Spring is near
Whilst walking to the tube station this morning, I noticed that the bulb flowers have started to bloom and all the trees have new buds starting to form. The tree outside my office window which I watched die back only a few months ago is now covered with the white buds of the new bloom. I am not a green thumb by any means, but for some strange reason I get excited (and no not sexually) by all this. I think there are a number of reasons. The first being that I like that things get bigger and better over time. Spring brings a feeling of renewal which leads to anticipation of good times and warmer weather. Of course this is an illusion as come mid-September everything dies and it gets cold and miserable again. One type of plant interests me more than others. This is the hop plant, the all important grass which seasons and preserves beer. I can visualize it now, thousands of rhizomes awakening all over Kent, Europe and North America with their buds preparing to break the ground an reach for the sun. Will this year see the end of the 'world wide hop shortage'? Will there be a new variety discovered that will transform brewing forever....... You can see why I get off on this stuff.On a sadder note though, 11000 miles away in New South Wales my own modest hop garden is reaching maturity and the bines are starting to die back. I have tasked my Dad to pick this years harvest, dry them and place them in the freezer so I can use them upon my return - whenever that may be. My hop garden currently consists of 18 bines, but this will most likely be doubled next year. As our family farm is in the Monaro region of NSW it is far from ideal/commercial growing conditions, but perfectly acceptable for my requirements. The picture above was taken by my Dad on New Years day last year and these particular cones are from a Columbus bine.
Whilst it is not ideal for hop growing, It is a very good apple growing area though, and I plan to commercially grow cider apples in the future, but that's another story. Plus, I don't really like cider!
Tonight I am off to the launch of BrewDog's new black lager - Zeitgeist. I have not had a beer since Sunday, so I am frothing for a pint. I hope it's all it is cracked up to be.
posted by Tim at
Friday, February 27, 2009
8 Comments:
Wow.. Spring surely is near!
Tim, I'm gonna be there tonight. Come say hi!
Will do Mark. Its going to be exciting...
Dr., I'm thinking about picking up an Australian Shepherd mix. Do you know anything about Australian Shepherds? This lil' dude is a supposed cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Anatolian Shepherd.
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6153934
He looks like the kind of dog I'd go drinking with and take to rock shows. Ever hear of the Church, one of the greatest rock bands of all time? If you haven't you're a disgrace to your country.
Australian Shepherd my ass. That's a Staffordshire crossed with a Jack Russell. Looks likea cool dog still. I'd have a beer with it. This is what you want. A true Blue Healer Australian Cattle dog.
My jury is our on The Church. I think I dislike them as they are named after a relgious 'false god'.
Oh dear.....Somehow I don't think they're terribly religious.
The Blue Healer is cool, but probably out of my price range. There are so many cool dogs that need homes, I just won't consider buying from a breeder now.
On a beery note, I read somewhere that the flavor profile of Nottingham is between lager and cider. That's not far off. My current beer is pretty thin and cidery. I think it's back to S-05 and S-04 for English stuff. The last beer I brewed with S-04 I didn't like. Largely because I don't like the flavor of Torrified Wheat. I used half a pound. It's great for head retention, but I can't stand that dry popcorn flavor it produces. I may use S-04 again, and cut the torrified wheat in half.
I might be inteh market for a dog soon. I just go to the pound and give a stray a new home.
I have not used SO5 as the dried yeast but have use the white labs WLP001 a few times and it's the shizzle. I have not had much luck with SO4, but torrified wheat doesnt float my boat. Next time just use half a cup of plain flour. Boil it in some water first and then just stir it into the mash.
Wurst, paying money for a blue heeler is very un-Australian! You should get one from a mate of a mate, or some bloke down the road who's dog has just had puppies. I'd go for a drive out into the sticks to get one before I payed some inflated price from a pet shop or a breeder.
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