365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
Beer #718 Newcastle Brown Ale / Caledonian Brewing Company, Edinburgh, Scotland
Previously from this brewery: the others
Hustle day, so I'm keeping this short - and if I can be honest, probably not interesting.
Today's beer is a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale, which I think was left in the cooler at a tailgate. Last season. It pours with a dark amber color with a fluffy white head. There are aromas of biscuit and malt, and flavors of caramel, sweet malt, and a hint of bitterness. This beer is very easy drinking, and while there are certainly more flavorful or complex brown ales out there, this one holds up.
Back when there was sun in the world, unlike winter
It's almost odd to have a beer that comes out of a clear bottle, when you think about it. Thing to Think About Today:
A brown ale... the day before Thanksgiving.... means you get Charlie Brown and the always magical Thanksgiving episode. Should I have posted this tomorrow? Probably, but time doesn't wait for awesome.
Beer #706 Cabin Fever / New Holland Brewing Company, New Holland, MI
Previously from this brewery: a whole gaggle of delicious beers
Hustle day; on the road to State College for one of the last two home games. Is it wrong I wish it was colder? I do somehow enjoy those bone-chilling cold days in the parking lot....
So, that means a beer review, and up to bat is a bottle of Cabin Fever from New Holland Brewing. Out of the bottle, this beer has a dark brown hue and a big toasted malt aroma. Uh oh.
When I took a sip, I was hit with toasted, burnt, and roasted malt flavors..... none of which I enjoy in a beer. Crud. If I close my eyes, this one tastes more like a porter or a stout than a brown ale. Brown ales are usually something I enjoy - the brown ale from Tommyknocker Brewery is fantastic, for example. However, this one was not something I liked or would try again. But, if those flavors are your thing, feel free to grab one of these.
Not feverish about this one
Thing to Think About Today:
Beer with cabin in the name means you get something about a home. So, that means Home, from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
Day #668 Brown Ale / The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Farmville, NC
Previously from this brewery: Hoppy Bunny Ale and a Milk Stout
Just getting down to business. Today's beer is a Brown Ale from The Duck-Rabbit. This one pours a dark brown color and gives off a toasted malt aroma. When you take a sip, there's a good bit of bitterness throughout, much more so than most brown ales. On the other hand, just like most brown ales, there's ample toasted malt with some nuttiness and hints of chocolate and caramel thrown in for good measure. Definitely a good fall beer, something for when there's a bit of chill in the air and the smell of damp leaves in your nose.
Duck....duck.....duck.... rabbit.
Thing to Think About Today:
It's important to know that I'm nostalgic. It's important to know that the saddest song ever is Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks. It's important to know that I used to listen to this song frequently as a child, which, along with my fondness for Owl at Home, a children's book about an owl who made tea using his own tears, may explain a lot about me. Or maybe not, who knows. Anyway, this one came on my iPod today, so here you go. Worth a look just for Terry's 70s afro alone, whether you're sad or not.
Day #597 Vlaamsche Leeuw Donker / Brouwerij van Vlaanderen, Oostkamp, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: N/A, this beer is the first out the limo!
I know, I know. You're already sick of hearing about Belgium, and reading about Belgium, and seeing pictures of Belgium. I do apologize, but if I flew halfway around the planet to visit the beer capital of the world, I'm going to continue boring you until I run out.
Tonight's selection is a bottle of Vlaamsche Leeuw, from Brouwerij van Vlaanderen. It came in a bottle during a visit to the town of Kortrijk, a short bike ride away from the French border. This is the donker, which means dark beer in Flemish, but like all breweries in Belgium they also make a blonde. In the glass, you see a rich, dark brown color with a lingering fluffy head. Your nose finds caramel and apples, and when you take a sip you get delicious, caramel malt sweetness with touches of dark fruits. For most of the trip, I stayed with lighter beers and tended to not choose donkers, but this one was a great call - and one I'm not likely to find in America any time soon!!!
The say what now?
For those of you who want a super brief international diplomacy lesson, Belgium was at one time part of several other countries, including France. It's not any longer, but people in the Flanders region in the northern part of the country, which speaks Flemish (a variation of Dutch), don't always see eye to eye with the predominately French speaking part of the country in the south. The phrase Vlaamsche Leeuw translates to Flemish Lion, and is actually the name of the national anthem of the Flemish people. The lion symbol on the glass and bottle can be found on many flags flown over Flanders, and the bad blood between France and Belgium goes back to 1300 or so. These guys can hold a grudge!
Looks like this beer is contract brewed at de Proef, a large brewer where smaller guys come to brew beer rather than investing in the bricks and mortar needed to start up their own production facilities. I'm more or less okay with this practice, as long as the brewery in question participates in the brewing and not just mails in a recipe.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of all things Flanders and anyone smart enough to pick a lion as your mascot, I present to you some Mumford and Sons, with the always awesome Little Lion Man. Which of course would be Beetje Leeuw Man in Flemish (I think), which doesn't really roll off the tongue. Going with a live version from Red Rocks, where I will eventually see a concert in person. Eventually. Have a good night all... I regret to inform you more Belgium is on the way when I write again next.
Day #585 Brekle's Brown / Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, CA
Previously from this brewery: Anchor Steam (a Top 25 beer) and Liberty Ale
Keeping things moving today, and getting right down to business with another beer review. Hopefully your day is treating you well! Today your beer review is a bottle of Brekle's Brown from Anchor Brewing, in San Francisco. This brown ale pours with a light brown color and just a hint of head around the edge. There are aromas of sweet malt, and when you take a sip you get flavors of toffee and citrus, with big doses of malt which give a nice sweetness and touch of roasted flavor to the beer. There's a touch of chocolate at the finish, too which gives it a nice, rich finish. Good beer, but I wouldn't expect anything else from a legendary American brewery. Curious about the name of the beer? It's a homage to the original brewer who opened the brewery... keep reading to learn more.
Soooo handsome
About that name.... from their website: "Anchor Brewing’s roots date back to the early 1850s and the California gold rush, when pioneer brewer Gottlieb Brekle arrived in San Francisco from Germany. In 1871, he purchased an old beer-and-billiards saloon near Russian Hill and transformed it into the little brewery that—twenty-five years later—would be renamed Anchor."
Thing to Think About Today:
You know that a brown ale is likely to bring some Bobby Brown! Let's all get down to some Every Little Step to close things out here. What's not to love about spandex shorts and suspenders? I totally need to bring that look back, along with the blazer with shoulder pads but no shirt. Fashion, yo!
Want a humbling experience? Try doing battle with this...
...when it's 88 degrees and humid. If I don't post again, it's because I actually had a heart attack. Holy cow. After I drink a gallon of water to replenish myself, I will have a beer this evening. In the meantime, please enjoy this review of Jolly Pumpkin's Maracaibo Especial.
(I had a photo at one point. If I find it, it will go here.)
It poured a rich, bright oak color with a light tan bubbly head. It smells woody and just a little funky. The flavor is has the Jolly Pumpkin signature tartness, but I was surprised at the more pronounced hop profile. It's very smooth. Per Jolly Pumpkin's description, there's supposed to be cacao, sweet orange and cinnamon. I could find the citrus, but the cacao and cinnamon were eluding me. I'm not going to say I'm disappointed but this isn't one of my favorites from Jolly Pumpkin. Horror!
Beer stats
Style: American brown ale
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Good
Previously reviewed from Jolly Pumpkin (The list goes on and on and on again...)
My review of Sobrehumano Palena'ole Mr. Blog's review of Sobrehumano My review of E.S. Bam His and her reviews of La Roja My review of Luciernaga from a Jolly Pumpkin bender Gary's review of E.S. Bam My review of Madrugada Obscuraand some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres
Summary of today: 17 miles on the bike. Few hundred yards on a busted tire. Two mile death march to an access point where Mr. Blog Named Brew could pick me up. Casualties: one tire, one tube, my left calf and my pride.
So then I drank a beer. Not this beer. This beer is the Bling Blanger from Saucony Creek Brewing Company. It's a chocolate brown ale. The brewery doesn't have a website yet. There are barely any reviews on Beer Advocate and what's there doesn't include this beer. A mystery!
It pours with a thick, creamy tan head over a deep, dark chocolate brown
ale. It smells toasty and malty. The flavor is predominantly chocolate with a little bitter coffee bean thrown in. It has a strong malt profile. The mouthfeel is light but complicated with lots of flavor. It's incredibly smooth--almost too so as I guzzled down half this beer while writing notes.
Beer stats:
Style: Brown ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Saucony Creek
First beer ever from here!
If there's two things I can count on from Tired Hands Brewing Company, it is good beer and obscure literary references. I present to you Bokonon as evidence.
Bokonon is an enlightened hoppy brown ale per the description on record at Tired Hands. Since I'm used to the peculiarity of Tired Hands' beer names, I got to googling this one. Turns out that Bokonon is a Kurt Vonnegut-created religion from his book titled Cat's Cradle. I haven't read much Vonnegut so this was new information to me.
Oddly and perhaps in a twist of Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, I read this quote by Vonnegut just last week:
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion.
I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.
As I find myself recklessly hurdling into one of the busiest times of my year, I find solace in this particular quote. And I agree wholeheartedly that it is by far better to laugh than cry.
But what about that beer?
It poured a hazy chocolate brown color with a full tan head. It had a piney hop smell. The flavor is exactly as promised: a hoppy brown ale. It's light, piney, a little earthy. Has lots of malts. There's a bitter chocolate thing happening and has a great mouthfeel. If I were spending more time at Tired Hands that day, I would have definitely ordered a second one.
Day #413 Four / Freetail Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX
Previously from this brewery: my review of Woodicus, and Marci's review of Ananke
Another Saturday has arrived at Blog Named Brew Manor, and I feel very comfortable in my own skin so I feel no shame in telling you that I spent a fair part of my morning catching up on missed episodes of Gossip Girl. Sure, other grownups might be doing home improvement projects today, or whatever normal grownups do, but I prefer to spend my day off binge watching a show aimed at tweens. What can I say, I like what I like.
Have no fear, I also like beer, so today's review is a look back to Texas, with a review of Four, a brown ale from Freetail Brewing. This beer sports a mahogany hue with ruby hints and virtually no head. Your nose finds aromas of cocoa and malt, an the taste gives you notes of dark chocolate, spice, and caramel malt sweetness, with some hops balance to keep things honest. Like caramel? Like chocolate? Like beer? Do you find yourself in or near San Antonio (because the distribution network for breweries in Texas is fairly awful)? Then please order this beer, and you can thank me later.
Glamour shot
This beer is named in honor of Freetail's fourth anniversary. No idea if they intend to name a beer after every anniversary going forward, but then again I never really asked.
Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so why do I watch a show aimed at the demographic a solid generation younger than I am? Two reasons: Chuck Bass and Chuck Bass (okay, fine, Chuck Bass and the lovely Leighton Meester, who plays Blair, Chuck's love interest). Bass, played splendidly by Ed Westwick, is the dapper, debonair, confident, Scotch drinking, risk taking, scheming, ignored son of a billionaire, who manages to run a business empire and be the biggest playboy in town, all before his 21st birthday. In other words, he's just like me!!!
The highlight of any episode? Chuck uttering his catch phrase, "I'm Chuck Bass....", which at various times serves as a means of introduction, a command, a threat, and the most succinct version of, "Do you know who the fuck I am?" I've ever heard. His highlight reel, for those unfamiliar, is how we're closing out today.
Beer #335 Gritty's Best Brown Ale / Gritty McDuff's Brewery, Portland, ME
Almost time to launch the countdown of the last 30 beers. Can't get too far ahead of myself, so I'll worry more about that tomorrow. Particularly since there are huge things happening at BlogNamedBrew Manor tonight: two bottles of exceptionally rare bourbon have arrived! A friend and fellow connoisseur put in some rather hard work and managed to score five bottles from Old Van Winkle Distillery, near universally regarded as THE premier bourbon producer out there. Part of the big deal behind this distillery is the age of their bourbons - I managed to score a 20 year old and a 12 year old bottle, while my friend pulled in the Holy Grail, a 23 year old bottle.
Think about this for a second... the last time the 20 year old bourbon saw the light of day, Bill Clinton hadn't yet been elected, Manuel Noriega was still running the drug cartels, Color Me Badd had the #1 song in the country, and I still was somewhere in high school. So yeah, this bourbon is OLD. At some point in the near future, I'll give you a complete run down when these get cracked open and sampled. But that's another story for another day.
Don't sleep on this Van Winkle
Instead of a world class bourbon, tonight I'm sampling a brown ale from Gritty McDuff's Brewery, out of Portland, Maine. This beer has a dark amber color with a thin white head. There's an aroma of malt and honey, and the taste is thin and (unfortunately), soapy. There's some honey and sweet malt, but too much sweetness. If you're in the market for a brown ale, you might want to keep moving past this one and find another option. This beer is greatly lacking, which is unfortunate as I do enjoy a nice brown ale.
Gritty. But not in a good way.
This beer comes from a brewpub in Portland that first started making beer in 1988. And there you go.
Thing to Think About Today:
I'm out of steam, and I'm too busy dreaming about bourbon (and going to bed) to be much more creative than to say that if tonight's beer is the (allegedly) "best" brown ale, then we're finishing up tonight by rocking Bobby Brown. And, because I wasn't very nice to this beer or brewery, then it's time for some Don't Be Cruel. See you tomorrow, people.
A bottle of Delsym, box of Mucinex D, a course of prednisone and a small inhaler later, I'm still sick. And tired. Sick and tired. Ha. And I'd love to have the last week of my life back. But thank god for doctors who don't need to see you before prescribing more drugs. I'm happily curled up in my pajamas with the first dose of antibiotics on board!
All this drug consumption is definitely cutting into my drinking time. Suck it, cold. I've got work to do.
At least I didn't waste a good beer on my drug-addled self tonight. I would not recommend Gritty's Best Brown Ale by the Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company out of Portland, Maine.
It poured a reddish mahogany color ale with a tan head. The aroma is rich malts and very buttery. The flavor on the other hand is nonexistent. It's very thin and water like. There's a strange rubbery chemical thing happening. If I think about it really hard, I could make myself taste that buttery malt. But then it disappears and I'm left with a thin, watery blech in my glass.
This is a poor beer. It's so bad that I have to think there's something wrong with it, right? I guess I should be on the look out for other Gritty McDuff beers to see if there are redeeming ones.
Today I rode my bike twelve miles. While I was out riding, Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a space capsule hovering via helium balloon at the edge of space -- about 23 miles above Earth. After a 34 step checklist, he stepped out onto a platform the size of a skateboard deck and jumped -- free falling and surpassing the speed of sound (about 690 mph) and ultimately reaching 833 mph in nothing but a space suit. His trip up took about 2.5 hours. His trip down? Well under ten minutes.
This project was years in the making...starting in 2007. How does one commemorate the culmination of many, many years of work? With a simple statement made soaring above humankind, "I'm coming home."
USA Today has a pretty good story on the event here.
My adrenaline trip of the day? I ran over a snake on my ride. Thirty minutes later I deftly avoided another one. I imagine the adrenaline rush is pretty similar to what Felix Baumgartner experienced, no?
***
Today's beer is the Pecan Harvest Ale, an ale brewed with Louisiana pecans (5.2% ABV) from the Abita Brewing Company. It is brewed with Munich, biscuit and caramel malts and Willamette hops.
It poured a crystalline amber with a thick tan head. I could smell the nuts and malts right away. The flavor has a subtle nuttiness to it and is incredibly smooth. There are coffee notes as well. This is an interesting example of a brown ale.
Today's beer was enjoyed with a good friend...Tailgate Cheetah. Who is Tailgate Cheetah, you ask. He is an adventurer...
He has a need for speed...
Sometimes he flirts with danger!
He likes to dj our tailgate. He has pretty good taste in music although sometimes it's a bit too cat-centric for me...Cat Stevens, Cat Power, Faster Pussycat, Pussy Riot.
He is a feline for all seasons!
He likes to woo the ladies...with romantic boat rides!
He loves to tailgate, but loves PSU football even more. He doesn't sit in the stands. He sits on the sideline.
He has excellent taste in beer.
Lucky for me he shares...
The Brown Ale from Diamond Knot Brewery poured a hazy brown with a thick tan head. Safety first at the tailgate so no glasses and no good photos of the beer. It was nutty and nice and malty. Very easy to drink with a 6% ABV. There was a bit of chocolate in the flavor as it warmed up a bit. I also noted some toasted bread and caramel. Overall a good beer.
Beer #267 Brown Ale / Diamond Knot Brewing Company, Mukilteo, WA
The first Penn State game is in the books, and while the result on the field wasn't very encouraging, it was tremendous to be back in State College for a football game. Maybe now we can go back to debating the merits of the back-up quarterback or blitzing linebackers or kicking game woes, or whatever else it is people talk about at tailgates besides Jerry Sandusky. While the game was lost, we easily continued our streak of being undefeated in the parking lot. It was great to see everyone again all in one place, and we ended up having a sizable contingent of friends stop by to spend the day with us. One of the highlights of any tailgate is welcoming back old friends I haven't seen in a while. We'll do it again in two weeks, and try once more to get a win on the field to match our effort at the tailgate.
A few items for consideration:
1. Yes, we were among the first to arrive and set up shop. I'll be worried on the day we pull in and see hundreds of other cars around us.
2.. After the game, kids from Penn State's marching band, The Blue Band, roam our parking lot, playing some songs for the crowd in exchange for donations to help support their whatever it is they do with our donation (hopefully buy beer). When they stopped by our tailgate, I was able to get the rhythm section to recreate snippets of the final battle scene from the movie Drumline, complete with the whole 'play other guy's drums / drop sticks vibe'. More on this later.
3. Managed to get a blog beer going at the tailgate, too! While there were plenty of macro brew light beers consumed by the crowd (including a few by me), there were definitely some good beer options as well. SweetWater was one of the more notable good beer choices I saw in our flotilla of coolers. Word on the street is New Glarus will be making an appearance next time.... love it.
My beer review for the day comes from Diamond Knot Brewing Company's Brown Ale. In my blue plastic cup (always blue - never red), it seemed to be a dark brown color with a fluffy white head. Your nose is greeted with a malty aroma, and the taste gives you caramel, malt, bread, dark fruit, and some sweetness Nice and balanced at 6.0% ABV. Not the beer I might have gone with on a sunny, 90 degree day, but I definitely enjoyed it, and will try some of the other Diamond Knot beers when I see them in the future.
This beer is approved by Tailgate Cheetah, our official tailgate mascot
Diamond Knot was named for a shipping vessel which sunk while sailing to Seattle in 1947. In the cargo hold was up to 10% of the canned salmon harvest from Alaska that year, so a huge effort was made to recover the tin cans from the wreckage. Not quite as lyrical as the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but topical for the town where this beer is brewed. Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
So, the Blue Band's recreation of this scene wasn't exactly perfect, but I give them credit for at least having some fun at the tailgate. Consider the film Drumline your bonus College Week material in this space - while this movie wasn't terribly representative of my college experience, it's a pretty decent flick, and certainly provides more marching band excitement than your average Penn State game.
Day #2 in Portland involved a trip to Rogue Brewery's outpost on NW Flanders. At the time I didn't realize it, but Rogue has a number of outlets. The Distillery and Public House on Flanders was fantastic and exactly what I expected.
What I didn't expect is for Rogue to also support a number of nano-breweries (exactly what it sounds like), a hop yard, barley farm and bee farm. The commitment to being local, sustainable and green is outstanding in Portland.
While visiting Rogue, I opted for the sampler and had the following:
Hazelnut Brown Nectar. It poured a shade of chestnut and smelled woody. The taste was nutty with lots of malt. Delicious.
Next up was the Chocolate Stout. Big aromas of chocolate. It was pitch black in the glass with a dense head. It had a great balance of roasted malts, chocolate with a touch of vanilla. Delicious but in a way totally different than the Hazelnut Brown.
The final beer in the sampler was the MoM Hefeweizen. This one was a slightly cloudy straw color and had no head. The scent was lemon and sweet. It was effervescent and lemony with wheat flavors. It's brewed with rose petals and honey, which don't lend overwhelming flavor...they just make it all the more tasty.
There was one more "beer" in my sampler. It was labeled kid beer. I'll leave you with my notes from that afternoon regarding my thoughts on being served root beer in my sampler...
Then the kid beer. I feel insulted. Dick.
Evidently I was none too pleased with that development. I'm also not holding grudges because Rogue is going in my top 25!
Two days of hopping around wineries is exhausting and hangover inducing...especially when you factor in craft beer sampling. Before departing for Portland, we visited eight wineries over two days. The highlight among them is a newish one called Martorana Family Winery. While n this winery is only about five years old, the family's wine story goes way further back. Definitely check out that link for some history.
I'm not a huge red wine drinker and I was definitely in red wine country. Imagine my delight when we arrived at Martorana and met Gio, the winemaker, who opened up a recently bottled Chardonnay for us. It was so good, I'm currently smuggling it back to Pennsylvania!
I would say that if you find yourself in Sonoma, you should definitely put this winery on your list. Laid back people, quality wine and two winery dogs! How can you go wrong with that combination?!?
Following the wine stops, we hit Bear Republic in Healdsburg for some beer and appetizers. Sadly we missed out on a visit to Lagunitas -- they were closed for a private event.
I had the Peter Brown Tribute Ale. It's an American brown ale that poured a deep, murky brown. It barely had any head. There was a malt and caramel aroma that carried through to the taste. The taste also had a dominant bitterness, which I wasn't expecting. It had a nice mouthfeel...kind of creamy. I think this is a good beer...I just prefer my brown ales with more malt.
Cheers!
p.s. If you're wondering about the name of this beer, I have an answer. It's named in honor of one of Bear Republic's sales reps, who died at a relatively young age. A new brown ale was being brewed on the day he died and the brewmaster dedicated the new brew to him. It went on to win a number of awards and the rest is history.
I’m beginning to realize that work is going to be a total pain in my balls from now until May 11. Every time I feel like I have things under control, 15 minutes pass by and I’m drowning in to do lists once again. Oh well, at least I have a job I love. Seriously. I’m spending the last hour of tomorrow testing hydrogen balloon configurations to determine which one is the most awesome. I get paid to do this shit. Seriously.
On to today’s beer -- Brooklyn Brown Ale out of Brooklyn, New York. It pours a deep, dark brown with a light tan head. It smells of biscuits and malt. The taste is rich and complex. The longer I drank it, the more nuanced the flavor. It started with chocolate and roasted malts. Then the nuttiness showed itself. This is kind of a heavy brown ale that I don’t think I would necessarily drink year-round despite its availability. About midway through the glass, I began picking up on a great caramel flavor that led to coffee notes.
Like I said, it’s got some complex flavors going on. One of my absolute favorite beers from Brooklyn is their Local 2. It’s a Belgian strong dark ale. I recommend you go find one. Maybe even go find this one and let me know which one is your favorite. I vote this one as a great wintertime beer.
Beer #73 Turbodog / Abita Brewing Company, Abita Springs, Louisiana
It's Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent and the close of Mardi Gras. I've never been to New Orleans, although I have great respect for a town that completely embraces the concept of the to-go cup and eschews open container laws. So, in keeping with a theme, we're each sampling a beer from Louisiana this evening.
My beer is the Turbodog, a brown ale from Abita. As you can see from the picture, it's dark, almost black with some reddish tints. Strong malt aroma, and the taste is
of roasted chocolate malt. Interesting that I sampled this a day after the
Troegs Scratch 57, as I can see some similarities in their foundation. Not
saying they're similar, just saying they probably knew some of the same people
growing up. For such a dark color beer, there's a thin mouth feel - not a very
dense or heavy beer. Abita brews about 30 miles north of New Orleans,
and they've been turning out brews since 1986.
Thing to Think About Today:
Listen, if we're going with a theme, we're sticking with the theme. So go ahead and think about Dr. John, a fantastic musician I've had the privilege of seeing in person when he was on a an east coast tour a few years back.
If you're still looking for something to think about related to today's topic, I recommend you check out Treme, the David Simon HBO series that explores life in New Orleans post-Katrina, with a particularly awesome focus on music (including some Dr. John appearances). Plus, Freamon and Bunk from The Wire play prominent roles, the former as an Mardi Gras Indian Chief, the latter as a freelance trombone player.
Today started with a surprise visit by our roofers. Oh, I knew I was getting a new roof. I just didn’t know today was the day! Imagine my delight as I’m prancing around trying to get ready for work having to deal with three crazed dachshunds and five strange men standing in my backyard. I’m sure it goes without saying that, of course, I’m still in a TOWEL at the start of this debacle.
Then I come home to this mess.
I suppose when the place looks like this, that chair could not have been meant for the trash pickup!
I’m writing this post at 6:13 p.m. and they are still going strong. I’ll admit my new roof is beautiful but, as all things beautiful, it comes with a price. I’m spending enough on this damn house this week to…I don’t even want to think about what I could have done with the money. Between fixing the hole in the siding, this new roof, ultimately new siding…let’s just say when I find out I need to have all the plywood replaced and it costs $1,500, it’s like it’s not even real money anymore.
This! (shakes tiny fists of fury) This makes me sad because the Coach wallet I’ve had my eye on for almost a year went on sale today for $65 off. Guess who isn’t getting a fun new wallet? A plum patent leather wallet? Patent leather is like crack for me. DEPRESSIONHURTSDOTCOM!!!
But I digress. I’m not sure what I expected to happen during the installation of a new roof, but so far this one makes me want to drink. (I’m going to pretend that I don’t hear a chainsaw…)
Oh, and by the way, the new roof and siding are really going to make the lack of landscaping, falling down retaining wall and driveway look even shittier. Ramen noodles for dinner. Momma needs more spending cash!
***
Tonight we drink Angry Boy brown ale.
It comes to us from Baird Brewing Company in Japan! The tulip glass gets a night off for a change. It poured cloudy with slightly red highlights in a brown ale (go figure!). It had a thick tan head that took its time slowly fizzing away. It smelled of sweetness and raisins.
Why do I keep finding beer that smells / tastes like raisins??? I don’t like raisins!
The taste started sweet and earthy. Then came the raisins. (Seriously? Why does it sound like a horror movie outside?) It finished with a modest hop bite. It drank silky smooth. Overall I would say it’s good beer.
p.s. It was a very powerful leaf blower…not a chainsaw!
What better way to pay homage to MLK than by infusing the floundering economy with some cold hard cash? Before you all get upset by my subtle mocking of the day of service hoopla, keep in mind that I work for a nonprofit. My life is a day of service.
Today I have three missions:
1. Visit Shangy's. Done. Shangy's doesn't have a website, but you could like them on Facebook to stay up to date on their offerings. Don't let that deter you. It's worth the effort. I've never seen such variety in a distributor before. We're coming home stacked with New Holland Dragon's Milk, Dale's Pale Ale and a sampler from Butternut. We're pretty psyched.
2. Visit Allentown Brew Works. Done and more on that later.
3. Eat all the oysters at Teresa's Next Door. That commences at 4:00 p.m. Our goal is to be asked to leave for eating so many oysters. You got to have goals.
Sidebar: How awesome is it that I'm sitting here writing about beer as actual beer brewing is happening?!?
So overall today is turning out to be pretty successful. Plus I had the following awesome conversation with Gary. I'm surprised he talks to me sometimes.
Me: Turn here on Lumber Street.
Gary: Lumbar??
Me: No. Lumber. Like wood.
Gary: Oh turn here to be killed.
Me: Wouldn't it be awesome if you could hack into GPS satellites and direct people into ambushes?
Gary: (laughs uncomfortably) What is wrong with you?
Me: I'm just saying it would make ambushes easier.
***
After reliving that conversation, today's beer is even more appropriate. It is Fegley Brew Works Nutso brown ale. It poured rich brown in my glass. It didn't have a distinct smell other than beer. It drank with lots of carbonation, flavors of chocolate, roast and undertones of walnuts. Overall I liked it. It wasn't challenging but was very satisfying.
