Cheers! Oktoberfest!

Tapped a keg of Spaten Oktoberfest this week. Good to have on hand while all this college football is going on. Get out your liter dimpled mug and fill up on some tasty beverages this fall.

Trip to Ireland

I will be in Ireland from February 22nd thru March 3rd. I will post trip updates and pictures here from time to time.

Update 26 Feb 2007 Location Galway

Very busy weekend in Dublin -- here are where pictures will be posted

Biggest event of the weekend was the Ireland v England rugby match on saturday -- it was something to experience. I can barely describe how amazing it was. I spent the weekend in Dublin and I am now in Galway till Wednesday morning.

Update: 27 Feb 2007 Location Galway

The weather today in Galway is miserable. Worst yet of the trip. High winds and lots of rain. However the full Irish breakfast at the B&B i'm staying at was more than enough to keep you warm throughout the day. Fabulous meal consisting of ham/bacon, 3 different kinds of sausages, eggs, irish yogurt, mushrooms, tomatoes, 4 different kinds of bread, fruit and oj. I was stuffed. I spent the rest of the day trekking around the shopping/oldtown area. Some things here are reasonably priced... somethings are very expensive. Pints are usually 3.50 to 4 euros, and you don't tip so there are about the same as the U.S. CD's are typically 20 euros, or around $26-$27 each. I'm heading back into town soon to find a good place to eat. I spotted some several places with traditional irish dishes on their menus so I'll pick of them. Then i'm meeting up with some people my friend knows after that.

Update: 28 Feb 2007 Location Tipperary Town

After another plentiful Irish breakfast i headed out torward Limerick. This only took about 1 1/2 hours and i found the main city center. I did not care for Limerick at all. It was a dirtier downtown, shoppes and such but no real "oldtown" area with character. There were few pubs, restaurants and no real decent places to stay. I spent about 2 hours there and then i continued west toward Waterford. About another hour i hit this very small town of Tipperary. This was exactly the kind of place I was looking for. Tucked in the mountains/hills it is beautiful. The B&B I chose to stay at was the friendliest and nicest so far, and also the cheapest at just 35 euro. It is an historic Georgian building which has acted as an hotel since 1847. There is a supermarket around the corner, and the new Excel Center just up the hill (shown in my photos) that offers a choice of cinema or theater by nice integrated with a wireless internet pub/cafe. I post from there tonight. He also welcomed me tonight at his next door place for a night of traditional irish music. Start's at 10 pm. There is some good hiking nearby and a castle (The Rock of Cashel) so i think i will plan on being here 2 nights. The B&B gentlemen said on thursday nights there is a big Irish music performance at the oldest pub in town. I'll get directions from him tomorrow.

On another note -- i was going to go for another run this morning before i left Galway but it was monsoon conditions. So i ate my Irish breakfast and packeted and headed out. Here in Tipperary it's still cool cloudy and rainy but not the huge winds. Probably because it's mostly tucked away in a valley.

And a second note -- the high speed round-a-bouts are brilliant. On the other hand the 120 km/hr narrow roads with ZERO curb area are nerve racking.

Update: holy crap the traditional irish music was a cheesy band doing lawrence welk, and the place full of senior people dancing together. It'a all good but I drank my cider as quick as possible and headed over to the other side of the B&B .. the pub end and ended up staying up till 3 will some more wonderful irish folks.

Update: 1 Mar 2007

Today i traveled back to the west coast to Kilrush and Killamer (photos posted). The drive was about 2 hours each way and finally a day with lots of sunshine. The scenery was beautiful and the drive fun. These narrow windy roads make you feel more like you are doing 80 mph than 67. I stopped at this place that claims to be the worlds oldest family own pub/restaraunt for lunch. Had strogonoff on rice and it was very good. They also claim to be home of Nanny O'deas whiskey egg flip. Whatever that exactly is i don't know but sounds good for a breakfast sometime. I got back into Tipperary Town around 6pm later in the evening i met back up with people i'd met the night before at the B&B's pub. Another late night and a good sleep in the next day.

Update 2 Mar 2007

Drove back to Dublin today. More sunshine and rain mixed. Met back up with a friend i met last week and he took me out with some friends of his to a pub in Blanchardstown Village. My flight is 6:50am tomorrow back.

Pickling Day

Today is when the cucumbers and dill weed align which means it's time to make Uncle Tom's Famous spicy garlic dill pickles. I had to literally race other people at the farmers market this morning. I got to there at 7:50am (they ring the bell at 8am) and i saw about 6 15lb bags of really nice looking cucumbers, all small to medium size. So i got in line behind about 8 other people. The bell rang and off people went. i managed to grab 2 bags. the cucumbers were gone in seconds. I was there last weekend but was unsuccessful at aquiring any cucumbers.

So i'm off to the kitchen to give those cucumbers the ol' what-for!

2006 World Cup

So i've been enjoying watching the 2006 World Cup which started a week ago friday. I want to say what a treat it is to have every game shown in High Definition without overlap. Well done ESPN and ABC. On the other hand i would like to say that for the games broadcast on ABC, please, PLEASE get rid of Brent Musberger. He is a TERRIBLE soccer announcer. For the games on the weekdays on ESPN2HD there is an Irish announcer that is splendid. Get him on the ABC broadcasts. Musberger comes across as never have even seen a soccer game in his life.

On another note, the best World Cup experience i had was in 1994, when i was working in London. Boy -- it's an experience when i watched Ireland play in dowtown London pub...

Also, Keith Jackson retired a few weeks back -- the voice of College Football. He was the best and will miss his voice on the upcoming college football season.

May Day! May Day!

Today i tapped batch (2) of the cider. This was my first try at making cider in over 10 years. It came out pretty murky and dark - i did switch the amount of dark and light brown sugar just because that is what i had available, so compared to batch (3) which is much lighter and clearer (although not yet sparkling clear - it's still in the final stages of fermenting before kegging) i'd say batch (3) is a bit better. Anway -- it didn't carbonate very much, but that will change some as it's on tap via C02 at 10 PSI. All in all pretty tasty -- very strong (11% abv).. not what you would expect if planning on a typical store bought cider.

I did a taste comparison with batch (3) - i like batch 3 a lot more. Dunno if it was simply using the proper ration of light and dark brown sugar, or if the process was done more carefully, w/ more experience.

Next batch up will be a barleywine -- should begin brewing that within the next few weeks.

Cider Part 2.5

What is now known as batch (2) of my home brew cider was just recently kegged. Using an array of complex and unrelated equations the alcohol content of this batch rings it at a lovely 13.1% ABV. Now it sits in the keg for the next few month aging and carbonating.

During the meanwhilst, batch (3) was brewed and racked. The opening gravity on this batch is 1.110, nearly identical to the last batch. Batch (3) is now having the biggest dance remix party one can possibly imagine. The yeast certiainly loves partying all night.

This is a good time for brewing. The weather here in idaho is a constant 50 and rain. A good temperature for fermenting and the rain makes you look for projects that limit themselves mainly to the indoors.

Next brew i will venture into the realm known as barleywine. Specifically a recipe i pulled off cats meow, called "Snockerfest". I currently have Sierra Nevada Bigfoot on tap which is my inspiration for trying my own barleywine.

Remember, don't be a pansy when you pour your bottle of beer into your glass. Pour with vigor and get that CO2 jazzin' about.

The Big Four One

The clear blue skies and sunshine decided to stick around one more day, ordered up just for my birthday today.

And it is also a great day for making hard cider. Here you see the 2nd batch of what will now be known as "Tom's Famous Birthday Scrumpy". The 1st batch was brewed way back in the 1996. In it's first nigh of fermentation it blew the top off the air trap... should be ready to keg in 2 months.

Rogue Chocolate Stout

If you get a chance try this beer, Rogue Chocolate Stout, available this january and february on draft on in bottles.

Update: 25-Feb: I have this on tap now, and i must say it's amazingly tasty. It stands up to Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

Other beverages i recommend this winter:

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (available only February)

Old Dominion Millenium Barleywine

Nothern Lights Imperial IPA

Rogue Imperial Stout

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout

Ice Cold Coca-Cola in frosty cold glass bottles

It's fall and time for football...

i cold fall day from a view from my bedroom toward the outside/lake...

i hope you all turned your giant hand wound clocks back today... or .. or.. yeah whatever... let's all thank the earth's rotation to what we now as "24 hours" . This orbit thing is crazy.. who orbits what.. i orbited first.. yadda yadda

Oktoberfest Zeit.. Tchuss!

I hope every takes time to celebrate Oktoberfest, which in Germany runs from September 17th through October 3rd. And oh, did i introduce you to my three girlfriends? cheers!

Autzen Stadium

Spent this weekend with my brother Bob attending the Oregon vs Fresno State football game in Eugene. One helluva game as the ducks won by 37-34. A fine day of football and libation. My next live football viewing will be with, again, my brother Bob in Boise in October for Boise St vs San Jose St.

I'll have your spam.. I love it!!!

I've been spammed.. not via email where my current average is 400+ per day, not by junk snail mail.. but by blog. Some company posted a huge pile of piddlysquat as a comment to one of my blog entries. To all you spammers out there.. I hope you can see this, for I am doing it as hard as i possibly can!

Deschutes Mirror Mirror Review

Last night at my local pub of 38 taps they had on Deschutes Brewing's first ever Barleywine, Mirror^2. Of course i was very anxious to try and see what kind of barleywine they decided to come up with. Very tasty -- very much like a Rogue Old Crusty.. heavy on the malt and light on the hops, in contrast to the Bigfoot (also on tap!). I would of preferred a bit more carbonation but that didn't stop me from finishing of about 3 of these puppies.

And unlike that wimpy place (whisky bar) my brothers always take me in Boise for Bigfoot, they served me 2 happy hour 20 ouncers, not that lame 10-12 ounce snifters that is all too commonly served in pubs across the country when serving 10% ABV barleywines.

Come out and join me for a pitcher...

Let me introduce my newest nephew

I'd like to introduce my new nephew, Carson Craig Carstensen. My brother Craig and his wife Brandi had their first baby on July 2nd at 10pm. I look forward to meeting him in person for the first time soon!

Ironman Triathlon

The weekend is the 2nd annual Ironman Triathlon here in Coeur d'Alene ID. I volunteered last year to help on the bike portion of the course. After i was done there i went dowtown and watched the first participants cross the finish line. The whole event was very well done and exiciting to see such a thing in such a small "mountain town" of 35,000 people. I plan on doing the same this year..