You know what I miss, he said
she couldn't hear him with the waves crashing up against the rocks
left tumbled down like some old girl's hair
put up for too long
when still wet
now left to god's erosive nature
Being landlocked was what she missed
not worrying about those old monster movies
where things come crawling out of the abyss
But there is always an abyss, no matter where you go,he said
with doom voice
When my grandparents died, I felt like I was falling without a net,
She said
He nodded, trying to find a pattern in the ocean,
trying to decide if the tide was coming or going
People go like the tide, he said,
Only they never come back in,
at least not on the same shore.
I wonder what she'll do, she said
and her eyes catching up to the black space where
a shooting star had been
A meteoroid, she thought
Of course she was talking about Amy,
who was just a voice on the phone
but looked like the waitress at Denny's did
twenty years ago
She'll probably call, he said
and we'll answer and say what cat?
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Comfort in San Diego
Comfort in San Diego
Toronado: Pig in a Comforter & a pint of Apprentice. Also comforting: potato pancakes.
Hamilton's: Grilled cheese w/ tots & a side of beer cheese soup. & a pint of Pliny.
Carnitas Snack Shack: Pork Sandwich & a bottle of Palate Wrecker. Followed by bacon truffles and a bottle of Double Stout.
Urban Solace: Chicken & Dumplings & a pint of Pupil.
Eclipse Chocolate: Peanut Butter Toffee chocolate bar & a pint of Speedway.
Ritual Tavern: Ice cream cookie sandwich & a bottle of Old Rasputin.
Alpine Beer Company: Taco Tuesday (one of each) & a flight of IPAs. Followed by growler fills.
Tiger! Tiger!: On a cold night, sit near the wood-burning oven. Bratwurst & a pint of whatever Automatic is on at the time.
O'Brien's Pub: Soup & Brie w/ a Belgian.
Marisco's Taco Truck: Fish tacos, Shrimp tacos & a bottle of Sculpin.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
12.13
I'm sitting at my desk, at work, and it is very quiet. I'm certain that my boss knows that I am not working, since she can hear me typing. Every once in awhile I furrow my brow. Perhaps I am responding to a complaint email. Perhaps I am writing to the board of directors, asking why we are once again producing a brand new, Broadway-bound musical, when our brand new artistic director vowed to not produce work with New York in mind?
Music has been banned in the office, as have tennis shoes & jeans. This is not high school, folks. We are all adults. Please do not bring your electric guitars to work. I'm patiently awaiting my annual appraisal. I'm hoping that they call in the appropriate expert, someone who appreciates my original brass handles and the fact that I have never been refinished. I expect that my value has depreciated some since last year, probably because I often update my facebook status from my desk. Also, I have a vulnerability for compassion and a strong-hearted hatred of the new American musical.
We shared a bottle of Chocolate Oak-aged Yeti last night. It is an imperial stout, a dark beer with a stronger malt bill than a regular stout, which gives it more flavor and (importantly) a higher ABV (9-10%). This particular version is aged on oak (chips, I think, not barrel-aged) and cocoa nibs, with a little cayenne thrown in for balance. Best to let this one warm up to 50-55 degrees. Aroma is a lot like chocolate milk cartons, but unlike third grade you definitely get a nice blast of malts and alcohol. Smooth and nicely bodied, but not quite as thick as Old Viscosity or Santa's Little Helper. The chocolate gives this a nice sweetness, and the oak really mellows everything out- sometimes everyday Yeti is a little sharp, and this never gets to that point. The pepper comes through after 3/4 of a glass, and is nice on a rainy or snowy night. You don't need to be a craft beer nerd to love this one- I suggest you pick up a bottle and give it a shot. Should be $10-$12 at your local bottle shop.
I highly recommend the Urban Shave to any gentleman who needs a haircut, shave, or beard trim. David, the owner, is an excellent barber, and his one-chair shop is charming and masculinely comfortable. You need to call for an appointment, and his schedule fills up fast.
There were some vague news reports coming out of Northern Wisconsin this week regarding sightings of a strange, unidentified creature. Locals were warned to be indoors by sundown, and keep a fire burning through the night. "It's probably a Ho-dag," admitted Mayor Jim Habenschwenger, 68, of Rhinelander. "It's probably not," said his wife, Mary-Ann Schlegelmilch-Habenschwenger, 67, also of Rhinelander. He was having a cup of coffee with his usual breakfast, one egg, over medium on rye toast. She was stopping by with wall hangings from the Quilter's Club.
There is still no music playing in the office.
Music has been banned in the office, as have tennis shoes & jeans. This is not high school, folks. We are all adults. Please do not bring your electric guitars to work. I'm patiently awaiting my annual appraisal. I'm hoping that they call in the appropriate expert, someone who appreciates my original brass handles and the fact that I have never been refinished. I expect that my value has depreciated some since last year, probably because I often update my facebook status from my desk. Also, I have a vulnerability for compassion and a strong-hearted hatred of the new American musical.
We shared a bottle of Chocolate Oak-aged Yeti last night. It is an imperial stout, a dark beer with a stronger malt bill than a regular stout, which gives it more flavor and (importantly) a higher ABV (9-10%). This particular version is aged on oak (chips, I think, not barrel-aged) and cocoa nibs, with a little cayenne thrown in for balance. Best to let this one warm up to 50-55 degrees. Aroma is a lot like chocolate milk cartons, but unlike third grade you definitely get a nice blast of malts and alcohol. Smooth and nicely bodied, but not quite as thick as Old Viscosity or Santa's Little Helper. The chocolate gives this a nice sweetness, and the oak really mellows everything out- sometimes everyday Yeti is a little sharp, and this never gets to that point. The pepper comes through after 3/4 of a glass, and is nice on a rainy or snowy night. You don't need to be a craft beer nerd to love this one- I suggest you pick up a bottle and give it a shot. Should be $10-$12 at your local bottle shop.
I highly recommend the Urban Shave to any gentleman who needs a haircut, shave, or beard trim. David, the owner, is an excellent barber, and his one-chair shop is charming and masculinely comfortable. You need to call for an appointment, and his schedule fills up fast.
There were some vague news reports coming out of Northern Wisconsin this week regarding sightings of a strange, unidentified creature. Locals were warned to be indoors by sundown, and keep a fire burning through the night. "It's probably a Ho-dag," admitted Mayor Jim Habenschwenger, 68, of Rhinelander. "It's probably not," said his wife, Mary-Ann Schlegelmilch-Habenschwenger, 67, also of Rhinelander. He was having a cup of coffee with his usual breakfast, one egg, over medium on rye toast. She was stopping by with wall hangings from the Quilter's Club.
There is still no music playing in the office.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
The burning of an abandoned farmhouse outside of Ocklawaha
My grandfather was there, on the farm when Ma Barker and her gang
were gunned down-
no, not all of them-
she could have
escaped by an open basement window,
crawled through the drainage ditch
and stolen my great Uncle's
Ford truck.
Because my Grandfather, who had been my great Uncle's brother,
swears that he saw her again, after the war,
at the counter of a George Webb
in Cudahy.
She disappeared past a man reading a newspaper
leaving behind fifty cents
and the scent of black powder.
The old white house,
where the farmer kept an almanac
of what grew best on which acres,
which months carried the most rain
and in which years the soil would be hardest-packed,
burned to the ground after being abandoned
for twenty years.
Who needs a farm
so filled with bullet holes
that it can't hold water?
His almanac
filled with weather
the heights of his fields
and the names of imaginary children
was reduced to black powder
and the scent of charred pine.
My Grandfather was there,
when the Barker gang was gunned down-
no, not all of them-
but they had said that
nobody had escaped. Because,
You can't escape bullet holes
the best course of action was to escape bullets
altogether.
His brother's wife, who looked an awful like lot
Ma Barker
had baked a pie,
and had it cooling at the window.
She thought it was odd, the way the bushes jumped
as if shoved from behind by a large man,
and thought that there was heavy rain falling on the side of the house.
By the time my great Uncle reached the kitchen,
Ma Barker's gang and my great Aunt
were dead.
were gunned down-
no, not all of them-
she could have
escaped by an open basement window,
crawled through the drainage ditch
and stolen my great Uncle's
Ford truck.
Because my Grandfather, who had been my great Uncle's brother,
swears that he saw her again, after the war,
at the counter of a George Webb
in Cudahy.
She disappeared past a man reading a newspaper
leaving behind fifty cents
and the scent of black powder.
The old white house,
where the farmer kept an almanac
of what grew best on which acres,
which months carried the most rain
and in which years the soil would be hardest-packed,
burned to the ground after being abandoned
for twenty years.
Who needs a farm
so filled with bullet holes
that it can't hold water?
His almanac
filled with weather
the heights of his fields
and the names of imaginary children
was reduced to black powder
and the scent of charred pine.
My Grandfather was there,
when the Barker gang was gunned down-
no, not all of them-
but they had said that
nobody had escaped. Because,
You can't escape bullet holes
the best course of action was to escape bullets
altogether.
His brother's wife, who looked an awful like lot
Ma Barker
had baked a pie,
and had it cooling at the window.
She thought it was odd, the way the bushes jumped
as if shoved from behind by a large man,
and thought that there was heavy rain falling on the side of the house.
By the time my great Uncle reached the kitchen,
Ma Barker's gang and my great Aunt
were dead.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Back-up quarterbacks, brewing with rye & a suitcase full of Wisco beer
Pre-season Weeks 2/3
When I was a kid, football season meant a change in the weather. But the pre-season marked the hottest days of the year, the dog days of summer, the inevitable return to Sherman Creek Elementary School. On the radio, there was always some debate over who would quarterback the Packers that season. Don Majkowski became a folk hero in 1989, when he threw for 4,318 yards and 27 touchdowns. He led the Packers to a monster of a win against the Bears (the first since 1984) and was selected to the Pro-Bowl. Not bad for a 10th round pick. But in true 10th round form, he tore his rotator cuff the following season, and an ankle ligament in 1992. Blair Kiel, Anthony Dilweg and Mike Tomczak all took snaps while Majkowski was out, as did Brett Favre. Majik never again suited up in Green-and-Gold.
In the 20 years before Brett Favre (and that legendary come-from-behind win against Cincinnati) the Packers started 18 quarterbacks. In the 20 years since #4's first snap, they've started exactly 3 (and Matt Flynn only twice, including last season's lame-duck blowout of Detroit). So you can understand why the Packer faithful are so worked up about finding a back-up for Rodgers- it's the first quarterback controversy we've had in over two decades (right).
Graham Harrell is clearly not going to work as a back-up (but lets be honest: it doesn't matter who backs him up- if Rogers goes down, it's going to be tough to win) so the Packers might as well go after someone like Colt McCoy or Greg McElroy. They can hope to limit turnovers with one of those guys, and both of them have a much higher up-side than Harrell. I could even see McCoy developing into a trade-able commodity in 2-3 seasons.
It really was nice to see Aaron Rodgers get a touchdown pass (during last week's ugly 35-10 loss to the Browns) and run it in twice against the lowly Bengals. They finally found some sort of rhythm on defense. Clay Matthews might actually have some help getting disrupting the line, with young guys like Jerel Worthy and Nick Perry giving the D some much needed depth & energy. I'm looking forward to Hargove returning after week 8. A fresh player that late in the season can make a big difference, even if they don't play pro-bowl caliber football.
Cedric Benson is an exciting addition- a guy who has the potential to be a productive tailback for more than one season. How refreshing is that? I know I'm not the only one sick of seeing Aaron Rodgers leading the team in rushing week after week. I think Benson helps the Packers do several things that they had trouble doing last year: short-yardage situations, balancing the run/pass differential, and controlling the clock- keeping the other team's offense off of the field is a great way to keep them from scoring. An effective running game should help cut down on all of those shoot-out type games we saw last season.
And now, the beer.
Our trip to Alpine Beer Co. this week was a great treat- my older sister was in town, and we spent the day driving the winding roads through the mountains, stopping at wineries (she drank, I drove) and ending up at Alpine. I have loved their beer via some of SD's best beer bars (Hamilton's, Toronado, Ritual) but I had yet to actually visit their brewery. I will be doing an in-depth post on their beers later this season, so I won't go in too deep here. I will tell you that there is nothing like drinking a beer where it was brewed, served by the people who brewed it. And Alpine brews some damn good beers brewed by some damn good people.
My sister and I also brewed a Black Rye IPA, and we learned some important lessons. (Sometimes you just have to do something before learning how to do it properly)
The boil smelled delicious, and I burned the inside of my nose when I forgot the first lesson of high school chemistry (waft). Wafting doesn't look as cool as sticking your head into a boiling pot of wort, but looking cool really shouldn't matter in your own kitchen.
We also learned that rye absorbs a LOT of water. It doesn't have husks (which I noticed, but didn't think about) which means it gets very mushy when warmed up in water. Mashing grains to make wort is just like steeping tea leaves to make tea. You dump the grain into the warm/hot water, let it sit, and then strain the grains out. I usually expect to lose 5-10% of my water volume while mashing, and I didn't expect anything different to happen this time, so I began my boil without noticing that I had lost almost 25% of my volume. By the time I finished the boil, another 20% had evaporated. I expected an OG of 1.060, and ended up at 1.090 (strong enough to brew an Imperial Black IPA). I also ended up 3/4 of a gallon short of my 2 gallon goal. Luckily, I had pre-boiled about a gallon of water- always good to have extra water on hand, ready to go. So I diluted the wort, ended with an OG of about 1.065, and pitched the yeast. Oh- and the strainer I used to filter the wort after the boilwas coated in a brown slime thicker than the Dagobah Swamp. Rye slime.
So, the lessons learned:
1. WAFT.
2. ALWAYS measure your volumes. Before, during & after the brewing process. And have a gallon or two of extra water ready to go when pitching your wort.
3. When brewing with rye, add rice hulls. Especially if you are using a mash/lauter tun with an internal filter/false bottom & spigot. Unless you love a stuck sparge.
I like to think that those lessons apply to all of our daily lives.
This weeks top ten is expanded to twelve, and will deal with Wisconsin beers only. Barb delivered a suitcase full of Wisconsin beer (all of which were wheat beers, by request). I am amazed at the difference in beer styles brewed by Wisconsin brewers v. San Diego brewers. A lot more wheat, a lot less hops. IPA's and even IIPA's pack a maltier punch, and every beer goes well with cheese. Almost no sours, and very few barrel-aged variants. I can imagine that winter time will breed more stouts & porters. Can't wait to try them.
Again, this list is made up of beers I have had, not beers that I wish I have had.
12.Summer Shandy, Leinenkugel's Brewing Company- Beer snobs will thumb their noses at this one. But make no mistake, this is an incredible beer for a sun-drenched day at the ballpark.
11.Fat Squirrel, New Glarus Brewing Company- Currently, my favorite brown ale. Incredible on tap. Better than Alesmith's Nut Brown.
10.Bedlam Belgian IPA, Ale Asylum- Proof that Stone isn't the only brewery capable of putting out an excellent Belgian IPA. Less delicate than Cali-Belgique, but better hop/malt balance.
9.Black Bavarian, Sprecher Brewing Company- quintessential Milwaukee beer. More Germanic than anything brewed West of the Mississippi, a lot of power in those 16oz bottles.
8.Wisconsinite, Lakefront Brewing Company- Had this on tap @ Lakefront. I like to think this is similar to what farmers might have brewed during Wisconsin summers a hundred years ago.
7.Wisconsin Belgian Red, New Glarus Brewing Company- Best fruit beer I have had. Hands down. Although I am more than happy to taste any challengers. They also brew a Raspberry Tart.
6.Spotted Cow, New Glarus Brewing Company- beer at its most simple and delicious. A pitcherable cream ale, with some sort of mysterious Belgian yeast. Unfiltered. Unfettered.
5.Dancing Man Wheat, New Glarus Brewing Company- Just a great, great wheat ale. Seasonal brew. Get your hands on a bottle.
4.Barrel-aged Barleywine, Central Waters Brewing Company- Been saving a bottle of this for my birthday.
3.Moon Man, New Glarus Brewing Company- No Coast Pale Ale. An IPA that a farmer can drink.
2.Thumbprint IIPA, New Glarus Brewing Company- Was very surprised to find this all over the place this summer. Drinks smoother than Dorado, more body than Pliny. Holds its own against the best IIPAs in SD.
1.Illumination IIPA, Central Waters Brewing Company- My favorite beer from this summer's trip home. A friendly IIPA with awesome hop balance.
When I was a kid, football season meant a change in the weather. But the pre-season marked the hottest days of the year, the dog days of summer, the inevitable return to Sherman Creek Elementary School. On the radio, there was always some debate over who would quarterback the Packers that season. Don Majkowski became a folk hero in 1989, when he threw for 4,318 yards and 27 touchdowns. He led the Packers to a monster of a win against the Bears (the first since 1984) and was selected to the Pro-Bowl. Not bad for a 10th round pick. But in true 10th round form, he tore his rotator cuff the following season, and an ankle ligament in 1992. Blair Kiel, Anthony Dilweg and Mike Tomczak all took snaps while Majkowski was out, as did Brett Favre. Majik never again suited up in Green-and-Gold.
In the 20 years before Brett Favre (and that legendary come-from-behind win against Cincinnati) the Packers started 18 quarterbacks. In the 20 years since #4's first snap, they've started exactly 3 (and Matt Flynn only twice, including last season's lame-duck blowout of Detroit). So you can understand why the Packer faithful are so worked up about finding a back-up for Rodgers- it's the first quarterback controversy we've had in over two decades (right).
Graham Harrell is clearly not going to work as a back-up (but lets be honest: it doesn't matter who backs him up- if Rogers goes down, it's going to be tough to win) so the Packers might as well go after someone like Colt McCoy or Greg McElroy. They can hope to limit turnovers with one of those guys, and both of them have a much higher up-side than Harrell. I could even see McCoy developing into a trade-able commodity in 2-3 seasons.
It really was nice to see Aaron Rodgers get a touchdown pass (during last week's ugly 35-10 loss to the Browns) and run it in twice against the lowly Bengals. They finally found some sort of rhythm on defense. Clay Matthews might actually have some help getting disrupting the line, with young guys like Jerel Worthy and Nick Perry giving the D some much needed depth & energy. I'm looking forward to Hargove returning after week 8. A fresh player that late in the season can make a big difference, even if they don't play pro-bowl caliber football.
Cedric Benson is an exciting addition- a guy who has the potential to be a productive tailback for more than one season. How refreshing is that? I know I'm not the only one sick of seeing Aaron Rodgers leading the team in rushing week after week. I think Benson helps the Packers do several things that they had trouble doing last year: short-yardage situations, balancing the run/pass differential, and controlling the clock- keeping the other team's offense off of the field is a great way to keep them from scoring. An effective running game should help cut down on all of those shoot-out type games we saw last season.
And now, the beer.
Our trip to Alpine Beer Co. this week was a great treat- my older sister was in town, and we spent the day driving the winding roads through the mountains, stopping at wineries (she drank, I drove) and ending up at Alpine. I have loved their beer via some of SD's best beer bars (Hamilton's, Toronado, Ritual) but I had yet to actually visit their brewery. I will be doing an in-depth post on their beers later this season, so I won't go in too deep here. I will tell you that there is nothing like drinking a beer where it was brewed, served by the people who brewed it. And Alpine brews some damn good beers brewed by some damn good people.
My sister and I also brewed a Black Rye IPA, and we learned some important lessons. (Sometimes you just have to do something before learning how to do it properly)
The boil smelled delicious, and I burned the inside of my nose when I forgot the first lesson of high school chemistry (waft). Wafting doesn't look as cool as sticking your head into a boiling pot of wort, but looking cool really shouldn't matter in your own kitchen.
We also learned that rye absorbs a LOT of water. It doesn't have husks (which I noticed, but didn't think about) which means it gets very mushy when warmed up in water. Mashing grains to make wort is just like steeping tea leaves to make tea. You dump the grain into the warm/hot water, let it sit, and then strain the grains out. I usually expect to lose 5-10% of my water volume while mashing, and I didn't expect anything different to happen this time, so I began my boil without noticing that I had lost almost 25% of my volume. By the time I finished the boil, another 20% had evaporated. I expected an OG of 1.060, and ended up at 1.090 (strong enough to brew an Imperial Black IPA). I also ended up 3/4 of a gallon short of my 2 gallon goal. Luckily, I had pre-boiled about a gallon of water- always good to have extra water on hand, ready to go. So I diluted the wort, ended with an OG of about 1.065, and pitched the yeast. Oh- and the strainer I used to filter the wort after the boilwas coated in a brown slime thicker than the Dagobah Swamp. Rye slime.
So, the lessons learned:
1. WAFT.
2. ALWAYS measure your volumes. Before, during & after the brewing process. And have a gallon or two of extra water ready to go when pitching your wort.
3. When brewing with rye, add rice hulls. Especially if you are using a mash/lauter tun with an internal filter/false bottom & spigot. Unless you love a stuck sparge.
I like to think that those lessons apply to all of our daily lives.
This weeks top ten is expanded to twelve, and will deal with Wisconsin beers only. Barb delivered a suitcase full of Wisconsin beer (all of which were wheat beers, by request). I am amazed at the difference in beer styles brewed by Wisconsin brewers v. San Diego brewers. A lot more wheat, a lot less hops. IPA's and even IIPA's pack a maltier punch, and every beer goes well with cheese. Almost no sours, and very few barrel-aged variants. I can imagine that winter time will breed more stouts & porters. Can't wait to try them.
Again, this list is made up of beers I have had, not beers that I wish I have had.
12.Summer Shandy, Leinenkugel's Brewing Company- Beer snobs will thumb their noses at this one. But make no mistake, this is an incredible beer for a sun-drenched day at the ballpark.
11.Fat Squirrel, New Glarus Brewing Company- Currently, my favorite brown ale. Incredible on tap. Better than Alesmith's Nut Brown.
10.Bedlam Belgian IPA, Ale Asylum- Proof that Stone isn't the only brewery capable of putting out an excellent Belgian IPA. Less delicate than Cali-Belgique, but better hop/malt balance.
9.Black Bavarian, Sprecher Brewing Company- quintessential Milwaukee beer. More Germanic than anything brewed West of the Mississippi, a lot of power in those 16oz bottles.
8.Wisconsinite, Lakefront Brewing Company- Had this on tap @ Lakefront. I like to think this is similar to what farmers might have brewed during Wisconsin summers a hundred years ago.
7.Wisconsin Belgian Red, New Glarus Brewing Company- Best fruit beer I have had. Hands down. Although I am more than happy to taste any challengers. They also brew a Raspberry Tart.
6.Spotted Cow, New Glarus Brewing Company- beer at its most simple and delicious. A pitcherable cream ale, with some sort of mysterious Belgian yeast. Unfiltered. Unfettered.
5.Dancing Man Wheat, New Glarus Brewing Company- Just a great, great wheat ale. Seasonal brew. Get your hands on a bottle.
4.Barrel-aged Barleywine, Central Waters Brewing Company- Been saving a bottle of this for my birthday.
3.Moon Man, New Glarus Brewing Company- No Coast Pale Ale. An IPA that a farmer can drink.
2.Thumbprint IIPA, New Glarus Brewing Company- Was very surprised to find this all over the place this summer. Drinks smoother than Dorado, more body than Pliny. Holds its own against the best IIPAs in SD.
1.Illumination IIPA, Central Waters Brewing Company- My favorite beer from this summer's trip home. A friendly IIPA with awesome hop balance.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tackling IPA's
Pre-season, Week 1
Nothing goes together better than Packers football and beer. This season, I'll be focusing on one beer style for each week of the NFL season. A little bit of brewing history, a flavor profile, and a little bit of Packers commentary paired with a tasting, a wish list and a weekly brewery Power Ranking.
We'll kick off with a style synonymous with San Diego (where the Packers lost their first pre-season game of the year)- the incredulous, impeccable & irresistable IPA.
An IPA is a pale ale with an SRM of 8-14. Its color will range from "medium gold to reddish copper.
It will be brewed with an original gravity of 1.050-1.075 and end up with a final gravity of 1.010-1.018. That means you can expect an ABV of 5-7.5%
IBUs will range from 40-60, which means you will definitely taste the bittering hops, but they shouldn't knock you off of your bar stool.
Don't pay any attention to the aforementioned statistics. They are for beer judges and brewmasters. The brewing process for a standard IPA looks like this: malt profile heavy w/ pale malts & caramel malts. Occasional rye. An hour mash followed by an hour boil w/ at least two but most likely 3-5 hop additions. Hop varieties will vary, with some recipes calling for five or six different varieties for both bittering & aroma. Yeast selection will vary, with clean yeasts (White Labs Cali or Cali V) being predominant. Belgian IPAs are also common. Fermentation is sometimes followed by dry-hopping. Standard IPAs are ready to bottle after 10-14 days. For the home brewer, bottle conditioning will take another 2 weeks.
The first IPAs were brewed in England, most likely in the 18th century. Some folks say that they were simple ales brewed with additional hops (or with tons of dry-hop additions) to aid in preservation of the ale during shipment to troops in India. Some folks say that the IPA flavor developed accidentally on the ships to India, either by natural aging or by accidental secondary fermentation within the beer barrels themselves. There aren't a ton of historical records regarding beer in the 18th and 19th century, but it is pretty clear that beer drinking soldiers were happy with hops. They grew accustomed to the flavor, and demanded more when they returned from India. There is some crossover between the early IPA styles and English Bitter beers.
Hoppy beers did not catch on in America until the craft beer revolution of the 80's and 90's. Most 20th century American beer (read: canned Pilsner) was lightly hopped (8-15 IBUs) and brewed with one or two hop varieties. The first IPA to take hold was probably Anchor Liberty Ale which weighed in at a revolutionary 47 IBUs. (Anchor also brews Anchor Steam, a California Common "steam" beer that is neither a lager or an ale.)
Any craft beer drinker can attest to this: you earn your love of hops. An IPA is like that girl in third grade with the frizzy hair and giant teeth. You don't like her and you don't want to hang out with her. But her hair smells good, and you have a feeling that someday you might drink six of her in an hour.
To compare, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale comes in at 37 IBUs, and is probably the closest you can come to an IPA that is still a Pale Ale. If Liberty Ale is that awkward girl, than Sierra Nevada Torpedo is your forehead bumping first kiss. At 70 IBUs, there is enough excitement to make you want to puke, but not enough that you actually do. Before you know it, you have your tongues jammed down each others throats.
The next step is a big one, and can literally define your beer-drinking self: I know plenty of mid-westerners who were content to marry that awkward girl, and never venture further into the world of IPAs. Content with their lagers, cream ales & occasional stouts, they settle down to sow their seed. Kudos to them- they have not made a bad choice. They will live long lives together, with plenty of hoppy front-porch sunsets. But that life ain't for the all of us. Some of us are too intrigued by that little number on the label: International Bitterness Units. It is important to note that IBU's are not a direct translation of the bitterness or quality of an IPA. The style of beer is important. A heavy Imperial stout might clock 55 IBUs that you don't taste, while an improperly hopped 55 IBU witbier would be almost undrinkable, although I know quite a few San Diegans who would be happy to drink it. The malt profile is important, as are the type of hops used, the brewing and storage conditions & the age of the beer- in fact, almost every aspect of the brewing process can affect the perceived bitterness of beer. Never drink a beer simply because it claims to have a certain level of IBUs. Drink it because it looks good & smells great. Which brings me to the draft tower.
For those of us who chose not to marry our first IPA awaits the magic of the craft beer bar. A smorgasbord unimaginable in our fathers' generation, it is a place where chalkboards challenge our vocabulary, where bearded men in flannel pour us tasters of every color, where the jukebox only plays music that you like, where a knowing smile indicates a kindred spirit- you can know a soul by the beer it drinks. Most craft beer establishments will offer up a healthy dose of IPAs. Sierra Nevada, Stone, Bell's, 3 Floyds, Russian River, Surly, Lagunitas, Founders- this is the place where you can try them all, and you don't have to take any of them home. There are some that are elusive (patrons will wait for hours and pay top dollar to get an 8 oz pour of Russian River Pliny the Younger, released once a year) and some that are available to keep you company on any given Wednesday (Racer 5 is brewed plentifully in Northern California). Eventually, you learn what hop varieties you love (Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra & Nelson) and what breweries you trust.
And don't be fooled- IPAs aren't just pale any more. Black IPAs are incredibly popular (my very first craft beer was Deschutes Hop in the Dark, a pioneering black IPA) as are reds (Green Flash brews an incredible Hop Head Red, and Bear Republic's Red Rocket is phenomenal) & coppery golden rye IPAs. Lining up a flight of IPAs from pale to dark is always a good idea. You should be able to taste the profile of the base style shine through the hops for each beer. At this point, I must note that I occasionally think about my friends who settled down earlier in their lives, having never ventured beyond pale.
I've strayed a bit from traditional IPAs, but so have most craft breweries. After being first brewed in San Diego in the early 90's, Double India Pale Ales (IIPAs) are slowly taking over tap handles across the country. In some circles, there are IIPAs that are now recognized as American IPAs (Pliny the Elder), while some breweries have moved on to Triple IPAs (IIIPAs).
While brewing a standard IPA, hop additions are done during the boiling of the wort. Additions are either bittering or aromatic, and certain hop varieties are used to obtain certain flavors, aromas & bitterness. First-wort hopping(a hop addition prior to boiling), dry-hopping (the art of adding dried hops after fermentation) , wet hopping (the art of adding fresh hop flowers at any stage listed above) and doubling of any step above have become the signatures of some brewers and their beers. Many breweries will hop variations of their IPAs in casks (or firkins). These ales are cask-conditioned, hand-pumped (no carbonation added at the tap) & served at close to room temp. They are often found close to the brewery and should be tried at every possible convenience. These beers will feature local flavor & sometimes local hops. Drink them.
And now, the Packers. I don't put much stock into pre-season games, so the final score (Chargers 21, Packers 13) didn't bother as much as the injury to Desmond Bishop. As the leader of an already thin defense, Bishop was the best tackler on the team that can't tackle. I didn't actually see the game, but the coaches were irritated enough by the terrible running game (51 yards on 22 attempts) that they signed Cedric Benson this week. If that guy can find trouble to get into in Green Bay, he ought to win an award. I'm not going to put any heat on any specific players this week, since most of them only played a series or two. Go Pack Go.
IPA Power Rankings*:
10.(tie) 5th Anniversary IPA, Kern River, IIPA, New Glarus
9. Bedlam, Ale Asylum
8. Duet, Alpine
7. Dorado Double IPA, Ballast Point
6. Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker
5. Hop in the Dark, Deschutes
4. Pure Hoppiness, Alpine
3. Sculpin, Ballast Point
2. Pliny the Elder and/or Younger, Russian River
1. Nelson, Alpine
SD Brewery Power Rankings, Pre-Season, Week 1**:
10. Monkey Paw, San Diego, CA- Always brewing something interesting. Waffle fries.
9. Societe, San Diego, CA- Sometimes uneven but lovely Belgians.
8. Mission Brewery- glass-less growlers for tailgating. Genius.
7. Alesmith, San Diego, CA- an impressive recent run on Speedway variations.
6. Ballast Point, San Diego, CA- Dorado still going strong.
5. Iron Fist, Vista, CA- Nelson the imPaler. Great name. Can't wait.
4. Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA- Bottling Vanilla Bean- finally.
3. Port/Lost Abbey, San Diego, CA- paired, for now.
2. Hess Brewing Company, San Diego, CA- 2nd Anniversary & upcoming expansion.
1. Alpine Beer Company, Alpine, CA- Lips of Faith release, T25 Super Nelson, a new ale for the GABF- is there anything Mcilhenney can't do?
*I am only allowed to rank beers I have tried, not beers on my wish list.
**Power rankings are devised using a secret formula. Mostly, it has to do with beer.
Nothing goes together better than Packers football and beer. This season, I'll be focusing on one beer style for each week of the NFL season. A little bit of brewing history, a flavor profile, and a little bit of Packers commentary paired with a tasting, a wish list and a weekly brewery Power Ranking.
We'll kick off with a style synonymous with San Diego (where the Packers lost their first pre-season game of the year)- the incredulous, impeccable & irresistable IPA.
An IPA is a pale ale with an SRM of 8-14. Its color will range from "medium gold to reddish copper.
It will be brewed with an original gravity of 1.050-1.075 and end up with a final gravity of 1.010-1.018. That means you can expect an ABV of 5-7.5%
IBUs will range from 40-60, which means you will definitely taste the bittering hops, but they shouldn't knock you off of your bar stool.
Don't pay any attention to the aforementioned statistics. They are for beer judges and brewmasters. The brewing process for a standard IPA looks like this: malt profile heavy w/ pale malts & caramel malts. Occasional rye. An hour mash followed by an hour boil w/ at least two but most likely 3-5 hop additions. Hop varieties will vary, with some recipes calling for five or six different varieties for both bittering & aroma. Yeast selection will vary, with clean yeasts (White Labs Cali or Cali V) being predominant. Belgian IPAs are also common. Fermentation is sometimes followed by dry-hopping. Standard IPAs are ready to bottle after 10-14 days. For the home brewer, bottle conditioning will take another 2 weeks.
The first IPAs were brewed in England, most likely in the 18th century. Some folks say that they were simple ales brewed with additional hops (or with tons of dry-hop additions) to aid in preservation of the ale during shipment to troops in India. Some folks say that the IPA flavor developed accidentally on the ships to India, either by natural aging or by accidental secondary fermentation within the beer barrels themselves. There aren't a ton of historical records regarding beer in the 18th and 19th century, but it is pretty clear that beer drinking soldiers were happy with hops. They grew accustomed to the flavor, and demanded more when they returned from India. There is some crossover between the early IPA styles and English Bitter beers.
Hoppy beers did not catch on in America until the craft beer revolution of the 80's and 90's. Most 20th century American beer (read: canned Pilsner) was lightly hopped (8-15 IBUs) and brewed with one or two hop varieties. The first IPA to take hold was probably Anchor Liberty Ale which weighed in at a revolutionary 47 IBUs. (Anchor also brews Anchor Steam, a California Common "steam" beer that is neither a lager or an ale.)
Any craft beer drinker can attest to this: you earn your love of hops. An IPA is like that girl in third grade with the frizzy hair and giant teeth. You don't like her and you don't want to hang out with her. But her hair smells good, and you have a feeling that someday you might drink six of her in an hour.
To compare, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale comes in at 37 IBUs, and is probably the closest you can come to an IPA that is still a Pale Ale. If Liberty Ale is that awkward girl, than Sierra Nevada Torpedo is your forehead bumping first kiss. At 70 IBUs, there is enough excitement to make you want to puke, but not enough that you actually do. Before you know it, you have your tongues jammed down each others throats.
The next step is a big one, and can literally define your beer-drinking self: I know plenty of mid-westerners who were content to marry that awkward girl, and never venture further into the world of IPAs. Content with their lagers, cream ales & occasional stouts, they settle down to sow their seed. Kudos to them- they have not made a bad choice. They will live long lives together, with plenty of hoppy front-porch sunsets. But that life ain't for the all of us. Some of us are too intrigued by that little number on the label: International Bitterness Units. It is important to note that IBU's are not a direct translation of the bitterness or quality of an IPA. The style of beer is important. A heavy Imperial stout might clock 55 IBUs that you don't taste, while an improperly hopped 55 IBU witbier would be almost undrinkable, although I know quite a few San Diegans who would be happy to drink it. The malt profile is important, as are the type of hops used, the brewing and storage conditions & the age of the beer- in fact, almost every aspect of the brewing process can affect the perceived bitterness of beer. Never drink a beer simply because it claims to have a certain level of IBUs. Drink it because it looks good & smells great. Which brings me to the draft tower.
For those of us who chose not to marry our first IPA awaits the magic of the craft beer bar. A smorgasbord unimaginable in our fathers' generation, it is a place where chalkboards challenge our vocabulary, where bearded men in flannel pour us tasters of every color, where the jukebox only plays music that you like, where a knowing smile indicates a kindred spirit- you can know a soul by the beer it drinks. Most craft beer establishments will offer up a healthy dose of IPAs. Sierra Nevada, Stone, Bell's, 3 Floyds, Russian River, Surly, Lagunitas, Founders- this is the place where you can try them all, and you don't have to take any of them home. There are some that are elusive (patrons will wait for hours and pay top dollar to get an 8 oz pour of Russian River Pliny the Younger, released once a year) and some that are available to keep you company on any given Wednesday (Racer 5 is brewed plentifully in Northern California). Eventually, you learn what hop varieties you love (Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra & Nelson) and what breweries you trust.
And don't be fooled- IPAs aren't just pale any more. Black IPAs are incredibly popular (my very first craft beer was Deschutes Hop in the Dark, a pioneering black IPA) as are reds (Green Flash brews an incredible Hop Head Red, and Bear Republic's Red Rocket is phenomenal) & coppery golden rye IPAs. Lining up a flight of IPAs from pale to dark is always a good idea. You should be able to taste the profile of the base style shine through the hops for each beer. At this point, I must note that I occasionally think about my friends who settled down earlier in their lives, having never ventured beyond pale.
I've strayed a bit from traditional IPAs, but so have most craft breweries. After being first brewed in San Diego in the early 90's, Double India Pale Ales (IIPAs) are slowly taking over tap handles across the country. In some circles, there are IIPAs that are now recognized as American IPAs (Pliny the Elder), while some breweries have moved on to Triple IPAs (IIIPAs).
While brewing a standard IPA, hop additions are done during the boiling of the wort. Additions are either bittering or aromatic, and certain hop varieties are used to obtain certain flavors, aromas & bitterness. First-wort hopping(a hop addition prior to boiling), dry-hopping (the art of adding dried hops after fermentation) , wet hopping (the art of adding fresh hop flowers at any stage listed above) and doubling of any step above have become the signatures of some brewers and their beers. Many breweries will hop variations of their IPAs in casks (or firkins). These ales are cask-conditioned, hand-pumped (no carbonation added at the tap) & served at close to room temp. They are often found close to the brewery and should be tried at every possible convenience. These beers will feature local flavor & sometimes local hops. Drink them.
And now, the Packers. I don't put much stock into pre-season games, so the final score (Chargers 21, Packers 13) didn't bother as much as the injury to Desmond Bishop. As the leader of an already thin defense, Bishop was the best tackler on the team that can't tackle. I didn't actually see the game, but the coaches were irritated enough by the terrible running game (51 yards on 22 attempts) that they signed Cedric Benson this week. If that guy can find trouble to get into in Green Bay, he ought to win an award. I'm not going to put any heat on any specific players this week, since most of them only played a series or two. Go Pack Go.
IPA Power Rankings*:
10.(tie) 5th Anniversary IPA, Kern River, IIPA, New Glarus
9. Bedlam, Ale Asylum
8. Duet, Alpine
7. Dorado Double IPA, Ballast Point
6. Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker
5. Hop in the Dark, Deschutes
4. Pure Hoppiness, Alpine
3. Sculpin, Ballast Point
2. Pliny the Elder and/or Younger, Russian River
1. Nelson, Alpine
SD Brewery Power Rankings, Pre-Season, Week 1**:
10. Monkey Paw, San Diego, CA- Always brewing something interesting. Waffle fries.
9. Societe, San Diego, CA- Sometimes uneven but lovely Belgians.
8. Mission Brewery- glass-less growlers for tailgating. Genius.
7. Alesmith, San Diego, CA- an impressive recent run on Speedway variations.
6. Ballast Point, San Diego, CA- Dorado still going strong.
5. Iron Fist, Vista, CA- Nelson the imPaler. Great name. Can't wait.
4. Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA- Bottling Vanilla Bean- finally.
3. Port/Lost Abbey, San Diego, CA- paired, for now.
2. Hess Brewing Company, San Diego, CA- 2nd Anniversary & upcoming expansion.
1. Alpine Beer Company, Alpine, CA- Lips of Faith release, T25 Super Nelson, a new ale for the GABF- is there anything Mcilhenney can't do?
*I am only allowed to rank beers I have tried, not beers on my wish list.
**Power rankings are devised using a secret formula. Mostly, it has to do with beer.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Hodag series #1
They called him Hodag. He was from the Northwoods. He was tall, and looked like he had escaped from a logging camp. He could eat one hundred pancakes (“flapjacks,” he called them) and he drank pure maple syrup by the half-gallon. He was almost bigger than life.
“Why do they call you Hodag?” she asked him, her eyes big like atoms being split. She was tiny (everybody was tiny next to Hodag, but she especially) but she was strong. He could lean on her when he was tired. He could not lean on very many people. She never complained, and she held her own walking through the brush and bramble. She always looked out for poison ivy. Again she asked him, like asking a mountain, “Why do they call you Hodag?”
He said that he didn’t really know, seeing that a Hodag ought to be half-alligator and half-alley cat (but bigger than a lion) with prehistoric claws and a beastly lizard tongue. “Probably just a komodo dragon had somehow gotten loose up there in the woods, only no one seen one of them around here before. Fire-breathin’ and all that, tearin’ up the trees. None of that. Just a dragon escaped from the zoo is all.” He was no monster, she thought, and she put her hand on his arm. She was impressed by his ability to see through bullshit. He was impressed by her ability to identify flowers. She was impressed by his ability to play left guard. He really liked the way she didn’t mind being alone. She was in awe of his ability to protect things. She wondered if he could pull trees from the ground and snap them in half. She wondered if he would protect her. He wondered if she wanted him to tell her the stories that his grandfather had told him, about hunting hodags and playing blackjack with Paul Bunyan and trading furs with the Indians. She did want to hear those stories, but he kept quiet, afraid that she would not.
She knew that there was something marvelous going on, way up there in that head of his, and that one morning, on a bed of twigs with their eyes on the level, he would tell her everything.
“Why do they call you Hodag?” she asked him, her eyes big like atoms being split. She was tiny (everybody was tiny next to Hodag, but she especially) but she was strong. He could lean on her when he was tired. He could not lean on very many people. She never complained, and she held her own walking through the brush and bramble. She always looked out for poison ivy. Again she asked him, like asking a mountain, “Why do they call you Hodag?”
He said that he didn’t really know, seeing that a Hodag ought to be half-alligator and half-alley cat (but bigger than a lion) with prehistoric claws and a beastly lizard tongue. “Probably just a komodo dragon had somehow gotten loose up there in the woods, only no one seen one of them around here before. Fire-breathin’ and all that, tearin’ up the trees. None of that. Just a dragon escaped from the zoo is all.” He was no monster, she thought, and she put her hand on his arm. She was impressed by his ability to see through bullshit. He was impressed by her ability to identify flowers. She was impressed by his ability to play left guard. He really liked the way she didn’t mind being alone. She was in awe of his ability to protect things. She wondered if he could pull trees from the ground and snap them in half. She wondered if he would protect her. He wondered if she wanted him to tell her the stories that his grandfather had told him, about hunting hodags and playing blackjack with Paul Bunyan and trading furs with the Indians. She did want to hear those stories, but he kept quiet, afraid that she would not.
She knew that there was something marvelous going on, way up there in that head of his, and that one morning, on a bed of twigs with their eyes on the level, he would tell her everything.
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