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Tag: Homebrewing
Oktoberfest Weekend!
Oktoberfest traditionally takes place at the end of September and runs through the 1st week of October, but in AZ it’s freaking hot so we get a late start in attempt to beat the heat. It is still 108°F here in Phoenix, so we keep our daytime celebrations inside. DH and I are excited to start the German Beer season as we usually get 3 weekends packed with different city-sponsored events!
We did start celebrating last night, with a German-inspired sausage, cabbage, and potato salad dinner. We will also make pretzels sometime this weekend, so stay posted for that recipe.
Worst. Biologist. Ever.
Do you remember a few weeks back I posted pumpkin pictures from the garden? Turns out they weren’t pumpkins. Not sure exactly how it happened, but the plants I thought were squash might actually be pumpkins and the plants I thought were pumpkins somehow are cantaloupe.
I did plant cantaloupe once upon a time but when they didn’t sprout I forgot about them. I planted squash and pumpkin later. Plant morphology for all of these are similar because they are part of the Cucurbitaceae family. I made the rookie flora mistake of “identifying” my not-yet-blossoming plants by leaf characteristics (Don’t do this in the field unless you are an expert, especially if you plan on eating the plants) and not revising these decisions.
Homebrewing Photos: Weizenbock
In my last homebrewing posts I delineated the process DH uses to make beer and explained his idea for growing and using yeast to make another, stronger beer. You’ll notice the difference in color between this weizenbock and the hefeweizen all throughout the process.
Bulgarian Rhapsody: Mekitsi and Hefeweizen
This was one of the meals DH made for me out of the blue before we were married. I had mentioned to him that I was craving Navajo Fried Bread but the best, most authentic place in our area kept weird hours and I was sure it was closed. DH to the rescue!
Unlike the Navajo traditional bread Mekitsi contain yeast, yogurt, and vinegar so the flavors are a little different. Like the Navajo style, you can put almost anything you want on your individual mekitsa. I usually like beans and salsa while DH keeps it traditional.
*Update: DH’s hefeweizen turned out very well!
Bulgarian Rhapsody: Кьопоолу
Kyopolo is described as a Bulgarian relish or “caviar” made of eggplant, bell pepper, and garlic. I like to think of it as a salsa, so I eat it with tortilla chips. DH was at first skeptical of this but has come around to it. We also eat it with bread, pita, or by itself as a salad.
Gratuitous Pictures
I’ve had a bit too much to drink considering it is only 3:30 in the afternoon… We are thinking about making a stout, rose mead, and a red wine soon and I’m very excited about it.
