What's going down...

I've had my "Mk1" Scottish 80/- on tap for a couple of days now, and I've finally sat down to snap a photo or two.  Part of my reasoning for waiting was to let it sit a bit & settle (for clarity) and to let the CO2 bleed off somewhat (it started by pouring 1" of beer with 8" of head).  Here it is, though:
That is, of course, with a lamp directly behind it.  Still, the color is nice; it's a bit hazy, but I'm not *that* picky (so long as it's for my own consumption).  Flavor-wise, it's just about right on--not the same as I had in Glasgow last year, but well within the style guidelines.

Additionally, I've got hops again this year!  The one Cascade rhizome which survived the winter of '08-'09, and managed not to get ripped to shreds by the dog, has put up shoots...  Over 30 of them, to date...
This is early on, shortly after it started putting up shoots.  I've got it trimmed back right now to the "most vigorous" 12--and once Spring is in full swing (in a couple of weeks), I'll trim back further to the best four.  I've gotta give it to her, this rhizome is a tough girl.

In other news, I'll be teaching a class at Lochmere's Night On The Town this Saturday.  The topic:  Extract vs. All-Grain--Holy War, or Hype?  I'll be doing side-by-side half-batches of a simple Munich-based beer, one extract, one AG, and discussing the various differences/pros/cons of each method.  I hope to have the beer available for sampling at our Investiture in September.

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