The Aldrich Ave Daily

I thought I would update some of you on Purple Palace Brewing. For starters it is a little project that my roommate and I decided to give a name to. We’ve both been amateur home-brewers for a few years now. We’re getting to the point to making our own “homebrew” and stop with the kit brewing. Kit brewing, for those of you who are not of the brewing ilk, is basically buying a beer kit and brewing it up. For example. Lets say we want to make and IPA. We can go to our local brew supply store and buy an IPA kit in a box. Its great for starters to get aquainted with the brewing process. All the ingredients are in the box and ready for you. As our knowledge and enjoyment of this process grows, starting to make our own beer from scratch was just a matter of time. Well here we are. So with that we gave a name to our little project. Purple Palace Brewing. Named after the color of our house, bathroom, and kitchen(not by choice). There’s a great program you can buy for your PC called ProMash. Its great for making beers from scratch. You can save your recipes, change and tweak that particular recipe with the click of a mouse. It will calculate your potential ABV(alcohol by volume), and the COLOR!! Plus many more interesting features. Pretty slick eh?
Every home brewer, in my opinion, he or she has got to got to keg their beer. For 3 reasons. 1. The worst part of brewing beer is collecting, cleaning, sanitizing, and bottling it. Its boring, takes up a lot of time, and takes up a lot of space. 2. Kegged beer ALWAYS tastes the best. Hands down, it gives you the best out of the beer. All the flavors come out. 3. Its just flat out cool. Especially when you have a keggerator, draught tap, or what have you. With that said, the next step at Purple Palace is kegging. We’ve found a nice wine chiller that we will convert into a holding cell for the keg. We’ve also found a great deal on a kegging system. For roughly $180 we will get a used and refurbished 5 gallon keg, a CO2 tank(empty), a regulator, some tubing, and a party tap. Thats a helluva deal.
As we progress and start creating our own types of beers we will still be doing the extract type brewing. Extract type brewing takes about half the time of all-grain. Instead of Mashing and Sparging the grains, you just steep the grains. All Grain brewing is the closest thing you can get to making beer like the big guys. Think of it this way. Steeping the grains is the first step in extract brewing. Mashing and sparging is the first step for all-grain brewing. The steps after that are the same. Step #1 on both ends in short, is just a way of preparing the grains. All-Grain takes up much more time, more money, more equipment, and a bigger volume. For two poor guys like us, extract brewing will be just fine for now.
With that said, I’m happy to announce that talks are in motion as to what kind of beer Purple Palace will bring out first. There’s been talk of making a nice light Lager, and now with the kegging system, a Stout. For now, what we have coming up from our remaining kit beers is a Lake Superior Strong Ale(bottled and currently around 6%ABV). We’ve got a Witbier(white beer, think of Blue Moon) fermenting now and will have it on tap for new years, and finally an EPA. English Pale Ale. Similar to IPA’s just not as aggressively hopped.
So there ya have it folks. I thought I’d tell my readers about the last of my 3 passions that I haven’t really written about. Bicycles, wrenching, and brewing. Welcome to Purple Palace brewing.

“Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?” Think about that one for a minute…………………………..

I recently came across this quote about a month ago. It jolted my insides. It really did. My mind wanders pretty much on a constant basis. More so in the past year or so. Most of it relates to what I wanna do with my time on this planet. This 80 year  journey of life. Am I just gonna sit back and do things in a safe manner? Or am I going to get out there and take risks? This quote may not apply to everyone. Some people are just fine and dandy with being “on shore”, but I want to accomplish something big. I want to be remembered that I made a difference during my life. We only get one shot at this life thing right? So why not make the most of it.

My first love, and will always be my first love is bicycles. When my career is all said and done, I’m sure I will have been in the bicycle industry throughout my years. I love the sense of freedom you get when you are riding a bike. Never had that before on one? Next time you go out on a bike ride, don’t bring you’re Ipod, don’t bring with you the daily issues, the stress, personal problems. Get out there with a clear mind and listen. Listen to the wind in you’re ears. Listen to the leaves bustling in the air. Birds chirping, or the Ocean if you can. I heard a quote on a show last night about the Ocean. “Listen, beautiful isn’t it? The worlds oldest song.” Riding down the trail and seeing wild turkey’s running around, and deer grazing. You can’t experience these things driving around in you’re car. Thats what I love so much about this industry. We promote good health, and well being. In a time of Global Warming, “unfortunate consequenses”, and to some impending DOOM, we can shed some light on the topic. Getting out and riding a bike every day does no harm to the environment and its surroundings. I wouldn’t pick any other industry for my career path.

What about doing this writing thing I’ve been talking about for so long? Yes. I still would like to pursue that as a side project.  I want to learn more of the English language and find unique ways to use it. I want to write about certain topics in a unexpected, unusual, and weird way. I think the main thing I would want to write about on a daily basis are current events. I can’t get enough of it. I’m constantly perusing through every website I can think of. ABC News, CNN, Fark, Drudgereport, WCCO, ESPN, and many others. Almost like I am reporting the news only in a odd, twisted manner. No, not reporting, but putting my insight on the topic. Using my opinions. There would have to be some humor added in for sure.  Would people read this? Who knows. I must try right? Brave that storm of life. Perhaps there is a form of this writing already out there. The quote that is above was written by Hunter S. Thompson.

Of course when people think of H.S. Thompson they think of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Indeed this was a very well written book, but I believe most people out there think all this man was good at was getting stoned, ripped, twisted, and then would write about those experiences. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is his version of a failed Gonzo experience. I hate people that are fans of him for that reason, and that reason only. He was much more of that. He almost became sheriff of Pitkin County, near his hometown in Colorado. He was very much involved in politics, and throughout the 60’s and 70’s did many different reports and articles on political events, and figures. That’s the real Hunter Thompson. Its his letters in “Fear and Loathing in America” that really show his true writing style. He is the number 1 reason why I would want to become a writer. Not because he would get ripped all the time. It was because of his style of writing. I like to think of it as a go all out style. He didn’t hold back. If someone pissed him off, he let them know about it. He spoke his mind. I like that.

So what am I going to do about it? Go big or go home. I’ve got ideas, lots of them. I just need to turn them into reality.

Someone once told me “ya know Andy, people change.” That was just 4 years ago, and at the time I really was too young and naive to comprehend what that really meant. At the time, I thought my life was pretty well set. Even though I wasn’t in college, was working retail, and was renting. I thought I would be married by the age I am now. I figured, things would work themselves out over time. Change? No. I’m 21 years old, I’ve already become the person I would be for the rest of my life.
Boy was I gravely wrong. I have changed more in the past 4 years, then I did the 21 years leading up to it. I’m not married, in fact I’m single. And I’m fine with that. Its almost as if my mind really started to turn itself on. Wake up moron. Get you’re act together. Indeed something inside of me did click. I think dealing with losing a very special person in my life had something to do with that. I had a lot of time to sit back and ponder. At the time, I thought I would never get out of my rut. I never thought I would want to, or even need to go to college. Part of that had to do with the success my dad accomplished in his lifetime. The other part of me had no idea what I wanted to do. As I began to “wake up” I started thinking very hard what I would, if I decided to to so, go to school for. My first thoughts lead me to Business. I could start my own Business. That is sort of what I ended up going to Anoka Ramsey for in the first place. Intro to Business with Jonathan Gallop. A local Attorney who was teaching this course. A hilarious, crazy bastard, who really let us know just how hard starting up a business is. After his class, I realized its not what I want to be, and quit school alltogether. Working at the bike shop became my priority.
I started thinking about writing. What about journalism? I always had good grades back in the day for English, Language Arts, and classes of that nature. Math, Science, Geography? Fuggetaboutit. Writing was the only thing in High School I enjoyed. I started to indulge myself in the writing of Hunter S. Thompson. Most people relate to him and his drug crazed “failed” experiement of Gonzo Journalism known as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This new form of journalism he started to try out really got me thinking. Journalism with a twist? Sort of. He has also been linked to being one of the first persons to use New Journalism, which is much more popular in today’s world. I could do that. I love writing. Thats why I started a blog. Get my thoughts out there. So there it is. Hopefully within the next year or so, I am going back to school for Journalism, and English. I never in a million years thought of doing this 4 years ago.
Books? Talk Radio? These two terms didn’t exist in my mind or vocabulary 4 years ago. Honestly, I loathed books. Couldn’t stand the things. Nowadays, I can’t get enought of them. I think the mind takes in more information when that person reads it, not watching it. I love sitting out on my front porch, with a glass of SoCo, a nice chair, and tons of daylight. Talk radio is the same. I hated it whan I had to listen to that stuff at work. I brought in a separate radio on my bench so I could faze out that non-stop banter. Yet, here I am, right now as I write this, listening to Garage Logic, taking in all the info, and banter I can get.
I would be nice to have known back then what I know now, but then again, thats what makes life so unpredicable, surprising, and exciting. Not only do people change, I think people change througout our lifetimes. So yes, “people do change”, and ya know what? Change is good.

Before I start, I would like to point out that this is my first entry on the new host site. I would like to thank Ms. Kocha for introducing me to this wonderful website(you can find her blog on my blogroll). I’ve been wanting to switch my blog page for a long time now, and this one caught my eye. So far I have no complaints.

Do any of you ride a snowboard? If so, you should be aware, that we at Erik’s Bike Shop DO snowboard service. I think a lot of shredders out there don’t realize that we do snowboard service. I’ve got to be honest. I come from a nordic ski background and when I first started at Erik’s the snowboard service was mediocre at best. Granted, nordic skiers are more anal about wax, and care of their product then snowboarders will ever be, but I’ve tried to raise the bar. We as a company have as well. When I first started all that we offered was a hot wax, edge sharpen, and some p-tex service, and Grindrite.  We since gone through some changes within the company and have a much better department to service snowboards. Two seasons ago all the service managers were professionally trained out at Afton Alps for a ski/snowboard service clinic. We’ve added more wax options. Before it was just an all purpose, all temp wax. I pushed this that we need options for wax. Different temperature’s and different types of snow require different types of wax. More edge tuning tools are now available. We can do any type of bevel adjustment the customer wants. We now offer Diamond Stone Edge polishing. A final smooth, and professional finish to and edge sharpen. All shops have capabilities of doing base patches, de-lam fixes, and now base welds for those deep gashes down to the core. Two Tune-Up options for you’re board as well.  The bottom line is, we’re going to take care of you’re board just as well, if not better then the more well known snowboard service shops in the Twin Cities.

I learned a lot from my 4 years on a nordic ski team in high school. I also helped coach for 3 years after that. Nordic skiers take care of their ski’s in an almost cult like fashion. Did you know that some waxes need to be applied wearing a mask? Just breathing in the dust can be toxic. I try to take some of that knowledge, and commitment from one aspect and use it on another. I’ve tried to tell the kids that buy these boards the importance of keeping it in good shape. The idea in snowboarding is to shred the gnar with no regard, and replace the board in a couple years. And lets face facts. We here in Minnesnowta usually ride on shitty snow. Its man-made, usually icy, and very corny. By corny I mean is not very solid. Its broken up and rough on equipment. Thats why I try to emphasize servicing boards even more. Why not ride that board for a few years more? As long as the board still suits you’re size, and riding style, keep it maintained, whats the point? You just might enjoy it a bit more. Start to develop that connection with you’re equipment. Speaking of finding that connection with equipment, I think its time to pull the ski’s from the basement. Ciao.
P.S. Don’t believe the sticker on the board that says “pre-waxed”. FALSE. That shit is more designed for shipping purposes. You must get you’re board professionally waxed before riding.

I have long been a supporter of helping the enviornment and doing my part to “go green.” I do my best not to waste resources and only use what I really need. I ride my bike religiously during the summer, trying to use my car less. My car does indeed get quality gas mileage and isn’t one of those big ass, gas guzzling, monstrosities, with wheels taller then me, and serve no purpose in society. Hummer H2? C’mon, those things are pointless. I have NEVER seen one of those things with a spec of dirt on them. Can’t get all that chrome dirty now can they? I work in an industry and supports the whole “go green” aspect. Each day however, I find it harder and harder to continue my ways. I feel that people in this country just don’t give a shit. Sure there are strong advocets of this movement. Has anyone heard of Al Gore? However, I feel that the general population could care less. It still boggles my mind that these people critizize the effects that we really play on global warming. The answer seems so simple. Wether or not we are contributing to global warming, the Earth is indeed changing regardless of Global Warming, and we need to take action. Consuming resources at a pace the planet cannot keep up with, polluting the atmosphere on a daily basis, destroying other culture’s way of life. The U.S. has got to be the top contributor to all three of these problems.
We consume more then any other country. Everything is in excess. Too many food joints, stores for miles. Think of all the products that are in retail stores JUST in the Twin Cities. Food, clothing, cars, bicycles, everyday household items. You could get anything you want delivered to you the next day if you wanted. Think of the constant stream of delivery trucks that roam our freeways with goods. Non-stop I’m sure, delivering goods on a daily basis. Just too much.
What about pollution? While I think China is the biggest contributor to that, we are right behind them. Why don’t we have laws to limit the amount of CO2 companies and send into the atmosphere? Because it will hurt the economy? Bullshit. A sad excuse for CEO’s to avoid the problem. What if the government were to help those companies with the cost to transform their current process to a cleaner solution? Get the hell outta Iraq and use the money for a better purpose. I stated this a couple posts ago, but I’m going to repeat myself. The Iraq war is a war were were told was to stop terrorism. We were told what we wanted to hear. False, its about OIL, and taking control of the biggest cash crop in human history.
Corporate America is constantly taking advantage of other nation’s resources. Why? So they can make millions, the American public gets what it demands, and everyone is happy right? Wrong. Think of all those places, and people around the world that have suffered severely so we can be happy. The books that John Perkins have written really open the worlds eyes to the American Empire. His books “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, and “The Secret History of the American Empire:Economic Hit men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption” emphasize how Corporate America makes all its moeny. I must say, its sickening. Its no wonder people in the Middle East, Asia, and South America loathe Americans.
The sad reality is, we have become accustomed to our way of life. Spoiled? In some aspects yes. Will the leaders of our country realize these effects we play and change the way we go about our lives? I have doubts about that. Doubts about not seeing changes in our lifetime, and that by the time those changes are made its going to be too late. All this talk of things that will be the end of the human race. All the natural disasters, the end of the Mayan Calendar, asteriods, magnetic shifts of the poles, radiation from the Sun, Ozone layer, etc. . I think the downfall of the human race with be the human race. Too many of us take life for granted. So who’s going to step up to the plate?

daily quote – “The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we’re contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe.” -Barack Obama