31 January, 2010
The Great Bunko Sub
night, since she won't be ready to go by Tuesday. Sounds like success
was just acheived!
Lifetime Movie Sunday
Lifetime mini series movie called "Maneater."
30 January, 2010
Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
22oz.
9.26% alc.
A lovely stout, with a hint of coffee. Like Sean said last week, this is a great stout on its own, and the coffee doesn't overpower it. It is rather strong though, with a very warm alcohol body. I drank this over two nights, as I was working on the tile floor and didn't want to get fuzzy in the head. Bless you little wine bottle stoppers for fitting perfectly in 22oz. bottles.
C'
Mississippi Mud Black and Tan
Mississippi Mud Black and Tan
1 Quart Jug
no alc. given
Another beer from Susan's Mom, and I've been looking for to this one. It is a slow brewed combo of a porter and a pilsner, and the end result is very smooth. There isn't a great deal of nose, but it was nice and clingy on the glass. The body is rich and malty, and did I say smooth? I didn't intend to drink the entire jug tonight, but since I'm enjoying it so much, I think I will!
C'
24hrs of Daytona
We've been lounging on the couch most of the day, watching the 24hrs of Daytona.
Scott Pruett says "Hi to my family"
I got out of bed this morning and went grocery shopping. Luckily it didn't take much time, and I got back to some fresh brewed coffee and pancakes. Susan is able to get on and off the couch on her own, so she's been helping a bit in the kitchen which is great.
I've also been installing the baseboard molding in the bathroom, and finishing the plumbing under the sink. I appear to have a working toilet and sink. Hooray. I've also sprayed on the grout sealer too, so the floor is pretty much done.
And now we're just chilling on the couch after bowls of chicken noodle soup. Mmmmm.
C'
29 January, 2010
Blogging About Food
Today, I ventured out of my office and hit the road first thing. I visited a system down south about an hour, that was preparing for a startup. I supplied a good deal of engineering resource and product for this job, so I like to be part of the startup to answer any questions, and snap pics. This was a large Recirculating Gravel Filter followed by a wetland pond. Denitrification was the overriding concern, so assuming the maintenance staff is given good operating instructions, this system should work wonderfully.
The Sand Filter is on the left and center, the wetlands area is to the right, and wraps back around the back of the sand filter:
The wetland, with big ol bag of woodchips to jump start denitrification:
One of three massive storage ponds running along the frontage road, and the facility that makes all the p00p in the background:
Food and p00p. You're welcome.
C'
26 January, 2010
Vanity Is In
cabinet with a marble top/bowl combo. I used the bronze faucet a
friend had given us last year. I even got the feed lines and drain/
trap thingy plumbed too.
25 January, 2010
Anderson Valley High Rollers Wheat Beer
22oz.
No alc given
A top notch wheat that I gobbled up during a viewing of The Onion
Movie with the recovering grimace face (Susan.). Nice and mellow with
a very clean and crisp feel and taste.
C'
24 January, 2010
Dead battery
stranded at OSH with a dead battery. Funny how it had enough juice to
start at home...
It's Agrout Time
then I can get busy with some trim.
23 January, 2010
Hemp Ale Natural Brown Ale
12oz
5.7pct
Brown Ales aren't my favorite, but this one is great. Very well
balanced with a mellow nutty body, I drank this right up. A great
Saturday treat.
Tile Is Down
and laid the tile. My first time doing this, so it was fun and nerve
racking at the same time.
22 January, 2010
Sierra Nevada Glissade
12oz
6.4pct alc
A new offering from local brewery Sierra Nevada. Dubbed as a Golden
Bock brewed with European hops, this offering is very tasty. It is
very well balanced and smooth with a subtle taste of malts and hops
throughout and a clean finish. A great compliment to the Mexican food
fest we were treated to by Susan's friend Joanna. And since that means
less dishes for me, I approve!
21 January, 2010
Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale
12oz.
11.5 alc
I cracked open this beast last night, after getting Susan into
naptime. This was a great beer with a wonderfully strong hoppy front
end and a well balanced but strong malty middle and of course a strong
boozy finish. Strong but very good!
20 January, 2010
Home after surgery
Susan got home after surgery around 2pm today. I got her tanked up on meds, fed her the Vanilla Frosty she had been craving, and tucked her in for a long nap.
It is now 5:30, and she's managed to eat some soup. I too am enjoying some soup, to go with the super lousy weather we had today. For those out of towners reading this, we had 55mph winds, and driving rain pretty much all morning. It eased up for about an hour after lunch, just in time for Susan to hobble from the car to the house.
I'm going to keep her on the couch tonight, since she has managed to sleep so well. Meanwhile, I've started my attack on the master bathroom. Can I manage to keep Susan well cared for and remodel the master bath during the next four days? We will see.
Obviously Susan comes first. Unless I'm in the middle of laying new tile. Just kidding Mom!
C'
18 January, 2010
Allagash Brewing White
Allagash Brewing White
12oz.
no alc. given
Labelled as a traditional Belgian wheat, I found the White to be very refreshing and crisp. It is very light, both in taste and color, yet it has that distinctive Belgian wheat flavor, of sourness and spice. I tend to thoroughly dislike Bavarian Heffs, and with fairly similar taste and feel, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this milder offering.17 January, 2010
Primo Island Lager
Primo Island Lager
12oz.
no alc. given
I was pleasantly surprised by this light Lager, mostly because I tend to like fruity and sweet things like my friend Sean. The label says this is made with pure island cane, which leaves a nice mellow honey-like sweetness on the back end. Besides the sweetness, this offers a nice light body that is very well balanced.
C'
Rogue American Amber Ale
Rogue American Amber Ale
12oz.
no alc. given
A very robust, hoppy, Amber Ale from Newport Oregon. I'm surprised by this one, because of how much hoppy bitterness it has. It is never overpowering, yet the bitterness comes through quite strongly from aroma to finish. Maybe I'm just an Amber noob, and this is normal? Overall, I'm enjoying it.
C'
16 January, 2010
Homemade Shelves
Lagunitas Brewing Zappa Lumpy Gravy
Lagunitas Brewing Zappa Lumpy Gravy
22oz.
7.2%
Another awesome beer from Lagunitas, celebrating the work of Frank Zappa. Luckily, I like this beer more than I liked Zappa music. A very well balanced and strong Ale. Great head and carbonation, with good cling. Not much nose, other than malt and alcohol. A fantastic balance of hops, malt, and alcohol notes, made this a great sipping brew during my shelf building.
C'
15 January, 2010
Big Sky Brewing Scape Goat Pale Ale
Big Sky Brewing Scape Goat Pale Ale
16oz.
no alc. given
This was an interesting product, offered in a spun aluminum bottle. And the brew inside it was equally interesting. A wonderfully hoppy nose with a fair amount of carbonation, this Pale Ale is extremely strong, yet very well balanced. Strong as in, there is a hint of alcohol on the back end, but it isn't overly powerful. Just a nice warm feeling. And the very strong nose of hops sticks with it through the middle, tapering on the finish, with no back end bitterness. So basically, I loved it. I love good hoppy pale without the bite at the end.
Well done Big Sky!
C'
14 January, 2010
Captain Rally
Blue Heron Pale Ale
Green Flash Brewing West Coast IPA
Green Flash Brewing West Coast IPA
12oz.
7.3% alc.
Now we're talking. A nice IPA with a full robust hoppy nose and body. Very well balanced, and not too biting, the hops have great staying power through the finish. I enjoyed this with some Mexican cheese while I put together our Mexican feast of tamales, beans, and rice. Mmmmm.
C'
13 January, 2010
Package of Awesome
A package of Awesomeness arrived today courtesy George The Fierce (Jason), a friend and fellow racer from Mass-a-two-shits. Since he has upgraded to an Xbox, he sent me all his old PS2 games, and racing steering wheel controller.
Everything from Drag, to NASCAR, to TOCA, to Rally. Mmmmm.
In trade, I'll be making GTF a set of camber arms for his circle track racing Infiniti G20, named Tom. Hence the funny looking suspension pieces at the bottom of the photo.
Honey: I'll see you sometime next week after I get through Colin Mcrae Rally.
C'
12 January, 2010
Red Horse Malt Liquor
12oz.
7% alc.
With Susan off to old lady Bunko, I decided to celebrate tonight. With some Malt Liquor.
Can I just say that in no way is this even remotely good, however, I love it. From the start, I knew this would be something special. It has a very fizzy quality about it, almost like double sparkle after pouring it. Even 15 minutes later, it is just fizzing and bubbling away.
The aroma is quite unusual. It is somewhat flowery, with some fun sour notes, and a certain "ripeness" about it. After taking in a generous mouthful, I was immediately taken with the crisp fizzyness of it. I was afraid if I let it move around for too long i would be missing some tissue, so I prayed, and then swallowed.
The first very brief moment everything in the world was right. Then came along the real meat and potatoes, and everything was buried under a massively overriding taste of alcohol. But in some ways, this alcohol taste is much more manageable than in an overly strong, not-well balanced pale ale. No bitterness at all. Instead that initial sourness returns.
And then you hear the extreme fizzing in the glass as the sweet malt liquor returns to the bottom.
So, in conclusion: Horrible. Yet I enjoyed every single sip. And I wish I had more.
C'
Speaking of Fiat 500s...
Make mine Silver or Charcoal please:
Mmm, Brembos
I could see Susan commuting in a 500 Abarth. Right honey?
C'
11 January, 2010
Grand Teton Brewing Sweetgrass IPA
12oz.
6.5% alc.
This is the second time I've enjoyed the Sweetgrass, and enjoy it I did. This a very hoppy IPA that is consistently biting all the way through. No rough patches of bitterness anywhere. Perhaps it is the bottle conditioning, or perhaps this bottle has been on the shelf for a while, either way there was a tremendous amount of sediment in the bottom of the glass. Which surprisingly made it mellow out even more toward the end.
This went very well with our impromptu plate of nacho flats. Mmmm, ground beef, olives, and liquid cheese slathered over yummy salty scoop chips.
C'
Speakeasy White Lightening
12oz.
5.2% alc.
A very nice American Wheat Beer, that says it is brewed with coriander seed and curacoa orange peel. I can't particularly taste either of those, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this brew. After a couple nights of stronger blueberry flavors, itwas nice to enjoy a nice, simple, clean beer. Very well balanced, this wasa great choice from aroma through the light body, to the simple finish.
It went brilliantly with the Lemon and Mint Shrimp Orzo.
C'
Honda CRZ Production Car
122hp and it is pushing 2700 pounds. Uh, really?
C'
09 January, 2010
Marin Brewing Company Blueberry Ale
22oz.
5% alc.
After last nights blueberry flavored lager, I got a little scared when I saw tonight's brew was also blueberry flavored. But this time it was an Ale, and was very good. Much lighter in appearance and aroma, I could tell I would enjoy this with my snack pack of chips and salsa. I managed to down the entire bottle tonight, and really enjoyed it. Just a nice light bodied ale, with a hint of blueberry throughout.
C'
08 January, 2010
Blue Dawg Brewing Wild Blue Blueberry Lager
12oz.
8% alc.
I had high hopes of the Wild Blue, since I love me some fruity beers. It poured out fantastic, with a real blue/purple hue to it. Great foamy head with lots of cling. And the aroma was equally strong, with greats blueberry notes. Then I took my first sip, and almost didn't get it down. Not much in the way of blueberry taste, since the overall experience is more of a very strong alcohol note. I kept trying it until it literally made me put it down in shock. I simply didn't like this one, and couldn't finish it. It just had an overly strong, unbalanced taste, without much of the fruity presence suggested by the name, color, or smell. Of course Susan didn't mind it, just like she didn't mind the Midas Touch. Ha!
C'
06 January, 2010
Shmaltz Brewing Company Monumental Jewbelation
22oz.
10% alc.
Labeled as a "10th Anniversary Ale brewed with 10 malts and 10 hops" the Jewbelation is downright heavenly. It has a super clingy, meaty head after I poured it a tad too fast. The aroma is very well balanced, considering the 10% alcohol content. As is the body, which maintains a great smoothness throughout. An absolutely great deep, dark, thick, smooth, enjoyable brew.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, this alone has proven better than any of the cough medicine I've been chugging down today.
Yet again, well done Shmaltz!
C'
03 January, 2010
Joe and Holes
Woodchuck Pear Draft Cider
01 January, 2010
New Year
Before:
During:
After:
More After:
Even More After:
The Grub. A plate of seared and pepper Tuna and prime rib:
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. This was followed up with a Crystal Wheat, Pale Ale, and a couple Bluemoons. And some tequilla. And some champagne.
C'