What'd ya'll make today?

[Saltbush Bill]

Today was probably the lightest day I've had since I retired 2 weeks ago tomorrow. All I did was cut up 12 chickens from the 102 we slaughtered Tuesday. I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.

Someone once told me that " just because you are getting older , it doesn't mean there will be less chores or work to do each day"
Ive found that to be very true.
I have no idea how people can become bored in life ,retired or not, bored people must either not have enough hobbies , or enough interest in other aspects of life.
Personally I don't work anymore ,but I'd need another set of arms, and two more lifetimes to get even half of what I want to do done.
Anyone is bored or at a loose end , feel free to drop in , I can put ya to work to ease the boredom.

[Deplorable]

Today was probably the lightest day I've had since I retired 2 weeks ago tomorrow. All I did was cut up 12 chickens from the 102 we slaughtered Tuesday. I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
I may need to go back to work just to get some time off.
I've removed trees, ground stumps made 2 trips to the land fill, orchestrated a memorial service, painted half my house exterior, washed and waxed my truck, and just ordered a disc brake conversion kit for my 5th wheel.
I'll be glad when the rains return so I can slow down and just run some liquor.

Congratulations on retirement..... Maybe?
I retired for 3yrs and couldn't handle it. Imma can't lay around guy. So between all my chores at home I now do some carpentry work to add to the madness. Welcome to retirement

I don't plan to be idle.
I'm in a mad rush to get things done here that have been on my list for some time before I go back to my prior employer as a contracted advisor. They'll double my salary and pay me overtime. I've got my to-do list whittled down about halfway. I'm on track to have it all done before they can extend the offer.
Today, I finished the exterior work on a new shed build and started on the interior. Sunday I can start on the electrical for the interior (solar). Monday, I've got contractors coming to reinsulate the crawl space under the house.
Once the new shed is done, I need to demolish the old one and extend my RV parking 15 feet.

Somewhere in there I've got a "work trip" planned to a friend's place to help install the disc brake conversion on my 5th wheel, before we head to central Oregon for Labor Day weekend.

[Deplorable]

Today was probably the lightest day I've had since I retired 2 weeks ago tomorrow. All I did was cut up 12 chickens from the 102 we slaughtered Tuesday. I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.

Someone once told me that " just because you are getting older , it doesn't mean there will be less chores or work to do each day"
Ive found that to be very true.
I have no idea how people can become bored in life ,retired or not, bored people must either not have enough hobbies , or enough interest in other aspects of life.
Personally, I don't work anymore, but I'd need another set of arms, and two more lifetimes to get even half of what I want to do done.
Anyone is bored or at a loose end, feel free to drop in, I can put ya to work to ease the boredom.

I've yet to actually meet anyone who is both married and bored in retirement.
It's funny though because my working friends seem to think I have time to spare. Or they don't understand why I'm tired as fuck on the weekends.
Every time I look around, I see things I can add to my to-do list. Who the hell can get bored? If you own a home, there is always shit that needs to be done.

[higgins]

Stripped a single malt yesterday.

I'm trying something new (to me anyway) with my single malt feints. I had saved both high feints (several heads jars with a couple of tails jars) and low feints (remainder of tails jars) from my last single malt run, and I added the low feints to the wash before stripping.

I'll add the high feints to the low wines before the spirit run.

[off-topic]

Put me in the retired, married, not bored category.
I retired Jan 1 2015, and like Deplorable is doing, I went back to my employer as a contractor 6 months later (and stayed for 3 more years). In that 6 months between retiring and returning to work, I dropped 25 lbs because of working on my new 3 acre retirement 'hobby farm' on the mountaintop. There is always something to do, and that 25 lbs has stayed off for nearly 10 years now.

[/off-topic]

[brewbob]

Started a new ferment, 3-5gallons with 4lbs corn, 2.6lbs of rye and 6 row malt (had 4lbs of each ground together), 14oz oats, and 2.5 lbs of sugar per bucket. Had good conversion and sitting at 1.065-1.070 sg.

Also checked on my bottles for last falls pear brandy. Since the whole family was involved we got some nice bottles for it.

I hung some of them in the pear tree this spring so I can have brandy with a pear in the bottle. Brandy has been on wood while the pears grow.

[Yummyrum]

Arrrr , I see what you are doing Brewrob .

Very clever

[Bradster68]

Started a new ferment, 3-5gallons with 4lbs corn, 2.6lbs of rye and 6 row malt (had 4lbs of each ground together), 14oz oats, and 2.5 lbs of sugar per bucket. Had good conversion and sitting at 1.065-1.070 sg.

Also checked on my bottles for last falls pear brandy. Since the whole family was involved we got some nice bottles for it.1000009548.jpg
I hung some of them in the pear tree this spring so I can have brandy with a pear in the bottle. Brandy has been on wood while the pears grow. 1000009547.jpg
1000009546.jpg

Super cool

[SW_Shiner]

Put down a 50L CROW bourbon using ylay yeast. Already taken off like crazy.

[Biker24a69]

Waiting a new to me bourbon to ferment out
59% corn ground extra fine
29% distillers malt
12% chocolate rye
Enzymes and dady
Come on next weekend so I can get to running it

[higgins]

I did a spirit run on a single malt yesterday.
60.5% pale malt
18.9% munich
18.9% light peated
0.7% chocolate
0.9% crystal 120
a blend of S-04 & US-05 yeasts.

This is SM #6 for me and I did something a bit different on this one to try retaining more peat character.

• Saved 2.5gal/9.5L of the beer.
• Added 1gal/3.8L of low feints (38% ABV) from SM #5 to the remaining beer for stripping. I strip low, 5% or less off the spout.
• Added the saved beer and 1gal/3.8L of high feints (78% ABV) from SM #5 to the 4.5 gal/17L low wines for the spirit run.

My yield was 28 15oz/440ml jars run at 1.9 LPH plus two 32oz//950ml jars lowest tails run fast. It smelled great coming off the spout, and a middle jar tasted great at 30% dilution, so I think it might be a winner.

Also ready for a spirit run on my single rye (100% flaked rye, YLAY), probably Thursday.

I'll hold both of these for a cuts party later this month.

[brewbob]

Stripping run on last weekends "use the rest of the grains before I restock" mash with some feints. Even though I planed to run it again I collected 16 individual pints. Smelled great coming off, I only made it a few hours before I had to taste it. Surprisingly it is smooth and has a nice balance of sweet and grain flavors, I don't think this needs another pass. Can't wait to see what time does with this run.

For reference:
5 gallon
1.3lb sugar creek 6 row malt
1.3lb sugar creek rye malt
14oz oats
4lbs corn
2.6lbs sugar

I did 3 buckets, had about 12 gal wash.
Mashed like an all grain, added the sugar while cooking corn.

[NZChris]

Proofed myself a bottle of my Chicken Grappa that was inspired by this thread. viewtopic.php?t=71406

Smooth and yummy.

[higgins]

I did the spirit run on my 100% flaked rye mash yesterday and collected 25 12 oz jars. Those near the middle were spicy sweet - I think its going to be a good one after some time in a Badmo.

[SW_Shiner]

Stripped ~50L of a YLAY CROW bourbon. First run on Saturday went very well, got about 9L @30%. I use my small still (Still Spirits T500 boiler) as i can strip on grain with internal covered elements(Love not having to squeeze and clear a mash). Did the second run Sunday but put too much grain, and ran it too fast during heat up so a little bit stuck to the bottom and kept causing it to switch on and off. I'm guessing that's a thermal cutout, which is annoying, but better than getting a massive scorch. All done i ended up with about 18-19L at ~28% ready for spirit run next weekend.

[Alchemist]

OMG, I've been doing so much distilling and not posting a thing. In the two months I've brewed, stripped, done the spirit runs, blended and am now aging (where applicable):

2 generations of Odin's Pumpernickel Rye and made my own pumpernickel for it. Part is aging with 1% toasted caraway.
My variation of Odin's easy gin with wild harvest juniper.
Cocoa brandy (fermented concentrated run off from cocoa fruit fermentation) Cacao vie??
100% peated scotch
Plum brandy
and cleared out enough heads and tails (and 2 gallons of pumpkin liquor made last fall) to make over 4 gallons of 83%.

Right now I'm looking at bringing in some agave pina from Mexico for Mezcal and seeing if I can find a few folks to join me.

[Beefer]

3 stripping runs yesterday for my first AG whisky. Looking at another 4 today if I can squeeze them in to work through the gumballhead that I made with the spent grain. Lots of lessons learnt, but the main one is a 200L pickle barrel isn't enough space for a 200L AG ferment. Didn't work that out until I was fully committed - plans had to change on the fly.
On the plus side - the plastic bin with the mesh splatter guard worked a treat for straining all the grain ready for today's run. I stuck the pond pump in a paint bag to draw off the clear wash on top, then scooped all the slops into the straining insert and went to bed. Woke up to nice dry compacted grain in the insert and half a pickle barrel of cleared wash ready to run.

[kiwi Bruce]

Started a new ferment, 3-5gallons with 4lbs corn, 2.6lbs of rye and 6 row malt (had 4lbs of each ground together), 14oz oats, and 2.5 lbs of sugar per bucket. Had good conversion and sitting at 1.065-1.070 sg.

Also checked on my bottles for last falls pear brandy. Since the whole family was involved we got some nice bottles for it.
I hung some of them in the pear tree this spring so I can have brandy with a pear in the bottle. Brandy has been on wood while the pears grow.

My wife had a pear tree (well, mine now) it has "Fire blight" and I don't know if it will make it until next spring. If it does I'll try the "Pear in a Bottle" Love what you've been able to do, Great job and good pic's

[Bradster68]

Started a new ferment, 3-5gallons with 4lbs corn, 2.6lbs of rye and 6 row malt (had 4lbs of each ground together), 14oz oats, and 2.5 lbs of sugar per bucket. Had good conversion and sitting at 1.065-1.070 sg.

Also checked on my bottles for last falls pear brandy. Since the whole family was involved we got some nice bottles for it.
I hung some of them in the pear tree this spring so I can have brandy with a pear in the bottle. Brandy has been on wood while the pears grow.

My wife had a pear tree (well, mine now) it has "Fire blight" and I don't know if it will make it until next spring. If it does I'll try the "Pear in a Bottle" Love what you've been able to do, Great job and good pic's

I just bought a pear tree that had lots of shoots. Early spring. Leaves dies and turned black,even after watering the whole while. I so wanted a pear tree

[kiwi Bruce]

Every time I look around, I see things I can add to my to-do list. Who the hell can get bored? If you own a home, there is always shit that needs to be done.

+1 on THAT Deplorable. The flusher went on the shitter, went to Lowes got new guts, went to install it and noticed water on the floor. Ran the tub and sure as shit the tub surround is leaking. Cut off the lower drywall and SHIT SHIT SHIT ! What a mess. So It's been a week of flushing with a bucket. I have the toilet side of the tub surround open far enough to get in there and remove the lime build-up and clean it to re-calk but I had to remove most of the drywall, then the plumbing fixtures to get the surround out, one of which I had to sawzall to get out. Still two days of work to go...oh fun fun fun
I have always said I'd rather do a week of electrical than a day of plumbing.

[kiwi Bruce]

I just bought a pear tree that had lots of shoots. Early spring. Leaves dies and turned black,even after watering the whole while. I so wanted a pear tree

Look on-line at images of "fire blight" If that's what your tree looks like get a variety that is "Fire Blight" resistant. Fire Blight is a bacteria and once it's in your soil you can't get rid of it. I got the anti-bacterial spray, helped the apple trees but the pear is in a bad way.

[higgins]

I've got 5 friends coming over on Tuesday to do the cuts on my rye and my latest single malt, so I made 2 more 6 qt badmos yesterday.

The one for the rye is new oak, seasoned, heavy toast, heavy char. The one for the single malt was made from used bourbon barrel staves that I scraped and moderately re-charred.

[Grappa-Gringo]

I made a Sweetfeed yesterday that came out roughly 60% for a final product of 3 litres. No cuts...came out smooth off an electric stripping run.
Clear and smooth... quite happy with it. Took forever though,lol I'm used to my propane firing it up quick and easy. Gave me a chance to trim up the garden while it was bubbling away.

My question is this: I'm making labels for this and think it can be called a Sweetfeed White Dog, can it not? I'm not putting any staves in it or anything, let me know. Curious. thanks in advance. GG

[SW_Shiner]

Did a spirit run on a YLAY CROW whiskey on saturday, 25L of 29% low wines. Will do cuts and put it on wood tonight.

[Beerswimmer]

Double strip day of 2 stripped bourbon ferments, next will be a spirit run!

Again.

[Alzahra888]

Ground my grains today for three 20l ferments. Since this will be my first all grain I’ll run a mini batch of Jimbo’s single malt AG using 4kg of wheat malt and ferment it side by side with a 3:1 corn to wheat malt and a 3:1 corn to barley malt.

I ground the feedstock cracked corn in a semi-retired nuova simonelli coffee grinder on the loosest setting. It comes out a little courser than cornmeal but was super fast.

Ive got some store bought wheat malt which i ground by hand in a very loose setting with a bench corn mill. Seems to work fine for the malt but its my first time and I don’t know what i should be aiming for— anyway I have a bag of shop-milled wheat malt arriving tomorrow for beer brewing and I will compare their milled with my grind.

Finally i did the same grind setting for a batch barley i malted at home this past spring which i will add in with the corn pregelatinized so i dont get too thick. After all the grinding and coming to my homemade dark brown malt which was heated to 190°c for an hour and fifteen minutes, i have to say this was the best part because the smell of caramel got in my nose just like the bakery across the street. By the way my retriever just loves these malts and licks up everything that falls.

[Bradster68]

Ground my grains today for three 20l ferments. Since this will be my first all grain I’ll run a mini batch of Jimbo’s single malt AG using 4kg of wheat malt and ferment it side by side with a 3:1 corn to wheat malt and a 3:1 corn to barley malt.

I ground the feedstock cracked corn in a semi-retired nuova simonelli coffee grinder on the loosest setting. It comes out a little courser than cornmeal but was super fast.

Ive got some store bought wheat malt which i ground by hand in a very loose setting with a bench corn mill. Seems to work fine for the malt but its my first time and I don’t know what i should be aiming for— anyway I have a bag of shop-milled wheat malt arriving tomorrow for beer brewing and I will compare their milled with my grind.

Finally i did the same grind setting for a batch barley i malted at home this past spring which i will add in with the corn pregelatinized so i dont get too thick. After all the grinding and coming to my homemade dark brown malt which was heated to 190°c for an hour and fifteen minutes, i have to say this was the best part because the smell of caramel got in my nose just like the bakery across the street. By the way my retriever just loves these malts and licks up everything that falls.

Did you heat your malt to 190c? You must mean f. If you went that high you may have denatured your malt. Most go between 140 to 150f

[Alzahra888]

Was going for flavor additions not enzymatic activity, as per Buccaneer Bob’s write-up from which the attached table is lifted.

Now I am in new to me territory. Was the enzymatic quality that which would have loosened the corn? If so then I bypassed that benefit. But with my small batch it didnt need loosening and it has gelatinized as i just shut down the fire and am now cooling before adding my enzyme malts.

But this is an important question for my next batch which will be bigger.

[Alzahra888]

My duh moment. Yes Bradster, i needed the enzymes like alpha-amylase and beta-amylase present in malted barley to break down starches into simpler sugars during the gelatinization phase.

Thanks for picking that up!

[Beerswimmer]

Double strip day of 2 stripped bourbon ferments, next will be a spirit run!

Again.

Did another spirit run yesterday, cuts from that today. Now I need to start shopping for a barrel

[Deplorable]

I got enough sh*t done around the house I decided I deserved a hobby moment, and through together my first of two 20 gallon washes of all molasses rum.