[Retirement / Separation Considerations]

On 4/25/2020 at 8:46 AM, Danger41 said:

I got a MFR signed by my Wg/CC saying that he supports my approved separation date to be removed and AFPC told me that they’re stopping all action on moving/removing separations because  HAF/A1 is looking to secure funding for all the unanticipated people trying to stay in. Anybody have any words on the progress of that funding? 

My separation withdrawal just got approved today...my CSS pimped AFPC yesterday, don’t know if that was a coincidence or if they started processing all the requests.  If you haven’t seen anything yet recommend having them check the CMS case status.

I’m sure my 365 notification will arrive tomorrow...

[Trying to maximize leave close to retirement/terminal]

24 minutes ago, ThreeHoler said:

You can’t break up your 20 days of PTDY. It is one block “for securing post AF job.”


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I’m curious what folks’ experiences have been trying to do this...Table 4.5 says PTDY may be taken in increments up to the maximum period, but not successive Monday through Friday (aka gaming the system to save days over the weekend).

Personally vested, as I’m currently OCONUS and will (hopefully) be making several trips back to the states for airline interviews using PTDY days...I foresee a battle with MPF on this one.

[Home Brewing Beer]

Does anyone know of any good brew shops in/around Charleston?

There's not too much around here. Taps Brews is a microbrew store off Dorchester and Ladson Rd (near Walmart) that started carrying a few kits and ingredients for extract batches. Since moving to CHS I've mostly just ordered everything from Brewmaster's Warehouse. It's in Georgia, shipping is cheap, and it gets here fast.

Careful- once you start kegging, you drink a LOT more beer. I've got two 5 gal kegs on tap and have to force myself to not pull a pint every time I walk by

[Favorite Beer]

Who else besides Dupe brews their own beer? I just bought a starter kit from Midwest Supply and brewed my first batch this evening. Now I just have to wait a month to see how it turned out. Theoretically it should be an Irish Red.

I'm interested in more resources and gouge if anyone has experience.

I've been homebrewing for about a year and a half now, just about 20 batches done. Midwest makes some really good kits, and that's how I started- the instructions are fairly good and you can make some tasty brews, even from just a simple extract kit.

After 5 or 6 batches, I switched to making all-grain beers- the ingredients are cheaper, it makes better brew, and you feel more like a brewer turning grain into beer. Homebrewtalk.com is a great resource; that's where I learned about the process and got ideas to build the equipment on the cheap. I currently use a converted 10-gallon Rubbermaid water cooler to mash the grains (you can find a how-to and parts list on HBT.com) and a turkey fryer to boil outdoors- it keeps the house from smelling like hops and barley, and is a great excuse to sit outside with some buds and drink beer.

If you get serious, I highly recommend getting into kegging. It saves you the biggest asspain of the whole process (bottling), and there's nothing like coming home to a couple of your own beers on tap. I have a mini-fridge I converted into double-faucet tower kegerator, all for cheaper than a commercial kegerator would have cost me.

My biggest advice is to be patient with it, as tough as that may be sometimes. You can rush the process and still make decent beer, but an extra week in the fermenter will do wonders. Any questions feel free to ask!