Monty Burr

This is a painful subject. Seriously; I'm about to dig through the bags under the bathroom vanity for old opiates. I pulled a muscle digging around in the cellar to check on my Gourmet back issue collection. I'd boxed them in ten year increments in Rubbermaid tubs but I hadn't checked on their condition for years. My Dad was in the meat packing business back in WWII and they bought ads in magazine from issue one. They received a complimentary subscription that my Mom hoarded over the years. I received my own subscription for my thirteenth birthday back in '65 and have kept it current through good years and bad. My sister thought me crazy that I didn't chuck the pile out when Mom passed away twenty years ago. I didn't. That makes me the proud owner of a complete set of Gourmet from 1941 to date. I wish I could say they were all in mint shape. Many have suffered kitchen mishaps. I read each one when they arrived, usually with a special snack and snifter. Now that it is gone, I'm torn about my next move: Should I re-box them and schlep them back to the cellar or perhaps a defiant bonfire in the fire-pit. I'm torn. Sad Sad news. Monty Burr

Good afternoon one and all, I'm a frequent reader but first-time poster. I've cooked all my life and brewed grain mash beers for a couple of decades. I just picked up a vacuum sealer at a tag sale and an idea sprouted in my mind: Have any brewers ever tried to combine a long protein rest mash with a sous vide veal cutlet? I mash five-gallon batches on my stovetop and I'm reasonably adept at maintaining my rest temperatures for an hour. It seems a shame to waste a 35 pound thermal mass when it could be preparing my dinner. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has tried this. Good beers to you, Monty Burr

Raining and chilly here in Seattle - Deer Creek oysters and Penn Cove Mussels with Alaskan Smoked Porter. Life is most pleasant.