St. Patrick's About a Stout!

So a couple weekends ago I went with Nick Lennemann to his parents cabin in Minnesota. During this weekend we consumed quite a bit of beers. Good beers too. None of that water down piss. (ok, some watered down piss).

The best beer of the weekend though, was Nick's very own Homebrew: "St. Nick's There Can Be Only One Scottish Ale". It tasted as good as it sounds (and thats a Highlander reference for those of you keeping score at home). I was surprised to find out it was his first attempt at beer making.

I decided that I wanted to make my own beer, so on the drive back he gave me tips. That is how I have come to this:

That is the label for my first brew, a stout. I went to the Midwest Supplies website, and ordered what Ineeded. They were delivered in just 4 days and I had what I needed to brew 5 gallons of stout.

What I got was this:
(The contents of which is explained here.)

After a few days, I was ready to start brewing. This is my step by step diary:

9/12/2009
8:30pm
-Sanitize 1 gallon of water and put into freezer in santized tupperwear dishes using Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser .
-Sanitize 5 gallon wert kettle, a bowl to use to keep supplies clean, spoon and thermometer using Easy Clean.
-Add 4 gallons water to Wert Kettle and place on heat. Bring to boil.
9:10pm
-Water is boiling.
9:14pm
-Pour grains on to cutting board and roll with rolling pin to "open them up".
-Place grains into sifting sock (much like a pantyhose) and set in the bowling water (like a tea bag in a cup.)
9:45pm

-Remove grains from kettle, squeezing the sock to help it drain.
9:47pm
-Crank the heat and let it boil.
10:00pm
-place the Malt Extract into a warm bath so that it becomes less syrupy and more liquid.
10:14pm
-At a rolling boil.
-Take the kettle off the burner.
-Add gypsum and malt extract (BE SURE TO REMOVE THE RING OFF THE TOP OF THE MALT EXTRACT JUG... OTHERWISE IT FALLS INTO YOUR WERT... NOT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME OR ANYTHING...IMJUSTSAYING!!!) Drench the bottle and be sure to get all the extract out of the jug. (AGAIN, REMOVE THE RING FROM THE TOP FIRST.)
- Stir well.
10:25pm
-Put wert back on the burner and bring to boil.
10:47pm
-Once boiling add bittering hops by placing them into the same sifting sock.

11:45pm
-Remove bittering hops and add aroma hops to the sifting sock.
-Place sock into wert and move up and down for 2 minutes.
9/13/2009
12:02am
- When it looks like this, it's ready.
- Remove wert from burner and place in an icebath in the kitchen sink. (I used 20lbs. of ice.) Add in the 1 gallon of frozen water.
- Coming off the burner, the temperature of the wart was 140 degrees F.
- Place lid on top.
12:17am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 130 degrees F.
12:21am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 102 degrees F.
12:33am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 86 degrees F.
12:40am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 80 degrees F. Perfect!
- Now that it is 80 degrees F, take wert out of ice bath and pour it into 5 gallon bucket for primary fermentaion. (use the bucket without the hole in the side).
- Place santized glass jar into the wert, scooping out enough for a Hydrometer reading. The reading was 1.046.
12:45am
- Add more sanitized water filling the bucket to the 5 gal. mark.
- Prepare the yeast by pouring the packet into 90 degree F water, let set for 10 minutes.
12:50am
- Begin whisking the wert with a clean sterilized whisk. That puts oxygen into the wert. Do this until it gets a nice foam on top.
12:55am
- Add in the yeast.
1:00am
- Place lid on top and put the airlock on the hole (filling it with half with water first.)
- Put into closet with thermometer on the side.
5:00pm
- I realized the temp was at 79 degrees F, a little to high for my liking, so I moved the bucket from the closet to right in front of our air conditioner placing a fan on it.
- For the next 3 days, it never got above 72 or below 69.
9/17/2009
8:26pm
- Opened the primary fermentation bucket, and noticed the foam from the fermentation had gone down. Leaving a dark ring about an inch thick above the beer.
- Took a small sanitized glass, and scooped out some. Tasted it. IT WAS GREAT! Stacie and I both had a taste, and were satisfied. No contamients!
9:05pm
- Prep the glass carboy by sanitizing it in the bath tub. (The heat and steam made the fire alarm go off. Awesome).
- Sanitize the auto siphon.
9:17pm
- Begin siphoning the beer from the primary fermentation bucket to the glass carboy.

- Once it starts to get low, tilt the bucket so as not to get the sediments at the bottom in the Carboy.

9:25pm
- Cork the carboy and add the airlock, filling it half with water again.
- I placed the glass carboy into the closet because the temperature does not bug me as much now in the secondary fermentation.

9/22/2009
7:59pm
-Began to steralize the bucket with spout, cyphoning tube, and hose.
8:10pm
- Took hydrometer reading: 1.114
8:15pm
- Cyphoned beer from carboy to bucket with spout.
8:22pm
- Began to bottle.
9:15pm
- Bottling was finished: 52 12oz bottles and 1 16oz bottle.

9:22pm
- Placed into closet in 2 boxes to let set for 2 weeks.


10/4/2009
10:30pm

-Opened first bottle of St. Patrick's About a Stout and drank. It was Great! Began labeling a few bottles for friends and family. SUCCESS!

That is all for my Stout (except drinking!). I am currently making:
"St. Patrick's Tastie Hastie Hefeweizen"

10 Movies I Want to See...

The following is a list of 10 movies that come out between now and the end of the year, that I think are going to be great. There are also trailers, so you can see if you also would like these movies or not.

10. Nine
Release Date: 11-25-2009
IMDB says: Famous film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother.

I says: This is not the animated movie called 9 which also comes out later this year. No, I am talking about a live action talky with the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis. Who is one of the greatest actors of our generation. It also has a string of lovely ladies, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Hudson. Not to leave out Fergie, who I think is sexy, but everyone else in the world has mixed opinions of and the double punch of Sophia Loren and Judi Dench, two women born in the 1930s who are still hotter than most hollywood stars today.



9. 9 (you didn't see that coming did you?)
Release Date: 9-9-2009
IMDB says: When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where all humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.

I says: This movie just looks good. I don't usually go for the animated stuff, much less this style. (Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride... not my thing.) However, on the heals of being surprised by Coraline, and an all star voice cast including Chris Plummer, Martin Landau (is that something you might be interested in?), John C. Reilly, Elijah Wood and Crispin "I played Marty McFly's father" Glover, I think this will be a twisted experience.



8. The Informant!
Release Date: 9-18-2009
IMDB says: The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president turned informant Mark Whitacre.

I says: So there have been a lot of movies the last few years I have skipped, 2 being Michael Clayton and Syriana. Why? Because even though I am interested in the plot, I have a hard time getting into political driven movies like the such. However, The Informant, a tounge and cheek film with the same plot lines, looks great. Matty Damon is a funny guy as is, but surround him with Joel McHale (from The Soup), Paul F. Thompkins (from Best Week Ever), Scott Adsit and Patton Oswald, and you have gold. This movie will make you laugh.



7. Brothers
Release Date: 12-4-2009
IMDB says: A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. Based on Susanne Bier's film, "Brodre". |

I says: I didn't see "Brodres". But, I am going to see this film for 3 reasons. Jake Gyllenhall, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. Now, I am not a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan, nor am I a huge Tobey Maguire fan, but I've been saying for years these two had the same DNA. Remember when Kirsten Dunst would go kiss Tobeyon the set of Spiderman and then go home and bang Jake? I am pretty sure she thought she was dating Spiderman. Poor confused girl. And then Natalie Portman, who I haven't seen in anything since Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited (in which I got to see her nude), is great in everything. I just hope it doesn't suck.



6. Extract
Release Date: 9-4-2009 (already out, haven't seen yet)
IMDB says: The owner of a flower-extract plant (Bateman), tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife (Wiig), a hot new temp (Mila Kunis), and employees who want to take advantage of him.

I says: Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck and Mike Judge. That's reason enough to go see this movie. Remember Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill or Office Space or Idiocracy? How about any Kevin Smith film or Arrested Development? There is no other reasons needed to go see this movie. So why haven't I seen it yet? (I was under the impression it came out next month, until I started writing this blog.)



5. Inglourious Basterds
Release Date: 8-21-2009 (already out, haven't seen yet)
IMDB says: An American-led killing squad known as “The Basterds” terrorize the Nazis in German-occupied France during World War II.

I says: I really want to see this movie. I do. I just haven't had the time. James saw it, he told me all about it. Fuck. I should see this movie huh? Tarentino? Ryan the Temp? Brad Pitt? Nazi Killing Bad Mother Fuckers? Yes I need to see this movie. (Also, if you watch the trailer I have posted, check out the vicious crazy shit in the comments. People are really fucking crazy.)



4. The Invention of Lying
Release Date: 9-25-2009
IMDB says: A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.

I says: I saw Ghost Town on a plane to Dublin. Not bad. Made me giggle. Of course I am a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, and so just seeing his name on a movie would be reason enough to check it out right? Well, what if I add these names to the mix aswell: Jason Bateman (holla), Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, Louis CK, and Nathan Corddry (Rob's Funny Brother), now whattayathink of that? I literally cannot wait to piss inside my pants watching this movie.




3. Where the Wild Things Are
Release Date: 10-16-2009
IMDB says: Young, mischievous Max is sent to bed without his supper, but when his bedroom turns in to a magical jungle landscape filled with strange creatures, he embarks on a wild imaginary adventure.

I says: Remember this fucking book? Holy shit, what a crazy story about a kid and his make believe animals. I bet ya it'll be tons of CGI and shit huh? Nope, it's as real as Harry and the Hendersons. Directed by Spike Jonze and even has Mark Ruffalo in it. I can't wait to show this to my kids when I am older so that I don't have to read to them. Aww, the wonders of Parenting.



2. Sherlock Holmes
Release Date: 12-25-2009
IMDB says: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

I says: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is bad ass. Iron Man is bad ass. Jude Law is bad ass. Guy Ritchie is bad ass. Therefore, Sherlock Holmes is bad ass. A classic story being told in the vein of Snatch/Lock Stock. Yep, I'll be there.



1. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Release Date: 11-13-2009
IMDB says: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

I says: I never heard of the book this is based on. I have been aware of the story though for several years. Because IMDB has had this film listed since late 2003. That was around the same time I found myself drawn to the work of Wes Anderson. Well since then, we've had The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, Noah Baumbach gave us The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, and Owen Wilson made our day by NOT succeeding in his suicide attempt (yikes). This is a stop-motion film. In the vein of those old Frog and Toad stories. I have been waiting 6 years for this, and with voice talents of George Clooney, and Meryl Streep, with Wes Anderson film mainstays Bill Murray, Jason Shwartzman, and Owen Wilson, I cannot imagine it sucking.



also, here is a featurette about The Fantastic Mr. Fox, narrated by Jason Shwartzman: