Homemade champagne vinegar - raw and unfiltered in a stoppered bottle. If you prefer your vinegar clearer, you can pour it through a coffee filter.

DIY vinegar

After our wedding in 2009, we had a few bottles of bubbly left over. Some were enjoyed. Some were forgotten.

The forgotten ones weren’t stored properly, so the wine wasn’t exactly the most appetizing to drink. Then it hit me: wine vinegar costs a ridiculous amount of money. I have 3 bottles of champagne… so why not make my own homemade champagne vinegar?

DIY vinegar is about as easy as it gets—and you save heaps of money over the over-priced wine vinegars in the grocery store. Here’s how.

Making homemade vinegar

Making vinegar is pretty simple. You need…

• An alcoholic beverage (such as beer, champagne or wine)
• A large glass or ceramic container (such as a pickling crock or quart mason jar), that can be covered with a breathable barrier (such as cheesecloth)
• A “vinegar mother” (we’ll get to that)

The majority of vinegar-making is waiting. Vinegar is made by the bacteria Acetobacter, which eats alcohol and turns it into acetic acid, or vinegar. The process can take 2-6 months.

Put the booze in the container, and add the mother. Speaking of…

Getting vinegar mother

A “vinegar mother” is the term commonly used to describe a mass of Acetobacter. “A weird blob” is another commonly used phrase, as vinegar mother often has a weird, floppy-blobby-slimy look to it. Not always, but often.

Here’s how to get vinegar mother:

• Buy a bottle of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar (this is what I did). Available at many health/natural food stores and supermarkets, Bragg ACV is raw, unfiltered and unpasteurized, so it contains the mother (typical store-bought vinegars are pasteurized, so the Acetobacter has all been killed).
• Buy vinegar mother online. Leeners and The Cellar Homebrew are 2 online sources for purchasing vinegar mother and other supplies.
• Ask a vinegar-maker. If you know someone or know someone who knows someone who makes vinegar, ask them if you can have some of their vinegar mother.

Cover the container so there’s airflow, but insects or dust won’t get in.

Wait. Check the vinegar occasionally and a give a taste. You’ll know when it tastes like vinegar.

Once the vinegar is ready, you have some options. You can filter the vinegar to remove the mother and clarify it (so far, I haven’t bothered with this step). You can also pasteurize the vinegar if you want. Regardless, vinegar is shelf-stable as-is and will keep a long, long time.

Uses

We’re using our pale-orange champagne vinegar in salad dressings and as dips for bread. The flavor is bright and fun, and we’ll be making more homemade vinegar for ourselves and as gifts.

A quick note on canning: we won’t be using this vinegar for canning, unless we can verify its acidity.

More info on homemade vinegar

• Gang of Pour – So, You Wanna Make Vinegar, Eh?
• The Virtue of Homemade Vinegar | Food & Wine
• Champagne Vinegar – Martha Stewart Food
• How to Make Champagne Vinegar | eHow.com

When it comes to globetrotting, you can always do with a good book. After all, when you’re riding a rickety bus around windy mountain roads for 10 hours, a good book can at least keep your mind off whether or not you’ll go from a slow ride to a fast drop.

And as you may know from my various novel-in-a-month endeavors (2005, 2008, 2011), I’m working on some travel fantasy stories.

More details are on my new publishing site, Rucksack Press. I also recently launched a news and stories blog, and here’s the first post:

What is the Rucksack Universe? »

Now, back to editing and rewriting…

Photo: grabka dot org

When life gives you rain… brew beer

Falling Sky, Eugene’s newest brewery and brewpub, makes me want to go out for a beer more often. It’s comfortable, airy and family-friendly. The fries are excellent. And there’s no feckin’ TV or blaring music to make me want to split my head open with a maul.

Plus, Falling Sky is right in downtown Eugene, tucked into Oak Alley behind the Falling Sky Brewing Fermentation Supply Shop on 13th (same ownership, they simply renamed Valley Vintner & Brewer).

This could easily be Eugene’s best brewpub.

The ever-bolstered downtown Eugene brew scene

High ceilings and light colors make the pub feel airy, welcoming and friendly

Here in rainy ol’ Western Oregon, we in Eugene have far more pouring than mere water. The last 10 years have brought a new flurry of brewing and microbrew goodness to Eugene, from local juggernaut Ninkasi and the diverse craft of Oakshire, to the ever-packed Bier Stein and the connoisseur selection in 16 Tons.

And, to be sure, we have brewpubs. Steelhead and McMenamins High Street have long held down the fort in downtown Eugene, but they needed company. When Rogue’s Eugene City Brewery came along, it further bolstered downtown’s brewpub scene. Hop Valley is fab (even typing their name has me fondly remembering their mac-n-cheese), but their I-5/Gateway location isn’t exactly stumbling distance for the Eugene dweller.

The new Falling Sky Brewing is something different.

Eugene’s best brewpub?

Copper-clad brewing equipment soon will be concocting Falling Sky beers

The light yellows, light blues and natural wood finishes give the place a convivial, welcoming air. The long, picnic-style communal tables make it easy to do your own thing, talk with friends or get to know the folks sitting next to you. A cabinet is marked “Kids Games”. Behind a large inside wall/window, the steel and copper-clad brewing equipment gleam. Come summer, I want to claim an outside table as a second home.

Yes, I like this place.

On my first visit to Falling Sky, with a friend and fellow dad on a recent Saturday afternoon, we silently fist-pumped at all the wee kids and families about the place. This was our kind of pub: the kids could play, and we could have a beer.

His burger satisfied; my fries came out wafting of potatoes, and crunched just right. We talked for ages, about the problems of the world, about being fathers, about the books we were working on.

This was definitely our kind of pub.

But is it Eugene’s best brewpub?

The verdict awaits the beer

No business startup is without its hiccups. For Falling Sky, the hiccup has been its brewing equipment. Kinks in the brewing system have meant Falling Sky isn’t serving their house beers yet (though some will be available at the upcoming KLCC Microbrew Fest). Instead, a diverse list of guest taps is pouring; when I was there, beers from Corvallis to California were filling up pint glasses.

And for now, that will keep the jury out on whether or not Falling Sky may, in fact, be the best brewpub in Eugene. The food and atmosphere are amazing… but until we can properly sample Falling Sky beers, we’ll just have to keep coming back to see when what’s pouring at Falling Sky, is Falling Sky.

More about Falling Sky in the news

• Brewing Beer While the Sky is Falling – KLCC (NPR)
• Eugene brew supply store readies new brewpub restaurant – KMTR
• New Brewers on the Block – Register-Guard
• Forecast for Eugene: Falling Skies – Beer and Coding in Eugene
• Falling Sky Brewing to feature handcrafted brews, locally sourced cuisine – School of Architecture and Allied Arts – University of Oregon

Connect with Eugene’s newest brewery & brewpub

• Facebook: Like Falling Sky Brewing on Facebook
• Twitter: @fallingskybrew
• Yelp: Falling Sky Brewing House, Eugene, OR
• The Brew Shop (on 13th & Oak): Falling Sky Brewing Fermentation Supply Shop
• The Brewery & Pub: Falling Sky Brewing

Since 2002, Eugene radio station KLCC 89.7 FM has put on a microbrew tasting festival to benefit the station. In addition to the brewfest, you can also enjoy live music and a music sale of donated records and CDs. Not only can you sample beer from 57 breweries all over the U.S., if you brew your own beer you can also enter the KLCC Microbrew Festival Homebrew Competition.

Sample craft beers from Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Hawaii & more

• 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR: The Incider, The Bad Apple
• 10 Barrel, Bend, OR: Apocalypse IPA, Pub Beer – New Release
• 21st Amendment, San Francisco, CA: Bitter American, Backin Black
• Block 15, Corvallis, OR: River Mudd, Coffee Bean Stout, Six Hop Wonder, Triple IPA
• Blue Moon, Denver, CO: Belgian White Ale, Blue Moon Seasonal, Blue Moon Limited Release
• Boston Beer, Boston MA, Samuel Adams Alpine Spring Lager, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Samuel Adams Blackberry Wit
• Bridgeport, Portland, OR: Dark Rain, Hop Czar
• Buckman, Portland, OR: Le Petit Mort Black Saison, Ginger, Chamomellow
• Calapooia, Corvallis, OR: Chili Beer, rIPArian IPA
• Caldera, Ashland, OR: Export Lager, I.P.A.
• Cascade Lakes, Redmond, OR: Cyclops IPA, 20″ Brown, Special brew TBA
• Crispin Cider, Colfax, CA: Crispin Cider Original, Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear
• Deschutes, Bend, OR: Hop Henge Experimental IPA, Chainbreaker White IPA
• Double Mountain, Hood River, OR: Vaporizer, IRA (India Red Ale), Goliathon
• Eel River, Fortuna, CA: Organic IPA, Organic Porter, , Elysian, Seattle, WA: Idiot Sauvin IPA, Dragonstooth Stout
• Falling Sky, Eugene, OR: TBA, TBA
• Fire Mountain, Carlton, OR: Steam Fire Stout, Bogart NW IPA
• Firestone-Walker, Paso Robles, CA: Union Jack IPA, Velvet Merlin
• Flat Tail, Corvallis, OR: Mustache Rye’d Red, Tailgater Kolsch
• Fort George Brewery, Astoria, OR: Spank Stout Pepper Stout, Red Tide Imperial Red
• Full Sail, Hood River, OR: Brewer’s Share Barney’s ESB, LTD 4, Top Sail Bourbon Aged Imperial Porter, (served Saturday night only)
• , Gilgamesh, Turner, OR: Vader Cascadian Dark, Mamba
• GoodLife, Bend, OR: Descender IPA, Mountain Rescue Dry Hopped Pale Ale
• Green Flash, San Diego, CA: Imperial IPA, Double Stout
• Hop Valley, Springfield, OR: Alpha Centauri, Golden Road, Dry Irish Stout, Oakeroo
• Hopworks Urban, Portland, OR: Organic Hopworks IPA, Secession CDA
• InBev, St. Louis, MO: Stella Artois, Hoegaarden Belgium Wit Bier, Shock Top TBA
• Kona Brewing Co., Kailua Kona, HI: Longboard Lager, Koko Brown
• Lagunitas, Petaluma, CA: A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’, Hairy Eyeball Ale
• Laughing Dog, Sand Point, ID: Laughing Dog IPA, Dogzilla
• Laurelwood, Portland, OR: Workhorse IPA, Cascadian Pilsner Collaboration Ale
• Lost Coast, Eureka, CA: Great White, Tangerine Wheat, Downtown Brown
• Mad River, Blue Lake, CA: Steelhead Double IPA, Jamaica Red Ale
• Maui Brewing, Lahaina,, HI: TBA, TBA
• McMenamin’s High Street, Eugene, OR: Epicenter IPA, Purple Haze
• Mendocino, Ukiah, CA: Eye of the Hawk, Red Tail
• Mountain Meadows Mead, Westwood, CA: Dry – Sierra Nectar, Medium – Moonlight Magic Mead, Sweet – Honeymoon Nectar
• New Belgium, Fort Collins, CO: Dig, Lips of Faith TBA, Trip TBA
• Ninkasi, Eugene, OR: Sterling Pils, Renewale Porter, Transcendentale, , Oakshire, Eugene, OR: Watershed IPA, Overcast Espresso Stour, Very Ill Tempered Gnome
• Pelican, Pacific City, OR: Rip Tide Red Ale, Nestucca ESB, Tsunami Stout
• Phat Matt’s, Redmond, OR: Phat Snowman, Phat Matt’s Red Ale, Phat Matt’s IPA
• Pyramid, Portland, OR: Outburst Imperial IPA, Discord Dark IPA
• Redhook, Woodinville, WA: Nut Brown, Pilsner
• Rogue Ales, Newport, OR: Chatoe Dirtoir, Chatoe Good Chit
• Seven Brides, Silverton, OR: TBA, TBA
• Sierra Nevada, Chico, CA: Ruthless Rye IPA, Torpedo Extra IPA
• Steelhead, Eugene, OR: 21st Anniversary Imperial Rye IPA, Break Action Porter
• Stone, Escondido, CA: Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA, Cali-Belgique IPA
• Tieton Cider Works, Tieton, WA: Wild Washington Cider, Tieton Cherry Cider, Tieton Apricot Cider
• Track Town Ales, Eugene, OR: Track Town Brown, Triple Jump Ale, New Beer TBA
• Trumer Brauerei, Berkeley, CA: Trumer Pils
• Uinta, Salt Lake City, UT: Dubhe Imperial Black IPA, Wyld Organic Pale Ale
• Vermont Hard Cider, Middlebury, VT: Woodcuck Hard Cider – Amber, Woodcuck Hard Cider – Granny Smith
• Wakonda, Florence, OR: Beachcomber Cream Ale, Seven Devils IPA
• Widmer Brothers, Portland, OR: Rotator IPA Series – Spiced IPA, W’12 Dark Saison, Kellerbier

Homebrew Competition

Homebrewers can submit their own homebrewed beer and compete for awards and prizes. Deadline to enter is Feb 3. Download contest details and entry form (PDF)

Music Sale

• Thousands of records and CDs available
• Donate your LPs and CDs to KLCC through Wed, Feb 8, at 136 W 8th Ave, Eugene, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F

Come to the KLCC Eugene Microbrew Festival

• When: Friday, Feb. 10, 5-11 p.m. (Live music from Karen Lovely starts at 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Feb. 11, 1-11 p.m. (Live music from the Ty Curtis Band starts at 7:30 p.m.)
• Where: Lane Events Center Exhibit Hall, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene, OR
• Cost:
  • Advance: $10 (purchase tickets now, available through Feb. 9), includes souvenir glass, 3 complimentary beer tickets, and separate entrance
  • At the door: $12, includes souvenir glass and 1 complimentary beer ticket
• Must be 21 or over
• You can also sign up to be a volunteer. Volunteers work a 4-hour shift, get free admission and receive some beer tickets Sign up to be a volunteer
• More information online

Inspired by Chris Guillebeau’s annual review and the 2011: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE AWESOME review from {r}evolution apparel, I realized I should step up and do one too.

Sometimes a few months can feel like its very own year. The last half of 2011 certainly felt that way for me. And now, with 2012 underway, January alternates between flying fast, and ticking long and slow. Still, 2011 was packed with good and bad, and I know 2012 will be too. Here’s what I’m also working to be ready for…

2011

The good

• I quit my job and set up shop as an independent writer and editor. Hooray!
• Became co-chair of Mid-Valley Willamette Writers.
• Blogged about once per week, and re-organized my website to work in more information about my copywriting, social media and online marketing services.
• Drafted my novel and set up my own publishing company for travel fantasy books and urban fantasy stories.
• Met awesome colleagues at the 2011 Willamette Writers Conference.
• During November, wrote both a 50,000-word novel for NaNoWriMo, and blogged daily for the BootsnAll 30 Days of Indie Travel project.
• Had a baby. Oh, yeah.

The bad

• Part of being an expectant dad is you can’t get individual health insurance. Turns out your unborn child is too much of a risk. We had to take on the extra cost of being in our state’s high-risk insurance pool in order for me to have health insurance coverage while my wife was pregnant. Welcome to the USA.
• I often still feel too closed-up when blogging and sharing ideas, projects and plans with my readers. My default has too often been to clam up, instead of singing out. That will most likely always be a work in progress, but I’m trying, dang it, I’m trying.
• Stumbled a lot on various things for my business. There are contacts I’m making now, that I probably could’ve made months ago. There are things I probably could’ve put in place ages ago, but didn’t. At least they’re in play and underway now.
• Realized that I really, really suck at writing short stories. My structure and understanding of the “why” of the story need a lot of work.

2012

The get ready

• Saw the other night that Antsaint ranked tops in Google for “craft beer writing” and “craft beer writer”. Wow. (‘Course, this stuff changes all the time. But still.)
• Writing a freebie story for Rucksack Press and getting the word out for travel fantasy stories coming 2012.
• Talking with more people for copywriting, email marketing and social media projects. There’s nothing like working with awesome people, and I’m glad to be working with more of them.
• Looking hard at a Kickstarter campaign to fund costs on my first books. Working hard to earn the trust and interest to make that happen with my readers.
• Publish 2 books. Now that I’ve had some time to get distance from my novel and short story collection, it’s time to come back to both projects. My theme for 2012 will be “a year of revision and release”. I plan to get at least 2 books to market this year: my novel, and a short-story collection.
• Be a bad-ass dad. As I type this, my wee son is strapped to my chest in a Moby Wrap. The whole baby-wearing thing? I dig.

Excited to find out

It’s going to be an interesting year. There is so much happening, and I have no idea what all is going to happen. But as Steve Jobs once said, “I’m really excited to find out.”

Kombucha samples and starter kits at the Eugene Fun with Fermentation Festival

Beer. Kombucha. Yogurt. Sauerkraut. We know them as yummy. They are also the products of fermentation. And on Saturday, you can learn more about fermented foods and beverages, from local sources to how to make your own, at the third annual Eugene Fun with Fermentation Festival.

Brought to you by The Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance, the festival happens Sat. Jan. 14, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the WOW hall, 291 W. 8th, Eugene, Oregon. The event is a fundraiser for Food for Lane County and WVSFA.

Admission is on a sliding scale of $10-20 per person, or $5 with 2 cans of food. Children 12 and under are free.

Sample Fermented Food Goodness from 25+ Eugene ARea Food Businesses

Over 25 local businesses are expected to participate in the festival. Local natural foods businesses will showcase, demonstrate, and provide free samples of locally produced cheeses, chocolates, coffees, wines, beers, kombuchas, breads, tempeh, pickles, and many other local fermented delicacies. Local food carts Devour and Viva Vegetarian Grill will be serving their menus as well, which will highlight fermented ingredients.

Demos and workshops show you how you can put the power of fermentation to work in your kitchen

The event has an educational focus, centered on discovering the many ways that fermentation is practiced with many foods. The stage demonstration schedule features local blogger Jennifer Burns Levin, Nutritional Therapist Yaakov Levine, Eight…Nine Tempeh, Falling Sky Brewery, and OSU Master Food Preservers. There will also be a kids zone, raffle prizes, and beer/wine bottle sales downstairs.

About the Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance

The Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance is a regional trade association comprised of companies that promote natural food businesses through relationships, education, and sustainable business practices. The alliance endeavors to nurture new and existing businesses by sharing best practices and acting as mentors, educate the community about the health benefits of natural and organic foods, and foster a network to assist in regional sourcing of ingredients and raw materials. WVSFA works with the city and county on issues affecting the viability of natural foods businesses, and to foster and develop access to distribution channels. For more information, please visit www.wvsfalliance.org

Ninkasi Brewing vs. Brooks Winery at 16 Tons

A Benefit for Greenhill Humane Society

Craft beer or wine—which pairs best with cheese? On Thurs., Jan. 5, 2012, 16 Tons hosts the third bout pitting a brewery against a winery, Cheese Wars III!

Held at The Supreme Bean at 29th & Willamette, Cheese Wars is a food-pairing showdown between two ancient beverages. The battleground? 5 courses, of rustic, gourmet cheese, many coming from local sources. Each cheese course will be paired with a beer and a wine. Eugene’s own Ninkasi founder and Brewmaster Jamie Floyd will choose and present the beers. Winemaker Chris Williams of Brooks Winery, in Amity, Oregon, will choose and present the wines.

Which pairings work best? Only you can decide.

Cheese Wars is a fantastic opportunity to learn about making and pairing beer, wine, and cheese. Tickets are limited for this fun, lively, sit-down affair. $25 includes all tasting and food (cheese and bread). Purchase tickets at 16 Tons, The Supreme Bean or online at BrownPaperTickets.com. There is a 5:30 p.m. session and an 8 p.m. session, each lasting approximately 2 hours.

100% of ticket sales donated to Greenhill Humane Society.

Here’s to 2012, full of new challenges to tackle, projects to complete and life to live! Slainte!

Firestone Walker has been racking up fascinating and drinkable beers since 1996. With the release of Firestone Walker’s 15th Anniversary Barrel-Aged Blended Beer upon us, they are also raiding the taps of Eugene’s beloved The Bier Stein for an evening of Firestone Walker.

David Walker, founder of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, will be on-hand to talk with Eugene craft beer enthusiasts and beer geeks. He’s bringing with him 6 Firestone Walker beers to be on-tap, including the 15th Anniversary Barrel-aged blend. Word is, too, that if you buy a glass of 15th Anniversary you will receive a 4 oz. sample of 14th Anniversary to have side by side (while supplies last). Bottles of 14th and 15th Anniversary will be available for purchase, with a discounted price if you buy them together.

Empty Firestone Walker’s kegs at The Bier Stein

• Where: The Bier Stein, 345 E. 11th Ave., Eugene
• When: Tues., Dec. 13, 6-9 p.m.
• Free admission
• Lots and lots and lots of other draught/bottled beer available too
• Website: www.thebierstein.com

Sorry, no mouth-watering photo of food. I have this awful tendency to get so caught up in a yummy meal, I’m too busy eating to take pictures instead.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/2 c. apple cider
• 1/4 c. lemon juice (from about 2 to 3 limes)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more to taste

For serving

• Burrito-style tortillas
• Avocado slices
• Limes for squeezing
• Lots of grated cheese, such as Monterey Jack
• Salsa

Place the pork in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, along with the apple cider, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Don’t touch the meat.

After 2 hours, increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for about 45 minutes, occasionally stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. Let the meat sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.

When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on warmed tortillas with fixings.