Making Beer - Step 6

We've waited another anxious week or two and now all the bubbling has completed.

We are new ready to bottle the beer. First, we transfer flat beer from the carboy to another container. Of course, all of the equipment and bottles must be sterilized.

John Gundry removing the bottles from the dishwasher.

Carl Fisher ready to bottle.

We next add priming sugar to the mixture. This sugar will be eaten by the remaining yeast to create carbonation in the bottles.

Now for a warning. Don't use too much sugar when you bottle. Charlie and I did just that making root beer a few weeks ago. About four days after bottling the root beer I woke up late one night on heard a "popping" sound that woke me from my sleep. I searched the house and found nothing amiss and no boggie man. Well.... the next morning I went into our mud room (hadn't done that at night) and there was glass everywhere. Seven of the 24 bottles had exploded. What a mess. Don't uses too much bottling sugar!

Then the beer must be transferred to the bottles. We use a mix of 12 oz, 16 oz, 1/2 litre, full litre, and 1 gallon kegs to hold the beer. Most of the bottles have been given to us by friends or we have helped drink the beer ourselves! Screw top bottles can not be used because it is not possible to get a good seal with our bottle caps. I especially like the "swing top" bottles.

Chris Elliott and his son filling the bottles.

Chris' son crimping the bottle cap onto a bottle (with a little assistance).

Charlie Spry filling a keg (the flash light is to see when the keg is full).

A swing top bottle. The easiest to cap and to open!

Beer Trivia: Beer was considered so vital a nutritional staple for British soldiers that when the British army and navy couldn't supply their own beer, they provided their troops with cash allowances to purchase it. The high concentration of B vitamins from the grain and yeast were vital to good health on long overseas missions. British soldiers in Upper Canada were given a daily beer allowance of a penny, sufficient to purchase six pints of ale from a local pub.

Making Beer - Step 5

Now we have to wait a few days to a week for the bubbling out of the fermentation lock to slow down. This indicates that a majority of the sugar has been consumed by the yeast and that the wort will be cloudy with dead yeast as well as a bunch on the bottom of the container.

At this point a decision must be made - use a single or double fermentation process. We generally use a double fermentation process. This means that once the fermentation slows down we transfer the mixture from the initial container to another 5 gallon, glass carboy. The syphon we use leaves a small amount of liquid and most of the dead yeast behind, resulting in a clearer beer.

Now we need to wait another week or so for the fermentation to completely finish.

This is the carboy used in the secondary fermentation process.

Beer Trivia: The word carboy is from the Persian qarabah, which means "big jug". Carboy's are also referred to as "demijohns" and in the southern US they are known as "jimmyjohns".

Making Beer - Step 4

While the wort is cooling down we take the important step of sterilizing our equipment, again to keep harmful bacteria and other germs from entering the fermentation process and ruining our beer. We use a sterilizing powder purchased from House of Home Brew. I've also read on-line that a weak solution of bleach and water can also be used.

Now it's time to transfer the chilled wort to the fermentation container and to then add the yeast. This process is called "pitching".

Charlie and Chris transferring the chilled wort.

Straining the wort to remove hops before fermentation.

Installing the fermentation lock to allow fermentation bubbles to escape and not allow air in.

Beer Trivia: Spent yeast at the bottom of the beer bottle is full of vitamin B and won't hurt you.

Making Beer - Step 3

We now move on to the next step - Cool the Wort. This is a very unglamorous step but one that is critical. We need to very quickly reduce the temperature of the boiling wort to below 75 degrees. This is critical for two reasons. First, to stop to cooking process and stabilize the wort and second, to keep bad bacteria from getting into it. We do this by putting the pot with the wort into the kitchen sink and then surrounding it with cold water and ice cubes.

Chris Elliott checking the temperature of the cold water to chill the wort.

Beer Trivia: Alcohol provides an unfriendly environment for microbial action, and the isohumulone content of the hops inhibited the growth of Lactobacillus. Thus, high alcohol content and high hopping rates could protect beer from the souring associated with long storage times.

Note: We have since purchased a wort chiller which makes this a quicker and less messy process. It is coiled copper tubing that is placed into the hot wort and then cold water is run through the tubing which removes the heat. The wort chiller cost an additional $60 or so.

Making Beer - Step 2

OK, now that we've cracked open a couple of beers from a previous batch (you know, checking quality control) it is time to move on to Step 2 - Make the Wort. Wort is simply all of the beer ingredients mixed together without the yeast, essentially it's flat beer. We have used kits that have already "mashed" the grains into malt and are now starting to do our own mashing. The mashing process adds about 2 hours to the brewing effort, a small price to pay for extra drinking time!

Here's are the actions for Step 2:

Fill pot with water from the tap and bring to boil.
Add cans of malt or mashed grains.
Add hops.
Let the pot boil for 45 to 60 minutes.

Beer Trivia: A pint of beer has the same energy giving value as four eggs or more than half a pound of meat!

Chris Elliott adding hops to the wort during the boil.

Making Beer - Step 1

About 2 years ago I began brewing beer with a friend. Charlie Spry is really the brew master and I'm just the go-fer (you know, I do whatever he tells me to do). Over the time we have been brewing several friends have joined us to brew and bottle and, of course, to drink it. Over the next several blogs I'm going to describe the beer making process, provide some beer trivia, and include some photos.

Beer Trivia - There are no known pathogens or deadly microorganisms that can live in beer. - you won't die from drinking our beer.

Beer Making Step 1. Open a home brew to sample from a previous batch. In my opinion this is the most important step.

Charlie starting the process!

Signs of Spring in Green Bay

I finally have evidence that our long, long winter may be coming to an end. The first of my bulbs have blossomed. This is crocus, a very small, low to the ground plant and is the first thing to add color to my garden in the spring. It always lifts my spirits to look out my kitchen window and see them.

Green Bay Half Marathon

I've been training for the Cellcom Green Bay half marathon since January 2009 with my running partner Melodie Dugenske. Last year I had to withdraw two weeks before the race because I had two stress fractures (one on each leg). I had already paid the registration fee (about $65) which was non refundable (I called and tried). Those that know me know that not getting the refund really "hurt" me. I'm so cheap. Melodie went ahead and ran and turned in an excellent time.

So this year we decided to wait to register until we were sure we would be able to compete since our goal is to run the 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours. In the Green Bay Press Gazette race officials announced that registrations for the half marathon are 76% of the way to reaching the cap. The race is in mid-May so there is still a bunch of time to go before I wanted to register. I guess I'll have to make a decision in a couple of weeks.

I've had "tired" legs the last few runs but my spirits are high. I can see a two hour or less finish.

Investing Books

I was asked by a friend yesterday for books to help them learn about investing. Below is a list of books that I have read that helped to shape my thinking. Most of these are pretty easy to read if you are at all interested in investing.

The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing – Dorsey

Take Stock – Ellis Traub (excellent book on picking individual stocks)

A Random Walk Down Wall Street – Malkiel (one of the first that I read and it has been updated recently)

The Four Pillars of Investing-Bernstein (this one is guiding most of my investing right now)

The Future for Investors – Siegel

Winning the Investment Marathon – H Bradlee Perry

Common Sense on Mutual Funds-Bogle

Lowell Herr does a significant amount of writing and blogging about investing and has a list of his five favorite asset allocation books.

... and the verdict is in

The trial is over and the defendant was found guilty of DUI.

In my mind it was a pretty open and shut case and the defendant wasted money taking it to court. I almost believe that she had more than one arrest and was just grasping at straws trying for a not guilty verdict.

We only had to deliberate for 30 minutes and most of the that, IMO, was people discussing their logic because they felt bad about the guilty verdict.

Again, the trial took too long but our system is still the best one around.

Jury Duty

I've been on jury duty this week. Today I had to actually go to the court house and I ended up getting selected to sit on a trial. It has been an interesting and boring process, all at the same time. I can't talk about the trail - it's still going on but I will describe the process.

About 40 folks showed up at 8am (as we had been instructed). We signed in and then sat for more than an hour waiting for something to happen. At this point I was glad that I had brought 3 magazines with me. Shortly after 9am we were all brought into a courtroom and eighteen of us (me included) were called to the jury box where voir dire started.

This is the process where the judge and both sets of attorneys ask questions to make sure the jurors are unbiased. Five of the jurors were eliminated for cause and three with no reason given by each of the attorneys. We then had the final twelve - me included.

Three expert witnesses have been called and the examination and cross have been just about what you see on TV - without all of the theatratics and last minute confessions on the stand. The lawyers and judge had several "side bars" and we had to go to the jury box 4 or 5 times so they could argue points of law - I guess, since we didn't get to hear them.

Interesting dynamic in the jury room. Twelve people that don't know each other thrown together in a small room with nothing in common to talk about. The only thing we have in common is the trial but we've been instructed not to talk about the trial until we begin deliberations. Therefore the jury room is real quiet.

The process seems to work - even if it moves slowly and is less than exciting most of the time. If you get called for jury duty, serve willingly and with pride.

Change for the Better

Change.

I have been reading my good friend Chris Elliott’s blog about change where he suggests that many of life’s changes are like winning the lottery. Today as I was doing a long run (only 4 miles this week) for the half marathon that I’m training for I reflected on my previous run and decided to make a change.

It was last Wednesday at 4:15. The day was cold, overcast, and the snow was coming down heavy with gusty wind. My running partner and I were running side by side facing traffic when an approaching car was very close to us. I slowed and fell in behind my partner to give the car additional space. As the driver went be he flipped us off! This is the first time anything like that has happened to me in all the years I’ve been running.

So what change am I making? When running and a car takes a courteous and safe action and moves over to give us more space I’m going to give them a friendly wave – a small reward for doing the right thing. I know it isn’t much but I’m hopeful that by expressing my appreciation the driver will remember next time and give space again.

Making the world a better place one wave at a time.

Carl prior to his first half marathon

New Floor

My wife and I decided a few weeks ago to replace the carpeting in two of our bedrooms with a laminate wood floor. We (well actually a friend and me) are doing the work to save money and because I like learning new skills. Here is how the floor looked before the installation.

After almost 12 hours of work with only one break for lunch we finished the floor. It was not harder than I thought it would be but it did take longer than anticipated. Putting the flooring in around the closets (shown above) took alot of thought and discussion to ensure we didn't make flawed cuts. We only made one wrong cut and, until we learned how to get pieces to snap together, we damaged 4 or 5 boards. Fortunately, we were able to use all of them in other spots.

I grew up in a house with hard wood floors and I hated them. Thirty plus years makes a big difference in attitude. I love the look and feel of the new floors. They are well worth the cost and effort.

Thank you, Dave, for the help. I couldn't have done it without you!

Stock Market Recovery

Recently the government confirmed that we are in a recession (2 quarters of negative growth). This has been evidenced by the housing problems, the dramatic drop in the stock market, and the rise in the unemployment rate.

So how does one know when to anticipate an increase in stock market prices? Should one wait until the signs of an improving economy are in place? The answer is NO. The stock market, in the past, recovers a full six months before the "economy" shows signs of life.

So what does this mean to the average investor? To me it says that any money you have that is earmarked for the stock market should be in the market now! No one, and I mean no one, can predict when the economy will improve. Six months, a year, two years or more, no one knows. So grit your teeth put your money in the market.

Time for Change??

Our new president ran on a ticket of "change". However, two of his Cabinet post nominees have failed to pay taxes in the past which feels to me like business as usual for politicians.

Timothy Geithner has been confirmed as Treasury Secretary which oversees the IRS and he didn't pay the taxes he owed until a couple of weeks before being nominated.

Tom Daschle paid his back taxes AFTER being nominated (he is not confirmed yet) and he owed $120,000!

Both of these cases sound like more of the same from politicians - Do as I say not as I do. What if you or I didn't pay our taxes when they were due? We'd most likely be put in jail. These two get by with paying the tax and saying "I'm sorry, it was a mistake."

If our new president had any courage and really wanted change he would withdraw the nomination of Daschle (whom he still supports) and nominate someone who at least pays their taxes on time.

How recency hurts investors

I"m currently reading "The Intelligent Asset Allocator" by William Bernstein and a comment he makes in the book is especially true given today's market.

"... but this [making investment decisions based primarily upon current market conditions] is a perfect example of so-called recency, the single biggest mistake that even the most experienced investors make. This referes to our tendency to extrapolate recent trends indefinitely into the future."

I've spoken to a number of folks concerned about today's weak stock market and they are considering pulling all of their money out of the market and putting it in something "safe". They are falling victim to recency by thinking that the weak market will extend forever into the future. Most investors, especially those that are not close to retirement, should be doing the exact opposite. They should be putting money IN the market now. To sell now they are buying HIGH and selling LOW - not a way to retire comfortably.
Picture taken by Lori Fisher in Estes Park, CO

Mortgage Mess

I read a letter to the editor in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports (a great magazine, BTW) discussing a previous article in the magazine about the mortgage crisis. I've struggled for the last few months trying to determine a clever way to express what I see as a large part of the problem. The letter writer, John Leonard of Seattle, expressed it nicely.

He said that the most important reform that was needed because of the mortgage crisis was to "Reform the consumer." We should start with these steps:

1. "Thou shalt not covet more house than thou canst afford"
2. "Thou shalt not use thy credit card for long-term debt"
2. "Thou shalt not bear false witness on thy mortgage application"

This is not to say that the consumers of debt are totally at fault for the meltdown but I would opine that consumers are more to blame when it comes to not being able to pay their debt. Lending organizations (banks, savings and loans, etc.) are in the business of lending money and NOT in the business of managing individuals personal budgets.

If an individual or family borrows money to buy a bigger house than they can affordand then they can't make their monthly payment - who's fault is that? In most cases it's not the mortgage company - it's the unrealistic expectations of the home buyer.

2009 Goals

Here are my New Years Resolutions or, more aptly said, my goals for the year.

1. Read 4 non fiction books - I read a lot of fiction and want to challenge myself to broaden my reading

2. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours - My best time is 2 hours and 5 minutes. I think this is doable

3. Do a triathlon - I've threatened for years to do one. Now I have to!

4. Take 2 major backpacking trips - I love backpacking so this one will be no problem

5. Improve my photo taking skills - My wife has an awesome SLR camera and I want to get better

6. Improve my web site abilities - My website is pretty lame right now. Not sure how I'm going to improve my abilities.

7. Build CDF Financial revenues - I kind of have to do this to do the other things I want to do.

8. Ride my bike more than 300 miles.

Future Vacations

My daughter and me at Fan Fest in Frankfurt Germany in 2006.

Places that I want to visit.

2010 - Africa
2011 - China
2012 - Russia
2013 - Vietnam
2014 - Ireland
2015 - Swiss Alps
2016 - Australia

Australia was supposed to be in 2009 but other events in 2009 will prevent taking the 3 weeks necessary to fully explore the place.

2008 New Years Resolutions/Goals

A lot of people think that New Years Resolutions are lame and studies show that most people don't keep them. I think of them as goals, write them down, set measurable standards, and then review them at the end of each year. I've found over the years that I accomplish about 75% of the goals and some of the goals have become habits. Here are my 2008 goals and the results.

1. Read "Intelligent Asset Allocation". I'm about 100 pages into the book so I didn't complete the goal but having it on my goal list got me to reading it.

2. Find a way to help others with financial planning. I started a financial planning company, started the Certified Financial Planning certificate program, and began working working with 8 different people.

3. Exercise at least 20 minutes 3-4 times per week. Last year I exercised 245 days. This year it was 255 days and I've changed my lifestyle such that I don't need to have this goal to motivate me. This has been a goal of mine since 2001 and I've attained it for the last 3 years.

4. Lose weight to 160 pounds. I got down there for 3 months but I'm back up to 167 . I've been unsuccessful at this goal for seven years. Bummer.

5. Ride bike outside more than 300 miles. I only rode 225 miles. Oh well.

6. Run a half marathon. This one took some work. I trained for a half marathon that was in May and two weeks before the race I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in each leg which kept me from running the race. After not running for 7 weeks I started training for the Fox Cities Half Marathon in September. I completed the race in 2 hours 5 minutes.

7. Take two major backpacking trips. Hiked in Death Valley in March and the Northern Cascades in September.

8. Read 24 books (4 non-fiction). Read 36 books but only 3 non-fiction.

9. Vacation in Hawaii. Yeah-two weeks in July with my wife and Ed and Sue Tucker.



Beautiful sunset in Hawaii taken by Lori Fisher