Laboring for THB and BKG

THB meets BKG......I need to expand!

Most people I know were probably relaxing this weekend and definitely NOT working.....that's how it should be!  Well, I needed to get some items accomplished off my to-do-list (as Marie would put it), so I must labor on Labor Day!

My hops needed picking, I wanted to brew an Indian Red, my newest moto needs attention, and Marie and I needed to do some house/garage cleaning.

First.....the hops.....

not a good idea to hold......very itchy

about 24 ounces.....down from last year.

I layered them between 3 HVAC air filters to dry...

My hop dryer.....a box fan is behind the filters.....I dried for 24 hours

24 ounces wet dried to 9.2 ounces....this is 4.5 in the bowl

The brew......

I thought an Indian Red would be a good fit for my hops.  My varieties are Chinook and Cascade.....their characteristics are perfect for an amber colored slightly hoppy ale.

I made my own recipe....I didn't want too much over the top hoppy-ness so I was a little mellower than usual.  I used hops from my local homebrew suppy store for bittering and flavoring.  I was going to blast my hops at flameout for aroma and then another addition after fermentation.  Who knows???  It may be great, palatable, or just disappointing. 

Recipe for the interested:
8# 2 Row
2# Munich Lt
1# Crystal 60
.5# Crystal 75
1# Carapils

1oz Chinook  60
.5oz Centennial 15
.5oz Centennial 5
4.5oz THB hops 0
4.5oz THB hops Dry Hopped

Yeast: 1056
OG: 1.068

crushed grains......

rinsing the crush....

great smelling hops.....

Fermentation is on it's way! Only 4 gallons of brew....the whole leaf hops really soaked up some wort.

Next up......BKG

2 weeks ago I came across anther sweet deal on CL.  I am a sucker for Hondas....especially 70's era CB's.  This one is a 1976 Honda CB 550 F.  The "F" means 4 cylinders.....yes it's a beast for its day.  You are basically straddling a 4 cylinder 550cc engine.......a vintage crotch rocket.

This is what it looked like when I went to check it out...the previous owner used it for a touring bike.

I stripped off the rear luggage rack and the wind jammer (wing shield).

these carburetors need lots of love!!!

  So basically I thoroughly cleaned the carbs, purchased a battery and spark plugs, hooked up new fuel lines with filters.  I threw a little hot sauce down her throat and she started right up!  I ended up riding  it around the street for a few minutes.  I diagnosed a few other things I need to work on.....so hopefully by next weekend I can get her advertised and sold. 

BKG Inventory Update:
Bobbie....needs some work on the charging system
CL Scrambler....sold Saturday night
DR 250 dirt bike... (oh I forgot....I traded the Honda XL500 dirt bike for the Suzuki 250) sold Sunday.
CB360...trying to sell, damn scammers, spammers, and flakes on CL.
CB500 Twin......still need to find time to rebuild....maybe this winter.

That's it folks!