Baseball is Back!!!!

Baseball is finally back!  The Phils finally back on TV, rescuing cable from its increasingly annoying mediocrity.  And to top it off, they Phillies are off to a great start! :-)  No one was really surprised that their pitching was very solid.  What really got me excited though, was the offense.  The Phils were doing great at putting the ball in play and taking smart at-bats, despite a couple key injuries.  The offense seems to be focused more so on putting the ball in play, rather than out of the park.  I hope the first three games are a good indicator how the rest of the season is going to go. :-)

In other news, I had a little break from the normal travel grind and was able to work from home last week.  It was nice to be home with Theresa and Abby for the week. :-)  It also allowed me to get a lot of stuff done around the apartment.  Among other things, Theresa and I picked out our wedding bands!  They look really nice and I can't wait to wear mine and put Theresa's on her finger. :-)

I also finally got around to getting to the eye doctor - apparently Johnny's getting glasses!  This was not exactly a surprise - my eyes haven't been very good the last year or so.  As it turns out, I have an astigmatism.  I can't wait to get my glasses and not have to strain to read text on the TV screen.

That's all for now - I'll hopefully be posting again soon on the Banana Bread Ale, Blueberry Wheat, and Bass Clone and other homebrew goodies.

Song of the Day: "Dolores" by MxPx
Beer of the Day: Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale

Continuing 2011 on the Right Foot

So, things have been pretty busy lately - been doing the normal grind for work and been trying to relax as much as I can with Theresa on the weekends.  I figured that now would be a good time to do a little gut check in regards to a few goals that I set for the year.

In the beginning of the year, I set a couple goals to try to improve my overall fitness and drop a little weight to get back to my average weight during high school/the later part of college.  So far, I've dropped around 5 pounds, which I'm pretty pleased with.  I've been eating a lot more reasonable (smaller) portions and have been trying to get more regular exercise - mostly in the form of running on an elliptical during the week and walking/running with Abby on the weekends.  I'm very happy with my progress so far and have noticed that my energy level is up and my clothes are fitting a little less snug.  Aside from a few bumps in the road in the form of a couple colds, things have been going very smoothly.  I have dropped some weight, am feeling a bit healthier, and am still enjoying beer and good food.  All in all, its been a great success so far.

Here's a little update on my brewing goals for the year:

• Brew 10 beers this year (a mixture of solo brews, and brews with Keith) - I just brewed up a small batch of a blueberry wheat this past weekend and am slated to brew a Bass clone with Keith this coming weekend.  Combining these two with my first brew of the year - the banana bread ale, my total is up to three.  So far, so good - I am very much on track to hit my goal of 10 on the year. 
• Enter some sort of brewing competition by the end of the year - Haven't entered any yet but I still have a decent amount of time this year.  I'm thinking I probably need to make this happen sometime October or earlier this year because of my wedding/honeymoon in November. 

Overall, my goals for the year seem to be progressing well.  I'll be posting again soon with some updates on the my Banana Bread Ale and the Blueberry Wheat that I'm putting into a secondary on top of some blueberry puree this weekend.  In the mean time, here's a picture of my Banana Bread Ale I took this past weekend of a new Northern Brewer glass I got.

Song of the Day: "Bubble Toes / Express Yourself" (Live in San Fransisco off the En Concert Album) by Jack Johnson
Beer of the Day: Winter White Ale from Bell's Brewery

Ummm, its the End of the February???

Right, so haven't updated in awhile.  Seems like I was just posting about brewing the Banana Bread Ale yesterday.  Then I realized that I just bottled it on Saturday after one week in a primary fermenter and two weeks in a secondary.  So here's an update on the highlights of the last few weeks:

A lot of Theresa's cousins and aunts and uncles from out of town were in town a couple weeks ago for the weekend.  It was great to see all of them again.  Friday night, we went out for dinner with her cousins to Iron Hill.  It was a lot of fun to hang out with her cousins!  The weekend was a great opportunity to see a lot of her family that aren't often in town. :-)

About two weeks ago, I finally picked up a 6 gal. glass carboy for fermenting beer.  I have been meaning to do this for awhile now and finally got around to getting one.  I debuted the carboy as a secondary fermenter for the Banana Bread Ale, after a one-week primary fermentation.  Fast forward two weeks.  I bottled up the Banana Bread Ale this past Saturday, and the secondary seemed to do a great job.  The flavor conditioned nicely and the color came out beautiful.  The secondary did a lot to clarify the beer.  The one downfall is that the banana hasn't come out much in the flavor - but the other flavors did nicely - the vanilla and cinnamon came out very well balanced.  We'll see how it tastes in a couple weeks after bottle conditioning.

On the video game front, I picked up NHL 2011 a week or so ago.  I have been meaning to pick up a solid hockey game for awhile now, and I must say, NHL 2011 is a lot of fun.  I especially like the Be-a-Pro mode, where you can create your own character.  The storyline starts with your character as a player in the junior leagues just before you get drafted into the NHL.  Rather than controlling a team through seasons in dynasty mode, you follow and control only your character.  If you do well, you earn better contracts and other honors.  If you don't do well, you get sent down to the minors until you start performing better.

This past weekend, I also borrowed Mass Effect from my buddy Jim.  I have been meaning to pick up Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, but just haven't had a lull in other games to give it the attention it deserves.  Finally started playing it, and it is an awesome game so far.  The game play mechanics are smooth and the storyline is solid.  I can't wait to see how the storyline advances.  I have heard a ton of praise for the Mass Effect series, so I'm holding it to a high standard.  So far, so good.

Another highlight from the weekend was dinner and a movie with Theresa on Friday. :-)  Went out and saw Cedar Rapids.  If you get a chance to see this movie at a theater near you, definitely do it.  Cedar Rapids is one of the funnier movies, I've seen in a long time.  John C. Reilly was absolutely hysterical!  It isn't as widely distributed as a lot of other, more mainstream movies, but is definitely worth going to see if you get a chance.  After the movie, Theresa and I went to Rock Bottom in King of Prussia, where I had a burger that pretty much sounds like a heart attack. :-)

Theresa giving the thumbs up behind my 2A.M. burger (a cheeseburger with a hash brown and a fried egg :) ).

This next picture isn't really relevant to any particular event, but Abby is pretty much the cutest dog in the world, so here's a completely off-topic bulldog picture. :-)

Loungin' pup! :)

That's all for now - hopefully the next post will come a little quicker than this one.

Song of the Day: "Modern Wolf Hair" by Chiodos
Beer of the Day: Midas Touch by Dogfish Head Brewery

Theresa and I finally got a chance to make it up to visit my parents, brothers, and a few friends a couple weekends ago and it was a great time. :-)  Had dinner with a few close friends on Friday night and hung out with my parents and  brothers and their families most of the day on Saturday.  It was really nice to catch up with everyone and to see my niece and nephew running around! :-)  My little nephew is running around on his own and apparently needs to have an eye kept on him at all times, as he is an explorer and will sneak away in no time.

Theresa and I also got a chance to squeeze in a brewery tour and tasting session at Custom BrewCrafters.  It was a lot of fun to go back to the brewery that is effectively my hometown brewery and to finally get around to doing the tour of the brewery.  For those of you how do not know about Custom BrewCrafters, they brew original, custom beers for exclusively for local bars and restaurants in the Rochester and Buffalo areas.  They also have a four year-round releases, and a couple seasonals at a given time, that are under their brand name.  Got some goodies to take back to Media with me - a few CB glasses and some solid beers.

Custom BrewCrafters' Krysztoff Baltic Porter (from their Signature Series) poured in one of my new CB glasses.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  Had a nice low key (for the most part) weekend with Theresa. :-)  Saturday, I was able to get the first brew of the year in the fermenter and I'm looking forward to tasting how this one is going to come out.  I decided to brew a concept that I have been thinking about for awhile - Banana Bread Ale.  Essentially, the base is very similar to a pumpkin ale, but is steeped with ~6 lbs. of roasted bananas instead of pumpkin, and is spiced with cinnamon and a little vanilla.  Planning on getting it into a secondary fermenter this weekend or next to let it ferment for another week or two before bottle conditioning the new brew.  I'm really hoping the flavor comes out the way I want (like banana bread) when all is said and done.  This one should come out ~5.5% ABV.  


The next brew in line will be with my buddy Keith and will probably be an ESB of some sort.  This one is his turn to choose the recipe.  We both were looking for a good session beer to brew up next.  We will probably be getting this one brewed up this weekend or next.


Been doing some thinking lately about some brewing goals for the year.  The two main ones are:

• Brew 10 beers this year (a mixture of solo brews, and brews with Keith)
• Enter some sort of brewing competition by the end of the year

The second one is a bit of a stretch goal but I think it would be a lot of fun to enter a brewing competition.  As far as beers I am planning to do this year, here a few of the highlights that I'm planning - blueberry wheat (probably brew this one in March/April timeframe), an oaked black IPA, an acorn squash beer brewed with maple syrup (planning on brewing this as a fall brew), and a couple hot pepper brews.

After brewing up the Banana Bread Ale on Saturday, Theresa and I went out with our friends Aubrey and Josh for Josh's birthday.  We both had a blast hanging out and having a few beers to celebrate! :-)

Josh and I having a couple beers at Sligo for Josh's birthday :-)

Looking forward to another pretty low key weekend this coming weekend, relaxing with Theresa! :-)


Song of the Day: "Guilty as Charged" by Gym Class Heroes (feat. Estelle)
Beer of the Day: Krysztoff Baltic Porter by Custom BrewCrafters

First Tasting: Ruination and Ubu Clones

So I got a chance to taste the Ruination and Ubu clones last night.  The ruination was pretty much exactly what I was going for - a very hoppy, bitter IPA.  Was very pleased with the way it turned out.  The Ubu was also pretty decent but was a bit on the sweet side.  I think this one just needs a few more weeks to bottle condition and age a little.  Probably gonna hold off on throwing more of them in the fridge for a couple weeks and try it again when I do.  All in all, I was very pleased with both brews. :-)

My Ruination clone in one of my Hard Rock glasses.  Very delicious! 

Song of the Day: "Caves" by Chiodos
Beer of the Day: Two Hearted Ale (American IPA) by Bell's Brewery 

Starting 2011 on the Right Foot

It probably sounds kinda cliche to say that I'm trying to get back in shape this time of year.  However, I'd really like to lose about 20 or 25 pounds over the next few months.  Trying to get back down my typical adult-life average weight.  So far, so good.  Haven't lost much weight yet but I haven't been eating as much crap and have been running and going for long walks with Theresa and Abby fairly consistently over the last couple weeks.  I have already noticed my energy climb a little.  I am trying to continue on this path and keep it up to incorporate it as my normal routine.  I'm also trying to do this by making a few compromises but still enjoy myself food-and-drink-wise.  For example, I'm not giving up beer.  Considering I don't drink mass quantities of beer (usually in the neighborhood of 2 - 3 beers in a night most weekend nights), and considering that beer-hunting and homebrewing are the hobbies that I am most passionate about, I think its a reasonable compromise.  I think I should get there slowly, but surely, over the next few months simply by exercising more consistently and eating better.

Now to the much more delicious and interesting portion of today's program ... BEER!

I'm pretty excited about my homebrew selection.  This Thursday will mark the two week mark on the bottle-conditioning of the Ruination and Ubu clones, which means this weekend is tasting time!  Both beers will probably get better over the next few weeks but I'm pretty amped to try the two new beers.  These two will also give a bit more variety to my homebrew selection; with the addition of these 5th and 6th volumes I will have three brews in bottle - the Tripel, Runiation, and Ubu.  Three brews is the most I have had in bottles at one time.  I am hoping to sustain this variety, if not increase it, as I continue brewing.  Its definately going to be nice to have a good variety of homebrew in the fridge.  I am hoping to get another brew or two in fermenters in February.  The next one will probably be a good session beer - maybe an ESB or something of that nature.  Sometime in March I want to get something in the can for the Spring.  I'm thinking of doing something like a blueberry wheat or something along those lines.

Equipment-wise, I'm thinking about getting some new gear.  Right now, I'm doing extract brews with a big stainless steel pot on an electric range with a beginners starter kit with a plastic fermentation bucket and bottling bucket.  I also picked up another plastic fermenter recently to use when I have two brews fermenting at once.  Next on the wish list is a glass carboy.  I want to get this mainly to use for secondary fermentations so I can do longer secondary fermentations with better quality.  For one, it will let me rack my beer onto other ingredients to age with, such as oak chips (I really want to do an oaked black IPA sometime soon).  Also, it should reduce some of the sediment that I get in my bottles (especially on bigger beers like Ruination).  Been looking into doing some other minor things too (like waxing or putting foil wraps on my bottles for better presentation for gifts).  However, I doubt I will do any other major upgrades at this point (like an all-grain setup) until I have house - I just don't have the space for the extra equipment right now.

On the beer-hunting/drinking front, it has also been a good start to the new year.  Among my favorites that I've picked up at Pinocchio's Beer Garden in the last week or so are Dogfish Head's Pangaea (a beer brewed with ingredients from every continent - even Antarctica (water)) and Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout.  Also had a chance to stop into the restaurant side of Pinocchio's and have a couple Lucky Bastards (which they had on draft) with my buddy Jim this past weekend.  It was good to have a couple solid beers with Jim and catch up.

Dogfish Head's Pangaea in one one of my Stone Brewery glasses.

Stone's Old Guardian Barleywine in my Vertical Epic glass.

That's all for now - hopefully I'll get in another update this weekend after tasting the new homebrews :-).

And I know you're dying for today's beer and song selections :-) .....

Song of the Day: "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" by Coheed & Cambria
Beer of the Day: Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Christmas, New Years, 3 More Cases of Beer, and a Few Goodies from the Beer Garden

Christmas was a lot of fun, and very relaxing this year.  I had a great time hanging out with Theresa and her family during Christmas Eve and Christmas! :)  Although I didn't make it up to Rochester around Christmas, it was pretty nice to not have to worry about traveling all over the place during the holidays.  Got some awesome new gear this year.  I added the four Saranac pint glasses from Theresa and the three Stone glasses that I ordered to my glassware collection.  Also got a couple new scarves, a new Saranac t-shirt, the Tenacious D Complete Masterworks DVD, a pack of Omaha Steaks Filets, and lots of other goodies.  All-in-all, it was another great Christmas with Theresa!

The week after Christmas, I worked from home.  There was definitely work to do, but the pace was pretty relaxed and I was able to spend another week of quality time at home with Theresa and Abby. :)

Abby and I at the park before the snow we got a week ago melted.

Last Thursday was bottling day for the two clones (my Ruination clone, and the Ubu clone that I did with my buddy Keith).  When all was said and done, the Ruination was pretty much right on the money with the final gravity and yielded about 2 cases (one in 22oz bottles, the other in 12oz bottles) plus a 4-pack of 12oz bottles.  I also had enough to draw a little out into a tasting glass and taste the Ruination in its uncarbonated form.  It tasted about what I expected - pretty much exactly what an IPA should taste like.  I am very excited to taste the finished product and to see how it ages.  I think this one should age very well and mellow out a little with age.  The 2oz of Centennial hops that were used during dry-hopping really came through in the taste.  The Ubu ale came out pretty successful too - the FG was a little off but I think the finished product will still taste like a solid English ale.  This one yielded 3 bottles shy of 2 full cases (one case fro me and one for Keith).  After getting through these two clones, I know am out of empty beer bottles and have a little over three and half cases of home-brewed beer (2+ of Ruination, 1 of Ubu, and about a half case of Tripel) conditioning in my second bedroom.

My Ruination clone in the fermenter before I transferred it over to the bottling bucket.  Definitely had a lot of sediment with this one.

Bottling bucket and empty bottles ready to be filled.

Now, onto New Years!  This was the best New Years I've ever had!  Theresa and I had a really nice dinner at the Moshulu in Philly followed by an awesome fireworks display at Penns Landing (which could be seen from the Moshulu).  The dinner was awesome - the two best dishes in mind were the tuna tar tare that Theresa had as an appetizer and the diver scallops that we both had for an entree.  This was the first time Theresa and I had done anything like this for New Years.  It was really special to be able to just relax with Theresa and have an awesome night out just the two of us! :-)

Penns Landing fireworks on New Years Eve, as viewed from the Moshulu.

With New Years marking the end of the holiday season, I am now shifting gears and enjoying one last day off (today is the day that IBM gives off as a holiday for New Years) before heading back into the normal work routine.  I have mostly just been relaxing the last couple days and I decided to run down to Pinocchio's Beer Garden and pick up a mix-a-six pack and a 22oz-er.  My favorites from this beer run has been Stone's Lucky Bastard and Left Hand's Black Jack Porter.  

Some goodies from the Beer Garden: Acme Pale Ale, Lake Placid's Ubu Ale, Stone's Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, Left Hand's Black Jack Porter, Victory's Hop Devil, Pilsner Urquell, and Stone's Lucky Bastard.

Song of the Day: "Tribute" by Tenacious D
Beer of the Day: Lucky Bastard by Stone Brewery