caver95
Well-Known Member
So, My wife and I are teaching in Eastern Europe in a country called Moldova, awesome country cheap good wine and Cognac, but the beer absolutely sucks, it all tastes the same like natty light and gives me one hell of a hangover. So I am sticking with Kozel a lovely beer from the Czech Republic and Kvint Cognac.
I have not had a Homebrew since august 13th, but I am finding things out here and will set up to brew some.
A lot of good wines come from this country, I am planning a tour in one of the wineries that has a huge cave cellar, where Yuri Gagarin spent 2 days lost and drunk. EVERYONE makes their own homemade wine and it is usually pretty good.
We had a fall break So the wife and I rented a car and went to Romania. You are most likely thinking Romania WTF. Well I have to say it was one of the best vacations I have ever had. We visited the region of Transylvania, it is breathtaking. We spent our first night at a small B&B that served liters of Vin de Casa, for about 3 dollars, we sat infront of a fire on dead animal pelts it was great. Our second night with we to the city of Brasov, great sights good hiking and an Irish bar that was full of English speakers and they served Guinness I had not had one in a long time it tasted great. We spent a couple of days bumming around the city. We met many other travelers. We rented a room that was recommended in Lonely Planet. The owners are an older Hungarian couple that speak no english other than no problem. We were given a bottle of homemade wine made from the grapes that grew outside our window. We visited a place called Siniaia were we visited Peles castle
http://joshgrobanvolod.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/peles-castle/
Then to Bran Castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle Count Draculas home!
Then to a city called Sibiu Europe's 2007 cultural center of the year. In this city I found something that if sold outside of my apartment would mostly give me a heart attack in a couple of months. A deep fried Gogosi, like a beignet but with a filling. We hit the road again to Sighisoara, the berth place of Vlad the Impaler. on the way we came upon a Roma(Gypsy) camp that was selling handcrafted copper products, I quickly recognised these handcrafted goods as high quality and I should purchase something to help these craftsmen out. The products they were selling are stills. I bought one
I felt like a real pro at haggling with the gypsies, and knowing my wife would kill me if I spent 200 euro on a still I talked the guy down to $60( I am proud) I know this forum does is not for distilling but I dont think it is against the law in Moldova. It is very pretty and my wife just wants it on display, and I want to put burn marks on the bottom of it. We made it to Sighisoara and found a room(no homemade wine this time) but there is a guy named Teo that makes wine and distills really good brandy, and serves it out of a pipe. 2 shots on an empty stomach made me feel really good and warm. I tried to ask him for some pointers but he pretended not to understand.
So on the road back to Moldova, We drove through the Carpathian Mountains saw show in one of the passes. There is an interesting area that is still mainly Hungarian, they have a fine treat called a Kortos Kalash(spelling???) which is this dough wrapped around a piece of wood the size of a rolling pin coated in sugar and walnuts and turned over a fire, they sell them all along the road and I was sorry I did not stop sooner. then back on the road driving in these mountain roads that are really narrow and often washed out, or have the odd herd of cattle walking along it. then we came to a town and again I flew to the side of the road for more interesting deals. A hardware store had a couple of large Demijohns out front. I got one that looks like it will hold 50 liters for roughly $14, and next I will be looking for a few kilos of honey to make a little mead. So needles to say I am a happy guy:rockin:
Getting close to the boarder and thinking ahead I separated the parts to the still in the chance that customs officials did not appreciate one who likes to make their own drink. The Romanian customs officer asked what the bottom half was for and I said it was a pot, he said he knew that but for what, Me being a quick thinker I said "decoration" So now I am back at home in Chisinau enjoying a little cognac and I felt the need to brag a little about my trip and finds. Noroc (cheers) from Moldova!
I have not had a Homebrew since august 13th, but I am finding things out here and will set up to brew some.
A lot of good wines come from this country, I am planning a tour in one of the wineries that has a huge cave cellar, where Yuri Gagarin spent 2 days lost and drunk. EVERYONE makes their own homemade wine and it is usually pretty good.
We had a fall break So the wife and I rented a car and went to Romania. You are most likely thinking Romania WTF. Well I have to say it was one of the best vacations I have ever had. We visited the region of Transylvania, it is breathtaking. We spent our first night at a small B&B that served liters of Vin de Casa, for about 3 dollars, we sat infront of a fire on dead animal pelts it was great. Our second night with we to the city of Brasov, great sights good hiking and an Irish bar that was full of English speakers and they served Guinness I had not had one in a long time it tasted great. We spent a couple of days bumming around the city. We met many other travelers. We rented a room that was recommended in Lonely Planet. The owners are an older Hungarian couple that speak no english other than no problem. We were given a bottle of homemade wine made from the grapes that grew outside our window. We visited a place called Siniaia were we visited Peles castle
http://joshgrobanvolod.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/peles-castle/
Then to Bran Castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle Count Draculas home!
Then to a city called Sibiu Europe's 2007 cultural center of the year. In this city I found something that if sold outside of my apartment would mostly give me a heart attack in a couple of months. A deep fried Gogosi, like a beignet but with a filling. We hit the road again to Sighisoara, the berth place of Vlad the Impaler. on the way we came upon a Roma(Gypsy) camp that was selling handcrafted copper products, I quickly recognised these handcrafted goods as high quality and I should purchase something to help these craftsmen out. The products they were selling are stills. I bought one
I felt like a real pro at haggling with the gypsies, and knowing my wife would kill me if I spent 200 euro on a still I talked the guy down to $60( I am proud) I know this forum does is not for distilling but I dont think it is against the law in Moldova. It is very pretty and my wife just wants it on display, and I want to put burn marks on the bottom of it. We made it to Sighisoara and found a room(no homemade wine this time) but there is a guy named Teo that makes wine and distills really good brandy, and serves it out of a pipe. 2 shots on an empty stomach made me feel really good and warm. I tried to ask him for some pointers but he pretended not to understand. So on the road back to Moldova, We drove through the Carpathian Mountains saw show in one of the passes. There is an interesting area that is still mainly Hungarian, they have a fine treat called a Kortos Kalash(spelling???) which is this dough wrapped around a piece of wood the size of a rolling pin coated in sugar and walnuts and turned over a fire, they sell them all along the road and I was sorry I did not stop sooner. then back on the road driving in these mountain roads that are really narrow and often washed out, or have the odd herd of cattle walking along it. then we came to a town and again I flew to the side of the road for more interesting deals. A hardware store had a couple of large Demijohns out front. I got one that looks like it will hold 50 liters for roughly $14, and next I will be looking for a few kilos of honey to make a little mead. So needles to say I am a happy guy:rockin:
Getting close to the boarder and thinking ahead I separated the parts to the still in the chance that customs officials did not appreciate one who likes to make their own drink. The Romanian customs officer asked what the bottom half was for and I said it was a pot, he said he knew that but for what, Me being a quick thinker I said "decoration" So now I am back at home in Chisinau enjoying a little cognac and I felt the need to brag a little about my trip and finds. Noroc (cheers) from Moldova!
