tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35877572012-01-26T11:17:31.604-08:00Lots of cleverly arranged<br> 1s and 0s.Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comBlogger3431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-68818004484816909592012-01-26T11:17:00.001-08:002012-01-26T11:17:31.613-08:00

I'm in New Orleans for a trade show. This is the kind of town where you'd have to work it to have a bad meal. And from what I've had from Abita Brewing, you'd have to work at having a bad beer. These folks brew some tasty beers.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-69385350728641415332011-11-24T11:22:00.001-08:002011-11-24T11:22:17.501-08:00

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-48052112283537354692011-11-20T17:37:00.000-08:002011-11-24T11:26:04.323-08:00

I'm in the midst of a brew day right now. I just finished the boil for a new and improved version of my strong ale; new, improved, and slightly improvised!My mash wasn't as efficient at I had hope, so I goosed up the OG with 2 pounds of brown sugar. I also had to play around with the hops. I didn't have as much of my chinook as I thought I did. So, I lengthened the boil by 10 minutes to pick the

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-9303848151832323402011-11-02T12:56:00.001-07:002011-11-02T12:56:37.611-07:00

Just a wee, pointless post to show that this isn't a zombie blog.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-36280837142557555772011-09-16T13:49:00.001-07:002011-09-16T13:49:03.731-07:00

Give the man enough time and he finally does something I can approve of. Obama is brewing beer in the White House

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-63580913509947619552011-09-14T14:56:00.001-07:002011-09-14T14:56:06.845-07:00

Seriously? You mean there are still celebrities around who are stupid enough to keep naked pictures of themselves on their phones? I thought they had all learned by now that anything on a phone might a well be posted on a web server. And let's be honest: If you take nekkid pictures of yourself, or allow someone else to take nekkid pictures of you, they're gonna wind up on the internet. I don't

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-18641985821693183412011-09-14T09:08:00.001-07:002011-09-14T09:12:23.072-07:00

The Obama administration has released a new medical billing code system.  Instead of a mere 18,000 different codes, there will be 140,000 codes. So how does your doctor know that a special code exists for your particular malady? Let's say that you come in with a burn you got on the backyard BBQ. How does he know that there's actually a special code for injuries sustained while grilling or smoking

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-50789834293088124062011-08-15T11:43:00.001-07:002011-08-15T11:46:43.855-07:00

I'm not sure what Jim Lynch is talking about in How to read Kindle books on Linux. I've been reading Kindle books just fine on my Linux box using Wine. If there are any compatibility issues with Kindle for Windows and Wine, I haven't run into them yet.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-40020075348504000842011-08-06T17:45:00.001-07:002011-08-06T17:48:15.695-07:00

I'm sitting here next to an empty beer bottle. My wife walks by and asks "Did you drink that whole pint?" I responded "It was only 22 ounces." There followed 15 seconds of silence where I thought I had gotten away with that one.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-19644562592204470452011-08-03T09:37:00.001-07:002011-08-03T09:37:14.157-07:00

A few weeks back, Verizon announced that they were ending their unlimited data packages. It doesn't affect me since I'm grandfathered in with an old plan. The new plan caps you at 2GB per month then they start to charge you out the wing wang for any overages. Now when they announced this, I thought I was getting away with something with my old plan. I thought "Ha! You fools! I'll chew up data by

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-45341259912854983042011-08-02T12:07:00.001-07:002011-08-02T12:07:44.356-07:00

I was listening to Glenn Beck this morning on the drive to work. I had never caught his radio show before. He had Sen. Rand Paul on and the two of them came up with a great analogy for John McCain before and after getting to DC: McCain before going to DC is Smeagol. The Beltway is the Ring Of Power. McCain then becomes Gollum after falling under the toxic influence of The Precious.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-17826380823610235052011-07-31T09:51:00.000-07:002011-07-31T09:53:07.145-07:00

Sen. Mark Rubio on the debt...

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-1177486824620643562011-07-23T11:02:00.000-07:002011-07-23T11:11:22.414-07:00

The way I see it, there are two bad outcomes that could emerge from the debt ceiling talks. Failing to reach a deal would mean that the US could default on some of its loans. This is bad because it impacts anyone else trying to borrow money. Federal debt is normally a sure thing for lenders. They charge a lower interest rate, but are sure of getting paid. Not so if the US defaults. That added

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-65754599848847193902011-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:002011-05-14T11:19:00.879-07:00

It didn't take me long to figure out that some people on Twitter aren't there to tweet so much as to collect followers. Getting their 1000th follower is more important than posting their 1000th tweet. So, I normally don't do the mutual follow-back thing on Twitter; follow me and I'll follow you. I changed this policy, however, when I set up the account for our local NRA Members' Council. I

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-77482032628772259682011-05-01T20:34:00.001-07:002011-05-01T20:38:30.627-07:00

I thought that he got smoked years ago. Oh well. Better late than never.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-18115840224345298132011-04-20T00:33:00.001-07:002011-04-20T00:33:53.731-07:00

I've decided that ATT Uverse just plain sucks. I haven't had Internet that cuts out this often since this ol' dial-up days. If you've been considering ATT, my advise is to go with anyone else! BTW: I'm posting this via Verizon. ATT is on the fritz again!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-87523164876785659602011-04-16T23:56:00.001-07:002011-04-16T23:56:02.895-07:00

Where does one begin? This video is just jam-packed with industrial grade stupid. I don't know which is worse... Jesse Jackson Jr. blaming the iPad for unemployment or him calling for the American people to choose jobs in obsolete industries over their 1st Amendment freedoms... What morons decided that this pinhead belongs in Congress?

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-176752734775745462011-04-16T18:21:00.001-07:002011-04-16T18:21:03.568-07:00

One lifetime only? Raul Castro proposes political term limits in Cuba | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-14169071687092755922011-04-12T00:43:00.001-07:002011-04-12T00:43:29.066-07:00

I'm listening to Ted Nugent on NRA News right now. And if you listen carefully, you can hear the Pop! Pop! Pop! of liberal heads exploding in the distance.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-5611010214134872482011-04-08T18:17:00.001-07:002011-04-08T18:17:15.881-07:00

Congress is near deadlocked over ~$40 billion in proposed cuts. How much is that compared to the Federal deficit? One commentator put it this way: If the deficit is a Quarter-pounder combo from McDonald's, the proposed cuts are 1⁄5 of one French fry in that combo.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-30390962218823737032011-04-07T01:10:00.001-07:002011-04-07T01:10:03.592-07:00

If you will recall, I wasn't very happy with the responses I got from FreeServers.com when I complained about their antiquated software (including an out-of-date server kernel). I never got a satisfactory answer from them; just apologies without any pledges to actually fix the problems. As a result, I moved that site off of their servers and onto a new host. The billing department, as opposed to

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-49152097463323796662011-04-05T23:58:00.001-07:002011-04-05T23:58:03.605-07:00

Software Firm Looking To Hire Naked Coders - Slashdot

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-30368380568485867702011-03-29T23:30:00.001-07:002011-03-29T23:30:51.515-07:00

This is a good sign, no matter how you look at it.Either there are tons of people interested in the movie, or it's generating enough buzz to attract a DDoS attack from concerned looters.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-5344043249806031162011-03-29T16:14:00.001-07:002011-03-29T16:15:42.073-07:00

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-29226896851683752572011-03-16T19:42:00.001-07:002011-03-17T00:11:20.949-07:00

George Skelton at the LA Times writes about "subversive" Republican activists thwarting the "democratic process" by holding GOP toes to the fire over Jerry Brown's tax schemes. There's a brief tease about how Brown's labor allies are just as inflexible. But does that point get further discussion? Of course not! That doesn't fit the media template.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-28975071250530062572011-03-15T19:32:00.001-07:002011-03-15T19:32:08.257-07:00

I was wondering how that last picture got to the right place. Clever Blogger uploaded it to my Picasa account. I had just hit the picture button without thinking about it.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-22188135444898396732011-03-11T19:35:00.001-08:002011-03-11T19:35:59.203-08:00

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-57582793480789490812011-03-11T14:43:00.001-08:002011-03-11T14:43:28.737-08:00

That hefeweizen is finally ready to bottle. I'm also putting some of that American stout into bottles as well. The stout really benefited from an extra month in the keg. The hops mellowed a bit. Now there's a bit less bitterness and more flavor from the hops. There was also a hard water bite that was overdone that's gone now. I suppose that next time I should do something to accentuate the malt

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-77787857413855950402011-03-11T09:43:00.001-08:002011-03-11T09:43:21.022-08:00

Reducing taxes on small brewers

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-37797376455541120242011-03-05T01:37:00.001-08:002011-03-05T01:39:09.549-08:00

What's up with the execs at CBS? What part of "Charlie Sheen" didn't they understand when they hired Charlie Sheen? Why are they getting upset with him for acting like... well... Charlie Sheen?There's just no way that the grand poobahs at CBS didn't know what they were getting when they cast Sheen on 2½ Men. If fact, they had to have been counting on Sheen's history as a dyed-in-the-wool

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-23273020718712011912011-03-02T10:17:00.001-08:002011-03-05T01:39:36.398-08:00

The York Press needs to hire better journalists.This story from January 21 recounts the terrifying day that Englishman Tim Stark found a .22 cartridge lying in the street.THE HORROR!!But one question remains unanswered thanks to some shoddy reporting: Did Mr. Stark wet himself? And if so, did he wet himself before or after he made his frantic call to the police to report the dangerous bullet?The

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-6263433131295484912011-03-02T01:48:00.000-08:002011-03-02T01:50:17.244-08:00

Either no one clicks it or it doesn't work.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-5015879179532506332011-03-02T01:37:00.000-08:002011-03-02T01:46:00.686-08:00

There used to be a list of FReeper blogs over there on the sidebar. I had to remove that because most seemed to be dead. The one exception is AnnaZ, who I've added to the blogroll.Now I'm not the guy to lecture about neglected blogs, but at least one had never been posted to. Others hadn't seen the light of day since 2005. Why am I complaining? I got that list from another FReeper who put in

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-2737020559988807312011-03-01T14:53:00.001-08:002011-03-02T01:46:21.090-08:00

I'm getting increasingly annoyed with FreeServers.com.I manage a website there using one of their paid plans. (Not the freebie service!) Specifically, the plan is advertised as one for those who want to use WordPress to manage a blog. (I used to use Blogger.com for that site's blog, but they stopped supporting self-hosted blogs using ftp. In short, I didn't want Google to have an off switch for

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-41297304285729548172011-02-23T14:36:00.000-08:002011-02-23T14:43:13.647-08:00

Sometimes, forgetfulness can be a good thing.My wife was rummaging around in the pantry and found some jars of homemade pickles that have been back there for nearly 3 years. I remember opening some jars from that batch back then and being less than happy with the results. I should have been more patient! These just needed some time to age. The flavors, once sharp and unpleasant, have mellowed.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-5428201072579046162011-02-22T00:33:00.001-08:002011-02-23T14:43:27.494-08:00

I have been pulling my hair out trying to get my torrent client to make nice-nice with my ATT-UVerse supplied router. Long story short: It was just a bad torrent I was trying to download. (For the record, it wasn't that kind of torrent! I was trying to get a report on gun running, or the lack thereof, into Mexico.)I don't know how, but the router had a program already using the default port for

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-29204714929844002262011-02-18T13:44:00.001-08:002011-02-18T13:44:01.026-08:00

That Hefeweizen is still bubbling away in primary.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-10864688197861414612011-02-16T11:08:00.001-08:002011-02-23T14:43:49.679-08:00

A Mexican military vehicle with about a dozen armed men crossed into Texas near Mission. The incursion was caught on tape.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-38183517442776777722011-02-16T01:40:00.001-08:002011-02-16T01:58:34.715-08:00

Drinking and tweeting is ill advised. C'mon... we all know, even three sheets to the wind, that we're really not as clever drunk as we think at the time. You're just gonna end up deleting something anyway, so don't even bother hitting "post". But this is especially true when you're posting with the boss' Twitter account!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-39514740695271211882011-02-15T14:28:00.001-08:002011-02-15T14:28:18.629-08:00

This is really just a test post. I'm having a little fun with Blogger for Android.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-34073141944827906942011-02-15T10:47:00.001-08:002011-02-15T10:52:54.533-08:00

Argentina Confiscates U.S. Air Force Cargo - WSJ.com: The Argentines are apparently POd because Obama won't be stopping to visit their country. I have thought they'd be thanking us for not sending Jughead to them!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-61304987922244300832011-02-14T11:00:00.001-08:002011-02-15T10:53:06.633-08:00

I got to looking at the content of this blog and realized something. I started this as a place for mostly political rants. It's morphed into mostly a blog about beer!I suppose that one can only take so much of American politics before requiring a drink. It's also important that those of us involved in the struggle to save our nation from the community organizers who would destroy it to

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-18348276172510502052011-02-14T10:48:00.001-08:002011-02-15T10:53:06.633-08:00

This graphic from The Economist shows world drinking patterns...As you can see, we Americans just don't booze it up as much as the rest of the world!But seriously...This actually reflects our heritage as a beer drinking culture as opposed to a wine or spirits drinking culture. 235 years ago, ours was a whisky drinking culture. The influx of German immigrants in the early 19th Century changed that

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-90617173085855177132011-02-09T22:21:00.001-08:002011-02-15T10:53:06.634-08:00

I'm glad that I rigged a blow-off tube...That's yeast and sanitizing solution pooling in the plastic container. What's bubbling out smells of yeast (of course) and bananas. I'm hoping to pick up more clove and spice flavors as the yeast cools tonight.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-10109462838063032742011-02-09T12:07:00.001-08:002011-02-09T15:47:37.870-08:00

OK... So perhaps I should have done a search before I named that last video. YouTube's search engine now believes that my beer is somehow related to a Korean pop group. It could be worse, I suppose. It could have mistaken "bubble" for "bobble" and put up links to McDonald's ads from Japan.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-10488042830661552532011-02-09T12:02:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:15:05.301-08:00

The Cheesehead Hefeweizen is bubbling away...

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-41056523248927202962011-02-09T00:40:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:15:49.272-08:00

I was going to brew this up on Sunday, but the game was just too interesting!Recipe Specifications--------------------------Batch Size: 5.00 gal Boil Size: 6.00 galEstimated OG: 1.051 SGEstimated Color: 3.6 SRMEstimated IBU: 8.1 IBUBrewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %Boil Time: 60 MinutesIngredients:------------Amount Item Type % or IBU 4.50

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-53783050411006627852011-02-08T18:21:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:16:07.892-08:00

I've been brewing all day.Brewing, however, usually isn't an all day event. I was in the middle of mashing a Hefeweizen when I got called away to a lunch meeting. This is my first attempt at a decoction mash. I had to leave in the middle of the saccharification rest, so I figured "What's the harm?". A little extra time for those enzymes to get all happy in the mash can't be a bad thing.Now I'm

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-88745253459447449262011-01-31T21:44:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:16:07.893-08:00

Here's my stout about to go into the keg...Did I ever mention what a lucky man I am? How many husbands get "keg the beer" as one of the items on the honey-do list?

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-28783426443330427532011-01-27T00:48:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:17:53.733-08:00

I found a particular banner ad disturbing today. It's an ad from Monster.com and it asks the question "How many hours does the average American work per year?". The possible answers are 989, 1777, and 3148. I haven't clicked on the ad to find out. I'm afraid of what the answer might be.To put a scale to this question, start by calculating what one's hours ought to be. There are 52 weeks in the

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-73435125006688910782011-01-25T17:04:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:18:17.337-08:00

I guess this kid just doesn't understand the concept of job security...Border Patrol Agent Fired for Uttering Forbidden Truths - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-30684110416954074462011-01-21T11:10:00.001-08:002011-03-05T01:39:58.561-08:00

I had a problem on a WordPress-based blog that I maintain where the number of entries shown in the RSS feed had somehow been reduced to two. OK... So the feed loaded really fast, but it also made the blog look like it hadn't been updated in ages. I found this page that explained how to change the number of items shown...WordPress › Support » Amount of RSS Items in the feedI think that the problem

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-54434965146453147692011-01-20T18:55:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:17:07.528-08:00

...and I'm a happy guy!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-59332968735522660492011-01-18T20:20:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:19:28.232-08:00

The Cato Institute's Jeffery Miron has written Strict Gun Control Will Seem Like War on Drugs, an examination of the potential success of proposed gun controls,It was contemplation of the gun grabbers' dream of total prohibition, and my probably reaction to it, that caused me to adopt a more libertarian attitude toward recreational narcotics. (That means "drugs", for those of you on drugs!) Miron

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-39656641510920167532011-01-14T13:28:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:20:05.718-08:00

Reward - Attack Cartoons:

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-23077617771292753662011-01-12T19:58:00.001-08:002011-01-12T19:58:20.120-08:00

Obama urges Americans to unite in tragedy's wakeAnd by "Unite" he means "Stop disagreeing with me you ignorant peasants!". Liberals are always so fond of unity and bipartisanship... just as long as those qualities are reached by having everyone see things their way.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-2074001073366892192011-01-12T17:56:00.001-08:002011-01-12T18:12:05.082-08:00

Pooh's Blustery Ale II is now in the keg. The starting gravity was 1.069 (I got a little carried away with the honey!) and it's dried out to 1.006. That gives us an ABV of ~8.25%. (A session beer by Falcons standards!) The color and clarity are what I wanted...I treated the water with a bit of acid to get the pale color I wanted. (Our local water is really better suited to darker ales and stouts.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-20375664942160696802011-01-10T13:05:00.001-08:002011-01-10T13:05:18.831-08:00

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control billI can't help but think that people like McCarthy have these bills already drawn up and waiting in a file cabinet for just the right tragedy to come along.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-8644885282223341282011-01-10T13:01:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:18:50.695-08:00

Quoted without Comment - By Ramesh Ponnuru - The Corner - National Review OnlineDid you know that wanting lower taxes makes you an aspiring slave owner?

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-57300967459232759292011-01-05T09:30:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:18:34.392-08:00

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-86737473060174542462011-01-05T07:56:00.001-08:002011-02-09T12:20:38.631-08:00

In Pomp, and Little Circumstance, on Capitol Hill the New York Times opines...In any case, it is a presumptuous and self-righteous act, suggesting that [Republicans] alone understand the true meaning of a text that the founders wisely left open to generations of reinterpretation. Certainly the Republican leadership is not trying to suggest that African-Americans still be counted as three-fifths

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-42776646279300005582011-01-01T00:26:00.001-08:002011-01-01T00:26:10.490-08:00

...and happy new beer!I just racked that Stout off to the secondary fermenter. I took a bit off with a wine thief and measured the SG. This beer isn't finished yet, but the SG is already down to ~1.013 from 1.057. I tasted a little and this should be quite good when it's finished.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-91371747951300784532010-12-30T22:09:00.001-08:002010-12-30T22:09:57.385-08:00

Breitbart.tv » Liberal Star Blogger Ezra Klein: Constitution ‘Has No Binding Power on Anything’; Confusing Because it’s Over 100 Years OldAnother "Facepalm" moment...

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-23921985210603755512010-12-29T12:33:00.001-08:002010-12-29T12:33:11.165-08:00

Mead, the drink of Vikings, comes out of the Dark Ages and into AmericaThis has me thinking of brewing a cyser, but the Mrs. would probably string me up if another bubbling carboy showed up around the house.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-59405072004998077652010-12-29T00:44:00.001-08:002010-12-29T00:44:37.192-08:00

Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Just Release The Birth Certificate?2 reasons come to mind. First and foremost, the Birthers are right; Obama is a foreign national here in the US illegally. Obama won't release a document that would get him sent to Gitmo. The second, and probably more likely, reason is that His Royal O-ness just can't stand the idea of people challenging him. Don't they know that

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-91839977343505414902010-12-27T11:27:00.001-08:002010-12-27T11:27:10.731-08:00

Katherine Noyes has a round up of blogosphere responses to Richard Stallman's comments to The Guardian regarding privacy and "cloud" storage. Stallman's Cloudburst: Prudence or Paranoia? details responses from Oh-Stallman-is-overreacting-again to "He's absolutely right,". Personally, I think that the bearded, blind squirrel has found a nut.Google's ChromeOS is the object of Stallman's ire this

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-28721482613425288452010-12-26T18:50:00.001-08:002010-12-26T18:50:12.424-08:00

That batch of the American Stout was minutes from blowing its top this evening. The bubbler had filled with yeast and had turned from bubbler to cork. It's now clean and refilled with a little Jack Daniels.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-33606124805126062562010-12-25T22:34:00.001-08:002010-12-25T22:34:00.712-08:00

...and a happy brew year!It's brew day again. This time I brewed an American stout. "Ol' Curmudgeon" looks like this...Ingredients:------------Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      11.25 lb      Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)            Grain        81.82 %       0.75 lb       Roasted Barley (700.0 SRM)                Grain        5.46 %        0.50 lb

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-81476337508004744232010-12-20T14:27:00.001-08:002010-12-20T14:27:32.962-08:00

Compare and contrast.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-57749603480571426852010-12-07T23:29:00.001-08:002010-12-07T23:29:27.808-08:00

Is it wrong to drink scotch while you're brewing beer?

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-5850469089880398062010-12-07T20:08:00.001-08:002010-12-07T23:30:46.750-08:00

It's cooled off here in So. Cal. so it's time to brew. I've been putting this off for weeks now. Every time I think of brewing, it's gotten hot this fall. Now I think that it's finally winter. (I really need to invest in a 'fridge; however, She Who Must Be Obeyed frowns upon the notion.)Tonight's brew is an improved version of Pooh's Blustery Ale. I am tweaking the recipe with Simcoe and Amarillo

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-36525318881540484432010-11-28T22:52:00.001-08:002010-11-28T22:52:52.271-08:00

A guide for aspiring tyrants

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-78115053669907224032010-11-16T19:10:00.001-08:002010-11-16T19:12:22.993-08:00

The Mystery Missile, which was really a jet's contrail, was caught by a weather satellite...The "missile" was really an eastbound flight coming up over the horizon toward observers in the L.A. area. The blue arrow above shows the contrail. Note that it is fatter on its west end and narrower the further east it goes. Obviously, the source of the trail is moving from west to east, not east to west

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-65586929605867378762010-11-04T23:53:00.001-07:002010-11-04T23:53:24.658-07:00

The Washington Post reports that, as a result of the Party's strong performance in State legislative contests, the GOP can draw nearly half of new House districts. The 2010 census numbers translate into new Congressional district boundaries next year, after new legislatures have been seated. The GOP dominates far more State legislatures and Governorships than ever before. Making things worse is

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-60732235096450548072010-11-02T21:35:00.001-07:002010-11-02T21:35:39.361-07:00

Fox News is projecting that Harry Reid has beaten Sharron Angle in Nevada. But who's the real loser? Why none other than Chuckles Schumer! I'm sure that Chuckles was measuring Reid's office for new drapes, but those plans may be dashed. Also dashed are any hopes Chuckles had for advancing new anti-gun laws as Senate Majority Leader.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-65716282879517749902010-11-01T02:06:00.000-07:002010-11-01T02:10:58.926-07:00

U.S. Senate: Carly FiorinaWhat can one say about Barbara Boxer's long term of service in the Senate? Pretty much nothing. She's kept the dust bunnies off of her chair, but that's about it. She's been a big nothing; a waste of space; a zero.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-11586543949370447102010-11-01T01:50:00.000-07:002010-11-01T02:06:16.009-07:00

Governor: Meg WhitmanI'm old enough to remember Jerry Brown's first turn at the wheel... Never again!Lieutenant Governor: Gavin NewsomNo, I haven't been smoking crack. Abel Maldonado is a whore. He's one of a handful of Republicans who helped to pass the largest tax increase in American history. While the rest of the GOP in Sacramento stood firm against the tax increase, Maldonado sold us out. (

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-37241127058577072342010-11-01T00:30:00.000-07:002010-11-01T01:44:01.887-07:00

OK... So it's been a while. I hope, however, that you will find this worth the wait.Some of these are no-brainers and some will require some explanation. But first, a few general rules...Rule 1: A tax increase or bond measure, no matter its supposed purpose, gets a NO vote. We're all taxed more than enough and the State already has plenty of our money to wallow in. Two corollaries to this:

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-58927416562246515132010-07-02T08:38:00.001-07:002010-07-02T08:38:46.664-07:00

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-64049072442267559462010-06-30T00:39:00.001-07:002010-06-30T00:39:59.490-07:00

I just noticed that YouTube has added a new control to their viewer. There's now a little soccer ball on the control panel. Click it and you get droning vuvulzelas added to the video's soundtrack.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-15979907218711337002010-06-11T08:11:00.001-07:002010-06-11T08:11:34.770-07:00

Per existing California law...834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. (b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-63062523260585518162010-05-13T19:56:00.001-07:002010-05-13T19:57:37.497-07:00

Could Mr. Holder do just a little reading before he shoots his mouth off? It's a quick read.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-36006108492758920622010-05-06T23:33:00.001-07:002010-05-06T23:33:28.326-07:00

...quit the GOP that is.I'm looking at this sorry crop of candidates we get to choose from here in California and I decided that I don't want to be part of the aforementioned "we". They're a bunch of RINOs all claiming to be the most conservative candidate in the room. Whitman is Aaaahnold in drag. Poizner? I didn't even know that he was a Republican until a few weeks ago. I kid you not: I

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-3908302302327083652010-05-05T08:23:00.001-07:002010-05-05T08:23:12.167-07:00

Perhaps Obama can part with a little BP Bling to help clean up his mess in the Gulf of Mexico.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-80945280100811314312010-05-03T23:53:00.001-07:002010-05-03T23:53:00.616-07:00

HotAirPundit reports on Algore's new digs. It seems that St. Al the Warm has entered the California real estate market in a big way... a $9,000,000 way. Nearby Santa Barbara has a very nice airport that should be more than adequate for Al's private jet.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-28801181373561840292010-05-02T19:50:00.001-07:002010-05-02T19:50:53.716-07:00

...got stronger!The latest batch of my strong ale tips the scales at 8.5% ABV. It's still hoppy and sweet; a good balance.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-47308141609019647362010-05-02T19:48:00.001-07:002010-05-02T19:48:38.228-07:00

I've been using Kubuntu for quite a while now. The latest long term support release is 10.04, Lucid Lynx. I just let the automagical update do its thing and updated my box. It went without a hitch, for the most part. I did have one small problem with Thunderbird, however.When I tried to start Thunderbird, I got an error saying that "Thunderbird is already running...". Of course, it wasn't. The

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-83235653488759385552010-04-07T19:45:00.001-07:002010-04-07T19:46:06.805-07:00

...this used to be a political blog.Perhaps the beer is a manifestation of my libertarian streak!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-74693951236802560772010-04-07T19:44:00.001-07:002010-04-07T20:24:19.841-07:00

OK... The Pooh's Blustery Ale has been kegged and under CO2 for 4 days. It's pretty good! I'm trying it out a little too warm, but the flavor's very good. More malt-forward than my previous beers; ~45 IBUs. It still has a lot of residual sweetness despite fermenting out to 1.005 (O.G. was 1.056.) Some honey bite to it as well and the color is where I wanted it; Pooh-bear colored.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-80501041134320707892010-03-26T23:40:00.001-07:002010-04-07T19:45:43.544-07:00

I've never had this before: Two beers in secondary fermentation...On the left is the Pooh's Blustery Ale and on the right is the Strong American AleThere's just under 5 gallons here......and roughly 6 here!I'm gonna need another keg!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-12210929362760395842010-03-19T01:08:00.001-07:002010-03-19T01:08:26.870-07:00

I pitched that AB clone onto the yeast cake from the Blustery Ale and it's taking off like a rocket! I pitched it about 45 minutes ago and the airlock's already bubbling. Another plus, I only end up cleaning the primary fermentor half as often this way. Ditto for the secondary.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-83802459185680949182010-03-18T23:11:00.001-07:002010-03-19T00:00:07.010-07:00

Pooh's Blustery Ale has been racked off to the secondary and now a second batch of that AB clone, in this case "A Modest Strong Ale", is bubbling away on the stove. The Blustery Ale does smell like honey, so that little twist seems to have worked.The dogs really love it when I brew beer. My wife takes the spent grain and make dog biscuits with it.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-11210855351060298922010-03-16T00:56:00.001-07:002010-03-16T00:56:30.189-07:00

The keg's empty!

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-2467648785056814772010-03-14T23:26:00.001-07:002010-03-14T23:59:57.943-07:00

Odd how the mind wanders about some days..."If there's a buzzing-noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee."Then he thought another long time, and said: "And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey."And then he got up, and said: "And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it."

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-85373316223549522232010-03-09T21:50:00.001-08:002010-03-09T21:50:15.059-08:00

I didn't think that I could go through that much beer so quickly!I just bottled some of that AB clone using a homemade beer gun; about 2½ 6-packs worth. I picked up the keg and it almost flew out of my hands. I guess it's time to make more!The beer was well received at last Sunday's meeting of the Maltose Falcons. I used Wyeast 1272 American Ale II which doesn't attenuate as much as the dry

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-1027285249544662322010-03-06T19:39:00.001-08:002010-03-06T19:39:14.063-08:00

OK... It's only been 24 20 hours, but I really like the way that beer turned out. And did I mention how cool this is having beer on tap?

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-90674546723811333062010-03-05T22:54:00.001-08:002010-03-05T22:54:01.140-08:00

And by that title, you ought to be able to guess that I took the plunge and bought kegging gear.I took that AB(-ish) clone and racked it off into the keg. There's roughly 4.5 gallons. I'm playing a trick that I read about to speed things up a bit. I've got the keg on its side and I'm shacking it until it stops loudly taking gas. This exposes more of the beer's surface area to the gas and speeds

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-77275230460602260732010-02-23T21:08:00.001-08:002010-03-06T19:56:15.687-08:00

That AB clone is turning out nice. I just transfered it to the secondary. The ABV is ~7%, the color is good, and the balance of hops and sweetness is good...I know... AB isn't really an all-Chinook recipe. But I had a freezer full of the little lovelies from my over achieving plant.

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-47094523027154208542010-02-09T23:46:00.001-08:002010-03-06T19:54:13.056-08:00

Enough mocking the Church of Warmingtology... Let's talk about beer! (OK... so the COW will have a cow over my CO2 footprint, but that can't be helped.)After way too long a pause, I've started another batch of homebrew. This time I'm going for an American Strong Ale (an Arrogant Bastard clone). Tonight, I got the yeast started and I plan to pitch the brew onto that yeast cake this weekend. I

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3587757.post-24958844664514706242010-02-09T23:36:00.001-08:002010-02-09T23:36:29.042-08:00

This week, the gurus of glorrible warming were forced to cancel a hearing before a U.S. Senate committee due to "inclement weather"... UPDATE: The following Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearings have been postponed due to inclement weather this week: - The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, will hold a hearing entitled, "

Redcloakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484642923877640733noreply@blogger.com