Flutter - the new blogging software?

I came across this video on a website called barelydigital.com, outlining the latest advance and competition to twitter - maybe there is too much in twitter? See for yourself in the video.

In other news, I tried a bottle of Guinness the other evening. Not draught Guinness, the old-fashioned (!?!) "extra stout." I must say, it tasted a lot like Guinness, unsurprisingly, with the coffee/chocolatey notes and all, but it was a little livelier - not as smooth, and without the characteristic head. I presume this was because it was carbonated with "ordinary" CO2, rather than "fancy" widget-delivered nitrogen? The bottle (500ml) is lovely, with the Guinness signature cast (I presume) into the shoulder, and a smart but olde-worlde label on the front.

It was enjoyable, if a little unsettling visually, to be honest. We are subjected to so much advertising in relation to the look of the draught product that seeing the extra stout in the glass makes you fear it's gone off! Also, because of the carbonation, I found it difficult to imagine myself drinking more than one bottle of this at a time - probably a good thing given the stomachularly unsettling effect that the stout has on my digestive system.

Brewferm Gallia.....

I'd definitely brew it again. Even if I over-carbonated the last batch (or because it's been sitting there for 4 months...), it's still a tasty beer. I do like the Brewferm kits, because to be honest, they're in small enough batches (about 10-13 litres, generally) that you don't have too much bottling to do, or to find bottles for. And they mostly taste nice!

Gallia went well with the first Barbecue of the year, though we ate indoors - it got cold a bit quickly this evening...just finishing roast banana with meringue...mmm..

I missed the Irish Craft Brewer's Brew It Yourself day today, (as advertised here, and here, and other places too) in Franciscan Well in Cork. I had half-thought about making it down, but the guilt of looking at the garden, and the state of the shed meant I had to stay home.

Oh, and the Bulmers Pear stuff, it's quite nice aswell - a can is being emptied as we speak. Decanted, from the glass, to the person. I babble. Onwards, and upwards. Bizarre to be thinking of lighting a fire after the spectacular weather and temperature we had today, but it's gone quite cool and Met Éireann promise frost, so there's excuse enough.....

Ambiorix, getting frothy

I opened one of my bottles tonight. It's a 500ml bottle, and I'd say it was about 450ml full of beer. I'm glad I opened it over the sink, because I got about 100ml left for the glass.....some of it got onto the worktop and some of it made it's way onto the floor, F1winner-esque. Such is beer. It's ok, i might get some reports from bottles soon.

Honestly, though, I put the same amount of sugar in it as the instructions told me, so it's not my fault.

I finished a book called Unspeak during the week, which discusses the way language has changed recently. It's pointedly concerned with the abuse of language that has evolved in recent times around wars, and invasions - Iraq, Afghanistan etc. Whilst interesting, and well-researched, I found it a little obvious myself. Most people know that words have been spun into new uses recently, renditions, collateral damage and so on being used to frame our view of the news.

That said, it does add a little depth, but overall a slightly tedious read. So, I'm off to warn the poor punters that got bottles....

What weather we're having

Isn't it wonderful? How in July you can go for a walk and get soaked, then come back and need a nice wintry dinner of bacon and spuds? Grr. Time to rediscover Scrabble methinks!

The beer is like a scab. I can't leave it alone. A week after bottling, I opened the runt-bottle, which was the last when I was filling, and it was only half full. Delighted, I was, to hear the "kish" of carbon dioxide escaping from the beer - it's fizzy! Taste-wise, I hope it improves. It's not the worst thing I ever tasted, but it's kinda sweet. Maybe that's why we've to leave it for 6-8 weeks....Patience, grasshopper.