A Tribute to the Holidays

Koala Tribute was sampled for the first time tonight. Blair was unsure he would like this Lager style beer. Although it is much more suitable for brewing in the cooler winter temperatures, taste and drinkability rank high on his list.

Fortunately, we were both pleased with the way the Tribute is progressing. Full carbonation and a pleasant taste thus far. Definately ligher than our other creations, but still a colorful and only slightly hoppy concoction. I wish the JB were here to enjoy it's OZ smoothness. I expect the Koala to only get better in the coming weeks. Should be at it's peak around SuperBowl time, if you smell what I'm steppin' in.

Xmas went off without a hitch. It was celebrated at mi casa this year, with Dad, Liz, Becca, and Kyle in attendance.

Kyle awarded me a $3000 check hidden in a beer stein. It is the first payment from him reimursing me for monies lent him during his schooling.

Step-mom Liz and step-sister Becca.

My pa reveals some pepper beer-bread mix. It was definitely peppery, but not that good.

Kyle finds that he has been re-gifted some toilet paper.

This seemed totally appropriate, and matched the desired color scheme.

Beer Success

Fantastic news people:

Just when Blair and I had given up hope that our Noose Nectar (Porter) would ever carbonate to the point that it could be considered anything but "brown water", the impossible happened.

After weeks of incubating in the warmer temperatures of our office, and being treated to the occasional gentle shaking, the Noose Nectar was showing no significant signs of ever being a drinkable brew. Sample after sample was attempted, but no carbonation was present.

Accepting defeat, we packed the bottles home, put some in the fridge and started to mope. Eventually, I suggested that in order to free up some bottles for our next batch, we just needed to buckle down and drink the "brown water". We cracked one open, ready to perform a sort of last-rights type of ritual, when we were treated to the crisp fizzing sound of a carbonated bottle opening. We instantly locked eyes in shock and awe. I jumped back, frightened.

We poured the beer out into to glasses. There was fiz. There was bubbles. I was reminded of words uttered by a famous Australian when sampling the Dangleberry Blowout: "It's working".

After a swig, there was much rejoicing.

Due to some inexplicable laws of physics and chemistry, the Noose Nectar had finally come of age. I drank three bottles that night in celebration, and three more the next night just make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Oh,... and it's good, real good. Damn good.

But it gets better. We popped open a bottle from our third batch of homebrew, Teriyaki Frostbite tonight.

It is absolutely incredible. I am just astounded at how good it is. And I think it is going to be even better in the coming month. I am serious when I say that I would stand this stuff up against any professionally brewed micro-brew. It would compete among the best. And I made this stuff in my kitchen! Too easy!

So Blair and I think we've got this carbonation thing figured out, and now there seems to be no stopping us. The scary thing is that I can't imagine making any beer that is BETTER than what we already have, so I pray that we can keep creating these great beverages. Knock on wood.

That's all I can report for now. Koala Tribute is in bottles and, with luck, will be coming of age in the first weeks of January.

Get Serious,... Hippy

Well, not much to report for the last couple weeks.

For the first time ever, Xmas will be celebrated at my house this year. I usually go to my father's home, but he finds himself between houses as he transitions to a new job in Portland. Thus, the whole crowd will be packed into my humble, cold house for the better part of a week. Wish me luck.

Most of my friends are now aware (mostly due to this blog, as twisted as that is) that I have recently broken up with my girlfriend. Now, the "set-up" game has begun. I'm supposed to be reviewing one girl's photo this week for a possible "set-up", and there is a coffee shop in town that I'm supposed to visit in hopes of meeting another young woman. The coffee shop gal sounded pretty neat from what a friend told me of her, and I'm told that after I break her up with her current boyfriend (a Division 1 wrestler), she could be all mine.

Of particular note, the infamous Koala Tribute homebrew was racked and bottled this past weekend. It shows marvelous potential in both the drinkability, fizz, foam (just the right amount), and hopefully carbonation categories. Lager is now definitely my beer of choice for winter brewing, as the yeast used in lager takes particular joy in being subjected to the relatively frigid natural temperature of my house. In fact, it won't have it any other way.
I wonder how much it would cost me to ship a bottle to JB on his big island south of the equator? Probably not a real option, sadly. Guess I'll just have to drink one for him,.... to bad, since the beer was made and named in his honor.

Also on the topic of beer: After a big more than one year, I finished my "beer card". This card is much like the old Subway Club card, where you get a stamp for each sandwich you buy and eventually get a free one. At my local pub, Suds and Suds, you do the same thing, except you get a "beer card" signed for each beer you drink on their 50 beer menu. It is officially called the "Around the World Challege" (much of the beer is foreign,... what an adventure indeed!). So I handed in my card with only one slot to go, and I was awarded my free T-shirt and given my final beer at no charge! What a deal! I probably only spent about $300 for that honor,...
Soon, my name will appear on a shiny new plaque that will be hung on the wall of the bar, along with everybody else who has ever completed the challenge. If you come a visit me, I can take you down and show it to you,... and I can get another pint signed off on my NEW card!

>>>>>>

Anyway, let's get serious here. Thus far, this blog has been a haven of silliness and narcissism, and I'd like to keep it that way. But in the interest of talking about something a bit more serious and worldly, I think I will shortly be starting a new blog. Actually, I haven't decided if this topic will warrant a new blog or not, so stay tuned and I'll let you know where to find my wild ranting when I get it ready for an internet audience.

The first item of discussion of this new blog (or whatever) will be energy conservation, a topic I got seriously interested my sophomore year of college, and one that I still preach and perform each and every day.

In truth, this new discussion will probably serve only to reveal how much of an angry, eco-hippy, out-of-touch, nutcase I truly am, and most of you will probably stop talking to me.

More later.

Adventures of the Present Tense

Thanks to some friendly and much needed prodding by fellow blogger JB, I’ve taken to my keyboard to update this lonely blog. To learn more about this influential and motivational chap, check his blog at:

http://jsb178.blogspot.com

and also in my sidebar ----->

I’ve taken to my keyboard to update this lonely blog.

Recent highlights in the world of Stephens are as follows:

-JB, CAROBERT, and CAROBERT’S lovely wife visited C-town. The boys sampled Dangleberry Blowout. They frowned at the name. They seemed to enjoy the brew itself. JB dissected a Vagrant Records sampler CD with surgical precision.

-Tarika and I have chosen to separate. I am single again, a role that, for better or worse, I am very good at playing. The transition is a sad, but well rehearsed turmoil. I slowly consumed a gallon of Carlo Rossi, made Chex mix, and bought a new computer game that possess nominal entertainment value, but teaches me a lot about World War II.

-I recently saw a Led Zeppelin cover band named “Stairway Denied”. These young men do the Gods of Rock supreme justice. If you want to see a quality show and rediscover the sounds of a band from whom almost ALL heavy rock was birthed, you can check out one of their shows. One of the things that make this band great is not only the intimidating technical abilities required to imitate the skills of Plant, Jones, Bonham, and Page, but the youth and raw energy these boys posses.

http://www.stairwaydenied.com

-Two new beers have made their start in recent weeks. One new beer titled “Stella Dog Premier Red”, mastered by Mr. Don, a co-worker of mine. Blair and I helped in its creating, mostly be telling wild stories and eating Mr. Don’s food. Blair and I also mixed down a new batch of our own frothy goodness. In fact, it was created the day after my new mate, JB, paid C-town a special visit. In his honor, we are brewing an Australian Lager, which I have named “Koala Tribute”. Here’s to you bucko. -There was a false JC sighting in my living room. The “false JC” turned out to be a stained glass rendition of a dog, but it was paid appropriate homage nonetheless.

-I recently attended my company’s annual holiday party. And as usual, a handful of us that shy away from the formal scene quickly made a pilgrimage to our favorite local pub, Suds and Suds. For some, not even Suds could quench the thirst for further debauchery, so the party moved to a friend’s house for hot-tubbing, cigar smoking, guitar playing, and some other unmentionable juvenile acts. Casualties included a drowned cell phone (not mine), my eardrums, and copious amounts of pride. -My brother continues to immerse himself in the Portland open-mic comedy scene. A distance acquaintance of his posts some of his comedy and random acts of boredom on a website. I would not normally provide a link to this sort of thing (especially considering its rampant vulgarity and adolescence) but I notice that in some of his standup bits, he wears the exact same ugly, gas-station-attendant-type coat that I own and love. For that and that alone, I introduce you to David Cope at:

http://www.howicope.com/rtc.htm

My brother thinks David is a genius. I think David has an undiagnosed bipolar disorder and is the son of a professional Republican housewife with a diet pill addiction.

-I am writing a new song. It is heavily influenced by Nirvana and the Rolling Stones, so it should prove interesting at the very least, if not downright epic.