Gearing up (to get get drunk)

Lots of training and preparation for highland games right now. First games are on February 25-26 in Fort Worth, and I'm feeling strong and ready. Picked up some nagging training injuries, but nothing that should hold me back. One more week of pure strength training and I will switch gears to an in-season program with more emphasis on speed and maintaining strength.

Finally got my fork ready for sheaf too.

Got the 16 lb. practice sheaf stuffed and sewn shut (thanks, honey) but I'm not going to show it because it's um...not...aesthetically pleasing.

Had a pretty busy day with booze yesterday. Finally got the cabernet sauvignon I have had aging in the closet into bottles. Looks and tastes pretty good, but definitely still needs a few weeks in the bottle to finish. Bottling this stuff reminded me why I went to kegging for my beer: saving immense amounts of time.

Finally got my Highland Games Ale in the keg last night and force-carbonated it today. It's pretty much a Scottish Export 80/- with a tiny tweak to the hop profile. It tastes pretty hoppy, which isn't exactly what I was going for. Maybe spending the rest of the week in the keg will smooth it out.

In other beer news - the kind that doesn't require work on my part - I received my first shipment from the Great American Beer Club! A free 12-pack! Ashley's dad and stepmother gave me a two-month membership for Christmas. Hopefully I will get some of these brews up for Tasting Tuesday sometime soon.