Bubblings From the Fermenter
By Dave Perez
Well folks, it seems like last week that I was sitting here, drinking a Two Hearted Ale, writing the May Bubblings (I swear Mark keeps on advancing the date these things are due). So here I sit, not Two Hearted or broken hearted, but drinking a tasty, big Rogue Imperial Stout. Seems fitting that I should be drinking this beer, since I once again have put off brewing my Imperial and Oatmeal Stouts for another weekend. Keep it down out there! I have already heard the heckling from Wayne and Richard, "Even Mark has brewed you wuss." So, I will put it here in writing that by the time you read this I will have the Oatmeal Stout bubbling in my fermentor. Now, let me tell you why I didn't brew.
There I was. Minding my own business, when out of nowhere, this dog comes and drinks all my brew water, and this was while it was boiling! Then I go in the kitchen to tell Sara what happened and there she was, eating oatmeal made with the oats for my stout. Now, just as you are saying to yourself, "this is just too much", I find that my cat knocked the yeast into the grain bin and it turned into bread. You see, it wasn't my fault. There was a global conspiracy, conspiring to thwart my zymergistic efforts.
Wake up Dave. You're having a nightmare. Oh, sorry. Where was I? Oh yes. Why didn't I brew last weekend? Before I bore you with another lie to protect my fragile ego, I'll just come clean and tell you. I am disorganized. Shock and dismay spreads throughout the brew world! My brewery was a mess. Here I was ready to embark on my first all grain batch and I couldn't find my bung for my brew kettle. It was a mess. Everything I started to do went wrong and it was becoming a stressful brew day. This is supposed to be a relaxing and fun hobby. Here I was getting pissed and frustrated, while Sara just shook her head in disgust. Being the highly organized and level headed person she is, she convinced me to put off the brew session until next weekend and to organize the brewery.
I tell you this because I think that is why some of us don't brew as often as we could. Those who do brew a lot tend to have well organized breweries and well thought out procedures. Some of the best and most relaxing brew days have been with Robert Riley, Dave Williams and Wayne Smith. They are set up well and flow gracefully through the brew from start to finish. So go clean out the brewery, prepare the night before, and relax, don't worry, and have a homebrewed stout. Imperial or Oatmeal would be fine choices.