Many things happened today. Or not.

Today I had: 3-1/2 cigarettes. (Mental note: see what phase the moon is in on 06/30/2009) Not really craving one. Want one to a mild degree, but not a problem as it was the other week when I decided to stop. Didn't last four hours that day.

I bummed a smoke from someone at work in the late AM and discovered that after smoking, I was hot and sweaty like I have been since the weather turned hot. Hmmm. I went to Kroger tonite to get some goods and didn't think of buying tobacco or cigarettes until I was in checkout, when I saw the Tic Tacs. I added two boxes of 'Tacs to my bounty of truck. If I feel weak, I will pop tic tacs.

I remembered that tomorrow is Barb's birthday. HBD, Barb! Love yez! I also remembered why I remembered. At least I remembered!~

I loaded Windows 7 RC on a Virtual Machine in my computer the other day and downloaded updates today. It is interesting. But, that's a story for another day....

AAA tastes great!

Probably not less filling, but WTF... I'm a beer guy. It needs to bottle finish about a week more to improve the carbonation level, but the mouthfeel now is pretty good already. Will have to make this again and again!

Tried another bottle of the Biere de Garde.... still needs finishing. I'll let it go another month in the cellar before I try again. Not much carbonation and the mouthfeel is not all that impressive yet. As a worse case scenario, it will make excellent cooking beer: braising liquid, stews, BBQ, etc. if it doesn't turn out well enough to share with my homies.

Fourth and 5th of July is Floyd Fandango. I, and my home brew home boyz & gurls will be attending to pour beer for free admission, and to help Blue Ridge Hydroponics & Homebrew Supplies' owners, Chris & Fran, man their booth. Trish may go... we'll see. If not, I'll camp. This is supposed to be a nice soiree...

Yo-yo-yo...! CyberDave Raps....

I gots me a rap joint to doo-dah on the homies when they starts bustin' a rhyme on me:

(doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH-)

My name is CyberDave from the 'C on Willy-D,
Come on in and buy your drink from me;
We got your 'Henny;
We got your 'Patrome' (Patron..),
Come-in-the-house - buy-it-from-me
And You can take it home!

(Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH, Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH...)

Now, ev'ry body knows that stealing is wrong;
that's one of the reasons that I wrote this song.
I go a white dog, a a big Samoyed - 
If I see some stealin', she will bites 'em on the head!
..when I say: "Kill, Whitey!"

(Ch-doomp-doomp CHH, Kill, Whitey! - CHHH-Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH...)

So if you do your shoppin’ at
The 'C on Willy-D,
Keep your hands on your ‘unit’ an’ your eyes on what you see:
'Cause if a joint of 'Goose goes into your 7-Day 'Shitters,
I'll say: “KILL Whitey!” and she'll have you for her dinner!
"Kill, Whitey!"

(CHH, Ch-doomp-doomp,
Kill, Whitey!, CHH-Ch-doomp-doomp CHHH...)

The meeting went well...

I entered my Biere de Garde as a Saison, and got 24 out of 50 points, still a "good" beer. I wasn't surprised that the score wasn't higher as it wasn't the style and I got a lot of good feedback on the beer. One thing for sure, I need to cellar the stuff longer to get sufficient carbonation. As a Biere de Garde, it seems to be very close to style, by looking at the BJCP guidelines for the style.

On Sunday I bottled my American Amber Ale. The FG was 1.004... making me wonder whether it will carbonate very soon. Should have bottled sooner, I think. Time will tell. I bottled two plastic bottles to pressure test for carbonation and got 12 bomber style bottles and 24 12 oz. bottles out of the 5 gallons that I drew from the secondary.

During cleanup, I broke my hydrometer. They are always getting broken... should maybe get a case of them one day.

June Brew Club Meeting

Today is the June brew club meeting day. I'm entering my Biere de Garde as a Saison - they are probably close enough to pass - and beside I want some feedback. I tasted one the other night and it tasted cloyingly sweet despite finishing at 1.013, with insufficient carbonation. (Hopefully both issues will improve with age) I used a bottle of the stuff to braise the tenderloin that I BBQ'd the other day. If it doesn't get any better, I can use the Biere de Garde for cooking - one of the benefits of a bad batch: you can use it to cook in many cases. After braising, I poured the juices over the pulled meat to add a little more moisture and fat since the 'loin is pretty lean. Or was it shoulder? I should have read the package. Might have been shoulder, but it was still pretty lean. Anyhow, Trish and I will go to the meeting after I get off of work today. Thank goodness that we're not doing inventory this week; I hate doing inventory after a night of revelry.

Tomorrow I may brew a Blonde ale, but I'll have to get the yeast on Monday after work. Wasn't sure what I was going to brew when I was at Blue Ridge Hydro & Homebrew Supply the other day but after tasting one of Bryan's Blond Ales, I thougth that it was just the thing. More later.

Another Dave in Paradise...

I used a bottle of my Biere de Garde to braise the pork loin that I barbecued yesterday, leaving it in the oven for 5 hours at 225° and in another hour with the heat turned off. It came out fork-tender and it tastes delicious! The beer, however, needs another month to condition, I am guessing. Maybe more. No carbonation other than bottle pressure and cloyingly sweet, despite finish gravity reading of 1.013. I'll enter it as a Saison in the club competition anyway, tomorrow. At least I'll get some feedback.

I could have brewed yesterday but it just wasn't in me after I got rolling in the morning. Besides, the yeast that I have on hand (Munton's Ale yeast) was three years past use by date. Couldn't have been any good. Maybe I'll add it to the AAA when I bottle just in case there is a spark of life left in it. Instead of brewing, I went to Bryan's and kept him company while he brewed, then went to the hardware store for some drain cleaner and then home to to things around the house. Blah. Another wasted day, for all practical purposes.

Strange day...

And another strange day at The Gov'nor's Palace...

But that is another story. For another day. I watched 'Rescue Me' on F/X network tonite and drank Scotch (lacking Irish) along with Tommy. Smoked cigarettes during the commercials. Tommy has the life I want to have -interesting encounters with others, drinking Irish Whisky, working. The working part is the important part - I want to have a job where I enjoy the work; I enjoy parts of the likker peddling trade, but others suck. Like the pay, the part time status, no bennies, the ever increasing petty rules that are handed down by the petty overlords.... it sucks in that respect. I DO enjoy the parts where I communicate with the Pilgrims, though. That is what keeps me sane. Even when I feel like shite, when I parlay with the Pilgrims I get to feeling better. And eventually I AM better. However, I expect to be summoned to the castle at any time...

A customer came in today and said that the White House had taken over NBC. Now as we all know, NBC has been in the tank for Obama since Day One.... but this is a bit frightening: when dictators take over countries, the first thing that they do is to take over the media. Wonder what is in store next? Hmmm....

Got a large, hoppy beer from Wine Gourmet...

Hop Stoopid Ale, 102 IBUs, 8% ABV. Lagunitas brewery. Tastes very good. Hoppy taste, but not aroma. Didn't bring my reading glasses so I dunno where that is. Oh yeah, I could Clusty it... but d'wanna.

Geletin is a-floating

...on the top of the AAA. Soon, it will be descending into the deep, taking many particulates with it to rest amongst the yeasties. Then I can bottle and wait for carbonation to finish. Mmmm.... American Amber Ale.....

I checked my lottery ticket on the web this AM and as usual, I didn't win anything. No lucky break for Cyberdave in that sector of life. Maybe I'll get lucky elsewhere.

AAA still going well

I added the gelatin the other day and slightly swirled the carboy each morning since to help the hop pellets lose their buoyancy and begin their casual journey to the bottom. Just a few pellet pieces left this AM, and I can't tell about the gelatin. It is still slightly cloudy, but another week or so in the secondary and it should clear up nicely.

I was given a 4 gallon bucket with a gasket, all food grade materials, from a guy that works at a McDonald's. It was a pickle bucket in it's original designation on this plane of reality. I cleaned it well and will store some of the 50 lbs. of grain that I got from a local brewery which was already crushed... in hopes that it will last longer. We forgot to tell the guy making the order that we wanted un-crushed grain and they send it pre-crushed - at an extra .10¢ at lb. Still got a pretty good deal on the purchase, though. Maybe I need to make another batch of something soon to use up more of the crushed grain that won't fit into the pickle bucket. Wonder what kind it will be this time? Still haven't gotten a lagering temperature controlled atmosphere at hand since the freezer went out...

...I shoulda used the beer in the broken bottle!

And after the last dram of the brown goodness went to Davy Jones' Locker... it then struck me: I could have put 16 oz. into a plastic bottle and used it to squeeze test for carbonation! As the philosopher Homer said:

"D'oh!"

Got my Biere de Garde bottled with a few glitches

I rounded up a few Champagne and Saison bottles to put some of my Biere de Garde into and broke out the capper that I got somewhere... for capping tall bottles. Mental note: Adjust the capper before filling the bottles with beer. See images.

I did get one bomber bottle and 48 12-oz. bottles of beer. The FG was 1.013 and the ABV is 7.58%. I'll shelf it all for a week to let the carbonation start and then put it all into the fridge and wait for it to finish. Will take at least three weeks.... maybe more.

Work's over and done with for the day.... But...

I went to Blues Barbecue after work tonight and had a beer. I talked to Steve, the bartender, for a while and was enjoying being there. The tables outside we all taken and I was the only one at the bar. Steve said that the night had been horridly slow. Just a few To-Go orders and the people outside sipping on beers and mixed drinks was all the business that they had had to that point. The night before had rocked, but tonight was deadsville. I ordered another of the same (Redhook ESB) and went outside to smoke me a good cigarette. I put my cell phone on the table beside me just in case....

After smoking, I returned to the bar and talked to Steve for a little bit. He gave me a taste of their new white wine, from South America, and when I returned to my beer I got a call from The High Command: My yard pass had been canceled. I told her that I was going to have another beer and would bring her some fried grits afterward. And I did.

When Trish opened the box and looked inside she saw that the sauce (Italian dressing) was missing - which pissed her off to an extent. Screwed again. I asked her, "I guess that I could have just stayed out instead of coming home then?" (Smart ass....) "No!", she said "You would think that they would know that they had forgotten the sauce!" "I will mention it to Steve next time that I'm in, then..." I told her. Maybe he will comp me something. A beer or something. We'll see.

I brought a liter of water to boil and added 3.8 ounces of corn sugar and after the sugar was dissolved, I put the lid on the pot and brought it downstairs to use as a primer for the Biere de Garde when I bottle tomorrow. Then I opened another beer and hit the internet....

And had another dream of working at.....

...at 'THAT place'... muttered under my breath with my eyes rolled back in the sockets and a drooling snarl upon my face.... Kafka would understand, I'm sure....

So there I was: recovering from the flood of '85, I suppose, only I was working in an outbuilding with a dirt floor and the electricity on a timer... I wasn't getting anything done because there was no computer. Then there was a computer - and another dude, my replacement, working with it. I left at 6:00 and as I was leaving I found a wallet of valuables belonging to another coworker, which I returned despite being short of valuables mice elf. You see, even in the world o' dreams it is my way.

Another in a never-ending saga of despairing dreamage action. Hope that the day goes better. Tune in for the next exciting episode. Live long and perspire.

AAA Going well in Primary

The AAA looks good. It still isn't time to add the gelatin yet, there is still some Cascades a-floating on the top that needs to assimilate. The Biere de Garde is ready to bottle. Sunday, as was fortold by the prophecies... Will do the primer before I go to work today just in case I go D&W tonite.

IE 8 Bad

Downloaded IE 8 the other day and found that the illegal software that I got from Bobo, the Williamson Road drug & illegal software lord, wouldn't work. Damn! Those crafty Pangolian Software minions of MS!

I will go to work at one-ish today, and this AM I'm taking Trish to see her health care professionals that gave her such a hard time yesterday that she cried for hours after I got home yesterday, and who knows how long before that. She called me at work yesterday just as I was clocking out and wailed about what had happened... I didn't understand... and I told her that I would be home in 15-20 minutes and she could explain all. I'm thinking, if the professionalism of medical office personnel is at this level now, to what level will it deteriorate once ObamaCare is instituted and the Health Care Per-fessionals will all be surly Public Servants, waiting for quitting time in the short term and the juicy Federal retirement package in the long term. I'm hoping that ObamaCare will have an Euthanasia programme as the Opt-Out choice; Send me to the Soylent factory!

Yesterday....

Yesterday began with me communing with Pops, feeding the dogs, and watching a little news before getting ready for work. I shaved & took a shower, dried my shimmering bod, opened the drawer, picked up the tube and hosed some goo onto my toothbrush and I began cleaning the gunk out of my teeth. It tasted funny... had a funny smell, too. Maybe some rancid meat from a meal this week that the floss missed? No.... Something like.... Brylcream! Bleach! I did it again. No, this wasn't the first time. Did it before a few months ago.

The rest of the day was interesting and boring and same as usual. When I got home I racked the American Amber Ale to the secondary and dry hopped with an ounce of Cascade hops that came from Argentina. Only 3+% Alpha acid, but it still smelled like Cascade, and that is what I desire. This AM, I rolled the carboy on the edge slightly to get the waterlogged hops to start their journey to the bottom of the carboy. When that is completed I'll add the gelatin for clearing it up; I'll bottle in a couple weeks.

ManagCENSORED BY MANAGEMENTgain...

I was sitting here in the Future Site of the Man Cave playing Free Cell and trying to wake up, smoking a cigarette that I'd let burn out last nite, before I lighted the last one of the package (Note to self: Go buy another pack of tobacco or just quit) and sipping on the final cup of coffee from the carafe when XXXXX

Boy, that was early. It usually takes a few hours of life to get under her hide. Today's my day off and the day is young. Wonder if Doug will want to get together at Awful Arthur's for a beer and lunch today? I'd better send him an e-mail.... Something tells me that it will be a long day....

American Amber Ale in Primary Fermenter

I'll rack the American Amber Ale to the secondary fermenter on top of an ounce of Cascade hops today. There is about an arf inch of Krausen on the top but the bubbling has slowed to the proper level. ....uh-oh, She is calling on the phone.... Garbonzo! Looks like today is the day that she wants me to go to her Dr. appointment with her... the Marriage Counciling gig. Looks like I'd better close down and get ready. CyberDave, signing off....

090601 - Truck Day...

Got up at 4:30 and fed two out of three dogs and had a smoke & a cup of coffee out on the carport. Went to work and we unloaded the truck and restocked. One of the new people hasn't gotten the hand of using a hand truck yet and knocked over a stack of Tequila cases, breaking about 5 bottles. Mondays are slow and today was no exception except - I got off at 1:00.

After work I went to Blues BBQ and had a Redhook ESB and a plate of pulled pork BBQ. Called Trish and asked what she wanted and brought home some fried grits for her. Came home and got to the computer to do my thang.


Yesterday, Trish was all aflutter! There was a creature out on the fence! And so, I looked. And there... was Red Tailed Hawk. With his friend, one of our treerats, climbing onto the top of the fence beside it. I got the camera and slipped out the basement door and got a couple pix before Dog Angel pushed her way out and spooked the bird off. Trish went balistic! Not because the bird escaped but because I had allowed Angel to get out the door. That was my strike three for yesterday. Today when I got in from downtown she said that she'd seen the Hawk a couple times today. I'll try to get another picture if I can. Click on the image for a full screen picture of the raptor.