I received a Williams IPA kit via Fed Ex today. Popped the WYeast this evening, hoping to be brewing by Saturday.
 
And true to form, I'll be modifying this recipe. A lot. Going to the quote unquote "Homebrew" store here in Great Falls tomorrow and getting some Caramel Malt and a Muslin bag.
 
And thanks to Amy Grisak, this beer is going to be bursting with Cascade hops.
 

Happy 2012 everyone!
 
Over the next few weeks, I am planning on upgrading the back end of this site and also rolling out a new layout. Hopefully I'll get to brew a batch or two of beer as well during this time.
 
Good Brews to ya!
 
Joe

I've got a Beagle Board coming from Ebay. Should be here next week. Once it arrives, I'll begin work in retrofitting my dead Cobalt Qube 3 with this new hardware.

For the last week, this thing has been the bane of my existence.

Tonight, however, I won the battle.

This is a TEMPer V1.2 temperature probe. USB powered (obviously). One of those lovely 'Made in China' units. But hey, for $15 bucks, you really can't go wrong. As long as you're willing to fight a bit with software.

First off, kudos to Dave Sherman. You didn't need to do that, but I thank you for the traffic.
Ok, after a bit more research, it came to my attention that I am going to need a few more items:

Alright, a few days have gone past since my last post, and I have spent these days plotting and scheming. As stated, I already have a line on a fridge for use as a controlled fermenting chamber. And as I have already stated, this is going to be controlled not by analog dial, but by a Linux based computer. I have priced out what will be needed, computer equipment wise and this is what I have so far:
 

Continuing on with the previous post here. My wife's uncle has a full sized fridge in storage that he is not using and asked if I wanted it, along with the stove that he has in storage. Not too terribly sure about taking the stove yet (worse case scemario, we'll take it to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore here in town), but the fridge has my full attention, as I have always wanted a temperature controlled fermenting chamber so I can expand my brewing recipes beyond ales.
 

Like I have stated before, I started brewing in my early 20’s. Now you may be asking yourself why, and the answer is twofold: I like beer and once you have the equipment, it is cheaper to brew your own than it is to buy, even if you are buying the cheap swill that most Americans love.

Last summer, my wife (and son) bought me a Beer Garden. Considering that we were well into the growing season here in Montana by the time it showed up on my doorstep, I decided that it was in my best interest to wait until the following spring to put it to use. So this is going to be part one of a 3 part series of me sharing my thoughts on this interesting little toy.
 

Ok, so this week I shall get my 2011 batch of Mead going, as I have found a well priced source for raw honey thanks in large to my twitter account. This year, I am only going to do a 3 gallon batch, as I plan on doing a bit of experimenting with spices; namely vanilla bean and possibly a 'bouquet garni' of pumpkin pie spices.