Shout out to America!

Day #572 Infidel / Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company, Post Falls, ID
Previously from this brewery:  none; this beer is the first out the limo!

Happy Fourth of July to all of my friends out there!  I worked in the yard this morning, because that seems like a good American thing to do.  Personally, paying someone else to do the jobs we don't want to do sound pretty American as well... might have to call the guy who does my leaves to discuss additional yard work.  Rest of the day should be a lazy one here, although I'm sure the sound of fireworks in the distance and car alarms going off in my neighborhood will eventually break up any silence that I may find.

And really, if we're talking things that sound American, that list has to start with drinking craft beer made in the good old U.S. of A.  I stopped in to TJ's with a friend for a post work beer on Tuesday, and was pleasantly surprised to find a new brewery (new to me) on tap - Selkirk Abbey from Idaho.  This Belgian IPA has a light amber color with a thin, lingering head.  There's an aroma of gain and tangerine, and when you take a sip you get flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, light but earthy pine, with spice and yeast.  The finish is dry and bitter, but that's a good thing. Very interesting beer that I really enjoyed.  Not sure how a keg of this makes its way from Northern Idaho to the suburbs of Philadelphia, but I'm glad it did.

How you doin'?

This brewery started crafting beers in 1999, and from the pictures on their website, it seems like a fun place to hang out and drink beers.  As their abbey name implies, they specialize in Belgian style beers.  If I'm ever in Post Falls (stranger things have happened), I'm stopping in.

Thing to Think About Today:
With a name like Infidel, I want to drop some Che Guevara or Fidel Castro in this space.  However, it's the Fourth of July, so highlighting a Communist seems more than a small bit inappropriate.  Instead, I give you my absolutely favorite Fourth of July thing to think about: Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful.  Have I used that in this space before?  Yes.  To make up for that, I'll give you a different version than I used last year.  This version throws in a few guest stars for your watching/listening pleasure.  Happy birthday, America.  You still look pretty damn good for your age.  And to you, the reader, I hope your holiday is all smiles and sunshine and fireworks and glow sticks and dance parties and time well spent with loved ones. Enjoy and see you soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1GEpg0c1fw