mikekn

So, would anyone like to go to Ubercon with me on Oct 14 - 16?

That weekend is now between Ubercon or the Valhalla mead only competition. Ubercon has games, cool guests and the long awaited release of "Get Nifty", which singewulf and I played against Steve Jackson at Ubercon I. Valhalla is just a mead competition - but it's at the Mt. Pleasant Cafe and I could get dinner there. Ubercon will cost more, but I'll get to play games all weekend long. Valhalla will leave my Friday and Sunday free (this is not necessarily a good thing). Ubercon has Dirty Pictionary. Valhalla has mead tasting.

On a cynical note, Ubercon is paying people to play games with me, while Valhalla is paying people to try my home brew...

I really need to make a decision soon so any input may help sway me one way or another.

Racked everything that was sitting in the kitchen (beer, mead, cider, cherry wine). We didn't bottle any of it yet, but most of it is ready (the beer and wine can wait a while longer).

Opted to not start a second beer before Pennsic - while I could get it started, I would be hard pressed to get it bottled, and it probably wouldn't be ready for Pennsic. Plus Gavan says we're in good shape for the parties. (But oh is it tempting to try and squeeze in the hefeweizen to have at camp). I may start something a few days before we leave so I can just leave it in primary until we get home and then rack it.

I should start some more meads in September - need to use up the old honey. I don't think I'll do any cider or wine this fall (got plenty), nor do I think I'll do any more cordials (not really my thing). I really want to pick up some buckwheat honey and start another batch of buckwheat mead soon (knowing that it won't be finished for about 2 years...)

Poked around the basement and kitchen, so now I've got ( an inventory of all the home brew. )

Skipping Newcomer's tonight to just work at home. violet_amy is off house sitting most of the weekend. Saturday is completely free. I may go help sansobel bottle her wine, but other then that I'll be just doing stuff around the house. Sunday is a family obligation - church thing (bah), but important to them, so we go. Wonder if there is time before it to get breakfast somewhere... Monday free again, may fill with some social thing. Or brewing. Or social brewing.

( Things I should do at home this weekend )

Wow, that went quickly.

( The week... )

So, when last we spoke I had a few things to work on and a few things planned.  Let's see how it worked out...

( The week in review )

( The plans ahead )

( 10 Things list )

Time to catch up on stuff that's been happening.

( The last week or so )

Lots of brewing been going on.  Our kitchen is currently home to 32 gallons cider, mead and wine.  Add to that the 12 gallons in the basement and we're set for a pretty full cellar next year.  (and yet the urge to make more remains...)

Went to EK Brew U on Saturday.  Didn't get as much out of it as I hoped for - I was a bit under the weather, which contributed some.  Add in the fact that we were only day tripping and that the higher ranking guild folks seems to be a fairly closed group, not many connections were made.  I did get some great hand outs from a few of the classes, but not much new info.  Still I had a good time hanging out with folks.

One piece of good news that we got earlier in the day - the PA government passed legislation that makes it legal for limited wineries in the state to make mead.  Before this it was technically illegal because mead was not made from a fruit.  A bill to amend various parts of the PA Liquor Control Board Act was submitted on Oct 16th 2003.  On Nov 17th 2004, it was amended to add language that allows for mead.  Specifically "fruit" was changed to "agricultural commodity" and agricultural commodity was defined as "any of the following: agricultural, apicultural, horticultural, silvicultural and viticultural commodities"  (Which means, in addition to honey and grapes, they can also make wine from vegetables, flowers, trees, cow and chickens...)  The final version was signed by the governor on Dec 8th, 2004.

Racked the "Rowan" mead, viognier wine and heather mead on Oct 27th.  The heather mead is pretty dry and very harsh tasting.  It is also still extremely cloudy.  I'll probably be adding some more honey to it as soon as I get around to buying some - probably supermarket clover since I want it to have little effect on the mead other then sweetening it some.  The other two batches are in good shape.  I put the first mead downstairs to age some more, and probably be testing the wine again before the end of the month.

During (well, mostly after) my mead class on Oct 29th I started a five gallon batch with some of the cranberry honey I got at Pennsic.  It had crystallized on me and I hadn't noticed, so I wasted a lot of time trying to figure out how I wanted to deal with it.  Eventually I scoped what I needed into a pot, added water and heated it on the stove until the honey dissolved.  Next time (tomorrow), I'll do that right from the start so it shouldn't effect my class too much.

Speaking of my class, my second mead making "lab" is tomorrow night.  I'll be starting a second batch with the cranberry honey.  Eventually I'll add some cranberries to one of the batches, but only one pound - just to see how much effect it has.

Snagged from sk4p while browsing my friend's friends list: Doc Martens for the Endless.  Very cool. 

( Over a week of stuff... )

Tonight should be fencing, but I've not seen a reminder about it.  It seems all shire activities need a reminder the day before or we forget about them.  Now in the case of fencing it's more like a confirmation that nothing has caused the practice to be cancelled.  If it does get cancelled, I think I'll go play poker at Kildare's.  Voting tomorrow morning and then playing D&D in the evening (nothing like killing monsters to take your mind off elections).  Shire meeting on Thursday, then Friday we're off to Boston for an SCA event on Saturday.  Could be a good week (we'll know by Wednesday morning...)

There will be two mead making classes held at my house in the next couple of weeks.  The first will be on Friday, October 29th beginning at 7 PM.  The second will be on Tuesday November 9th, also starting at 7 PM.  Directions can be found on the shire website.

If you'd like to start your own batch during the class you will need the following:
- A container for the mead, best is a 1 to 5 gallon glass jug/carboy, or a brewing bucket.
- Honey, 3-4 lbs per gallon of mead you want to make.
- Water (if you don't like my tap water)
- Yeast, I've been recommending Lavin 71B to start with.

I can pick up yeast and jugs/carboys for people, but I need to know a few days ahead to do it.