Well the movers did get here and the stuff that was on the slate to be moved was. There were a few hitches along the way though. First they were late, which made me twitchy. I am not a guy that is scheduled down to the minute, but when I have a schedule to keep I make sure I keep it. Then there was the drive over to the storage unit. Normally there is no shortage of aggressive drivers in Kansas City, but they were no where to be seen on this drive. First I had a lady get between me and the moving van which was not exactly burning up the road, so I slowed down figuring she would get frustrated and pass me. No such luck, she stayed there for miles until she finally pulled over on the shoulder for some reason. By then there was a whole line of cars between us. Once more no matter how slow I went, no one passed me.
Once we finally got over to the storage unit things were easy. The unload took about 20 minutes, just a bit longer than the drive. Everything is stacked and reasonably secure. I even have about 40%-50% of space left. Which brings up another issue now. Right now I have almost all of the large objects I am moving to Seattle with me over there. The only notable exceptions are my flat-screen TV and computer chair. With the space I have left I want to grab a few more items. One of which is the stand the TV is on and a table that the legs come off of with ease.
What I really need to work on though is my brew gear. I have 10-12 carboys, a mash tun, brew pot, stand burner, a couple of kegs, and some bottles to take with me. I figure I am going to wrap all of the carboys in bubble wrap and shrink wrap. Put those that will fit in my freezer in there and stash the rest in milk crates.
Then once all of that is over there the only thing left to work out is the inventory. I have a fair inventory of beer and wine, well mostly wine at this point. I have two cases of beer for drinking and two for competitions, but at least 8 cases of wine. I have some people that will take some of the wine from me, but I do want to keep as much as I can. But I have two problems with it. One is I don't want to put it in a storage container that will sit in the sun for three weeks before being put on a truck to Seattle. The second is what to do with it once I am there. I will have limited space and I do not want to just leave it exposed to the swings in air temp there either.
I suppose this is a whiny problem to be having, but I need to get it figured out soon. Now back to packing the rest of my stuff up.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Swirling Chaos
I have spent the last two days getting ready for a milestone in my move to Seattle, big stuff day. I have people that are going to help me move the large objects that I am taking, and a big chunk of the boxes into the PODS storage unit that I will use for the actual move. The plan is to load up the stuff that I need help with, then fill in the remaining space with boxes as best I can. After that I can decided what I still have that I thought I wanted that either will go with the rest, or due to space considerations be left behind.
My list of large, important things is actually pretty short. I have a china cabinet and end table that my step-grandfather Pops made. I am pretty attached to them not only because he made them by hand (he was a cabinet maker), but also because they represent the sum total of my legacy from my father's side of the family. That is a long story and this is not the place. Another thing I care about is my Grandpa's chair. My Grandpa had this green vinyl rocking recliner, and when my Grandma remarried and broke up her house I ended up with it. It is not the prettiest girl at the dance, but it is still in good shape and it holds many memories for me. The other things are a chest freezer (for controlled fermentation), my bed, a couple of book cases, an old foot locker, and 20 odd boxes that are already packed. Just about all of my other furniture is either going (or has gone to) a new home, or will be left for the bank to deal with.
What I have to do now is make sure that everything will be ready when the time comes, which means clearing a path for things to move through and making sure everything is empty and ready to pick up. I think I am in good shape for this.
My list of large, important things is actually pretty short. I have a china cabinet and end table that my step-grandfather Pops made. I am pretty attached to them not only because he made them by hand (he was a cabinet maker), but also because they represent the sum total of my legacy from my father's side of the family. That is a long story and this is not the place. Another thing I care about is my Grandpa's chair. My Grandpa had this green vinyl rocking recliner, and when my Grandma remarried and broke up her house I ended up with it. It is not the prettiest girl at the dance, but it is still in good shape and it holds many memories for me. The other things are a chest freezer (for controlled fermentation), my bed, a couple of book cases, an old foot locker, and 20 odd boxes that are already packed. Just about all of my other furniture is either going (or has gone to) a new home, or will be left for the bank to deal with.
What I have to do now is make sure that everything will be ready when the time comes, which means clearing a path for things to move through and making sure everything is empty and ready to pick up. I think I am in good shape for this.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Beer School with Boulevard
Last night I attended Beer School at Barley's Brewhaus in Overland Park. Jeremy one of the brewers and Owner John McDonald were the speakers. Like all of these events they provided a lot of information about both the beers and the brewery. They even brought nice, well detailed information sheets about some of the beers. I suppose I should take it as a compliment that Jeremy (who attends beer school regularly) told me that he was trying to give me some detailed beer geek information so I did not have to ask too many questions. But enough about that, what about the beers?
The first up was their newest beer Boulevard Amber. I have to admit that I am not a great fan of the standard American Amber Ale, I think most of them are too malt focused and tend to end up cloying and sweet. That being said, I did like this beer. The malt and hops are much more balanced that most examples and there was a bit of hops at the end the cleared the palate so it was ready for another drink. They did mention that this beer was similar to the seasonal Irish Ale, but I have not had one of those recently enough to tell you for sure. What I can tell you is that I like this much better than Fat Tire,
After that we had the ZŌN. This is a Belgian Wit beer, the same style as the famous Celis White. What I really like about ZŌN is that it is a nice crisp example of this style. The flavor and aroma citrus does come out from the coriander and the orange peel, but it does not over power the flavor of the beer. So many examples of this style, both commercially and homebrewed either have very little of the spicy character, or it is so far over the top that you can't taste anything else. It takes a restrained hand to make this type of beer well, and Boulevard's is one of the best.
Then the started in with the Smokestack Series. The first up was Long Strange Triple, which is oddly enough a Belgian style triple. I like this beer, it is well made and is just what one looks for in a triple. It is not anything that will knock your socks off, but it is competently made which puts it ahead of some other beers on the market. I have to confess that triple is not the first thing I reach for when I want a beer. I am more of a fan of smaller beers that I can have more of for the same amount of buzz. If you like big Belgian beers and have not tried this one you are missing something and should grab a bottle next time you are at the store.
Next up was the beer I had been waiting for Dark Truth Stout, which is not on the website at this time. I have three bottles of this that I have been holding onto so I really wanted to try it. The beer has a nice roasted barley / coffee flavor, a few hints of chocolate - but not much. I lost track of how many specialty grains they said were in it, ten or eleven, it could be more. There was some flavors of dark stone fruit and port from a little oxidation which were very nice. I am not quite sure if it would be a dry stout or an American stout. I know it does not fall in the other BJCP stout sub-styles, well perhaps oatmeal stout because I remember they said there were oats in the grist. If all you drink is Guinness, you need to buy a bottle of this and taste the real thing.
The final offering of the night was Double Wide IPA. This is an imperialized version of the Single Wide IPA, which I actually like better. The Double Wide seems a bit cloying to me, where the Single Wide is just a good clean beer. I think IPA's should be thirst quenching on a hot summer day, and the big imperial interpretations are just not that kind of beers. Compared to some of the other really big IPA's Double Wide is rather restrained in hopping so it is a nice choice for those that are working their way up to being a hop-head.
The first up was their newest beer Boulevard Amber. I have to admit that I am not a great fan of the standard American Amber Ale, I think most of them are too malt focused and tend to end up cloying and sweet. That being said, I did like this beer. The malt and hops are much more balanced that most examples and there was a bit of hops at the end the cleared the palate so it was ready for another drink. They did mention that this beer was similar to the seasonal Irish Ale, but I have not had one of those recently enough to tell you for sure. What I can tell you is that I like this much better than Fat Tire,
After that we had the ZŌN. This is a Belgian Wit beer, the same style as the famous Celis White. What I really like about ZŌN is that it is a nice crisp example of this style. The flavor and aroma citrus does come out from the coriander and the orange peel, but it does not over power the flavor of the beer. So many examples of this style, both commercially and homebrewed either have very little of the spicy character, or it is so far over the top that you can't taste anything else. It takes a restrained hand to make this type of beer well, and Boulevard's is one of the best.
Then the started in with the Smokestack Series. The first up was Long Strange Triple, which is oddly enough a Belgian style triple. I like this beer, it is well made and is just what one looks for in a triple. It is not anything that will knock your socks off, but it is competently made which puts it ahead of some other beers on the market. I have to confess that triple is not the first thing I reach for when I want a beer. I am more of a fan of smaller beers that I can have more of for the same amount of buzz. If you like big Belgian beers and have not tried this one you are missing something and should grab a bottle next time you are at the store.
Next up was the beer I had been waiting for Dark Truth Stout, which is not on the website at this time. I have three bottles of this that I have been holding onto so I really wanted to try it. The beer has a nice roasted barley / coffee flavor, a few hints of chocolate - but not much. I lost track of how many specialty grains they said were in it, ten or eleven, it could be more. There was some flavors of dark stone fruit and port from a little oxidation which were very nice. I am not quite sure if it would be a dry stout or an American stout. I know it does not fall in the other BJCP stout sub-styles, well perhaps oatmeal stout because I remember they said there were oats in the grist. If all you drink is Guinness, you need to buy a bottle of this and taste the real thing.
The final offering of the night was Double Wide IPA. This is an imperialized version of the Single Wide IPA, which I actually like better. The Double Wide seems a bit cloying to me, where the Single Wide is just a good clean beer. I think IPA's should be thirst quenching on a hot summer day, and the big imperial interpretations are just not that kind of beers. Compared to some of the other really big IPA's Double Wide is rather restrained in hopping so it is a nice choice for those that are working their way up to being a hop-head.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Intersection of Beer Geek and Computer Geek
Part of my process to get ready for migration has been clearing out old junk. I have a couple of old computers lying around, both were supposed to be transformed into Linux servers or something else that I never did. I don't want to just throw them out, the electronics can contain all sorts of things you want to keep out of the landfills.
There is an option though, Best Buy has a recycling program that will accept all sorts of things. The only problem is that they don't want to take computer hard drives. Once upon a time I actually built my own computers from parts, I don't anymore and could not even if I wanted to. But I do know enough to take out a hard drive. So then I had 5 hard drives that were stacked in a box. Now I had an external drive that had died that I built a stir plate using the neodymium magnets. I decided to get rid of it before I moved to save space. I want to build a new one once I get to Seattle, but I will need magnets to do that.
So today I sat down and harvested the magnets out of all five hard drives. Once I get to Seattle and have some working space, I will build a new, stronger stir plate. The problem with the old one is that the cell phone power supply I scrounged was only 7 volts and that did not provide enough power to stir a full liter of starter in a one liter flask, it seemed to work fine for one liter of stater in a two liter flask though (I think it was the higher water column in the smaller flask created too much resistance in the under-powered fan). I also have a box of 12 volt computer cooling fans harvested from a few machines as well. The newer machine actually had three fans it in so now I have plenty to work with.
I think if I have fans left over I am going to build a herb/hop dryer using the fans to draw air through the material spread out on screens.
There is an option though, Best Buy has a recycling program that will accept all sorts of things. The only problem is that they don't want to take computer hard drives. Once upon a time I actually built my own computers from parts, I don't anymore and could not even if I wanted to. But I do know enough to take out a hard drive. So then I had 5 hard drives that were stacked in a box. Now I had an external drive that had died that I built a stir plate using the neodymium magnets. I decided to get rid of it before I moved to save space. I want to build a new one once I get to Seattle, but I will need magnets to do that.
So today I sat down and harvested the magnets out of all five hard drives. Once I get to Seattle and have some working space, I will build a new, stronger stir plate. The problem with the old one is that the cell phone power supply I scrounged was only 7 volts and that did not provide enough power to stir a full liter of starter in a one liter flask, it seemed to work fine for one liter of stater in a two liter flask though (I think it was the higher water column in the smaller flask created too much resistance in the under-powered fan). I also have a box of 12 volt computer cooling fans harvested from a few machines as well. The newer machine actually had three fans it in so now I have plenty to work with.
I think if I have fans left over I am going to build a herb/hop dryer using the fans to draw air through the material spread out on screens.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Moving Logistics
Today I have been trying to set up the logistics of my move across the country. Some things were pretty much set by outside factors, such as how long I have before I have to be out of my current place. In order to keep myself from stressing out anymore, I did make a smart decision. I am not going to try and rent a truck and move everything myself. Instead I am going to rent a POD storage container, load that up, and let them move it to Seattle for me. Then on the other side all I will have to do is pay a monthly storage fee to keep my stuff in place until I have a place of my own.
This is wise because I will be living with my brother and sister-in-law until I have a job and can get my own place. I still need to pare down my pack-rat accumulation of junk, but it will not be as severe as if I needed to go down to only what would fit in one room.
I have to say that I am finding it very freeing to be getting rid of the junk that seems to be weighing me down. I have come across clothes that I have not worn since college, VHS tapes of movies that I have since bought on DVD, and paycheck stubs for companies I have not worked for in 6-7 years. Why do I have all of this? I suppose it is because I had space to fit it into and no motivation to clean it out. Well now I have strong motivation and am working like mad to clear it all out.
The trick will be preventing a new build-up of crap once I have made the transition.
This is wise because I will be living with my brother and sister-in-law until I have a job and can get my own place. I still need to pare down my pack-rat accumulation of junk, but it will not be as severe as if I needed to go down to only what would fit in one room.
I have to say that I am finding it very freeing to be getting rid of the junk that seems to be weighing me down. I have come across clothes that I have not worn since college, VHS tapes of movies that I have since bought on DVD, and paycheck stubs for companies I have not worked for in 6-7 years. Why do I have all of this? I suppose it is because I had space to fit it into and no motivation to clean it out. Well now I have strong motivation and am working like mad to clear it all out.
The trick will be preventing a new build-up of crap once I have made the transition.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Getting Started
This blog is going to serve a couple of purposes. The first is to chronicle my migration from Kansas City Missouri to my new home in Seattle Washington. I will be posting bits about the process and my impressions of my new home once I am there.
The second use, which will take a greater share as I go along, is to serve as a place for me to record my thoughts about craft brewing and home brewing and the brewing industry in general. I know what you are thinking...the world does not need another beer geek sounding off in the blogosphere...and you are probably right about that. But I just want a place to record my thoughts that lies outside of my other online existence.
That said I will make an effort to keep this space clear of topics that are not part of the core mission. Not that I am afraid of controversy, it's just that what you think of the current President is not what I am here to discuss. Comments from trolls will be deleted as well, you may get your nut off causing trouble, but I don't have to put up with it.
The second use, which will take a greater share as I go along, is to serve as a place for me to record my thoughts about craft brewing and home brewing and the brewing industry in general. I know what you are thinking...the world does not need another beer geek sounding off in the blogosphere...and you are probably right about that. But I just want a place to record my thoughts that lies outside of my other online existence.
That said I will make an effort to keep this space clear of topics that are not part of the core mission. Not that I am afraid of controversy, it's just that what you think of the current President is not what I am here to discuss. Comments from trolls will be deleted as well, you may get your nut off causing trouble, but I don't have to put up with it.
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