Planes, trains and automobiles

On my way to Sydney this bleary grey morning. I have an afternoon meeting and then two days of work, and I've arranged to stay Friday night and meet up with an old friend on the Saturday. Because of this I thought I'd take the train to the airport, which means I don't need to worry about having a few beers before the flight home.

I'm one of those organised people that hates to get to the airport late. Anything later than an hour before an internal flight is cutting it fine (this is probably due to too many huge queues on charter flights from the UK, where you could join the check-in queue with 90 minutes to go and still be pressed to make your flight). Of course with the marvels of online check-on this is no longer an issue, but better safe than sorry.....

Anyway, 10 minutes into my journey through the grey drizzle I get a text telling me my flight is delayed by half an hour. Which means I get to the airport around an hour and a half before departure

A lot of my colleagues would see this as an opportunity to whip out the laptop and catch up on some work stuff. I've got nothing pressing on so I'm just kicking back reading my book....*shhhhh*

Edit later this evening....got into Sydney around an hour late. I was travelling in 'casual' gear and needed to change into my suit, and my bag had obviously been left out in the train because the shirt and jacket was wet. Then I waited for a cab for 20 minutes and we got stuck in traffic. Still, I can add an extra transport option because I can see a monorail from the hotel room!

Airport cliches

Tattooed rock bans arguing excess baggage allowances - check
Asian gentleman wandering around on a face mask - check
Confused lady wondering why she can't carry scissors on in her hand baggage - check
Screaming child - check
Lady talking continual doggeral at her two year old next door who keeps throwing stuff on the floor - check

Brews news

I've been quietly but persistently brewing over the last few months.

My pilsner turned out OK  - it had a slightly buttery aftertaste (which I think was due to diacetyl being produced because I couldn't regulate the fermentation & conditioning temperatures) but at least one taster commented on that being a good thing.

My pale ale (brewed with exactly the same ingredients as the pilsner but with a different yeast) was recognisably different. More flavours, a slightly fuller mouthfeel. More ale-y, which of course isn't surprising. It was favourably compared to Coopers Pale which I was pretty chuffed about. The only problem with it is that it tended to be very lively in the bottle, gushing out in a foaming snake if not handled extremely gently.

I realised that I had enough ingredients sitting in my store to make a full beer, so my 'left over bitter' was created. Pale malt, crystal malt, dextrose, hallertau hops. Simple but very quaffable, in the style of an English bitter. It made me realise that I've been playing around with pale ales a lot, so once it colls down a bit I'll get back to my roots and get some more bitter on the go.

I also tried an experimental smoke beer. Even thirds of smoked malt, pale malt and wheat with some pepper added at the end of the boil. There was a bit of confusion at the homebrew shop and I ended up getting a kg more fermentables than I was expecting, so I threw that all in. I also backed the hops off on this one to try and let the smoke come through. It didn't and the malt overpowered the other flavours. In an attempt to give it a bit more character I added extras to the secondaries - one with liquid smoke, one was dry hopped, one was dry hopped and had liquid smoke and the final one was left as is. Still waiting for this one to fully condition, but the samplers I've had so far aren't that impressive.

I've got high hopes for my spring summer ale and I'm keen to see if the use of spring water reduces the aftertaste I've been getting. That went in the bottle on Friday so there's still a couple of weeks to wait. And 30odd labels to write.

And finally my much-requested ginger beer is still bubbling away gently. I'll leave it one more week in the fermentor and bottle direct instead of racking it off to a secondary - that way it will be ready for xmas.

Speaking of experimental brews, I tried these the other evening

Mikkeller black (17.5%ABV), and Mikkeller Santas Little Helper (a puny 10.9% ABV). Both were brewed to that strength, not distilled, and that really is masterful brewing which shows a real understanding of how to get the best out of their ingredients. They were both - interesting, with the Black being a thick oily 'imperial stout' that I should have photographed but was too excited about drinking to remember. Definately worth a try, but only occasionally.

Needless to say I slept well that night.

Don't eat my shorts

I saw this label when Xmas shopping today.


Does that really need to be said?

Running & hopping

I went for another trail run tonight. I felt a lot better than last time - still sore and struggling with the heat a bit, but I wised up and carried some electrolyte drink with me this time which helped a lot. It's funny - I've only been twice and I was expecting a bit of an improvement this time round, but I only finished 10 seconds earlier than last week. Nowhere near as buggered, but in around the same time.

Yes, this is really 'not as bad as last time'. Hard to believe I know. Tune in next week for more 'fat middle aged blokes attempt things they're really not up to' pictures.

It's always good running in the forest, especially in dusk, and you often hear things jumping away through the bush. I was lucky enough to see a couple of these guys grazing on fresh grass on  a recently cleared piece of bushland.

   Always brings a smile to my face.

Rabbit

I've mentioned before that it's illegal to own a rabbit in Queensland - well, unless you're a professional magician. However we've managed to find a loophole in the law.... 

We got this little beauty at a local butchers and once we got it home, the first thing we wanted to do with it was play outside.

Let's be honest, I'm a city kid. I'm disassociated from my food and it was a bit confronting to tackle something that could have been a pet. I know it's hypocritical, but we struggled to eat it. Not just on a psychological level either - there wasn't much meat on it and it was hard to carve as I didnt know where the bones were. Then I tried to visualise the skeleton as I was cutting, which made it worse. And we both couldn't stop humming 'Bright Eyes'.

Liz was OK with bits of meat but struggled with anything on the bone. I was able to gnaw my way through a leg, but I would have preferred it to be a drumstick or some pork ribs. I've de-boned the carcase now and and I'll use the rest of the meat in a formless risotto, but I reckon you get nicer meat, and more of it, for much less money if you buy chicken or beef.

I'd like to try it again cooked by someone who knows how to bring the best out of it, but my initial impression is that with rabbit you don't get much bang for your buck. Or doe.

Match the breakfast to the bike

Saturday morning -

Four bikes

• De Rosa Singlespeed
• Salsa Casseroll  (with front rack & bag)
• On-one Pompetamine (Singlespeed, flat pedals)
• Shogun Katana (fixed gear)

and four breakfasts

• Savoury Mince
• Avocado Stack
• Haloumi Stack
• Huevas Flamencos

Can you match them?