Wine Phase II

Well, the wine fermented well and did not foam over.  I stopped everything when the Lambrusco reached a S.G. of 0.998 and the Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend reached 0.990.  I added the potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfate.  Now it is sitting quietly, settling out the fermentation particles.  In January, I'll bottle it and begin the serious aging.

Hidden Credit Repair Secrets: That can fix your credit in 30 days (Volume 1)  - Mark Clayborne

I just read and reviewed this book on both Amazon and B&N.  My credit is pretty good, but Mark gives tips on how to keep it that way.  I would suggest that people read this book and implement the suggestions before they have problems, but in case life deals you a lemons, this book will help you make lemonade. 

Wine Worries

I got the juice pails from Universal Carbonics yesterday.  There were no instructions.  The woman at the store said just stir up the yeast and wait. I waited until the buckets had thawed and then opened them.  After sanitizing my equipment, I took hydrometer readings (1.080 for the Lambrusco and 1.090 for the Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.  Then I stirred them and recovered them. In three days, I'll check them out to see if fermentation has begun,

I'm worried that there  might not be enough headroom in the supplied buckets.  There is only 2" headspace and it may foam over.  I probably should have two 7.9 gallon fermenters to transfer the juice to.  I have one and I may put it into action.

It will take a year to complete the aging of the wine.  I don't know if I have the patience for that.  I made Sherry about 30 years ago and it was so good, I drank it within two weeks.

Beer and Wine

OK, since my last post the homebrew club tasted my beer.  Those that chose to comment like it.  What else can I say? 

Now I'm switching to winemaking.  I bought two frozen juice kits from Universal Carbonic, the local homebrew/winemaking supply store.  One Italian juice (Lambrusco) and one California juice (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend).  They won't be here until the beginning of November, so I'm doing the winemaker thing, collecting bottles by drinking store bought wine.

It's not that I've forgot about homebrewing.  I'm planning to get some bulk supplies to try and make my own recipes.  I'll probably also get a few more kits as part of my learning process. In the meantime, I'm drinking my way through the Full Sail Amber Ale Clone beer that was my first beer.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Poor will power

I couldn't wait the full four weeks to try my beer.  So I rationalized that I needed to collect intermediate data.  I've been drinking two bottles a week and it seems to be relatively stable.  It tastes a lot like an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) which is not bitter at all.  It's just weird terminology.  Next week is the big test, when the brew club tastes it and gives me its collective feedback. 

What ever the result, I think it's drinkable and will finish the two cases.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. 

I think I said that before.

Beer Hiatus

So now the beer is bottled and I have to wait four weeks to try it.  This is the downside to this hobby.  No instant gratification.

I did taste the beer as I bottled it.  It's similar to other microbrews that I've tried.  I'll take it to the next Berks Homebrew Club meeting and see what  feedback I get.

In the meantime, I'm drinking as much microbrew as I can, to get empty bottles for my next batch.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

What's Brewing?

Well, I finally started my first brew.  It's in the primary fermenter now.  Somewhere around Friday, I'll move it to the secondary fermenter.

I decided to start small for this first brew and made an extract kit of Full Sail Amber Ale that I ordered from Austin Homebrew Supply.

I did have to steep some specialty grains in addition to boiling the malt extract and hops, so it was more than just a boil, but not a lot more.  By the end of an hour, I had 2 gallons of wort (non yeasted liquid)

Due to lack of equipment, I used a 2 gallon spaghetti pot for the grains and the extract boil, then diluted it with water in the fermenter.  To chill down the wort, I made up some sanitized ice bricks in some freezer containers the night before and then added them to the water before adding the wort.

To aerate the wort, I attached my DAN (scuba) oxygen bottle to a 6 inch aquarium stone and let the oxygen bubble through the wort.  I used my large wooden stirring paddle to keep the wort moving over the stone.

Next week, I'll publish an update and in a month, a full report including brew club feed back.

Tempus Fugit!

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted an entry here.  Is my life that dull or am I just that lazy. Don't bother answering that question, Mary.

I'm now getting ready to make wine and beer at home.  I made wine thirty years ago.  Some good and some bad.  Then I started traveling for work and I gave up.  So now I'm going to start again. 

When I researched equipment, I realized that wine and beer are similar in making.  The difference is that, with beer, you have to do a boil step before you begin fermenting.  This means extra equipment.  Then I attended a beer brewing event and saw about ten guys making beer.  Some did a simple extract kit brew, but others did an elaborate "all-grain" brew that requires a lot more equipment.  This looked like fun, because is represented an engineering design challenge. But then, the equipment cost quadrupled.

So I'm starting out small, with a turkey fryer and an extract kit.  If that works, I'll move on.  If it doesn't, Brew Hoo!

Coping with Grief

I recently had the chance to read and review the book  Balancing the Beast  by Helena Smole of Slovenia.


Below is the review I posted on Amazon and immediately below that is a response by the author.

"This is a learn-by-example book. Helena takes us on the journey of her battle to overcome her bout of schizoaffective disorder – bipolar or manic depressive type. She introduces us to a wholistic approach to coping that uses both western medicine and alternative healing methods.

One thing that stuck me as I read her account was the similarity of her ordeal with the stages of grief spelled out by Evelyn Kubler-Ross. I finally realized that she was experiencing grief, for the loss of her previous identity.

This brought home the universality of her experience. Her methods will work for many people who have suffered a loss, through cancer, accidental limb loss, or psychosis.

I recommend this book for everyone. We will all face a loss someday. Here is a road map to guide us through the dark periods that we will all experience."



Dear Don Vallere!

Thank you so much for your review on Amazon.com! It is amazing that you found a parallel to the stages of grief spelled out by Evelyn Kubler-Ross. I feel deeply honored to be compared to this remarkable woman.

I am also glad that you find my book useful for non-mental-patient-people, for this is one of the ways to fight stigma - the message that we are all together in the same boat.

Your conclusion that I lost a troubled identity is so true! That is precisely why personal change is so hard - it hurts to loose our habits and thinking patterns, even if they are self-destructive.

Thank you from the heart!

Best regards from Europe,

Helena Smole

Peer-to-Peer in Mental Health
Author of the book Balancing the Beast
http://www.helenasmole.com/balancing-the-beast

Glaucoma

I just had my right eye zapped by a laser to correct a budding problem with glaucoma. 

I had the left eye done two weeks ago.  Mt eye itches, but it will go away over the next few days.  At least, it did with the first eye. 

Can I tell that something has changed?  NO.  This is preventative medicine.

Lady Gaga

I was in Barnes & Noble the other day and I saw a special issue of Smash Hits magazine that featured Lady Gaga.  Inside was a page devoted to some of her quotes.  Two that I liked were:

"I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time."

"Love is a brick.  You can build a house or you can sink a dead body."

Like her or not, she is unique.

Blogging uphill

I have made several attempts to post to this blog over the past few months, without success.  This is just a trial to see if I can do it.