Short Introduction

First blog post ever! How exciting is this?! I feel it most important in my first blog post to discuss my beer making. As an employee at one of the finest, coolest, and raddest microbreweries in the United States, I have quick fallen in love with the art of beer making... especially when it raids your rental's kitchen for hours on end and the house no longer smells of various meals cooked from three other people, dirty laundry, and college shenanigans spilt on kitchen counters but rather, the sweet, sweet, sweet aroma of hops! I began this endeavor with a kit out of Midwest Brewing Supplies... an irish stout, of course. The first brew day was an apprehensive one with lots of stress, sanitation and re-sanitation of anything and everything coming into contact with the boiling wort, and great excitement. My partner in crime, a mate from the Portland suburbs, is meticulous and decided it would be best to record our procedures in a torn up notebook of mine that doubles as a sketch pad with the hours of boiling due to my low power range. Fast forward two months, and the stout was drinkable. First fermentation, carboy transfer, secondary fermentation, bottling, and the moment the growler blew off my hand was all a raging success and a new love was formed.

Currently, our second brew sits in the carboy as of today with great CO2 activity, a brilliant smell of strong booze (already!), and organic pumpkin chunks clinging to the glass. Along with this beer, I have started a gallon of hard apple cider in my bedroom and am either lulled to sleep by the rain of the Oregon valley or the sounds of gaseous carbon dioxide releasing from the airlock. As a biochemistry major in organic chemistry this year without a lab, brewing has doubled as my laboratory time and although there are never any lab reports, I find a mason jar of beer or cider much more of an incentive to experiment than an A on a report card.

Without sounding like to much of an alcoholic, let me write a little about something other than making booze... My name is Karleigh and I am a student in Oregon studying biochemistry and biophysics. I enjoy to surf, rock climb, garden, and read. I consider Walden by bible and will most likely paraphrase or quote the brilliant of Thoreau throughout this virtual blogging adventure to document any travels, adventures, thoughts, etc.

Currently: Fall term just ended, heading back home to work because money unfortunately has me by my hair with tuition bills, reading Call of the Wild, have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with my life and strangely enough I am totally ok with this.

On my mind: Cycle touring, a piece of land to cultivate, Bob Dylan's 'Girl From the North Country,' and loneliness. I cannot wait to be back in the mountains with my boots, a small fire, the quiet, and my companion... a furry mutt who goes by the name Bo.

Cheers to all