Hey hey hey, it's a Tuesday... also it is a work day. I don't much feel like going to work, because my mind actually has some motivation to spare. I can feel the energy pulsing through me, and I've only had one sip of my hazelnut cream coffee. Yesterday I had less than no motivation. As far as work goes for the herbarium, I have done two sculptures this week, but it's still not enough to be caught up. What it means is that I should do two sculptures tonight after work so I can show that I've made progress. I did put more effort into the cute little mushroom sculpture last night. I even gave them a leafy substrate.

The Beer Blog:
Ok, I have successfully (for the most part) made a completed batch of beer with dandelion leaves and chamomile flowers as a hops replacement and it is now in the fermentation process. I malted the wheat enough to make a honey colored concoction, but my pot wasn't big enough to hold an entire gallon of water so I had some issues trying to make the concoction strong enough... so I added some molasses and honey while I was hopping it. It tasted good before I put it into fermentation, good enough that I had to taste it twice. It wasn't because of how sweet it was-- I think the flavor balance was satisfying. Last night I made some darker fresher malt, and I have a better idea for a soaking tank. I tried using a big jar (it was only a one gallon batch anyway) sitting on top of but not sitting down in a crock pot. It was still too hot and too small of a vessel. I have a bigger pan that I know will fit the liquid, and I am going to try a more gentle source of heat. If I could just use the sun, I would prefer it, but it isn't constant through the night and who knows if that would even work. I suppose it might be worth a try, but first I will try candle warmers sitting underneath the pot. I need to keep the mixture at about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit for a nice long period of time, so I might have to alternate the candle warmers and turn them on and off. I will figure it out. This is the perfect challenge for a bored 21-year-old adventurous cook/brewer.
It's not just beer that I have been working on. I have also been trying to make different herbal wines (wort) and a couple of batches of sake. I hope they work out... mostly I think it's a patience issue. The sake seems to be making the quickest progress. I didn't make it the traditional way because I didn't have the rice fungus that transforms the starches into fermentable sugars from the steamed rice, so I just used steamed rice and cheated with white sugar... so no, it's not traditional. Sometime I will try to get some of the rice fungus-- ordering it online or whatnot. For now, I am just learning about the basic process of brewing. I did start some dandelion wine, and I sneaked a sniff (it smells delicious!) the other day. I think it will be successful. Anyway, it's a whole lot of waiting and not much else happens.