This is not a bad beer at all. It’s got a nice mellow flavor, not too hoppy. Definitely a beer you could drink on a warm day. However, it doesn’t really have that craft beer taste to me. This is probably due to the fact that it’s not heavily hopped, but then again the name contains the word MILD. I also think it’s a little more cloudy than it should be. This could be because it was a one stage fermentation. Next time I’ll do a two stage, and I’m also going to start experimenting with clarifying agents in the future.

It’s a good beer though. I like it. My wife will like the smoother flavor as well.

First up: P90X. Michelle and I finished our first round of P90X last week and have started the program over again. The question everyone wants to know the answer to is: “Does it work”? Well, I would say that depends. Like any other exercise program it depends on how hard you work, and what you eat. These programs love to show people losing 50lbs and getting six pack abs in 90 days, and that’s certainly possible for some. But the reason most of us are fat and tired is because we simply eat wrong and don’t put in the time to exercise. So unless you change habits, this program is no better than any other.

What I do like about this program though is that it’s got great variety and it doesn’t require fancy equipment. For me those are the two things that make it easy for me to stick to it. So for me, it’s working. I’m building muscle and losing fat. My progress has been slower because, well, I just don’t want to make exercising a full time hobby. I miss a day here and there. And I like to have a pizza and beer occasionally. But overall I’m happy with the progress. I feel much stronger, I’ve lost 7 pounds, and I still enjoy doing the program, so for me it’s a total win.

Ok, so since I mentioned beer, let’s switch gears and talk about home brew. I’ve been home brewing for a few months now and I’m happy to announce that my second batch has gone into the bottles. In two weeks I will have a beautiful Dry Irish Stout. Oh man, it smelled so good when I cracked open the fermenter yesterday. I think this is going to me a very nice batch. So on May 7th, the bottles go into the fridge and it’s time to have a tasting party! Put it on your calendars. I’ve also got the ingredients for my next batch already which I plan to cook up early next week. It’s going to be a mild Ale and only takes 4 weeks to make, so I’m hoping to get a nice rotation of beers going on. I’m telling you though, this whole bottling thing sucks. I really gotta get me a kegging system soon.

OK, lastly let’s talk about some music because there’s been a few great albums that have hit the streets recently.

Slash released what I think is his second solo album. The cool thing about this album is that on each song he collaborated with a different singer. The result is an incredibly varied album with musical styles ranging from arena rock to blues to metal to southern rock, you name it.

I’m completely blown away by this album. There’s really not a bad song on it, though the one with Iggy Pop called “We’re All Gonna Die” is probably the dumbest song lyrically, but it’s still catchy. The tracks I think are most impressive are the instrumental with Dave Grohl called “Watch This”, “Beautiful Dangerous” with Fergie (who know she could rock?), and the two songs featuring Myles Kennedy. Kennedy in my mind is the absolute best rock singer on the planet and if you want to see what he’s capable of, check out the band Alter Bridge. He’s also did a track on Sevendust’s last album which was fantastic. Slash is a great album full of great rock and roll. Pick it up.

And speaking of Sevendust (am I not the master of the segue?), my favorite band in the entire world has released their 8th studio album and the first since original guitarist Clint Lowery returned to the band after leaving in 2004.

This album is flat out amazing. While the albums written in Lowery’s absence where killer, I really didn’t realize how much had been lost in his absence. Yeah there were high points, but a lot of those songs sounded just a tad flat in comparison to this latest collection. The new album is ferocious, melodic, emotional and extremely powerful. It just smacks you right in the face with track one and continues pummeling you all the way through track twelve. It’s simply fantastic.

I’d say the stand out tracks are Splinter, which is a metal heads dream. Crazy guitar antics, insane double base runs, and ferocious chunkiness. Great way to start the ride. They immediately follow that with Forever which is my favorite track on the album. It sounds like no other Sevendust song with it’s great dynamics, it’s breakneck soaring chorus line and crunchy breakdowns. It saw them do this one live and it was amazing. The rest of the album continues with exactly what you’d expect from a Sevendust album and that’s a good thing. Sevendust is one of those bands that know what they do best and don’t vary too much from the formula. It’s good melodic heavy metal. The way it should be.

Alright so that’s my catch up post! Today is Saturday and it’s going to be a beautiful sunny California day so I’m gonna do my P90X this morning and then get on the bike and go visit an old buddy of mine back in my high school stomping grounds, Manteca. This guy was the bass player of my very first band. I haven’t seen him in 20 years. This should be good times.

Well, it’s not crap. But it’s not fantastic either.

I decided to start easy and buy a beer kit. This is basically a can of concentrated beer ingredients that you mix with water, add yeast, and then let ferment. It’s the easiest way to get into beer brewing and I think the taste is a result of that. I mean, when they make it that simple, there’s not going to be a Guinness or a Sam Adams.

It’s not bad though. It’s properly carbonated, it tastes like beer and not skunk or sewer water, it’s got nice color, and it’s got a little punch to it, though I didn’t measure the alcohol content so I don’t know exactly how much punch. I haven’t gone blind so that’s positive.

I think the thing that hits me most is that it’s not very strong. It’s an IPA which are supposed to really have some flavor. Mine tastes a little watered down. I wonder if I put too much water in since the directions used British measurements which are slightly different than US ones. Maybe it’s just me. I like my beer like I like my women. Dark and strong! Ok, just playing, I prefer a medium bodied beer. But I think it’s good enough to share with friends, and that’s what making beer is all about anyway.

in conclusion, I’m encouraged by my first foray into master brewing. I think the next batch will definitely be made more from raw materials. I’ll probably still do a recipe kit, which is all pre-measured ingredients, but it definitely won’t be an extract kit like this one.

At any rate, it was a fun first time out and I’m looking forward to my next batch….. as soon as I drink my way through this one. Who’s coming over for a brew?

UPDATE:

Well apparently I am way too picky. I’ve given away almost all of my first batch and everyone seems to think it’s great! So I’m pretty stoked! And no I doubt they are just being nice. My friends know better. :-)

So I did some experimenting with the various recipes I found and here’s the best hot toddy recipe in my opinion. You can drink this for a cold or just on any winter night to be honest. It’s tasty and relaxing. Just don’t overdo it with the liquor. We’re not trying to get hammered here.

So here we go, my Hot Toddy recipe:

• 1 mug of piping hot water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons pure honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 shot of Jim Beam Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Ahhh, that’s good. Just like grandma used to make. Ok, my grandma never made these, but I’m sure somebody’s did. Anyway, it’s got just enough bourbon to take the edge off but not enough that you can taste it. The lemon juice opens up your sinuses and the honey and cinnamon makes it sweet tasting.

One thing I will highly recommend is that you get a quality bourbon in a glass bottle. No generic whiskey in a plastic jug for $3.99. We had some cheap whiskey we bought a long time ago sitting in a cupboard that I tried to use first and it about made me hurl. Buy high quality bourbon and use very little.

Enjoy!

So if you want to find someplace new and cool to eat, want to avoid a stinker, or want to share your favorite tri-tip recipe, this is the place to be. Check it out.

TasteFresno.com

I hate to do them because it seems that every task I’m asked to do, it’s the first time I’ll be doing it and the first time is always the hardest. I had to fix my roof not long ago. I had never fixed a roof before. So I have no idea what I’m doing, what tools to use, what techniques would make it easier, and so it takes twice as long, and ten times the amount of cursing to do the job than it would take a pro.

The only upside is actually finishing the job and being able to step back and look at your handiwork, knowing you fixed something yourself and didn’t have to rely on some other dude, who has better tools, and is probably better looking to come save your sorry butt.

Anyway, this week I knocked down two projects. First, I remounted our mailbox. Somebody had clobbered it and so if I wanted to get mail, I had to fix it. That was an easy one and I knocked it out in an hour. It’s level and everything! Woohoo!

The bigger project was getting our vegetable garden planted. I’ve been wanting to do this since Michelle and I started the Elimination Diet. There’s something attractive about growing your own food. I don’t know what it is… maybe I’m just trying to stick it to the man… live “off the grid”… reconnect with Mother Earth. I don’t know. But I got it done and it wasn’t easy. I suppose it could have been, but I don’t do anything the easy way. I’m going 100% organic baby. I dug up a 4×6 foot area, turning the soil two feet deep and mixing with good ol’ steer manure (which takes FOREVER to get the smell off you!). I planted tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, zucchini, and some other kind of peppers. I really wanted to do onions and potatoes and maybe corn, but I’m out of room. So they’ll have to wait until I get my second bed set up. I’m pretty stoked about it though. It’s cool seeing a mound of rich soil with neat little rows of plants growing in them. I’m kicking around starting my own compost pile as well.

So I feel rather accomplished right now though I actually had one other task to get done and that was fixing my bike. I work on my own motorcycle so I figured it would be easy. But nothing ever is. After a few hours of messing with chains, derailers and cables, and plenty of cursing, I admitted defeat and took it to the bike shop. Sometimes $50 is a fair price to pay for peace of mind and relief from frustration. I can’t be good at everything can I?

DON’T.

Last night we went out for my birthday and I had a combo pizza, a few beers and some chocolate cake when I got home. I swear my body is experiencing toxic shock this morning. I actually feel like I’ve been poisoned. I’m shaky. I’m tired. I had nightmares all last night and couldn’t sleep. I have the worst heartburn and my gut feels like a band of raving jungle savages are in there doing a war chant, and dancing over hot coals. Michelle was also complaining about an upset stomach last night. Unbelievable.

This really goes to show what certain foods will do to a body. I honestly thought that a lot of the stuff in the diet about wheat being bad for digestion, etc, etc was bull and just put in there for encouragement to stay on the diet, but I’m a believer now. I have felt so good for the past three weeks and I feel completely trashed today.

So today it’s back on the diet… for good.

Link: Dax Moy’s Elimination Diet

This sounds pretty harsh, but what it leaves are pure, natural foods. Anything that’s an animal or grows in the ground is basically fair game. And as restrictive as it sounds, there’s plenty of great dishes that can be made. I have not been hungry at all.

Another facet of the diet, and this really goes for all diets, is that you have to excersize and you eat smaller portions of food, 5 or 6 times a day. So you keep your body working. The other thing is, you gotta have willpower. If you cheat, you will fail. This is critical for any diet.

So how well does it work? Very well. I started the diet at 206lbs and set a goal of 195lbs. 15 days later, I’m sitting at 196lbs. These are pretty astounding results I think. I’ll hit my goal in the next few days. I’m going to take a day off for my birthday to have a beer and a pizza and then I’m back on. I still don’t have the shape I want, so I’m going to increase my weight lifting and continue on the diet until I get a better shoulder/waist ratio.

So if you’re looking for a great diet to kickstart your body back into shape, head over to Dax Moy’s website and sign up. It’s free and you’ll get the latest revision of his diet pamphlet with full instruction on how to do it.

Link: Dax Moy Website

So first off I want to brag about my latest purchase. I don’t buy a lot of techie stuff these days. I probably have more than most folks but I don’t obsess about having the latest and greatest like I did when I first entered this industry. However, I bought a toy today and just want to gloat a little, especially for my good friend Paul. Why you ask? Well, you see, Paul was an early adopter of the famed Apple iPhone. Got one right out of the chute. And ever since then he’s been waving it in front of me like a juicy steak in front of a starving man. And I secretly hated him for it. Well, NO MORE PAUL!!! Today I announce that I too have entered the upper echelon of cellphone users and have purchased……. wait for it……. an iPhone! Yep. And the best part? It’s a refurb so it only cost me $250 vs. $400 for a new one. Sweet.

Ok, enough technigloating (I just made that word up)…. that’s the “talk” portion of this post, so let’s move on to coffee.

Back in January, 10 of us went to Ethiopia and we all came back with pounds and pounds of coffee since the Ethiopians have really great coffee. The bad part is that it just doesn’t taste the same made in our American drip coffee makers. It doesn’t come out strong enough. Well, in my search to replicate the Ethiopian coffee making process I found a little espresso pot that does the trick perfectly. [CLICK HERE] It makes 4cups of perfect Ethiopian coffee. Of course you have to have the cups to go with it so [CLICK HERE] for those. Enjoy!