"I work like I drink, alone! Or with a monkey watching me." - Krusty the Clown

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Mulberry Beer on the Way?



I started picking mulberries from the tree in front of our house today.  I got six ounces.  Only twenty-six to go!
Six ounces of tart mulberries.   Great for a weiss beer.

 The berries are sweet and a little tart, just like last year.  I don't know why more people don't use them for cooking.

Maybe the label for my "Two-Berry Wheat."

Picking these berries reminds me of my Grandparents' house in Valley Stream, NY.

With some help from my mother-in-law Charlene I got the hops I planted (thanks to Brian!) to start trailing along trellises.  One of the hops has four vines already - the other just one.  When they reach the top of the trellis I'll add a wire for them to go horizontally. 

Hop leaves.

Tendrils.
 Hopefully I'll get some good "local" hops from these plants.  Combined with Lake Michigan water, my own berries, and some mid-western grain, this promises to be a good Chicago beer!

These vines have a long way to go to reach the top.

It's amazing how they hold on and climb.