So, it's been a rough year around here and this week my wife gave me the thumbs up to brew today. Just a bit of pre-holiday relaxation.
I plan the big American Barleywine for next Christmas consumption.
Yeast starter made on Monday (bottle harvested Pac-Man), the new Mash Tun (for BIG beers) built and ready for testing, 25.38 lbs of grain ground, 12.18 gallons of water prepped, fresh tank of propane and a nice crisp fall day.
What could possibly go wrong? Famous Last Words? Yep!
So I missed my gravity - by a bunch. I figured it would be low - that's a lot of grain, but whoa! Me thinks my mash out just wasn't hot enough - and I have plenty of time to investigate what went wrong.
No sweat - I can bump it up with DME. This was after all a test of the new system.
So off the wife and son go for an ice skating lesson..... do you see where this is going? Dad the famous Pond Hockey Player (ok, passable Pond Hockey Hack) normally skates with the boy, but this week the wife (from Virginia) skates.....
Just as the boil starts the phone rings. "Honey, when I get home can you look at my wrist?" Like me the expired EMT can tell anything. "of course hon, are you ok?" he says calmly as he watches his beer boil over.....Then she get's home and yikes the expired EMT CAN tell it's bad - angles that wrists are not intended to perform. Ok - off goes the burner and off to the ER for x-rays.
Drop her at the door of the ER, rush the boy to a Swimming Birthday party and back to sit, and sit, and sit in the ER (my poor beer!) I mean my poor WIFE! 3 and a half hours later we get home and I start back to the brew.... Then it starts to snow - well ok, so I'm from Maine and this is just a spitting yuck not real snow - but for the sake of the story we're calling it snow.
So - 25 lbs of grain, 8 plus oz of hops, a visit to the ER, A vicoden prescription, a rent a car for her to drive (cause we only have manuals) and a visit to the orthopedist for pins and a plate in her wrist. It's got to be one of the most expensive brew days on record.
We are currently soliciting names for the American Barleywine that I'm still trying to brew.
BTW - she's fine and tough as hell. When she saw the snow she nearly pee'd herself laughing at me.
I plan the big American Barleywine for next Christmas consumption.
Yeast starter made on Monday (bottle harvested Pac-Man), the new Mash Tun (for BIG beers) built and ready for testing, 25.38 lbs of grain ground, 12.18 gallons of water prepped, fresh tank of propane and a nice crisp fall day.
What could possibly go wrong? Famous Last Words? Yep!
So I missed my gravity - by a bunch. I figured it would be low - that's a lot of grain, but whoa! Me thinks my mash out just wasn't hot enough - and I have plenty of time to investigate what went wrong.
No sweat - I can bump it up with DME. This was after all a test of the new system.
So off the wife and son go for an ice skating lesson..... do you see where this is going? Dad the famous Pond Hockey Player (ok, passable Pond Hockey Hack) normally skates with the boy, but this week the wife (from Virginia) skates.....
Just as the boil starts the phone rings. "Honey, when I get home can you look at my wrist?" Like me the expired EMT can tell anything. "of course hon, are you ok?" he says calmly as he watches his beer boil over.....Then she get's home and yikes the expired EMT CAN tell it's bad - angles that wrists are not intended to perform. Ok - off goes the burner and off to the ER for x-rays.
Drop her at the door of the ER, rush the boy to a Swimming Birthday party and back to sit, and sit, and sit in the ER (my poor beer!) I mean my poor WIFE! 3 and a half hours later we get home and I start back to the brew.... Then it starts to snow - well ok, so I'm from Maine and this is just a spitting yuck not real snow - but for the sake of the story we're calling it snow.
So - 25 lbs of grain, 8 plus oz of hops, a visit to the ER, A vicoden prescription, a rent a car for her to drive (cause we only have manuals) and a visit to the orthopedist for pins and a plate in her wrist. It's got to be one of the most expensive brew days on record.
We are currently soliciting names for the American Barleywine that I'm still trying to brew.
BTW - she's fine and tough as hell. When she saw the snow she nearly pee'd herself laughing at me.
