Dancing with the Universe

For the latest batch of ginger soda, I reduced the amount of ginger (it was a little strong last time, I admit), and added some lemongrass. What I got out of it was a mellow ginger ale, with clear ginger flavor but no bite, and a very pleasant floral/citrus finish.

I'll make another batch of ginger beer this week, since I like the heat this one lacks. This would be ideal for someone who isn't nuts about ginger but likes ginger ale.

( recipe )

I'm waiting on my shipment of soda extracts... I hope it comes in before the end of the week. I want birch beer. :)

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...