I am the Cheeseman!

That title may be a little premature.  But I hope to be the cheeseman soon.  Last year my wife got me a cheese making kit.  I made a couple batches of mozzarella that did not turn out as expected.

Oh sure, it tasted like tasted like fresh mozzarella and it melted on pizza pretty similar to mozzarella, but it sure didn't look or have the consistency of mozzarella.  It was more like feta in those regards.

Well, after a couple tries with the same result, I decided to contact Leeners (cheese kit makers) to see what they can recommend.  Their recommendations were better straining of the whey and using non-homogenized milk.

That's all fine and dandy, but I hadn't found non-homogenized milk and I'd gotten busy, so I had not yet gone back to trying to make cheese.

That's when my lovely and fun-filled wife found that a local restaurant, The Traffic Jam and Snug, was doing a cheese making workshop and she signed us up! 

ESB on tap!

My pal Pete and I started brewing together last fall, and we have several batches under our belts now. Being that we're both fans of hoppy beers (IPAs, ESBs), we've been focusing on those.

In March, we took on an ESB that has turned out terrific (we also did a pilsner at the same time that is ok, but not outstanding). Actually, we brewed a double batch of the ESB (one for Pete, one for me) and we decided that one of these we would dry hop with extra hops (more on that in a moment). We have been doing extract brewing, simply because its easier and faster and I'm kind of lazy.

Environmentally Holiday?

Earlier this week I went to a "Greening Your Holiday" workshop put on by the Sierra Club and Berkley's Environmental Advisory Committee.  I got some interesting tidbits from it, some of which wasn't necessarily new information, but I needed reminding of.  Here are the highlights:

- Real trees are much more "green" than fake trees

This item has generated more discussion within my household than anything else.  Most fake trees today are made in China (big carbon footprint just for shipping alone) and are petroleum based plastics (more carbon footprint), many have lead in them or lead dust on them, AND there isn't a good program for recycling them.  While most of your live trees often come from a farm nearby (most tree lots here in the Detroit area get trees from mid to western to northern Michigan farms), which helps reduce transportation carbon.  Tree farms are, well, farms.  So, while you are cutting down a tree, it was grown for that purpose, just as a cornstalk was grown for the purpose of cutting it down eventually.  Additionally, live trees filter CO2 while they grow, and they can be composted.  Here's an interesting article about the issue:
http://www.livescience.com/environment/091210-christmas-tree-green.html
Here's another:
http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/featured/oh-christmas-tree-oh-christmas-tree%E2%80%A6/

My wife and I were speculating on how long you have to keep a fake tree to make up for its carbon footprint.  The first link appears to plan on keeping a tree for only 3 years - this seems short to me, but perhaps that's as long as they last these days.  We have a fake tree.  I inherited it from my Great Aunts Marion and Letha, and my dad believes it is from the 1960s (it sure looks like it - there is no mistaking that this is a fake - and a bad fake at that).  So, I suspect that it's made up for its carbon footprint.  But I'm sure this debate will rage on in my household as our poor little tree continues to look worse and worse and we contemplate replacing it.


- New LED xmas lights cut energy consumption dramatically

We recently picked up a couple strings of the LED lights, although they are still dramatically more expensive than the traditional minibulb lights.  I spent about $19 (on sale) for two strings totaling 110 lights.  This compares to a string of minibulb lights that I picked up at the same time that cost $2 (on sale) with 100 lights.  Yeah, the LED lights use less energy, but even if you figure the traditional minibulb lights use about 50 watts compared to about 0.5 watt (or less) for the LED, that would require me to keep them lit constantly for years to make up for the additional cost.

Some conversions and math:  (DTE Energy residential costs: 6.49 cents/kWh = 6.49c/3600 Watts) (50 Watts = .01389 kWh) so...  50 Watts costs nine hundredths of a cent/hour (0.01389kWh * 6.49 cents = 0.09 cents), which means I'd have to light them for about 18,888 hours to make up for the $17 additional cost (cost of string 1700 cents/0.09 cents for energy per hour).

Considering we only burn them for about 4 to 5 hours (let's be generous and say 6 hours) per night, that means I'll have to use these for 3,148 nights to make up the cost.  Or energy costs will have to skyrocket.

Ok, so these are an entirely "environmental" choice and not an economic choice at this point. Let's just leave it at that for now.

- Tips for how to eat local - the 100 mile challenge (eat an entire meal of foods from within 100 mile radius)

Basically, my wife was most interested in where to find meat that is locally produced, and purportedly, the local farmer's market has local meat.  We've bought Kowalski Meats, but we are still not sure whether they are actually Michigan meats or just packed in MI.  Boarshead is another meat that could be from Michigan, but that's often a crap shoot, since they have plants all over the US.  There are a few other brand names as well, but we'll be checking out the farmer's market for other meats that we use on a regular basis (chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops, etc.).

- Tips for how to make your own wrapping materials (some paper, some not)

My family has often talked about dumping wrapping paper in favor of wrapping fabric, fabric bags, or something of that ilk, but inevitably we've failed with the exception of a few pieces of fabric.  Or we give it away on wrapped gifts and don't get it replaced.  One of the thoughts that came out of the workshop though was to buy old curtains and baskets to make a nifty little designed gift package, rather than just traditional wrapping.  We also did colorful paint stamps on newspaper to make your own wrapping paper designs at the workshop.  This was something that... um...  well, it sort of screamed "hippie" to me.  And I'm pretty sure my wife thought my newspaper-stamped-wrapping paper was trash.  Oh well, it was fun to make even if it's not something I'm likely to use.

After all this we had several casual discussions during the workshop about some of the things that others do to "green" their holidays.  This was fun to learn what others are doing:
- No big box stores - only local shopping.  Supports the local economy.  Often much lower carbon footprint.  Often much more unique gifts.  But it also likely means no Playstation3 for Christmas.... ;)
- Only homemade presents - one couple bought themselves a home-remodel this year, so for Christmas they are "shopping" at home in order to create new gifts and not spend more money they don't have.  They are trying to find stuff to give to each other that can be easily made from stuff at home.  Interesting thought.  I think this would be fun for a few gifts, but I love finding fun gifts for loved ones that I likely don't have in my basement.  Plus, I just don't have the crafty talents to make good gifts (again, no Playstation3, either).
- Regifting - because as a culture we have so much stuff that is only used periodically at best (or never), many felt that we need to get over our disdain for regifting.  I have a mixed feeling on this.  I think that regifting is fine in concept (isn't that just basically how "vintage" succeeds anyway??)  But often regifting is thought of as unloading your crap or unwanted stuff on others, rather than thoughtful regifting.  One person at the workshop mentioned that they regift books, which I think is brilliant, and my Mom and I have done this in the past.

So, how green are your holidays?  What other green tips did I miss?

Solving my Kegerator Problems (Hopefully)

I picked up a kegerator off of craiglist for $100 a few months back.  It had some cosmetic problems, but it got cold and seemed to be in good shape mechanically.  It included a gas cylinder and a beer faucet.  However, it's starting to fall under the "you get what you pay for" category.  The unit is a Beverage Air Model QM20, and since most Beverage Air kegerators run about $400 or more (lots more), I was feeling pretty smug about it.

I got it home and decided to pull off the plastic top because it was cracked in several places.  This wasn't too much of a problem and I replaced it with a plywood top that I painted then covered with plastic coating. 

I then replaced the beer line and the gas line (previous owner had apparently never cleaned them... ewww), and picked up new connections for the smaller "corny" or soda kegs that I'm using for homebrew.  This came to about $40 in parts.

So, with the top replaced, new parts installed, and beer in the fermentor, I moved it into place in the basement.  However, while doing this, I broke one of the welds that held one of it's casters in place.  D'oh.  Oh well, easy fix with a block of wood in the back corner.

I plugged it in and put a glass of water in the fridge with a thermometer in it.  Most beer needs to be 36 to 38F when served, so I wanted to make sure that it was getting that cold.

At about this time, I started to research how to turn this into a two-tap unit.  Unfortunately, I found that it is an old 2.5" tower (the metal tube that has the handle on it), and there is not room inside that tower to add another faucet.  This little change will require a new 3" tower (about $65) and of course, the new faucet, beer lines, and CO2 gas lines ($20 for the faucet, probably about $5-10 for beer lines, $30 for multi-port gas distributors).  This is starting to sound expensive.

Time to check on that glass in the fridge... the good news is as tested before buying it, it is getting cold.  However, I quickly learned that the thermostat was not working on the unit and it froze the glass of water completely solid within 2 hours.  I remove the block of ice, chip out the thermostat.  Get out another one, and turn the thermostat to the off position and learn that it will still freeze the water in the "off" position.

Now I've moved the Hefeweizen into a keg awaiting the kegerator... so, I decide let's just tap the thing, and unplug the fridge to make sure it doesn't freeze.  Of course, almost immediately after drinking beer one night I forget to unplug the kegerator.  This freezes the beer lines and pops the faucet open.  I don't notice this when I unplug it and about a half hour later, I've got beer pouring out all over the floor!!  NOOOO! 

The other problem with this solution is that tapped beer is very temperature sensitive.  Higher temps require less CO2 gas pressure, lower temps require more - basically this means huge head on the beer as the keg warms up.  Additionally, once the beer drops to about 34F (or lower) the CO2 gas gets trapped in the beer and will provide very little head and leaves a flat taste to it.  So, obviously, I have to get the temperature issues resolved.

I contacted Beverage Air and found out that they do not think they have ever built model QM20.  I provided all the details I could, but they just recommended I contact a certified service company to look at the unit.  So, I then went to parts suppliers and found they also claim Beverage Air never made a model QM20 and they can't send me a thermostat for it.  Someone suggested that I take out the thermostat and see if its got any part numbers on it, but of course it doesn't.

The solution that I've come to is to buy an external temperature controller and let it control the temperature.  These are about $65, so while my kegerator remains a good deal, its not looking like the bargain I originally thought.

Total price so far: $205 and some change.  Still have another $125-$130 or so more to add the second tap.  Though I have had (some) fun trying to figure all this stuff out.

Bicycle trailers

My brother just clued me in to a fun link for a variety of bicycle trailers:
http://www.sfbike.org/?racks

I'm especially a fan of the idea of a "camper" bike trailer (like the Midget Bicycle Camper pictured to the left here).  Not that I want to drag one behind me, I just think they are a fun idea.  I'd like you to drag one and I'll sleep in it.  How about that?

I've always had this sort of crazy dream to build a mini-brewery or a coffee roaster on a bicycle trailer and then bicycle it around town makin' beer or coffee. Though, actually, as I think about it, I'm not really sure where I would bike it... other than to my pal's houses, and frankly, it's a lot less work to have them come to me.

I like the link to an instructable for building your own paniers.  I've seen this instructable before (perhaps it's one of the more popular ones?), and I might try and take this on at some point.  Mostly just because I'm drawn to projects like this, and if it can be done for cheap, then all the better!

I already have a BOB trailer, so I can't say that I have any need for another trailer, though "need" has never really gotten in the way of my desire for new bike gear in the past.  I've been watching craigslist and curbs on trash day for a cheap kiddie trailer that I can turn into an inexpensive cargo trailer (the start to the brewery?!?), but have not found one yet that fits into this project budget (that budget is about $10 for those that are curious). 

Anyway, truth be told, I'd rather just get one of these.

Do-It-Yourself

Yesterday, I spent some time reading about how to build a bicycle frame. Basically, I was reading how the angles, tubes sizes, etc. are all calculated and drawn out. This led me to read about how weld and how to make carbon fiber. All of this has me thinking that I need to build my own frame.

Sure, that's a nice dream, just like the brewery I'm going to build, and the solar powered coffee roaster I'll be building.

Anyway, this had me wondering what it is about these three things that really attracts me to these activities. I'm self-delusional but not so much that I believe that I ride well enough to justify a lightweight carbon fiber, high-end, mountain bike. And contrary to popular belief, I do not drink enough beer to justify building a brewery that produces a quarter barrel of beer every month.

So, why am I drawn to these? They all have in common are three things:

1. they are "projects" - the act of doing - setting these items up and then working the projects (building the frame or brewing the batch of beer) is what really draws me to them. The physical act of making something.
2. they all very different from how I spend most of my day - they are more hands-on, compared to the research and computer work that I spend my days on
   
3. they are social - none of these projects are projects that I can do 100% by myself. Either though learning from someone else, or just getting help in assembly, I'm going to have to bring in a friend to help.
   

This trend of "DIY" (Do-It-Yourself) is becoming a very big force in our marketplace (similar to your Dad's woodworking "shop" that he had in your childhood garage). Industrial suppliers are finding a new market of small retail customers (a new market for copper tubing, aluminum extrusions, wiring harnesses, solar panels, etc.). Cities and banquet halls are finding new shows in DIY or handmade shows. All of this spells growing trend. And its a trend that I suspect will accelerate as dollars get tighter and the social media allows even greater collaboration of ideas to work around problems that inevitably come up with DIY projects.

And with that, I better get back to tracking down where my next bike's aluminum head tube is going to come from....