10/20/24 FIRST BACTCH AT MSR!!!!
(10/19/24) Thawed 5 lbs of blackberries in a Kilwins bucket

10/20/24
5 lbs blackberries
5 lbs McComb Bees Honey (From Decatur)
2 gallons Crystal Geyser water
10 grams Fermaid-O
Mangrove Jacks Yeast
S.G. = 1.082 (10% ABV possible)

Mixed all ingredients.  The bucket is full and the airlock is getting a little cramped.  It’s going (I lifted the lid once).

11/3/24
S.G. = 1.000 (He’s Done!!)
racked and stabilized.  Tart but flavorful.
Added small amount of sage.

12/3/24
Tasted both the dregs and the good stuff.  I threw out the dregs.  It was bad.  The good stuff tasted great.

1/4/25
1 Gallon for me.  Back sweetened to 1.020 and it tastes amazing!
1 Gallon for Grace.  No sweetening.

Bottled and labeled 1/4/25

11/21/24
96 oz G.V. apple juice
1/2 gallon Kekionga Cider
1/4 lb honey
2 cinnamon sticks
S.G. 1.064 (about 8%)
71B yeast pitched dry

12/3/24
S.G. = 1.010
Nothing added and Nothing racked.  I think it’s still going.  I have another half gallon of cider to mix in to give it a really good flavor.
Going to keg this one though.

12/23/24
He’s done!  Kegged with a backsweetened (Eurithritol) cider.  The cinnamon doesn’t really “shine” on this one.  It was only 2 sticks.  The flavor is really good and can’t wait to see how it taste carbonated!  Final gravity was 1.000 so this is about 8% ABV.  A little less because I diluted it with a little more cider for flavor.

1/5/25
Drinking this now and boy oh boy is it good.  A little sweet, a little tart.  Apple flavor really comes through.  Cinnamon shines but isn’t overly done.
I will make this again for sure.

Started this book on 10/14 and finished on 11/27/24.  It’s not that it wasn’t a good book, it was super long.  499 pages.  It’s the first time I’ve read the author.  Chapters were on the long side.  The move was going on and we were very busy a lot.  When it came time to read, I could only stay away for a few pages.

Characters were well written.  You knew who everyone was.  Once it unfolded and all the secrets were revealed it was easier to understand.

Famous author dies in her hotel room.  The reporter who has been following her for her story is blamed.  Turns out it’s not her.  The strange man, is it her ex husband, is blamed.  Not him either.  Then there is the woman who was invited to the book signing out of the blue.  Not her either.  Read it to find out who did it.

Giving this book a 6/10 just because it took soooo long to read.  44 days to read this book.

Amazon First read.  I started this book on 9/16/24 and finished on 10/13/24.  Right during the move.

The book was just ok for me.  Chapters were long, story was good and characters were well written.

Jacinda (Jac) Brodie a college student has an affair with her prof.  It didn’t go well and has to return home for her grandfathers funeral.  She left home because the town (and she) thought she pushed her dad off a cliff and killed him.  Town secrets and a mysterious new wife of the Mayor lead her down a dark hole of secrets revealed.

Finished the book in 28 days but still only giving it a 7/10.

Well, it’s Lucinda so of course I’m going to read it.  I started it on 9/1/24. Finished on 9/15/24 (14 Days)
The book was just OK for me.  Lucinda has written some bangers and this one just isn’t one of them.

It revolves around 4 girls who go to camp every year.  They’re outcast kids otherwise.  The ring leader Blakely is not a nice person.
She gets the other 3 involved in a prank that goes terrible wrong.  They live with the guilt for 25 years.  Then Blakely gets them AGAIN!

I’m only giving this book a 6/10.  Characters were well written and chapters were generally short.

6/19/24 (Day 1)
6 lbs Golden Lake Honey
1.5 lbs very ripe bananas
2 Gallons spring water
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Mangrove Jacks yeast

Boiled the bananas (peel and all) in about 1/2 gallon of the spring water.  Used the other half to help warm the honey for easier pour.  It worked!
Boiled bananas for 20 minutes.  Added the bananas to a bag while straining the hot water into the bucket.  Added the warm honey.  Added the rest of the water.  Mixed well and let cool.  Don’t want to kill the yeasts.
S.G. = 1.080 but the water was very warm.  Gonna take another reading after it cools a bit. (10.6% potential ABV)
I used all of my Golden Lake honey so I won’t have any for back sweetening.  I’ll have to use another for that.

6/21/24 (Day 3)
Added 1 tsp DAP

6/24/24/ (Day 5)
Added 2 tsp Fermaid-O

7/5/24
S.G. = 1.000.  Removed bananas.  Still setting on yeast.

7/19/24 (Day 30)
Racked off yeast into new bucket and Stabilized with 1 tsp metabisulphite and sorbate.
Leave it for 24 hours.

7/24/24 (Day 35)
Added 3 lbs of frozen bananas, 6 full graham crackers, 1/4 lb brown sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Will back sweeten in a week or two.

8/12/24 (Day 55)
Removed the bananas and graham crackers.  Added another 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Let clear and bottle.

9/4/24 (Day very long time)
Bottled today.  The labels are dated wrong for the bottle but by only a few days.  It’s clear and nice today.  Let’s see what it looks like in a month.

Final bottling gravity was 1.018.  It still tastes sweet even though it isn’t.

This is an Amazon First Read.  Starting the book on 8/16/26.  Never read the author before.

Finished on 8/31/24.  I liked it.  There were lots of characters.  Chapters were kind of long.  Rent a house from a slum lord and see what “ghosts” you can conjure up.  A dead body in the wall behind the closet, voices sounding like they’re in the shower.  Do the kids get their revenge?  Read the book and find out.

I’m giving this book a 7/10. 16 Days

I found this author and just finished 1 book.  I’m starting this book in the Devin Grey series on 7/19/24.  I’ll let you know how it goes. I just finished this book on 8/16/24.  That’s the longest it’s taken me to read a book.  I mean it was OK but not that great.  Lots of geopolitical stuff and Russian sleeper network in the US.  Names became muddy but the main characters were written well.  Devin’s mother left him cryptic notes to find the mother load of info on the sleeper cell.  He recruited people to burn it to the ground.  Well, they didn’t exactly do that.

I’m giving this book a 6/10.  29 days….Damn.

5/21/24
2 Gallon Recipe
4 lbs Honey.  I used a mixed batch of honey for this one
2 96 oz Great Value White Grape Juice
Lalvin 71B yeast
8 Grams Fermaid – O
.5 Grams tannin
Mixed all ingredients.  Added yeast.  S.G. = 1.118 (15.5% potential ABV)

6/19/24 (Day 30)
Racked into big glass carboy.
Added 1 tsp Sorbate and 1/4 tsp metabisulphite.
It’s STABILE!!
Added 2 campden tablets.
S.G. = 1.004 (15.2% ABV)
Going to give it a week to clear.

7/5/24
Back sweetened to 1.035.  Added 1oz Dark toasted American Oak chips in cheesecloth bag.

7/19/24 (Day 60)
Bottled and labeled this beast!  It’s gonna be good!!!!

Amazon First Read:  Started on 7/1/24.  I really liked this book.  The characters are memorable.  There are a lot of acronyms in the book that get a little muddy sometimes.  Overall really liked it.  Finished on 7/18/24.  18 Days.

Garret and his cohorts are on the chase of a serial killer who dumps his victims from north to south.  Florida to Minnesota.  What they find is way bigger than just one man.

Serrano, a Mexican police office, has joined Mann’s team.  She’s a badass looking to avenge her mothers killer.  Does she get her vengance?  Read the book to find out.