Dronin' On and On

Kobu Chi Chinae

I remember when I first saw you

Shivering and frightened in the corner

All of us there tried to ease your fears, but none could

Weeks went by with no change

And then one day you were gone to a new home

Months later I arrived at work to find you back again

Grown and less frightened

I would take you out to run in the grass

You loved to run and run and run

We quickly became friends

Then one day they asked if I would take you home

I was so happy to have you join us

You brought such joy to our lives

The photo of Emily tugging on your ear and your smile sent to the state attorney’s office secured your safety in our home

Many years came to pass in our family

You were there throughout it all

The birth and growth of many children,

The sickness and well being,

You even shared our grief at the passing of a few of us

But each and every day you were there with us and for us

A true friend in good and bad

The years came and went

And every day you were still the sweet joy you had always been

But time wears on us all

You began to slow down as your knees began to ache

Your nervousness returned after the burglary

Sight and hearing growing older too

It was sad to see my little friend growing old and frail

And still you were a joy to us all

Coming to greet me just a few minutes later with each passing month

I watched helpless as you began to sleep more and more

As it became harder for you to move around I knew this day would come soon

And today I got the news

They told me the time  had come

They told me you had gone

Sadness fills me now

I miss you my friend

But I am relieved that your tired bones may finally rest in peace

You will forever remain in my heart

I will never forget the joy you brought to us all

I will remember the warm hearted smiles that you always greeted me with

I will remember the times you sat with me

The comfort you gave in my times of sickness and despair

Good Bye my friend,

My little Kobu Chi Chinae…

Cold Steeping Dark Grains

Last weekend brewing the Otter Days Robust Porter I decided to cold steep the dark grains (Black Patten & Chocolate Malt) as described in Gordon Strong's book Brewing Better Beer. Unfortunately I didn't re-read that section of the book before doing so. I only steeped the grains over night instead of the 48 hours I did last time. Additionally I didn't pay enough attention to the water/grist ratio when steeping. These failures resulted in poor color in the finished beer and leaves me wondering if the flavor will be off as well. Live and learn I guess. All that being said, in nearly 4 years of brewing I have only made 1 beer thus far that really wasn't right and even that was drinkable. I am considering, as Gordon writes, conducting another cold steep but with a short boil at the end (for sanitization) and then mixing the extract in to taste and color as a means of getting the end result I originally wanted. We shall see how it plays out.

All in all I feel like I am getting very comfortable with the brewing processes. I try new ways of doing things from time to time to see if it makes a differnce either in quality or ease of production. With each new brew I pay closer and closer attention to my processes and volumes, getting quality control tighter and tighter. My beers have become more consistent batch to batch. Now when I modify the recipe with a new batch I can more clearly see what the difference is. Growth is a wonderful thing!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season full of great friends and family! Be well all.

Wow 2 Years since last post, here is a thought

Most of the of the medical problems and syndromes of animals in captivity are a result of improper husbandry. Most of the diseases and syndromes of humans in the modern world are as well. We need to view ourselves as "in captivity" because we are in captivity. This is as unnatural an environment for us as when we put a bird in a cage or a fish in an aquarium. Changes in husbandry (diet, environmental conditions such as enclosures (ie houses) can solve so many of our ailments. This is the root of the move to improve our diets and excercise habits as a way to better health.

How's that for a thought for today?

Seasonal Ales

It's the holidays and now we are seeing the wonderful seasonal ales coming around. My top three recommendations are as follows:

1. Alesmith Yulesmith Holiday Ale
2. St Bernardus Christmas Ale
3. Brouwerij Huyghe Delerium Noel

The St Bernardus is proving difficult to find but well worth it. The Yulesmith is rarely available outside California. The Delerium is always good but best if purchased now for next year. Go out and get some!!!!!

Hefeweizen

Oh yes this is the closest to light beer for me! I love it's fruity yeasts and the crisp taste that bites my tongue. The golden color that confuses my eye into thinking this is just fizzy yelllow beer here. Brilliant!!!!

Cuvee de Keiser Blauw

Oh my God is it really??? I say to Adam as I furiously grab up the bottle as if someone else sees it. Or even knows how special it is to me. I found a 2008 Cuvee de Keiser Blauw! I pull all the other bottles off the shelf to see if there may be more. The 2009 was so heavenly, the 2008 is another year older and should be so ecstatically perfect I may not be able to taste for a week afterwards. I am instantly transformed into the most joyous patron of Wine and More this night has seen. I refuse to lay the bottle down while I search through the beer section looking for another bottle to enjoy this night. A lovely night. 70 degrees with a light breeze. I settle for another Double Bastard Ale and leave. By the time I get back to Adam's I realize I will not be drinking either of these magnificent ales tonight. It's 10 p.m. and I have a 45 minute drive home and work in the morning.

The morning brings another day and Spencer's 12th Birthday! So hard to believe it was 12 years ago. Or that it's been 11 years since I saw Matt Pellenz in the flesh! The weekend will see the celebration of Spencer's days. And just over a week from now Matt will be here and we will see Phish in Miami. Looking like a great Holiday Season! Hope yours is too!

The Hollywood LePages during the Tree Lighting Ceremonies 2009