Quoting bonnsterthemonster:

Thanks HTPN! I've been trying very hard to keep up a positive attitude and trust that all will be ok. I stress out sometimes because I am working so hard and still cant' seem to get everythign done. But I have an intern at the shop so once she is trained then I can take on more work. I have so much on my plate, but gotta have relaxing times and forget about it so I dont burn at both ends. (The mind wants to race all the time. Opening a new biz is quite a burden, but I'm having fun!)

Thanks HTPN! I've been trying very hard to keep up a positive attitude and trust that all will be ok. I stress out sometimes because I am working so hard and still cant' seem to get everythign done. But I have an intern at the shop so once she is trained then I can take on more work. I have so much on my plate, but gotta have relaxing times and forget about it so I dont burn at both ends. (The mind wants to race all the time. Opening a new biz is quite a burden, but I'm having fun!)

Quoting bonnsterthemonster:

To homebrew you can order a kit if you'd like. There is a local place, hops and berries, that has really good stuff. First yo need a big pot, a really big pot, to make the wort. (Don't buy the wort pre-made, that isn't so good.) You need a thermometer, a giant tea bag type thing to put in the grains, a hydrometer to measure the alcohol content before bottling, some cheesecloth or another little bag for the hops, empty bottles, a bottle caper and caps (or a keg and CO2, which we want to do with an old fridge, so we can have a taper) You need a brew bucket with the little bubbler on top and another bucket with a tap (these are usually called "ale pales", and hold 5 gallons, or I think you can get 10 gallon ones too) and sanitizer. You also need a big spoon and a siphon with a bottling attatchment. First you sanitize everything and fil up your pot with water, bring to almost a boil and crush your (usually toasted) grains, put in the bag and steep it. You should use a thermometer to make sure it doesn't go over 170 degrees. You want a "tea", not cooked gruel. Then you add your hops and time that according to receipe. (IPA has 3 additions of hops at different times.) Take out the bags and put in sink with lots of ice to cool, or in a snow bank, or use a Wort chiller. Sanitize ale pale and bubbler thing and snap into lid. Put cooled wort into bucket with water to make 5 gallons, do it with a hose, slowly , so you aerate the wort,(Yeast need oxygen) then add your specialty yeast. (I prefer the liquid yeast.) Put on lid and it will start proofing w/in 24 hours and let it sit for a week. Then you test it, filter if desired and put into sanitized bucket with the tap and siphon (very important that everything that touches it is sanitized) and add your bottling sugars (to create the bubbles) then fill bottles and cap and let sit for at least a week, but it morphs after two, three and even four weeks, so patience is good. At least 2 weeks is recommended. (Or you can eliminate the bottling sugars and process and put into a keg with CO2 for the bubbles. BTW, the SCottish Ale is way too chuggable, but I only drank two on the fourth. I am trying to control my caloric intake and am going up to Rocky Mountain Nat'l park to hike today. "HUFFFFFF!!!"

To homebrew you can order a kit if you'd like. There is a local place, hops and berries, that has really good stuff. First yo need a big pot, a really big pot, to make the wort. (Don't buy the wort pre-made, that isn't so good.) You need a thermometer, a giant tea bag type thing to put in the grains, a hydrometer to measure the alcohol content before bottling, some cheesecloth or another little bag for the hops, empty bottles, a bottle caper and caps (or a keg and CO2, which we want to do with an old fridge, so we can have a taper) You need a brew bucket with the little bubbler on top and another bucket with a tap (these are usually called "ale pales", and hold 5 gallons, or I think you can get 10 gallon ones too) and sanitizer. You also need a big spoon and a siphon with a bottling attatchment. First you sanitize everything and fil up your pot with water, bring to almost a boil and crush your (usually toasted) grains, put in the bag and steep it. You should use a thermometer to make sure it doesn't go over 170 degrees. You want a "tea", not cooked gruel. Then you add your hops and time that according to receipe. (IPA has 3 additions of hops at different times.) Take out the bags and put in sink with lots of ice to cool, or in a snow bank, or use a Wort chiller. Sanitize ale pale and bubbler thing and snap into lid. Put cooled wort into bucket with water to make 5 gallons, do it with a hose, slowly , so you aerate the wort,(Yeast need oxygen) then add your specialty yeast. (I prefer the liquid yeast.) Put on lid and it will start proofing w/in 24 hours and let it sit for a week. Then you test it, filter if desired and put into sanitized bucket with the tap and siphon (very important that everything that touches it is sanitized) and add your bottling sugars (to create the bubbles) then fill bottles and cap and let sit for at least a week, but it morphs after two, three and even four weeks, so patience is good. At least 2 weeks is recommended. (Or you can eliminate the bottling sugars and process and put into a keg with CO2 for the bubbles. BTW, the SCottish Ale is way too chuggable, but I only drank two on the fourth. I am trying to control my caloric intake and am going up to Rocky Mountain Nat'l park to hike today. "HUFFFFFF!!!"

Quoting bonnsterthemonster:

So? You knew that. Didn't you??? It's weird. My liver processes and I get straight in an hour or two if I catch a buzz. I just don't get drunk but maybe once a year. It's always on a holiday too! LOL! Tonight I watched, "Twilight", whilst drinking a 2007, "Syrah" 2007 called, "Boom Boom". Go figure? And no Boom cars tonight.Horahhhhhhhaaay!I'm still drinking the vino, was steaming the carpet, and am currently in my office (now whittled down significantly since opening the sew shop) doing my books and watching "Surfer Dude" Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConahay ("All torso, no legs...all right allright all right!") and putting together a big ole basket of sewing projects for my intern to work on for next week. Exausted and trying to jell just doesn't work when you're driven. Oh, and I have washing in the machine. Multi-taskerorrama!!!!Maybe I'd rule the world if I didn't party. Tahhhaa! I don't know, all these naked bodies on the movie are a bit...distracting! Ah, the downfall of Hollywood. Well, like my brother says, "Sex sells." Ramble on...

So? You knew that. Didn't you??? It's weird. My liver processes and I get straight in an hour or two if I catch a buzz. I just don't get drunk but maybe once a year. It's always on a holiday too! LOL! Tonight I watched, "Twilight", whilst drinking a 2007, "Syrah" 2007 called, "Boom Boom". Go figure? And no Boom cars tonight.Horahhhhhhhaaay!I'm still drinking the vino, was steaming the carpet, and am currently in my office (now whittled down significantly since opening the sew shop) doing my books and watching "Surfer Dude" Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConahay ("All torso, no legs...all right allright all right!") and putting together a big ole basket of sewing projects for my intern to work on for next week. Exausted and trying to jell just doesn't work when you're driven. Oh, and I have washing in the machine. Multi-taskerorrama!!!!Maybe I'd rule the world if I didn't party. Tahhhaa! I don't know, all these naked bodies on the movie are a bit...distracting! Ah, the downfall of Hollywood. Well, like my brother says, "Sex sells." Ramble on...