Thanks & New Years Ale
The new year is almost here. Thanks everyone for sharing another year with me. That includes those of you I only really interact with through the little window into their life that is my LJ friends list. Maybe this year I will get a chance to make it up to Austin or NYC to meet and hang out with a few of you.
For me, this year was a mix bag of good and bad. The stresses of having a new-to-us house and finding out that the previous owners were skilled at hiding some serious problems from us when we bought the house has not been pleasant. Work has been a roller coaster ride at times fun and enjoyable and for long periods absolutely intolerable.
My relationship with my wife is my rock. It has been as steady and wonderful as I could ever ask for in somebody that has to deal with me on a daily basis.
This year seemed to be a great year for my brother and I. Some of you know that we did not always have the ideal sibling relationship. Throughout the years though, despite the arguments and exchanges I have cared for him deeply. I am glad that this year we seemed to be able to drop the arguments and just enjoy each others company.
Yesterday J. and I spent the day brewing beer. It was based on a Light Scottish kit I bought a while back. It will likely be an abject failure though. I used yeast that was months past date and I think it has a pretty good chance of not actually taking. I modified the recipe as well, keeping the 1 oz. of fuggle for bittering and added 1/4 oz each of wormwood and mugwort. I also added a little over 1/4 oz. of catnip just to be silly. I am calling this beer "Ale of Ulthar." See Lovecraft's story "The Cats of Ulthar" for an explanation. My hope was that it would be drinkable and would produce a nice buzz and good dreams when you finally sleep. Here is hopping!
For me, this year was a mix bag of good and bad. The stresses of having a new-to-us house and finding out that the previous owners were skilled at hiding some serious problems from us when we bought the house has not been pleasant. Work has been a roller coaster ride at times fun and enjoyable and for long periods absolutely intolerable.
My relationship with my wife is my rock. It has been as steady and wonderful as I could ever ask for in somebody that has to deal with me on a daily basis.
This year seemed to be a great year for my brother and I. Some of you know that we did not always have the ideal sibling relationship. Throughout the years though, despite the arguments and exchanges I have cared for him deeply. I am glad that this year we seemed to be able to drop the arguments and just enjoy each others company.
Yesterday J. and I spent the day brewing beer. It was based on a Light Scottish kit I bought a while back. It will likely be an abject failure though. I used yeast that was months past date and I think it has a pretty good chance of not actually taking. I modified the recipe as well, keeping the 1 oz. of fuggle for bittering and added 1/4 oz each of wormwood and mugwort. I also added a little over 1/4 oz. of catnip just to be silly. I am calling this beer "Ale of Ulthar." See Lovecraft's story "The Cats of Ulthar" for an explanation. My hope was that it would be drinkable and would produce a nice buzz and good dreams when you finally sleep. Here is hopping!