Tonight I brewed up a recipe that I have been mulling over for quite some time, a juniper Rye pale ale. The idea is merge a floral hoppiness of a pale ale with the unique juniper aroma and essence. The following is a summary of the boil and pitch process. Just as the northern lights can be a splash of color and life during a long, cold winter, I want the Northern Lights Juniper Rye PA to be a bright, vibrant brew that awakens a winter palette that has been overwhelmed with thick stouts and complex porters. I will, as always, keep everyone up-to-date as this beer ferments, ages, and is consumed.

For this particular brew, I am using two hop varieties that I have not previously used; the Magnum and Motueka (a New Zealand variety). Another first for me is the use of Juniper Berries, which should lend a pleasant, bitter-sweet aroma which reminds me of gin. The berries are sweet, with a hint of pine and turpentine. This ingredient is traditional in the Scandinavian beers…the homeland of the northern lights.

Fermentables
2 lbs. – Rye Male
7 lbs. – Pale Liquid Male Extract

Hops
2.0 oz. – Magnum 13.5% AA – 60 minutes
1.0 oz. – Motueka 8.9% AA – 15 minutes
1.0 oz. – Motueka 8.9% AA – 5 minutes

Yeast
White Labs American Irish Ale (WLP004)

Steep rye malt for 30 minutes at ~150 F.

Add pale liquid malt extract, and return to boil. Add 2 oz. of the Magnum hops to the boil. A heavy curtain of hop aroma steams up from the kettle. Add 1 oz. of Motueka hops (whole leaf) in steeping bag. Steep the juniper berries in a small pot and pour mixture into a food processor. A quick pulse will crack the berries and create a juniper “slurry”.

With 5 boil minutes remaining, place the remaining 1 oz. of Motueka hops to another steeping bag. Pour the juniper “slurry” through the hops into the kettle and let the berries fall into the bag. Let the entire mixture steep in the boiling wort for the remaining time.

Cool the wort, place into the fermenter, pitch the yeast, and wait for the bubbles.

Today, I was looking at my office window, or rather I was wishing I were on the other side of the pane. Snow flurries had move in from the west and the horses in the neighboring pasture were grazing in a tight bunch that reminded me of images I have seen of musk-ox circled up against some potential predator. Over the horses, a flock of geese flew over as they seem to be headed for warmer climes. It was the first time this fall that I felt the inevitable icy approach of winter.

Jerry R Oldenettel from Socorro, NM posted on ID Frontiers that there is a Sungrebe at Bospue del Apache. You can see pics of the bird at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jroldenettel/

I recently heard a podcast that featured Kevin Karlson speaking about his upcoming book – Birding by Impression. The concept is to use general impression upon viewing bird to narrow the identification choices or positively identify a species. Most of us are familiar with of “giss” – using our general impressions and experience to guide us towards an ID. I tend to think of impression birding as Giss 2.0.

Many of us have been unconsciously utilizing this right brain process only to switch to a totally left-brained analytical ID process. We wade into the minutia of feather anatomies and other details. Impression birding has us sticking with that creative thought process. In time, we train ourselves to recognize birds like we recognize friends and relatives. We know our friends without having to think about it, and with use and practice we can know our birds without thinking about it.

The basic key to impression birding are the following;

• Size: What relative size is the bird?
• Shape: What is the overall shape of the bird?
• Structure: What are the prominent or unique features of the bird?
• Behavior: Is the bird engaging in some differentiating behavior?
• Habitat: Where am I seeing this bird? (I love this one!)
• Coloration: What is the color of the bird? (I hate this one…colorblind)
• Vocalization: Is the bird calling/singing?
• Comparison: Who are the bird’s neighbors?

I am only paraphrasing Kevin’s methodology and he has a wealth of articles, written by him, on his site that discuss this topic. I encourage everyone to give it a gander or two.

Now, I feel that impression birding is a great weapon to add to our arsenals, but it is just another tool. I do not believe that it is a replacement for knowledge, experience or analysis; it is one more skill that we can employ to help us bird better.

This evening I brought over a couple of bottles of my two latest homebrew to Andy’s place for a little tasting and watch the bills on MNF (we won’t mention the game outcome, but it was brutal). Below is a couple of pics of the brews and my intentional impressions.

	The Sticky Sweet Maple Honey Porter has a light mouthfeel and the flavor has subtle tones of maple and the high alcohol lends a near wine-like quality. The nose is floral.
	The South by Southwheat Agave Ale was very clear, both in color and in mouthfeel. Very refreshing with sweet, nectar flavors. I think that this is going to be a hit.

Ok..there’s is no such thing, but this is what happens when you let a hillbilly get a hold of good spices…we make chili. This is actually a variation on a recipe shown to me by an Indian friend, a very Americanized Indian friend. The recipe is stupid simple but the results are great.

	Add Sesame Oil and butter to stock pot. Drop in Garam Masala, Curry, Mustard Seeds, and Chili Powder to the oil mixture. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
	Soften onion in spice/oil mixture. Later add cubed potato and garlic.
	Add lean ground beef and cook until browned. once the beef is browned, add tomatoes and juice to the pot. Let simmer for a couple of hours.
	Add the juice of one lime towards the end of the cooking. Adds a nice citrus tartness.
	Serve on top of basmati rice. Enjoy!

Today we (Olivia and I) went for a little hike along South Cottonwood Creek. The weather was overcast and warm, and the trail was a little muddy. It took 3 changes of water to get Olivia clean when we return home. These kind of days bring that unique quiet where you only hear what you choose to concentrate on. The running of the water over the worn rocks. The unique dampened squish from the thin layer of mud under my boots. The rolling calls of Clark’s Nutcrackers in the forest. The bird count was slow and low with Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers and Mountain Chickadees making up the bulk of the sightings. I was able to scare up a lone Dark-eyed Junco.

This evening I made a delightful caprese salad with roasted cherry tomatoes and anchovies. This is a super simple dish to make, and it is suitable for a starter salad or as a salad entree.

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Salt and pepper them, and place in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Cut mozzarella into ~1/2 inches slices.

Drizzle a bed of extra virgin olive oil\on the plate, and arrange mozzarella slices and anchovy fillets.

Remove cherry tomatoes from the oven. Place on top of the salad with basil

Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Paired with Rogue River Juniper Pale Ale

Appearance: Dark Golden with a thick creamy head
Aroma: Soft pine aroma with light hops
Taste: Creamy palate with bright pine notes…very pleasant

Overall: I have never had a juniper-infused ale, but I have been thinking of using that ingredient in an upcoming homebrew. So, when I saw this on the shelf at Rosauers it was quickly grabbed and purchased. I enjoyed this brew; however, it is not what I find to be a session beer. It is great for a pint or two. I can’t wait to brew my Northern Lights Juniper Rye PA…coming soon.