Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest

11.2oz.

5.8% abv

Octoberfest number three in my series, as provided by mamacita-in-law. If the Paulaner was an 8 on the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, then this is a 10 on all counts. that doesn't mean it is better, it is just very powerful in scent and flavor. Huge nose, thick meaty mouthfeel, and tons of sweet malt flavor. It really is very good, but it is also "strong" in its Octoberfest flavors. if that makes sense. Almost a bit gritty too, with a real bite to it.

Now that i have a scale, I'll add that the Sam Adams version mentioned below, is a solid 3 or 4. It isn't bad, it is just considerably more bland across the board.

C'

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

12oz.

no abv given

I had actually picked this up a few days ago, as I started to stockpile my Octoberfest selections. All my East Coast beer drinking friends swear by Sam Adams Octoberfest, but much to their dismay last year's offering was universally panned. This years offering is better, but still suffers from the Sam Adams blandness. You could tell this was an Octoberfest, but everything is very muted in comparison to the Paulaner. Much less nose, much less malty sweetness. Also quite thin in mouthfeel.

We'll see how it stacks up against other offerings as the week progresses.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

11.2oz.

5.8% abv

I had hinted to the woman that I was going to try and pick up a selection of Octoberfest style beers to do some sampling. I had only picked up one offering so far, and as luck would have it my favorite mother-in-law did some shopping for me! She dropped off a selection of six brews at Susan's work this afternoon. This was the first offering I tried. And it is yummy. Typical Octoberfest with lots of sweet malts and smooth body.

I'm looking forward to this weekend!

C'

I haven't had much to blog about, so here is some thick frothy foam from my marionberry porter.

Lunch at the training. Mmmm, cheesecake

grub at munchies

Bridgestone BS-7: Engine Assembly, Back in Frame

I spent some time out in the garage yesterday, cleaning up engine cases, stators, and the cylinder barrel and head. By the end of it, I had an assembled engine ready to go back in the bike. First thing this morning, I got the engine mounted up.

Fan side of engine:

I also got the read wheel assembly re-mounted. The bike didn't have the proper rear axle spacer when I got it, so I had to modify a Honda part to fit. The space needed to be cut down a tad shorter, so the wheel was centered side-to-side properly, so the sprocket would line up with the sprocket on the engine:

Clutch side:

C'

Hop Harvesting

It was time to harvest hops this morning. I had five Cascades, one Zeus, and one Magnum variety. First year crop.

Up on the ladder picking off hops:

12 ounces! Which is a lot more than I thought it would be.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7: Inside the Engine

In preperation for some engine case cleaning and polishing, I pulled the left side case cover off. This is the case that covers up the clutch. It also houses the clutch depresser thingy the clutch cable attaches too (it pivots and moves inward to release the clutch.) And, this is where you fill the engine with oil, and drain it. So I was expecting some amount of gunk buildup. this is what it looked like:

Inside of case:

Looking at the end of the clutch basket:

View from under the clutch basket, showing the drive gear:

I didn't clean anything. Not even a wipe of a rag, or a spray of degreaser. Everything looks great.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7: Rear Wheel

Yesterday was the front wheel, so naturally today was the rear wheel. Disassembled, cleaned, polished, repacked bearings and fit a fresh tire. then of course mounted on the bike for a few pictures:

Rear number, shown with gold pinstriping. My first shot at striping with my new brushes. I actually was decent at it:

I also outlined the red stripe on the tank and rear cowl"

It appears now that I need to start thinking about getting the engine mounted, so I can build an exhaust, run some cable, and make up some footpegs and a rear brake lever.

C'

Home Brew: All Grain Malt Monster

My first batch of all grain brew. I usually use a little extract, and a couple pounds of grain, but this time I got both pots on the stove, and went for it. I was shooting for a very malty yet light summer type beer. Simple, clean, and tasty. I used Munich and Vienna malts for their robust malt flavors, and a bag of New Zealand Motueka hops my neighbor gave me a few months back.

It isn't as clear as it should be, but it is very tasty indeed. A nice thick head, perfect carbonation, and loads of malt flavor. I specifically added hops in small increments, every 5 minutes during the boil, to give it a very balanced hop profile. As shown below in the recipe:

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity 1.060 OG

Estimated FG 1.015 FG

Recipe Bitterness 26 IBU

Alcohol by Volume 5.8%

Recipe Color 14° SRM

Alcohol by Weight 4.6%

Ingredients

Quantity Grain Type Use

0.75 lb MrB. Booster Sugar Other

3.00 lb Munich (US) Grain Mashed

1.00 lb Vienna (US) Grain Mashed

Quantity Hop Type Time

0.20 oz Motueka Whole 5 minutes

0.20 oz Motueka Whole 10 minutes

0.10 oz Motueka Whole 20 minutes

0.10 oz Motueka Whole 25 minutes

0.20 oz Motueka Whole 15 minutes

0.05 oz Motueka Whole 30 minutes

0.05 oz Motueka Whole 35 minutes

0.05 oz Motueka Whole 40 minutes

0.05 oz Motueka Whole 45 minutes

Quantity Misc Notes

1.00 unit Irish Moss Fining 1/2 teaspoon

1.00 unit Safale S-04 Dry Ale Yeast English: Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

Bridgestone BS-7: Front Wheel Rebuild

After some morning weed pulling, I decided to rebuild the front wheel on the Bridgestone. I dismounted the old crusty tire, disassembled the wheel, then proceeded to clean, paint, and polish. The front wheel bearings were in great shape, as were the seals. I also cleaned up the front brake shoes, pivot pins, and springs.

Lacing up the wheel. Always fun.

Truing up the rim. This is usually a pain in the ass, as you have to go back and forth on the spoke nipples to get things centered up, both with side-to-side run-out, and wheel balance.

Completed wheel, with fresh 2.5x17 IRC NR53 tire and tube mounted up. I gave the hub a very light polish, using 000 grade steel wool and oil. Then a very light rubbing of aluminum polish. The original rim polished up nice with some light chrome polish:

C'

Snack of champions

Nice Bultaco

Old Velocette

more vintage trials bike

At the Geritol trials

Mead Day

Just a random photo from our beer club's mead day. We made a "clean out the freezer" fruit mead, with blackberries, cherries, and strawberries. We also sampled lots of meads, from pomegranate, to peach, to cherry. All yummy.

Home Brew: IPA

A nice generic IPA, using a mix of partial grain and extract:

American IPA

Batch 2.30 gal

Recipe Gravity 1.057 OG

Estimated FG 1.014 FG

Recipe Bitterness 52 IBU

Alcohol by Volume 5.5%

Recipe Color 12° SRM

Alcohol by Weight 4.3%

Ingredients

1.80 lb Briess LME - Pilsen Light Extract Extract

0.50 lb Cane Sugar

0.10 lb Chocolate Malt (US) Grain Mashed

1.50 lb Two-row (US) Grain Mashed

0.50 oz Magnum Whole 30 minutes

1.00 oz Cascade Whole 10 minutes

1.00 oz Crystal Whole 5 minutes

1.00 oz Crystal Whole 2 minutes

1.00 unit Irish Moss Fining 1 tsp

1.00 unit Safale S-05 Dry Ale Yeast American: Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

C'