There’s something about brewing and kegging beer that makes me think of Top Gear BBC, probably because it’s very easy to set up my laptop and stream it through Netflix while I’m working. Last night I ventured out into the rain to dump water out of a tub of empty bottles I’ve been soaking, and then scrape the remainder of the glue and paper off them. It took a bit longer than I was expecting–I started at 10 and finished after midnight–but they’re all cleaned, washed, and ready for beer. If I get time this evening, I’m going to transfer the Irish Stout into a bucket, bottle the batch, and let it sit for a few more months. With any luck, it’ll be perfect for Thanksgiving. Now, to design and print some labels…
The Belgian Dubbel I brewed last weekend is happier now that it has fresh yeast; as it turns out, I bought the kit all the way back in last October so the original yeast was long past its due date. Thankfully I bought fresh steeping grains for it a month ago. I’m going to let it sit for another couple of weeks and then transfer to the secondary, and it too should be ready by Thanksgiving.
Finally, I’m ordering a third beer from Austin Homebrew for general sipping. Something not as heavy as the stout or dubbel, but with more flavor for the winter months. I’m looking at their Viking IPA, which is lighter than most of the IPAs I’ve brewed, or their Texas Red Ale, which would be a little hoppy but more of a malty selection. Decisions, decisions…
It says what it is right on the label: Fuck You, Congress.
I’ve heard that installing and configuring Rails is a pain in the ass; Install Rails promises to help do it easily and without fuss (and with explanation). Nice!
Wow, what a great weekend. I got some great news late on Friday (more on that later) and the three of us joined our neighbors after lunch to walk downtown for ice cream. Saturday Finn and I got up early and got some breakfast, then jumped in the Scout to go check out the first big wave of fall yard sales. There wasn’t too much that interested us, although I found a set of 24″ carpenter’s clamps for $8. We spent the rest of the morning working in the yard and cleaning the garage, until Finn got picked up by her aunt and uncle to spend the evening. Jen and I scrambled to make a walnut, gorgonzola, apple and viniagrette salad, get showered, and make it over to a food and beer pairing party where our dish was the second in line. The beer and food were delicious, and we enjoyed staying out late.
Sunday morning we paid for it; all that unfiltered beer gave me a walloping headache. However, it was a beautiful morning, and after devouring breakfast and an Advil, Jen and I sat on the couch in the den with the windows open and indulged in long, uninterrupted adult conversation over coffee until Finn was dropped off.
Later in the day, the girls went on a playdate, so I took the opportunity to brew a Belgian Dubbel I’ve had in the basement since spring. I also set up a tub of water to soak labels in preparation for bottling the Irish Stout that’s been fermenting since late June, but they’re going to take a few days to come off easy.
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One of the projects I’ve been thinking about lately is rebuilding the speakers I built my Freshman year in college. When I originally built it, I cut a sheet of 4×8′ particle board with a circular saw in my apartment living room and screwed them all together with as much precision as I could manage, but they never looked good when they were new. I’m thinking now about a sheet of 4×8′ MDF cut down with precision on a table saw so that butted 45° joins are possible, and spraying it with black satin paint for a smooth finish. I’ll buy some actual rubber feet so they don’t scuff the floors, and this time I can buy premade ports to amplify the bass (and I’ll be able to tune it properly). I dug out the schematics I used to build them in 1990 but I can’t find any of the notes or math I used to calculate the port length, so it’s back to the drawing board to recheck all my calculations. It’s all based on cabinet volume, so I’m thinking I might refactor the sizing to make them narrower and taller to lessen the footprint.
Sadly, I haven’t watched the Simpsons in years, but this is hysterical.
Here’s a sobering and concise take on the government shutdown: How the White House sees the shutdown (and debt ceiling!) fight, via the Washington Post. Basically: Asshats.
There’s a ton of great stuff here: the New York Times’ 2012: The Year in Graphics.