Two Months!

Yes, thats approximately how long it is till I officially become a Dad. I can't say I'm not scared, it sure is daunting.

In preparation I've studied and questioned the activities of some other parents I know. I've watched them manage their bairns on a daily basis and I reckon I have it sussed. My concluding thoughts were that managing kids through a day is kind of like managing a fermentation, but a bit more intensive. The blighters will rise in the morning, then once log stage fermentation kicks in they're off. Without control the yeast/kids will inevitably do whatever they want, which is fine until they misbehave, which is why you need to keep checking on them. I know kids dont give off CO2 or alcohol but give them more sugar and they become more lively but eventually they tire themselves out. 

At the end of the day the time comes to stop your fermentation/put the kids to bed. If this is done too early your yeast/child will remain over active in the secondary/cask/bedroom. If this is done too late then... Well that's just asking for trouble.

I sense sauron is getting over attenuated.

 But it doesn't stop there. You could argue that managing a family is as tough as managing an entire brewery, but we'll not go into that. There's been lots of debate and preparations. Names, spare rooms, nurseries. Yet the very important matter of what to brew for the birth of the first born is not completely sorted.

At first I thought something low abv and fresh, like a golden ale, Belgian Wit or a mild ale would be fitting to symbolise youth and vitality. This would also be handy to have on draught in the house whilst on my two week paternity leave (baby in one arm pint in the other). My other obvious option was to go the complete opposite and brew some kind of insanely strong Barley wine or Imperial Stout to be kept over the years to commemorate the event. You never know, in 18 years time little Sauron might get to drink it him/herself.

In an ideal world I would like to brew both of these, but considering these days my opportunities at home brewing are few and far between I'm settling on a single brew. My current plan is to aim right down the middle with a 6-7% strong ale using two of my favourite hop varieties, Progress and Cascade and plenty of chunky crystal malt in the mix. The beer will be named after the baby, but that's still undecided (it's not going to be Sauron but it should be good), .