I had a lot of homebrew laying around before I left so I invited some friends to help me drink it all.

Unfortunately, I dont have anything waiting for me when i get back.

I cleared the kegs two days before I left. We had Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year within a week of each other right before I left. I put Barleywine and AW in the primaries the day before I left. The Barley might be done when I get home. The AW evidently is a MONSTER that lays people out on the floor because they think the taste means almost no alcohol. My club is having a party at my house that I plan to attend via webcam to try and put a dent in it.

The girl is learning brewing fast. I am still very new at this as well. I am spending hours online ordering equipment and supplies. I also have been reading quite a bit. I am thinking of going all-grain but I am still a bit nervous about the process.