In preparation for the two brews I did (check out Brew Six-B), I read up on advanced brewing in my handbook: The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian. I have the 2nd edition (1991); the fourth came out this year. In it I gained a much deeper understanding of what happens during the … [Read more…]
Brewing an all-grain beer is so much more work than picking up a beer kit. So, the beer had better be that much better! I was commissioned to brew 2 batches of beer for my friend Anne. The first was brewed back in June, a hefeweizen which ended up getting contaminated with lactobacillus and having … [Read more…]
On October 9 we celebrated Sukkōt, a biblical feast commemorating the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness. My father and his wife have been observing what are traditionally Jewish holy days for a few years now. They were visiting us in Calgary when the Feast of Tabernacles began so my father rigged up a … [Read more…]
Flew into Victoria Int’l on Friday night after a delayed connection in Vancouver due to fog. The flight from Van was only 13 minutes. The delay was over an hour. I walked off the plane into a light mist and then to the bus stop where the bus rolls by once per hour. I had … [Read more…]
Following my second marathon on June 1, I barely ran at all. I wasn’t trying to avoid running, it’s just that there was no time or urgency. I had moved; I was wrapping up a very difficult year of teaching; I was enjoying my summer holidays. I was content not running. However by mid-August, I … [Read more…]
Day 1 Claresholm, AB: Visitors Centre and Museum Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site Frank, AB: Frank Slide Interpretive Centre Fernie, BC: Thrift Store Cranbrook, BC: Frank’s Steak and Schnitzel Haus Moyie Lake Provincial Park Day 2 Creston, BC: Black Bear Books Cafe & Kingfisher Used Book Store Nelson, BC: Hume Hotel Restaurant, downtown shopping, … [Read more…]
During our travels through southern BC, I was able to drop in to the Monastery of All Saints in Dewdney. The monastery has three residents and is presided over by Most Reverend Lazar Puhalo (Vladika), a retired archbishop (his biography is quite fascinating). I have been watching his YouTube videos for 3 or 4 years now, off … [Read more…]
Ever since I was able to distinguish what anabaptists were from baptists, I have been intrigued by their story and their theology. My interactions and knowledge of anabaptists and their later affiliates have been: seeing Hutterites at the farmer’s market and out and about the movie Witness set in an Amish settlement many friends who grew … [Read more…]
The other book I’ve read by Mark Noll profoundly changed the way I perceive Christianity, and for that I am grateful. That book was called The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. It chronicled the history of evangelicalism in the United States and Canada from its roots of Methodism, Presbyterianism, big tent revivals, denominational splits and … [Read more…]
This is my first 100% grain brew. I borrowed Alex’s brewing gear (a hacked cooler and a turkey fryer) and headed over to Anne’s to make magic. She asked me to help her make some beer for her upcoming 50th birthday party and I gladly agreed. She wanted a hefeweizen and named it Hef-Century Kleffeweizen … [Read more…]