The beer that the Marquise and I started last month was ready for the "official" tasting last weekend. I have to admit that some of it turned out really good. Unfortunately, some of it also turned out pretty bad. I personally think that the smaller batch (see posting from Jan for explanation) produced a better tasting beer. I think the larger batch got contaminated with some bacteria or something. It seems that a lot of the bottles from the big batch have a really odd bitter taste to them. I asked the Marquise to taste some that she kept (we split all the bottles between us) from the large batch to see what she thinks about it. I tend to drink a little more beer than she does, which is why I got to the other batch first.
We have already started planning out next batch. We will probably stay with the same type of beer, but make a few modifications. I also think we should ask a lot more questions when we go to American Brewmaster. I think we now know what questions to even begin to ask.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Vacation!!!
Sorry for the delay in writing folks, but I was on vacation from 08 Feb to 16Feb. I took my yearly trip down to Key Colony Beach, Fl. Key Colony Beach is a small (very small) man-made island city in the Florida keys. The island was made about 50 years ago by dredging and filling in a shallow area just off shore of Marathon island. It is, understandably, mostly vacation homes. My mother and two of her best friends from High School have been renting a place down there for about the last 9 years. My trip this year was a little more eventful than usual, I was pick-pocketed. My wallet was stolen the first day I was down there. I had made the first of my two day trips to Key West and I was in one of the bars down there that evening when it was stolen. Luckily, I had planned on using my credit card for most things and did not have a lot of cash on me. Of course, I had to call up the credit card people and the bank people to cancel my cards. I also had to have my roommate FedEx my passport down to me so that I could get on the return flight. The rest of the week was relatively uneventful. What can you say about spending time with family and friends, having good food and wonderful weather?
Sunset Beach Club, Key Colony Beach, FL
The Memorial to the victims of the battleship Maine in the Key West Cemetery. The Maine exploded in Havana harbor in Feb of 1898 under suspicious circumstances. I do not believe the exact chain of events has ever been determined.
When I made my return plans, I was going to ride up with another friend to the Ft Lauderdale airport so I wouldn't have to pay for a bus up. My mom had said that Pat's plane was leaving in the mid afternoon. Well, he actually left around 12p and he had to have his car back by 1030a. My flight was not until 8p. Since I was in Ft Lauderdale, I decided to take the city bus out to the beaches. I was a little wary of doing this because I thought I'd have to do a lot of transfers and stuff. I had 1 transfer and it cost 2.50 each way. I spent the whole day on the beach. Just me and my luggage! I'm sure I looked like the best dressed homeless person around! Below is a sample of the scenery at the beach.
Sunset park at Key Colony Beach.
Sunset Beach Club, Key Colony Beach, FL
The Memorial to the victims of the battleship Maine in the Key West Cemetery. The Maine exploded in Havana harbor in Feb of 1898 under suspicious circumstances. I do not believe the exact chain of events has ever been determined.
When I made my return plans, I was going to ride up with another friend to the Ft Lauderdale airport so I wouldn't have to pay for a bus up. My mom had said that Pat's plane was leaving in the mid afternoon. Well, he actually left around 12p and he had to have his car back by 1030a. My flight was not until 8p. Since I was in Ft Lauderdale, I decided to take the city bus out to the beaches. I was a little wary of doing this because I thought I'd have to do a lot of transfers and stuff. I had 1 transfer and it cost 2.50 each way. I spent the whole day on the beach. Just me and my luggage! I'm sure I looked like the best dressed homeless person around! Below is a sample of the scenery at the beach.
Sunset park at Key Colony Beach.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
A Busy Weekend.
I didn't finish up my blog about last weekend. I know, its a little late, but at least the weekend hasn't rolled around again.
I covered Friday night in the previous post, so I am now on to Saturday night. The night started with dinner down at The Borough restaurant downtown. This was the first time either of us had been there. I had heard some good things about, so we decided to give it a try. I was very impressed when we entered, it has a very upscale yet comfy feeling to it. I was actually kinda expecting something a little more pretentious. I'm glad that was definitely not the case. I know the Marquise was happy with the place as soon as she saw that they had some Aussie wines. She ordered a burger for dinner and I got the meatball sub special. The Marquise really liked her burger. I, however, was not impressed with the sub special. The meatballs were bland and the marinara sauce was weak. They did have a killer chocolate dessert cocktail. The after dinner cocktail almost made up for dinner. I'll give them another try in the near future.
After dinner, the Marquise and I went over to the piano bar over at CCs. The wife of one of the Hercules Mulligan crew was performing there, Heather Patterson King. If I didn't like both of them so much, I would complain that its not fair that one family should have so much talent. Heather had sung some with the Mulligans, but she always held back, tried to blend in, that sort of stuff. I have to admit that from what I had heard there, I wasn't much impressed. It is frightening how wrong I can be sometimes. I was blown away from the first song she performed that night. She performed a mix of standards, blues, and some show tunes (it is a gay bar, after all). The music started at 10p and ended at 1a. I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings of music I have had in a long while.
I do need to mention the pianist there on Saturday, Jay wright. His talent is equally as impressive. Whenever Heather needed a short break, Jay was there to continue the entertainment. I have to admit, that my knowledge of the piano is pretty much limited to the "accompaniment" aspect. It was pretty much there to keep the chorus on pitch. It was a real eye-opener watching Jay perform. I found myself anticipating the portions of the songs where Jay could really let his talent shine. I certainly look forward to hearing him and Heather perform again.
I covered Friday night in the previous post, so I am now on to Saturday night. The night started with dinner down at The Borough restaurant downtown. This was the first time either of us had been there. I had heard some good things about, so we decided to give it a try. I was very impressed when we entered, it has a very upscale yet comfy feeling to it. I was actually kinda expecting something a little more pretentious. I'm glad that was definitely not the case. I know the Marquise was happy with the place as soon as she saw that they had some Aussie wines. She ordered a burger for dinner and I got the meatball sub special. The Marquise really liked her burger. I, however, was not impressed with the sub special. The meatballs were bland and the marinara sauce was weak. They did have a killer chocolate dessert cocktail. The after dinner cocktail almost made up for dinner. I'll give them another try in the near future.
After dinner, the Marquise and I went over to the piano bar over at CCs. The wife of one of the Hercules Mulligan crew was performing there, Heather Patterson King. If I didn't like both of them so much, I would complain that its not fair that one family should have so much talent. Heather had sung some with the Mulligans, but she always held back, tried to blend in, that sort of stuff. I have to admit that from what I had heard there, I wasn't much impressed. It is frightening how wrong I can be sometimes. I was blown away from the first song she performed that night. She performed a mix of standards, blues, and some show tunes (it is a gay bar, after all). The music started at 10p and ended at 1a. I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings of music I have had in a long while.
I do need to mention the pianist there on Saturday, Jay wright. His talent is equally as impressive. Whenever Heather needed a short break, Jay was there to continue the entertainment. I have to admit, that my knowledge of the piano is pretty much limited to the "accompaniment" aspect. It was pretty much there to keep the chorus on pitch. It was a real eye-opener watching Jay perform. I found myself anticipating the portions of the songs where Jay could really let his talent shine. I certainly look forward to hearing him and Heather perform again.
Monday, February 4, 2008
A Busy Weekend.
The Marquise and I had a full schedule this past weekend. We went to Kilt night out at Tir Na Nog downtown on Friday night. They had two bands there, Old Blind Dog and Seven Nations. The original plan was to meet there early enough to get some dinner and then catch the shows. Things got a little off schedule, which is not that uncommon when dealing with the Marquise. Bless her little heart, but she's gonna be late for her own funeral. I decided to order some wings to get started. I should have known better. After wings and a couple of Guinnesses, I was no longer hungry (mostly because of the Guinness). The Marquise ordered a loaded potato. Actually, considering neither of us particularly care for the food at Tir Na Nog, I guess it worked out OK.
The first band was Old Blind Dog. They are a Scottish band that has a full touring schedule this winter here in the States. I guess it is better touring here in January and February that in Scotland. This was the first time I have had the opportunity to see them. I am very impressed. Usually, the first time you hear a band (especially one with a thick Scottish accent) it can be a little difficult to understand the lyrics. I had very little problems hearing (and understanding) the lyrics. The Marquise and I bought on of their CDs and I had a chance to listen to it today. I am even more impressed with their CD. I certainly hope I get a chance to see this band again.
Old Blind Dog
Old Blind Dog and some local dancers
The second band up was Seven Nations. They are a rock/celtic/Scottish band. They are a bit to rock for my taste (ears). At least in a relatively closed space like Tir Na Nog. I am listening to their website while I'm typing this and while the recording is not the best quality, it is much better than what I heard Friday night. The lead vocals were muffled, the volume was up so loud that it was hard to concentrate on the individual musicians. You know there is something wrong when the bagpipes get drowned out. They sounded like they were trying to outplay each other. The Marquise and I left during their break. They do, however, seem to have quite a local following around here. Maybe it was just a bad night for them.
Seven nations and audience participation.
The first band was Old Blind Dog. They are a Scottish band that has a full touring schedule this winter here in the States. I guess it is better touring here in January and February that in Scotland. This was the first time I have had the opportunity to see them. I am very impressed. Usually, the first time you hear a band (especially one with a thick Scottish accent) it can be a little difficult to understand the lyrics. I had very little problems hearing (and understanding) the lyrics. The Marquise and I bought on of their CDs and I had a chance to listen to it today. I am even more impressed with their CD. I certainly hope I get a chance to see this band again.
Old Blind Dog
Old Blind Dog and some local dancersThe second band up was Seven Nations. They are a rock/celtic/Scottish band. They are a bit to rock for my taste (ears). At least in a relatively closed space like Tir Na Nog. I am listening to their website while I'm typing this and while the recording is not the best quality, it is much better than what I heard Friday night. The lead vocals were muffled, the volume was up so loud that it was hard to concentrate on the individual musicians. You know there is something wrong when the bagpipes get drowned out. They sounded like they were trying to outplay each other. The Marquise and I left during their break. They do, however, seem to have quite a local following around here. Maybe it was just a bad night for them.
Seven nations and audience participation.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Mid Year Reviews
Yes, mid year reviews. My workplace has its mid year performance reviews in January. It seems a little odd, but that is the way it is. The review, by and large was OK. However, there was one odd portion. My Supervisor advised me that I was being to "authoritative" with my co-workers. I was not quite sure what she meant. During the course of the conversation, it kinda got (well, not kinda, it did get) more confusing. Evidently, I now must strive to be "authoritative without being authoritative". Whatever the hell that means. There was some "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" kind of behavior going on during the discussion. If anyone out there has some ideas, I'd love to hear them. I think I may be intimidating one or more of my co-workers. I certainly don't mean to be, but I have this funny feeling. I am still mulling this one over. I haven't really come up with a good working plan. I think I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut more often.
I think this is the first time EVER that I have gotten into trouble for knowing to much.
I think this is the first time EVER that I have gotten into trouble for knowing to much.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Happy Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Weekend Wrap-up part II
After the Great NC Wine Tour, the Marquise and I decided to head on out to the American Brewmaster store in North Raleigh to get some supplies for our first attempt at brewing beer. (Yes, it was an alcohol themed weekend.) The Marquise and I had been thinking about trying out hand at brewing beer off and on for almost a year now. This past December we decided we would give it a real try. I had been looking online for some brew kits. Trying to decide which way we wanted to go, what we wanted to start out with. All that kinda stuff. Well, one day last week I decided to check craigslist, just to see if maybe there was anything there. Lo and behold, there was a home-brew set up that had just been listed! And they were asking 50 bucks for it. I could not resist, it was a good deal. It has 2 plastic buckets with spouts (5 and 6 gal), a glass carboy, a bottle capper and caps and some other odds-n-ends.
So after our great foray into the world of wine we decided to continue the alcohol theme and get started on our beer. We found the store with no problem, even though I thought it was on Glenwood when it was actually on Stoneybrook (BIG difference). If you have never been in a beer brewing supply store, let me tell you it is a wonderful experience. It is worth a trip just for the aroma! We found a beer mix that we thought we'd like (its an Australian beer, of course). Bought some other odds-n-ends and called it a day. The next day, Sunday, I headed over the the Marquise's new place for our first foray. Everything was going great until....... We miscalculated on the volume. The kit makes about 23 liters of beer. Well, that translates into just over 6 gallons. We, naturally were working with the 5 gallon bucket, not the 6. We quickly cleaned and assembled the other bucket and started working with that. Unfortunately, we did not check to see if the spigot was on tight. It was not. It started leaking. We decided to transfer about 5 gallons to the smaller bucket, since we knew that was OK. I didn't want to transfer back and forth, so we left the wort in the smaller bucket. We transferred the remaining to a pot, fixed the 6 gallon bucket and then put it back in there. So we now have BOTH buckets with beer. A full 5 gallon and an almost empty 6 gallon. Both hopefully fermenting away. I don't think the 6 will work because of all the head-space there (to much oxygen). If this works at all, it will be a minor miracle.
According to the Marquise, the buckets seem to be happily fermenting away. We will see what happens. We bottle sometime this weekend or Monday. I'll let you know.......
So after our great foray into the world of wine we decided to continue the alcohol theme and get started on our beer. We found the store with no problem, even though I thought it was on Glenwood when it was actually on Stoneybrook (BIG difference). If you have never been in a beer brewing supply store, let me tell you it is a wonderful experience. It is worth a trip just for the aroma! We found a beer mix that we thought we'd like (its an Australian beer, of course). Bought some other odds-n-ends and called it a day. The next day, Sunday, I headed over the the Marquise's new place for our first foray. Everything was going great until....... We miscalculated on the volume. The kit makes about 23 liters of beer. Well, that translates into just over 6 gallons. We, naturally were working with the 5 gallon bucket, not the 6. We quickly cleaned and assembled the other bucket and started working with that. Unfortunately, we did not check to see if the spigot was on tight. It was not. It started leaking. We decided to transfer about 5 gallons to the smaller bucket, since we knew that was OK. I didn't want to transfer back and forth, so we left the wort in the smaller bucket. We transferred the remaining to a pot, fixed the 6 gallon bucket and then put it back in there. So we now have BOTH buckets with beer. A full 5 gallon and an almost empty 6 gallon. Both hopefully fermenting away. I don't think the 6 will work because of all the head-space there (to much oxygen). If this works at all, it will be a minor miracle.
According to the Marquise, the buckets seem to be happily fermenting away. We will see what happens. We bottle sometime this weekend or Monday. I'll let you know.......
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