Duchess

Rules, official sign up and miscellaneous information will follow soon.

This is your advance warning.

Oh my. You've done such wonderful things here, I do hope you'll continue to be around without the managerial role. And of course I'd like to share a drink with you someday down the line.

What's that? It's September you say? But I'm quite certain that just a few days ago it was August and before that I'm sure I remember a few days of June! However does this happen?!

Regardless, thus quite soon, it shall be October. And in October I will be soliciting for participants in the annual Pyracy Pub Secret Gift Exchange.

This is not the sign up.

Do not PM me to sign up right now. (You can still PM me for other things right now.) Instructions about PM'ing for participation will follow at a later date.

This is my shot across your bow, the warning that, in approximately one month you can PM me to sign up for the most interesting gift exchange you will participate in this year.*

So pull down your thinking caps and prep your engines. Or some other such nonsense.

You have been warned.

*Actual mileage may vary according to your effort.**

** And the effort of other people. Which sounds a lot like life actually...

I don't generally follow a recipe. I browse through ingredient lists and think "oh....that sounds good...I wonder what would happen if I mixed it with...." I used to be pretty bad about writing down what I did, but I'm getting better. I remind myself it isn't science unless you document it!

There are some great recipes available online too, available by searching. The American Homebrewers Association and their magazine Zymurgy has lots of recipes. There's a local organization that puts out a magazine called Growler that usually has a few as well.

I also occasionally buy kits from Northern Brewer and find I'm pretty happy with those as well.

I'm dearly looking forward to the return of Lucette Brewing's Slow Hand Stout.

I don't know what is coming up for the Big Eddy line from Linekugels, but I've been generally impressed with their offerings over the last year so I'm looking forward to that too.

I just brewed up a black IPA last weekend and racked a black pilsner for more conditioning. Both recipes were created from "What do I have on hand?" in an effort to reduce the amount of supplies that I've been storing and thus are highly experimental

I'll be opening bottles of last years bourbon porter soon and making plans to start this years batch. Busy busy!

I have discovered the way to create a cat organ. First acquire cats. Second, allows cats to acquire the desire to go outside/eat all the food/pilfer all the objects. Third attempt to prevent the cats from Step 1 from doing the action in Step 2. The more cats you have the more complex pieces you will be able to play.

Maybe it's a squirrel?!

Or something shiny?!

I tried something different with these last two batches of not heating them much at all, a No Boil approach. My first couple of batches I did a short boil. I've since done some research and found that boiling can help the mead clear faster. Indeed those first batches underwent a series of "spontaneous" clearing over the course of eight months, ending with a lovely completely clear mead.

The no boil batches are persistently cloudy and while I'm confident they'll clear eventually, I think I'll go back to a short boil for this years crop.

Much scouring of research, tastings and talking to people has indicated that a short boil will reduce the aroma, but will not negatively affect the taste. And if it ultimately produces a drinkable mead in a more moderate time frame, I'm all for that. :)

Thanks for the feedback! The three competitions I've looked at around here (Minnesota and Wisconsin area) have all requested two bottles of 12oz. exactly or two bottles of 10-16oz. I didn't think of asking for an exception, but I might follow up with that and see what happens. :)

I've only really been brewing for about two years. Thus far everything I've made has been consumed by myself, friends and family. The past couple of months I've started looking into competitions, just to get some feedback.

I've hit two hurdles with that: 1. Competitions (at least around here, that I've looked in to) require the 12oz bottles. Everything I have is either kegged or in the 22oz. bombers. 2. I don't brew to a particular style. I have an idea of what I want the final result to taste like and I work toward that. It is generally after the fact that I determine what "style" the brew is. So, I'm reluctant to enter something into a competition and have it get slammed for not matching a particular list of style points. Though I would dearly love some educated feedback.

I think this winter I'll try to plan a few things for competitions next year and see what happens....

I'd be up for a recipe swap and a liquid yeast sharing...

I've been meaning to try naturally carbonating in the keg, but so far it's just been easier to force it. And that has worked fine for the lighter styles I've been kegging. I too bottle most of the dark stuff for aging purposes and because they aren't as regularly consumed by anyone but me.

I don't smoke my own grains. I tend to keep an eye out on the specialty grains offered by Briess and others. Trying them out when available. I'm not sure but I think the Cherry wood smoked might have made it into regular rotation for them. It is still available from Northern Brewer.

I have a brush pile that needs lighting off too, so we could certainly have some fun....

Sounds delicious! Do you force carbonate in your kegs?

Quiet here as of late, so do tell...what do you have brewing?

• I've just finished the first batch of something I am tentatively referring to as a Black Pilsner, it is currently bubbling away quite happily and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
• I've bottled a second round of an old world heavy ale. Chief on the grain bill was cherrywood smoked malt.... I'm quite proud of this recipe so far.
• In the keg is a cream ale. I'll confess I don't like it at all, but everyone else with access to the fridge finds it delightful.
• Also in the fridge, though in bottles, is a bourbon smoked porter. The one has become my old standby and something I enjoy having around.
• There's a dry cider too, which I'm uncertain about. Thus far all cider attempts have only produced cider vinegar. Wonderful for cooking, not at all what I've been trying to do... I'll wait a few more weeks to sample a bottle of this batch...

So I finally bottled the mead I had going last fall, I suspect it was a bit presumptuous as it was still a bit cloudy, alas I got impatient. I've got another methgelin in secondary and I've sworn to be patient enough for it to clear on its own...

In the meantime I'll distract myself with some other brewing projects.

"I'm RUSTING!" She wailed as her flesh settled into a wrinkled and reddish puddle around her....

And it is rememberances like these which mark the ineffable passage of time. And of course remind me that HOLY SHIT WE'RE ALL DYING!

Hi Eva, this is something a few of us have been tossing around for several years. I believe in a couple of topics about the Ottoman Empire. Try searching that a see what comes up. I'll try to find those topics as well. :)

Duchess

Pestle

Well, with a final replacement package I sent out a few weeks ago and message received this morning, I think we can put the 2012 gift exchange to bed.

If I'm incorrect on this assessment and you're still waiting for a package or have something to discuss, please do PM me so we can get things straightened out.

Some things went swimmingly this year, others not so much. We had our usual ranks of extremely generous thoughtful gifters, we had a few more than usual duds. My thanks go out to everyone who played along fairly and additional thanks to those who showed extra patience when their original gifters didn't gift.

Please feel free to send me any thoughts, feedback or suggestions you have about this annual event!

Well Coastie hit all the big ones. I've got nothing left to add off the top of my head.

Happy Birthday!

One of my favorites as well, though I must confess, my mind did initially run toward the Pepperpots upon reading Nesbitt. Fortunately I then remembered that the husband made an even more apropos "appearance" as well.

"Mr. Nesbitt has learned the first lesson of not being seen: not to stand up. However, he has chosen a very obvious piece of cover."

Alright, I think we're winding down here. Is there anyone besides Gertie who is still waiting for a gift?