One of the best things about my new place is the kitchen. It's not a great kitchen, but the old one was AWFUL. It was long and narrow, and never seemed clean even after a scrubbing. Being in a very old house in one of Albuquerque's oldest neighborhoods, and suffering from lack of maintenance, it was a constant battleground against vermin. The new kitchen, while somewhat outdated, is layed out in a much more helpful manner, and is maintained and clean. This not only helps me cook better, but allows me to return to a hobby I've sorely missed-- homebrewing.

I'm a person who needs his hobbies, and have been stymied of late in all of them. I haven't had the space for a darkroom, have had soft - and hardware issues that make burning my concert boots a challenge at best, and that horrible kitchen kept me from brewing. Brewing requires sanitation, and I never felt it was possible there.

So I was tickled pink to bottle my first batch of mead the other day. I made it a year or so ago in a neighbor's kitchen, but never got it into the bottle. Mead, if you're not familiar, is a general term for honey wine. There are more specific terms for meads made with various ingredients. This was basically a trial batch, just a simple mead made with over-processed Costco honey. Still, I'm very pleased with it. It's rather tasty, came out nice and clear, and has a decent kick to it. If you'd like to know more about it and how it is made, read the pamphlet that I wrote for a class in Technical Writing.

I guess the pleasure I get from crafting a fine brew or mead is similar to that of a cook who watches people enjoying the fruits of his/her labors. It's not just an expresssion of the time, care, and work that goes into it, but also a self-expression, as far as what you choose to make and how you make and present it. I make something that, if it is good, must be savored, because only that five gallon batch will ever taste EXACTLY that way. I've made some unique and tasty brews that I was proud of, and now I'm going to explore making both meads and wines.

I intend to make another batch soon, with raspberries and raw honey from a nearby beekeeper. When the apricot tree in the front yard bears fruit, there's another five gallons.

This will be a fun kitchen.