Now that foam you see in the photo is actually from the sanitizer solution that was in the carboy prior to transfer. However, as I’ve learned: don’t fear the foam. There even seems to be a school of thought that the foam from Star-San might be some sort of food for the yeasties. Needless to say, the racking process went swimmingly. Took all of about 10 minutes, and although I was nervous about aerating it with a bunch of oxygen that might negatively affect the flavor, I couldn’t be happier with how well it went.

On another upbeat note, the broken section of the spoon that was referenced in Brew Time: pt. 1.5 (and led to the name of Broken Spoon Amber) didn’t make the move over to the secondary (click on the photo to see it up close and personal). Maybe I’ll make a necklace out of it, similar to Eric Estrada’s umbilical chord necklace… but I digress. None of the of sludge, or trub as it’s called in the classy home brew circles, on the bottom of the primary made it over either. So I’m hoping for a very clear final product.  Or, at least as clear as one could get without a fancy filtering system. Needless to say, with each passing day… or more correctly each passing sample I’ve pulled… the beer is tasting better and better. There is, however, one thing that is confusing me. This kit is an American Amber Ale by definition. However, it’s taste is very similar to Firestone’s California Pale Ale. A fine beer that I tried for the very first time during my little session of ” get a bunch of beer and see what this reminds me of”.

You see, the taste was bugging me. It was very good, but reminded me of something I’d tried before. S0, I went to Savemart and made myself a six-pack sampler of a few different beers, including Full Sale Amber, Red Tail, Anderson Valley’s Boont Amber, and a few others in order to figure out where I’ve tasted this beer before (because I was sure I had). One of them was this Firestone beer. It was something I have never had it before, and I was looking to round out a sixer. Now, I know that a Pale Ale is an offshoot of the Amber Ale tree, so I shouldn’t be that surprised, considering it’s my first attempt and there were a couple of things that weren’t exactly “text book” in my brewing process. I’m still trying to figure out what previously drank beer it was that this batch reminds me of, considering that until yesterday the Firestone CPA was one that I’ve never tasted, but for now I’m over that. It is what it is. Maybe one day, I’ll figure it out…who knows. However, I can’t stress enough that I do really love the taste of this batch. As I’ve said before, I’d drink it as it currently stands… carbonation be damned. So I can’t really complain about whether or not this beer ends up as a true amber ale or not. With that being said, bottling will commence on March 6th, and from that point there’s an estimated 2-plus weeks of bottle conditioning to further refine the taste and build up the carbonation. Then, it’s down the gullet.

Now, what do I do in the meantime, you ask? Simple. I’m starting a pipeline. I’ll be doing up my Sierra Nevada clone this weekend, and I’ll be using my new Bayou Classic SP-10 propane burner to brew this one up. It should cut down immensely on the time it takes to get things to boiling temp, slashing the total amount of time it takes to prepare this next batch. After this upcoming batch moves to the secondary stage, it’ll be on to a batch of a Moose Drool Brown Ale clone called Caribou Slobber, followed by Phat Tyre (you can probably guess what this is a clone of).

After all four of these batches are in the books, I’ll be trying my hand at a porter (possibly bourbon barrel) and a chocolate cherry stout. After all, I need a good collection of beers to offer on tap. Yes, I said on tap…. meaning, I’ve secured the appropriate mini-fridge to convert to a kegerator. It’s a Kenmore Elite 4.9 cu. ft. mini-fridge, bought off craigslist.com for $100. I’ll issuing a step-by-step post for anyone who is interested in making one of their own. Hopefully the info you glean from it will help.

That’s all for now, next up: the bottling process.

Yesterday, I took a peek at my batch and noticed that the krausen (foam created by fermentation) had dramatically subsided. That meant I could ditch the blow-off tube and put the airlock back on the carboy. Now prior to this, the fermentation had been so vigorous that it was pushing the bung up and weakening the air-tight seal on the fermenter. So I finally pushed it down nice and firmly, thus making it tough for the pressure to dislodge it. That was all fine and dandy, until it came time for me to remove it. It was so firmly planted, with very little room to grab with  my hands, that I had to improvise. So I grabbed a wooden spoon from the kitchen with a handle thin enough to get down into the hole and use as leverage to remove the bung.

As I began to pry the bung loose, the spoon was bending a little bit. Not enough to cause concern…or so I thought. Then, in the blink of an eye, I heard the dreaded *snap*. And there I was, holding the spoon in my hand, sans a one-inch piece of the handle. After shouting a handful of obscenities, the worry started to set in. Because the spoon wasn’t supposed to come into contact with the beer, I hadn’t bothered to sanitize it. Sure it was clean, having been in the dishwasher just a day prior, but this is wood. It’s porous, it has nooks and crannies, and bacteria loves to make a home in nooks and crannies.

So, I quickly made my way to the Home Brew Talk forum (a great resource and sounding board, btw) and asked about the chance of infection from this rookie move. A few of the long-standing members there consoled me and told me not to worry, just keep to my schedule. Chances are the beer will turn out just fine, as yeast is a formidable opponent for trace amounts of bacteria, and that as long as the spoon wasn’t filthy things should turn out ok. The caveat being that if it does end up as a bad batch, I’ll have a pretty good idea of why.

This eased my mind, to a point. Obviously, I’m still concerned as I don’t want something so petty to kill an entire batch….my first-ever batch. But I really have no other option but to let things play out and  just hope for the best. As an aside though, I decide that since I’d already had the batch “open”, I’d take an early hydrometer reading. The gravity is moving downwards nicely (1.015, down from 1.045) and the taste is becoming more refined. In a word: delicious. Especially for such a ‘green’ beer. So much so, that I’m now keeping all fingers and toes crossed in hopes that this batch turns out fine. Hell, even in it’s early stage, it’s actually something I’d have no problem drinking right now. So I’ve got that going for me.

I’ll be taking another reading towards the end of the weekend to use as my base in terms of seeing whether the fermentation has leveled off. If it has, then I may rack over to the secondary a couple days earlier than the full two weeks that I’d originally planned. That’ll give me a chance to get started on my Sierra Nevada clone, and get a stockpile in the pipeline. One thing I’ve learned though, next time use something sturdier than wood to remove a lodged bung.

• All the parts offered the Deluxe Kit
• 36 qt. stainless steel boiling kettle
• Bayou Classic SP10 propane burner
• immersion chiller
• a ton of 22 oz. bottles (probably make the jump to kegging by the summer)
• digital thermometer

So this past Saturday, my first batch went underway….an American Amber Ale. Needless to say, this first batch took me a total of about 6 hours from start to finish. Mainly because I was pretty anal about cleaning and sanitizing all the equipment. However, it was also due to the fact that I went straight for a full-boil (doing all 5 gallons of water at once) on our gas stove-top. Thankfully, from what I’ve read in the reviews on the new burner I bought, my future boil times will be dramatically reduced. All-in-all it went pretty well. I definitely learned a great deal of things that will instantly help me out on my next batch (a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone) starting in two weeks. That will be when this first back moves over to the secondary carboy, freeing up the primary for more brewing goodness.

I had a few minor bumps in the road, though. For instance, I misunderstood the hops calculations for doing a full boil. They say to use roughly 75% of the amount if you’re doing a full-boil, to which I understood as 75% to start, and the rest to be added later in the boiling window. So I’m sure it’ll be a bit more hoppy than normal, but I can live with that. I also forgot to take my original gravity reading prior to moving the product to the primary fermenter. However, I’ve got my fingers crossed that it was close to what the stated OG was, at 1.047. Seeing as how when I did take a gravity reading, about 20 hours later, it was just a touch over 1.040. Probably Greek to a lot of people reading this, but those of you out there who’ve brewed will understand.

Aside from that, there were really no other big concerns. So I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that a great batch materializes. Obviously, I did taste test the amount I pulled when I finally measured the gravity, and my to my surprise….it was damn good. Definitely sweet, but as the yeast continues to do it’s work, I expect that sweetness to subside. The rest of the flavors really reminded me of a Fat Tire Ale with a little more caramel flavor and less bite. Basically, something I’m really licking my chops to drink.

As for how the batch is doing here on day 4 of fermentation, it’s definitely bubbling away vigorously. About 3 per second. So the yeast seems to be working it’s ass off. Meanwhile, I’m desperately fighting the urge to take another reading….mainly because I get to sample the testing amount after the reading is done. However, for the sake of keeping oxygen (and any potentially harmful bacteria) out of the batch, I keep resisting my impulses.

In the end, this first batch has been a great time so far. Should be ready to drink on March 20, and you can definitely expect a full review…good or bad. I’m also planning on making regular updates each step of the way from start to finish. As well as detailing how my Sierra clone goes, based on putting to work everything I’ve learned from this first preparation. Also, in my plans to keep a steady supply of beer in the pipeline, I’ve already more or less decided on my next few batches beyond these two. One being a clone of Moose Drool Brown Ale, and the other being an Fat Tire clone (named Phat Tyre, oddly enough). Eventually a Chocolate Cherry Stout will be in order, but first I want to find a good “staple” for my beer inventory. One thing is for sure, you can count on getting quite a few updates about how this new hobby is coming along. Hopefully I’ll even learn a thing or two that might be useful to pass on.

Oh, and to my lovely wife….don’t worry, the back room won’t be continuing to be strewn with equipment much longer. Once this batch goes to secondary, I’m reorganizing.

Just decided to post an update of what’s transpired in that time. Remodeled our bathroom, sort of. It started out as a simple changing of the faucet on the sink, and when it was done we added:

• A new sink.
• A newer faucet
• New towel racks
• New mirror
• New wall-mounted cupboard

Now I’m in the process of repainting the thing as well as regrouting the tub. Had hoped to have it finished today, but ran out of paint. So goes my luck.

Speaking of luck, I also managed to break my first shovel this past week, trying to uproot some massive agapanthas in the backyard. Turns out that Vigaro makes some pretty shitty tools (in my opinion…as stated for legal reasons). That’s what I get by trying to save $8 at Home Depot. However, if you’ve seen the back yard, you’ll be happy to know (really, happy??… just indulge me here, ok) that the mound just off the patio is now gone, and come spring that newly flattened area will be teaming with rose bushes and other assorted plants. Not to mention a raised bed in the back left corner of the yard, courtesy of the 10 wheelbarrow loads of dirt I had to remove.

Also during the time since the last update, we lost…and found…our cat. No clue where she spent four lonely days, but my guess is that she wandered into a home a couple doors down that is under construction and was locked inside. Pretty crappy experience, all in all. It’s not too fun scouring the local shelters, seeing cats that look like they could be her twin, only to realize that they lacked a couple of distinctive markings. Needless to say (so why are you saying it, Bryan), she came back a bit traumatized and a bit lighter around the belly. However, she’s doing fine and is the proud new sporter of a microchip.

On an up note, I’m a great-uncle yet again. Twice-over in two days, actually. One niece welcomed her second kid, King Leonidis (or Leo) into the world, and another welcomed her first, Kathryn. Apparently, the wife and I have some catching up to do. Hopefully that will work itself out soon, though.

So yes, this was a random…and probably very boring…update. About as boring as you could possibly ask for, I’d imagine. However, I felt I owed something to my fans.

Within 15 minutes it was a feeding frenzy at this trough of death. I’d estimate there were at least 500 ants were flocking to this stuff like fat people to a Cinnabon store. It was just a black, moving mass covering the bait. The next day, they were still at it, but most of the gel was already gone. So I re-applied the second half of the gel to the same area. I noticed that some ants were carrying the dead away from the house, and looked over to find a small field of ant corpses on the porch.

Within another day or two, we noticed there wasn’t a single ant in the kitchen, and nothing but a path of death and destruction across the patio between the hole and the lawn. So if you find yourself with ant troubles, definitely give this stuff a try. I’ve never seen ants decimated that quickly and thoroughly in my life.

So, for me, Combat Ant Gel get’s two thumbs and two big toes, up!!

(Also: yes, if you’re a regular or semi-regular visitor, I did change the site’s look again. Wanted to try a quasi-desktop appearance, and I think the work turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.)

Much to my dismay, most results were pretty much associated with one of two schools of thought. Either conceding personal defeat and calling the ol’ pest control guy, or the “well I use soap/mint/salt/hugs/virgin sacrifices to keep them out of the house” approach. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan of what the great oracle of google told me, because:

A: I want them dead!
B: Pest control for ants reminded me of something from my bartending days.

A pest control guy that was a regular at the place I tended bar, back in college, basically said that people with an ant problem are essentially wasting their money by calling them. Apparently people can buy an ant bait at a regular hardware store that was on par with the stuff they used. So armed with that advice, I went up to Home Depot and picked up a couple of different products to test. Combat Ant traps, Combat Ant Gel, and Terro Ant Traps were my three selections.

The first product I used was this nifty little gel by Combat. Actually, I should correct myself. The only product I used was this nifty little gel by Combat.  The ants are drawn to this stuff like Amy Winehouse to an open bar. According to the box, it’s designed to attract ants as if it were food. The ants will feast themselves silly, carry some back to the colony for others to dine on, and then after about an hour or so the poison takes over. It’s supposed to wipe the colony clean. I can definitely tell you that this stuff is worth the $6 I paid for it.

Over the last 2 days, based on the amount of ants that flock to every new application, I must have killed thousands. I’ve definitely noticed that the number of ants that make their way onto the counter is down to just a couple, here and there. They just can’t seem to ignore this gel when it’s around. Updates and body counts will follow.

War is hell, but hopefully if this stuff works as promised, you’ll all know exactly what to use if you ever find yourself having war declared on you by an ant army.