Bottling

 

Bottling Cider today.  I like making my own beer and cider, I kinda feel guilty when I buy bottles/cans to take home, but as I am weak and haven't completely transitioned to self-serve drunkenness, I will probably always do this.  Thus far I have been pretty good about my resolution to walk to buy beer to come home with, so my self-flagellation will end here.

Bottling is the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to homebrew.  I run a three gallon batch, which, depending on sediment, needs between 12-15 22-ounce bottles.  So, they are all cleaned out and getting to the point of getting ready to be filled.  The lazy mans siphon is cleaned out, the caps are boiled and the charging sugar is boiled and cooling. 

My gear is pretty damn simple.  Got a four-gallon stainless steel pot from WallyWorld. Got a three gallon plastic fermentation vessel.  Got a siphon and some tubing.  Got some bottles, caps and a capper.  Use my plain vanilla Revereware pots for boiling and such.

Conversations by text yesterday kinda centered on this kinda thing, and I think that it might be the subject of the next big piece.  I tend to do things for economic reasons because I think I see where the world is heading and it ain't to a place where my little luxuries are going to be available to me the way that they are now.  Yesterdays social faux pas was about my proposition that I might go vegan for five days a week.  Folks really didn't like hearing this.  

But the odd part is that no one opposed my idea on it's merits, they opposed it because they are tired of listening to sanctimonious douchebags praise themselves for their moral superiority.  Now, that is a legitimate beef (HARHARHAR).  One told me that she didn't want to hear any environmental lectures.  That I can understand, but as that thing isn't usually in my wheelhouse anyway, I think that this can safely be put to bed.

But I think that it is fascinating how people look at things.  Of course there is an environmental component to my ideas and decisions in my life.  I try not to be a douche about it, but living within the limitations the world is harder and more complex than most give credit.  Maybe this passage from today's hexagram applies.

But in limitation we must observe due measure. If a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature, it would be injurious. And if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others, they would rebel. Therefore it is necessary to set limits even upon limitation.