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| Yeah, the pic is old, but it gets the point across. That is my most estimable brother on the left. |
Racking...Compleat! As of this Thorsday, 10-7-2010, batch 0001 has been racked into one of the glass carboys. Probably could have racked a little earlier, as fermentation is now nearly complete, but as a wiser man than myself once said "Let's not argue and bicker about who killed who." The task of racking was made incredibly easy by the auto-siphon I picked up from the good folks at our local brewing supply company, homebrewit.com. Unless you have mad siphon skillz or a lovely assistant who can suck-start a leaf blower, I highly recommend that particular piece of equipment.
Naturally the most important part of the proceedings was to take this opportunity for a little tasting of the merchandise. To give an appropriate air of gravitas to such an occaison, we busted out the prayer from the 13th Warrior:
Lo there do I see my father,
Lo there do I see my mother,
And the line of my people, back to the beginning.
They call to me now, and bid me join them
In the halls of Valhalla
Where the brave may live
Forever
Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer...I am awesome. This stuff already tastes pretty good. Some aging to mellow it out, clarify, and smooth the rough edges, and I think that Batch 0001 is going to be a winner. It is translucent and kind of an iced tea color, in keeping with the dark wildflower honey. We're rocking a solid 12% alcohol by volume according to our amateurish-at-best use of the hydrometer. Whatever the exact number, it's got enough power to put a warm glow in your chest on the way down.
I now know how Dr Frankenstein felt when he cut loose with his famous, "It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" To drink your own booze and have it taste good is pretty damn epic; I am producing a controlled substance in my basement. Bring on the zombie apocalypse, I can make my own alcohol.
-Ben Rooney
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