Our first homebrewed beer is finally done! It’s dark and syrupy, with hints of vanilla and bourbon, and seems to be improving with age. This is chewy, almost syrupy beer that comes in at about 7% ABV. We’re pleased with the first brew and are already planning our next.
With brew #2, we’ll likely make a smaller batch (1 gallon versus the 5 gallon) of all-grain, rather than using malt extracts. The malt extracts seem to lack the depth of flavor of all-grain brews. With smaller batches, we can also be more creative, without the risk of making a large batch of bad beer. Continue reading “It Was A Dark And Stormy…Porter”
While we are enamored of our Muscovies, we love duck eggs and the girls, being seasonal layers, have stopped laying entirely. We’d been researching duck laying breeds and had narrowed the possible choices down to Indian Runner, Khaki Campbell, or Welsh Harlequin…but the front-runner was the Runner, with its upright posture and penchant (surprise, surprise!) for running upright. What’s cuter than that?
Just when we were starting to think that this would really be a never-ending summer, the chill in the air has brought summer to a close. The leaves are falling are here. When a strong breeze blows, it looks like it’s raining leaves. Fall is definitely in the air.
A packet of San Francisco style sourdough starter has been in the refrigerator for years. We love sourdough bread, so we pulled it out and reactivated it.
We’ve had many integrations this year: several groups of chicks as well as ducklings. Integration isn’t easy – the older animals aren’t nice to the younger ones (think freshman and seniors), and it’s new and stressful for the young ones. Eventually, though, it has to happen. The last group of ducklings has finally been integrated into the main group – hooray!