I think I can now safely say I shall NOT be making it to AC this year (again). Haven't been on the new job long enough to justify a short vacation and the schedule failed to line up properly. I get a whole week off every month to compensate for long hours the rest of the month, but not only has my schedule NOT been lining up right -- they keep moving me from crew to crew as well. Gimme another month or two and I may start turning up at various Cons though!

Had some time to brew up a batch of English Bitter a couple of Sundays ago!  jaketwolf (he's not a jacket, but I can't help but be reminded of sour cream and bacon bits whenever I see his FA-truncated username) and  jdfuchs were able to make the trek up from Fort Collins to witness a full-grain mash -- or most of it at least!  kipper just happened to be in town as well as those who are in the habit of visiting my Weather Cam would have noticed (Tractor/Trailer parked out front).

The Bitter is still fermenting slightly -- may just up and transfer it to a cask, though  fanaticfox (Ferret Parade) may end up drinking most of it during my upcoming work shifts...

By the time the Bitter was being brewed, we already had a new Coffee Oatmeal Stout in one of the other fermentors -- coffee selected and supplied by Coffee Expert  goldenrod, who I just now noticed I wasn't already watching (coulda sworn he was one of those I added right after FC), and a fine choice it was! That beer is now in bottles with a(nother) test bottle in the fridge to see if it's done enough with the conditioning! Gotta get several bottles out to him somehow... The Belgian Strong Ale we brewed up a long time ago now is still fermenting! Lotta complex sugars in that one!

Coming to the end of my first week-off n the shift rotation! Been getting a lot of stuff done. Welded me up a new indoor door latch unlatcher handle thingy for the truck -- been getting real sick of rolling up the windows and shutting down the truck only to find I'd forgotten to reach outside the truck and open the door from there and then having to engage the electrical system to roll the window back down again! Welded up a broken exhaust hanger as well.

Got a good deal on a PTO Generator off eBay last week! Only had to drive out to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska to pick it up which is only a two hour drive from here. Needs a little bit of work, but by next week I should be able to use it for backup power by spinning it from my tractor and also use the tractor/generator combo to burn up all this used vegetable oil I've been saving up (not good for the septic system), run it through my grid-tie inverter and sell the energy back to the power company and make a few bucks off it! Yeah, I really have that much waste oil...

Gotta get a move on!