Once more unto the breech, dear friends…
Mead Batch #6
Oh, hell yes! I’ve just started on my 6th batch! So far, I’ve made:
- Blackberry-Orange: blackberry flavor was nonexistent; orange overpowering. Not the best, nor the worst mead. Only 1 gallon; didn’t last very long – pretty much drank it right about when it was done fermenting!
- Strawberry-Kiwi: strawberry very subtle, kiwi strongly present. I would rate this #1, currently have 3 550ml bottles aging since late July 2024.
- Strawberry-Serrano Pepper: strawberry very subtle, heavy on earthy side; spicy comes on like a jet engine. Tied with Strawberry-Kiwi for #1, also have 3 550ml bottles aging since late July 2024.
- Dune Spice: cinnamon is VERY present; more mellowed when I last drank it after it had aged a month; 4 750ml and 1 550ml bottle aging since mid-August.
- T’ej: TECHNICALLY AMY MADE THIS! I just pulled the recipe, she made it, I racked and bottled it. We only tasted it after a few days; it’s hard to explain the flavor. Have 2 750ml and 1 pint aging since late August.
Apple-Pomegranate!
- 3 gallons Martinelli’s apple juice
- 15lbs Costco wildflower honey
- 1 packet Laltivian EC-1118 yeast
- about 3/4 a gallon spring water to meet the 5 gallon mark
- 6lbs pomegranate seeds in a mesh bag
All this went in a 6.5 gallon primary fermentation bucket. It’ll be on a 5 gallon Staggered Nutrient Addition schedule; primary should be about 2-3 weeks. Initially, I planned to do an additional honey feeding to maximize the alcohol content, but after finding out my starting gravity is 1.144 – if I finish out at 1.000 final gravity, that will put this at 18.3% abv! No need for that! However, once I rack to secondary, I’m still gonna prep 4lbs more pomegranate so give it more of a visual and aromatic profile. Prolly about 2-3 more weeks with this extra pom, then let it continue secondary for a few weeks longer before bottling. I’m thinking roughly around December 4th. I’m super excited about this batch!!!
NEW Personal Electric Vehicle!
Yup. That’s my new-ish Lectric XP 3.0 eBike. I bought this from Frank back in August, and I was unable to pedal at all – granted, I had the seat low (my preference) BUT even raised, at that time, I was unable to pedal a full circle with my left leg. I rode on it with throttle only for a bit, ’til its controller died when I tried to ‘hack’ it to max out the speed (it’s originally a Class 2 eBike, meaning its either pedal-assist or throttle, with maximum assisted speed of 20mph) to Class 3 (pedal assist only gives you maximum speed of 28mph, throttle will only give you 19-20).
Lately, with my seat raised to hip level, I’ve been able to pedal with my left leg (about a week and half now). My knee still hurts, a bit, when I complete a pedal (with my left foot up high, knee bent about 90-ish degrees), but I’m ABLE TO DO IT!
My gait is probably about 75-85% nominal, data thanks to Apple’s Health app. I still feel pain in my knee all the time, but I’d say my average pain level these days are between 1-4 on a scale of 10. I tried to jog around my property twice, but that wasn’t exactly a bright idea – I’m better off walking fast at the moment. Since I fixed the Lectric (controller replacement), I’ve been able to pedal in PAS 5 mode for the past week and half, my highest speed has been 33.6mph and I’ve been riding at least 20-40 mins a day. With the assistance of my TENS machine, ice packs, and heated leg/knee massager, I’ve been able to handle this relatively well. I manage 4-10 miles a day; there’s not really much biking paths or biking-friendly roads around here (that are also not hella hilly!!!) – I’m hoping to head out to Weaverville and check out their bike trails – that town is more bike-friendly than this wee’un small town!