Southland in the Springtime

Spring has sprung here in Hogtown. The azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom, the nights are cool and the days are warm. It’s the perfect time of year for friends, fellowship and of course homebrewing! My latest creation is a Schneider Aventinus

The standard by which this brew will be judged

clone. It’s my first swing at a Wheat Dopplebock. For those of you keeping score, here are the vital statistics:

3 oz Pilsner Malt
1.5 lbs Cara Munich Malt
5.6 oz Carafa Special Malt II
3 lbs DME
5.5 lbs Weyerman Bavarian Hefeweizen LME (unhopped)
.75 oz Glacier Hops (6% AA)

I mashed the grains in 3 quarts of water for 45 minutes at 152 degrees then rinsed with 1.5 quarts at 170 degrees. Everything boiled for 60 minutes with the exception of the LME which was added with 15 minutes left in the boil. I wound up with an OG of 1.064. It was supposed to be 1.073, so I may be looking at a weizenbock instead of a dopplebock. (This recipe based on Brew Your Own magazine, September 2008, 14(5), p.32).

This is my first use of the chest freezer. The beer is bubbling happily at 60 degrees. After fermentation it’s supposed to condition for for 3-4 weeks at 42 degrees. Can you say willpower? Not in my vocabulary. I need to get a pale ale going to distract me!

I’ve often reflected on why I enjoy brewing. This last session was a great example of why this is such a great hobby. We had four generations of friends and neighbors present. From a very classy lady who was celebrating her 75th birthday to my nine-month old son, everyone participated and all had a good time. (OK, so Tyson didn’t get too much out of the experience, but he did enjoy playing with the baggie full of some extra grains.) Homebrewing is best done as a social exercise, from taking turns stirring the brew-pot to being mesmorized by the thermometer during the wort chilling; it’s all good. Best of all with a little luck and a lot of willpower, I’ll have something that would have made Johannes Aventinus proud.

I’m Going to Dizz-knee-land

I’ve intentionally avoided the mouse and his minions for over 21 years. Lines that never end, tourists with short fuses, the smell of sweat and sunscreen applied after the skin is fire-engine red, Brazilian tour groups that threaten to trample the unprepared in a boisterous sea of chartreuse t-shirts with matching hats: not my idea of a good time. This September everything changed. We made the journey to O-town for an NSCS

Hogtown Dennys Do Disney

conference (going there on UF business eased the pain a bit). We descended upon the Coronado Springs resort with high hopes and low expectations: How fun could this possibly be with a four moth old in tow?

Needless to say I was absolutely amazed and thoroughly entertained. Disney is pretty much the coolest place in the universe to a four year old who loves her princesses. I remember liking Disney as a kid, but Ella took it to a whole different level. Ella seeing Cinderella, the REAL Cinderella at Cinderella’s castle would be like me seeing Willie Nelson at Gruene Hall. It was the genuine article as far as she was concerned.

One of the many highlights of the trip was at the end of our first full day in the park. The Main Street Electric Parade (or whatever it’s called these days) is truly amazing. I remember it from the 70′s. It was pretty much Christmas lights on trolleys back then. Now it’s fiber optics, fantastic costumes, amazing animations on big screens; truly incredible. Ella stayed on my shoulders the whole time and drew many smiles from the people around us as she kept saying WOW! at everything that came down the street. The parade was over and Ella was done. She had been great all day long but was now exhausted. I was determined to stay for the fireworks, so we bribed her with some ice cream. The plan worked. I don’t know if that was the best display I’ve ever seen, but I can say that I haven’t seen better (Bejing Olympics don’t count – that was on TV and I understand there was CGI involved). The park lowers the lights. The PA tells everyone to stay where they are. “When you wish upon a star” is played as a single shooting star arcs gracefully over the castle. Unf%*#ing believable. I became a convert then and there as I wiped a tear from my eye. The mouse knows what he’s doing when it comes to entertaining kids (and adults). I cringed as we paid $170 just to walk in the gate earlier that day, but by the time the fireworks were over and we were on the bus back to the Coronado, I felt like it was worth every penny.

The Kids Are Alright

Ella is turning out to be a great big sister; just like we knew she would be. She is quite adept at helping to feed the little guy and does a fine job of facilitating burps. Watch out for “split-ups”. A little sister can only be asked to do so much.

Christine enjoyed her maternity leave and John got to work half time for a couple of months. The time went by all too quickly, but we both enjoyed many walks with Ty up to Open Arms to pick Ella up in the Double-Stroller.

Big Sister at Work

It’s a Boy

Born on May 19, 2008 to proud parents Christine and John and big sister Ella, John Tyson Denny is the latest addition to the Hogtown Dennys and is the inspiration our first bold venture into the blogosphere. Little Ty weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and was 21 1/2 inches. Grandmother Nancy “Nina” Betty, Grandfather Tyson “Ty Ty” Betty, Aunt Lauren “La La” Betty and Grandmother Beverly “Ga Ga” Denny are all grateful for the delivery of a happy and healthy grandson.