Brew Day!

It's been a very, very long time since I have had an opportunity to actually brew. After a few months in county I think I have enough equipment to actually go through with the whole process.
I decided to go with a stout for my first brew on the new equipment. One reason is, by golly I love stouts. Reason number two would be that stouts can be very forgiving to the novice brewer. There is no worry about having it clear, and some of the flavors that come from poor management of your fermentation are hidden well by the grain choices.
Here is the recipe that I decided on:

8 lbs Light Malt Extract (Still on extract for the moment since it takes extra gear)
4 oz. Maltodextrin
1 lbs Black Roasted Barley
8 oz Munich Malt
8 oz Local Honey

1.5 oz Northern Brewer hops (bittering 60 min boil)
1 oz British Kent Goldings hops (aroma last minute addition)

The beer should come out at about 5.5% ABV. I am considering an addition of Vanilla Beans or Coffee in the secondary ferment. But I am not sure.

Brew day went very well! I have a few pictures to share:

Here is the new system in all its bright finish. I had the munchkin pose for size reference. You can see the 15 Gallon kettle on the burner and stand next to the CO2 canister and then a new keg.

Terra beer is still a work in progress. I imagine it will be sweet with chocolate in it somehow. After drinking a few you randomly hide things around your house and then forget where they are.

I thought for sure I had a grain bag for doing my steeping grains, but I improvised on the stove top. It worked out just fine, if a bit messy. 

The new burner works great! The kettle is a bit big so I had some evaporation concerns that I will be sure to keep track of next time. The stout will just be a bit... stouter.

Ahhh, the wonderful work of yeasties. You can actually see the ferment taking place in the glass carboy. Very  fun stuff to see. The stuff on the top eventually goes back into the beer and settles.

Managed to bunny ear my kid. What a great Dad I am.

So there you have it. A successful brew day! Three more weeks or so to go before it goes under CO2. I'll be sure to get coverage of that.

Tropical

Long delay. I'm sure that I can be forgiven considering the distance traveled.

Our things are still on the other side of the world, but we have a place to live. And it is nice to have a home again.

It is very difficult at first to come to terms with where we are. I mean, I know it is Japan. You can see that from the signs and the people. But the place itself looks nothing like I would have thought.

And don't let the little scrap of an island on Google maps fool you. This island is quite big enough thank you. Driving around it for even visits from base to base are a hassle.

When I say though, that it looks nothing like I would have thought, I mean that this place is down right tropical. Everything here is different.

The ocean is bright blue and green.

The houses and living complexes are right on top of each other, and quite frankly look very worn down on the outside. The term "slummy" comes to mind driving around parts of the island. (I imagine it has to do with the brutal beating that most of the island gets from storms and the heat/humidity. The insides of most of the places I have been are quite nice.)

The plant life and variety are impossible to describe. I've seen more butterflies here than I have ever in my life.

Even the clouds are different. They hang deep and low in the sky.

All in all I feel not only like I'm in a different country but a different planet at times.

There are lots of things that we are going to have to adjust to, but being here is a good feeling. I'm glad for it.

Honesty IS the best policy

So yesterday to celebrate my birthday Paul took Bear and I out for dinner. There is a local tourist trap (that actually has quite a few great stores) called the American Village. Fully equipped with a Ferris wheel and an A&W. Basically it is a large shopping district.

Inside one of the many two story shopping centers there is a really great Indian restaurant that I wanted to try out. The food was amazing and the service was quiet but very kind. We were the only ones in the place until the very end when they had two other customers. The employees kept laughing and smiling at Terra, I didn't think a blond curly haired child would get so much attention.

For a starter we had fried onions, which ended up being the only thing Terra ate. That was until the manager on duty (or owner for all I know) came over and gave her a sucker. We normally try to limit Terra's sugar intake, she doesn't get much candy. This was a special day, Paul and I wanted to eat in peace. Then came the curries! Vegetable, daal (bean), and a veg/daal combo. The bowls were pretty small, Paul was worried that this meal wouldn't be large enough for the both of us. Then we saw the 14in (at least) naan on the platter alongside the curry. WOW! I don't think we've had plain naan that good. It was thinner than we were accustomed to but that made it crispy and pretty amazing. Paul also ordered a side of garlic naan, which I'm sure he would have rethought having known the size of the naan on the platter.

We ate and ate and ate and wrangled Terra and ate some more. The best curry without a doubt was the vegetable, though all three were far from inedible. After we were finished eating and seeing the tumble weed stroll across what used to be our food platter, we sat and let our innards do their job. Fifteen minutes later we decided to forego dessert and just get the check, wrapping the left over garlic naan and fried onions for the following day.

By this time Terra had grown quite impatient with out slow eating habits so Paul took her out into the mall to run around. I was stuck paying the bill and collecting all our belongings. When you have a child you learn to keep a vast majority of toys at the ready. After packing the bag back up I walked up to the register counter and waited while the nice man totaled the damage. 4,440Yen. I opened Paul's wallet and counted out five bills with one's and zero's on them and proceeded to hand the money to the clerk. He smiled and corrected my counting, instead of giving him five one thousand notes I had given him five ten thousand notes. He laughed politely and told me to be very careful. "This is a ten thousand note, this is a thousand note." Seeing my mistake I laughed and thanked him gratefully. I was embarrassed. Did I not see the extra zero? Is my mind so accustomed to automatically placing a decimal in the hundreds spot? I think so. Getting used to Yen is going to take me some time. The man then handed me the change ensuring that I noticed the bill he was handing me was a five thousand note. "You must be careful." Again I thanked him and said farewell.

Urban Design

I found this wonderful gem of a video while reading a thread dedicated to the subject of "New Urbanism" which is something I was quite interested in, but had no idea it actually had a specific name. The video below is actually an hour long, but really worth your time. Something wonderful about movies like this from the 70's.

http://vimeo.com/5298850

I am amazed that so many of the problems with urban/suburban development were studied and researched to such a degree as far back as the 1970's. Yet we still see such incredibly backwards spaces being built. Maybe my view is skewed since I think of my home town of Shreveport and the rapid development there in the past decade.
I just can't fathom that still in the year 2011, cars are given more consideration during planning for developing spaces than the people who ride in them. It isn't a new idea that I'm talking about here. The streets of London were so wonderful to get around in. Not just because of the easy Tube access either.
I don't think that suburbia will be going away anytime soon, but I hope that some of the city starts leaking into the suburbs. It might do it some good. Or if you prefer a angrier look at things, have a TED talk.

The Day Job

My day job is mostly a managerial position at this point in my career. However that doesn't stop me from getting busy now and then with big projects. My class here in 29 Palms is basically over, which means I've done my final briefing.

The final briefing was a huge project, but I am happy with how it turned out. It also gives me a bit of an opportunity to share a little of the type of stuff I work on. So I'll put up a few of the diagrams with a little description. This definitely isn't an "every day" part of my job, but it gets thrown in now and then. 

Also, the project was completely made up including the premise so don't read into it. 

This is the transmission diagram, going into our division company providing satellite communications to three regimental size forward sites with redundant satellite links for ourselves reaching the states. We also have a co-located unit to provide communications for.

This is the set up of replication from our domain controllers to our parent and from us to our subordinate sites.  

Exchange architecture, again address replication from parent site.

Virtualization diagram and shares. Running three physical servers baremetal with ESX in order to maximize our equipment. Each set of virtual servers is set up with priorities in the event of failures for stability across three filers and capacity for 100,000 shares.

LAN diagram detailing connections within the division and to subordinate units.

I'm proud of what I put out for the class and I'm feeling confident enough to run the show when I get out to Okinawa. Just have to find out.

...

Earthbag Building

I'm a pretty realistic guy when it comes down to it. But, I have a bit of a pessimistic world view in the back of my mind, which I think is better than being naive. I'd much rather be prepared for the worst, than be caught with my pants down when the government collapses/aliens invade/zombies come.
Being an IT professional, that really doesn't give much in the way of "making" something when it comes down to it. So I like looking into things that I think may be useful to know and/or give me something that I can make with my own two hands that can be given to other people. It is why I love brewing beer! I can't imagine a world where people would sour on having a relaxing beverage once in a while.
It is also why I have had my interest piqued recently by earthbag building. It seems like an easy to learn skill that promotes a very earth friendly and sustainable shelter or even a home.

I am thinking of building the style in the picture above as a small tool shed or storage area whenever I end up in a permanent place. It looks like an easy enough job, and one that I feel I can do fairly easily. There is even a step-by-step instructable that goes over the process. 

There are lots of resources on sustainable building styles, and good starter projects to get your feet wet. I'll list a few of them at the end. 

Like I said, I don't think I'll ever end up making a bunker against zombies, but it looks like a fun and rewarding project that will pay off in the long run. Who knows? Depending on where we live in the end, making a large and well insulated earthbag building with good baled straw insulation would make a fine beer and wine cellar. Can't beat that.

http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/

http://small-scale.net/yearofmud/

Goals

Last weekend I made my goal weight of 185 lbs, which was fantastic. I'm quite pleased with the results of my diet change and the difference I feel with just being more active.

Going to the gym or exercising when you are not in shape can be intimidating. Doing a few curls with a 20lbs weight next to the guy curling a small Volkswagon can really throw you off. But sticking through that embarrassment really makes you feel good in the long run. I'm sure having a set plan with a workout schedule and a scientific analysis of calorie burn to fat loss conversion chart can help, but really you just have to start going. Getting that motivation to go for a week gets it into your head, and then it becomes a habit. That is what pays off in the long run.

Now for a bit of music that helped me through my workout and cooldown sessions:

I swear that The Sword sounds like an alternate universe that Black Sabbath spent a year growing awesome mustaches and playing Dungeons and Dragons all day. After they crushed Helzbozog the Dragon-Ender at level 20 on the planes of Fire, they decided to record an album or two and then stick it in a time capsule for safe keeping. Seriously rad.

I've had a hard time getting my head around Dubstep/dirty electro. I didn't quite like it at first. But I can't deny how it makes me move on a run. Just about the best "move your ass!" music I have.

And finally, from France, Caravan Palace. Swing? Electro-swing? I don't care. It is awesome. Also from their wiki, "The group formed in 2005 after three of the band members were hired by a film production company to provide the soundtrack to silent pornographic movies." Oh yes.

That is it for this week. I'd regale you with stories of my food creations here at 29 Palms with just a microwave and an iron, but I'm sure that you'd like to keep your appetite. 

Upgrades

The boring part of my classes it seems are starting to wind down. Moving into heavy BGP and WAN routing is proving to be much more interesting.

What does this mean? Well, for one, less time browsing homebrew sites during class time, but I had plenty of time to look over what I am interested in purchasing for my big brewing upgrade when we make it to Japan. Here are the toys I get for my birthday/holiday season during 2011 (as long as we can afford them of course)

15 Gallon Brewpot

Propane Burner

Better Bottle Carboy 6-Gallon

Breakfast Stout All-Grain kit

English Ale (The Innkeeper) All-Grain kit

I'm going to go for the 15 gallon brew kettle to allow for growth there. I can easily boil 5 gallon batches as well as move on up to 10 gallon batches in the future if I wanted.

The burner is pretty self-explanatory, I was using a friends burner for my brewing in Virginia. 

Getting myself a nice new ferment container because I am just not comfortable with the buckets any more and I am worried on how they will make the trip over seas (scratches are bad and can harbor bacteria). This will let me also see my fermentation taking place, which is great. I can tell more easily when to push out into my kegs.

And finally, a couple of kits to break in the new system. I have had my eye on the breakfast stout for quite a while and doing a bit of research on it. I am going to make some modifications to the kit for my taste based on the reviews of the beer. 

• I'll be adding in about two or three pounds of Marris Otter grain to the grain bill. The beer is incredibly low in alcohol (3.25 to 3.50% with good efficiency) so the extra grain will give it a bit more kick and body, but still keeping it under 5% so it will work out well for a good session (easily drinkable) stout. 
• I'm also going to get my hands on a can of Cafe' Du Monde coffee and make a cold extract of the coffee to add into the secondary fermenter for a good solid coffee flavor to compliment the roast barley and the oats. A true breakfast stout!

The second kit is really a mystery to me. The description sounds wonderful:

Thirty six major awards. Four-time Brewers International Champion. Four-time CAMRA Beer of the Year. Simply put, the muse for this kit has won more awards than any other English beer, period. From very simple ingredients comes a wonderfully well-balanced dram. Spicy, herbal, and English biscuits. Flashes of clean citrus and chewy minerals blend into a complex finish that is refreshingly bitter and remarkably dry. The way a pint was meant to taste. Truly spot on! 

I wanted a nice easy drinking beer for the end of summer. It looks like it will fit the bill. I'm thinking of substituting half of the corn sugar listed in the boil additions for honey to mellow it out a little.  Just have to see how motivated I am on that one.

All in all a very exciting time! Looking forward to meeting other brewers out there and sharing ideas and working together. I'm hoping to convince at least one other person to split up a big cellaring beer with me by Fall so I will have some bottles to age for a while. Maybe a barley wine, a belgian dubbel, or a fat imperial? The possibilities keep me dreaming.

clueless

So I wanted to contribute something to the blog, my first contribution will be pictures of Terra. Go figure =) The first was taken after her long day at the ER, she was so tired she fell asleep at 7pm watching her favorite movie. The second picture was taken on the airplane coming back from seeing Daddy, she did so great on the plane but then again it was a relatively short flight.

Trash Walking

I've been in Twenty-nine Palms, CA for about two and a half months so far. By about week two I had an idea that was nagging me every time I would go out for a walk. I have no vehicle here, so I walk to and from the school house (not far, maybe .25 mile one way) every day ,and to the commissary (3 miles one way) at least once a week.
Every time I set out on a walk I am reminded of my time in Iraq. The scenery is similar, the air is dry, and there is a ton of freakin' trash everywhere. I imagine that a bit of that has to do with the open spaces and the constant wind, but it gets to me every time I go outside. This isn't a ragged base in a war-torn country, this is California. Why is there so much trash?
So I had it in my head that I should start going for trash walks. Just my regular walks, but take a bag and pick up stuff along the way. I kept coming up with really lame excuses though.

"I don't have any trash bags."
"I don't have any gloves to reach into the bushes (thorny like hell)"
"I'm just going to wait until I can get one of those extendo-grip things so I don't have to dig in the ground and use my hands!"
But most of all,
"What if people laugh at me?"

This last one is the real reason it took me so damn long to get around to this. I keep to myself here, I don't talk much to the other Marines in class. I just don't feel like I fit well here. That's fine, really since I'm only here for a couple more months. I just can't seem to get it out of my head that I would be doing something considered degrading if I just went around and picked up trash out of ditches and fence-lines.
In the end I just got sick of ignoring it. So yesterday, I grabbed a trash bag, my music, and my sunglasses (to hide behind, lets be honest here) and walked to the commissary. I stayed on the path, and only grabbed things within about 5 feet of me on the way down, and nothing in the brush since I had no gloves. I still ended up with about half a bag full (10 gallon bag) by the time I made it to the store.

Now, I had too much to cart back with me along with the few things I was going to buy at the grocery, so I had to dump it in a trash bin rather than sort it for recycle.

So I had learned my lesson on that. The trip out is for scouting trash, and pick up is on the return. It seems the the only recycling bin is at my barracks, so it made sense to just bring it back there for sorting.

My second trip today was just for trash walking, I didn't have to be at the store or anything. Just a nice walk on a beautiful day. I ended up focusing on recyclable things as much as I could since I still didn't have gloves for bushes. But I walked ditches to get the majority of the trash and had to leave quite a bit behind. 

My bag also started to bust, so lesson learned there too.

All in all it was a great experience and I'm really looking forward to next weekend. I think that I can sew myself a bag that shouldn't bust and I can reuse rather than using trash bags.

Positive impact, good exercise and fresh air. Really what more can you ask for?

End of the week crud

After cramming for weeks to certify for the CCNA exam, I was expecting to be taking it easy for this next course. I just didn't realize it was going to be this easy. Boredom is an understatement. Thankfully, I do get internet which means I have lots of time to surf about beer/brewing.
Found out about a documentary called Beer Wars that was fun to watch. It did have some slow parts, but any time peeking into the lives of craft brewers makes me happy. I'd recommend it to anyone with any interest in the beer industry in America. It's a daunting place.

The end of the week gives me a chance to walk the crazy hills around Twentynine Palms. This time with camera in tow, so next week maybe I'll have something to show for it. Maybe a trip to the wood shop on base as well. Who knows?
I have a few ideas for projects to keep me busy. I'll leave you with an ear bug, I've been listening to Steve Martin playing banjo since Monday and finding a clip of him with Bela Fleck was revelatory. Hard to listen to this and feel sad.

Life without books.

This blog is going to be for me to share pictures and updates about my family and what we are up to, without being shackled to Facebook. I realized I spent far, far too much time checking status updates and trying to be perfectly witty or intelligent on things I really shouldn't have worried about. I also felt this sense of entitlement that was growing on me. I kept telling myself I would post things for me to go back to reference later, but I was terribly disappointed when no one would comment. Which is sad. So it was time to pull the plug.
However, I do realize that having a virtual outlet for family to check on us if they want to would be a great idea. So here is the compromise.
My good friend and fellow Pisces had a blog at one point which I greatly enjoyed. So I feel much less intimidated by the whole idea now.

I'll also be putting up my brewing adventures here whenever I get an opportunity, and any future plans for The Dire Badger that tumble out of my head.