Footie, Hockey, Board Games & Beer

 Just brewed a winter seasonal dark amber beer with semi-sweet chocolate, chocolate malt, molasses, and some vanilla extract. I call it a dark amber because I predict that it will finish darker than a regular amber. Since the definition of an amber relates in some ways to its colour I wonder if a dark amber is in fact an amber at all. At any rate I am now considering whether to add any more spices. I plan to add some cacao nibs to add more depth to the chocolate flavours present, and to further holidayify the beer I may add some other traditional holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice. I've had mixed results with spices in my beer so I don't want to again become over zealous with the amount used, and as a result produce an inferior brew.

 Just a short list of some of the things that I have missed, and some that I have cherished in these unsettled times.

2020 has been an interesting and challenging year...to put it mildly. Here in BC, along with most other places the number of covid cases continue to rise, and it seems that we are now fully in the second wave of the virus. We've just watched the US people vote to change their government, and in doing so voted for a change, and a different vision for the country. I know that many people, myself included, will be watching to see what that vision looks like. Couple those things with increasing evidence of climate change, the opioid overdose crisis, the shortage of affordable housing, the myriad of other challenges in our lives these days, and sometimes it almost gets too much to take.  One of the things that I do to make myself feel good is brew beer. I find that the now familiar and well defined process of taking raw materials, and using them to create a tasty beverage very satisfying, and in my humble opinion I've managed create quite a few that turned out to be excellent beers....