Go Go Gadget Saccharomyces!

Still got that beige thumb. Bread yeast, champagne yeast, same difference. Stir it down before it climbs out of the proofing cup...

We've now tested the old mead (raspberry, a little funky), racked the last batch (blackberry-chocolate, definitely too young for drinking), and set the newest one in motion (vanilla and pumpkin pie spices). The two glass carboys stand empty now, the buckets and a couple of cases of quart jars are full. Not bad for a night's work.

We're learning the ropes as we go -- the racking cane and siphon starter are a vast improvement over tipping the carboys to decant, given the clarity of what we were putting into jars. The mead gets to settle for a while now, get frozen (upside down), then have the last fine sediment scraped off the surface. We're hoping not to have to use bentonite clay in these jars at all, though I think dumping it into the carboys did help clarify the mead after the first fermentation.

There have also been logistical improvements in sanitizing the equipment, which is harder than it sounds when you've got a bloody big lobster-pot, two six-gallon buckets with lids, a large funnel, and awkward stuff like the three feet of tubing attached to the racking cane. Not to mention that we were good and set the empty carboys outside to soak tonight, which will make life a hundred times easier when the next brewing session rolls around, as they can be clean before we start.

I wish I'd had a little more energy, but that's life. I also wish I could actually drink what's being brewed, but I'll make do with tastes of the raw materials and reports from those with some semblance of a tolerance for alcohol. At least the lemon-nutmeg mead seems to get rave reviews...

We meltered

Today, since it was Sunday and mactavish had given me the craving, I made waffles for breakfast... it really is as easy as I remembered, so long as I remember to bring out the mixer. I coaxed the weasel out of bed with promises of waffles, and entertained myself in the meantime by bringing up a jar of the feijoa "jam" from a year or so ago (it had never really jelled, so it was more like fruit pieces in syrup). Place on waffle, eat waffle, heaven.

I danced with impatience as Nick finally came down and had breakfast, and by the time he had finished and loaded some of the Berkeley caches onto the Garmin, it was very nearly two. Driving felt good, though, and we made excellent time out to Albany.

( finding, fixing, finding, flop. )

The weasel is a little pinkish across the nose, but I seem to have escaped punishment. Next time we a) check the weather, b) bring a hat for him, and c) bring trinkets and at least one writing implement. Oh, and I need to revive my PDA so that we can have notes on the caches we're trying to find; all three of today's were ammo boxes, but on one we weren't sure whether it might be a micro instead.

This could be fun to do on a regular basis. :)