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.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/dry-irish-stout-extract-kit-2.html

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. :-)

Now I don’t get a lot of readers. My highest day was right when I got back from Africa and that was just over 100 reads in one day. But what’s funny is that I’ve been getting a steady amount of reads lately that is much higher than I normally get. So I went and looked at the search terms to find out what people are looking for, and apparently my post on The Public House is bringing in a lot of traffic.

I find this hilarious. Who would have thought that despite all my highly entertaining, craftily written posts, my post on beer would be the most popular? LOL!

Ok, on a different note, I have consolidated all my Africa posts into a new page which you should see at the top of this blog called “My Africa Trip”. I’m still getting a lot of people asking how the trip was so I figured I’d link all the posts on one page to make it easier to read about the trip. Feel free to pass along the link to that page: http://danapellerin.com/my-trip-to-africa/

Anyway, last night Michelle tells me she wants to go to this place on Ashlan and Cedar in the new Granite Park center and you know what? I now have a new favorite restaurant. It’s called The Public House and is as close as a real Irish pub as you’re going to get in Fresno. The building itself is beautiful, rock and stone everywhere, couches for chillin’ out on, a long bar that has 60 kinds of Scotch and dozens of beers on tap that I haven’t seen since I was in the U.K. myself. And yes, they have Boddington’s baby! I was in heaven.

The food was good too. We had a plate of cooked sausages and then we split an order of fish and chips (what else do you eat in an Irish pub?). I liked the relaxed pace of the place too. The service was really good but they didn’t rush you. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s when they’re already pushing the main course on you and throwing a check in your lap and you haven’t even gotten half way through the appetizers. This place was more laid back, like it is in the U.K., and we spent a good three hours there just sipping beers, talking, and making fun of the dude down the bar who kept singing 80′s new wave songs. Good times!

The Public House, check it out.