I'll start by apologizing for being so late to this thread, but it's been a hectic week for this greedy capitalist pig.

I too am a long time home brewer. However, I feel that some of the posts like those suggesting folks read Charlie P's book make it sound a little intimidating. So I recommend anyone interested checkout an online site like Northern Brewer (I have no financial interest, just a VERY satisfied customer).

It's awfully easy. Save two cases of bottles (no screw tops) and buy one of their home brew kits. You can spend a lot or a not so little amount. Then buy a recipe kit and have at it. Yes, sanitizing is next to godliness, but you don't have to overthink things.

Once your inner beer nerd kicks in, then read Charlie's book and start calculating the ABV of your beers. A couple of hints: don't start with big beers (high O.G.) that require a yeast starter. Buy smack pack yeasts - they are worth the premium. If you don't have a 5 gallon pot, borrow one.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy - Ben Franklin

I'll grow the barley and the hops in the Gulch and make the tanks required for fermentation.

Cheers!

I miss wyoming; we were close in 09, on a western
trip -- enjoy the weekend out there in that gorgeous
country!!! -- j
.

Works for me. Well, looks like we kind of wandered off the subject. Have a great weekend!

the political winds are so incredibly fickle. . but when
a technology is ready, like "fracking," off we go! . we
may yet find a miniature nuclear generator technology
which will take hold. . I want one in my basement!!! -- j
.

Unfortunately, the funding for the yin and yang got pulled before it ever had a chance to work. Much like the alternative energy projects we had at the Idaho National Engineering Lab when I worked there.

the wiki article describes it as a magnetic mirror
design which attempted to confine plasma for
fusion along a central zone end-capped with
yin and yang mirrors. . WoW! . we will eventually
do this fusion thing, and we'll have power galore. -- j
.

As one drove in the main gate off East Ave, and looked to the right. You would have seen a fairly tall building. I've been told that the doors on the building were the tallest hinged doors in the US.

not aware of that one, sir -- sounds fascinating!!! -- j
.

Yeah, still good times there. All kinds of funding to be had. Sometimes just crazy, don't know if you were there when the Yin & Yang magnetic facility was opened and closed nearly the same day.

oops -- forgot the contract change. . I was there,
mostly, in the 80s and 90s. -- j
.

When Univ of Cal was managing LLNL, that was the case. It was considered a campus and designed to encourage the best to apply and stay.

when I saw it, they had achieved brief fusion, but it was
in an update phase for improved glass.

that place is fascinating, more like a college campus
than any other manhattan project site that I visited. -- j
.

After they tore up our softball fields, they started construction on NIF. Had it mostly finished by the time I left, I think it's in a constant state of updates.

did you get to see the 96-laser gizmo at LLNL?
big, fascinating and powerful !!! -- j
.

Started off really nice in 1981, but by 2005 it was time to move on, back home to Wyoming.
Keep your sunny side up buddy!

24 years at LLNL? . I used to visit there when we
conferred with the design guys about things being
made at y12. . good to see you here, Jim!!! -- j
.

lovely place -- hot and cold running moonshine,
mountains and valleys, and all 4 seasons are
relatively gentle. . and you can get to the ocean
in a day's drive. . music city, lakes, good food --
fun place! . we even have a good symphony
orchestra or two. . cool. -- j
.

We can buy beer in the groc stores here. Not wine or of course liquor. But that can be sold in privately owned businesses. Not like Virginia that has ABC, (package), stores. At least, that's how it was when I lived in Virginia.

Its another potential 'currency' for local trading in a real gulch without imperial entanglements. Lets see, we need to grow/import barley, hops, sugar cane, juniper berries....

Let me know. I rarely make it to the 3rd or 4th.
Remember, you can decide how much alcohol is in the beer (up to limits of the yeast, that is.)
Seriously, most of my beer is about 5%, but the porter, stout, barleywine, trippels are usually higher.

You should make a post about homebrewing. Put it under the "going gulch" category. I'm sure somebody will be willing to trade some mulligans for the gulch's own microbrewery. :)

I guess the third or fourth tastes much better than the first?

One side effect of enjoying the product of home brewing is to increase the likelihood that you believe you have mastered home brewing.
As Papazian says, "Relax, have a homebrew."

Of course it's rigged. Just try to get rid of the state wine and liquor store system. It just has to be a hot bed of corruption and nepotism.

And I'm sure the package store lobby would fight anybody who tried to allow (gasp) grocery stores to sell beer and wine. Like in most states.

Awesome. This can be a new skill that I "dabble" in. I'm a great dabbler in things. I never seem to master any of them though. But I like learning new things. :)