G'day Boomerists Hide yer children, wimmin folk and particularly your livestock! The Dude is in town!! That shadowy, almost mystical figure has leapt straight from the pages of those well known and loved novels 'The Yeti. Is it real?' and '1001 things to do with naval lint' and my personal favourite 'How to knit a throw rug from human (?) back hair'. The Dude arrived at Boomers HQ with a need to brew an Irish Red Ale in the Boomers style. So we showed pity on the poor man beast and set out to create The Dude's Ginger Mick. I'm sure he was pleased as he grunted in a low guttural tone just before returning to picking fleas out his man pelt and nibbling on their lifeless remains.......... Hmmm tasty! So here it is. A world first scoop a picture of the man/ape/yeti (oh buggered if I know). The Dude.. ....
He's still in mourning for his hero Michael Jackson. The Dude is nothing if not deep! So with J Master J (pooncey name!) The Brew Maestro (shit... beam me up Scotty) only consulting on this brew it was left to Neil's highly tuned brewing skills to bring this baby home in one piece. Honestly though check out Master J's new title. Give these Kiwi's a couple of accolades about their brewing prowess an next thing you know they go all Gangsta On Yo Ass!! Plus now I'm always worried about the whereabouts of my booze hound Fluffy! Oh & speaking of bloody consultants check this out. I asked Sputnik (shhh....he's sensitive so I have type very quietly....so just lean closer to the screen so you can hear) the consultant to just do a little cleaning in his down time. Simple enough eh? Gave him Boomers safety boots, safety hat and the vacuum cleaner and left him to it.
Now 48 hours later what's been done? Not a bloody thing! Just stands there like a mullet. Too good to get his hands dirty I guess...............oh shit hands and arms...........................as I said before no arms is no excuse!!! Bloody consultants! Anyhow back to the plot. Some minor engineering has taken place over the last week and will happen during next week. We've decided to refit the Mash Tun burner to help with temperature raising before Mash Out.....
We also finally got our long lost Chinese transfer pump which will get some mods so that it can be used for Hot Liquor Tun transfers as well as cooling water recycle for the Sabco Chill Wizard.....
Finally next week we're fitting some quick release couplings to the Chill Wizard to enable back flushing during the cleaning process. We've also fitted a sample point on the Sparge Ring for in line sampling of the recycled wort. All good changes and in line with the MORE POWER principal! On another note. Remember Fluffy our resident booze hound vacuum cleaner? Well this was her....
She heard The Dude was coming to Boomers and guess what? All her hair dropped out!!
Can't blame her really.....in fact I think I can feel a crop failure coming on myself! So back to The Dude's Ginger Mick. Things progressed well in a weird David Attenborough sort of way. Well apart from the late start as The Dude had been delayed at the hairdressers getting his hair straightened. However once under way we ran like a well oiled machine.......
The Dude and J Master J oiling the machine! Yes J Masterbator J (oh did I say that?) smelt the beer brewing and came a running. Bloody typical Kiwi! The Dude, prior to being oiled by the J Master J, got staright to it. Compiled the grain bill and ran it through the mill while I got the HLT and MT up to temp. In went the grain (love those aromas!) and on went the timers. Now watch the temp.....Steady as can be...... Brilliant! Now just wait. Might as well oil the machine again! Next step was Mash Out.............ooops..........somehow missed that......oh ok not critical........pass some more machine oil please.......time to sparge.......here's the J Master J again with yet more oil............now what was it we were doing?.......oh ok.......sparging went well........ now everthings drained into the kettle.....flame on....hey any more oil left?......now we need the hops.......dispatch The Dude!!........back come the hops and in it goes........nice rolling boil....... prepare for the Chill Wizard.....J Master J pitches in to prepare.....more oil anyone?.......hang on where's the aroma hops........oh shit we've put the wrong hops in first.....consult the J Master J........don't worry.........be happy!!!......more oil anyone? So by now I think most of you will have the plot. Just a tip for the kiddies. Don't drink and brew as ya forget shit! However having said that a great time was had by all and I think the results may actually surprise even us. It's looking and tasting the goods so far. Two different yeasts have been used (1187 Ringwood & 1084 Irish Ale) so the results should differ significantly. Only frementing time will tell but initial samples have great flavour and mouth feel.
Here it is! However the brewing day with The Dude did raise some interesting yet scary questions. I think these pictures probably highlight my current concerns the best. There's a scary pattern emerging. Some would say possibly in lineage?.....
OMG!!!!! Ya gotta say there's an uncanny resemblance. Not only in looks but also in ability!! Even more scary was this.........
What's the hells been going on????? Doesn't really bear thinking about! So I think its time I tuck that away........wwaaayyyy back in my subconscious for some shrink in the future to uncover when I'm found shaking and screaming in a dark corner somewhere. OK.....Are ya ready?.......You know ya want it.......Here it is.........the educational bit!!! Be nice.....read..... History of Irish Red AleUnfortunately, little is to be discussed with the history of Irish Red Ale, because, well, there really isn’t much to talk about. It originated in the town of Kilkenny, in 1710, and was pretty similar to an English Pale Ale, the only difference being a bit of roasted barley added to the grist. This type of malt gave the beer a darker, red colour and added a toasty, dry flavour, making it very smooth and highly drinkable. It’s not a style that has a huge following in its native homeland. Characteristics of Irish Red Ale These beers have a low to moderate malt aroma, with some whiffs of caramel, toast, and toffee. Some diacetyl (butterscotch or buttered popcorn flavour) may be present, and there is very little going on as far as hops, usually just enough to provide some support. Their signature is that amber to reddish copper colour that is clean and clear with a minimal off-white head. A solid, slightly sweet caramel malt flavour is the first thing you’ll notice upon your first sip, with some roasted grain and a drying finish. No hop flavour will be evident, except for maybe some hints of English noble hops. Unlike English Pale Ales which may contain some fruity esters, these won’t be present in your Irish Red. Most importantly, this should be a smooth drinking beer for malt fans, with alcohol levels rarely being higher than 6%, so feel free to have more than a few at the bar. The medium mouthfeel also helps in this department, with possibly some more of that diacetyl that may give them a slick mouthfeel. Irish Red Ale isn’t necessarily difficult to brew, but it’s not a style with nearly the popularity levels of many others, so quality offerings are sadly a bit scarce. It’s not something in high demand, or an excitement-generating beer. Again, freshness is key, so be wary of a six-pack sitting on the shelves in your local beer store (or on tap in your favourite bar) in June. However in March when all good Irish brewers have ramped up production and you’ve had enough of Guinness at the St Paddie's Day parade, grab one of these. So as we bid a fond farewell to the new dynamic brewing duo better known as Neil I thought we really should allow security to go home and unload their weapons. Meanwhile we wait and wonder. Will The Dude's Ginger Mick taste like a quick lick of his armpit hair? Will Neil grow a man pelt just from standing next to The Dude for so long? Will Fluffy ever be fluffy again? Will J Master J The Brew Maestro put out a new line of Boomers bling? Will Sputnik ever do anything bloody useful again? For answers to these questions and more stay tuned!!! Meanwhile check this out.....
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and The Dude 
