Summing up the holidays...

Well, that's it. The holidays are officially over. Instead of giving a huge listing of what I've been up to, I'll attempt to sum up:

Work: Conference Papers, Company Christmas Party, year-end reports and accounting.

Travel: Travel to Company party, five-day adventure including unplanned drive from Seattle to
Boise, thanks to a winter storm that Alaska Airlines and Seatac weren't prepared for.

Family and Friends: Christmas at home, Boxing day with my family, day after with in-laws, day after with friends, interspersed with a day or two of work and New Year's Eve at home with some friends.

Is it any wonder I haven't updated my blog?

For 2009, I have resolved to knit less. That's a resolution I think I can keep.

So, how about the brewing front? I have plans afoot.

I'm finishing up conversion of a second half-barrel keg for use as a hot liquor tank, and a larger cooler so I can make the occasional ten gallon batch of beer. I'll christen it on Sunday (probably) with ten gallons of "leftover hops" IPA to split with my neighbor, who wants to learn to brew. Given that he works for a major Colorado brewery, I think getting more into craft beer is an admirable pursuit.

The IPA will have a mix of hops, including Columbus, Sterling, Willamette, and Sorachi Ace. We'll ferment half with S-05 yeast for its neutral profile, and half with WLP-862 (Cry Havoc) at low ale temperatures for a hybrid beer. It's my first run at Cry Havoc, so I'm excited to see how it turns out. Here's a shot of the starter, whirling away on the stir plate.