Amber Ale

2008-05-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

I brewed an Amber Ale on Saturday, here is the Recipe

Preboil volume 8 gallons
Batch size 6 gallons
90 minute boil

8 lbs Alexander's Liquid Malt Extract
9.6 oz Light Dry Malt Extract
11.2 oz Munich Liquid Malt Extract

1 lb crystal 40L
8 oz Crystal 120L
3 oz Pale Chocolate Malt

1.2 oz Horizon hops 10.9 % AA 60 minutes
1 oz Amarillo hops 9.6 % AA 10 minutes
1 oz Cascade hops 6.3% AA 10 minutes
2oz Cascade hops 6.3% AA 0 minutes

Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Ferment for 2 weeks at 66 degrees F

Transfer to bright tank and let it clear at 50 degrees F

Prime and Bottle, carbonate at room temp.

Chill and enjoy!

My ESB Recipe

2008-01-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

I brewed an ESB a few weeks ago. Here is the Recipe I used

Grain Bill:
7lbs John Bull Maris Otter Malt Extract
1oz Light Dry Malt Extract
12oz Crystal 40L

Hop Bill
2oz East Kent Goldings 5.0% Alpha Acid (Boil 60 minutes)
1oz East Kent Goldings 5.0% Alpha Acid (Add at end of boil)

Additions
1tsp irish moss (boil 15 minutes)

Fermentation Schedule
1 week in Primary at 68°
1 week in Secondary at 64°

Why MADD is an Organization of Bigots

2007-12-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

Everyone always thinks MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is such a good organization. They keep people "safe" by sponsoring legislation to "protect" people from alcohol, but MADD is not really MADD anymore. They should be renamed MAUD (Mothers Against Underage Drinking). MADD sponsored legislation in 1984 to force the states to Raise the minimum legal drinking age to 21. This might sound good at first because of MADD's ridiculous claims that it has saved 20,000 lives from drunk driving deaths, but these claims are false. Studies show that the total drunk driving deaths have simply been moved from the 18-20 bracket to the 21-24 bracket showing that it is experience with alcohol, not age that determines the ability to handle alcohol.

Using false data, MADD has gone on the offensive of "Support 21." This program uses false statistics that argue that teens are inferior in that they cannot handle alcohol. They say that any exposure to alcohol before 21 will damage the teens brain in the memory area, which is simply not true.

The Drinking age is doing way more harm than good. The heavily enforced drinking age keeps parents from teaching their kids how to handle alcohol responsibly. It gives the image of alcohol as a "forbidden fruit" and keeps teens ignorant about alcohol until they turn twenty-one and have twenty one shots of vodka and kill themselves or when they go to a neighborhood kegger. The drinking age also completely disregards the fact that some teens could actually handle alcohol responsibly.

Many members of MADD say even if a parent serves alcohol to teens and takes away their car keys, it is still wrong because it is against the law. This attitude goes directly against the attitudes that founded the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson argued that if a government is oppressive, it is a person's job to go against the oppression, so MADD is not only ageist, it is directly against the attitudes of America. Just because it is the law does not make it a moral wrong to break it.

MADD always tries to play the emotional card. They have mothers who have lost kids to drunk driving tell their sob stories. This is unortunate, but this has nothing to do with underage drinking. It has to do with drunk driving, which is bad young or old.

My message to MADD is simple: go back to stopping drunk driving, not treating teens like they can't handle anything responsibly.

The Brewmaster's Blog

Amber Ale

My ESB Recipe

Why MADD is an Organization of Bigots