Groping for Clues in the Hog's Wake

What do I take away from the utter debauchery in which I participated yesterday? One lesson, at least: Dave Jaroslav is a bad influence.

I picked Dave up at the MetroRail station at 10:40. We got to Val's around 20 minutes later. I am fairly sure the drinking started by 11:30.

The wuss lager I made for ManCamp was quite nice. It wasn't perfect, because I had to re-start the fermentation with dry yeast, which left the beer a little cloudy. But it was very good, especially in hot weather like we had yesterday. Even Val drank it. By the end of the day, all three 6-liter bottles were gone.

At one point, I was so stuffed and inebriated I went inside and flumped on the couch and watched bits of Team America while drifting in and out of consciousness.

The pig was marvelous, although it was so tender we had a pig-collapse while trying to turn it, and we lost a gallon of so of moros. Then out came the strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. Ohhh.

George Moneo brought a bottle of Calvados, which we cracked after everyone was thorougly packed with food. I thought it wasn't bad at all, but not everyone shared my enthusiasm. I think that with Calvados, you pretty much have to go with XO, because anything younger will have a moonshine aroma to it, and not everyone is ready for that. I'm just guessing from my limited experience.

I was so wiped out, I didn't even bring pork home. I plan to run over to Val's today and see if there are any scraps left.

You should really try roasting a pig of your own, if you haven't. It's not that hard, and if you screw up, well, that's part of learning to cook. If you don't know how to make mojo, don't worry about it. Just brine the pig thoroughly in salt and baking soda and then season it however you want. Garlic. Honey. Whiskey. Maple syrup. Rosemary. It doesn't matter. The most important things are the brining and roasting.

Today I feel like an elephant sat on me. Perhaps pork will make me feel better. Later on, I think I'll brew my new ale, which I have tentatively named "Senseless Cruelty." It's going to be incredibly bitter, and I'm using Belgian yeast.

I only took a few photos yesterday. I'll try to put them up if I remain conscious.