Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Day 81: Worth the Wait

2/29/12
I flew home from Guanajuato, Mexico on the 24th, and then spent the past 5 days in a Thera-Flu funk. I don’t know what I caught, but I felt it coming on a day or two before I left. It’s a lot more than a common cold, maybe even pneumonia. I’m giving it one more day before I head to the Doc’s for antibiotics.

But for now, I have another healing elixir in mind – Beer. I bottled my first batch of beer before leaving for Mexico. The idea is to let the beer sit for a couple of weeks before drinking. This would have been difficult to do had I not been out of the country. I’m impatient. I’m the kid who peeks in cupboards and digs through closets for Christmas gifts.

I popped the first top and heard no fizz. I panicked a little, grabbed a glass and poured. Flat. Ugh. I grabbed another and popped. Lots of fizz. I’m hoping the first bottle’s failure to seal was just a fluke, and that I don’t end up with half a batch or more of flat beer. I won’t waste flat beer. It will make for some fantastic pancakes, biscuits, or Irish soda bread.  The dark caramel color and toasty flavor adds hearty elements to routine recipes.

Beer may not be the medicinal cure that I need tonight, but it’s what I have available, 48 pints. I’m about halfway through the first bottle, and I think I’m feeling better already.  If I pop a second top, I may not feel any better, but I sure won’t care.

2 comments:

  1. I love reading about this process. I wish you went into more descriptive detail about what's actually going on in the making of beer, as i know exactly nothing about it and bet i'mnot the only one. Like, i know you got this package of stuff and boiled it, and somehow there was a transfer to these carboys, or are they pyrex and the boiling happened in them, and somehow there was yeast added and bubbly things occurred, but i find myself wanting details of the mechanics and science of it. (Loving the blog btw, pretend i am commenting in a workshop, ha!)

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  2. First of all, I am thrilled to have you as reader and even more thrilled to have you "workshopping" my blog. And of course I agree with you. My beermaking is a little glossed over at this point. I think because I'm slightly ashamed that I used a mix. I'm such a do-it-myself-er that it's tough to get too deep in the process when I short-cutted. But, I am planning a new batch, somthing that my hubby will enjoy. He's not a Guinness fan, and if I dare say, my beer tastes very much like Guinness.

    I've got some research to do and of course some drinking. I need to empty a few pints before starting the next batch. Or I guess I could start scrounging behind bars for non-twist top bottles. I'm never above scrounging.

    I think my next batch with be an amber, made from complete scratch. I'm excited to detail the smells involved in the process of roasting the grains and cooking down the hops. I promise to get in the weeds on this next batch.

    Thanks for reading and for your valuable comments. It means a lot to me.

    C

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