Ham Sandwich Indicted!

Svayambunath stupa (or just Svayambhu, pronounced swi-am-boo), is considered one of the most sacred sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Since entire books have been written on its cultural and religious significance to Nepali and Tibetan Buddhists, I'll just briefly sum it up here..and then we'll get to the party. Svayambhu is a religious complex at the top of a hill just outside of the Valley, capped by a large stupa (a large dome topped by a rectangular tower) and features the eyes of the Buddha gazing over the landscape. It's comprised of hundreds of shrines, several temples, and a few monasteries, as well as shops and restaurants. Pilgrims to Svayambhu frequently circumambulate around the base of the stupa, spinning prayer wheels as they go: But first, just to get there, you have to climb 365 steps. If you can do so without stopping, it is said you can attain enlightenment in the present lifetime...I admit, KLB and I took some breaks. No enlightenment this go around... D...

Finally, after years of wanting to try it, your Ham Sandwich, along with two of her partners-in-crime--P and L--jumped on the homebrew-making bandwagon. Above, we proudly present our ESB Pale Ale: Extra Sassy Bitches Edition. It has a rich amber-red color and is made with crystal malt and Target hops in the tea, and dry hopped with Kent Gold. We purchased our ingredients, based on a previously tried recipe, at the Winemaker's Shop , run by the super-friendly and always knowledgeable Scott Francis & Nina Hawranick. Thankfully, I was working with some experienced beer makers--P had made beer in the past with her husband, and L was a former quality control engineer for Anheuser-Busch. My beer experience has been limited to drinking it and slinging it . I failed to take pictures of the first several steps--boiling the tea (malt, water, malt extract, hops, some maple syrup), and the initial fermentation, but did get it together to get some pictures of the latter half of the ...