Advice for New Homebrewers

A veteran attorney who brings almost three decades of experience to his work as a partner at Alegria & Barovick LLP, Andrew Barovick litigates directly for the firm’s clients. Away from his work, Andrew Barovick has become a craft beer enthusiast. Many brewers of craft beers start out making small amounts at home. Here are some tips for the novice homebrewer.

1. Invest in a coiled immersion chiller, which will usually costs approximately $50 to $70, so you can cool large volumes of wort quickly. Doing so allows you to drop the temperature of the wort below the dangerous ranges that lead to the development of bacteria, lowering the risk of your beer being contaminated.

2. Every piece of equipment that touches the beer, from spoons through to fermentation buckets and rubber stoppers, needs to be boiled immediately and sanitized. Sanitize using iodine or a specialist sanitizing agent, ideally for at least 1 minute. Doing so reduces the risk of bacteria contaminating later batches.

3. Be patient during the fermentation process, as it can sometimes take up to two days for the results to start becoming visible. If there is no sign of fermentation after this period, adding some more dry yeast to the mixture will usually accelerate the process.

Craft Beer Tasting Tips

A graduate of Columbia University with a BA in English, Andrew Barovick studied for his JD at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Now a partner at Alegria & Barovick LLP, Andrew Barovick enjoys sampling craft beers when he is not at the office.

Generally created by small producers, sometimes even in the home, craft beers are available in a multitude of varieties. Here are some tips for getting the most out of a craft beer tasting experience.

1. Take more than a single sip before deciding whether you like the beer, as craft beers tend to be more complex than their mass-produced counterparts. Appreciate everything from the initial aroma to the aftertaste.

2. Consider writing your experience down if you are struggling to describe it verbally. According to craft beer expert Randy Mosher, our brains often struggle to comprehend flavors and assign descriptions to them.

3. Avoid over-chilling the beer, as this prevents you from getting the full experience. Craft beers are generally best enjoyed at a little below room temperature, though many producers will recommend specific temperatures, too.

Some Health Benefits of Cross-Country Skiing

A seasoned attorney with solo practice experience, Andrew Barovick works as a partner with Alegria & Barovick LLP, where he advises on the selection of new cases and helps clients obtain benefits or money they deserve. The leader of an active lifestyle outside of work, Andrew Barovick enjoys cross-country skiing.

Sometimes referred to as “Nordic skiing,” the activity provides a workout to both the upper and lower body, as practitioners generate locomotion themselves rather than by relying on a slope. Consequently, cross-country skiers tend to develop strong cores, legs, and arms via not only repetitive pushing and pulling, but also the effort required to maintain balance.

According to Health Fitness Revolution, which provides resources related to both physical and mental fitness, cross-country skiing results in more calories being burned per unit of time than any other sport, with the most ardent practitioners consuming over 1,100 per hour.

Moreover, the activity is touted for being low impact, especially when compared to jogging, as the feet land relatively softly after being lifted but a short distance from the ground, thereby minimizing trauma to muscles and joints.

Using Cooking and the Kitchen as Parenting Tools

An experienced lawyer, Andrew Barovick serves as a partner with Alegria & Barovick LLP in New York City. Outside of work, Andrew Barovick enjoys exploring new restaurants and preparing delicious foods at home. While perhaps not a traditional location for parenting, the kitchen provides opportunities to impart lessons and grow closer to children.

Teaching in the kitchen can begin at very early ages. Toddlers can help adults count the number of fruits or vegetables they are using and report colors. Talking about ingredients helps build vocabulary.

As children grow older, adults can teach them about safety and what they can and cannot touch. Parents may also want to talk about where food comes from and other basics of agriculture. Making a recipe with a child helps teach reading comprehension and following directions.

Children can take part in cooking by choosing meals and foods for the family. The knowledge that they contribute helps build confidence. As children get older, they can help with mixing dough, basic chopping, and more. Naturally, children will spill foods and make mistakes. Being caring and understand helps them develop self-esteem.

A Few of New York’s Great Destinations for Cross-Country Skiing

Andrew Barovick has provided legal representation as a partner at Alegria & Barovick LLP in New York City for more than four years. Outside of work, Andrew Barovick pursues a multitude of hobbies, including cross-country skiing. 

New York has several excellent cross-country skiing destinations, including Mohonk Mountain House, which is less than two hours from Manhattan. Here, individuals will find 30 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing. 

Those who do not mind traveling farther can check out Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center in the Adirondacks. Because it is four hours from New York City, families are encouraged to stay in little Scandinavian cottages, which come with free use of the trails. 

One of the most affordable destinations is Beaver Lake Nature Center, which charges only $3 per car for admission. The center boasts seven miles of cross-country ski trails and three miles of snowshoeing trails.

A free option is Great Bear Recreation Area, which has eight miles of single-track trails through the woods.

Breathe from Your Diaphragm while Biking for Better Performance

Andrew Barovick works as a partner at Alegria & Barovick LLP, a New York-based law firm focused on Social Security disability claims, medical malpractice, property damage, and personal injury. Outside the office, Andrew Barovick enjoys cycling. 

One of the quickest ways to improve your performance and fight off fatigue on the bike is to focus on breathing from your diaphragm. 

The diaphragm is a muscle below your lungs that aids them in sucking in and expelling breaths. When someone tells you to breathe low, or from your stomach, they mean to breathe from your diaphragm. To do so, push your abdomen out as you breathe in, and tighten your stomach as you exhale. Breathing from your stomach allows your diaphragm to act as a billow instead of your lungs, improving the quality of each breath. 

The next time you ride, find a comfortable position that allows you to breathe from your diaphragm. You may have to sacrifice aerodynamics by sitting up straighter to allow your stomach and chest to expand. Any speed loss is made up for by having better breath control that allows you to persist longer without fatigue. 

Once you master breathing from your diaphragm while biking, you can start to focus on rhythmic breathing, which also helps boost performance.

"Hallelujah" Debuts on Billboard Charts following Cohen's Death

Since 2013, Andrew Barovick has been a partner at Alegria & Barovick LLP, a New York-based litigation firm with a focus on areas including medical malpractice, personal injury, and Social Security Disability. Outside of work, Andrew Barovick enjoys discovering new music and staying abreast of music news. 

After his November 7, 2016, death, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, 32 years after the song’s initial release. 

A tune Rolling Stone calls Cohen’s signature song, “Hallelujah” debuted in the 59th spot on the Hot 100 charts just weeks after the iconic musician’s death. Placing the track in the charts are its 3.8 million streams and 33,000 downloads. 

The song is perhaps best known for one of its many cover versions, by artists ranging from Jeff Buckley to Pentatonix. Numerous covers have also appeared on various Billboard charts since Cohen’s death, including versions from the previously mentioned artists. 

The Pentatonix cover, released just before Cohen’s death, finished ahead of the original on the Hot 100 that week, in the 56th spot.