truffin.com » Food

Fall Break Images

TcT — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:48:06 +0000

This past weekend I celebrated Fall Break by asking Ted to join me on a quick brewery/disc golf tour of southwest Michigan. We visited New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, MI as well as Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids. In between, we shot up to Silver Lake, a place I hadn’t been since high school. On the way back, we stopped in South Bend, IN to play some disc golf (and get IN off my to-do list), but, according to a local, all the baskets were taken down for the winter. Didn’t realize one couldn’t play DG in the winter. Guess those Hoosiers don’t believe in Ice Bowls or other manly things.

Below are two slideshows: one of New Holland Brewing and one of Little Sable Point Lighthouse.

I am a Homebrewer; These are Craftbrewers.

TcT — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:31:05 +0000

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Midwestern Cucumber Sandwhich

TcT — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:33 +0000

Was wandering about the kitchen today wondering what to do with a cucumber when I was reminded of that staple of Victorian English novels: the cucumber sandwhich. However, I’m a barbaric Midwestern American living in a place that considers pepper an exotic spice. So, here’s what I assembled:

Toast:
2 slices wheat bread

On one side spread
Cream cheese
On the other slice spread
Butter/margarine

Layer on one slice
6-8 slices of cucumber (1/8-1/4 inch thick)

Sprinkle with
Pinch of dill
1-2 grinds of fresh black pepper

Place the other slice of toast on top of the cucumber-laden slice.

Cut in half, and enjoy.

2009 Monty Python Party

TcT — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:33:14 +0000

Last night we held the 6th (or 5th) Irregular Annual Monty Python party. The first party was held in 1995 at the Fry house. Since then we have had parties at the Toccoa house, the Chicago apartment, and the Tiffin house. All parties include coconuts, House Rules, costumes, and assorted hilarities. This year marked our third Spam sculpting event although there were no prizes this year due to the economic downturn and harried schedules. We crammed about 25 folk into the house, and a great time was had.

Visit our Flickr set for more pictures.

T-18 Big Head Irish Red

TcT — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:07:23 +0000

Brew Date:9/20/2008

Last Fall I was examining my brewing palate and realized I’d not done an Irish Red. Why not? I like Irish Reds. I’ve purchased Irish Reds. Why haven’t I made an Irish Red? At the same time, I was wanting to branch out a bit on my recipe sourcing. Don’t get me wrong. The kits from G&G have been fantastic, every one. But I thought I’d see what else was out there. Having just purchased BeerSmith software, I checked out their archives and located a couple of possibilities. After more searching, I determined that “Big Head Irish Red” by Tim Gorman had what I was looking for. So, I ordered up the ingredients and had it. I was so pleased with it that I brought some out to HI for our special trip.

Amount	Item	Type	% or IBU
Grain Bill
6 lbs 9.8 oz	LME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM)	Extract	71.76 %
1 lbs 1.6 oz	Light Caramel Malted Barley – 10L (10.0 SRM)	Grain	11.97 %
3.2 oz	Caramel/Crystal Malt – 80L (80.0 SRM)	Grain	2.15 %
3.2 oz	Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)	Grain	2.15 %
1 lbs 1.6 oz	Honey (1.0 SRM) from Attica, OH	Sugar	11.97 %
Hop Schedule
1.75 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min)	Hops	17.8 IBU
0.75 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min)	Hops	3.8 IBU
Misc
0.25 tsp	Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)	Misc
Yeast
1 Pkgs	American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272)	Yeast-Ale

The Numbers
OG: 1.051
FG: 1.016
ABV: 4.56
SRM: 12.9
IBU: 25
Yield: 28×12oz, 12×22oz

Tasting Notes
App- Copper colored, crystal clear, light creamy head that dissapates fairly quick.
Aroma- Malty, very light hop aroma
Taste- I’ve been interested in this one because the hops came out more interesting than I’d predicted. While generally balanced, the crystal adds a sweetness to the malt and the roasted barley provides just a hint of bit. What’s wild is that, at times, the hops almost seem minty.
Mouthfeel- Not heavy or light. Solid, middle of the road ale.
Drinkability: Very drinkable. Not striking enough to tire the tastebuds, but interesting enough to feel like “one more”.

Overall I was very pleased with this recipe from the BeerSmith archives.