Since the disappointment of the first small batch not carbonating in the fridge after 3 weeks (duh! Yeast can't work if it's chilled!) I put the bottles in a cupboard in my kitchen hoping the temp would rise enough to make it happy, that is, at least 60 degrees but not hotter than 80. Then I forgot about it for four weeks. The result was explosive! I opened one and lost about half in the initial release of gas, then poured it in a glass and lost most of the rest in the head (duh again! Need to condition beer by chilling it after the lagering period to make the gas settle back into the beer!)
The result after conditioning 2 days in the fridge was *amazing*. Definitely going to keep working on small batches!!
After conditioning...
Next project: Spiced Mead (Metheglyn)
3 1/2 lbs of local honey plus enough filtered water to make 1 gallon all together. Bring this to a boil with 1 English breakfast or Earl Grey tea bag (tannins help the yeast), 1/2 of a lemon slightly mashed, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 cloves, 6 alspice berries, 6 green cardamom pods, and 1 bay leaf. As soon as it boils, remove any scum that is produced from the impurities. Put a lid on and let it sit overnight to come to room temp. (Mine rested 9 hrs and was still slightly warm). If the liquid is under 80F, then bring the temp up with low heat before pitching in the yeast.
I skimmed out the solid things and added 1 packet of dry white wine yeast (Red Star "Cote de Blancs") plus 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient. I didn't bother stirring or agitating it, because pouring it through a funnel into the sterilzed 1 gallon carboy did that for me. The yeast started working in about 2 hours, and bubbled up so much in the 1st day that it blew off the air-lock! After cleaning and replacing it, the yeast has been much more civilized, only making a thick bubble ring up in the neck of the jug. As soon as it stops bubbling and begins to clear, I will re-rack it for a secondary fermentation. Then when it stops bubbling all together, I will chill it for a week and bottle it to age for a few months.
With yeast with a very high sugar content, such as the huckleberry mead that Jami and I made, it may be ready as soon as 2 months, but "drier" mead with less sugar content needs longer to get rid of the paint-thinner taste and turn mellow and clean.
Matt flew me up for a whirlwind visit to see Luke's graduation and try
to wrap up some more of the to-do list for his trip to Indonesia. Luke
didn't seem very excited before the graduation ceremony. But there were
some fun and clever additions by the student speakers, spotlighting
everyone who had accomplished something noteworthy - which turned out to
be the whole class! And there was a very silly address by a teacher
including pages from a Dr. Seuss book. All the staff lined up behind the student seating to give a "gauntlet of hugs" to each of the graduates before the end of the ceremony. Luke got tons of hugs. 
Then we wrapped up the night with a family (and friends) dinner at the Flatbread restaurant in Meridian.
