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
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Beer Tasting - January 2009 - Beer One - Palo Santo Marron
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Saturday, January 03, 2009
My New Years Resolutions
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
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
Friday, January 02, 2009
Short blog for the beginning of the year
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
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
Monday, December 22, 2008
End of the year for this amateur winemaker
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.
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
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.
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
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
Monday, December 15, 2008
The wine pod. I just don't get it.
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.
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
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.
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
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Dear Santa Claus
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
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