In which science happens, and I either poison my wife or make her week

So, we may have made a breakthrough today on the gluten-free front.

I say "we." We're just piggybacking off of a lot of talk going around the homebrew community right now about Clarity-Ferm, a clarifier made by White Labs that apparently functions by breaking down the gluten in beer. Reportedly, this has had a side effect of knocking gluten levels low enough that they aren't a concern to most gluten-sensitive folks.

Naturally, I was curious.

So I ordered some and a couple of home gluten tests and dumped a vial in my latest black IPA batch.

Today, we bottled and tested.

The public has spoken!

... and while the four of you were fairly split, the cider seems to be the order of the day. Since it came from a vote, I'll try to come up with a more-daring recipe this time, not just toss some juice in and call it good. Stay tuned!

(See? I say three of you will be success, and I get four votes. Good job, internetland!)

Now, of course, the dirty secret -- I actually can make cider without tying up my main equipment. So, the bitter and imperial stout will also have their day!

But they have to wait their turn. Right now, a carboy full of black IPA is sitting in the basement, waiting to be bottled this weekend. After that, the weekend of July 4 I'll throw together my first red ale, using a recipe suggested by the Nampa homebrew store.

Yet of course, my photo of it was before it was poured together in a glass jar.

Probably a fourth of both of those batches will head with me to Oregon in two months, to share with a gathering of old college friends. If we're lucky, the ESB might join them...

Now you too can beer...

Vicariously. Through me.

I know from looking at my stats page that maybe five of you out in Internetland have swung by my page occasionally, and I'm willing to bet at least three live within driving delivery distance of my beers. So, I have a solemn task for you.

My next two brews, which I hope to both start this month, are spoken for - they're both batches intended for a trip in August. But after that, I have several ideas about what to make and no top contender.

What would you like to taste/read about me boiling on the stove in the thick of summer on here? Weigh in on the poll on the right side of this blog page, and I'll make sure the winning ale gets distributed to as many loyal readers as it can. All of these sound really good, and I have interesting-looking recipes in mind for most of them.

What, you're still reading this? Vote! Time's a-wasting!

Tasting Room: Travel pt. 2: They serve the beers big in San Francisco

My travels home have become... complicated after a weather-induced delay. So, I figure, as I'm bound in San Francisco for a good four hours, why not pass the time with a beer review?

Fortunately, the airport was ready for me, parking an Anchor Brewing Co. pub right next to where I came in (and just in time for lunch!) I've gotten to try three of their offerings already, so I went for the fourth: Anchor Summer Beer, a wheat.

Like all of their other beers I've tried, this is a solid outing. It is firmly an American wheat - no citrus or fruit here, just a crisp wheat taste in a clear ale. My healthy serving leaves beautiful lacing on the glass, complementing the warm glow.

I don't naturally gravitate to lighter summer beers. But with two in a row now, I've been pleased by their handiwork and found they are just what I've needed during this trip. Now, to get home so I can get back to my own work.

Tasting Room: Travel edition: Sun King cream ale

Greetings from Indianapolis!

Here I was, thinking, "Boy, Android really needs a Blogger app." Then I learned it has one. So, you get a beer review.

Specifically, Sun King's Sunlight.

I dropped by a tasting room for another Indiana brewery last night. But Sun King, actually brewed in Indianapolis itself, I hadn't time to go see - until I saw some sold in the airport while awaiting my flight.

Sunlight, a cream ale, is everything I had hoped for after a day wandering the streets in 90-degree heat. It's quite exemplary of the style I've had thus far - thin, refreshing, bright, with a nice sweetness to it. I certainly can't argue with the name - it embodies the beer perfectly.

Sunlight is billed as "the most accessible" of Sun King's beers. And there's certainly nothing unique about it that seems like an Indiana touch. That's held true for the other beers I've had here as well. But if Sunlight is a good example of what the state outs out, its beer fans are still in good hands.