Starting this week, the entire 200-year-old process of brewing beer will be on [...]]]> Fresh water pumped through a hand-augured wooden pipe. A simmering wood-fired brew kettle. Copper-lined cooling pans filled with pre-ale. Massive wooden fermentation casks. The vague whiff of baking cookies mingled with that of fermenting yeast. This is an early 1800s brewery at work.

Starting this week, the entire 200-year-old process of brewing beer will be on display at Genesee Country Village & Museum’s 1803 brewery – the only working 19th-century brewery in the United States.

Modeled on a brewery operated by Walter Grieve in Geneva, museum brewers will use the same practices of early brewers in Western and Central New York.

So that everyone can taste a part of this brewing heritage, the museum is partnering with Custom BrewCrafters of Honeoye Falls to recreate a beer that such a brewery might have crafted over 200 years old. The resultant robust brown ale – named in a contest earlier this year – is 1803 Fat Ox Ale and is also on tap at the museum pub and eatery.

All it takes is 110 lbs. of wheat, 570 lbs. of malt, 25 lbs. of molasses and 4 lbs. of hops.

It starts with a special blend of pale and toasted malts, which gives this beer a pronounced toasted flavor and a rich, full body. Wheat was also a common ingredient for many smaller breweries, since it was less expensive than barley malt and readily available.

Finally, there’s whole-flower hops and a bit of molasses, which adds the necessary fermentable sugar and lends a unique flavor to the beer. Adding to its authenticity, the beer will be brewed and aged at room temperature, and will be unfiltered. Because drinking vessels were commonly opaque at that time, color and clarity was not much of an issue.

The museum’s master potter Mark Presher has crafted special mugs and growlers – half-gallon containers – especially for this new brew.

The alcohol content is moderate – between 5 percent and 6 percent – since in the 1800s beer was often consumed for nourishment and, of course, during lively debates.

The result is an exceptional beer our ancestors would have been proud to serve, happy to drink and, perhaps, it, too, will spark a few lively debates. For more information, visit www.gcv.org or call 585-538-6822.

I was born in Buffalo and lived at 1913 Bailey Avenue. My sister suggested I visit her and we could take an “excursion” into the city to tour around, have lunch, and visit a few locations from our years growing up in Buffalo. I thought it [...]]]>

I grew up in Buffalo, NY on 1913 Bailey Avenue

I was born in Buffalo and lived at 1913 Bailey Avenue. My sister suggested I visit her and we could take an “excursion” into the city to tour around, have lunch, and visit a few locations from our years growing up in Buffalo. I thought it would be a fabulous idea. Just spending time with my sister is a hoot. We hang out and laugh. What more could sisters want?

On the particular day last week, Jo decided on lunch in a quaint little Greek restaurant on Elmwood Avenue near downtown. Pano’s had great sandwiches and fresh salads that were perfect for an afternoon with my sister. After we walk to The Turning Leaf, a wonderful independent bookstore that I just have to visit when we come into town. I always find something interesting. Jo picked up Let the Right One In, which I had read and throughly enjoyed and I found a couple of unique cards. Our next stop was the coffee shop on the corner where we indulged in a coffee laced with hazelnut liquor and vodka. Very sinful and very good!

A lovely walk along the neighborhood street near Elmwood Avenue.

We walked along Elmwood and through a neighborhood or two looking a home and enjoying the warm spring weather, early for Buffalo but much appreciated.

The beauty and quiet of Hoyt Lake.

Our walk took us past Hoyt Lake and Delaware Park, past the Historical Society, and through another neighborhood lined with huge historical homes along Delaware Avenue. The gardens were beautiful even this time of year. The flowers were just coming into bloom and the dogwoods were starting to show their colors.

We talked about family, kids, growing up in Buffalo, school as kids and when we were going to do this again. Everyone should be a fortunate as I to have such a wonderful sister.

The Genesee Country Inn is blooming!

Today the weather was beautiful and just right for working out in the yard. Digging in the soft dirt made me think about my mom and growing up in Cheektowaga, NY When my family moved into our new house on Pine Ridge Road, my mom planted a flower [...]]]> [

The Genesee Country Inn is blooming!

Today the weather was beautiful and just right for working out in the yard. Digging in the soft dirt made me think about my mom and growing up in Cheektowaga, NY When my family moved into our new house on Pine Ridge Road, my mom planted a flower garden along the garage wall and walkway. She loved flowers and enjoyed her time outside on her hands and knees digging in the dirt. She wore garden gloves and carrying her weeder and trowel with her along with a bucket to throw the unwanted weeds.

I was eight when at the time and mom would hand me a tool and show me how to weed. “If you don’t get out the roots, they will be back by next week and you will have to pull them out all over again. Especially the dandelions. The roots are long and deep.”

I listened, took my weeder, and proceeded to push the pointed forked end into the dirt. As I grabbed the dandelion by the base, I pulled. Of course, only the leaves came off. Mom chuckled and said, “You will need to dig out the root.”

I pushed the tool into the ground again only to find out it wasn’t that easy getting out the root after the leaves were off. I managed to dig it out and then went on to the next. And the next. And the next. This was becoming work. The row along the garage wall seemed to go on FOREVER!

Mom got up and said, “I’ll be right back. I’ll get us some water.” I dug my weeder in again and sat back on my heels. This was hot, slow work. I thought it would be fun to get my hands dirty and yank out a couple of plants. But NO… So I pulled a few weeds out without the roots. It looked okay and who would notice. The dirt covered the roots anyway. I managed to get several weeds pulls before mom returned with iced water. Boy, did it taste good!

We finished weeding the row and mom picked up her tools and bucket. I held the glasses and gloves. “Will the weeds grow back?” I asked.

“Some will. Some won’t. We’ll come back out next week and pull out any new growth, but it won’t take us as long since we have done most of the work today.”

I looked at the row with the flowers poking through and the weeds no longer there. I know where the weeds will grow. What I didn’t do today, I will have to do next week. I should have done it right the first time.

And so today, I sit out in my garden in front of the little house, yanking weeds, digging out dandelions and thinking about my mother. I’m doing it right the first time.

RJ and I have been thinking about updating the McGinnis bathroom for quite a while and finally we are there! It started out as a “I think I would like to put up a new shower curtain rod, towel bar, and toilet paper holder.” RJ goes out [...]]]>

RJ working on the McGinnis Bathroom floor

RJ and I have been thinking about updating the McGinnis bathroom for quite a while and finally we are there! It started out as a “I think I would like to put up a new shower curtain rod, towel bar, and toilet paper holder.” RJ goes out and buys a new cabinet “because it was on sale at a really good price.” I picked out new light fixtures, which actually did get installed way before anything else was done, primarily because it was easy to do.

RJ didn’t want to install the cabinet until he replaced the floor. I found some tile in the basement and said, “Let’s use this.” The tile was a white marble like tile. Pretty mundane actually, but it did go in the bathroom.

“Do you really like it?” RJ asked.

“Sure. It’ll work. Why can’t we use what we have?”

“No reason why we can’t, but I don’t think I have enough. 40 square feet is cutting it close.”

I picked out a paint to match the tile we had. Of course, nothing was going to go according to plan. We couldn’t install the cabinet until the room was painted. And the tile would be installed before the cabinet and so on.

RJ painted the bathroom a pale green, contemplation it was called. After he determined that the 40 feet of tile would not be enough and that I should look for something else. Days later, we are at The Tile Shop talking about tile and tile thickness. We needed a 3/8 inch of tile thickness in order to bring up the floor to the appropriate height to butt up against the carpet in the hallway. With a 1/2 inch backerboard, plus thinset, plus tile, we were able to bring up the floor to the 1 inch we needed to meet the carpet.

Of course, the new tile did not work with the paint RJ had already put on the wall, so it was off the Home Depot to pick up a new BEHR paint for the walls. This time the light granite worked perfectly with the slate floor.

The cabinet went in without a problem, but reconstructing the plumbing under the sink was a bit of a challenge. It looked like a snake under there. RJ cleaned that up before moving on to the toilet. After three tries at reinstalling the toilet and coming up with a leak, RJ took the toilet apart by sawing off the rusted bolts and reinstalled the bowl new “guts.” He finished with a new lever. Finally, the towel bar, toilet paper holder, new mirror and a tank topper finished the bathroom. Lastly, the new threshold was stained, finished, and installed.

My role was to clean-up. I now have the McGinnis Room back on the inventory looking terrific. Looking out the private patio, it’s no wonder this room is always so popular. I’m glad it’s back and so will my guests!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 3/4 cups [...]]]> At the Genesee Country Inn Bed and Breakfast, there is nothing like the delicious smell of homemade blueberry muffins fresh out of the oven early in the morning for breakfast. This recipe is quick, easy, and fool-proof. Make them once and you will never go back to store-bought muffins again.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 well-beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine egg, mok, and oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Fill muffins pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes until golden brown. Makes 12.