Little Winery in the Back

Fertilizer for the Occupy movement

2011-12-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

This is how you make a protest grow. You fertilize it.

Occupy

Lost in Translation (an international game of Telephone)

2011-05-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

I was inspired, or maybe obsessed, by a poorly translated fortune in a fortune cookie. It as obviously a very profound phrase, I assume, prior to being translated into English. But now, it was odd.

When going from one language to another, something is usually lost. It got me thinking. What would happen when you chain multiple translations front to back and then finally translate it into the original language. That shouldn't be too hard to do. So I obsessively stayed up last Friday until the wee hours of Saturday, making the app. Hopefully getting it out of my head and onto the server would let me sleep.

Meanings get lost as words are translated from one language to another. Enter a simple phrase, choose a couple languages to build a chain of translation and see how the meaning at the end is not what it may have been intended to be.

Here is what I ended up with. Try it out. Let me know.

Lost in Translation (an international game of Telephone): http://openfermenter.com/lostintranslation

Tim

Conflicts should allow you to become better people. This one just showed that we have a ways to go.

2011-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Now that Bin Laden has suffered the consequence of his actions, maybe now those who broke the laws, and international standards of human behavior under the guise of keeping us safe can face their due consequences.

Can we quit celebrating the death of a terrorist, and turn an eye onto what our responses to his original acts have cost us as a country, and as human beings? I am glad our boogieman, Bin Laden, is not lurking in the in that barren desert cave (which turned out to actually be a large, comfortable, fortified Pakistan residence), but I have no pretense that this makes me safer. And I am a little saddened at how we did not take the opportunity to to use his actions to allow us to make ourselves better people, but instead a little bit less than we were before. We missed an opportunity.

The AP reports:

Mohammed did not reveal the names while being subjected to the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, former officials said. He identified them many months later under standard interrogation, they said, leaving it once again up for debate as to whether the harsh technique was a valuable tool or an unnecessarily violent tactic.

At least now the Cat we Belled is gone. Hopefully, we will get another chance to show we know how to behave as humans.

Intermission over, Time for the second act.

2011-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those milestone birthdays. One that is usually approached with hand wringing, thoughts of sports cars never driven, adventures not achieved, peaks not climbed, depths never dived, distances not traveled, sights not seen and thoughts never expressed to people no longer around. I count myself fortunate, because I am not feeling (many of) those thoughts.

Sure, there are things that I have not yet done, and I realize that, at this point, I may not get the chance because of prior choices or physical abilities. But, I struggle to find any significant hint of regret for choices made in the first half century of my life.

I spent my birthday with my wife and kids, family, and a significant number of my great friends both recent and from times when I was in diapers (more on diapers later.) My parents were not able to be here for it, but they wished my a "Happy Birthday" by phone. I wish they could have been here, but I know there thoughts were with me and mine were with them.

My wonderful wife spent a lot of time and energy planning a party for me that turned out fantastic. Now, planning a party for me is not an easy task. I consider myself easy to please. As long as nobody punches me, or is verbally abusive, I have a good time and enjoy myself. I like parties, but I don't feel comfortable being the focus of attention at events. So, throwing a party in my honor is probably a very nerve wracking task for someone to attempt.

Fortunately, one of my tasks leading up to it was brewing lots of beer. Getting to share that with the guests was a highlight, and drinking some of it probably helped too.

So many people where so nice. Lots of good words, good conversation, great food, great company and low stress (for me anyway) .

To my friends and family. Thanks for making the last 50 years tops. I am looking forward to the next half century. Let do it.

P.S. The diapers were a gift from my son (thanks Zack.) I don't actually need them, but they may come in handy for a long road trip. Watch this space for details.

Spring

2011-03-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Is Spring here? You would think so by the warm, sunny Bay Area weather. I expect one more bout of cold, wet, windy weather before we actually hit that magical, yet arbitrary Vernal Equinox beginning of Spring.

I say arbitrary, not because it is picked out of the air, it is actually very precisely defined as the instant that the axis of rotation of the earth is not inclined (pointing) away from or towards the sun. It is the day where the length of daylight is roughly the same as the length of night. But I consider it arbitrary because the things we think of as harbingers of Spring don't pay any attention to that precise day. My grapevines have already started to show little fuzzy nibs that will soon bud and form canes. The temperature in the winery is warming up enough that the secondary, malolactic fermentation cultures will wake up and finish rounding out the sharp edges of last years Chardonnay vintage.

The only thing that is lagging is my motivation to begin my Spring time activities. Just after the new year, I went out and rough pruned the vines. Each of the vines are now starting to take on their own individual shapes and personalities. I was able to leave a few spurs on each arm, and choose arms that are roughly leaving the cordon in the direction I wanted. In the next few weeks I will do a fine pruning to select the 2 spurs that will become the basis of this years harvest.

I will be a bit more proactive this year on mildew protection. The sun and weather patterns on the vineyard have been very conducive to powdery mildew, and it has robbed me of much of my yield. This year, the goal is to break that cycle.

Watch this space to see how well I can follow that plan.

What is wrong with this picture?

2010-12-14T23:37:00.001-08:00

Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor has been speaking about two economies on his blog.

If you were to walk into a classroom and see 100 students. And let's say 98 of those students are unable to keep up, their grades falling farther and farther behind, GPA dropping, struggling to get a grip on the course work. But, 2 of those students are getting all the instructor's attention they want or need, they have the textbooks they need to excel beyond grade level. Without the burden of the other 98 students, they are completing more and more work, getting farther and farther ahead. Making it less and less likely that the lower 98 will ever catch up.

What might be your initial assessment of the the problem? It probably wouldn't be that the lower 98 are all just lazy. And, it probably wouldn't be that some kids just naturally rise to the top and the two getting all the classroom resources are just more deserving of it.

You probably would think that something was a bit out of whak. The 2 lucky top students may well have been the brightest kids in the class. Catering to them might have given the quickest rewards to the teacher. They may have been the easiest to serve and work with. Initially, there might have only been a few grade points between the upper 2 and that of the lower 98, but over time, the neglect added up, took its toll and now it seems like you have two different classrooms of different kinds of students.

That might be a strained analogy for where our economy is right now, but when you look at the details, it isn't too far off.

We have two separate economies that have grown farther and farther apart. And, you can not just attribute it to the productive and entrepreneurial members at the top just being better at what they do.

If we all were experiencing the same economy, you would expect most participants to experience a similar rise and fall of fortune. Those at the higher end may see greater spoils, those at the lower end less. But, it would generally trend in similar directions. We are not seeing that at all. The 2% at the top are seeing fantastic growth and fortune. Everyone else is sinking just a little bit closer to flunking out.

Good news?

The Commerce Department just released a report that said U.S Corporate Profits Were the Highest on Record Last Quarter. Highest ever. The highest since they began keeping records 60 years ago.

That is great! Right? U.S. Businesses are doing fantastic. You know what that means, people who work for those companies get more. Well, maybe not all of the people who work there, but the executives do. Yes, executive bonuses are up too! That's good, right? That money goes right back into the economy. A rising tide lifts all boats you know. Except that tide seems to just be lifting the stock market economy. But that is good, right? Except for some reason everybody on this side had to pull their money out of the stock market to pay their bills. But at least Wall Street is getting a boost. Wall street bonuses are expected to rise 5% this year. Your bonus went up 5% this year, right?

Have you ever heard the phrase: "We'll, I've never worked for a poor man". There are more and more poor men out there and less and less rich bosses. Maybe that is why there are more and more people without work.

Something is really out of whak here. It almost seems like the top 2 percent and the rest of us are playing by different rules. And the teacher can't be blind to this. Can she?

What is wrong with this picture?

Goodbye Macie

2010-12-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

My last post about our dear pet Macie, who passed today.

Macie came to us from abuse.

Her previous owner, after eviction, left her to fend for herself in the back yard of their abandoned house. When the landlord discovered her, she was living on a dripping faucet for water and stones to fill her stomach to abate her hunger. I don't know what their situation was. Maybe they had no choice, but many times I have wished that they reach the level of despair that they thrusted our beautiful Macie into. I hate few people, but because of what they subjected our eventual family member to, I hate them. I have felt no remorse for that emotion.

We were fortunate to be able to provide her with a family that loved her without bounds. She gave us more that we gave her. Her love for our family was complete and without reservation. A dog's love for their owner always exceeds what can be reciprocated, and Macie gave us, her adopted family, her unconditional love.

Every family member is unique, and she had her unique and special kinship with each member. Each of our children had their own relationship with Macie, and she with them. Neither more or less special.

Life is cruel. When a pet ages at a rate 7 times faster that their owners, the pain of premature loss is expected, inevitable, but always without preparation.

Because of bone cancer, her life had become just a string of trips between places to lay down, and painful trips at that. Having become lame in her right rear leg, she made valiant trips into the yard to assert her territory against the interloping deer and hikers. But, I worried that, at any day, she may not be able to make it back up the hill and stairs to her throne on the deck. My dread of a phone call from my wife that our ever noble sentry was unable to climb the stairs back to her post weighted on me.

As her family, we made the choice that she was living an existence that was without pleasure, and with much pain, we decided to let her go. We chose to postpone the trip to the vet that day, but for probably selfish reasons, we made the choice to go to the vet hospital the next morning instead of that Saturday. I feel a little bit guilty about that choice, because the decision to wait another day, was for our benefit, not hers. That night was painful for us and her. I continually woke to hear her throughout the night, in a restless, painful sleep.

The morning was mechanical. Punctuated by emotion, but never a second though. It was time, but not without tears. We left before the kids were awake, arrived before the vet and sat with Macie in the car. Normally, she would have been apprehensive on a trip like this, but the pain and discomfort probably consumed and distracted her.

I went in to take care of the paper work while my wife waited in the car with her. I was fine until the vet asked: "How are you?" I couldn't answer, and she didn't ask again.

When it was time, I lifted Macie from the car to the ground. On level surfaces, she could walk by keeping her good rear leg centered and she had a labored skip. She followed us, unquestioning, into the room with a place for us to sit with her on the floor. We talked with the vet briefly, they took her for just a few minutes to insert a catheter which was to be use shortly. Then she returned to us for a final 10 minutes for us to thank her for the last 11 years she had given us.

When the vet came back in, he explained the procedure. We could sit with her as he administered a drug that would lead to her falling asleep and then quickly passing away.

As we sat there with her. He injected her and there was no indication of discomfort, at least for her. The hardest part for me was, as soon as the procedure began, Macie turned to me and looked directly in my eyes. I knew that look. She was looking at me partially for me to reassure her that everything was OK. But at the same time, she was reassuring me that everything was OK. We where doing what we thought was best for her, and she was telling us that she loved and appreciated our care of her.

Goodbye Macie.

Where are we, how did we get here and where are we going

2010-08-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, who many times has a point of view 180 degrees from my one, sent me a link (see here) to an opinion piece about a the failings of the current president in the area of transparency. Transparency was a term used a lot during the campaign as a goal that would be one of many that would differentiate this administration from the previous.

The context of the article, and more so the comment sent to me with the link to the article, was the purported loss of sheen that the current administration has in the eyes of many of those who made it possible. I say purported because I believe that pointing out exaggerated, unrealistic expectations is a political strategy used by the both sides to make it easier to show what they want to eventually refer to as failures. Exaggeration and caricature are carry a lot of power for quick, content-light attack

I think I may have been a bit more of a realist all along, and did not expect some amazing transformation of our government that some did. I have to say that I had high hopes, and muted expectations. And, I would say that my expectations ...have all been met or exceeded, and my hopes, although not been met, will continue to be my hopes for us going forward.

I have been disappointed with the progress we have made on issues that are important to me, but at the same time understand better some of the compromises that have led to both the inaction and some of the achievements

Overall, I would give this administration a B-, but that beets the range from a C+ to a D- from the previous 5 administrations before this one. Keeping with the academic theme, the school year us less than half over, and it looks like their grade is improving. And, I have full confidence that they will achieve the advanced degree during a second term.

Bottle Water. Next will be packaged air.

2010-07-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Next will be packaged air.

Via: Term Life Insurance

What to name the Keggerator

2010-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

I don't think this rises to the level of a mid-life crisis, but maybe a midsummer crisis. I am tired of my old, simple, keggerator. It works well but it is, well for lack of a better description, boring.

Recently, I have heard about some of the people at Wired Magazine, who after a few beers at a local brewpub, decided to make their own keggerator and pimp it out. Being the graphics savvy group that they are, they spent a lot of time pimping it out visually. But it seems that other than looking very snappy, with iPhone , Droid phone and X-Box type graphics on it, it doesn't really DO anyting but pour beer.

Not that there is anything wrong with pouring beer, mind you. My existing keggerator (affectionately known as "Keggerator") has been just pouring beers for years and doing it very well. But I now have a bee in by bonnet, or maybe a kink in my line, and I want to seriously upgrade to a keggerator to be proud of.

Like all successful projects, the most important thing to do first is: Come up with a name.

So far, I have come up with:

Arnold Schwarzenkegger
R2-Beer2
Darth Kegger

but there are other names that might better inspire. Can you think of any? Please, take the poll and let me know.

Poll: What should we call our computer enabled keggerator? http://poll.fm/233yc

More to come. Watch this space

Reinheitsgebot be Damned

2010-05-18T07:13:00.001-07:00

As far as I am concerned, the Reinheitsgebot, or the "German Beer Purity Law", can go take a hike.

The law, first presented in the late 1400’s, but actually becoming Bavarian law in 1516, states that beer can only contain three ingredients: Water, Barley, and Hops. Keep in mind, that at that time, no one knew anything about yeast. Until Louis Pasteur (yes, that Louis Pasteur) discovered that yeast made beer. Then of course, they added that and made it four ingredients: Water, Barley, and Hops, and yeast. Don’t you get the feeling that Louis Pasteur would have been cool to know back then? Maybe sit down and have a beer with him.

The law was an early example government making laws that said one thing, but REALY only wanted a completely other thing. This is similar to laws in states that say they just want to enforce the existing law, but they REALY means, “GO WAY! Your different to me and that scares me!”. Sorry, I digress. Twitter shortens my attention span.

The law came about, to a large degree, because bakers complained that the brewers were coming in and using their primary ingredients, wheat and rye, and that this was raising the prices of those ingredients. So, in order to keep the costs low, they convinced the Bavarian Government pass a law this law, effectively making it illegal for brewers to use those ingredients.

Fortunately, that law was regional, is no longer in place and many brewers have not limited themselves to the Reinheitsgebot.

Case in point, I just had a wonderful Chocolate Stout that would not have been within Reinheitsgebot guidelines. I mean, chocolate in beer? Really?

But this example was a vey good tasting beer. Not overpowering with its chocolate, just enough to give a cocoa hint on the finish. I can’t tell you what brand of beer that it was, because it was a home brewed beer, made by an friend . But, it stood up to comparison with most commercial beers. There are a few commercial Chocolate Stouts on the market. But, it can be confusing. Traditionally, Chocolate Stout just referred to the color of the beer and a chocolaty flavor that it gets from the dark roasted barley. But, there are some, like this one, which are very good and actually add a few chocolate nibs to the brew too. Rogue Ales Brewery in Ashland, Oregon has a very tasty one. I recommend it.

Sometimes legal constraints on ingredients or process are there for good reasons, like safety or tradition. Sometimes, they force the brewer to work within a framework and push them to use their skill to use what they have and still have a great result. Like a Haiku for Beer. But, it is always refreshing to try a good beer that makes judicious use of selective adjuncts. Like that hint of paprika on an excellent Benedict, or the suggestion of saffron to a rice and shrimp, a touch of a nice complimentary ingredient takes it to the next level. Specialty components of a non-Reinheitsgebot mix it up a little bit

Go out and find some non-Reinheitsgebot beers. Maybe a Coffee Stout, or an Apricot Ale, or a Cherry Lambic ale. Go wild, share with a friend. Share with me? Or, at least comment back on what you tried and what you think of it.

Cheers.

Spring Morning Visitors

2010-05-08T11:28:00.001-07:00

Drinking my coffee on the porch this morning, watching the red tails hawks glide in the spring sun. Suddenly, a humming bird became extremely interested in my face. He darted back and forth, about 12 inches away from my eyes for maybe 30 seconds. I was afraid he was going to check for nectar. After he flew off, I retrieved my camera and returned. So did he.

Old World Spirits, New World business plans

2010-04-17T19:32:00.001-07:00

This ain't your fathers gin.

Close your eyes and picture a successful distillery and maker of fine spirits. If you see, in your minds eye, a huge distillery/factory that churns out gallons and gallons of well drinks, you missed the part where I said "Fine" spirits. If you are picturing a large copper still, nestled in a stone and brick building, surrounded by fields of grain the for mash or rolling vineyards for the brandy, well, your still not picturing the new breed of distillery.

In the 80’s, the beer brewing industry started a mini-revolution. And, I do mean “Mini”. It seemed that there was a microbrewery popping up in warehouses and industrial parts all over California. Then, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the wine industry saw that model working, and we started seeing little urban wineries appearing in metropolitan areas and small industrial rental complexes. Places like the “Wine Ghetto” in Lompoc showed that you could, quietly, simply and on a small scale, without all of the traditional trappings of appearance, turn out world class wines.

Now, here we are in the bold new world of the micro urban distillery. A good idea can not be kept down. Hold on I have seen the future, and it is good.

While visiting a favorite urban brewery last nigh, I found a steel roll-up door open on one of the units. A sign outside said there was a tasting going on, and once inside, there was a tasting counter next to a small, beautiful, copper and steel still. Welcome to the future, it is here. iPods and Laptops aren’t the only thinks that are getting smaller and better.

Old World Spirits in Belmont, has an ambitious selection of brandies, gin, a couple of absinthes, and a delicious black walnut liquor. The owner/master distiller Davorin Kuchan comes from a family of distillers and he is doing a great job in continuing the family trade and trade.

All of his spirits are made with local products. The base ethanol for his brandies are all distilled from northern California Zinfandel. His peaches are from central valley heirloom peaches.

His gin, only available at a local shop, is fine, botanical, herbal and citrusy with a little hint of cilantro.

His two absinthes are both superb, and both very different from each other. One, is more traditional, anise and wormwood, citrus, and a natural sweetness of aroma. The other, with similar flavors, just kicked up a couple clicks. A 1:4 louche brings out the color and texture and makes and puts a bloom on a fantastic drink.

If you want to treat yourself to some of these fine spirits and see what expertise and passion can create, visit their website and find where you can try some for yourself. http://www.oldworldspirits.com

I will be adding more to our home cabinet.

My Day with the Tea Partiers

2010-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped by a Tax Day Tea Party rally. That may surprise people who know me. But it won't surprise people who know me well.

The whole Tea Party movement has been interesting to me. I can see where they are coming from. The economy has been bad. People in position of economic power have have been taking advantage of their position and politicians have been complicit, probably to an ethically questionable degree, enabling it. But, probably most significantly, we hear constantly how the government is screwing the public. This isn't new, but it has gone from a rumble to a roar.

The public is being taken advantage of here, but it isn't the government who is perpetuating the con. The phrase "Follow the Money" was tossed around a lot at the rally. Ironic, since that was the phrase that led to the domino chain of events and ultimate downfall of a Republican president. But, who is benefiting financially from this current outrage? Who benefits from the bubbling discontent and conspiracy innuendo? When it seems to be waning, who comes in to rabble rouse it back up? Stir the Pot? Raise awareness? Well, here is a clue.

How did you hear about these rallies? These "Grass Roots" rallies. I heard about them on the radio, conservative radio that I listen to. In fact, last week I heard it discussed so much on a local conservative radio station that I had to check it out. It was easy to do, all the information about the rallies were on the radio station's website. With banner ads no less. Glad I was able to help their bottom line with my click throughs. We know how hard media is struggling for advertising dollars. I hope my mouse clicks and page loads brought in a bit more advertising dollars from those tax attorney and gold sale advertisers on those pages.

How involved was this radio station in this "Grass Roots" event? Well the master of ceremony for the event was one of their radio personalities. The station's booth, handing out Tea Party signs, banners and stickers (with the stations call letters conveniently printed on them), as well as hocking and raffling off another one of their personality's Global Warming denier book was practically part of the stage. The sound crew and equipment looked like it was coordinated by, if not provided by the station. It was obvious, the purpose of the crew here, was to take advantage of an energetic public to keep them as the station of choice.

The crowd was substantial in size, probably between 400 and 600 people. It is hard to say exactly how many people are die hard Tea Party minions, and how many were any number of people with other motivations, but I would estimate that 200 people there were truly committed to the cause. Although, listening to them, only half of those would be able to tell you what the cause was beyond what their signs said. Easily half the crowd was there to just see what this was all about. And, there was a vocal group of counter protesters there, purely to disrupt.
Let me talk about the counter protesters for a bit, because I think this is representative of many counter protests on both sides. Sure, I think it is great to get your opinions out there. God bless American and Freedom of Speech. But, you may be hurting your own cause more than helping it.

Some of the counter protesters were encouraged by anti-Tea Party websites, to make fake signs, pose as Tea Party caricatures, and try to get their pictures in the media to exaggerate the fringe elements that make up this or any group. Well guys, you attempts are backfiring. Eventually you are diluting the fringe that you are trying to expose. Now, when you see a sign with something as stupid as saying that Obama is a Muslim, or a Marxist, or that he is a brother of Osama Bin Laden, you have to wonder if it is a real idiot, or someone just posing as one. And, you can pretty much guarantee that the only people with misspelling on their signs are the ones making signs to pretend that they are real ones.

Sure, there was some unsettling or even disturbing things I saw today. Like the college student speaker who was wearing what looked like a 8mm riffle round on a chain around his neck like a rosary. I am not saying he was clinging to it, just wearing it like a religious symbol.

I think the most bizarre behavior I saw came whenever (and I do mean whenever) anyone on stage mentioned the name Reagan, which happened a lot. Whenever a speaker would invoke the name Reagan, the crowd would clap, some one stand up, I heard a couple of "Amen"s and one time, I swear, it seemed like the entire park was going to break into a baseball game crowd WAVE.

If you were to take away the counter protesters, take away the opportunistic publicity seekers and rabble rousers, the curious observers, the large number of police officers on foot, bike and horseback, the people running for office with their vote-for-me buttons and fliers, the people just hanging out, and the many many children dragged there en-tow by their parents as props, and the media (who I am sure we will hear ignored the whole event, even though there were satellite trucks and camera people). If we take away all those people, we would be left with the essence of the Tea Partiers.

This core group, seemed to me to best be described as scared. And maybe for good reason. They seemed to be scared for a number of reasons. One, they have been lied to. Lied to by politicization who they elected into office to do something for them, and instead, just did things for themselves. Two, they have seen the America they thought they understood, one with a dream for everyone, dissolve into a pile of unemployment, financial corruption and government assisted or complacent bubbles and collapse fiascoes. And, they have been lied to by media clowns, feeding them phrases which wind up on banners and signs, like Osama Bin Lying and Progressive = Socialism.

I can't completely discount their cause here. I feel it too. But, the show I saw today, other than the small group that really cares about what happens. The group that probably represents the core of what the Tea Parties originally stood for. I saw these people being used to get an audience for an agenda that I find disturbing and predatory.

Thanks Tea Partiers for the Rally today. I got a lot out of it. Keep up the pressure for a responsive government, but be sure to make sure you are furthering your cause, and not that of a group who just wants to keep their audience calling in to the talk shows.

Oh, and by the way. Just because someone in the crowd grabs a sign that has KSFO and Taxed Enough Already on it from the HUGE pile next to the stage, that doesn't mean you should let him just wander up on stage with the scheduled speakers.

Remember. The media will use you, and it isn't always the particular media you think is doing it.

Apparently, I wasn't ready for 2010

2010-02-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

My last blog entry was all about being done with 2009, ready for 2010, and not feeling the need to set any New Years resolutions. I felt that I was ready to tackle 2010 head on and be so completely productive that the World would be my oyster .

Well, judging by the fact that it has been 35 days since that post, and my first entry since then is this one, describing how I have not posted anything, I would have to say that 2010 might need a reboot f0r me.

It has not been a complete loss. A few things have happened that have expanded my horizons, challenged by beliefs, taught me new things, or just tickled my fancy. I have just about finished my first significant application for a new phone platform (and, I have to say, Android ROCKS!) I have found that having a new, 16 year old driver in the house shakes things up quite a bit, and I do mean shake. I finally got those olive trees I have been wanting to try. We will see if I follow though with experiments in curing and/or olive oil over the next couple harvests. And, of course, the new composting experiment we have started. I think a 120 gallon compost digester might prove to be a little small, but we will see.

In any case, I am officially calling a "DO OVER" on the whole New Years thing. Maybe I will even make it official, pick up a bottle of a nice California sparkling wine, and toast the new year, albeit 5 weeks in.

Who's with me? HAPPY NEW YEAR(ish)!!!

2009 was a full year. Now I am ready for 2010

2009-12-31T16:01:00.001-08:00

I was looking back over my end of year post last year. (blog post) It listed things that I accomplished, things I failed to accomplish, and a bunch of things that didn’t really fit into either category. After looking over last year and comparing it to this year, I realize that they could almost me the same year!

Sure, there have been a few extra things accomplished over the last year, most of them go into the filler category. This year has been sort of a holding pattern with a few, very notable exceptions.

I had my 30 year high school reunion this year. That wasn’t a big milestone for me but it reintroduced me to many of my friends from my formative years. I have got to say: the women of the Indio High class of 79 have aged like fine wine. We men, well lets just say that we are lagging behind the women of our class.

2009 was the year one of my kids attained their driver’s license. Now, that is a milestone. All of a sudden, you as a parent realize what they as your child has known for a few years. That you are becoming obsolete. No longer are you required for them to conduct their daily lives and routines. Sure, you still need to put gas into the car in order for it to have more that 1/93 of a tank, but you certainly are not expected to be seen in public with them anymore. That tether is severed for good.

The other child, it has become obvious, is no longer a child at all, but actually a young adult. OK, not quite a young adult yet, with all the baggage and responsibilities that come with that. But, over the last year, I have started to realize that the time I have with them here, under my roof, able to sit with them and chat about their daily lives whenever I want to, is approaching an end.

Soon, they will be heading off to college, facing the larger world and making their marks on it. This year is the year that this has become apparent to me as more than something that will eventually happen, but as something that is getting closer to happening.

Also this year, the economy completed it’s triple back-flip. Other than some significant belt tightening and sleepless evenings, we have seemed to manage weathering that storm. I think everyone has emerged a bit wiser for the wear.

I don’t make resolutions for the new year. Setting goals for my future seems best done continually and not all stuck artificially at the turning of the calendar year. But, I have a feeling that 2010 will be transitional. I am not sure what 2010 has in store for us, but I have that feeling that we should strap in for a ride.

OK, I think I am ready. Bring it on!

Wine and Food Pairing. You are probably here by mistake.

2009-11-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

I need to rant a bit, so bear with me. But first, let me just let everyone know that if you came here to find out what wine goes with what food, you are probably at the wrong place.

A fantastic dish, complimented by a wine that seems to fit it like a glove is rare, but when you find it, is an experience you will not soon forget. Where things get crazy is when people start coming up with simple rules of what wines go with which food.

As modern humans, We like easy rules to follow with which to make our daily decisions easier. The light is RED, so I STOP; GREEN, so I GO. Everybody else is jumping of a cliff: I will too; nobody else jumping, I'll just stay right here. Why wouldn't there be equally easy to follow guidelines for food/wine pairings? I have heard some of them.

We've all heard them. White wine with white food, red wine with red food. White with fish, red with beef. Bubbles, then white, then red, then port to go with appetizers, first course, second course, and then desert. These work for many situations but fail miserably in others. Like a broken watch, right twice a day, these rules work when they work, but don't set you clock by them.

The trouble is that pairing wine and food isn't as simple as color or course. There is as more variation in red wine sometimes than there is between red and white wine, so basing a pairing on color can be doomed to failure.

Recently, I read a blog from a winery that was lamenting that the their wine, a sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon, probably doesn't go well with a dish of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. How did they knew it didn't go well together? Because conventional wisdom says that that dish goes with lighter, white wines. If you want to drink a luscious red, and have tomatoes, you better toss them in a pot and cook them down.

To that, I say, hogwash. In fact, I have had this wine, and that dish. They both, not only were great individually, they were great together.

Do you want a great, simple way to find what wines go well with what foods? Try this: Every time you eat or drink, pay attention to the foods and wines you have. I know, paying attention to what you eat is so cumbersome. But, when you taste a combination that works, take it a step farther: ask yourself why it works. What about that food and that wine makes the pair work. Make mental notes of these combinations, write them down when you get home. Then, use these as a guide.

Another system that works, but only as a guide, is similar to taking shots of tequila. Here is how it works. Get a shaker of salt and a slice of lemon or lime. Pour a glass of wine that you are looking to pair a meal with. Take a sip, savour it. Then, taste a pinch of salt. Did that add or detract from the wine? The do it again, but with the lime. How did that work? You can use this as an insight on how it might pair with something salty, like ham, or herbed dish. Or something tart, like a dish with a citrus glaze or component.

Again, these are just guidelines. The only way to know for sure is to have the dish and the wine. You can increase your odd for success when you are out with a group. Instead of ordering a bottle of one wine, everyone can order a glass of a different wine and then share. See what goes with what. You may have to try more wines, but that can't be all bad.

Don't be afraid of asking your waiter, or the chef. They do this for a living. But if they spout of the simplistic rules, consider doing it yourself, or order a beer..

I think I see a pattern here.

2009-08-27T00:17:00.001-07:00

I am suddenly seeing a pattern where I didn’t before.

Food, Alcoholic Beverage, Healthcare, Energy, Environment, Education, Corrections; All of these topics have debates going on right now. Individuals and groups are arguing about these subjects. I didn’t say discussing, I said arguing, because that is the level of the discourse.

Food: Organic vs “Conventional” (who decided that the term “conventional” gets to refer to the way things have been done in the last 50 years, and the term “non-conventional” get to refer to the other 99,950 years?)
More Food: Family farmers vs. agribusiness. No one is arguing that modern agriculture practices have not allowed us to produce food more efficiently. A farmer with a diesel tractor can manage over 300 times the acreage as one without. Efficiencies come with costs, and all of those costs need to be considered. But when we compare, lets honestly look at ALL the costs. Like the cost imposed by the risk of large, monolithic factory farms shutting down because of contamination, or reallocation of priorities from grain for food to grain for biofuel. Do we want our primary suppliers of food to “Run the Numbers” every quarter to decide if they want to stay in the food business or not?
Healthcare: Why is the primary goal of our health care industry oversight to keep our healthcare investors portfolios healthy instead of the citizens? If my primary care physician told me that the reason he got into medicine was because that is where the highest profit was, I might look for a different doctor
Energy – Look around. Do the math. We use more power today than we did last year. Do you honestly believe that is not the trend? Most energy comes from a black goop that we pump out of the ground. Do you think that that will be available forever? Where do you see the most time and energy spending going: maintaining what we currently do or coming up with a better solution? Am I the only one that sees a problem here?
Education – This one really confuses me. My parents helped me with college at first. And there were student loans, and the rest was made up with me working though college. But it was doable and not unrealistic. What happened to that? The cost of an education has been rising well above the cost of living index. The price for a college education has skyrocketed. Textbooks, tuitions, student housing and fees all all shooting up faster than the world around them. Where is it going? Is someone getting rich off of our desires to educate our kids? That’s OK why?
Beverage laws – Yea, this one doesn’t really fit in with the rest, but it’s my blog, and I will try to tie it in at the end. Work with me here. We have some real screwed up beverage laws. One state can ship to people in some states, but not others. Some states can sell in stores on some days, but not other days. Some delivery companies can transport it, others can’t. Some states won’t let you taste wines in a store if “children can observe” you tasting.
Corrections – By this I mean our criminal justice system. Neither of the terms are very good descriptions of the system. Calling it “Corrections” would imply that something or someone is “Corrected” by the system. “Criminal Justice” would imply that the system is just and fair in the application of punishment to criminals. I don’t think an honest evaluation of the system would lead anyone to that conclusion. Our correction system is a for profit business, run by contracted 3d parties, to house people that have been sent there by our courts for breaking laws defined by our legislature. These companies make money by having people in prison and use a lot of that money to encourage lawmakers to make laws that put people into prison and not to keep them out.

What do these systems have in common? There is a lot of money that flows to groups in the system. The money goes from the groups that control it, to the groups that set up the rules on how it is controlled. These are all systems that we would like to believe have a primary goal of being for the citizens, but the incentives are to increase profits. There is an incentive for increased efficiency. But the efficiency is not meant to let them do more for less, it is to do less for higher profit.

Again, I ask: Why is that OK?

Politics is NOT the least common denominator (I hope)

2009-08-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

Does it seem like everything boils down to politics? When did that start? I am not sure if this is a new trend, or if I have just become overly sensitized to this. When I read a blog, listen to a newscast, meet someone new, read a book, anything; I immediately think of it in terms of where it falls on the political spectrum. Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, Socialism, Marxism, Capitalism, Fascism, Progressive, WHATEVER. I can’t help but start to put it into this or that box. Then, after I put it in the box, I start to think of which politician or talk show host would agree or disagree with it.

I don’t know when or why that has become the way I view the world, but, I want it to stop. Or at least I want to stop being so central it in my own set of classifications.

It wasn’t always like that. Remember when there would be a news event discussed, and it wouldn’t include political commentary? Doesn’t it desensitize us to the terrible actions that someone does, when it is followed by some talking head attributing it to reactions to this or that political party’s platform? If some person attacks some other person, do we need to assume that it is rooted in political idealisms that the two sides have that are irreconcilable?

I hope that this is just a problem that we have in our reaction to the events around us. That we are trying to look at the events around us and using personal politics as a way to try to make sense of the world. That’s what I hope. Because the alternative is that we are actually seeing these terrible things happen because of fundamental political ideologies. And that is scary, indeed.

Corked! (the movie)

2009-07-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

After waiting for the arrival of the new mockumentary Corked! to show near me, and after the friendly twitter prodding from the producer to convince me that it would be worth putting off seeing Food, Inc in order to see his film first, I went to the independent film’s San Jose debut last night at the downtown Cinema 3. I am so very glad I did. Distribution of Corked!, limited as it is, probably meant that I might not get another chance to see the film before it comes out on DVD, while Food, Inc comes with a preset following and will be showing in the area for a while.

The movie, true to the mockumentary genre, bounces back and forth between believable and sarcastically tongue in cheek. The movie touches on the underlying snobbery, double standards, shattered dreams, racism, vineyard worker disrespect and fickle uninformed wine consumers.

The movie was fun to watch. I found myself laughing out loud many times. The scenes and shots of the over-worked solo winemaker, doing backbreaking labor, doing everything he could to keep awake after exhaustion from the long hours, seemed surprisingly realistic and sad, while at the same time true.

But, as I was watching the movie and listening to the Q & A afterwards, I started to appreciate more than just the movie itself. There was a bigger experience happening here.

The winery business has a reputation as being a subculture of misunderstood, overworked, passionate, committed and a somewhat crazy group of people with a dream and a desire to take a path almost no one in their right mind would ever seriously take. That reputation is probably well deserved.

Interestingly enough, there is another industry that deserves the same characterization, that is the independent film industry. At first glance, you imagine that film makers are making film after film, working on scripts while sipping on pernod at sidewalk cafes, hobnobbing with beautiful starlets, chain smoking cigarettes and living a pampered life as proceeds from their films roll in. Well, other than the beautiful starlets (Sara Woo, that’s a reference to you), the rest of that imagined existence is all as much fiction as they provide in the films they produce.

The cast, crew, writers, producer and many of the people that made this film possible, know each other from growing up or going to school together. They all have other day (or night) jobs that pay the bills. Some work in the wine industry or come from wine making families. Some had to drive hours back home late that night, to pour tasting room wines and give winery tours to tourists. Much of the film’s budget, you can imagine, comes out of their own pockets or from friends and relatives. Getting into theaters, dominated by huge Hollywood blockbusters is as hard as the small 1000 case winery trying to get shelf space along side the mega wineries.

These filmmakers are passionate and dedicated to their craft and their dream. I am glad I choose Corked! over Food, Inc last night. If I hadn’t, I would have missed this gem. Visit their website, follow the cast and people that made it happen, encourage them. It will pay off in the future like a great, young wine, laid down as an investment for future enjoyment.

Good Job Corked! Keep them coming.

Visit the Corked Website at http://www.corkedthemovie.com/ or follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CorkedTheMovie. Or, if you really want to make this available to more people, talk to theaters in your area. Encourage them to carry more independent films. You owe it to yourself and your community. And while your at it, find some great small wines to have while you do it. Invite an independent filmmaker to come share it with you. They make great company.

Twitter Follow Fridays (group back rubs)

2009-06-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

A social meme activity has grown in the Twitterverse known as Follow Friday (or #FF for those of you who speak #hashtag). It is simply a mechanism to let other people who are interested in you, know who you are interested in.

As I wrote that, I realize how sophomoric that sounds, but that's what it is. Twitter, as a social network, does require relationships to be reciprocity. You can follow Bill, but Bill may not follow you. And that works well, maybe because you find what bill says interesting, but Bill might not feel the same about what you say. Wow, that sounds more shallow and self absorbed than it is. Bill might be very interesting and have thousands of people interested in what he is saying and it is reasonable that he would not follow everyone who follows him, regardless of how interesting he might find them. But, I digress.

Follow Friday is the popular method of saying to everyone following you: "I find these people interesting. You might also." The way it works if pretty simple and informal. On Fridays, Twitter users (or Tweeps) send a message (a tweet) with the names of people they are giving a shout out about, and then include the short hashtag (codeword) #FF. That's it! Pretty simple and not complicated.

Sometimes, peer pressure kicks in and people feel the need to reciprocate. Someone gives a shout out to there followers about me, and I might feel that I should return the favor and include them in my #FF message. I try to resist that knee jerk reaction. Although it always makes me feel good when I find that someone feels what I have to say is interesting, I feel that if you only have 140 characters to say something, you should be truthful about it. If my followers though I was just tossing out #FF names because they did it to me, it would dilute my recommendation that I find them interesting.

Sometimes, Follow Fridays seem to become huge virtual group back rubs. Everyone doing a little for everyone else, but no one really getting someones full attention.

Now, let me digress a bit into how I have begun doing Follow Fridays:

Twitter has a mechanism for flagging tweets that you find interesting as being a favorite of yours. It is real simple. You read something you like, and with a single click, it is flagged as one of your favorites. I use the favorite feature all the time. I don't always have time to read twitter, but if something catches my eye, I will flag it and will read it later. If, after I read it, I thought it a keeper, I will leave it flagged.

On Friday, I can quickly go to my favorites page and see all of the messages I found interesting. One click on the Reply icon for each and it adds it to my next tweet. Click-click-click-click, toss a #FF on the end. Maybe add a short message in it like "These made me laugh this week" and off it goes.

I hope that people that include me in there #FF messages aren't offended if I don't immediately reciprocate. Don't take it personal, I don't. I have the unfortunate predicament that I have interests in multiple, unrelated things. Winemaking, Computers, Beermaking, Science, Social behavior, Music, .... What I find interesting is probably only interesting to a distinct subset of people who follow me. I try to please everyone.

Happy Follow Friday everyone!

Who made me think this week? #ff @2020science @BadAstronomer @donttrythis @sciencebase @bayareascience @rstrohmeyer @tim_harper @maureenogle

You can follow me on twitter at @tbeauchamp, but only if you find me interesting.

Social Media: Turning an Echo Chamber into an Amplifier of a PR Campaign

2009-06-11T19:43:00.001-07:00

A common characterization of the ecosystem of social networks, whether Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or any of the other on-line centers of virtual gathering, is that they become “Echo Chambers” for their participants, as opposed to engines of knowledge transfer. Another term for this is “Group Think”. This is when you bring people together and the critical mass of participants and ease of quick, bursts of comments becomes a fertile breeding ground for chatter, giving each other “props”, and reveling in the shared experience of discussion, rather than moving the discussion forward towards a useful end.

Topics usually pop up around a central idea or event and then everyone participates and shares thoughts that circle and expand the idea. But something interesting happens in the aggregate to the ideas. The group’s social dynamic kicks in and reshapes the discussion. “Shaping” probably isn’t the right term here. It is more like filtering some aspects of the of idea and reinforcing others.

A similar effect happens in the physical world too, but with sound or light. Sound generated in in a room will bounce off the walls and items in the room. The dynamics of the room and all of it’s contents will dampen some sounds while allowing others to resonate. Soon the sounds at the resonant frequency dominate the acoustics and the dissident sounds die out. It doesn’t matter what white noise you start with, you end up with a spectrum of sound that comes out the same each time. Nothing new, nothing original. That is what can happens in a social network discussions also. A topic is introduced and it quickly is molded into a similar outcome or consensus typical for that group.

Utilizing social media as part of your marketing strategy has to be done with this phenomena in mind, sensitive to this echo chamber mechanism. A traditional print campaign marketer might be tempted to treat the publishing event as the culmination of the PR process, not realizing that publishing the post is really just a transition from the preparation phase to the participation phase of the campaign.

The added attention that you now have to give to your message doesn’t lessen the need for preparation and crafting of the message in the first place. An incomplete or ill-conceived message will hit the blogosphere, Facebook ecosystem, or tweet-stream and quickly be torn to shreds for what it is. But, even with an “on the mark” and well crafted post, setting it free in the wild requires ongoing attention and nurturing. Unless your campaign says exactly what the community already wants to hear, it will either just be drowned out, or worse, take on a life of its own, which probably won’t be the message it was intended to be. If the message resonates with that crowd, it will be amplified. If it doesn’t square with what the audience wants, or what the crowd is predisposed to, your message will be molded into what fits that community's tone better, and then that will be the message that gets amplified.

This amplification can be used to your advantage, carrying your message farther and with greater impact that just the original words themselves and form could have. The message can evolve to live and grow in it’s new environment until it resonates with the crowd that participated in it’s current form. Now, the message is the product of many contributors, all with a stake in it’s success.

This now takes the old model of message crafting, publishing and calculating ROI; and changes it to crafting, publishing, stewarding through the new social media landscape, and calculating ROI. And ROI also needs to be evaluated differently. More resources are expended in the delivery, but there are real numbers of active participants at the target.

In conclusion, this social media has not made PR easier. It has changed the lifecycle of a message and extended its reach. But no longer can you just put it out there. Social media messages are now interactive and living and evolutionary.

Winemakers Make Things You Can Hold

2009-05-26T23:18:00.001-07:00

I think back growing up in the 70’s. My dad was true renaissance man in my eyes. He was a mechanic, a plumber, an electrician, a rancher, a teacher, and a fireman. He could fix anything. He had a garage full of tools and he taught me to use them all. Our trucks always had mud caked on them from our ranch where we grew grapes and citrus. I learned to drive on a Ford 400 tractor and at the end of the day, after spending time doing things on the ranch, I was tired and slept like a log.

In high school, there was a shop classes, small engine repair, woodworking, classes in which you did things with your hands, got dirty, sore, maybe scraped or cut up up a bit. But, you touched the things your worked on. You could actually bring it home when you were done and say: “I made this.”

I was pretty good at math and science too. Actually, electronics was my interest. College courses at night during high school, professor recommendation to a prestigious university’s electronic engineering program. Theory, logic, circuit design, physics; they were all very engaging and interesting. Computer science, computer languages, design patterns, punch cards, then terminals, PCs and databases all followed. It all makes sense to me and it is engaging. That was my destined career path. That was the future. Computers were the future and you were either with it or not.

But something was missing.

I have a hard time explaining to my parents what I do. They understand that I work with computers, and they have become quite computer literate themselves. Necessity and interest has led them to become very proficient in e-mail, the web, spreadsheets, even digital imaging and video. But working as a computer scientist is hard to explain. I have nothing that I can carry into their home and say “I made this.”

I think about this when I am making wine. Wine is a hobby for me. It doesn’t pay the bills, not even close. But at the end of the day, I have a bottle, with a label, with my name on it. I can take it with me to friends and\or family and say. “I made THIS.”

That is the appeal of a winemaking for me. It fills a need to produce something tangible. The end result is something I can hold, carry and give to friends and family. It doesn’t require abstract descriptions of what I did to produce it. It is real. That is what winemaking is about for me.

I made this.

Sorry Will Akerlof, you're half wrong

2009-05-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

This is a response to a blog posting I read on Online Media Daily. You can read the blog posting titled: Twits: Why Twitter Won't Change Marketing by a Will Akerlof

Before I go on, I do agree with Mr Akerlof that Twitter won't change the fundamentals of Marketing. Where I have a problem with his article, is the premise that it will have no effect at all and everyone will look back it as silly and deny we ever took it seriously.

I am a Twitter user. Sometimes I am a Twitter promoter. I wouldn't call myself a Twitter Zealot, but I do find myself compelled to defend the service from time to time. One thing I don't consider my self: a Twitter Evangelist.

Now, when I use the term Evangelist, it brings to mind a religious connotation, and that fits. There are "Born Again" Twitterers out there that would have you believe that Twitter is the second coming of The Net, or the "end all and be all" of this new field of marketing. But, don't let their extreme rhetoric distort the landscape

It is easy to get the impression that Twitter is populated by a few, distinct types of users. The popular press likes to represent new technologies that way. It makes it easy to fit it into a news story, or use it as background. Mr. Akerlof is a good example of the over-simplification of Twitter and its users. He presents a graphic showing that there are 3 types of users:

People he doesn't care about
People doing something interesting
People who twitter

And his Venn diagram shows that the overlap of those people is a very small area. It is cute, easy to understand, and probably wrong. I can't speak for him and the little circles that he uses to classify people, but his system of determining the data behind this graph seems just a little bit shortsighted. Does he really believe that the Marketing, Business and Network populace falls neatly into these three groups? That should make finding your audience and reaching them a piece of cake! Lets not put users into your little boxes quite yet.

Twitter won't drastically change Marketing. Saying that it will is as short sighted as the Dot-Com pundits who were saying that all the rules of business had changed because of the Internet. We all learned that, No, the rules actually still apply. At the end of the day, you do needed to make a profit and all the sock puppets and WebVan trucks you advertize are not going to make up for loosing money, just because your stock price is inflated.

The rules of Marketing still apply. You need to get your brand out there, connect with your customers and make them feel comfortable with your product. If 72% didn't stick with Twitter, and you were uninterested in that other 28% of vocal users, fine, ignore them. I bet a year ago, that 28% was only 10%.

Now, although the internet did not change the basic rules of business, you can't argue that it has not affected businesses. I doubt you would start a company and say that you are going to ignore any internet facing access for your company and its employees. That web thing and blogging is a bunch of out of work guys in they pajamas working from their parents basements, right?

Twitter's place in marketing is the same. If you are depending on Twitter to be your entire marketing campaign, you're going to fail. Unless of course you are one of the 500,000 life coaches, or Social Media Guru's that seem to have appeared out of nowhere.

Data showing that many 72% of Twitter users loose interest and drop out, is not a compelling argument that it is a wasteland or black hole of marketing resource. It is a piece of the puzzle, a small but very interesting tool in the belt of a marketing professional. But don't try to give the impression that it will have no effect at all, unless you are just trying to get others that don't "get it" to comment and reinforce your opinion.

That sounds like an echo chamber too.

But, thanks for making me think about it

Why Does the Beverage Industry Seem to “Get” Social Marketing? Because It Always Has.

2009-05-12T20:18:00.001-07:00

It makes sense. Wine and food have always been about people sharing an activity with other people. Wine and food is best experienced with friends. Even when you’re with people you don’t know, wine and food seems to spark the conversation, lower the firewalls, provide the commonality for a shared experience that, many times, leads to discussion and friendships.

Families have been using the dinner table to re-connect with each other forever. Sometimes, the supper at the dinner table is the only place or time we get to see the rest of our family. A home base in our busy lives of work, school, and life. The dining table was the original social network.

Friends and coworkers get together after work or on the weekends for a drink, time to relax, blow off steam, and catch up. A glass of wine or beer lifted with friends makes up for all of those thankless interactions we all have during our day. Whether going out or staying in, it allows us to catch up with our friends and find out how each other are doing.

Local pubs and watering holes were the original Facebook. A place to reconnect with old friends, make new friends, share what was going on, laugh. Not much different that the online version, only now your friends can be separated by more distances. It feels comfortable surrounded by friend. The the pub in Cheers, every knows your name.

I can imagine Norm from Cheers on Chat. As soon as he logs on, all of his buddies sending him an IM at the same time that just say “NORM!” Woody would IM him saying “What’s up Mr. Peterson?” and Norm would respond back with a witty one liner. Of course, Cliff Clavin would be constantly sending out 140 character tweets of “Little Known Facts”, all taken from Wikipedia (Today’s Guinness Book).

The Beer and Wine community have always depended on relationships as their bread and butter. Beer comes packaged to share will 5 friends. A bottle of wine is the perfect size for 4 people; at least to start. No one wants to drink alone, they want to do it with friends. And, sharing it with friends builds memories. Memories are what makes life enjoyable. Online communities mimic this community.

There might be other factors that has helped the beverage industry in general, and the wine industry in particular to click with the technology based social media. The proximity of California’s wine country to Silicon Valley has permitted a large cross pollination of resources and people to flow back and forth between high tech, net savvy people and wineries. It is obvious that the social media connected wineries are heavily dominated by those close ties to Silicon Valley. Napa and Sonoma is very well represented.

Another contributing factor is probably the economy. The cost of entry to social networking is very low. Although, to be successful, a business needs to invest quite a bit of time, fostering relationships and maintaining their online presence. That is a hidden cost of Social Networking. Where a business, in the past, may have taken out an add, or bought some airtime, Social Networking requires a social commitment. These are not just customers, they are friends, followers and buddies.

Welcome to the world of Hospitality 2.0.

Mayfield Iconoclast series Nocturna – Good, but not a value

2009-05-11T23:30:00.001-07:00

When I first heard of Mayfield Brewing company in Belmont, I was intrigued with the beer, the brewery history, and the brewer. The brewer is a microbiologist as well as a beer and wine enthusiast, and a businessman.

The brewery is a reincarnation of an 1868 brewery that started in the San Francisco community of Mayfield, are area now known as Palo Alto. The brewery was serving the local peninsula until it closed down due to prohibition.

The beer is a blend of old world and new world brewing. Brewed in a small, local brewery, the brewer began experimenting with beer that he aged in wood barrels acquired from wineries. The beer was conditioned in the barrel, allowing it to develop characters from the wines that previously occupied the barrels, the oak from the barrels and from micro-oxygenation like a wine.

Hearing about this, I followed the brewers web postings and twitter posts as he blogged about hand delivering to local stores. My first few attempts to find the beer were not successful. The store clerks were unaware of the beer, but eventually, talking with the brewer and the buyers at the store, I found it. But I was a bit surprised at the price.

The beer comes in 750 ml bottles, and it is a small batch, completely hand crafted, hand bottled, hand labeled and hand delivered by the brewer. So I was expecting that it would not be an inexpensive beer. And I was correct. When I spoke with the buyer at the store, I asked how much it was and he said simply that it was $42.50. “Wow!” I thought. “That is a bit steep.” I pressed the buyer further. “Is that for a 4 pack?” “No”, he informed me. “That is for a bottle.” HOLY COW!

Now, $42 is a lot for many wines. A wine for $42, although not out of the questions, needs to be real special. You can get a wonderful, quality wine for that. But there are very few beers that rise to that price. There are a few notable exceptions, but they are all from well know breweries and have a track record for excellence. This beer is an unknown.

I decided that I was going to hold off for a while. Possibly I would be able to get a few other enthusiasts to gather with enough interest to get one that we could taste together. I had expressed my interest in the beer to my wife and, being the wonderful, supporting and enabling woman that she is, she surprised me with a bottle one day.

So, on Mothers Day, we opened it.

The Bottle is beautiful. It is a traditional 750 ml Champagne bottle. It is sealed with a cork and a crown cap, like many French and Belgian beers. The neck was dipped wax. Not a brittle was, but a soft, black paraffin. Clearly, the beer was packaged to be laid down for a while. From the neck of the bottle also hung a card on string which gave information about the beer and it’s aging to this point. It noted that the beer was a 2007 vintage, and had aged for over 10 months in an oak barrel previously used for a petit syrah port from Napa Valley.

The presentation was very nice. I was hoping that the contents would live up to the run up.

We poured the beer into wide mouthed wine glasses, to give the aroma as much of an opportunity as possible to present.

The color was a deep, dark stout black with a ruby color only visible in the sun. The carbonation was obvious, but not over carbonated. And the nice, creamy head consisted of fine bubbles. I would say the appearance in the glass was a perfect imperial stout pour.

There was almost no perceptible aromatic hop characters. As the beer warmed, it began letting some of the wood notes come out. I detected some of the oak, others did not notice that, but vanilla became noticeable and molasses and caramel characters from the malt started to come to the front.

The beer was well balanced between the sweetness and the bitterness, in fact, I thought it was very good. I felt that it could have had a bit more hop character. The time in the barrel may have diminished the aromatics of the hops. I don’t expect an imperial stout to have a lot of hop floral character, but this had none. It may have been the brewer’s intent to have the barrel character be a substitute for the aromatic hops, and to a degree, that worked.

But, that is when I realized the flaw in the beer. Yes, it was excellent, but so are many, many other beers available on the market. I enjoyed this beer, but there is no way that I would say that it was worth $42 dollars for 750 ml and my current gold standard imperial stout, from Dogfish Head, is 1/6th the cost.

Now, I know that Mayfield is not getting rich on this beer, even at that price. I can only imagine that at what I believe his production costs and quantities are, he is probably loosing money on it at this stage, or at the very best breaking even. So, I can not completely fault him for the pricing. But at the same time, I just can’t see this moving at the price point. I hope that Mayfield brewing can bring up the quantities or lower their fixed costs and overhead to bring the price down. Until then, I don’t expect that I will be have them again.

Critical mass, Fermi Pile, pent up resources, and a turn in the economy

2009-05-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

I am not an economist. I don’t claim to be able to predict what this quarters GDP, earnings reports, unemployment figures or durable goods sales are going to be. I don’t know if the economy is going to turn around in one month or 10 months. But I think I can say with some certainty, it has been bad (real bad) and all previous history seems to indicate that it will get better again.

I have a lot of friends, family and previous co-workers that are either unemployed or under-employed. I know even more people who, even if they are not happy with what they do for a living now, there is no way that they would risk leaving it to try something new.

All of this talent is waiting, like the legs of a swimmer on the starting blocks. This talent is just waiting for the starter’s gun to go off. The energy, collectively stored in this reservoir of talent is almost unimaginable, ready to explode as soon as the shot is fired.

There is another storehouse of resources growing at the same time: Social media and social networks. This collection of simple little services such as Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter, and Web 2.0 communities have been growing, gaining followers, working out the bugs, getting past the novelty and probably most important, adding users.

The downturn in the economy may have enabled and even fed these social networks. Millions of users have a bit more time on their hands, not as much free cash to go out, and a need to connect with friends. Oprah alone may have taken Twitter over the top when she featured it on her show. Twitter went from being this obscure service that almost no one used or understood to this misunderstood service that almost everyone was talking about, but still didn’t completely understand.

In the hay day of the Internet explosion (before it was known as the DotCom Boom), the power of a system came from the design of the system itself. Webservers, mail servers, databases; they all were judged against each other by their speed, their storage, their throughput, and their feature set. And although those metrics are still important, the users don’t care. Who cares if you can send only 140 characters at a time, if you are doing it any from device, at any time, from anyplace. Who cares if it takes 30 to 60 seconds for a tweet to get to its followers if they are splitting their time between their MP3 player and the other 5 things they are doing at the same time.

The power of the social network doesn’t come from the software. It comes from the users and the chaotic flow of information between them. It is no longer the software that is valuable; it is the shear quantity of users that make the system valuable.

Just like nuclear fuel is not explosive in small quantities or diluted form. A lump of unrefined uranium will not start a self sustained nuclear reaction because the molecules of fissionable material are too far apart, and not concentrated enough to have the neutrons that are flying off of them collide and interact with the other fissionable molecules. In 1942, Enrico Fermi and his fellow scientists were able concentrate uranium and bring it close enough in proximity to enable the first self-sustained nuclear reaction. As soon as it reached critical mass, the system was self sustaining and able to keep itself going.

Social networks have now reached that point. They have amassed enough users that they have momentum. It is harder for someone to dismiss them as a fad or an oddity. And at this point, businesses either needs to get with it, or get out of the way.

Some businesses and government agencies were slow to move onto the web, not understanding how it applied to them. Other businesses fumbled with the early web, awkward domain names, unwieldy URLs and confusing, awkward or just unusable web sites. But those early adopters figured it out. They realized that the internet was not only required for their business to succeed, but there were businesses that succeeded only on the Internet.

Social networks and social mediums and the foundation for the next wave of business/customer relationships. Business has always been about relationships and now those interactions have just found a new mechanism to expose them.

Paid to blog about wine you say? Yes!

2009-04-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Don't expect to give up you day job. But lately, there seems to be more reports and articles about getting paid for blogging about wine than reports about the job market coming back.

Who would have thought that wine blogging would become a leading indicator of the economy turn around? But it makes sense. When times are tough, you tend to recall your passions. That passion might be wine. Or, wine might be the muse that brings that passion to the surface.

In any case, here are some opportunities for a mash up between wine and social media.

Tell them you heard it hear first!

Social Media and the Large Company

2009-04-19T01:10:00.000-07:00

It is reminiscent of seeing football player and ballet classes. Awkward, scared, stumbling and falling. Unsure of their step. It is all so foreign, all so new, and all so weird.

Twitter seemed to reach critical mass about a few months ago. Can you pick the date when it happened? I think I can. January 15, 2009. Sure, there were a few of us using it, talking about it, being ridiculed about it. But then all of a sudden, it all seemed to change. On January 15, Janis Krums, (Twitter Bio: Entrepreneur, Former Athlete, The Miracle on the Hudson Photo Guy, Latvian, Co-Founder of Elementz Nutrition, Social Media Enthusiast) was on a ferry heading across the Hudson river and a plane went down.

U.S. Airways flight 1549 hit a flock of birds on take off and after suffering complete engine failure was forced to make a miracle landing in the Hudson River. News reports would have picked it up sooner or later and sent their crews out. But Janis Krum happened to be on a ferry in the area, and a Twitterer, and a subscriber of a sibling service called Twitpic that let him take a photo from his IPhone and upload it to his twitter account.

At that moment, all the rules changed. It was almost as if Gutenberg had just reinvented the printing press and movable type. All of a sudden, the popular media realized that there may be something to this connected world. Maybe it was the swoosh sound of popular media getting bigger that got their attention. Or, maybe it was the creaking sound of their part of if getting a little bit smaller. In any case, the genie was out of the bottle and there was no putting it back.

Just like when Sir Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the idea of networked documents, connected by links, accessible across this academic network, become known as the World Wide Web, now just the “Web”. People had no idea the impact. How could such an obscure idea move beyond its initial audience? I doubt he could have foreseen that within 10 years, children in grade schools would see “the Web” as synonymous with the internet.

Well, we are there again. This little, obscure protocol, web interface, internet based idea, has caught the attention of the popular media. And, as before, they have no idea what to make of it. I sometimes laugh at how they talk about Twitter. I hear on the news, references to “This new phenomenon called Twitter”. Or, “this activity called a Tweet”. And, now that it is something exciting and maybe even cutting edge, the Hollywood names are catching on. One huge celebrity, who had a disturbed fan following her on Twitter, that sent a disparate message indicating suicidal thoughts, responded with a tweet of her own about it. That sparked a firestorm of interest that resulted in a community tracking this desperate individual down and possibly saving her life.

Twitter has become the new “Thing” For better or worse. It is there.

Now, businesses are trying to figure it out. Is Twitter an advertising medium? A communication platform? An alternative to Email, Web? Mailings? What is it? How can I use it to my advantage? Big companies seem to have no clue. But then again, Big corporations rarely have mixed well with community anything. Unless of course they own the community.

But large corporations can see this untapped medium out there and are wanting to take advantage of it. They will, and they will probably be very successful at it. But right now it is the magical time for the small business to stake their claim in Social Media. Small business have always been the domain of social media. The local restaurant, reaching out to its neighbors in the local rag. The corner drycleaner with a flyer up at the downtown drugstore. That is what social media used to be. And, the electronic version is not so different.

The basis of Social media, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or the like, is the concept of Community. People of like interest enjoy interacting with others of similar interests.

You see? It isn’t that different. Community is the key. If businesses keep focused on their community, whether that means down the street, their friends on Facebook or their followers on Twitter, they can use that media successfully.

The only thing that works in your community is honesty. You can’t deceive or take advantage of one part of your community and hope that the rest won’t know about it. The new Social media takes this to the next level. A business can’t successfully try to game the system. Information travels at the speed of the net now. Since the invention of the telegraph, you have not been able to outrun your actions. Now, with the internet and Web 2.0, your business has to be accountable in real time. If you accept that, you will succeed. If you try to beat it, you will loose.

Beer Wars Movie – I am trying to get upset, but I can’t

2009-04-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

David vs. Goliath. That was the billing. Who was the evil villain in this film? Was is Big Beer, as exemplified by Anheuser Busch? Was it the beer distributors themselves, or the whole schizophrenic American 3 tier system?

I got back from watching Beer Wars. I thought it was a great documentary about the craft beer movement in the US and the mammoth commercial giants that pretty much own the US market, and of course, the post prohibition 3 tier alcohol distribution system. I am looking forward to buying the DVD when it comes out. I am not sure if I will watch it beginning to end again, but I might like to go back and revisit some places again. And, I expect I would like to share it with friends.

I am unsure of what to take away from the movie. Am I supposed to be upset with the state a beverage industry, or a supposed oppression of the craft brewers, or a racketeering-like beverage distribution monopoly imposed 60 years ago? But here’s the thing: try as I might, I just can’t get upset about it. Maybe that’s fine. That may be a sign of a good documentary. The producers just presented the facts, and let the audience decide who the good guys and bad guys are, if any.

The owners of the beer distributor, although seeming a bit (How do I say this?) Mafia-esk. Not that they are, or if they are, that there is any problems with that. I mean no disrespect at all. As the panel discussion’s moderator said: “I don’t want to wake up tomorrow morning with a horse head in my bed”. The distributors do provide a service. Without them, many small breweries may get no exposure at all. The movie does show how there seems to be a overwhelming presence, and therefore bias towards the large megabreweries. And it was implied, and somewhat shown, the possible illegal influence that these breweries have on the distributors, to the detriment of the small craft brewers.

I wanted to feel sorry for the little guys, and angry at the big players. I could empathize with the craft brewers. They are working their buts off, against terrible odds, mortgaging their family’s home, college education, and retirement. Struggling against huge odds and putting in long, 20 hr days, 7 days a week, with a high likelihood of failure. But three things keep me from being angry at the suggested injustice.

1. These people are doing what they love, following a dream, much of the time not willing to trade it for anything, willing to risk everything to make it happen and truly passionate about what they are doing and have accomplished despite the odds. In many ways, I found myself envious of what they are doing and their bravery.

2. The large brewery conglomerates were once just like these craft guys. Small, mom and pop breweries. Many of them were penniless immigrants, looking to fulfill their dream, maybe even the overused term: “The American Dream”. They risked their families’ money to pursue this. And you can’t argue that they are not giving the American public what they want, even if they spend millions convincing the public of that. They suffered through prohibition and those that emerged were the ones that did it best.

3. And finally, when they asked the craft brewers on the panel, what type of growth have they seen over the last couple years in their own business. Both responded that they have seen a phenomenal growth. Stone Brewery mentioned that he as seen a 45% growth year over year. And Dogfish Head seemed like they couldn’t get the newer, larger tanks in fast enough, as they were lowering them in via crane from the roof of they huge new facility.

So, no, I did not come out of the movie with my dislike for the big breweries, or the distributors that I thought I would. What was confirmed was that I truly love craft brews, their community, their culture and even the industry. Would I consider taking the leap and doing it myself? Sometimes I think I would. , Most of the time I am perfectly content letting them do the work as I reap the benefit of their labor and enjoy my little brewery/winery/garage.

Thanks to the producer / director / writer/ financier powerhouse independent filmmaker of Beer Wars: Anat Baron. You did make a very informative, entertaining, enjoyable and thought provoking documentary. I hope that it was an overall positive experience for you. I know it was a labor of love and I look forward to seeing other projects from you in the future.

This blog post was not intended to be a review of the movie, just my observations and reactions to it. But I would like to briefly mention things I liked and did not like about it.

Likes:
I liked seeing the lives and families of the craft brewers. Hearing in their own words and styles what brought them here and their expectations and experiences.

I liked being exposed to the dynamics of the industry, seeing first hand the long hours, back breaking labor and disappointments.

I like seeing the different aspects of the industry, including the craft brewers and brand marketers like the sole force behind Moonshot, Rhonda Kallman. I hope she does well, but I am afraid I would never buy a beer that has caffeine as an additive. I don’t believe in adding something to a beer just to make it appeal to a market but doesn’t actually improve it at all.

I liked seeing the representation of women in the industry. I would be interested if this accurately represents the percentage of women to men brewers. It may only be me, but women and beer just go together. Or at least they are two of my favorite things.

I loved seeing Charlie Papazian. I forget how much I enjoy him. He is such a great, smart, knowledgeable and energetic spokesperson for the craft and home brew community. I wish that he would have been given more time during the panel discussion. His comments were always the most informative, fact based and interesting to me.

Dislikes:
I wish the movie would have talked more about the 3 tier system of distribution. It was touch on but I could have used more background, history, insight. You see, I am sure that I really should be angry at them. Help me there, please.

I would have like to see more about the histories of the big brewers, not just their activities once they were powerhouses. Some perspectives about when they were small craft brewers and maybe see some of their passions.

I thought that the pre-recorded comments from Todd Alsrom was distasteful. Having him talking about his distain of Moonshot beer, saying that it was a misspelling calling it Craft, and instead should replace the “FT” in Craft with a “P”. While that was entertaining, and a perfectly sound opinion, I though it was rude, contrived and a bit lazy faux conflict to show that during the panel discussion. Mainly, because Todd was part of the panel as well as the Rhonda Kallman of Moonshot. If he would be willing to say that to her face, during the discussion, great. But in this format, it was obviously there to embarrass one, the other, or both. Todd, if you were happy with the way that was handled, I have lost a little respect for you. And Rhonda, if for no other reason than that cheap shot, I hope you the best finding your niche.

Finally, I really disliked Ben Stein. I am not saying I dislike Ben Stein (“Bueller, Bueller, Bueller”). I generally disagree with his views, but he seemed to keep them in check during his moderation of the panel discussion. Sometimes I could hear his conservative views coloring his remarks or leading questions, but mostly he was straight down the moderation trough. But he obviously did not add any benefit to the movie, and seemed a bit fumbling. It might have been fun to have two moderators, then Ben could have been one, and a more cottage industry sympathetic moderator could have been there for balance.

Overall: Congratulations Anat. Great job, Great movie. Good luck.

Tim

Beer Wars - The movie

2009-04-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

One Night Only – April 16, 2009
Beer Wars (the movie)

In the battle for the hearts, minds, and drink of choice of the American beer drinker, there is a war.

Documentarian Anat Baron has chronicled the fight to bring real beer to the American beer drinking public and the steps that the much larger beer industry has taken to keep that from your lips. As he calls it, the “Battle in the Bottle”

It is an interesting vehicle that Director Anat Baron is using to show his work. Instead of a smaller release in art theatres around the country, like many documentaries, Mr Baron has set up a deal with a large theater company to show it in 440 theaters simultaneously via live satellite feed all over the country, followed by a live panel discussion with key American craft brewers.

One night only, live April 16th. This may be a complete flop. Or, as I hope it will be, the beginning of a national discussion of what we choose to drink and which corporations get to choose its quality or our tastes.

Find out more about the movie and locations in your community at their website: http://beerwarsmovie.com . Maybe join me for the viewing this Thursday evening.

Two more Belgian beers

2009-04-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

These two beers are from a small, craft brewer in a Flemish borough of Bruges, Belgium
Called Assebroek.

The Brewery, De Regenbook (which means The Rainbow) was founded in 1995 by Johan Brandt and they currently produce about 300 HL of beer per year, making it one of the smallest of the Belgian craft breweries. Johan is also a bee keeper.

When Johan fist started the brewery, he was brewing only one barrel per week . 4 years later, he increased to 1.5 barrels per week, which meant full time, all year. The brewery now produces just under 5 barrels per week (300 HL per year). Half of their beer is exported.

The first beer:
BB Bourgondier 't Smisje
12% ABV
Bottle conditioned

Brewed with:
malt, hops, candi sugar, Valerian and Lemon Balm, yeast and water.

The herb Valerian used in this beer, has been used since 400 BC for treatment of insomnia. But, at 12 ABV, I don’t think insomnia will be a problem.

Not heavily carbonated
Beautiful Copper color
Smokey and moderate maltiness in the mouth

Yeasty, but with a nutty character that goes well with the beer.
More of the spice became evident as it warmed up, and the citrusy notes, probably partially from the lemon balm, but mostly from the yeast was noticeable.

The finish was nice, lingering for a while. It was a bit hot, mostly because of the high
Alcohol level, but the malt balanced much of that out.

The second beer:
Vuuve
Also, an ale brewed with spices.
5% ABV
Bottle conditioned

Traditional Belgian white ale (witbier)
60% barley malt, 40% wheat malt, hops(Kent Goldings & Challenger), coriander and fresh orange peel

Clean nose, Coriander but no pronounced citrus
significant carbonation, maybe even too much
Not much lacing or head retention
Light body, very crisp
Mildly acidic

Not enough body to support the level of carbonation
As it warmed up, it got a bit of a soapy character and had lost all
of the orange

This beer started off promising. I expected that it would open up as it warmed, but it flattened out and did not finish well.

In some ways, it reminded me of some Berlin weisen beers with its sharp edge and zesty fiz, so this would be worth trying again on a warmer day. That might suite it better than a cool evening for tasting.

Urthel Hibernus Quentum - Tripel

2009-04-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

As I continue my series of Belgian beer, I am again struck by the completely unique and distinct character of Belgian beer. More than any other type or style of beer, Belgian beer can be identified immediately as a representative of the style. Where other beer have hybridized from area to area and sometimes it is hard to discern a California Steam beer from and English IPA. A blindfold and nose plug would still not provide anonymity to a traditional Belgian beer.

Today’s beer is from a small brewer in Flanders, Belgium.

Urthel
Hibernus Quentum
Tripel Ale
9.0% ABV

The brewery is owned and run by Bas and Hildegard van Ostaden. A husband and wife.
The Gnome on the label is carried through out with the fairy-tale theme of the breweries web site. I wish I could read what it said, being written in (I assume) Flemish? The imagery on the web site look like they are from Middle Earth.

http://www.urthel.com

The beer is bottle conditioned and unfiltered, although my bottle has been treated very well. The yeast lees have settled firm onto the bottom and it took a few real good swirls for the final pour to get any haze in the glass.

On first pour, it was a striking, pretty golden blonde.
significant carbonation and a nice creamy head with good retention
Lacing lingered a while

It had a delicate nose with citrus and clove overtones
Mouth feel was good, not too thin at all, but not coating
A medium body with good balance.
Apricot and citrus, clove were all evident, even a hint of banana.
It was dry, but the flower aroma teases out a sense of sweetness.

It was not overly bitter on initial taste but with a hop bitterness mid palette on the finish.
As the beer warmed up, the alcohol become more prominent, it is a tripel after all!

By the final pour, it had come to a cool room temperature, and with the yeast coaxed out into the glass, it brought out more of the clove and even cardamom spice.

Oh, it was very good. I wish I had a second one.

A Tale of Two Belgian Beers

2009-04-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is a story about two Belgian beers. One was a beauty and one was a beast. I have to first say, that you need to expect this from time to time. A beer, like a person, has a off night. I believe that the beer I will describe later was bad. That is to say, there was something wrong with this bottle and not this beer in general. But first, some background.

I must have been giving off a Belgian beer vibe lately, because for my birthday recently, I received an assortment of Belgian beers from two different people. And, that is more than fine with me. I love Belgian beers for so many reasons, not the least of which is the unique taste. Unique for each one and unique in general for Belgian beer.

Belgian beer is like no other. Imagine a beer savant. Someone who, because of the particular wiring in their heads, could make fantastic beer, no matter what. They would be like the McGuiver of beer. Able to take any ingredients, and with a Swiss Army knife and a discarded potato peeler, could make incredible beer. Now, imagine that brewing genius was dropped into a Belgian abbey. Have to figure it out on their own, but like Midas turning everything he touches into gold, this brewer turns everything he touches into a fantastic, although non conventional beer.

For starters, Belgian beers can have an incredible amount of hop bitterness. This seems to be catching on more and more with modern craft brewers, but Belgian beers have been doing this for a long time. But, the hops are usually dried and aged prior to using them, so although they add a tongue tying bitterness, they add almost no aroma.

Next, where as most brewers have their favorite strain of yeast, Belgian brewers don't force that on their beers. Many Belgian beers are fermented in very large, shallow fermenters. After the unfermented wort is put into the fermenter, the yeast indigenous to the area is just allowed to blow through and have it's way with it. We are talking Wild yeast, and the results can be wild too. Sure, they have been doing this for a long time and the yeast in the area and in the brewery has pretty much evolved as the house band.

Finally, Belgian beers can be aged in barrels. These barrels develop a character of their own. The yeast and brettanomyces (a different type of yeast that gives a very distinctive taste) take up permanent residence in the barrels and help give the beer much of it's character.

So, I received all of these beers and I figured I would review them two at a time. Most of them are high in alcohol, so although I am reviewing them two at a time, I am having them on two different occasions.

The first one was the "8" or Green Cap from the Rochefort Trappist brewery. From the name, you might have figured out that this brewery has something to do with the Trappist monks, and you are right. Some of the Trappist monistaries began making beer in the late 1500's. There are only 7 that still do. And there isn't a runt in the pack. They all are known for the exceptional quality of their beer. That is why I think the bottle I hade was not typical of the beer. Although the beer had a high alcohol of 9.2% ABV and a lot of hops, which also helps to preserve. This beer was not drinkable. It has no detectable nose, it was bitter, but not sour, and had a very bad aftertaste. I will give it the benefit of the doubt, given it's lineage.

The second beer I tasted was the Black Albert brewed by De Struise Brewery. I am not completely sure on this, but all information I can find on it seems to indicate that although the De Struise team is Belgian, and they are based in Belgium, this beer is actually brewed in the US, in the state of Maine, for a bar there.

Since, I think of Belgian beer, more of a style than a place of origin, that is good enough for me. And, this beer knocked it out of the park. This was also a massive beer, weighing in at 13% ABV. You used to be able to find wines with lower alcohol. And, it had hop bitterness of 100 IBU. That might not mean much to you, but as a comparison, Bud Light clocks in at a hop bitterness of about 1/15 that in the 6-7% range.

But, there is more to this beer that the burn from alcohol and the bite from the hops. The first aroma to come across was a mixture of coffee and dark chocolate. Crisp and full, these aromas were not a surprise. From the exceptionally dark color, it was obvious the malt was contained a good amount of very dark roasts.

As I took a sip, dried apricot and concentrated cherry were there, along with new hop flavors and aroma. The flavors coated my mouth. The beer had significant body, smooth and silky. Even with the high alcohol, there was still quite a bit of unfermentable sugars that gave a touch of sweet and round taste. The hops stuck around a bit after the taste was done and quite floral. This was a wonderfully balanced beer.

Brew Day at the Little Winery in the Back

2009-03-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday 3/26/09
9:00 AM PST

The Little Winery, (which my wife erroneously refers to as her "garage"), will be the location for my birthday brewday. Watch on-line, send your comments, questions or encouragements.

http://www.grapeenvy.com/brewday/

OK, watching someone brew beer over the internet may not be the edge of your seat entertainment that it sounds like it would be, but I assure you, at least I will be having a good time.

The plan is to begin after the kids head out to school and all of the commotion that happens weekday mornings dies down. Coffee will be brewed, large propane burners will kick in and we will be off to the races.

I hope to have:

Both webcams streaming
Web dashboard with updated status, schedule and images and comments.
Twitter feed of activities
Public comments board
And, when we are all done BEER.
We may even have a warm scotchie to make it official

Watch this spot for updates.

Tim
http://www.grapeenvy.com/brewday/

Why I am not going to complain about the new Facebook anymore

2009-03-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

OK, I don't want Facebook to change back anymore. I don't appreciate the new layout, neither do millions of others. But, if a company has a vision, which Facebook has demonstrated they do in the past, then I say they should execute on it.

As customers, we think we know what a company should do. "The Customer is always right" rings loud and clear in our heads. Well, if the customer is so smart, and his idea is so much better than the company he is complaining about, then why doesn't the customer take that idea, go out there and make it happen.

You know what? Sometimes those ideas are better, the customer does go out and start a business of their own with that new ideas. And, sometimes they prove that their idea was correct. They did have vision, they were smarter and they are hugely successful.

But, then what do you think happens? They might continue being bold, smart, innovative. They have an idea about changing what they are doing in a way that might better, bold, and innovative. But what happens? A bunch of their customers complain. Is the customer always right? Who cares? If they are, great for them. Let them take their ideas off and capture the business that they think the company is leaving behind.

Facebook has shown that it sees what is possible better than other. It has become wildly successful because of that ability. Now, they have made a change because they believe this is the direction to go. Sure, you could argue they are seeing the new upstart, Twitter, and they are trying to capture some of that energy, great. They might just do it right again.

In any case, this is their bus. I think they have a right to drive it where they want. If I choose to get off, that is my choice. If they choose to keep going, they have shown to be a good trip planner in the past.

You think your job is stressful? Be an Astronaut!

2009-03-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-119, will launch. It will be bringing it's a final set of solar arrays to the International Space station. Read about it on the NASA website.

As the US is winding down our shuttle program, there seems to be a lack of urgency for its replacement. Maybe it is understandable. We are all caught up in our daily crises, economic issues, job losses, wars and all of the day to day issues. We just don't seem to have the time to look up from our day to day issues to see the bigger pictures.

Exploration for the sake of exploration is a concept that many people don't "get". They say, "Why spend all of this time and money exploring, when there is so much to do right here and right now." Talking about forward, long term thinking is hard to prioritize when you are worried about keeping your job, feeding your family, or tending to a sick or dying friend.

Sometimes, we use the arguments, or justifications of space exploration such as "Exploration is part of the Human psyche", or "If Columbus had never explored, we wouldn't be here". I think those arguments fall short. Arguably, humans do have a long history of exploration, but part of our psyche? If you could ask early hominids what made them cross the land bridge to the Americas, you would probably find that it was in search of scarce resources, such as food or better climate. And, you could make a good case that Columbus did not sail to the "New World" because of some noble pursuit of truth or exploration for exploration sake. Gold, wealth, and power had a lot to do with it.

Using these completely altruistic arguments, although I personally like to believe they are true, fall short of presenting a powerful justification for space exploration. Why don't we talk about real, concrete reasons why we should and need to go into space? Why don't we hear more about how going into space, learning how to live and accommodate life in that thin shell that surrounds the earth, is the best way for us to learn how to take care of our planet. It is hard to appreciate the wildernesses of the planet, until you actually get to go out into them. It is equally hard to appreciate our delicate planet until you actually get to step out a little and look back at it.

We aren't even talking about stepping out very far. Most of my relatives live farther away from me than the astronauts are as they pass overhead. We are talking about space craft that orbits closer to us than some people drive in their daily commute. And we send astronauts up so infrequently that it is still a dangerous thing to do. Lets figure this out. Lets make our space program a priority. Lets move, just a little bit, away from the problems we face all day, every day, and look back. We might just find some solutions.

This is what is part of the human psyche: finding solutions. Lets look at the big picture. And, to do that, we need to step back (out) a little bit.

Good luck crew of STS-119. Be safe. Oh, and thanks!

Tim Beauchamp

Twitter Followers

2009-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Twitter Followers.

This is probably the 4th installment in my series on Twitter. Before you go looking for the first 3, don't bother. They are all in my head and have never been published. Sorry about that. But, it is not so different than most people's experience with Twitter.

For the new Twitter users, initially it makes perfect sense. It really is a simple service that appears easy to grasp. You sign up on Twitter and that makes us a Twitter User. You have other Twitter users that you follow and there are Twitter users that follow you.

By follow, I mean that followers get to see what the person they follow posts. Once you get that concept down, you pretty much get 80% of how it works. But the other 20% is the part that confuses, irritates, or generally just does not make sense to them.

I think that much of this confusion all comes down to what initially seemed like the simple concept of "Followers". How complicated can this really be, you think. If I follow someone, I see what they post. If someone follows me, they see what I post. But, right after you sign up for the service, you find yourself in this strange and uncomfortable positions of not following anyone yet, not having any followers, and no idea of how to change any of those situations.

Now, I submit that you have probably been in a situation like this before, in real life. I will come back to this parallel to real life again. Most of the questions that come up as to why or how things happen in twitter they way the do, can usually find a similar parallel in real life. And when you find yourself asking why interactions are the way they are on Twitter, just ask yourself why they wouldn't be.

So, you just started and you have no followers and you are following no one. Come on, you've been there before. First day at a new school. First day in a new job. At a party where you know no one.

I recommend following the same rules on Twitter in this situation that you would in real life. Don't walk up to everyone and share intimate and possibly bizarre quirks about your personality. If you know someone there. Find out their username and start following them. This gives you the opportunity to get the lay of the land. See what other people do, and not do. And probably find others to follow.

Now, just like in real life there are 3 different rolls you can play in social interactions and information flow. There are producers, consumers and relayers. These are people who say or provide interesting things, people who like to hear interesting things, and people who hear interesting things and just pass it on to others. You can be any one of these type of people, but you will probably find that your style is some proportion of all three.

As time goes on, people that you follow will relay (retweet) information you find interesting, and you may begin following their source for the content. Things you find interesting, you may retweet yourself to anyone following you. And you will probably feel comfortable enough to tweet original content you find interesting.

Now we have the question of how you choose followers and how people choose to follow you. And there are different schools of thought here.

One type of Twitter users will automatically follow everyone who follows them. When you start following one of these people, you will soon get the message that they have begun following you. It makes you feel important that this person feels what you have to say is important to them. That feeling quickly fades when you see that they are also following 2000 other people.

Another set of Twitter users only follow a hand full of people and they have hundreds or thousands of followers. These are generally the content providers. They say things that are interesting to large groups of people but they don't feel compelled to blindly follow everyone.

A third set of twitterers have a modest number of followers and people they follow. And many times, only a fraction of the people that follow them, they actually reciprocate. This set of users makes the most sense to me and most closely relates to the way our regular social lives work. We have friends that we mutually enjoy each others company. We find others interesting who may not know us well. And there are people who find us interesting but we don't really know them yet.

Most of the complaints you hear about Twitter as a service is that you get all these messages about stupid activities people are doing that you have no desire to hear about. That is easy to fix. Don't follow those people. If you had a friend that would just call you up all the time to tell you he is just petting his dog or taking a shower, you would probably stop taking his calls. Why would you follow him on Twitter? Feel free to remove them from the list of people you follow.

You will find your comfort zone. You may choose to just be a consumer of the intelligent streams of consciousness. Before you add anyone to follow, you can go to their list of tweets (called a time line) and see what they have been saying. If it seems like it would improve the mix of tweets you see, add them.

Does that make sense? Do you have a different strategy?

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @tbeauchamp
but down feel bad if I don't immediately choose to reciprocate.

Tim

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - Beer One - Palo Santo Marron

2009-01-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

Palo Santo Marron (Holy Tree Brown)
Dogfish Head Brewery

This beer has been aged in 10,000 gallon wood vessels made from South America called Paraguayan Palo Santo

I was not sure what to expect. From the brewery's description, I was expected more chocolate, but that was not found. It seemed closer to an imperial stout in bitterness. Good hop bitterness but not a lot of aromatics. There were citrus overtones, maybe cherry of even mandarin.

The head diminished quite quickly, not enough to be a worrisome. The aroma was nice.

Sweet overtones followed the medium hop floral character. A distinct dark malt character is the dominant aspect of both the aroma and taste.

The really opened up as it warmed. At 60 degrees, it was in it's element.

The alcohol content is 12% APV, which should take it out of the beer catagory for me. But, the alcohol was balanced well with the malt. At that level, the malt was pronounced. Not only in flavor, but in the creamy velvet viscosity.

Vanilla, molasses, wood similar to a California Chardonnay.

The finish was lasting and pleasant.

The only disappointment with this beer is that it tastes so good that you would want more than one, but at 12% and 12 oz, that would probably be the extent of your evening.

I would recommend sharing this between friends.

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - The preliminary situation

2009-01-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

This beer tasting was not overly planned. It started out as a trip to the local beer merchant looking for something interesting. Actually, I was looking for a good German Rauchbier (smoked beer) because I have had it in my head lately. But, the state of beer selection on the San Francisco peninsula seems to be declining. When I mentioned that I was looking for a smoked beer, I got the same look that I imagine I would get if I asked for a cranberry cougar tea infusion. Yeah, that's it. Look in the mirror right now after reading that.

In any case, the usual mecca of beer on the peninsula, Beltramo's did not give me satisfaction. They have a large selection of beer, but I get the impression that the selection is dictated more by the distributor than a wine buyer. I could be wrong, but it seemed heavily weighted towards eye appeal and kitschy names instead of brewing integrity and craft beer styles.

Beverages and More (or BevMo to those in the inner circle) had a couple Rauchbiers "In the System". Which means they had it listed in their computer, but not on the shelf. I might as well buy it from Amazon.com. Don't get me wrong, BevMo has an incredible selection of things that contain alcohol. But, deep down, it is a "Box Store" and don't expect them to give you good advice on unique beers. They are the Walmart of Ethanol based products. I would like to think they have the consumer's best interest in mind, but the little tasting nook, un-staffed in the corner does not inspire confidence.

Finally, I went to the local wine merchant, K&L wines. I had given up on getting interesting beer and was going to turn my attention to wine.

Now, K&L wines is just that. A wine merchant. 99% of the store is dedicated to wine. But they do have one little cooler door. One 24 inch glass door that houses their entire selection of beer. And, their selection of beer is enlightened. I found out why too. I met the beer buyer. He was enthusiastic and pragmatic. When I mentioned that I was looking for a rauchbeir, he got this look on his face that was almost euphoric. He was a beerophile and had the beers to prove it. He brought me over to his beer door and we had a in depth discussion of what he had, what I wanted and what my options were.

Once I said that I wanted something interesting and worth tasting, we came up with a selection of craft beer that would make Michael Jackson (not the one with 1 glove) proud, may he rest in peace.

Let me tell you what I bought that day:
Three beers from a brewery in Delaware called Dogfish Head Brewing Company. They have been getting some press lately because they are pushing the envelope. I recommend you go to their website and have a look at what they are doing.

I bought 3 of their beers, Palo Santo Marron, 90 Minute IPA, and Midas Touch Golden Elixir.
And, I bought a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.

I will go into details about each beer in follow up posts, but I would recommend going to their respective websites and checking them out.

http://www.dogfish.com
http://www.gooseisland.com

Stay tuned for tasting notes on these beers. And, feel free to comment on your own opinions.

Tim

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - The preliminary situation

2009-01-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

This beer tasting was not overly planned. It started out as a trip to the local beer merchant looking for something interesting. Actually, I was looking for a good German Rauchbier (smoked beer) because I have had it in my head lately. But, the state of beer selection on the San Francisco peninsula seems to be declining. When I mentioned that I was looking for a smoked beer, I got the same look that I imagine I would get if I asked for a cranberry cougar tea infusion. Yeah, thats it. Look in the mirror right now after reading that.

In any case, the usual mecca of beer on the peninsula, Beltramo's did not give me satisfaction. They have a large selection of beer, but I get the impression that the selection is dictated more by the distributer than a wine buyer. I could be wrong, but it seemed heavily weighted towards eye appeal and kitschy names instead of brewing integrity and craft beer styles.

Beverages and More (or BevMo to those in the inner circle) had a couple Rauchbiers "In the System". Which means they had it listed in their computer, but not on the shelf. I might as well buy it from Amazon.com. Don't get me wrong, BevMo has an incredible selection of things that contain alcohol. But, deep down, it is a "Box Store" and don't expect them to give you good advice on unique beers. They are the Walmart of Ethenol based products. I would like to think they have the consumer's best interest in mind, but the little tasting nook, un-staffed in the corner does not inspire confidence.

Finally, I went to the local wine merchant, K&L wines. I had given up on getting interesting beer and was going to turn my attention to wine.

Now, K&L wines is just that. A wine merchant. 99% of the store is dedicated to wine. But they do have one little cooler door. One 24 inch glass door that houses their entire selection of beer. And, their selection of beer is enlightened. I found out why too. I met the beer buyer. He was enthusiastic and pragmatic. When I mentioned that I was looking for a rauchbeir, he got this look on his face that was almost euphoric. He was a beerophile and had the beers to prove it. He brought me over to his beer door and we had a in depth discussion of what he had, what I wanted and what my options were.

Once I said that I wanted something interesting and worth tasting, we came up with a selection of craft beer that would make Michael Jackson (not the one with 1 glove) proud, may he rest in peace.

Let me tell you what I bought that day:
Three beers from a brewery in Delaware called Dogfish Head Brewing Company. They have been getting some press lately because they are pushing the envelope. I recommend you go to their website and have a look at what they are doing.

I bought 3 of their beers, Palo Santo Marron, 90 Minute IPA, and Midas Touch Golden Elixir.
And, I bought a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.

I will go into details about each beer in follow up posts, but I would recommend going to their respective websites and checking them out.

http://www.dogfish.com
http://www.gooseisland.com

Stay tuned for tasting notes on these beers. And, feel free to comment on your own opinions.

Tim

My New Years Resolutions

2009-01-03T00:41:00.000-08:00

I can't imagine 2008 being a worse than 2009.

Now, 2008 was not all bad, and we don't want to get caught up in excessive negativity. There were many good things that happened in 2008. If the person who you voted for president won, or lost, you have to admit that it was a race and outcome that we will be talking about for a long time. As a country, I think we have reached a milestone of tolerance that many did not think we would see in our lifetime. I think that is all good.

I made new friends in 2008. Friends that share my love of the winemaking. I hope than in 2009, we will get to enjoy this mutual interest together and have some great times.

2009 is just starting and here are some things I want to do this year.

Arrange EARLY with vineyards for grapes. At one point in 2008, I was unsure if I would get any grapes. Fortunately, some came through but I want to get a source nailed down early and not spend September and October cold calling strange vineyards to see if they have grapes.

New label. This one is easy and hard, in that I already have a new label. But, I just threw this one together. I want something that kicks butt.

Follow up goal to the previous. I want to label all of my wine. I have wine going back a few years where the box is labeled but the bottles in the box are not. Having a simplified label might make this doable.

Dedicated winemaking area. I may fudge a bit on this. My winemaking area is currently an area in the garage. And, I expect it will continue to be that for the foreseeable future. But, it shares it's space with an unused sofa, boxes of unused clothing, cleaning supplies, a sewing machine, bicycle parts, a set of encyclopedias from my youth and a half a dozen other miscellaneous other things that dilute the "Winery Feel". I want to have my winemaking spot.

3 wine contests. There are wine contests all over the state. I want to get my wine into some of them. Watch this space!

Fill that damn fermenter! Alright. I have this great stainless steel fermenter, 500 liters, and I have not ever filled it! What is the point of having it if you don't take advantage of it. This year, if it means that I only can make one wine, it will fill that tank.

Wine from my own vines. Last year would have been the first year they were old enough to produce, but the 10 days of cool, wet, overcast weather just before veraison really crippled this years harvest. Next year we will be on top of the fungicides at the first sine of mildew pressure.

Let's see how well I can stick to my resolutions in 2009.

Tim

Short blog for the beginning of the year

2009-01-02T01:02:00.000-08:00

2008 was all over the place. The economy went down the tubes, many friends lost their jobs, many people lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan (on both sides).

It makes an entry on a wine blog seem pretty small and meaningless, and in the big view of things, I guess it is.

But, here is to the passing of 2008 and the welcoming if 2009.

Cheers,

Tim

End of the year for this amateur winemaker

2008-12-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

The end of the year is an opportunity to reflect on what was good, what was bad, what was accomplished and what was left undone. And then, there were those things that just happened. Things which were not good or bad. Let's just call those things the "Filler". Kind of like those packing peanuts that go into the package to fill it out.

Although we tend to judge the year on the accomplishments and missed opportunities, the Filler is probably the most important. After all, it certainly makes up the bulk of what happened between the new years. So, as I go though it all, and put the accomplishments on one side of the scale and the missed opportunities on the other, this year I will not forget the Filler.

A glass half empty person might put the Filler into a category of "Things that didn't matter" or just "Stuff". But, that discounts all those things we did that make the year what it was. This year, I am going to put the filler into the things accomplished category. Not only does it seem like the right thing to do, it really makes it look like the year was productive and we all need those pats on the back, even it we give them to ourselves

Lets get it out of the way and start with the things that didn't work out.

Things not accomplished:

Try a wine from a different state each month
Kind of a virtual wine tour of the US, one state per month. Last year, I broke my own rule and made a new years resolution. I would try a new wine from a different state every month. That worked for January, since I happened to have a wine from another state on hand. Final Tally: 1 wine.

Wine Shack
My own "Wine Destination". A structure to separate the winemaking equipment and area from the drill presses, table saws and other non-wine related things. I had plans, actually still do, to separate off an area, insulate it, and make it a micro-miniature home winery. Time, money and logistics all conspired to keep that from happening in 2008. I have not given up on this, but it is not going to get started in 2008.

Wine and Fire
This was out of my control, but I had wanted to attend the Santa Rita Wine Makers annual event. I attended it in 2007, and it was one of the best oenology experiences I have ever had. Unfortunately, it was canceled this year. Probably for similar reasons as my Wine Shack. Next year will be another chance.

Wine Competition.
I never entered my wines into a competition in 2008 like I wanted to. This was simply a motivation thing. My bad. I take full responsibility.

Big Batch of Chard
Try as I might, I could not land a Chardonnay this year. At least, not at a decent price. The vineyard that I bought Chard from for the last 2 years decided to keep it for themselves (there prerogative). And the other couple vineyards seemed to have multiple buyers involved in a price war that quickly ran the price up well beyond what I was willing to do. In the end, I did find a small supply of Chard, but I was hoping to fill my fermenter.

Now for the positives
Things accomplished:

New Label
It is temporary while another new label is taking form. My previous label was cute, and interesting. But, it was an odd shape, with curved top and bottom, and wide, so as to wrap around the bottle. It always generated much interest and compliments, but each label had to be cut out carefully by had and applying took a lot of time and effort. My new labels are much cleaner and easier to apply. And, lets face it, I got into winemaking to make wine, not labels.

OpenFermenter
The blog started before 2008, but this year, I put all the pieces together and did a full site. Lets see where that goes

Petite Syrah
I never planned to do a Petite Syrah, but with all of the problems finding other fruit, when this came up, and at a good price, I took it. It won't be until 2009 to know if this is actually a positive.

Chardonnay
Chardonnay was a challenge for me this year. I'm not sure if it was because I just expected it was going to be easy to do, or if the planets aligned and conspired against me. But I prevailed. With the help of a small vineyard in Carneros, I was able to make a smallish batch of Chardonnay.

Stemmer Crusher
Technically, it is a "Crusher de-stemmer". This is my pride acquired possession this year. This is now my pride piece of winemaking equipment. It is also at the top of the list of "Think I own that will remove a digit". But that sense of danger and the flashing of steel spinning on the inside is mesmerizing.

Bottle Filler
From a small winery in Oakland, going out of business, I found a small, well used, 3 bottle manual filler.
It had been used from their beginning and it was at the end of it's duty. Rust and corrosion, wear and tear, contributed to the bargain price. But lots of elbow grease, sanding, scraping, and acid etching helped. Then a few dollars in new parts and a couple coats of primer and paint. Tada! my new bottle filler. Final winemaking addition for the new year.

And of course, now the Filler.

My health.
I am starting to feel the aches and pains of someone approaching 50 years. A little bit slower up stairs, not able to bend quite the same. Most of the time it doesn't really slow me down. I think I am starting to work smarter now that I can't always depend on being able to muscle things into place. I have found that a half of a ton of grapes is heavy. It would have always been heavy, but now it takes a little more growning and a little more time to move things around. But I am healthy and able to do it all. Maybe there is some truth to the reports of the health benefits from red wine.

My Family
A supportive wife, two smart, healthy, great kids. My family deals with the smell of fermenting wine, boiling malt and hops, fruit flies, sticky floors, missing father for hours at a time, clinks and clanks in the garage all hours of the day and night. And they do it with a minimum of complaints and rolled eyes. Even when threatened with much misunderstood phrase "Just wait till all of this is yours" is sent out, they manage to keep from tossing back the a response along the lines of "Oh, I can't wait".

My Day Job.
In this economy, many people are recently without a job. Some of my friends and coworkers have been laid off and are having a much less celebratory new year. That makes me sad. I feel a little guilty at being able to have what I do. I love making wine, but it would not keep my family fed and clothed at this point. And I have the luxury of having both a job and a hobby.

My Hobby, Wine making
This really fits well into the "Filler" category. Since it could fill in all free time and spare resources. Amateur wine making piques all kinds of thing for me. It lets me play scientist, artisan, laborer, foodie, winer. It gives me things to read, things to taste and things to dream about. And it gives me great gifts to share with others.

So, I will have to say that 2008 was, on balance, a ringing success. Now I am ready to start planning for 2009.

Happy new year!

Tim

The wine pod. I just don't get it.

2008-12-15T01:00:00.001-08:00

I am not going to say that it is not worth it. Or that it is a gimmick. I was going to but then realized that that would be hypocritical of me. I have always believed that if someone things that something is great, and I don't, then it might be that I just don't get it.

I am talking about the "Wine Pod" ( http://mywinepod.com/index.aspx ). It is a home winemaking appliance that allows you to make wine at home. Funny, I already do that. There has to me more.

It is attractive, and the nerd in me finds the large stainless steel pod, with a digital readout and data-port to a laptop is intriguing. I may not be a good judge of appropriate use of technology, after all, I wrote a controller for my spa using Java. What? Write once, spa anywhere.

In any case, I am missing a big piece in the whole Wine Pod thing. It seems that for some, undeclosed amout, which I have to assume is a bundle, you get the large, stainless, phallic looking thing, that sits in your living room and makes a small quantity of wine. Am I wrong? Please enlighten me.

Least Common Denominator

2008-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

OK, lets just get this out into the open. I am a math geek. I always have been and I hope that I always will be. So, that is why the other day, as I was trying to think of why I find talking about wine so enjoyable, I immediately thought about math. Now, before all of you self professed inumerate followers tune out, please hear me out.

There is something about wine that appeals to so many people. People who may have no other common interests, people that work in completely different industries, come from different backgrounds, have different levels of education and never fly in the same circles, can sit together over a glass of wine and use it as a point of connection. It is almost like you can trace their family trees back to a common ancestor. Wine is the master key to the conversation. It is let beverage equivalent of the Least Common Denominator. The thing that, at some level, maybe the lowest level, we all have in common. It is the way that we all just fit.

Sure, it doesn't hurt that wine lowers peoples inhibitions, making it easier to talk. That may have hurt as many relationships as it has helped. And there are certainly times when wine is not appropriate. At least I assume there are. None come to mind right now but there has to be some, right?

Wine is one of the oldest beverages, and has probably change very little over the millenia. It is truly in it's simplest form. That is what makes it so perfect

So, in celebration of math and wine. Here is too you, or maybe us. Find a good friend and a great bottle of wine, or even just a good bottle of wine and a great friend. Or even better, go make a new friend over a bottle of wine.

Tim

Dear Santa Claus

2008-12-09T13:02:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, I would really love a little winery. Nothing big, nothing fancy. I realize that it might me hard to bring down the chimney, let alone fit into my stocking, but I have faith in you.

If you do, I promise to make you some ice wine that I can leave out instead of milk and cookies. I will even put out a bowl of a good Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay for the reindeer. I figure that it will help keep Rudolph's nose good and red.

I realize that you may not be able to bring this for me. After all, I already received such a great gift from the elections in November. But I figure there is a better chance of getting a winery from you than ever getting one of the wines from my wine club membership with Sine Qua Non. All I ever get from them is a postcard each year that says how sorry they are that all I am getting from them is this postcard, no wine.

In any case, if a winery isn't in the cards, I am still thankful that this year has left me with my health, my beautiful family, my friends, my job, and my hobbies.

Give my love to Mrs Claus.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Little Timmy Beauchamp

My least favorite part of making wine.

2008-11-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

Making wine has it's fun, and it's not so fun, parts. That is pretty much true of most things. Cooking is fun, doing the dishes isn't. Going for a long drive is fun, filling the tank when you are done isn't. Having a bunch of friends over is fun, sweeping up after they left isn't.

Wine making is like that. Some people really enjoy the crush, others the fermentation, others the bottling and many probably just enjoy the end product.

I have to admit, that the end product is one of my favorite parts. Not the most enjoyable part, but it is way up there. And I don't even mean drinking it, I mean, just having it there for me to look at. Enjoying something that I made myself is very rewarding. My day time job involves working with software. It is very interesting and intellectually challenging. But at the end of the day, I can not hold it up in my hand and say, I made this. I tried to explain writing software to my mom one time. She uses a computer and understands that software makes it do the thing she likes it to do. But how it gets from people sitting at desks and writing words down on keyboards, to running on her computer is just one of those mysteries. Like "The Mystery Spot", we are not sure why people think that water is running up hill of people are different sizes there, they just do.

That is what I enjoy about wine. After a year of waiting, after crushing, pressing, fermenting, racking, adjusting, bottling, aging, and mostly... waiting, But in the end, I have something I can hold up and say: "I made this." It is something tactile, solid, mine.

But, some parts are more enjoyable than others. I have always been a math and chem guy. The lab work and formulas always were a very enjoyable part. The crush and the pressing are high points too. And even bottling is enjoyable, especially when it is done with friends over.

But the thing that I get no enjoyment from, what so ever, is labeling the wine. I have always bottled the wine and put it back into the cases without a label. Then when I need it, I print a couple labels, cut them out and afix them to the bottle. But as my volume of wine has increased, I have been left with a very large number of unlabeled bottles. From now one, labeling happens at bottling time.

Better Living Through Chemistry

2008-11-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

I love chemistry and math. I always have. Tinkering with pH meters, test tubes, pipets. Doing titrations, mixing, measuring, stirring, taking notes, it just really pops my cork.

I am sure that I would still enjoy wine making if it was lower tech, like baking or cooking, but I really enjoy the chemistry aspect of it.

I don't want to give the impression that a wine needs to be heavily manipulated. Wine can be made from grapes with almost no adulteration. It is almost a perfect is process. Grapes from the field can be crushed and fermented as is, no additions, no adjustments. If good vineyard management and cultural practices are used, and the climate and stars all aligned, the juice will be well balanced. Many areas are natural hosts to wild yeasts that will produce a phenomenal wine.

But, lets not kid ourselves. This "natural" wine is not solely a product of nature alone. Those grapes are not wild. They are the result of centuries of manipulation, selection, hybridization and cloning by man to accentuate the traits desirable for winemaking and suppress those traits that are not. Current wine grapes would nearly kill themselves from over-cropping would it not be for the vineyard worker pruning and thinning. This vine is not propagated as it would be in the wild, from the seeds of a parent plant. They are all genetic clones of a single mother vine that was identified, possibly hundreds of years ago.

We are not all blessed with perfect climate in all regions, every year. Some years give us grapes that are low in sugar, low in acid, high in acid, any number of deviations from an ideal crop. In these cases, it might call for an adjustment of acid, or sugar, or water.

Those "Natural" yeasts are really not wild either. They can more accurately be described as feral. Over generations of both yeasts and vintages, the local wine makers have encouraged stains that work well, discouraged those that did not. The strains of yeasts that produced good wines would be the ones that populated the winery and communities where they were enjoyed. On the walls, in the rafters. They are spread though the fields with the discarded grape skins. Over time, they have come to dominate the local area.

The wine makers found, through trial and error, accident and happenstance, that some things made wine better, other things made wine worse. Oak barrels were good, clay pots, no so much. Burnt sulfur made the wine last longer, elemental sulfur kept the mildew away.

Louis Pasteur was instrumental in identifying organisms that caused fermentation, and others that would would make wine go bad. He developed a procedure for reducing the effects of the bad and allowing desired organisms (yeast) to dominate.

So, winemaking has been improved through close cooperation if science. Better winemaking through chemistry. Making wine does not require a love of chemistry or math, but for me, it has always been the added bonus. Not that it needed it.

Cheers.

Making wine just for me

2008-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Being an amateur wine maker, you would think that there isn't the pressure to make wines in a style other than your preference. That you can experiment with new techniques, practices or varieties that may be of interest only to you. The absence of market pressures to produce a wine that appeals to the broadest cross section of the population should permit you to be bold if bold is what you want to be, or conservative if that is your desire. But, that really is not completely the case.

Risk
Trying an interesting wine, made in a way that appeals to you, and you alone could result in cases of wine that only you alone want to drink. Or, maybe you find out that there were good reasons why Army Worm wine has never really caught on
commercially. Natural fermentation or carbonic maceration may not turn out an end product that even you are interested in.

Cost
Not having to sell your wine to wholesalers, or to tasting room customers only takes away half of the economic pressures. Just because no one pays you to make your wine doesn't mean you get to make it for free. The vineyard probably doesn't give you their grapes at no cost just because you are not competing for shelf space against them.

Bottles are expensive, even though you may be re-using used bottles for a portion of your wines.

Family
Most of us don't make wine just for ourselves. We share it with our friends and family. Our family puts up with the smell of fermenting must seeping up through the floor from the garage. Our spouses smile politely having to share space with carboys and racking canes.

Our neighbors kids have to hold off on basketball occasionally because the stemmer crusher is set up beneath the hoop. You don't want to impose all of these inconveniences on them,abuse their charity of tolerance with out producing a wine that they can all enjoy (the neighbors, not their kids).

So, we do all feel pressures to make wines in a style that may not always be our preference. My wife like big oaky chardonnay. I occasionally add more oak that I would normally because I know that is what she likes.

We don't get to make wine just for ourselves. And if we did, we probably would not enjoy making it as much either.

Tim

You say tomato, ...

2008-09-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

No more renting a crusher destemmer for me.

You can not even imaging my excitement at having a crusher destemmer of my own. No more calling up the winemaking shop, trying to schedule a rental last minute because the grapes are ready. No more having to spend half an hour cleaning the last renter's crud out of the equipment before I can even start.

Sure, there are some downsides.

Ummm, I am sure there are. I just can't think of any. But, I would bet my wife could name a couple. Like another large piece of winemaking stuff taking up space in the garage.

That is here name for it, "garage". That is so quaint, don't you think?
I prefer to think of it as a "Non-commercial Winery" that I allocate some of the space to close family members to park in.

It is the whole: "You say tomato, I say ..." thing.

Paso Robles

2008-03-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Paso Robles.
This ain't your father's Paso

I hesitated with that sub-title, because in that statement, I am the
father.

Since my college days in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles has changed from a
sleepy little community of cattle ranches, grain farms, western shops,
what seemed like a disproportionate number of fishing boat shops, and
probably 3 wineries. Now, you can count over 200 wineries in the Paso
Robles area. The downtown was recently described as the next Headlsburg.
That is almost spot on. Paso now boasts several nice restaurants, places
to go for a bite to eat, hang out, have a great glass of wine or beer,
and even a few microbrewery pubs.

Everyone is always tempted to separate wines and wineries into
categories, by their style, their varieties of grapes, the viticultural
or enological processes that they employ, their value, or their
perceived quality. These classifications help us to compare wines or
wineries with others we might feel are similar. Sometimes, it is not
obvious in advance, what group one will fit into because what causes the
wine to have the determining quality is not obvious. But, as we began
tasting our way around Paso Robles, a distinction became apparent. We
quickly noticed that there was an obvious geographical boundary between
two distinct categories of wine in the area. Looking at a map, that
geographic boundary has a label, US interstate 101. The freeway runs
north-south through the middle of town and divides the Paso Robles AVA
into two haves. Comparing the topologies of the two areas, they are
equally distinct.

The east side of the AVA is flat, warm, sunny and arid. In many ways, it
is not too different from the central valley, and their resulting wines
are reminiscent of the wines of the central valley. Higher volume,
higher brix and therefore higher alcohol, less color, less aroma, and
less varietal character. That is not to say that there were no stand out
wines. We enjoyed some from the eastern half of the area, but they were
fewer and farther between. Eberle winery was one of those stand outs.

The west side of the AVA is very different from it's eastern half.
Starting at the freeway and moving west, you quickly move into the
hills. Flat vineyards give way to steep slopes, much less land plantable
with vines, more trees. The fog from the coast, just over the hills,
hangs around in the mornings. The temperature is noticeable cooler, the
soils are different. Where the other side was much sandier, the west
side is much more solid. Limestone and granite make the vines work a bit
harder for their nutrients and water. I am sure it makes the winemakers
work harder for each gallon of juice too. The yields are much lower on
this side, where the east side cal easily pull 4-6 tons of grapes per
acre, one winery on the wast said he was getting less that a ton per acre.

Will the area be divided into two areas, east and west? That subject
never came up while we were there. It may be that the area is keeping
any internal divisions from becoming obvious to the public. Probably a
good move to work together and get name recognition for the area.

A few other observations that we found interesting, huge blends or non
traditional varietal blends were common. A blend of 4 or more different
grapes was common. One wine maker had put together a blend of 7
different varietals. It is hard to believe that this wine was the result
of a methodical and meticulous sampling to find the "sweet spot" where
any change of percentages in one direction or another would diverge from
the optimum blend. It seemed more like it was the result of going
through your refrigerator at the end of the week to find out what you
can put into the pot for a stew to use up what you have on hand. That
kind of blend had no identifiable character.

Many wineries gave their wines "pretty names". These were things like
"Renegade", "Sundance" and "Radiance". This was probably because of the
extensive blending, not allowing them to use varietal names like "2005
Sarah", and a name like "Eight Completely Random Wines Mixed into One
Bottle" doesn't roll off the tongue.

The other interesting aspect of the blending, many winemakers were
blending Bordeaux and Rhone varieties together like Cabernet and Syrah,
or even red and white wines together. Some worked, some didn't. Our
favorite winery of the weekend, L’Aventure. I got the impression that
the owners and winemakers made the wines the did because that was their
choice of wine. Well though out and excellently executed.

Our weekend down there coincided with Zinfandel Festival. That brought
in a lot of tourists. But staying to the
smaller wineries off the beaten path kept the crowds down.

A trip to Paso Robles from the bay area is a short 3 hour drive. Well
worth it. Make a long weekend out of it

All the wines have been put to bed

2007-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you have kids, you know about getting them to bed. No matter how much planning and preparation, there seems to be a flurry of activity right at bed time. Water, blankets, scary shadows, things they forgot to tell you earlier that now are so important that they can't wait until morning.

It seems like they will never fall to sleep. But, they do and then you can relax and everything seems calm and in their place.

Wine making is like that too. Right after the crush, everything seems to be happening at once. Things that should just be in their place, seem to keep popping back up or are a lot more work and take more time than expected.

But, finally, everything is where it should be, wines have finished fermenting. Barrels are stacked. Paperwork is done and now you can take a breath.

That is where I am now. Taking a breath. Maybe it will have a glass of wine too.

Tim

The Chardonnay has arrived

2007-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Today, Edwin and I went down to pick up our Chardonnay. Jason, the winemaker at Sapid Winery, was just using his new automated grape sorting machine for the first time. To a large extent, he just needs to dump the clusters in the top and it stems, sorts, cleans out the MOG (Material Other than Grapes), drops them into the must pump and away it goes.

In Practice, it is not completely hands off, and requires some active participation to keep the stems that have been removed clear of of the shoot and make sure that everything proceeds as expected.

Grape technology has not progressed to the coffee vending machine stage and I hope it never does. But, I think tools like this allow passionate winemakers to focus on what they love to do, making great wine, and not get bogged down in some of the more mundane tasks. Also, there is probably a benefit to the end product since the time between the grapes being picked and getting into the fermenter can be reduced.

As you can see in the picture, Jason has just dumped a bin of grapes into the hopper and Edwin is seeing that they are coming out onto the shaker tray.

We picked up 400 lbs of grapes today. Packed them into our bins with dry ice for the trip home and stop over at my office until the the end of the day (I have to do some activities that actually generate income instead of consuming it.) Then, this evening, we met back at my place to press it out, sulfite it and let it cold soak for a day. It was much fun.

Tomorrow, I will adjust the chemistry, pitch the yeast and away we go.

We expect the Syrah to come in about 2 more weeks and then Zin after that.
Man, do I love this time of year.

tim

My new stainless steel fermenter

2007-08-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

The new fermenter arrived. After months of waiting, it finally came in, and it is beautiful, stainless and big. I knew that it was going to be big, but standing next to it, it really hits brought it home. 500 liter doesn't sound so big, but when you think about it in gallons, 132 gallons is a lot of wine.

Fortunately, it is a variable capacity tank, so I don't need to use the entire capacity right away.
Maybe next year.

Tim

Bud Break 2007

2007-03-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

That time of the year has rolled around again. Bud break is here and again, all
of the vines are shooting out fuzzy green buds, and even little leaves are
starting to emerge from some of the earliest risers.

The 3 year old vines all seem to know exactly what they are doing, which you
would expect. The exciting thing this year is watching the new vines. This is their
second year, only planted a year ago now. Although they are all across the
board in their growth, what they lack in discipline, they are more than making
up for in vigor.

Now to get the new trellis up so that I can be ready for shoot positioning as the
their growth reaches the next stage.

Cheers;

Tim

Early Christmas at the Little Winery in the Back

2006-12-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, Christmas came early for the Little Winery.

I started off with a rental, wooden basket press. You have seen them or used them yourself. A basket of wooden staves, a large crank at the top that compresses the grapes and then the juice runs out through the sides. It was a lot of work and time, but that isn't their main problem.

Being that I rented the press, I never new what the person before me had used it on. He may have used it to press grapes that had who knows what type of wild bret yeast. Or she may have pressed their must after adding a MaloLactic bacteria, which is not unusual. However, I may not want these little critters in my wine. At least not without my choice to put them there. How well did he clean it before returning it. And, being wood, how clean could they actually clean it.

The last few times that I rented a press, I rented a bladder press with a stainless steel basket. The basic configuration of the two types of presses is very similar. You essentially have a large, vertical cylinder mounted on a base that has a spout at one spot. The grapes are loaded in the top and a top plate is attached. But, instead of a large crank that presses the grapes from the top, there is a large, cylindrical rubber bladder in the center.

The bladder is filled through a valve with water from a garden hose. The bladder fills, enlarges and presses the grapes gently and evenly against the sides of the stainless steel basket that has been perforated with small holes to make a screen. After about 45 minutes (half the time of a traditional basket press) the grape must has been pressed into juice or wine. Since the basket is stainless steel, it is easy to clean and sanitize.

At the end of this last season, the wine shop that I rent from told me that they were going to sell their rental press. Now it is mine! Isn't it a beauty? No more planning my pressing around ever other renter at the shop, no more worrying about kind of nasty critter may be left on it from someone else.

I look forward to many, many pressings ahead. And, I will tell you about them as they happen.

Cheers.

Tim

Winter in the Back Yard Vineyard

2006-12-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

The grapes have all gone dormant for the winter, and just in time too. First frost has been hitting northern California and the vineyard has completely shut down. I expect to do a first round of pruning in a couple weeks, just to make walking though it and weeding easier.

Around the first of they year I will put the new trellis in for the new vines and a high wire for vertical shoot positioning.

On the equipment side, I just got may new bladder press.

Lots of fun ahead

Tim

My Evil Plan

2006-04-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

My evil plan to take over the back yard is working!
BwaaaaHaaaaaaHaaaaaHaaa!

Well not really an evil plan, and not the whole yard, but it is a plan and it is working.

Here was the basic idea:

Infiltration: You plant a few grapes, not too many, but enough that you can actually make something out of it, but not so much that it imposes itself as a major project. You know, it reflects a little bit of an obsessive behavior, but not anything that requires therapy or lithium.
I settled on 20 vines.

Acclimation: Not of the wines, No, the family. It has to become a non-issue. Nothing out of the ordinary. "Vines in the back yard? Oh yea. Hey, how was your day? Wow, this dinner is very good; what is that great flavor. You look great this evening. Oh, hey, I need to run." The new, young vineyard needs to be sheltered from any chance of negative discussion until they have woven themselves into our daily lives like the air we breath.

This is key. The 20 vines must be protected from ill thoughts. It would be so easy to have a discussion pop up as some dinner with family or friends that could undermine the whole plan. It would be a shame to have the whole plan die at this point just because someone wants to use the space for a lawn or something silly like that. I mean really, a lawn, in a back yard.
Let's be real!

The Foothold: The vines have survived the gophers, the rabbits (don't get me started again about the rabbits), the family discussions. Their roots are now extending down deep into the soil and weaving themselves into our daily lives.

The Expansion Groundwork: This is a risky time. I have to do it right. A conversation like this follows: "You know dear? Those vines really look good. They are doing real well too and I think they compliment the back yard well. I may put a few more in. You look real nice this evening!" (then exit quickly).

The Expansion: 22 new vines arrive. About doubling the number of existing vines. Two more rows, two more vines per row. The unusually wet spring let up finally. One reasonably dry day of digging and planting and now I am twice the grape grower that I was a the week before.

This doubling works well. Obviously, doubling can't go on for ever. The math geek in me knows that that is not possible.
But, lets see what happens in another 2 years.

Winter Pruning and Clean Up

2006-01-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

Winter time seems to be the grapes equivalent of my Saturday morning. After a full summer and fall "workweek", they just want to sleep in, lounge around the vineyard in their PJs and not really do much. But that is pretty much where the metaphor ends.

We have just come out of a particularly bad set of weather. Lots of rain, high winds and all in all, some bummer dreary climates. I took advantage of a sliver of a warmer afternoons this weekend and spent some quality time with my vines.

The wind had wrestled some of the first year cordons free from their ties and the young wood was dangling. No damage, they are all still fairly immature and supple, so the wood where the cordon meets the trunk of the vine is pliable enough that there was no damage. I just gently lifted them back to the trellis and tied them up with fresh green twists.

I am not quite ready to dive into spur pruning yet, for two reasons.
One, the vines seem reluctant to slip completely into their winter dormancy (more on that later) and I am afraid that an aggressive pruning may encourage a burst of growth, which would be in danger of frost damage and then disease.
And two, I have never practiced the pruning techniques learned in my viticulture class on my own grapes yet.

Scary! So, I just gave a light pruning to remove the long growth that was being whipped around in the winds. I left an ample number of buds on each spur so that when I come back in a couple months. I have lots to work on my technique with. I'm sure I will do fine eventually. My vines and I will make it through this together.

Weather around here can be a bit schizophrenic; cold, then hot, then cold again. It's probably hard for a vine to figure out if it should be gowning or going dormant. One of the vines was a bit confused by the few sporadic days of warmth that we had since the colds days had come and thought it should start making fruit. I actually found a small cluster of new berries on one. Looked like they had been there a few weeks. With the rainy weather, I never went down and looked closely at the vines so I must have missed the blossoms. Silly vine. My vines are young, I am sure that we both will get through this early stage and figure out what we are doing.

I am thinking of calling around this week up to some of the wine country nurseries. I would like to get a few more vines. Some Petite Verdot. Probably too late to order them, but I think it would be fun to give my existing vines some young siblings. Especially now that I think I'm getting the hang of this.

Tim Beauchamp
timb@googol.com

White in the bottle and Red racked one last time

2005-12-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

I finally bottled the white. It was a little anti-climactic bottling this wine.

It is harder to get excited about a kit wine. You don't put all of the attention into it in the beginning like you do when you start off with fruit on the stem. It just takes on a bit of a "Paint by the Numbers" feel when you start off with a perfectly balanced juice from a supplier. There isn't that added bond you get from checking the weather every day in order to convince yourself that the grapes can hang just a couple more days or a week without problems. All of that has been automated and extracted from the process. When you get the juice, it may have come from the perfect grapes for the year, or it might have been created from a bit of this and a bit of that. Some from here, some from there. Kind of a "Franken-juice"

But, before I completely talk myself out of the wine, I should say that it turned out very good. The wine is well balanced, sugar, alcohol, acid, oak and body are all very good. I am very pleased with it and next year, I think my white will be coming from actual, local fruit.

Bottling went quick and easy. 6 gallons into 24 regular 750ml bottles and 12 splits which made very nice Christmas presents.

The Red.

Once the white was in the bottles, that freed up the 6 gallon carboy so I did a final racking of the Cabernet. It had been in a collection of different sized glass vessels with oak chips. I racked them all into a primary fermenter and then into the 6 gallon and 2 x 3 gallon carboys. That is now where they will stay for another 6 months.

That should give it plenty of time to age and mellow. It has dropped a lot of sediment but there is still some in suspension that will drop out over some time. No need to rush it.

Now that the wines are put to bed for a while, maybe in a few weeks I will fire up a batch of Pale ale.

Tim

Autumn weather and colors.

2005-11-12T22:53:00.000-08:00

My vines have finally noticed that summer is over. The weather is cooling down and dormancy is soon to come. The leaves are turning from green to yellow. They are using the last bit of sun to squirrel away just a little more sugar into the roots. This is energy for next year's head start.

Grapes are funny that way. Their roots have two growth spurts, one at the beginning of the season, and one at the end. In between theses two flairs of growth, they put all of their energy into making sweet little grapes. Only after they are done focusing on their perfect fruit, do they allow themselves to take the last few weeks of sun to prepare for winter. Then they start shutting down, leaves thin out, chlorophyll, which was keeping the leaves green starts to break down with the decrease in sun, leaving compounds that give those autumnal colors. Compounds with funny names like porphyrins, carotenoids, and flavonoids create shades of yellow, blue, burgundy, maroon, brown and red.

Soon, the vines will be completely shut down and dormant. They will be safely sleeping and protected for the winter frosts. Getting a good, long winter sleep before they need to start all over again next year. What a life.

Tim

My one grape cluster.

2005-10-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

My young grape plants are just finishing up their second year.

They are all up to the trellis wires and the cordons are all set for next years growth and fruit.

I pinched off or pruned all the grape clusters from my vines this year before they ever had a chance of reaching maturity. Except for one plant. It was the most vigorous and so I rewarded it by letting it have a single cluster.

It was not quite sure what to do. But, it did manage to create a small cluster of 20 berries.

They reached veraison very late and only darkened up after the Autumnal Equinox.

By October 15th, I could not restrain myself anymore and I plucked one of the ripest berries and sampled it. Still a bit sour, probably only 15% sugar and still pretty acidic and the seeds were still quite light green.

In any case, it was exciting. We should have had a party.
Next year.

timb

A kit.

2005-10-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

I have the opportunity to try out a wine kit. A box of grape juice concentrate, a handful of little packages filled with this chemical and that. 6 easy steps and in 6-8 months, I will have 6 gallons of chardonnay/semillon

It seems so easy. Sanitize the fermenter, add the juice, water, oak sawdust (sounds odd, no?) and yeast. Close it up, set it aside, let it go.

Well, we will see. Check back in 6-weeks to find out.

Tim

Picked, crushed and fermenting

2005-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

A wonderful trip down to Hollister at lunch time. I arrived at 11:00am and met the grower. He is living my dream, well, not quite. I would have more vines and less trees. But, to each his own.

I got there and inspected the fruit. Very clean, no mold or mildew. Not a lot of bird damage. I split open a few berries. The sees were a bit green still, even though it was late in the season. I found out that these fine are very young. 3 yrs. So they probably are not quite used to being the foundation for great wines yet, but still very tasty. Brix came in at 24.2 from the refractometer. 25 from the hydrometer. I did a pH strip. 3.5. Right on the edge.

5 minutes on the crusher/stemmer and I was on my way home with 200 lbs of must.

When I titrated at home, I was a little disappointed at the TA. 5.2 g/l of acid. I will assume that
the young grapes gave everything they could to get the sugar up to 25. Dropping the acid
to almost .5 percent.

I corrected the acid with some tartaric. Not too much. I would have like to get the TA back up to 6 but I did not want to drop the pH too low. So, I hit a compromise. We will see. Also, I want to give the grapes, even though they are young, a chance to show what they can do. Faith. Yes, I do have faith.

White juice. It never ceases to amaze me. Red grapes make white juice. I took a sample at crush, and then another at 12 hours and a final at 24 hours. Each sample was deeper in color. I will post the pictures.

I started the yeast in a sucrose starter 12 hours after crush. Pitched it at 22 hours after crush.
By 36 hours, "mission control, we have fermentation".

Here we go. The magic begins.

I will keep you informed.

Cheers.

TimB

Grapes are almost here

2005-10-02T23:04:00.000-07:00

Harvest time is here. I heard from the grower this weekend. Harvest of the grapes I contracted is set for Thursday. By Friday, we will crush. Saturday will be pitched and then the magic starts.

I have been a bit worried about the weather. Cool and even some rain. I am hoping they are in good shape and I can keep the SO2 to a minimum.

I think about my choice of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the grape for either the winemaker who likes to worry, because it comes in late. W Cab, you can only be sure that the grapes will be ready when they are ready, and no earlier. It is like playing chicken with fall. What will happen first. Do you wait for the grape to reach it's full ripeness, and risk getting caught at the end with
cool weather and rain that dooms you to mold? Or do you harvest a little early, happy that you got good clean berries, just a bit lower brix and higher TA, but no worries.

Or, do you stick it out. Don't turn off the road. Stare the autumnal season in the face and hold your ground. Because, you know, if you can wait those last few days or week, the grapes will reach that perfect balance of sugar, total acid and pH. And you will win.

Keeps the blood pumping anyway.

Cheers;

Tim

The search for grapes

2005-07-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

I need grapes. Last year I bought 100 lbs of grapes through a local wine making shop.
He was able to arrange the purchase from a local wine maker.
It worked out real well. A couple days before the harvest, I got a phone call
with the date, time and location of where I could pick up the grapes.

I showed up with my 20 gal plastic fermenter at the winery. About 10 other small
wine makers were there and the truck with lugs of grapes. The grapes had been picked
the day before and one by one, we got our grapes. Some people took the grapes
whole. Taking them back to crush them at home or their winery. Others like myself
climbed up onto a wooden platform and got to run each lug of grapes through
the stemmer/crusher into a container.

I was the newbie in the crowd. First time making wine, first time buying grapes.
I was only buying 100 lbs, so there was a bit of grape envy of the guy buying 1000 lbs.

Other than the person buying 1000 lbs (who appeared agitated that he actually
had to listen to other people chat while his precious time was being wasted), everyone
was in a very good mood, crunching grapes and hauling stuff around.

I realize then that doubling to 200 lbs of grapes, or even tripling would probably not
be that much more work overall. So, this time I am going to try to get more grapes.

But, there has been a change in the winery that we got the grapes from. The owner
has sold the winery so it has thrown into question my ability get grapes this year.
So, we will see what we can do. I would hate to have buy juice this year.
We will see.

timb

Time for more book-smartz.

2005-06-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

When you have a resource like UC Davis so close, you just have to take advantage of it. So much knowledge and experience available to the public. For Agriculture instruction and viticulture and enology in particular, Davis is second to none.

Last year, I took one of their weekend extension courses on vineyard management. What a treat that was. It was like summer camp for grown ups. The instructors, Donna Hirschfelt and Ed Weber, are both farm advisers from Davis who spend most of their time with their boots in the dirt, advising real growers with real problems. Their series of classes is called Small Vineyard Management and is made up of 4 classes, split up over the year dealing with topics applicable for that time of the year. I was hoping to take the next in their series which deals with Integrated Pest Management, Crop Cover and Erosion control. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevents me from taking that class.

Instead of the Small Vineyard Management class, I am going to be taking one of the Wine Making classes. The class will be taught by Ernie Farinias. He is a very experienced winemaker and the wine/cellar master at Davis with over 30 years experience in the wine industry. The class is a step by step course in winemaking. So, although I have experienced doing that with my own wines, now I can find out all the things I should have done. The class will focus on the first few days of the pick and crush. Three consecutive classes over two weekends. Day 1 - Crush red and white grapes. Day 2 - Rack and press and then the next weekend, rack again.

The course description describes using "traditional and non-traditional methods". I am not sure exactly what that means, but I have a feeling I should wash my feet real well the night before because I may be stomping.
I will keep you informed.

Unfortunately, the laws prevent students from ever taking their wine home. So we will have to find a similar vintage and pretend.

Cheers!

Timb

All Extract Beer. Kinda lazy ...

2005-06-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Kinda lazy, but so what. It is kind of a comfort zone.

It has been a long time since I brewed an all malt beer. I have been
thinking about it for a while. A full malt beer has such a rich flavor
and complexity, but lets face it: 6 hours to brew a beer, that is a big
chunk of time.

For the last few years, brewing an all malt has been been an exercize in
scheduling and negotiation. A full mash takes your full attention for a 6 hour
period. With kids, family, pet, household, job; 6 hours is hard to fit in. Brewing
after everyone goes to bed works but lets face it. It is a pain.

Roll back to my early brewing years. All malt, no mash, no sparge. Mix, boil,
cool and pitch. Well, not quite that simple, but you get the picture. I decided to
do a malt only brew, or close to it. So, with a bit of computer work to get the
proportions right, here is the recipe:

6 lbs American Gold DME
1 lbs 15L Crystal (in bag for boil)
2 oz Hallertau hops (2.2 Alpha - What's up with that? What ever happened to the 4 we used to have?)
2 oz Cascade hops (6% Alpha - these smell sooooooooo sweet)
Yeast - American Ale 1056 (a personal favorite: Med Flocculation. Good attenuation. Yummy grapefruit overtones)

The Boil:
Full boil DME in 6 Gal for 1 hour
Hallertau bittering hops added at 15 minutes
Crystal Malt in malt bag added at 30 minutes
1 oz Cascade hops added at 30 minutes (retain 1 oz for dry hopping)

Cool down
Rapid cooldown using heat exchanger to 77 Degrees F. (See note)

Transfer and Pitch:
Siphon to primary
Add 1 oz Cascade
Pitch with yeast

Starting Gravity: .045

Heat exchanger used 6 lbs of ice and primer of water to cool wort from 212 degrees
to 78 degrees in 14 minutes.

Rack at 6 days from primary (plastic) to secondary (glass)
Cloudy
Specific Gravity: 1.010

Rack at 10 days:
Much clearer, some yeast still in suspension
SG: 1.005

Check back for final transfer to Keg.

Timb

Race to the Trellis

2005-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so watching my 1 year old vines race feverishly towards the
first trellis wire is about as exciting to non-invested observers as
watching a nail rust. But, I can't keep from checking on their
progress. And to be fair, they are not moving at a glacial pace.
Some of these babies are shooting up at an inch per day some days.

As of last Saturday, 3 of the vines reached trellis height and got "The
pinch". Yesterday, another one hit the wire and got it's top pinched
off. I expect in 3 weeks, they all will be there and then I can have
them training out their cordons.

I know, I know; you are all thinking: "Tim, Get a Life!" But this
isn't that bad a thing to be excited about. I admit, it is a little bit
of an escape for me. People look at my 2 dozen vines and see a fun
little backyard garden project while I look at it as a training ground
for those 20 acres of vineyard in my future. The neighbors see me
in the garage at 2 AM racking 10 gallons of wine from the carboys. Or
see me pressing 100 lbs of grapes with a hand cranked basket press and
think: "What the heck is he doing?" But I am making mental notes on how
this will scale up to the 80 ton of fruit from my 6,000 case winery.

May never happen, but don't tell me that when I am out talking to
my vines. That is our time together.

Thanks for visiting.

Timb

Who doesn't love sunshine?

2005-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we removed 6 old Monterey Pins that had surrounded the vineyard.
These trees were getting old and were not in the best of health. In addition, some of them had
branches extending over part of the vines which was always worrisome. A strong wind
could have brought down the weakened branch. The placement also cast shadow across
many the vines for much of the day.

With these tree gone, the vines are getting full sun for much more of the day. And, it shows.
I swear that you can see them growing before your eyes. One of the vines has made the trip
from 30" to the 36" trellis in last 4 days. And none too soon too. I was beginning to worry
that the rabbit damage had set the 1 year old vines back so far that some would not reach the
trellis and begin the training out into the cordons. I think that all of them will now at least
reach the trellis early enough that I can being training out the horizontal arms.

Grapes this year?

I had planned on pinching off any clusters this year. Letting the vines concentrate on their
vegetative growth. But they have seemed very resilient to all that has been thrown their way
and with the vigor I see, I may reward them (and myself) with a few clusters on individual
vines that seem up to the challenge. I doubt that I will allow enough to actually include in
a fermentation, but we will see. Maybe I am letting my desire to see the fruit of my labor,
literally, cloud my better judgment to get a good foundation of growth on the young
vines

Stay tuned. I will keep fretting over this all season.

Cheers.

Timb

I have Vermin (even more)

2005-04-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

Mission Accomplished. I took a very nice drive up to Saint Helena and bought a couple
replacement vines to replace the one donated to the gopher god.

Between the gopher bait, the gopher traps, the shovel and probably just the attention, the gopher
has not reared it' head or taken any more plants.

The vines that I got are year old in pots. Not my first choice but maybe it will give them a bit of a head start. In the ground they go. The new plants have a good amount of green leaves on them, probably coming from a greenhouse. In the ground they go.

three days later, I notice there are no leaves. What? A stroll though the vineyard is devastating. All the past couple weeks buds are GONE!!!!!!!!.

I have been hit by a rabbit. Now it is time for Rabbit fence. Arggggg. if it isn't one thing it is the other. Let's just see if we can get these vines growing.

Tim

I Hate Vermin!!!

2005-03-23T00:19:00.000-08:00

Bud break was beautiful.

I was pinching off unwanted buds and suckers from the vines when I noticed it. One of the vines was not doing very well. It had seemed to have just stopped growing. The buds that had appeared just the week before were frozen in time and had not grown at all. In fact, it seemed like they were shriveling up like the legs of the Wicked Witch of the east after Dorothy's house fell on her.

"That is odd." I thought as I reached down to examine the young vine. As I grasped the vine to see how supple it was, the ground around the base of it just seemed to fall away. The ground surrounding the sad vine collapsed into a large cavern and what I was left holding in my had was a sad little rootless stick.

GOPHERS!!!!. Man do I hate gophers. The little bugger had dug under the vine like prisoners under the guard station and prison fence. The snacked for a while on the tasty roots of my vine and then vanished without a trace.

Traps have not brought any satisfaction but the rains seemed to have caused him to move on . . . for now.

Time for a road trip to Napa. Hopefully I will be able to locate replacement vines.

Bud Break is a wonderful thing

2005-03-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

California weather, you have to love it. It seemed like it was just last week that it was raining buckets and there was no end in sight. Wait, it was last week that it rained like that. In any case, this week is in the 70s and the vines are more energetic than college freshmen in Palm Springs on Spring Break.

All the young vines are popping little fuzzy green buds like there is no tomorrow.

I felt terrible pruning the new one year old vines for the first time this year. All that growth, down to one cane and two buds per vine. Ouch. But, like with children, sometimes you have to stand your ground, do what you know is best for them and trust that it is for the best.

I know that last years growth was all to develop a good root system. And, this year, those roots will allow these vines to more than make up for the wood pruned off. And boy, are they off to a good start. Even last years runt is running with the pack this year. Lets see what it can do.

Pictures to follow soon.

Cheers;

Tim

The Pale Ale: It's a keeper

2005-03-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

I tapped the keg last night and poured 6 oz. I would say that it has another few days to reach full carbonation, and about that much time to settle out the remaining suspended yeast. But, it has held on to the Cascade aroma from the dry hopping very well.

It had quite a head on it from coming out of the keg at Carbonating pressure (30 lbs/in) so it really helped to push those flowery scents out. I think I will let it get more carbonated than I typically do, probably holding it at 10-12 lbs/in, just to take advantage of the natural aroma pump that it gives. And what are a few extra burps between friends, if it comes with some tasty drink.

Tim

IPA in the Keg and a brewing relationship diatribe.

2005-03-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

Googol Grapes and Barley Bytes

I should give some background on this batch since it was brewed PB (Pre Blog).

This is a variation of my typical Pale Ale, but I decided to get back to its roots. When I first started regularly brewing IPAs, the target was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. But, our paths have diverged. When Sierra first came out, it had an incredibly fruity nose. The dry hopped Cascades were predominant. But over the years, they have toned down the nose and made a more mainstream hop experience. Also, the bitter component has stayed very close to the original but there seems to be more of an acidic component, even citrus. The best that I can describe it is a characteristic of a ripe, Coachella Valley, Ruby Red Grapefruit.

Now, before you tune out right there, if you have never had a Ruby Red grapefruit, fresh from the tree in the Coachella Valley, you need to. They are Sweet and succulent and not the mouth wrenching think that you have probably been told was a grapefruit by ignorant, but well meaning, grocers.

But, I digress. This flavor in Sierra Nevada has worked very well. And the citrus aspect has seemed to make up for the drop in the cascade hops contribution.

My IPA on the other hand has changed a bit over the years, and probably because of my lack of quality brewing time and overall apathy on my part. My IPA has evolved to more of a utilitarian brew. Moving to a blend of only pale and crystal malt instead of the original blend of 3 types of fermentable malts plus crystal. Instead of a fairly complex mash schedule with a lot of attention paid to each enzymatic conversion, I have a single mash-in/conversion temp that I hold for the entire mash. Instead of Pellet bittering hops added at 3 different stages and then dry hopping with cascade, I have only a bittering hop addition just after the boil and aromatic hops right at the end.

You might say that my brewing had become the equivalent as a comfortable relationship. Going through the motions, enjoying the fringe benefits, but not really emotionally invested in the whole thing. Well. That is over. Time to add some spice back into the zymurgy relationship. Time to get back to our roots.

With that in mind, this batch starts to be more like the original. Not a complete schedule of mash conversions, but I did go back to separate mash-in/protein rest, conversion, and mash-out temperature phases. And the biggest change to my regular routine, I have gone back to a dry hopping of the cascade. And, stead of cascade pellets, I used whole cascade hops and just the bittering hops as pellets.

When I racked from the primary to the secondary, the floral character was incredible. Going from the secondary to the keg was not as pronounced, but still very aromatic. I am looking forward to seeing what type of character is left after a couple weeks of aging.

I will let you all know.

Cheers!

Tim

Want to join a Amateur winemaking/ beermaking club?

2005-02-24T02:39:00.000-08:00

Googol Grapes and Barley Bytes
There seems to be a lack of homebrewing and winemaking clubs on the San Francisco peninsula. Am I wrong? Do you know of one? Want join?

Tim

4 Cases of splits and 10 stained fingers later . . .

2005-02-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

Googol Grapes and Barley Bytes

Once I got in my groove, things moved well. 5 gallons of Cabernet Sauvignon have moved from the carboy to 4 cases of 375ml splits.

Here are some notes.

Corker used: Floor type.
Comments: Sweet. I am never using a hand held corker again.
Things I would do different next time: Have a table next to the corker. I had the uncorked bottles on the ground to one side of the corker and would put the corked bottles on the ground to the other. Lots of bending over and standing up. Not efficient at all.

Bottle Filler used: Gravity feed Automatic bottle filler fromBuon Vino
Comments: Worked pretty well. Dripped a bit from the connection where the incoming hose connected to the filler. But over all it worked like a charm. Filled the bottles to the perfect level and shut right off. Almost no waste at all.
Things I would do different next time: Well, like the corker, I was working off the ground. The wine source was on the workbench and I was filling on a towel on the ground. A better set-up would have been to raise the wine to an more elevated position above the work bench and filled while standing.

Number of Participants: Just poor, lonesome me.
Comments: Not tiring or even tedious work, but not very efficient with just one person.
I did not want the bottles to be sitting around filled and uncorked so I would work in batches of about 6 at a time. Filling, then corking, then filling, then corking. Both activities seemed to take about the same amount of time so probably two people, one doing filling and one doing corking could have worked well.
Things I would do different next time: Definitely, two people.

Over all. It went well.

"Why use all splits?", you ask. For a few reasons. First, because I want to sample it as it ages and not go though a full 750ml bottle every couple months before it is ready. Second, I want it to last. Since this is my first vintage, I want to protect it and make it last. Finally, I expect to give some to friends and family, and like I said, this is my first vintage. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that it will develop a taste not unlike old German potato salad and this way, the benifactors of my gifts won't feel bad about disposing of 3/4 liter into the bay.

Next year's vintage will probably be bottled into predominately full size bottles.

Final notes on this batch: 100 lbs of grapes made almost 6 gallons of wine and involved probably 20 hours of labor when all is tallied, including travel, cleaning, and misc. I would bet that starting with 200 lbs of grapes would probably add maybe 15 minutes to that. And, since next year I will know more about what I am doing, over all time will probably be much less.
So, I think you can expect next year to involve starting with between 200-400 lbs of grapes.

And the year after that, I expect the 20 vines I planted last year will start producing and we will see what happens then.

For now, Cheers!

Tim Beauchamp
timb@googol.com

The Cab heads into the bottle.

2005-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Googol Grapes and Barley Bytes

It's Show time. Bottles are here. Corker is rented and in the back of my truck. Tonight after the kids are down and things quiet down, the wine moves from the carboy to the bottles.

I decided to do 3 cases of splits and the balance (7 bottles) in full size 750 ml bottles. That way I can sample it regulary as it ages and not finish it off before it is ready.

Stay tuned.

Timb

Welcome to Googol Grapes and Barley Bytes

2005-02-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

This will start off as a repository or such for things related to brewing and winemaking. It will start off a bit without direction, but direction may evolve.

My first batch of Cabernet Sauvignon is aging in glass right now. It has been Crushed, fermented, modified with a MaloLactic bacteria, completed secondary fermentation, oaked, racked a few times and within few days, it will be bottled.

At the same time, I have 5 gallons of a California Pale Ale finishing up and will be racked to it's keg this next weekend. It has been designed with the goal of an IPA similar to the original or early Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, Sierra Nevada has changed over the years, away from it's original taste and aroma.

The early Sierra was very floral, with a pronounced Cascade Hops nose from dry hopping. In the past, I have used pelletized hops which does not give the aroma. This time, the full 8 days of primary fermentation was done with a full cap of 4 oz Cascade hops floating on top..

I will keep you posted.

TimB

Little Winery in the Back

Fertilizer for the Occupy movement

Lost in Translation (an international game of Telephone)

Conflicts should allow you to become better people. This one just showed that we have a ways to go.

Intermission over, Time for the second act.

Spring

What is wrong with this picture?

Goodbye Macie

Where are we, how did we get here and where are we going

Bottle Water. Next will be packaged air.

What to name the Keggerator

Reinheitsgebot be Damned

Spring Morning Visitors

Old World Spirits, New World business plans

My Day with the Tea Partiers

Apparently, I wasn't ready for 2010

2009 was a full year. Now I am ready for 2010

Wine and Food Pairing. You are probably here by mistake.

I think I see a pattern here.

Politics is NOT the least common denominator (I hope)

Corked! (the movie)

Twitter Follow Fridays (group back rubs)

Social Media: Turning an Echo Chamber into an Amplifier of a PR Campaign

Winemakers Make Things You Can Hold

Sorry Will Akerlof, you're half wrong

Why Does the Beverage Industry Seem to “Get” Social Marketing? Because It Always Has.

Mayfield Iconoclast series Nocturna – Good, but not a value

Critical mass, Fermi Pile, pent up resources, and a turn in the economy

Paid to blog about wine you say? Yes!

Social Media and the Large Company

Beer Wars Movie – I am trying to get upset, but I can’t

Beer Wars - The movie

Two more Belgian beers

Urthel Hibernus Quentum - Tripel

A Tale of Two Belgian Beers

Brew Day at the Little Winery in the Back

Why I am not going to complain about the new Facebook anymore

You think your job is stressful? Be an Astronaut!

Twitter Followers

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - Beer One - Palo Santo Marron

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - The preliminary situation

Beer Tasting - January 2009 - The preliminary situation

My New Years Resolutions

Short blog for the beginning of the year

End of the year for this amateur winemaker

Things not accomplished:

Now for the positivesThings accomplished:

And of course, now the Filler.

The wine pod. I just don't get it.

Least Common Denominator

Dear Santa Claus

My least favorite part of making wine.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Making wine just for me

You say tomato, ...

Paso Robles

All the wines have been put to bed

The Chardonnay has arrived

My new stainless steel fermenter

Bud Break 2007

Early Christmas at the Little Winery in the Back

Winter in the Back Yard Vineyard

My Evil Plan

Winter Pruning and Clean Up

White in the bottle and Red racked one last time

Autumn weather and colors.

My one grape cluster.

A kit.

Picked, crushed and fermenting

Grapes are almost here

The search for grapes

Time for more book-smartz.

All Extract Beer. Kinda lazy ...

Race to the Trellis

Who doesn't love sunshine?

I have Vermin (even more)

I Hate Vermin!!!

Bud Break is a wonderful thing

The Pale Ale: It's a keeper

IPA in the Keg and a brewing relationship diatribe.

Now for the positives
Things accomplished: