12.31.04
Posted in homebrewing at 1:57 pm by
Wednesday I tried my very first partial mash recipe. I hadn’t really intended to do so, but it just seemed to work out that way. Here’s the recipe along with list of things I needed in order to become a partial masher.
First, the partial mash equippment list.
A Mash Tun - Basically this is another brewkettle, but it doesn’t need to be as big as the first. I bought a 16 quart capacity (I brew with a 20 quart.)
a strainer - buy the biggest strainer you can get your hands on. The bigger your grainbill the more it will need to hold. As it stood this time I had to sparge 3 strainer-fuls of grain.
a stainless steel ladle
Okay, now on to the recipe.
Happy New Year Hefeweisen
Crush:
1 1/2 lbs of wheat malt
1/2 lbs of 10L Crystal Malt
1/2 lbs of rye malt
4 oz. of rice hulls
Mash in 2.5 gallons of water
at 105 degrees fairenheit for 20 minutes
at 120 degrees fairenheit for 20 minutes
at 152 degrees fairenheit for 45 minutes
Drain wort into brewkettle straining out mashed grain
Sparge (rinse) mashed grain with 1 gal H2O at 170 deg. F.
(basically you hold the strainer over the brewkettle and the rest of the wort and take your brand spanking new stainless steel ladle and ladle a gallon of H20 over the grain allowing the sparge water to rinse the grains with the outflow landing in the brewkettle.)
Bring to boil then add:
5 1/2 lbs of Wheat Malt Extract (LME) (a 50-50 wheat/barley blend)
1 lb of Malto-Dextrin powder
1 oz of Galena Hops (11% AA)
Boil 30 minutes then add:
1/2 oz of Saaz hops (3% AA)
Boil 25 minutes then add:
1/2 oz of Saaz hops (3% AA)
Boil 5 more minutes then kill heat, bring wort to 80 degrees fairenheit.
Top up to 5 1/4 gallons in primary fermenter.
Pitch yeast:
White Labs Hefeweisen ale yeast (they have a number of different kinds, I used just the regular.)
Aerate wort and leave to ferment.
Fermentation schedule:
7-9 days primary fermentation at 65 F.
2-3 weeks secondary
Prime and bottle with:
1 cup corn sugar
Bottle condition for 2 weeks
The OG on this one came out at about 1.056. That seems just a hair on the high side, but there will be a reasonable proportion of unfermentables in this beer (the malto-dextrin, etc.) It should have lots of body as the FG should also be a touch higher than normal. Perhaps, around 1.016 or so. We’ll have to see.
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12.29.04
Posted in fun at 11:11 pm by
I’m home. Here’s a recap:
Early morning flight from Grand Rapids to Milwaukee.
Plane delayed. Shit.
Flight from Milwaukee to Des Moines.
Baggage handlers take 45 minutes to unload 12 bags in Des Moines.
Rental car, nice weather.
Nice weather turns sour.
Sour weather turns nasty.
Dad is driving. (His passengers have white knuckles, fear for their lives.)
We make it.
2 days with brother and sister in-law.
2 days with their Jack Russel Terrier Zeke.
We vow to never own a Jack Russel Terrier.
I drive back to the airport.
Flight delayed. Shit.
Fly to Milwaukee then to Tampa.
Put winter jacket away for a week!!!
68 degrees.
80 year old Grandma screws up car driving drunk.
Jen’s 20 yr old sister doesn’t take the keys after 2 manhattans, a merlot, and 2 chocolate martinis.
Jen and Brandon have a talk with Jen’s sister about ‘how much is too much.’
Christmas day. Prime Rib, pretentious gated community.
Stocked bar.
Cousin goes out to smoke 9 or 10 joints while his mother stands by making conversation with him.
Disney…the happiest fucking place on earth.
Brandon arrested for attacking Donald Duck. (Okay, that part didn’t happen; but it was a fantasy.)
80 yr old grandma refuses to take a wheel chair into the park.
80 yr old grandma walks the entirity of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Animal Kingdom in two days.
80 yr old grandma is a tank.
I’m sore, she’s not.
Flight home delayed. Shit.
Home late.
Warm bed.
That’s a short recap. There’s probably enough stories and thoughts there to keep me going for a while. As it stands, I’m a little under the weather. I’ll try to let y’all in on my little trip soon, though.
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12.19.04
Posted in faith at 3:29 pm by
Okay, friends. The holidays are upon us. As such I will be leaving to visit with my newly married brother and sister-in-law in Spencer, Iowa. From there, we (my parents and wife) will be driving back to Des Moines where we will catch a plane to Tampa, Florida. (My parent’s will go home because Dad has to preach.) We’ll be spending a few days in sunny (and hopefully warm) Florida to visit my wife’s paternal extended family–something we usually do over Christmas.
That said, I’ll be away from the blog for a while. There’s a slight possibility that I’ll be able to give you a trip report and respond to some comments, but I’m not sure about that. I just like to keep you all informed so that no one thinks that I’m dead–because, after all, if I die, who’ll host blogvention?
Here are my last thoughts on the Church / Bar conversation. First, as someone pointed out in the comments section of Streak’s blog, there’s a difference between a bar and a pub. I think that perhaps the feeling of community that I really desire can be best understood as coming from a pub rather than a bar. The difference, as I understand it, is that a bar is an establishment whose primary buisness exploits are as a drinking establishment. A pub has a broader focus. The term ‘pub’ comes as a shortened version of the term ‘public house.’ Basically, a place where a community could come at day’s end and have whatever was for dinner at the public house and have a pint or two to close the day.
I do admit that a bar does have some negative connotations that come along with it. The over-focus on alcohol seems a barrier for some in considering it an acceptable alternative for a church-like community. I think that that point is causing some pause. I think, though, the difference between a pub and a bar accentuates the point that I’m trying to make. There ARE places of buisness whose focus is on community such that they actually out perform places like the church. Perhaps because they’re so accepting. (How many pubs do you think serve ONLY the highbrow of society–le creme de le creme, so to speak?)
Maybe some of the magical experience that one can garner sitting around a table sipping an ale, soda, or a coffee, happens because often those folks you meet there are unencumbered by a set of social rules to which they are expected to adhere. Maybe the magic comes because all sizes and shapes are welcome at the table in these places. Maybe, the magic exists because God’s tired of all the rules and social expectations that churches have come to implicitly follow…and when God wants to bless a conversation she knows better than to try to do so in a church, where there’ll be so much pressure to conform that conversation into a pre-set ritual of religiosity.
Maybe the magic of coffee-shops and public houses arises more out of the fact that God wants us to know that she’s everywhere. That when she tore the curtain in the temple when her son died, that really meant she was no longer confined to that holy of holies. That holiness is everywhere…we’ve just got to find it, find it and then love it, and love it like it’s going out of style.
Maybe that magic is at the pub because that’s where we’re most honest. Maybe.
Happy holidays, enjoy a holiday ale, fine coffee beverage, or anything else of the like for me…and for heaven’s sake, make a little magic: find a little holiness this holiday season.
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12.18.04
Posted in faith at 4:44 pm by
In my comments section Degustibus has been questioning the notion of having bars fulfill the role of churches. She brings up some interesting points about why a bar should not be treated as a religious community. Most of those arguments surround the idea that having a religious community meeting in any place other than a Church will lead to new age gaia sorts of worship.
My question, and my thinking on this has been influenced by my blog-friend Greg, is how is that different than what happens IN many churches. I don’t think it is. Many churches strive to emphasize the health and wealth gospel of Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Robert Tilton, and the like. Those churches certainly aren’t communities of faith built on integrity.
She rather shares a suggestion that anyone concerned with personal salvation wouldn’t be caught dead discussing that issue in a bar. I disagree, on two counts. First, I think that discussions of personal salvation and sharing that message, albeit through mediums uncommon, happens the BEST in places OTHER than churches. Second, I disagree with the inference that sharing personal salvational accounts are the purpose of the Church. This is a 20th century idea that I believe has gotten way too much exposure and has fed into the health and wealth gospel. The purpose of church is to be the kingdom of God on earth.
So, with that stated purpose, why should that kingdom meet in a sanctuary. The concept of church being ‘that place you go’ has, in my opinion gotten Christianity into a whole heap of trouble. I think church isn’t that place you go, it’s everyplace you go. I’m not officially part of a church right now, but I am part of the Church right now. In my mind, the latter is much more important than the former. My work as a Christian never ends, even if I’m not a member of a local church.
My frustration is quite simply with the idea that churches aren’t doing what they should. They’re no longer driven by a purpose. They’re not really even communities in any traditional sense of the word. Holler you may about small groups, etc, but churches are failing. No. Not every church, not in every case. But, at an alarming rate churches fall short.
Some folks may not like my suggestion of churches being superceded in community by bars. I’m sorry. But, if you don’t like it, perhaps you should go out and work to change those organizations (churches) that make members of the Church (catholic style) not want to be a part of them. If you’re doing that, and you want to critique my suggestion that faith communities are superceded by the local watering hole, well, then you’ve got some ground to stand on.
My thoughts about churches and bars aren’t because I want to drink beer at church. They’re not because I want to ‘de-holy’ church, (Lord knows, churches have done a damn fine job of ‘de-holying’ themselves.) I just want some of the magic, some of the community, some of the spiritual growth, that I’ve experienced at the bar to rub off on the Church.
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12.17.04
Posted in faith at 1:39 pm by
These thoughts come largely in response to James’ question and post about the nature of the church experience. It should be noted that I rather enjoy trading posts back and forth like this when neither James nor I is trying to prove the other wrong. Rather his thoughts at Little More than a Placeholder have really helped me to think through both the nature of church and how I see its problems manifesting themselves. James is a great thinker/writer so if you haven’t linked him already, I would do so post haste.
I think both James and I–and correct me if I’m wrong here, James–have been put off by the fact that it feels like we both find community more forthcoming at places of meeting other than churches. At least here in Grand Rapids (and probably this is a true phenomena more places in the US.) James commented that he has felt the most community at a local coffee house. Partially, he hypothesizes that the addition of wireless to more communities of business has increased the amount of time that regulars tend to spend in these places.
I think it makes sense to expand that operationalization into a broader concept. We feel community in those places where we spend time. Perhaps, that means I should simply spend more time in the church, then I would feel more a part of that community. All told, I agree that this is one of the areas where churches have really missed the boat. Early church members spent much of their free time together, in physical proximity. The advent of the automobile has allowed us to live further away from our communities of faith. That is a truly unfortunate, but not insurmountable, obstacle to the growth of a faith community. James deals nicely with that topic.
Another issue, aside from time spent in physical proximity, is size. I believe, strongly, that the mega-church has lost the ability to be a church, in any traditional sense of the word. I’d love to be proven wrong about this, if anyone can give me an example of a ‘mega-church’ that does church right (in the sense of being able to provide any semblance of an interactive community) I’d love to hear about it. Large churches lack the ablility for people to really know eachother. Also, the way most churches in the US have gotten large is by peddling a message of cheap grace, wealth, and happiness. A message my blog-friend Greg describes as the ‘cracker-ass, suburban cult of self.’ I love that description, not only because I think it’s humorous, but also, I find it accurate.
Finally, though this isn’t probably the final issue, I think churches have stopped being communities of purpose. Every Rick Warren fan on the planet is sputtering to comment now. They’ll say, “But, Rick Warren tells us that God loves us and we have a purpose, so of course churches have a purpose.” Well, harumphf. Rick Warren’s idea of people having a purpose is making sure that churches have a steady flow of people who believe that it’s God’s explicit purpose to make them happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise. The other purpose is making sure the church is full on Sunday morning. That is, a successful church with a purpose is a big church. I think that this is bull shit.
A community of Christian purpose is a community that is intentional about moving the kingdom forward. A community that wants to end pain and hurt and suffering for the least of these is a community of faithful purpose. Rick Warren (and many others) try to teach us that being a community of faithful purpose means that we peddle our gospel of wealth and prosperity to the masses. Unfortunately, this false message cannot a purpose-driven community of faith make.
James finishes his post with a question. He’s just not sure where to go from where he’s at. I don’t have an answer to that question, and I have a question of my own: If we’re to effect change in the Church, where should the locus of control lie? Internally or externally? And, to that question, I do not have an answer either.
ADDENDUM: You all should really also check out what Streak has to say at his blog on this topic.
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12.16.04
Posted in faith at 2:26 pm by
My good friend James asked a good question in the comments section about the bar. He asked this:
What is it about church/the bar that mean the bar isn’t a replacement for church?
This was my response. I’ve added some thoughts in to my comment here to further explicate what I mean.
I think what would be more accurate for me to say is that the bar isn’t a replacement for church, but it can be a church. In which case it ceases to be ONLY a bar, but also a community. Really, it all gets at the question of what the Church really is, and what the difference between the Church and a church is, too. I see the Church as the body of Christ, wherever it is that members of that body go, the Church is there. And then, there’s A church. A church is (or should be) a collection of people who do life together.
I think a pub in a smaller town or village is more likely to give itself to being a church (in that you’ll actually know many more community members there.) For example, last night at Founder’s I saw really only 4 or 5 other people that I knew. In a smaller town, with just one bar I think I’d be able to form much more of a connection. However, if I went to Founder’s every Wednesday night, I might just find the same folks there as well.
As James has asserted to me before, much of America isn’t really into the ‘neighborhood’ thing, as he’s experienced it (he’s from the UK.) In that sense, the bar here can’t (or doesn’t) live up to the community that it might bring elsewhere in the world. So one reason the bar falls short is the same reason churches fall short. We all hop in the car and drive 35 minutes to find the megachurch of our dreams, rather than finding a community where we live. In that sense, I think that it’s fair to say that going to a big popular bar would be just as spiritually edifying as going to a megachurch where no one really knows eachother. (With the exception that at the bar people are nicer, there’s a more diverse group of people, etc.) So in many ways, the bar trumps church, hand’s down.
I just don’t see a Cheers ‘everybody knows your name’ kind of bar in the US, at least not often. In that sense, the bar isn’t a suitable replacement for church…but then again…the church is hardly a suitable replacement for church in most cases. The thing that might frustrate me about churches has much to do with American culture and the way that the church has been shaped by it. The American culture that says, “let’s drive 40 minutes to church because there are lights and drums and shit there,” the culture that says, “let’s get in and out and back home for sunday afternoon football.”
Of course, at the bar, there are T.V.’s, and beer. Thus, Sunday afternoon football is just an extension of the morning service. In that case, as well, the bar has really got one up on the church.
This mishmosh of thoughts has been brought to you by Brandon. Let me know if you can make any sense of them.
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Posted in faith at 1:04 pm by
I’ve added categories to check out the latest blogvention news (if you’ve missed it) as well as any homebrewing techniques or recipes that I come up with. When I started this whole blogging escapade a while back, I didn’t really utilize categories as best as I could have. As a consequence, they’re pretty much a mess at this point. I’m also not going to go back and correctly refile a hundred and fifty or so odd posts. I’ll try to keep up to date on refiling from this point on.
Okay, on to my thought. I was at the bar with my friend Jon last night. We went after we bottled beer. (Which after the actual boiling process has to be my favourite part of the brewing process–I hope drinking the beer stacks up.) Anyway, we went to Founder’s Alehouse. My first beer was Red’s Rye. Red’s Rye is a beer that I first tried Monday night, and I fell in love. I also gave Devil Dancer a try. Devil Dancer is the kind of beer you drink when you are trying to get knocked on your ass. With 200+ IBUs, it’s one of the highest hopped beers in America. I expected it to be overwhelming. However, they’ve also got a pile of malt in the beer, so the hops are kind of evened out. The biggest part of this beer, though, is probably the 13% ABV. Needless to say, I had a beer buzz.
That’s not the thought, though. The thought is this. At Founder’s last night, I ran into more people who knew me than I ever have since I was a member of my father’s congregation when I was young. More people at the bar stopped by our table to say, “hi” to Jon and I than ever have at Church. What the hell’s with that? Is it the alcohol that makes people nicer? I’m not sure. Either way you shake it, it stands to reason that Church should be more like the bar. Here’s my rationale:
1. People are generally amiable at the bar, even the ones you don’t know.
2. There’s always a coming and going of people at the bar, and pretty much everyone is welcome.
3. The bar serves beer, and beer is yummy.
4. People you know (even if only a little) say hello.
5. The bar has a diverse group of people that hang out there.
6. All told, there are fewer fights at the bar than at church.
7. The fights that do happen at the bar aren’t ABOUT the bar. They’re usually a much more easily solved problem.
8. There’s a feeling of ‘togetherness’ at the bar.
Now, obviously, the bar isn’t a replacement for Church. I just wish the Church would take more of its cues from drinking establishments.
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12.15.04
Posted in blogvention at 9:14 pm by
Due to the resounding–well, sort of–response to the suggestion of the blogvention, I’ve upped my seriousness percentage to around 85% serious. (Which also means I need to get my ass in gear on that basement.) As it stands here’s the agenda:
April 2005 - Dry run at blogvention (dammit would someone come up with a name for this event) All are welcome. We’ll still open the ‘Bad Christian’ household, though, I expect that this may be short notice for some. Should be fun though! Make sure to book your beds early.
Addendum: Because I don’t really know any of you, I’d like to reserve the right to withold housing to those with whom I’m not really farmiliar. I mean, I’m sure you’re all very nice people, but, for crying out loud, I’m pretty sure my home owners policy doesn’t cover axe murderers. If I know you, you’re welcome to spend the night. If you’re an axe murderer–you’re not. Clear?
April 2006 - Adam @ Symposium (only 40% unless he upps his percentage as well), Ryan–of theryanking fame (a blog that I continually read as: ‘ther yanking’ instead of ‘the ryan king’), Greg & hot hairdresser wife (if hot hairdresser wife will fund the trip to GR–I recommend an OKC carpool,) Kristen & Micah Mc C., Kate who I hope brings her Nate (whom I just found out Monday that I really like), James, and his partner Kari–who live within biking distance of the ‘Bad Christian’ household.
So far that’s the list. Let me do the math a minute…okay…that makes 10, so far. 4 of which will (I hope) be willing to sleep at home and visit blogvention in the daytime. (That’s Kari, James, Kate, and Nate if you were keeping track.) And that’s really only because they live within biking distance. However, if you’re too drunk to drive after the first night of blogvention 2006 is through, or we’re too drunk to dial for a cabby, or if the cabby is too drunk to drive you home…you’re welcome to stay the night.
Part of my rationale for bumping my seriousness factor up to 85% is that I chatted the whole event over with Jen. She threw up no serious roadblocks. I take that as a vote of confidence, so I’m proceeding in my planning. I haven’t yet booked me a port-a-sauna, that still needs wife-approval. Again, don’t hold your breath.
The official itinerary is still forthcoming. Admission is free. Anyone is welcome. Still working on the sauna. If you are allergic to cats, you probably want to book a room in another household. If you think cats are of the devil (Greg,) remind yourself that you don’t believe in the devil and suck it up.
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Posted in culture at 10:53 am by
Got an interesting comment the other day. It was way back on the “how to tell if you’re a bad christian” post. I responded with an email (copied below). I had intended to leave it at that, but I found that either my email address was blocked or the address was fake. I decided to seek recourse. 
So here is the poster’s post along with my email:
This is an interesting discussion. I found this site because I gooled Anne Robare after having received one of her wack job emails the other day.
I found it interesting. I am a pastor, but have always been described as “edgy.” I drink, smoke, swear, and play poker with a bunch of my other “edgy” pastor friends. So I thought that I might be a “Bad Christian.” I would also agree that the White Christian Male power group, or how ever they were described, can be a bunch of pompous hypocrites and I was surprised when I scored a 135 making me a “Strong Biblical Worldview Thinker.”
What makes me sad about the dialog on this page is the focused on being better then the pompous white power group, and therefore taking pride that your worldview is in line with the Socialist, Communists, and Secular humanist. What the hell!
Regardless of the integrity of the Worldview Weekend Biblical World view test, where is yours?
So the question then is not what makes you a “Bad Christian” rather what makes you a GOOD Christian?
Jesus was edgy, counter cultural, and deemed a heretic by the “religious leaders.” He broke the Law, worked on the Sabbath, and claimed to be God’s son; He was a bad Jew! But Jesus was focused on being the light of his father. His focus was not on being a “bad Jew” but being a friend to sinners, the light of the world, and being the new convent and the Messiah.
The way to change the Pharisees is not with a heart of rebellion, but with the heart of a servant.
The truly “Bad Christian” is one who fights for the cause of Christ!
Dear Friend,
I wanted to return your message because you actually seemed to write it in a heartfelt manner. That is something that is greatly to your credit. Too often us internet dwellers hit and run with our critiques, so I’m hoping for some dialogue. I’m hopeful that you’ll oblige.
With that said, I think you’ve grossly misunderstood the purpose of this blog. You say that the people here are a group of hooligans who run around trying to revel in badness. I don’t know if you read the link that I added that explained why the name bad christian dot com came about, but I asked you to (in the how to tell if you’re a bad christian”) before you gave a critique. I’ll assume you didn’t because you really don’t seem to have grasped any of the concepts unrolled in that .
Being a bad Christian is a title that I threw out there because so many people are dissociated from things of faith. I am one of those people, and I have a passion for those people. It drives us nuts that conventional wisdom says that Jesus would vote Republican, etc. Some of us are liberals, some more conservative, others moderate.
You say that I take pride that my World view is in line with the Communist, Socialist, and Secular Humanist. You’re right. I do. That wordview test assumes that you can’t be a Christian and a humanist, or a Christian and a communist, or a Christian and a socialist. Furthermore, that test describes things that liberal parties in America (a rather conservative nation on the whole) as communist–the test is full of crap. That worldview test is sick because it has so little to do with Christianity. Regardless of your view of welfare, for example, you must agree that saying that the welfare state is clearly forbidden in the Bible is a little kooky. That’s just one example. That test is about being a literalist in many ways.
I’m sorry you feel edgy because you drink and swear. For someone with a strong ‘Christian’ you must certainly feel like you’re a bad Christian. That’s likely why you were surprised by the test. Had you read the post I requested, you would’ve found that being a bad Christian is not at all about revelling in bad-ness. Being a bad Christian is about bearing a title other Christians have foisted upon us. Despite their title, we follow Christ.
Please, Friend, do continue the dialogue.
Brandon
I’m really too pissed that he gave a fake email address to offer further commentary. Suffice it to say, I’m not interested in attending a Church where the pastor views his message as a one way pipeline from he to me.
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12.14.04
Posted in blogvention at 11:06 pm by
I am hereby appointing myself Chair of the first annual blogvention. You don’t need to buy your plane tickets just yet, but blocking off the weekend surrounding April 20-22, 2006 would be a good idea.
Since this will be the first blogvention, it seems wise to piggy-back this event with one that is already taking place. I’ve decided upon the Festival of Faith and Writing. That seemed the logical choice, as it is something that many of you may just have some interest in (aside from the aforementioned blogvention.)
Past speakers have included Anne Lamott, Joyce Carol Oats, Katherine Patterson, Maya Angelou, Chaim Potok, Frederich Buechner, and many, many other notables. A complete list of last year’s festival speakers can be found here.
Immediately following this festival will be a one day blogvention gala. There will be pretty much nothing on the agenda, save merry-making, consuming fermentables, late night conversations, and if I can convince Jen, a rental sauna. (Don’t book your plane tickets for the sauna, that’s a big friggin’ MAYBE.)
Much of the first annual blogvention–until it gets a better name–will happen right here at the Brandon & Jen mansion. (Of course, by mansion I mean 3 bedroom cape cod on a busy street.) We have 5 couches, a futon, 2 twin beds, 1400 sq. ft. of floor space for sleeping bags, and room for about 2 more in the queen bed (as long as you don’t mind sleeping between Jen and I.)
We’ll probably discuss issues like church, fundies, various standardized tests designed to pigeon hole people, alcohol, books, Christianity, and culture. And, of course, there’ll be plenty of homebrew (however, don’t let that stop you from bringing your own homebrews.)
I want to say that the day of the blogvention (we really do need a new name) will be a Sunday, so we may as well have a Church service–preferably one that doesn’t suck. I’ll leave that up to you seminarians.
I’m about 60% offering this option in jest, the other 40% of me is going to start cleaning out the basement tomorrow so that there’s room for y’all to sleep where you fall. It may take me until April of 2006 to get the basement presentable, so I’d better start right away.
So, who’s in?
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