Vineyard and Alcoholery Production (cof cof...)

The Portable vineyard is coming along fine, the nursery vines seems to be growing well and the cuttings are a low percentage success. The last three weeks have resulted in a few drinks being made.

Some liqueurs have been made up, like anise flavoured, cinnamon flavoured and vanilla bean flavoured. Half a litre high alcohol content with ingredients should make up a nice drink around Xmas time, just seive the stuff out and add sugar- about 300g and equal amount of H2O.

Will be making limonella too, the lemon tree has stayed the course after a severe hair cut, and the fruit looks good. Poor old thing may need some more cut off it next year.

Have not made chocolate milk stout for a few years, so out to the brewery- and now have two-dozen-plus long-necks maturing. Give them six weeks and that will be a nice little present for other afficiendos too.

From 8 kg of sugar, managed to 'scrounge' 5 liters of base, enough to make 10 liters of spirits, or about 14 bottles of whotcar. Carbon filtering should remove most smells, or will 'scrounge' it again. Need to 'scrounge' some afters too, and maybe the horrible wine off the garage vine will be added to that. Faux brandy even!

The Portable Vineyard as of middle September:

Shiraz

Pinot

Chardonnay

There are at least three Shiraz cuttings, 5 Pinot and two chardonnay budding at the moment, and last years shiraz cutting are really doing well.

no housework so far, but beer brew ON!

I have done no housework so far today, as was scheduled ;-(, just making beer, as per Whitbread Milk Stout, yum. And a brew to turn into a bundy type drink, double distilled and triple filtered, come on summer :-). Just no housework, yet.

-as per face book earlier today.

Later, I read my friends blog, and needed to do something positive for me, not mooch around as September usually makes me do. Well, Tarns anniversary is closer and closer, which somewhat spoils the excitement of Frzldazlers 15th soon.

But, the day started...

I was doing something after a morning work run, which brought me to the The Alcoholery, aka The Shed. And a BREW TIME overtook me!

It's been a while since I made a batch of beer or stout. 

Went through the shelves, and assembled the gear and stuff. Found the measuring devices, as discussed previously and went to work, blithely ignoring the piles of crap left around by co-habitors. Washed the brewing vessels, boiled up the constituents and also made up some chocolate malt from scratch.

The bundy brew was the easiest, should get 15-20% out of 25L and 8kg of sugar. IE 5L to make 10L of bundy! All for about 20 buckaroonies.

The milk stout should be ready to bottle next week- forty bucks for two dozen classy tasting long-necks of stout, better than Guinness, and not eighty bucks or more! Just the time to assemble and brew, and then washing the bottles... (No pain, no gain...)

The Kitchen was left a mess, four different pots, from 3L to 10L used- oh boy, but was a quick wash up.

The bathroom is now the brew room; some wood, and the bath is a ready made bench, nobody uses it at the moment.

There is a nice smell about the place from the chocolate malted grains that were boiled up for the wort. Like having a coffee machine or vanilla milkshake, or fresh, hot and soft but crusty bread sitting there straight from the oven or bread maker!

I love those smells, like the yellow wattle in spring down here in south east Oz- you know that summer's is coming, and will be having a drink to that then!

Racked off the stout 7 Sept. Thats' a big bottle o' beer, Oi!

02 August measurement obsession?

02 August

measurement obsession?

I had a thought that with the new weather monitor I have installed-
 I have a LOT of measuring thingos around the place.

Steel rulers, 1ft and 1m

other rulers 4 or more

Measuring tapes, 2 x 30m, 2 x 3m

Micrometer electronic x 1

Logarithmic tables (35 years old!)

matching slide ruler for above

Refractometer for Sugar in grapes

Alcohol measurement- spirts x 1

Alcolol measurement wine and beer x 4

Multimeter x 1

Cooking thermometer x 1

Clocks with temp/humidity x 3

weather stations x 2

Hi-Lo mercury thermometer x 1

Compasses x 3

Distilling temperature gauge electronic x 1

Brewing thermometers x 2

Scales x 4

measuring spoon sets x 3

measuring jugs x 4

Computers x 6

levels x 3

palm pc x 1

calculators x 4

'basic language' handheld sharp programmable calcu;ator

fever health thermometer x 1

sports heart rate watch x 1

telscope

electronic microscopes

kid microscope

too much stuff- hard to find it Right Now happens a lot.