Dare I take the Plunge?

This title may cause you to think that I have a clogged toilet, but no. Not this time at least. I'm debating whether I am ready to convert from extract brewing to all-grain brewing. Through extract brewing, the home brewer takes advantage of someone else already converting the grains' starches to sugar and providing it for you in the nice, neat form of liquid or dry malt extract. The benefits? It's easier, requires less equipment, and it's a shorter brew day. So why go all-grain? Well, starting from scratch in any form of cooking or baking has its universal benefits that most people know. The most obvious is the freshness of the ingredients, as well as the complete control the brewer has over the process. Since I get to do the converting of sugars (mashing), I get to decide exactly what goes into that process, how long to mash, at what temperature to mash, etc. By steeping all the grains at 152 degress instead of 158 degrees results in a completely different beer. It's that sensitive. And, thus, the process is just that interesting. The other benefits: many people say that the resulting beer tastes better, as extract brewing often lends an "extract twang," although mine obviously does not; the process is much cheaper, often costing nearly half the cost of extract brewing; and the process just seems more fun. So why haven't I done this before? Well, I could give you many excuses, like I haven't had the time, I haven't had the equipment, or I haven't researched the process enough. But, these would all be false. I just had 8 weeks of vacation to do this, I have all the needed equipment, and I've researched it quite a bit. The only valid excuse lately is that my "mash tun" had a leak, but that was just rectified today with some silicon sealer. So, I think I'm ready. My recent inspiration was Colleen's wish to brew a "banana bread" beer, using real bananas. I first assumed we could just throw the bananas in the fermenter, therefore not needing to mash anything. However, we found out that bananas are apparently very starchy, thus needing to be mashed. I have done a few "partial" mashes, during which I mashed some of the grains, and in this case pumpkin, but used malt extract for most of the sugars. The picture here shows all the grains and pumpkin in the mash tun soaking. So, all I really need to do now is do this same process with all the grains. I think the banana beer may just been the motivation I need. Who knows how it'll turn out. I mean, what could go wrong? By the way, this is what we need the bananas to do before we use them (it's much like baking).
I'll make sure to track our progress here, showing you the recipe, the process, and the outcome.

Roommate Woes

Since my roommate moved out in August, I once again started my search for a new tenant. The last two times it has been very easy. I interview a few people, the person I like is interested, and we agree to make it a deal. This go 'round? Nope. Not easy. I have interviewed and emailed with several people now, some who are clearly not a good fit, and some who aren't even worth meeting. I'm sure they are all nice people, but when I email someone to ask if they are interested in seeing it and they respond, "Oh, snap, I done gone signed papers for another place," I am happy I did not even take the time to meet them. But, the frustrating part has been that I've met at least two people who seemed great, seemed very interested, and ended up bailing. They either wanted to live with someone who had a dog (why not ask that at first then) or wanted to stay living with their girlfriend. I wish I could afford living here on my own for a while without having to worry about getting rent to help with the mortgage, but I can't. So, I'm planning to meet a few more potentials before Sept. 1 comes. Oh, and woops! Just got an email saying she's changed her mind. Nice. Thanks. I suppose it's all for the best if people are going to be that wishy washy. Where are all the dependable people? Well, hopefully this weekend brings me out of this string of bad luck with the tenant search. Otherwise, I done gone made an error assuming it'd be easy to fill this second room!

Wrapping Up Another Season

Summer ultimate came to a close this past weekend with the 2-day tournament out at Devens, MA. Fetch played six games over the two days of 90+ degree temps and very little wind. The up side is that we played great frisbee, showing a level of intensity and skill we hadn't shown all season. The down side is that we finished lower than we have in 3 or 4 years, getting knocked out in the quarters. (Two years ago we won the championship and last year we lost in the finals.) We finished 2-4 over the weekend, winning two tough games 13-11 and 14-13. The games we lost were also very close, 13-14, 9-15, 11-13, an 9-14. The first game of the weekend was our best, as we nearly beat the highly skilled and fast MIT-based team, WuWu, who had beaten us in the season very easily. At 13-13, we started on offense and began to work it up, but Dawon made a sharp, wide dump pass to me, forcing me to lay out and the disc bouncing off my finger tips. WuWu took quick advantage of this and got the score. Spencer is still heckling me (although he didn't see my layout attempt) that if I had caught it, he was sprinting toward the endzone for an easy huck and score. Oh well, it was the game that got away. This first game also left me with several cleat-shaped bruises, proof of my efforts; war wounds if you will. The rest of the weekend had its ups and downs, but it was such a blast and it finally felt like this year's team came together and gelled better than it had all season. Hopefully everyone comes back so we can keep improving for the tournament in 2010! Now it's time to rest up, recover, and enjoy the rest of the summer. Perhaps I'll put some ice on those bruises....or maybe some beer! Thanks again to all my teammates for sticking it out and working hard, as well as to our "fans" and supporters, several who came out both days and cheered us on while sitting under the hot sun. You guys are all great! By the way, Happy Birthday Colleen and Mary!!!!

Mike vs. The Fruit Flies

If you have a fruit fly problem, which I did, there is an easy solution. And surprisingly, it actually works! I'm sure most of you already knew this, but this was the first time I tried it, so it was a fun experiment. Here are the basic steps:
1. Get rid of or seal away/refrigerate any fruit, particularly that which is prone to fermentation
2. Clean up any spills that are sweet or sugary
3. Place any fruit peel, in this case banana, in a bowl, dish, or cup
4. Add a bit (tablespoon perhaps) of any vinegary liquid, in this case balsamic. Wine or other vinegars will work.
5. Seal tightly with plastic wrap.
6. Puncture a few times with fork. Make sure holes are not too big.
7. Put aside and the rest takes care of itself.

The results? Hey'oooh! The fruit flies climb in for a snack and cannot get out. And the best part is, they ALL go in, leaving no fruit flies around my kitchen. Within a few days they will all be dead and my problem solved. (I read the life span is 10 days, but I'm hoping less for these poor guys) Long story short, Mike wins!

Night Scenes

I was kind of bored tonight but also felt like sitting on my porch before bed just to enjoy a bit of quiet and a night breeze. I decided to experiment with shooting pictures of cars passing using different settings on my camera. This is always my favorite setting, which slows down the shutter speed so it captures a continuous stream of light by shooting it while it's moving. So cool. Here is a shot of a car passing down Forest Hills Street, and then another turning onto my street. Fun times!
Yes, I know, I have too much time on my hands. But hey, gotta waste time like this while I'm on vacation. I won't have this kind of time once school starts back up!

Mmmm...Summer.

I finally cracked open the first sample of the Summer Ale I brewed a few weeks ago. As you can see, it poured an orangey, golden color without much of a head. It definitely has all of the typical flavors of what one would taste in a seasonal summer ale--wheat, lemon zest, orange. It is crisp, sweet, and very drinkable. And yes, I can just barely taste a hint of basil! I like this one, and it extremely easy to make. I can't take credit for the recipe, unfortunately, except for the basil addition, which still was late and impulsive. This was a Brewer's Best kit given to me as a birthday gift. So, kudos to them! Adding the basil did give me the urge to experiment with different spices and flavors. For example, rosemary is one of my favorite spices to cook with, so why not brew with it?! Who knows what'll end up in my next brew. That's the beauty of homebrewing that sets it apart from just picking up a six-pack at the liquor store. It's completely my own!

Did I mention....

I like beer? After frisbee practice tonight I joined Colleen and her work friends at Deep Ellum in Allston. My brother has been dying for me to go there since they have a great draft beer list, but it's taken me this long to get there. So, all in all, I was impressed. The beers may be a tad expensive, but actually not that bad. Burger was good too. So, I had the "Jack D'or" from Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (a newer brewery in MA), which is a saison. Quite good! I finished with the Ridgeway "Export" Stout, a very strong, British, dry imperial stout. This was awesome! Very strong, chocolatey, and very drinkable. Have two of those and you'll be seeing double. I let Colleen's British friend (whom they were celebrating because she was going back to England) have a sip, telling her it's kind of like Guinness but stronger. Her comment: "This is much better than Guinness!!" Very different beer when you put the two side by side, but I would actually agree. It only gets a B+ on BeerAdvocate.com, but I think many of the reviewers there have very high standards for stout, so that's a good score. Long story short, I'll be going back to Deep Ellum! Good times.

I Enjoy Beer

My father, brother, girlfriend, and I went to RoadHouse in Brookline for dinner tonight. I had only been there once before for drinks and apps as part of the volunteer prep chat with the BeerAdvocate folks prior to the America Craft Brew Festival this past June. They had just changed their menu entirely, away from a BBQ and more toward a Tex/Mex Creole type menu. Apparently some of the locals (residents? stores?) in snobby Brookline had a problem with the smokey aromas coming from the restaurant, and ended up somehow forcing the establishment to rid itself of its smoker. So, bye-bye BBQ. Fortunately, the menu was great and a nice surprise for all of us. Most of our meals were very good, definitely worthy of another visit. To accompany my meal, I first tried the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, which is described as an "American Saison." Most saison's are traditionally (or historically) Belgian, but there are some very good French, and even Italian, versions of the style. Additionally, it is made solely with Japanese hops. So, I was fascinated by the fact that I was drinking an American version of a Belgian beer made only with Japanese hops. What a way to cover the globe! Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. Pretty well balanced, smooth, but with a pleasant spicey bite and aftertaste to it. It paired well with my spicey fajitas! I would agree with the rating it receives on BeerAdvocate.com. I followed that up with the Wachusett "Larry," a very hoppy imperial IPA. I'm back into IPAs lately, and this one did not disappoint. Very strong (around 7% abv, so not crazy strong) with a powerful hop presence. It had a prominent bready mouthfeel and a floral, citrus aroma and flavor. It wasn't overly bitter, but the hops up front were very powerful. It was very good. Again, although it only has one review on BeerAdvocate, I agree again. I often end my meals with something desserty, like a stout or a barleywine. But, following two relatively strong beers, I was all set and needed to drive home. All the more reason to go back again soon! Who wants to join me?

Point and Go!

Today I decided to go to Menotomy Rocks Park in Arlington. This was completely an impulsive decision, as I just needed to get out of the house. I got into the car, pointed to the map, and picked it. I actually picked a few places, called Colleen, and had her help me choose. But, it was otherwise impulsive. I had never heard of it, which is unfortunate, because it is a great place! It's a large, protected park made of several fields, a small pond (Hill's Pond pictured here), and several easy trails weaving throughout the woods. It was definitely a nice break from the busy city and the boring condo. I took a walk through a few of the short trails, none of which seem at all strenuous. They do have signs along the way that confused me quite a bit, suggesting that there is some sort of gymnastic events that happen here. They were labeled, "Vita Course" followed by a number and different instructions for how to contort or swing your body using hanging rings. I actually did see wiring that might be used for this, but not any rings for gymnastics. Very strange. Apparently many wooded trails have Vita Courses that include different fitness stations requiring different routines. These all seemed to focus on ring swinging. I hadn't heard of the Vita Course, so it seemed random to me, but maybe it's not. Overall, I really enjoyed the walk and then sat with my feet in the pond and read a book. This is a popular spot for dog owners and their dogs, as there were probably six dogs in and out of the pond while I was there. I was frequently visited by one while I read my book, further motivating me to one of these days get a dog of my own. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas one of these years!

The Things I Get Excited About....

Two "projects" this summer included one that was planned, and one that was unexpectedly necessary. The first was building shelves in my basement storage. I wish I could show a picture of the 'before,' what my space looked like when it was a cluttered mess. But, here is the 'after,' once I built 5 shelves along the front wood paneled wall. All of the materials for these shelves cost under $20 and I still have 2 shelves left over and a box of nails. So, seems like a cost-effective and space-saving project.



The second task was to replace the broken toilet seat that my roommate accidentally snapped. Still not sure how that happens. Replacing a toilet seat may seem like a simple task, and I won't argue with that. However, choosing from the 40 different options at Home Depot suddenly becomes daunting, as choosing the right toilet seat can be as important as any other piece of furniture in your house. And I must say, I'm very excited about the seat I chose. Not only is it stylish and consistent with the other stainless fixtures in my bathroom, watch what it can do!!




It's called the Whisper, and I think the name is obvious. Only a better name would be something like "The Super Awesome Whisper," because it is super awesome. I think my favorite part of this is watching people's initial reaction. When I tested it for Colleen, the brief moment of fear and panic on her face was priceless. The "Oh, that's cool!" factor makes spending an extra $10 worth every penny. So, there are two things I've done this summer. Fun stuff!

Improving my Gardening Skills!

Last year I made my first attempt with "gardening." We don't have great light in the back yard to maintain an actual garden, as pictured below:



So, I tried to experiment with growing some veggies and herbs in pots on my front porch, where I get more sun. I did pretty well with basil and rosemary, but my red bell pepper plant was not as fruitful as I had hoped. Here was my only result--



One freaking pepper. And you might think it looks appetizing. But, it actually wasn't all that great. Quite disappointing actually. So, I thought I would give up on veggies. But, come the "Summer of Mike," I decided to give it another try. And, it is already looking much more successful! My yellow pepper plant is already going crazy with three small peppers budding and at least 10 other potentials ...as long as they survive!



Along with the peppers, I gave tomatoes a try. Out of the million of tomato options at Home Depot, I picked 'Rutgers' Heirloom Tomatoes. Don't ask me why, I just thought they looked good. The description says that they grow "tall vines," like most other tomato plants. Well, my plant must be experiencing dwarfism, because it hasn't grown any taller since I planted it and cared for it. However, it has begun to sprout a few tomatoes and if I'm lucky, I count that it might give me at least 10 fruits. Let's cross our fingers!


And finally, I've got the basil going. Basil may be the easiest thing to grow, so I can't say that I'm proud of myself or surprised it's growing well, I'm just happy because I love basil. The most recent experiment featuring my basil is my summer ale. After kegging 3 gallons of the beer without the basil (since Colleen didn't want that flavor in her birthday beer), I cut up a few leaves of my basil, added them to the remaining 2 gallons in the bottling bucket, and then bottled the rest. I'm not super confident that the flavor will be strong, as the beer did not get a long exposure to the basil, but it was still fun to try on an impulse. I can't find my pictures of the basil in the beer, so you'll have to just take the picture of my plant and imagine the leaves floating in the beer. Maybe I'll add some to people's glasses, kind of like an orange slice in Blue Moon!




I'll keep y'all updated as to how my yellow peppers and dwarfed Rutgers Heirloom Tomatoes turn out!

In Search of a Purpose, and a Better Title!

Somehow I decided to start a blog. Everyone's doing it, right? I don't quite expect too many people to follow this, but I thought it'd be fun to try to document my activities and thoughts, and I'm not into Twitter. I don't even like posting updates on Facebook, although I have one right now. I'm not quite sure what will end up filling up these pages and updates, but I'm sure it'll be fun to figure it out.

The current title of my blog is in reference to Charlie Papazian's motto, "Relax! Don't Worry! Have a Homebrew!" from his popular home brewing guide, "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing." If you don't know that one of my favorite hobbies and passions is home brewing, then I suppose you don't know me as well as you think! So, I thought the title was fitting, although my blog will definitely cover topics separate from brewing beer. However, if you have another suggestion for a title as the blog develops or from what you know about me, please let me know!

My first few posts will share my recent activities that I've been doing this summer, as this has been my first summer off after changing jobs to work in a public school. With a month left, I will be trying to cram in as much fun as possible. Hopefully the rain stays away long enough for me to get out there and enjoy the sun!