Deadlifts and Dying Yeast

All I am lacking for my all grain brewing setup to be functional is a larger brew pot. I have a 10-gallon mash tun, so I guess it makes sense to get an 80-quart pot so I can move my batches from 5 to 10 gallons in the future. I know I can get an aluminum stock pot from Academy for $90-100 bucks. I am gonna keep scanning craigslist though and see if I can find one cheaper or maybe a stainless steel for a similar price. I am probably gonna end up drilling valves and temperature probes myself though, so I'm not exactly thrilled about drilling stainless steel.

Definitely getting the itch to brew. I have the ingredients sitting in my fridge for an extract blonde ale, so I hope Aaron can free up his schedule enough to sync up his brew dates with mine. Yes, we are adorable like that. I also have a vial of Irish Ale yeast sitting in the fridge rapidly approaching its "best if used by"date. I want to get my first all grain batch going in time for the holidays. I think I might be a little late to do anything good for Thanksgiving, so maybe a nice cranberry ale for Christmas. Something like this? Doesn't help my Irish Ale predicament though.

I am trying to match up a brewery tour or some kind of beer event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for this coming weekend when I drive up for the powerlifting meet. Any suggestions welcome. I think Rahr & Sons is the obvious choice: lots of history and a great facility. I am open to anything really though.

I felt a little better about my training after my meltdown earlier this week. I told myself i was going to repeat my max effort squat day today since I was unsatisfied with Monday's session. However, several shots of tequila last night had me calling an audible. Since there hasn't been much deadlifting in my program this last couple of months, I decided to give it a go. Glad I did.

Max Effort Lower

Deadlift

135x10, 5

225x3

315x3

365x3

405x1

455x1 - This never felt so easy.

480x1 PR - It was a shaky rep and the lockout was far from ideal, but I'm calling it a gym record. No hitch and no downward bar motion. Probably wouldn't pass in a meet, though.

Wide Grip Chins

12, 12, 10 - Extra motivation from a random group of Crossfitters working on their kip right next to me.

45-degree Back Raises w/ Medium Band

4x15

Weight - 205

My right knee feels like it's full of wet cardboard. I need a haircut. I also desperately need this bowl:

Sparge is a Funny Word

I've been all amped up about building my own mash tun for all grain homebrewing. I decided I would start the process today and get the basics. In the age of "everything available on the internet, always" I have decided to this stubborn-style. No how-to vids, no using someone else's process and parts listed on a homebrew forum somewhere. No; I was going to sit and think, sketch this out and figure it out on my own.

After all - it's just a container to put things in, run water over them and drain it out. Right?

Today I just picked up the 5-gallon Home Depot plastic cooler and the parts to replace the cooler's valve with a 1/2" ball valve. As if to immediately punish my decision to not consult the Great Wise Internet, I quickly discovered I am short one semi-important component. Not a deal-breaker though; plenty more trips to hardware stores and the homebrew shop to get this whole setup working.

I also lifted several weights today.

Max Effort Upper Body

Floor Press

45x10

95x8

135x3

155x3

185x3

225x3

245x3

265x1 Easy

275x1 PR

285xf

285xf

No great revelations today. Just felt a little stronger. 275 felt lighter than it ever has, and 285 felt absolutely impossible.

Incline DB Press

75x10x4

DB Fly

35x12, 12, 9, 9

Dips (Bodyweight)

12, 9, 7

Cable Curls Superset w/ Neutral Grip Chins

I lost track. 3 sets?

Some video of today's fun.

Plenty of failure, don't worry. Also I was not aware that I swerve my spine around like a sassy cobra when I do dips.

If you're reading this blog for amazing feats of strength...don't..

I'm getting the urge to brew again. Seeing fellow home brewers and their amazing setups on my Facebook news feed certainly doesn't help. I would like to get myself set up for all-grain brewing by my next batch, but I'd also like to keg the dortmunder that's currently lagering. Each project is equipment and time-intensive, so I need to make up my mind. First world problems.

Speaking of the dortmunder: Brewed it back on 8/21 and the session went very well. I pitched nearly double the yeast I would have for an ale just be sure. Original gravity was 1.060. Gave it a diacetyl rest from 8/31 to 9/2 then put it in secondary. Took another gravity reading and it showed 1.014. I am a little unsure on the temperature of each reading (dang it) but a conservative calculation puts this beer between 5-6% ABV already. Whoa. Tasted decent too. It's not clarifying as well as I would like at this stage, but dortmunders aren't supposed to be crystal clear. That's what I keep telling myself anyways.

In other beer news, I made my best buddy Aaron a wort chiller for his birthday. He flew in from Charlotte, North Carolina, so he had no way to transport the thing back. If he tried to stuff it in a suitcase...well...I can't imagine anything looking more like a bomb on an x-ray machine than this:

Guess I will ship it.

Took the weekend off from training to recuperate from my birthday extravaganza last week. Lots of beer, lots of awesome stuff Ashley did for me. Short version - I got a knife, some shirts, a big TV and a party. The response to the Guinness clone I bottled got a really good response from the party crowd. My theory is that we are friends with nothing but skillful liars. I'll take it.

Today was Max Effort upper body. Warmed up a lot more than usual. Foam roll, bands, etc. Took my time.

Floor Press

45x whatever

135x5

135x3

155x3

185x3

225x3

245x2

265x1 this is my old PR, and it felt very easy

275xf forgot I had a lower body

275xf

Frustrating. I felt strong enough, something just fell apart. Reviewing the video, I think the fact that I'm continuing to breathe after I've unracked is loosening me up too much.

Incline DB Press

80x6, 6, 8

DB Triceps Press (behind head)

60x10x4

Close Grip Pulldowns

3x15

Rope Pushdown

3x20

Weight - 205

On the upside, the failures on 275 exposed some weakness in my triceps. Gonna focus on them even more than I had previously.

My next meet is October 22 in Fort Worth, TX. My older brother, dad, and possibly my wife and son will be there. No pressure, right? I feel stronger than I have for previous meets, but that's not translating into numbers yet. Guess I gotta trust the programming.