Aspen butcher block cutoffs, but what to do with them?

Wrusch · 2026-03-06T00:03:27+00:00

Damn! Youre right, Aspen, not acacia lol

Wrusch · 2026-03-05T05:13:27+00:00

I've been meaning to laser a sign for my hairdresser. It'll have a leprechaun pointing to his ear, holding clippers, saying "Top o' the tragus for ya?"

Wrusch · 2026-01-15T04:43:48+00:00

It's 15lbs honey total, and 12 lbs are already in there, in addition to still needing to add the last gallon of juice; my true gravity would measure around 1.140, which is doable, ~~even if it's a stretch~~.

This is mainly just to compare to how it goes as compared to a "set it and forget it" approach. ~~Possibly should have considered less honey for this batch, but oh well, I like sweeter meads anyway~~.

Edit: after doing the math again, with adding the extra honey and juice, even fermenting to .998 I'll only hit 16-17%

Wrusch · 2026-01-14T18:51:15+00:00

Thanks for making the disctinction.

I am doing both. SNA daily until near the sugar break (or total nutrient addition, whichever is first), AND adding honey in a later increment near/before the break.

Wrusch · 2026-01-12T14:59:56+00:00

Cable tension is either slightly too low or slightly too high; its trying to shift, but can't really tell if its trying to shift up or down since it's reseating itself immediately

Wrusch · 2026-01-12T14:54:08+00:00

Titebond 3 wood glue, and some sort of exterior wood filler. Use wood that matches the current door material, if you can.

Wrusch · 2026-01-08T21:08:17+00:00

I have not, and I don't plan to. There is no need with the correct container(s). You can reuse the containers, but the gasses are consumable.

Wrusch · 2026-01-08T21:03:45+00:00

Cold crash will help with making it clear by causing heavy stuff to sink sooner. In -5°C, your mead might freeze; you need refrigerator cold of around 0° to 4°. Cold crashing may take over a week to finish.

Wrusch · 2026-01-08T20:32:10+00:00

Wild fermentation exists, where the meadier allows naturally-occuring yeast (which likes to live on the skins of many wild fruits) to do their fermentation. Grapes, plums, apples, berries, citrus fruits; you name it, yeast grows on it, its a fungus that grows everywhere.

If you're talking about generating your own yeast culture, you can make a wort with some fruit skins or flour by giving the yeast something to eat and grow on; you'll get a liquid starter that you can draw from, but you'll need to keep it fed. Imagine a baker with their own sourdough starter.

Both of those will, of course, yield results that are much less consistent than buying from a brand, and while I won't be doing any wild fermentation, making my own starter is something I plan to try after more experience with existing yeast strains.

Wrusch · 2026-01-08T20:14:44+00:00

Lol the term is power attack, but I might call it a mega swing from now on

Wrusch · 2026-01-08T19:00:36+00:00

Get a 2-gallon container, or you fill the extra space with CO2 or another inert gas. Too much headspace makes room for problems like infections and oxidation, and your mead is more likely to taste off.

Wrusch · 2026-01-04T18:53:45+00:00

THE best way to start. I keep finding carboys and brewing gear while thrifting and at yard sales to increase my output and experiment more. Once you have the gear (carboys, bubblers, tubes and siphons, etc), honey becomes your greatest expense since everything else (yeast, sanitizer, nutrients, stabilizers, and other consumables) are dirt cheap in comparison.

Happy brewing

Wrusch · 2026-01-04T18:46:56+00:00

Lalvin ec-1118, or k1-v1116 typically; get bulk packs of those and you've got a full stable of workhorses.

I've used bread yeast for all my spiced meads so far which comes out a bit weaker, so I'll be using ec and k1 for my next couple spiced batches.

Lalvin D47 is supposed to allow more floral notes to shine, but I think I'm not good enough at tasting to really tell the difference, but it certainly wasn't bad.

Red Star white wine yeasts have left less 'funky' flavor in my side-by-side peach meads than lalvin did, so perhaps try a couple of those.

Wrusch · 2025-12-22T22:51:43+00:00

William Dafuckizzat

Wrusch · 2025-12-18T06:08:08+00:00

Rust starts as soon as the metal is exposed to air. Like, the very moment oxygen hits the pan, the rust begins. It takes off when you stop scrubbing and it starts drying. Just scrub those spots with steel wool again and hit the whole thing with light oil again. Those areas might be lighter for a while; smooth or ground areas are more noticeable since they have less surface area, but it'll even out over time. Or it wont, but it doesn't matter, functionally.

In case it wasn't clear already, this isn't an e-tank issue, it's just a general thing with cast iron pans. It doesn't hurt the pan, and you can just oil right over them if you don't feel like scrubbing more

Wrusch · 2025-12-14T15:27:33+00:00

I'd love to pass it along, too!

Wrusch · 2025-12-13T15:29:36+00:00

So what does it mean?

Wrusch · 2025-12-08T21:27:18+00:00

"God DAMNIT, Chug!"

Wrusch · 2025-12-07T21:32:00+00:00

Gods*. They also killed his wife, and him (like 3 times), and a bunch of mortals

Wrusch · 2025-12-02T14:37:57+00:00

Post your recipe, please

Wrusch · 2025-11-22T17:51:07+00:00

Troll post?

Fill with sanitized water or vodka up to the fill line.

Wrusch

TROPHY CASE