There's a certain solace to brewing, especially when done alone. Like with any craft that makes one happy there's a certain methodology about it. I have come to brew with others to help them have a better appreciation of a craft that's as old as the act of sweaty wrestling (wrasslin' in the South, and yes it's all real!) this is the first batch in a while that I have prepared for solo and I noticed I fell into that comfortable rut. First and foremost, water? I have stepped away from 5 1gallon jugs and started using a 5C reusable jug from Blue Ridge Mountain water (used for Batch #27), but this time subbing Glacier water from Publix, 5C=$1.50, can't beat that. It goes through 7 steps of purification including 2 UV treatments, a carbon filter and an osmotic membrane and the machine said it was serviced yesterday. Then the equipment. Brew shirt, lautertun which inside has a screening colander, tongs (to help with the grain bag), clip thermometer that goes in the hole of the pocket of the brew shirt, cheap blue plastic spoon and stainless steel ladle; fermenter, inside has 3-piece airlock, transfer racking tube, bottling nozzle and bottle spigot to bottling bucket; other than my glass carboy all fermenters are being used now, jeeze sounds like Junk and I are brewing when he first started! Next print out recipe and instructions with nifty O&B logo, making sure all steps coincide with what you are about to do, including any nuances to write on the edges as mental notes, take inventory of brewing items, hard to finish a batch if you are missing that middle hop addition! Dry-hopping can be held off on, bittering hop missing with smack pack and yeast starter bubbling gets kinky. Set up propane burner in the garage, turn on the Target bought "Pub Open" sign, plug in multi-colored Christmas lights (Dad, says we look like a damn family of Portuguese are living in the garage when I turn them on and you look down the driveway). Clip butt on Gurka Regent Toro 2000, pour up a nice brew (this time it is a bomber of Ménage à Frank) in a Flying Dog glass sent by Junk to possibly lighten the hole left by the Croc'ed English pint. The glass is measured on the side from top to bottom (sniff, to circle, to pant, to beg to hump the farther into the pint you get). Throw Growler, our Rottweiler puppy, some pecans through the fence to crack out of her green bucket of nuts that is in the garage with me, no dogs around brewing process, this place ain't SweetWater! Now water has been coming up in temp, grain is mashing out, I'm about to light my stoagie and breath a huge quiet breath, no TV on, listening to traffic go by and enjoy brewing on a cloudy miserable humid AL evening, join me, back in a few.
Smell bag that grain came in and close your eyes to imagine sweet malty biscuits
>1950hrs-- We're done, had to change the aroma hop on this one, so it's not true "42-A" it's 42-A*, thanks to the brainchild of Junk. Every man should have something like this to enjoy, sit and reflect on family, life, work, marriage! OG 1.068+0.00 @60F. This one has a long way to fall:)
