Last week, my co-workers and I engaged in another round of brewing. We did two batches, this time. One is a repeat of a previous effort: Haz-Map Ale. This is the brown ale with hazelnut extract and pure maple syrup. Delicious. The new one is Oatmeal Cookie Stout... an oatmeal stout brewed with raisins and brown sugar. Can't wait until we bottle, but that's not until early October.
I really like the idea of making food and drink that most people don't. It's fun and challenging. One thing I've always wanted to do was make my own cheese. But first I thought I'd try something a little easier: yogurt.
So yeah. Making my own yogurt. Not as easy as some sites I've seen have indicated. My first batch was utterly inedible. Way too sour and the consistency was all loose. So that one went down the drain. Second batch... still tart, but nowhere near as bad. Consistency was very thick (but then, I strained it with cheesecloth... perhaps a bit too much) but a little grainy.
One of the things I've been doing is using powdered milk in addition to the fat-free milk I've been using. This is mainly because I read that it can help thicken the yogurt, which may not be very thick when made with skim milk. But maybe it's the powdered milk that's giving the grainy texture. So tonight we'll try again, but will omit the powdered milk.
There are more variables in this than one might think from a casual investigation into yogurt-making. So many of the sites make it sound so freakin' easy. And I'm sure once I get the technique down, it will be easy to replicate in future batches. But for now, I'm still experimenting.
Next year, I want to start roasting my own coffee. Fun!
In other news, the cat situation is slightly improving. Rikku still spends most of the day hiding, but I've seen her and Tucker in the same room without trying to kill each other. And this weekend, she began actually being affectionate with me.
Another month and she might even start liking Tucker.
beer
