Note to self.

Buy Michael Franti's doco; I know I'm not alone.

The Bar - Continued

The ideas are growing. Now I'm thinking about putting it in the southeast corner of the shed, with one fridge hidden behind planking and whatnot, hard against the shelves there. The bar will go in a corner shape around it, and i want to rig up a roof set-up above it, though for that i'll need to improve my wood-working skills, or find something bloody easy to use that'll look good. It's not like it needs to keep out the rain or anything. The main sitting are of the shed will still be where it is at the moment, but I'll put some of the couches over near to the bar, and I'll rig up some bar stools, perhaps i can raid some seats of the various old plows sitting around the far...
It's gonna be good. Beer will be one dark, one pale, one lemonade or similar sweet lovely for the chicks, and either a ginger or a lager, depending on the season, or experimental batches.
So what will i need for all this? Well, more fermenters, kegs, a fridge, taps, plastic glasses and jugs, various materials (I dont know if i'l make the frame for the bar and the roof out of wood or metal, for both I'll need to learn new skills). Embellishments, like nice panneling, nice rims, probably a sink (which needs water...fuck, plumbing too), racks for glasses, maybe a bar fridge under the bar for bottles of stuff, as well as mixers for spirits. (Note to self: build still, or motivate Mull and Carcs to finish theirs). (Further note to self: invest in a brewing fridge and Fridgemate).

Ideas - An Update

Some more things to learn how to do:

• Make jam and other preservatives.
• Learn how to fish.
• Go yabbying more and learn how to cook them well.
• Build a goddam still. That idea has been in the works for way too long.
  

The Bar - Planning Phase

Figure i may as well start planning for when im ready to start kegging (which will happen). The fact of the matter is that i will need a nice place from which to dispense the wonderful (hopefully) brews, and there is a fair bit of room back home at in the shed. So i'm thinking, one big fridge, 4 kegs worth of beer or whatnot, and a nice little bar area. At this stage I think a dark ale of some descripition, a pale or a bitter, an achololic lemonade or something else that chicks would like, and then aternate between a lager(summer), an apple cider(when i feel like it) or a ginger beer(winter).
Brilliant.
But the actual structure? Well it can't be too big, perhaps just a little corner shape, coming out from against the wall next to the roll-up door, so i can sit in it like a proper litte bartender and still be part of the convos at the couch-and-carpet area, which is across the other side of the roll-up door (its a big shed, with naught but couches, a drum kit, a table hockey table, and some storage shelves). The fridge would have to be outside, on a slab on concrete with a little lean-to around it built of left-over metal from the shed itself. I'd probably have to put a garden around it...perhaps i can turn it into a vegie garden...
I'm thinking put a roof on the bar inside, kinda old-style veranda thing, with corrugated iron. Probably use corrugated iron on the actual bar structure too, we've got shiteloads of it lying around that is never going to be used. It'll need a sink, which nescesitates running water, which shall be interesting, and I'll need to pick up some various sized glasses somewhere, and some bar mats. This will take some time. I'll put some plans up sometime soon, whenever i get around to putting them on the computer.
Cheers.

The growth of ideas.

More time to think means more ideas, and I think this blog may turn into more than just a brewing log. Seems to me, and I'm not saying this is original in any way, but not too many people really now where all our stuff comes from. Our food, our drinks, our clothes and all that. So we cant really appreaciate them, cos we dont know how difficult it is to produce them. I've learnt to appreaciate beer all lot more now that i know the theory behind it (more or less know), so i figured i may as well apply this to other things. like food. and other drinks. not clothing, thats a tad difficult for me right now, not really into growing cotton or doing whatever it is to oil that they do to make nylon. but yeah, so thats what this is going to turn into. A quest for knowledge. Fuck its gonna take some time.

Ideas

Being in Ecuador means i have a lot of time to think, so I've come up with a few ideas of shite i want to do when i get home.

1. Start brewing with hops and speciality grains.
2. Learn how to rack.
3. Convert dad's old fridge into a fermenter cooler. Idea is mount an old fan on the door, after cutting out a shiteload of it.
4. Grow vegies in pots for Uni. Maybe i can leave them at Mulls?
   
5. Make an alcoholic lemonade.
6. Learn how to make pasta.
7. And cheese.
8. And yogurt. (probably the easiest of the three)

With more to come, I've forgotten a lot.

A picture