First project after Syria

[marcownz747]

Just got home from fighting ISIS in Syria (With YPG, alongside US forces).

My girlfriend said she wants to make mead. She told me and THEN found out I'm a certified cicerone, BJCP judge, and former professional vintner.

So I'm going balls deep impressive on this. Tomorrow she's deciding if we are going to do a 100% blueberry wine with maple (instead of honey. Substitute SG, not weight/volume), or a strawberry wine using 100% strawberry juice, boosted to 14% abv with honey. Either way, the one she picks is going to be dry and is getting time in the hungarian oak barrel on its way. If she picks strawberry, I'm debating rolling a bunch of courvoisier around the inside of the barrel for the weeks that the mead is fermenting (outside the barrel), to bring a brandy finish to it.

So pumped to be back to production, and so pumped to go over the top.

But the other part of this is... once we bottle this, I've decided I'm gonna propose. The whole time I was in Syria, she told me how much she wanted to brew and make wine with me. So this is a good way. All in on expenses, and 5-10 gallons of mead bottled the day we get engaged.

 

[triethylborane]

Glad you are back and safe from some fighting. I have some colleagues deployed to Syria (Im in the Army) and they provide some support for SDF and YPG operations. Cool stuff, heres to the proposal!

 

[Stephmon]

Thank you for your service. Best of luck with the ferment and the proposal. Looking forward to the details of both.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I work with a guy who is back from deployment and he is extremely intense.

Enjoy your time with your wife, have a hobby you can enjoy together, but this isn’t life or death. Take it back ten notches and if it doesn’t go the way you think it should, let that be ok. No one is going to die if you buy honey from the store or from the organic farmers market. Have fun and love your wife during the process. Even if the brew never happens the woman you are with is of far mare value. Glad you made it back. Our world is different than your world now, but this American life is not that bad for all its BS drama. Just kick back and engage that I’m not dying so I don’t give a shift attitude and really see the beauty in the freedom we all have to eff everything up. Things work out. Not how you think they should but how He thinks they should. Good luck my friend!!

 

[marcownz747]

Hey AZbrewer. I'm totally fine with doing things low, slow, and without any pressure. I'm just excited to be able to get back into alcohol production since getting home. I get that I don't HAVE to do it a certain way.

Going for our perfect mead is partly for her, but partly because I've been without American decadence for so long that going all out (no expense spared) is gonna be fun.

Thank you for the kind thoughts, though, AZ. Much appreciated.

 

[Lefou]

I like your style, Marcus. Some things are worth fighting for.
Best of luck in your new life.