doubledot.net

Finally.

Preheat oven to 350degF.
Melt 2/3 stick butter in 9×13″ pan.
Mix:
- 1C wwf
- 1C sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2t baking powder
- 1t vanilla
- tasty spices
- 3/4C milk or cider
Spoon over butter.
Toss fruit with ~1/3C residual dry team mixture.
Put fruit on top.
Bake 60 mins.

The Friday night session of the 4th Annual Beer Advocate Belgian Beer Festival — Night of the Funk — provided a wide array of interesting fare. Including waffles.

Top honors go to DeProef Zoetzuur Flemish Ale.

Double plus good: (in rough order of preference)
DeProef Zoetzuur Flemish Ale
Rohrback Brewing Oak-Aged Belgian Pale Ale
Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale
Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze
DeProef Reinaaert

Good:
de Ranke Krieck (VERY sour, but well balanced)
Boon Framboise
CBC Funky Bitch
Vichtenaar by Brouwerij
New Belgium NBB Love
Russian River Temptation
Southampton Publick House Cuvee des Fleurs
The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme
Gueze Fond Tradition
Weyerbacher Riserva

Average:
Allagash Interlude
DeProef Les Deux Brasseur

Weak:
Gueze Mariage Parfait
Flemish Primitive #6
Ommegang Ommegeddon
Petrus Aged Pale
Cherish Raspberry
Ithaca Vitus
Cantillon Kriek
Panil Barriquee Sour Red Ale
The Bruery Saison Rue

No, -10:
Allagash Barrel-Aged 10th Anniversary
CBC Samson
CBC Delilah

Based on “Back to Back Double Brown Ale” from Amahal Turcyzn’s “A Year of Beer” pg 234. Also based on the hops available for purchase…

Recipe Characteristics

Ingredients

Procedure

1. Heated 3.375gal water to 175degF.
2. Placed grains in new double-bucket mash tun… filled water gap in bottom with closed tupperware to extent possible.
3. Covered and mashed for 90 minutes stirring every 10mins (temperature ~155degF)… Need more water next time. Added an extra 1/2gal after ~30 mins. Hmmm, now we can’t stir without making a big mess… recommend no more than 13lb grain!
4. Heated 3gal sparge water to 170degF, sparged 12gal through, then waited for bucket to drain (took about 60mins total).
5. Started boil with 5.25gal — should have sparged with an additional gallon — will boil mostly covered to keep volume in.
6. Therminatored down to ~70degF

Batch Notes
Given that we shortchanged ourselves on sparge water — and then boiled covered — we’re not as big as we could have been. SG: 1.052. Started fermentation in kitchen @ 81degF.

The Scientific Method
So how many times is it worth sparging through? We took some samples…

A wheat beer by any other name (and there are so many names for wheat beers) would taste as sweet… but this one’s in honor of Chef Emma*, who just earned her hat from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

Based some data reduction from our Prez Day BrewHaHa, we saw we were getting 0.66% less extraction from our grains as qbrew would suggest. So, we adjusted our expected extraction levels down and increased our grain levels accordingly to match the original recipe plans. Otherwise, this is a mashup (HA!) of two recipes from our favorite book, Amahl Turczyn’s A Year of Beer. Turczyn wisely points out that very few styles of beer can handle hot-weather fermentation temperatures without producing off flavors. But esters make a wheat beer. Oh, Esther!

Typically a Belgian Ale yeast is used for an orange-and-coriander wheat beer, not one with German hops. But, this yeast is rated for temperatures up to 78degF, at least 6degF more than the other wheat beer yeasts… better non-traditional beer than no beer at all.

So, as a wheat beer halfway between Germany and Belgium, we bring you Luxembourg Weizen.
Read the rest of this entry »

In arrival order, thanks for a great evening: Trish, Kenton, Rich, Bob, Linda, Scott, Emma, April, Scott, Liz, Kevin & Mary!

double plus
Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklynator Doppelbock
Cambridge Brewing Company - YouEnjoyMyStout2007
Dogfish Head - Raison d’Extra
Oskar Blues - Gordon
The Livery - Carvaceous
The Livery - Triple Weizenbock
Tommknocker Brewery - Butthead Doppelbock

plus
Cape Ann Brewing Company - Fisherman’s Tea Party Barleywine
Duck Rabbit - Barleywine
Dogfish Head - 3 year old 120 Minute IPA
Dundee Brewing - Doppelbock
Harpoon - Leviathan Triticus
Lefthand - Sawtooth Ale
Mad River - Steel Head Scotch Porter
Mercury - Ipswich Original Ale (cask conditioned)
Sebago - Runabout Red Ale
Smuttynose - Maibock
Terrapin - India Style Brown Ale
Terrapin - Oak Age Rye Squared

minus
Brooklyn Brewery - BLAST!
Buzzard’s Bay - Black Lager
Duck Rabbit - Imperial Stout
High & Mighty - Two Headed Beast
Legacy - Hoptimus Prime DIPA
New England - Wet Willy Scotch Ale
Sebago - Boathouse Brown Ale

no, -10
High & Mighty - Beer of the Gods

The 40/17 is nice and comfortable for climbing, but I’m concerned about the downhills. So today I installed a 15 tooth fixed cog. I’ll try riding it… tomorrow? Certainly this weekend.

The Brooks saddle is here. Needs to be oiled and then it’ll be good to go. I will believe what Sheldon says and soak it once. My first ride on it was delightful; I need to get some Proofhide to protect it, as there’s no need for softening.

Once handlebars are resolved, need to tape them in a cool pattern.

Hindsight being 20/20 and all, time to catch up.

So, based on climbing Winter Hill on Zev — standing up — I built Pixie with a 40/17 drivetrain. That gives me a 2.35:1 gear ratio, which feels great in ss. I’m a little slow going down the hills — and I expect to be slower riding fixed — but I can climb like a champ. Between the power of single-speed and a bike that’s easily 10lb lighter, she’s just a great ride! The major increase in maneuverability was really the greatest hurdle to get over, but didn’t take much.

For fixie, though, I think I will start with a 40/15. Hopefully that will be done this weekend.

Next up: fixie side. Then Brad is tempting me with a new set of handlebars (including a 2-finger front brake). The Brooks saddle is on its way. Nice.

Circa 1993, Caitlin and I went over to Aunt Phyllis’ house hoping she had new kittens to meet. Instead, she had this pie, a lucky find in the Washington Post’s food column. We traded her for some of the pepperoni and onion pizza we had brought with us. Now this is a staple at every big meal. Thanks, Andrew!

1 stick butter
2 oz chocolate (the good stuff)
1C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2t vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2C wwf

Preheat oven to 350degF.

Melt butter and chocolate. Add sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs — mix well, making sure not to curdle the eggs from the heat. Gently mix in the flour. Pour into a greased 8″ pie plate.

Bake for 20-25 mins. Center should *not* be set.
Reheats beautifully in the microwave.

interviews are lies, that’s what I’ve learned from this experience.

http://www.diversitycareers.com/articles/pro/08-aprmay/chg_tech_aero_defense.htm

adapted from here, we bring you whole wheat peanut butter cookies.

1 cup butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars.
Beat in eggs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir into batter.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degF.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets.
Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
Cookies will spread to 3″ DIA.
Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 12 minutes.