6.28.2012

Supreme Court Thoughts

Score a point for the Supreme Court.  Perhaps the court has been political over its history.  It has been my belief of all the branches of our goverment the Supreme Court is supposed to stay above the fray and make sound, rational choices based on the history of law and the Constitution.  It is supposed to stand apart from the rapidly changing ebbs and flows of emotions and make ruling consistent with what our forefathers might have been thinking.  Obviously I understand how there can be differences of opinion of what our forefathers meant and how some laws could be intrepreted but that is the beauty of the Supreme Court.
 
It is my opinion that since 2000, the Supreme Court has stepped into the partisan battle that is Washington.  While granted a President nominates a judge and the Congress approves that judge it is my hope that we don't fundamentally put in Republicans or Democrats into the seats.  Unfortunate of late there seems to be a decisiveness among the Judges leading me to believe that the one last non-partisan entity in Washington has disappeared.
 
This week though it appears that the Court has somewhat changed my opinion and run against its own current especially the Chief Justice.  In not striking down Obamacare, the Chief Justice said in the majority decision, “We do not consider whether the act embodied sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation’s elected leaders. We ask only whether Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the challenge provisions.” In breaking with his more conservative judges the Chief Justice restored some of my faith in our nation's law makers.  Let's hope this becomes the new trend.

Haiku #6.2 (Red Card Red 5 gallon)

Haiku #6.2 was the scale up recipe from my modifications of The Best of Brew You Own magazine (page 36).  The purpose of this brew was to mass produce (5 gallons!) for contest at the June 30th Rapids / Timbers game.  Performed at the Do Your Brew facility in Westminster (5/31/12), there were some recommended changes by the Owner, see recipe below.  Biggest change was from a whole grain to a partial mash.  

1) 6.0 lbs Golden Light (malt syrup) [change]
2) 1.0 lb 2 Row Pale Malt
3) 0.6 lb Munich Malt
4) 0.6 lb Crystal Malt (15 deg L)
5) 0.6 lb Crystal Malt (40 deg L)
6) 0.6 lbs Crystal Malt (75 deg L)
7) 0.1 lbs English Chocolate [change, for increase red color]
8) 1.0 oz Chinook Pellet Hops (11.1% AA)
9) 1.0 oz Centennial Pellet Hops (?% AA)
7) White Labs WLP001 California Ale (Liquid)

Used Iodine sanitizer.

The Mash
Heated 6.0 gal of water to 155-162 deg F.  Added grain (placed grain a mesh bag).  Cooked for 60 minutes.  

The Sparge
Removed the grain mesh bag and allowed to dry.

The Boil
Heated the wort until it began to boil at approximately 210 deg F.  Boil lasted 60 minutes with 1.0 oz of chinook (bittering) hops at 0 min (into boil) then added 0.5 oz of centennial hops (aroma) at 40 min and 55 minutes.  Hops placed in a hop mesh bag for duration of boil.

The Fermentation
Placed condenser in the boil to sanitize.  After boil, chilled wort to approximately 50 degrees.  Poured cool wort into a 5 gallon plastic bucket.  Specific gravity of the wort was 1.053.  Added the yeast.

The yeast began fermentation.  Allowed to sit for 1 week.  After one week, transferred to a glass carboy for secondary fermentation.

The Bottling
Specific gravity after fermentation was 1.011.  Beer was 5.6% alcohol.  Used dextrose and dissolved this in 1/4 cup of water, I siphoned the beer into a bucket and then bottled into 23 x bomber bottles (~650 mL) and 12 regular bottles.  Allowed to sit for another 2 weeks.

The Tasting
Opened and tried on 6/28/12. Good carbonation, would like to see more of a head (see photo).  Similar to Haiku #6.0 and #6.1 although not as bitter.  Good color and flavor, a tad nutty.  Good enough for 3rd place in the brew contest!

6.27.2012

Comic Splat - Week 26

The Amazing Spider-Man #688
A movie tie-in?
A cure to fix the Lizard?
Not the movie plot...

6.20.2012

Haiku Wednesday


Comic Splat - Week 25

A vs X #6
X-men good / evil?
The Scarlet Witch is the key
No more Avengers?

The New Avengers #27
Iron Fist and Phoenix
What's the connection, Danny?
Spidey adds wisdom

Winter Soldier #7
Who is Rodchenko?
He is the Cold War connection
After the Widow!

6.13.2012

Comic Splat - Week 24

The Amazing Spider-Man #687
Zombie Avengers?
Spidey and Amazing Friends
Save the day and Earth!

Captain America #13
Ah it's the D-Man
Target located, it's the Capt
Time to dance me thinks

Avengers #27
Noh-Varr a traitor?
Avengers escape a Sun
Time for a beat down


6.07.2012

Haiku #6.1 (Red Card Red)

Haiku #6.1 was a recipe from The Best of Brew You Own magazine and was a St. Rogue Red Ale clone (page 36).  The purpose of this brew was to test reproducibility:

1) 1.4 lb 2 Row Pale Malt
2) 0.2 lb Munich Malt
3) 0.2 lb Crystal Malt (15 deg L)
4) 0.2 lb Crystal Malt (40 deg L)
5) 0.2 lbs Crystal Malt (75 deg L) 
6) 0.4 oz Warrior Pellet Hops (15.8% AA) [change]
7) White Labs WLP001 California Ale (Liquid)

Used StarSan sanitizer.

The Mash
Heated 2.5 quarts (10 cups) of water (refrigerator water which is carbon filtered) to 155 deg F.  Add grain and mixed.  Cooked for 60 minutes at 154-160 deg F.  

The Sparge
Heated additional 4 quarts of water (refrigerator water) to boiling then transferred to gallon fermentation jug.  Set up the strainer over the second pot and added the hot grain mash.  Then poured the heated water from the jug over the grains and into the second pot.  Once done recirculated the wort back through the grain once more into the original pot.

The Boil
Heated the wort until it began to boil at approximately 210 deg F.  This was done with just the middle heat on the inside burner on my stove.  Boil lasted 90 minutes with 0.2 oz of Hops at the 90 min to go for the boil then added the remaining 0.2 oz with 0 minutes to go.  

The Fermentation
Placed the brew pot into the sink with ice allowing the temperature to decrease to 70 deg F. Poured wort into a funnel filter into fermentor.  After the fermentor was full, the yeast was added and throughly mixed to aerate the liquid.  Note:  Liquid yeast is designed for 5 gallon batches.  This time did not shake the yeast but opened slowly and mixed with a tooth pick.  Still difficult to determine exact amount of yeast was added.

The yeast began fermentation.  I was traveling the day of fermentation so do not have confirmation that a good burp because.  When I left it was just starting to have a positive CO2 push.  Primary fermentation lasted for about 30 hours.  Transferred beer to the basement and put in the airlock.  Allowed to sit for 2 weeks.

The Bottling
Used bottling sugar and dissolved this in 1/4 cup of water, I siphoned the beer into a pot and then bottled into 5 x bomber bottles (~650 mL).  Allowed to sit for another 2 weeks.

The Tasting
Opened and tried on 6/7/12. Good carbonation.  Similar to Haiku #6 although not as good.  Good color and flavor, little too bitter, not a great aftertaste.   

6.06.2012

Comic Splat - Week 23

A vs X #5
The Phoenix and Moon
Bad things always happen here
Bad for Avengers!

Winter Soldier #6
Multiple Bucky's?
Man on the hunt for them all...
This ain't the Cold War