Hi to the Grafton Guys
Firstly all the best of luck to Shaunous - I'm guessing the Cape York jaunt is the trip of a lifetime (unless you have some family or illegal immigrants you wish to meet before Xmas
). I've only done one really taxing trip in my life (Simpson Desert) -- it's an absolute PITA when the unexpected problems arise, but they're the things I remember with fondness afterwards. Go figure! So prepare well, have a ball and take lots of pics.
I hope you don't mind me joining your Xmas case swap. I was never game to join one before fearing I'd be a drawback to the average quality of the occasion. Now I think (at least hope) I've progressed to the stage where that may no longer be the situation.
Even though now I've been a Newcastle fly-in for a bit over 20 years, over the last few years I've been driving to and from Brissie every 6 weeks or so, so I consider I've deserved dual nationality (which is just superb in State of Origin season). And I go through Grafton and the Nthn Rivers regularly.
I thought a Belgian Imperial Stout might be the go for several reasons:
1. I really like stouts (as does the better half).
2. I've never done an Imperial Stout of any description and wanted to do one (though I've done quite a few variations of Wee Heavy and feel I've finally honed a recipe and technique that really gives it justice with at least 6 months of aging).
3. I've finally got all the ingredients together and am ready to put it down tomorrow. The added advantage is with the required aging it should be really good drinking by next winter (sort of Xmas in July to keep in theme). That also means I'll know by March '16 if it's OK or whether I need to be in Nepal or Mongolia by next winter!
There's a copy of BIS.bsmx in the
recipe directory for any interested Beersmith users. However, if you guys/gals would rather another type of beer, don't hesitate to let me know.
Cheers all.