Dedicated to making homemade beer using Wifey's pots and pans.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Which Criminal Approved This?

I'm in Raleigh NC helping my SIL reside his garage. 

I want to know the criminals in Georgia Pacific who foisted cardboard sheathing and siding on the American public. 



I would ask them how much money did they need to bribe the ASTM in order to get this siding approved. 



Here is a load of siding that is headed to the dump. How can banks give 30 year notes on homes that are only designed to last 20 years?



This is a disgrace to all things decent and proper. The architects who specified this and the contractors who installed this garbage aught be publicly humiliated.

End rant. 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Fair Exchange

A couple of weeks ago I helped a friend of mine with some electrical work. He returned the favor by giving me this. 


He turned it on a potters wheel then cut the grooves with a knife. The quality is outstanding by my simple judgement. 



On the Road Show they are always looking at the artist's trade mark. After we are gone, this mark is likely to be if high value, not for this ash tray, but for his other work. 

Last night I set out to Christen it but I just couldn't do it. Will do it, later. 

Friday, August 15, 2014

This Settles It

Not flying through Atlanta anymore.


When the trains go down, people end up getted mobbed in the tunnel that runs between the concourses.



Probably going to miss my connection. 

Update: I made the connection but if I had been 5 minutes later in arriving to the gate, I might have been waiting for the next flight. 

Traveling is no longer enjoyable. I got up at 6:00AM to give myself plenty of time to navigate the crazy roads in Tampa. I get on the plane for an on-time departure at 9:45. The plane starts taxiing when an electrical problem sends us back to the gate. The part had to be flown in from Atlanta, so 3 1/2 hours later we board the plane. 

When I landed in Atlanta, the trains were out of service. I arrived at the Terminal and had to get to concouse D. The pics above are at the mid way point. 

Here is the annoying part about humanity: people starting running down the moving sidewalks in the wrong direction only to be pushed back by waves of oncoming foot traffic. 

People are too stupid to allow room for the counter flow of traffic. 

As I closed in on my destination, I experienced the same scenario where I had to push trough waves of on-coming traffic. Fortunately, only at a fraction of the volume. 

What are we teaching people in our schools and in our media? Can't people be civil and learn to stay right and to allow room for oncoming traffic. 

Today I was thinking, this is what the first hour of the apocalypse will be like. Total mob hysteria. 

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Batch #31 sTevo's Porter #17

Brew date: 8/2/14

I am involved in another corporate sponsored head shrinking seminar designed to foster trust between the ranks in the organization. I need to get feed back in one of those 360 degree anonymous surveys, so I opened the statistical pool by inviting a couple of buddies. It seems all my peers have moved on, and I don't have anyone left to play with. In order to bribe my buddies properly I offered booze or money as a payment, to help foster their participation.

So Randy asked for some #17, and me being true to my word, I brewed a batch of #17. 


Now we just have to wait a month or so and we will drinking some#17.

Brew notes.


Later on, I will post my 360 review and see if two groups emerge in the report, after my head is properly shrunken, again. I am expecting to see a bi-modal distribution.

Sunday August 10th update


Added the remainder of Kent hops then tried something new. Using an air mattress inflater with my siphon hose not shown, and battery charger, I aerated the wort. Let's see if the yeast picks up some steam. Will keep you posted.

Usually the beer is aerated while being transferred to the secondary. I have been in th habit of letting the beer slosh around  by holding the siphon hose at the top of the in-flowing Carboy. 

I didn't want the yeast to get all asthmatic the way I do after a brisk start of some aerobic activity. 

Regarding head shrinking truth or dare customer feedback questionnaires; I let the cat out of the bag about widening the gene pool by adding outside participants, so now my coworkers are demanding payments. I can see this isn't going to end well. 

Update: Devoured most of the batch one evening during Pool Night. Every one enjoyed it and thought it was great. I knew of the structure problems, but none of the others are beer snobs, so they couldn't tell. Or, they are too generous and couldn't bite the hand that feeds them. So, you think my beer sucks... we'll, see if you ever have a taste of it again... There, I'm sure they don't want to go.