Last of the Anderson American Heritage Series Windows

The rain continues.  Today it was thunder-storms.  However, there was a brief respite.   During this short interval between storms, I ran out and checked the area around the rough opening for the loft window (the last window we needed to install). It was dry, so I decided to try to install the last window.  This was a small window, two feet by two feet, so it was easy to position but a bit small for leaning out of and putting in screws and taping edges etc.  I managed, but I still had to take a few trips up the ladder to put in additional screws and smooth out tape.  In the end, I got the last window installed and it feels good.

Cheers!

Between bouts of bad weather, the last window was finally installed!

Interior Trim

Near-continuous has prevented me from finishing the last bit of siding.  That does not mean that I have been able to do nothing.  Thumbing my nose at the heavy downpour outside, I took my act inside.  After a trip to Woodell and Daughters for supplies, I was ready to go. In a flurry of cutting, ripping, and nailing, I managed to finish the trim on the doors and windows of the sales area.  These are not the best photos, but it looks pretty nice in real life.

I have also contacted the construction company and soon the chimney will be installed.

Cheers.

Close-up of one of the windows.

Window and door trim.

The Last Wall

Only one more wall left and we are done with the siding.  With that thought in mind, my new neighbor, Danny, came up to help with the last of the siding.  For any of you who have been following this blog, the difficulties with finishing this last wall will be familiar.  For those not familiar with the situation, I will provide a quick recap.  The back of the brewery is 30 feet tall from ground to ridgeline. Further, retaining walls on either side of the cellar entrance make reaching some parts of the wall from a ladder impossible.  I was beginning to feel this task was simply beyond me. But Danny had an idea.

Danny's idea, to over-simplify, consisted of building a platform/scaffold to set the ladder upon.  What we did was take a 2x12 that was long enough to span the retaining walls and add a cleat at the back and outriggers for stabilization.  In the center, a beam was added for additional support.  The ladder was then placed upon this scaffold.  This allowed the ladder to reach all areas of the walls from a level footing.

I admit that I was a bit scared of this whole set-up.  However, Danny is a very experienced carpenter and constructed the scaffold very well.  In the end we were able to use it all day with no mishaps.  Check out the photos to see just how much we accomplished.

Danny's scaffold/platform in place with one ladder.

So close to being done, we can taste it

Making A Bit Of Lager

Today I decided to take a bit of a break from brewery building and brew a beer.  A hard decision, but we are at a part of the construction that is particularly difficult. That, coupled with the fact that I had some help lined up for Thursday, made staying inside and brewing a less guilt-bearing choice.  Besides, I did not spend the whole day inside, I took Banana for two walks.  The woods are getting very thick!

For this brew I decided to experiment.  I guess that it could be said that, like a true artist, I experiment with every brew.  This time, though, I decided to be a bit more controlled.  I duplicated the original recipe for New England Cream Lager but substituted Chinook hops for the original.  I have never used Chinook but, after doing some research, decided to give them a try.   By making the hops the only thing I changed between the two recipes, I should get a pretty good idea of what type of flavor Chinook hops provide, at least in a lager.

I had always considered Chinook hops a hop for the heavy "double IPAs".  I do not know where I acquired that prejudice, but, perhaps, it is the impetus for me using it in a lager.  Maybe it was just my recent hop research.  Either way the deed is done and the results we be reported here, Dear Reader.