Apfelwein

I return, dear readers! Alive and kicking (though doing so makes me cough a lot).

Above is a picture of my apfelwein, mid brew. Poor creature, attended by colder than desired brewing temperatures and a sick, and disinterested brewer. It could have been so much better...

As it is, it does have a winey taste, and it is a pale golden liquid so it is very pretty. It just lacks fizz and even a hint of sweetness. You see, I was told that by using baking yeast, and leaving my mixture to ferment for only a week, it would be left with some untransformed sugars. This was a lie.

Katharine (The Boyfriend's Mother who has revealed herself in the comments) unfortunately feels a bit ill herself, and couldn't sample my experiment. She did, however, supply me with "Irish Death" beer from the local brewery "Iron Horse Brewery".

You see, I have been slowly getting my feet wet in the world of alcohol. I am unsure of what I really like and what is "really good". Drinking a local made beer that is recommended by multiple people of taste appeals to me. The local aspect appeases my "keep your money where you live" desires, and I (perhaps to my detriment) enjoy doing what is recommended to me.

But even so, I have to sip at it. I have to tell my tongue "yes, that is alcohol. Don't worry, it won't hurt you. Now taste around it". For me, it is almost like trying to see one of those "magic eye" pictures, or listening to two sets of instructions at once. This probably accounts for the success of wine coolers.

In any event, the apple cider experiment was not a failure, because in science(!) experiments are for learning something. I have learned that I much more enjoy professionally made cider, and I should not ruin my juice.

Wing Central, or, my first time in a sports bar

Yesterday, my good friend Lisa had agreed to hang out with me. Then she found out that the Seattle Seahawks were having their first game of the season and offered to buy me lunch. Stephanie also came to watch the game. There was a T.V. at every table.




It being Wing Central, I had to pass up on the "PBJ Burger" and get the "Kung Fu Wings" instead. They were about a medium heat, which was good enough for me, and very tangy. Trying to eat these sticky wings and not get the sauce all over my phone while I took pictures was quite the feat, I'll have you know.



That's the garbage bucket.

So, we ordered "No Smoochin' Garlic fries" which were a delightful waffle fry with garlic sauce and Parmesan cheese over the top.

The waitstaff, either by virtue of being understaffed on a game day or because they didn't like us, kept forgetting about us. First they forgot the fries (which were an appetizer and thus should have been the first thing served), then they forgot my over priced beer, and it took forever to get checked out.

We left at half time to go to the bar at which Lisa's boyfriend works.



That, my friends, is delicious American heritage.

Apparently before prohibition, apples were for brewing, not for eating. I am currently dabbling in making apple cider but that's still a week away, and I wanted to drink it now. It was delicious.



My friends and I mused on how after a rhino smashed your barrel of apples you basically had to make it into cider, because they can't be kept for long after they bruise.

Long story short, Wing Central had tasty food, but was over priced and had poor service.