Disneywhere?

So, apparently, Disneyland is a fun place.

 

I had never been, so I had no idea what I was missing out on. So, long story short, we planned this trip (by which I mean Kate planned it all) over a year ago. We figured out a time share with her parents, “Santa” arranged the flights and even a rental car. Finally, we took the — much needed — time off work, and made our way south for the week after spring break.

 

The trip was pretty straightforward, no crazy surprises, other than the mechanical “light” that caused us to go back to the terminal, then change planes >_< Once we were in the air, though, everything was fine. I had forgotten how nice the weather can be in southern California. Though I did not forget that the sun and I do not get along, and immediately bought some sunscreen rated at OVER 9000!

 

We spent the first couple days lounging and planning: McKenzie would have lived in the pool if we could have brought down the TV. We also made bets on which character we would see first – it was Donald, and we all lost – and figured out what rides we each wanted to go on. McKenzie voted for the Haunted Mansion, which was very cool. Kate wanted to go on Pirates of the Caribbean, whose grandmother was a roller-coaster. And I wanted to see the Jedi Training Academy. Not really a ride, but I really wanted a chance to flex my midichlorians. Apparently, you have to be younger than 30 to participate, which is just blatant discrimination. Nerds come in all sizes and shapes.

 

The rest of the week followed a pretty similar schedule. Wake up, have breakfast, walk around Disneyland (and go on rides) until half-dead, head back to the hotel for air conditioning and pool, then back to Disneyland for more craziness. There are quite a few photos up on Kate’s blog, she took a bunch of snapshots. http://lifewiththethreebears.blogspot.com/

 

There were a couple memorable moments, the most memorable has to be the Ferris Wheel. So, they have this giant fucking wheel that spins around. You get into a little basket — the size of an airplane bathroom — and you ride around. All the way up and all the way down. Simple enough? Now, let’s make some of those cages move. No, swinging back and forth on a stationary axle is for little children and old fogeys. Let’s make an oblong track that the death-box can slide along, that way it’s inertia will cause a much larger swinging motion, and the whole thing will pendulum-sway back and forth long enough for us to move them to the next spot. Where it does it again.

 

After that, I would have to say the World of Color display was an amazing way to end the night. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a laser-light show combined with tons of Disney music and even some cool bursts of fire. It was packed, and I think I tweaked something holding Mac on my shoulders, but it was worth it to be there with her and Kate, enjoying what would be the last show we saw in the park.

 

The trip home was also uneventful. The car ride home was nearly unbearable, we were all so tired. But, we made it. We spent the next couple days recovering and finally returning to work. I am almost done with my first week back, and I’ve only nearly lost my mind seven times. I did well. They only had to lock me in my cube for the first 3 hours. Then the coffee kicked in and I stopped speaking in tongues.

 

Still trying to figure out when more beer is coming. I’ve told myself I want to do a lager now that we have a fridge in the garage. I will have to plan and come up with a strategy that will not annoy Kate while I Bogart the fridge for about three weeks.

 

Not all beer-related this time.

Not every post will wind up being beer related on this blog. I won’t get all sentimental and whiny — that’s what my livejournal was for — but I may discuss things that I enjoy or may not enjoy, since, well… it’s my blog.

To start and to keep the beer-lovers happy, I have made another beer. Looking back on it, it’s been almost a solid year since I last brewed.  little disappointing, I know. Not wanting t over-exert myself after such a hiatus, and wanting something that would do well over the winter, I went with a simple stout. It did its stouty thing and bubbled and burbled until it was ready to be bottled, which it was without incident. My friend Ian can attest, it came out quite good with a rich, malt taste that smooths out the bitter of the dark roast and the hops.

In other news, it’s been an entertainment-heavy few months. I have gotten back into Magic: the Addiction, have been playing plenty of Pathfinder, thanks to my lovely wife, and have seen almost too much Dr. Who since August (about 4 seasons worth). It has been good tough. I’ve been able to introduce McKenzie to Magic, and she’s clamoring for D&D next. We’ve gotten her interested in superheroes with Iron Man and The Avengers, and even started her playing “Dr. Who” with her friends in the neighborhood. Firefly’s next. 😉

I wanted to end this post with a big thank you to my wife, without whom none of this: my daughter, this blog, brewing, everything would be possible.

Oh boy.

I don’t even know how long ago I last posted. It has been one heck of a ride, as Kate can tell you (http://lifewiththethreebears.blogspot.com/). Lots of changes in the last year. On the work front, I am still with Royal. I’m now a proofreader and am charge of their gift certificate program. I am starting to feel like someone who is actually a professional, and not just a phone monkey.

McKenzie is now 8, and I just hit 30. I’m not sure which makes me feel older. I say as I watch Phineas and Ferb.

Sadly, I have not had the time or the energy to brew. I miss the smell of barley and oats through the house, it’s almost like baking bread. The bubble of the fermenting liquid is so calming. Soon. Soon, I will restart my brewing. Until then, I am enjoying Deschutes Brewery beers.

So much time, so little to do…



Wait. Strike that. Reverse it. Continuing…

It has been quite a past two and a half weeks. Starting back on the 24th of June when I racked my IPA and begand the dry hopping process. I added about 3 ounces of hops to the already wonderfully aromatic and flavorful beer and sent it over to the brand new (to me) carboy my wife Kate had managed to get from a client who no longer brews. From then it was sheer agony of waiting and waiting.

On the 26th, my aunt and cousins came to visit, with minimal notice that came during our blood donation. Talk about light-headed. The aunt and younger cousin left the next day and the elder cousin stayed with us to see what life was like in our neck of the woods. I think he had a pretty good time and so did we. We taught him Dominion and he helped me to bottle the IPA on the 2nd of July.

My cousin and my mother left for the coast (over to Lincoln City to visit a friend) on Friday and we got a short chance to collect ourselves before my brother Brian let us know he would be up a day early and be there for the Fourth of July. We quickly prepared for one of the best barbecues we have ever put on, including whiskey chicken and IPA pork chops. Man oh man were those tender.

Over the next week I got to spend a lot of good time with my brother, his wife and my nephew. I had only met his wife a few times before and it was definitely a blessing to get so much time with her and my three-year old nephew. He was very energetic and quite smart. He asked a lot of questions and even though he wasn’t the best at communication, he did get a lot of his feelings across.

We had a blast on the Fourth, pun completely intended. We set off about $75 in fireworks all told, from fountains to sparklers. Once all the excitement died down it went back to business more or less like usual. I headed off to work, took a lot of calls, came home and played Dominion or did school work.

There was much Rock Band played, good food enjoyed and even a trip to Voodoo Donuts was made. Twice we went to Toshi’s Ramen, once to drop off beer and get food and then to just get food and feedback. Drew at Toshi’s was able to express his immense gratitude for the IPA I dropped off and I let him know I would gladly bring more by for them to enjoy.

BEER CONTEST UPDATE

I did not receive massive amounts of praise and money from the folks holding the contest, so I took it upon myself to see what the hold up was.

Turns out I did not win. Hrmph.

Well, ya can’t win ‘em all.

On the bright side, I have many of my friends and a few enemies who thoroughly enjoy my beer and that’s all that I ask.

FATHER’S.. ER, BREWER’S DAY

No, not the baseball team. I received a gift from my lovely wife and daughter today: a wonderful IPA kit that I am brewing as we speak. It will contain 5 ounces of hops all told (2 ounces dry, the rest boiling or aromatic).

I’ve taken a specific gravity reading, but I think it may be a little off. My hydrometer is showing a gravity of 1.090, which is absolutely fabulous. This would be my highest gravity beer to date if it is correct and the yeast does its job.

Bottling and Contest

So, I bottled the stout last night and tonight I entered it into a contest with the Central Oregon Home Brewers society. I also entered the Red from St. Patty’s day. The stout kept its final gravity of about 1.024, making it about 6.5 to 7 percent… though I think my hydrometer is not calibrated properly as the stout seems a bit more potent than 6 or 7 percent. Oh well. It tastes damn fine and goes great with chicken or beef or by itself. The contest is not until the 24th so I will not be hearing from anyone probably until the 30th or so, even if I do win. If I do not win, I still know that I did better than my previous batches and that I learned more about making and enjoying beer.

I know I have promised mead to the wife, but if I do not have an IPA for the summer, I will go insane.

Peppercorn Stout Racked

Today I racked the peppercorn stout and added another 2-3 tablespoons of peppercorns. It is coming along very well, it is sitting at about 6% ABV (dropped from 1.078 to 1.028 SG) and it tastes great. I am looking forward to enjoying it with the first barbecues of the season. Kate has managed to convince me to do a mead next. Once I figure out how to procure and store 15 pounds of honey conveniently I will get right on it.

Peppercorn Imperial Stout

I have begun to craft a traditional imperial stout with the addition of about 4-5 Tbsp of black peppercorns. I am hoping that the peppercorn aroma and flavor will compliment the bitter, coffee-like qualities of the stout and result in a beer that will be an excellent addition to meals, from sandwiches to steaks. The recipe notes that a specific gravity of 1.090 is to be expected, I will update once I have taken my first hydrometer reading. Now I am off to steep my malts!

Malts have been steeped, the wort boiled and the peppercorns added. It cooled quickly and I was able to pitch the started yeast in and take my specific gravity reading before bedtime. Specific gravity on this one was 1.078: not quite what I expected, but I’m not complaining. The yeast will definitely be able to handle that much sugar and alcohol and will hopefully produce something around 8 or (if I’m lucky) 9 percent by volume.

St. Patty’s

St. Patty’s has come and gone. We enjoyed the last of the Licorice Stout and the middle of the Irish Red Ale before heading out and about into the wilds of downtown Eugene. We stopped at a few establishments and I had the pleasure of drinking an Oakshire (I think) Vanilla Stout. Much like the Rogue Chocolate Stout it was creamy and sweet, leading me to think of it more as a “after dinner” beer, one to be enjoyed with ice cream or a dessert. I think I will try my hand at creating my own vanilla stout, but first I will attempt a peppercorn stout. Something about those two combinations suggests to me deliciousness and I will be looking up a recipe (so as to not overwhelm the stout with peppercorn) shortly.

Checkout Life With the Three Bears for more details about St. Patty’s and the Galloway family, the people behind the beer.