Well my Hopslam yeast culture is still feeding on the sugars, so I didn't need to add more. Decided to move on to transfering the smoked porter into a keg. I've got 3 kegs left without beer in them. One with cleaning solution, one with plain water to flush the cleaning solution and one empty.

I started to gather all the parts for the empty keg so I could clean and sterilize them. For some reason the last dip tube that is left, is too long for the keg body. When inserted into the keg it hits the bottom with 1 1/2 inch still sticking out. Appearently the two different styles of kegs I own have more of a difference then the number of handles. Damn, one of the shorter dip tubes must be in a different keg. I have 6 kegs with beer in them. I don't want to start taking them all apart to see which one has the wrong tube.  (I did check the cleaning solution and rinse water kegs)

The only other solution is to bottle the smoked porter or one of the beers from a keg.  I choose to find the keg with the least in it. Here's where the good news starts. In the very back of the, unheated, storage room I found a batch of Golden Draak. I guess my earlier idea worked. Put whats left of this great brew way in back, behind some things so it's out of sight and I might be able to save the last gallon for awhile. I originally brewed it about Nov '06. It did work! I totally forgot about this one.

I decided to tap it and see if it was still good. No infections, but flat as can be. At about 12% ABV, I doubt anything would live in it. Well, lets pressurize the keg and get this brew carbonated and ready to bottle. Looks like I'll be cleaning and sterilizing this keg and some bottles later this week.

I'll take the filled bottles to work, where I have an extra fridge with many different beers I'm trying to save. I stash the last few bottles of each batch I brew in there as long as the batch was unusually good. I also stash rare or hard to find beers like some Lambics, Dark Lord Imperial Stout and many others.

I'll have to write more later. My kids finally woke up and want breakfast.

Posted by model.rockets at 1:45 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 February 2008 12:58 PM EST

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I strayed off the subject in the last post. I didn't mean to whine about my kids so much. The object was to figure out how to get all kids involved with model rockets.

When I attend rocket launches I usually bring extra loose motors and assembled rocket kits with me. Not for me to fly, I rarely have time, but for kids to fly. When I see a child that is hungering to fly a rocket for the first time, I'll offer him (or her) their first opportunity for free. I rarely see a child walk away disappointed after their first experience.

Now, how do you get more familys to bring their kids to a launch?

Posted by model.rockets at 10:18 AM EST

Updated: Sunday, 17 February 2008 10:35 AM EST

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When I get home from work today, I think I'm going to relax with a homebrew, then work on a couple projects. First I need to keg a smoked porter. I hate having to tear apart a keg and sterilize all the pieces. Especially the long dip tube. Kegging is sure a lot easier then bottling though.

Another project will be to boil a pint of wort with light DME to add to my yeast culture. I'm trying to culture the yeast from a bottle of Bell's Hopslam. I need to figure out the recipe for this great beer since it is only available from mid Jan to the end of Feb. Why Bell's only brews this in the winter, I don't know. Seems like it would be a great summertime BBQ beverage!

I'm still researching the hops bill. So far my best guess from reading forums and searching the net is: Hersbrucker, Centennial, Glacier, Vanguard Crystal and Simcoe. Fortunately I have most of these in my freezer from before the hops shortage. I'm in some disagreement with which is said to be boiled and which is to be dry hopped.

On Sunday, I might brew up a batch of 2 hearted or a close facsimile. I can't remember the grain bill exactly but I think it is 10# pale, 1# 60L. (I'm at work and my recipe book is at home) For the hops I use 1oz at the beginning boil, 1oz at 45min, 1oz at flame out, then dry hop in secondary with 2-3 oz, depending on how hoppy I feel like making it. All Hops are Centennial.

If you haven't guessed yet, I LOVE hoppy beers!

Posted by model.rockets at 1:49 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 16 February 2008 2:43 PM EST

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I don't get it. I can't seem to get my own kids interested in model rockets. I always thought that because Dad owned a hobby shop specializing in model rockets that they would be interested and feel they were the coolest kids around. I would've loved for my Dad to have owned a hobby shop. I would have been the most popular kid in school. Not my kids! They would rather sit in front of a video game and see who can push a button the fastest.

Kids now days aren't interested in using their hands to create something. They rarely ever get to feel the pride of constructing or assembling something with their own two hands. What skill are they learning by pushing a button at the speed of sound? I'm beginning to understand why American kids are falling behind in science and math. It's not necessarily the fault of our educational system.

It's not that I haven't tried to get them involved in rocketry. They used to come with me all the time to launches. They even flew model rockets for awhile. Soon my son was complaining "it was boring". I asked him why he thought that, and the reply was "because they don't blow anything up". Well I wasn't about to make warheads for him to launch!

You're probably saying to yourself "why did you buy them the video games in the first place"?  I didn't. Back when their mother was still around, we decided not to get either kid a video game for xmas. We knew this would lead to trouble later on. We asked our parents not to be the cool grandparents and be the first to get them one. Guess what my kids got that xmas? Damn were we pissed. We wanted to be the ones to get them their first game when the time was right. At the time I figured learning to socialize and gain new interests were more important to their growth then a video game. Eventually they would be the only kid on the block without one. That was when I felt was the right time. Of course, that is only because I didn't want them to feel they were neglected somehow.

I've tried to limit the time they could play. I've tried to take the games away. I've even flipped the circuit breakers to their rooms to keep them from spending too much time on those damn games. All this accomplished was, too much stress on my part and too much depression and anger on their part. Maybe I'm a push over. I don't want to widen the gap more then I have to. My parents and especially my Dad and I were about as far apart as could possibly be. I didn't want that to happen between me and my kids. I've always been open minded and want my kids to feel they have a cool Dad.  

Now I'm starting to get off topic. What to do to get them to enjoy a hobby like model rocketry, that will teach them something and give them pride in what they can accomplish with their own two hands? It doesn't have to be rocketry. It's just what I know a great deal about. I understand they will be their own person, with their own interests. You would think that someone who owns a hobby shop could get their kids involved in a hobby. I've given them RC cars, planes, models, trains, chemistry sets, electronic kits, kites, everything I can think of. They just aren't interested in anything but video games. Are these games THAT addictive? I must admit, I haven't played many video games since pong and asteroids. Clearly the graphics are better, but have the manufacturers done something to make them like a drug? I sure hate to see what society will be like when this generation grows up and have their own kids and family.

Well, enough ranting and babbling on about this. I have to close up shop and get home to make dinner. I sure hope someone starts reading these blogs. Maybe they can either straighten me out or sympathize with me.

Posted by model.rockets at 5:54 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 15 February 2008 7:45 PM EST

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I've been getting excited about Bush's stimulus plan and the checks that most everyone will be receiving in May. I was thinking that I sure could use this money to buy this or that. Also, I thought that business should pick up at work around May because others will have that extra money to spend.

Last night I realized it was a hoax! It is nothing more then a bail-out plan for credit companies. Think about it. I, like most people, have debts. Most of us are getting behind because of the economy and preditory loans. Who's going to spend this extra money on anything but a debt? The local businesses like grocery stores, gas stations, video rentals, hobby shops, etc won't see any, if not, a very little of it. Most of all that money will end up in the bank accounts of major credit and loan companies.

Sure this will help the average Joe with his bills, but it won't help the economy to pick up by much at all. It just prolongs or prevents the multi-billion dollar loan companies from going bankrupt. Of coarse Bush's administration couldn't just give this money directly to the credit and loan companies or we would be up in arms about it. So they came up with this hoax, and so far its working. Wake up America! Bush has tricked us again.

A better plan would be to stop the laon and credit companies from charging the loans shark rates that would have found most Mafia members thrown in prison several decades ago.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Posted by model.rockets at 12:45 PM EST

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Well this is a first for me. Call me techno challenged, but I've never seen a blog before and here I am starting one. I'm not even quite sure what a blog is.

I'm using this for a means to rant and rave about whatever is on my mind at the time. Who knows where it may go or what topics may get covered. Sometimes I may report about a rocket launch or a weekend getaway. With the primaries going on and the elections next year, I may write about political views.

Maybe you have a topic that you'd like to get my opinion on. I can be very opinionated.

Humm. This first entry was reasonable painless.

Posted by model.rockets at 6:21 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 10 February 2008 6:36 PM EST

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