All goes well… the red ale and the hard cider are doing nicely. Good color, nice carbonation. Nothing has exploded (always a plus) and the sugar at the bottom is nearly all dissolved. I gave all 30 some bottles a nice little rotation to help swish around the sugar and was pleased to see it bubble nicely! There is something really cool about home brewing… It’s not the same as baking a cake or making butter or cheese… it’s like something that folks don’t often do, and yet, it’s really pretty easy. Just sort of fun, in a weird way. I enjoy it. And it’s funny, because I really don’t drink much at all. The last beer I had was almost 6 weeks ago! It was back when we first got the brews started!

The last batch is almost ready to be bottled. But, I don’t have any more bottles! Oops. I need to get one more case of tall necks and get them ready for the amber bock that is fermenting nicely in it’s little keg. Unfortunately, there are no brewing stores out here in the sticks, so it will have to wait until I get to town. There’s a great brew store in Toledo and I’m anxious to go and check it out again. I went last year, back when I first started and a lot of the supplies just overwhelmed me. Now, however, with 4 batches of good home brew under my belt, I am not as timid and unsure. I’d like to try a non-Mr. Beer kit!!! Yeah, a REAL honest to goodness, all on my own batch. Been looking through my brewing book to find a nice simple but good recipe to try and brew up! I’d really like to try something fruity. Or citrusy. Like a Mexican beer, with lime maybe… Just a thought. I’ve got a hard cider, a pale ale, a red ale and an amber bock under my hat now, I think something a little exotic would be great on a hot hot summer afternoon, laying in a hammock and just relaxing…

Maybe next week. We’ll see!

I’m even less of a wine drinker, but I’m really excited to see how this big carboy of wine is going to taste like! I hope it is slightly sweet, a nice deep sweet red grape wine. I’d really like to try a peach wine next, if I can find the right type of concentrated juice for the job. I suspect that there will be a good deal of gifting with this first five gallons! I just don’t think I could get through 5 gallons of wine by myself in this century!!! It’s okay though, I’ve already had a few good friends with their hands up, patiently waiting to give the first Windhaven wine a taste test! I’ve had a few sips of Uncle Rod’s wines and they are very nice! Peach or strawberry… yum. A nice desert wine, I could see that drizzled over some fresh fruit and lovely shortcake in a few months!

Well, we’ve got a few more weeks for everything to finish up. I hope it’s all ready for our sheep shearing spring gathering here at the farm. We’ve got plans in our minds to have a fun day, watching the shearing, working with the fleeces, enjoying a lovely lunch of local foods, homemade goodies and a little sip and tasting of the Windhaven brews! Perhaps a little music, a bonfire, and who knows what else? A little prepared fiber to work with, learn to card and spin! Can’t wait!!!