More general updates

I feel like I haven't made a real beer-related post in a long time. I guess I haven't. I finished my paper to the tune of 51 pages. I'm currently in the process of heavily editing it. I just recently received another writing assignment so that will carry me pretty much into studying for my lone final. So I probably won't have a chance to get much more written here for the next month or so.

I decided I needed to take a half-break today so I tended to some brewing. I bottled up a dubbel brewed in early March. I used a combination of some homemade candy syrups. I'm not sure I'm in love with the flavor but I don't give up on beers until they are bottled, carbonated and had at least a couple months to improve. Even then I'm loathe to dump a beer unless I really hate it. I went ahead and used the cake from the dubbel to ferment a Belgian blonde following a clone recipe for Russian River's Belgian blonde (Redemption). It's a great example of the style so we'll see how the clone matches up.

Most of my hops are doing well. The new hops (Mt. Hood, Nugget, Cascade) are doing excellent. The sterling from last year isn't doing so great. It started growing some shoots but I think I either overwatered it or it's pulling back nutrients to grow out roots after being replanted. This weekend I hope I am far enough along on my school work to build my hop garden. I meant to do it like two months ago but this semester has just gotten away from me. So that will give me a good opportunity to write something useful on this blog.

I also have a small sour mash project going on. I'll try to put together my thoughts on that project Thursday or Friday this week. I didn't want to roll it into all this nonsense so it will get separate space later this week.