Oh em gee! I know, I’m just on a roll today. This isn’t at all related to the previous post, so I can justify making a separate entry.
I just realized that when I turn 21, I’m going to be able to buy any beer I want. This means I won’t have to rely on friends to go to some far away liquor store and hopefully pick up that precious beer I desire, that they have never heard of and probably can’t remember the name of either. So what does this really mean? It means that I can walk into a store and buy a bunch of great beers all at once. It means that I can start a beer cellar!
Oh wow, foam. you can buy beer when you’re 21. that’s amazing! >>sarcasm.
Haha. Here’s the point, The sooner I start buying beers that I can age, the sooner I’ll have a collection of mind blowing beers for 5, 10, 15 years down the road. Imagine my graduation party in two years. I could be popping open a bottle of SN BigFoot Barley wine from 2008! When I get my first job at a brewery, I could crack open a 2008 vintage of Goose Island Demolition!
Here’s a short list of beers that I want to bogart, once that inevitable day arrives:
- Thomas Hardy’s Old Ale
- North Coast Stock Ale
- Duvel
- Sierra Nevada BigFoot Barleywine
- Unibroue Maudite
- Unibroue Terrible
- Unibroue Trois Pistoles
- Samichlaus
- Rogue Old Crustacean
- Sam Adam’s Utopia (but I don’t have that kind of cash, and I don’t really want to support beers that push the price point of the top tier)
If anyone’s got some suggestions, drop ‘em off in the comments page.
What happens when you have to cram a bunch of homework in because your leaving classes half a week early for a BigTen basketball tournament and your roommate gets rockband, which then occupies every 
moment of your free time? You neglect your fledgling blog after only two posts. Boo.
Fortunately, God invented something called a job, which gives me ample time to nurture the series of tubes that comprise this site.
So what’s new? Mostly nothing, besides rockband of course. So let’s talk a little more about this table of mine instead. As described below, it’s going to be a stained wood table covered in bottle caps then coated in a thick layer of epoxy.
The epoxy is called klear kote and is available here. I estimated that I need about 3 gallons to cover the caps, fill the center section up to the border and then provide a finish layer on the border and over the sides. The epoxy is the same kind used on bar tables. (see the picture below for an example of a finished product) It should provide a slick, crystal clear finish that will also protect the caps and wood from damage. The epoxy will cost about $90 with the mixing cups and tools.
Theoretically, I can apply a 1/4″ coat every 4-6 hours without having to sand the previous coat. After eight or so coats, the center will be full and I can cover the entire table. My biggest concern is that the epoxy is
supposed to set in a dust free environment. I plan on cleaning our entire house before I start anything. I also want to change the furnace filter a week or so before I start the process, and then again once I do. Hopefuly this will keep most of the particles out of the air. If I’m still concerned I think I could drape a large wet sheet over the table; That should collect any dust that might land on the table.
I still haven’t ordered the epoxy yet–mostly because I’m still collecting the final caps. Also, I’m still pondering a lighting scheme, but I’ll be saving that investigation for another post. Until next time.
P.S. I’ve got a Honey Brown Ale in the secondary right now, looks and smells delicious. I need to get my CO2 cylinder filled soon, so that I can throw it in the keg. yeah!
