But the fortieth edition of BOH is extra good. Today's Happy Hour began sometime around 1300 hrs and is still goin' on as we speak, for it is the MOST magnificent day here on The High Plains o' New Mexico. And we should be drinkin' a most magnificent beer now, shouldn't we? The Bros REALLY like this beer, and I gotta admit I do, too. From their (world class) review:
Taste: Silky smooth with a nice medium bodied mouth feel. After the luscious mouth feel come the flavour which is quite malty ... light acidic twang from the roasted malts, a little dark roasted coffee flavour and an underlying toasted biscuit taste are balanced with a perfect combo of hop and roasted malt bitterness. The lingering after taste is of faded burnt sugar, drying grain and a slightly warming alcohol. A wonderful yet delicate hop character helps to round this brew also.
Notes: Oh baby! There are good porters and then there are great porters ... this one goes down as a great one, no doubt!
Yeah. What he said. And now it's back out on the verandah to continue as we've begun. It's a three-cigar sorta day, and a three (or more) beer day, too.
The musical equivalent o' Comfort Food (The Wiki, she has EVERYthang)...
Take it easy, take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels Drive you crazy Lighten up while you still can Don't even try to understand Just find a place to take your stand and take it easy
Comfort Food...which is easy to eat and it makes ya feel good.... and I suppose it's the same with Comfort Music. I actually heard the Eagles version o' this tune earlier but I much prefer Mr. Browne's original version, seein' as how I'm one of those Sensitive Seventies Kinda Guys (the comments to that post are pretty interesting, btw). Or I used to be, at any rate. Not so much, today.
But. Comfort Music are the sorta tunes where ya know ALL the words and ya have this tendency to sing along, which we did, of course. And the Eagles version of the tune ain't half bad, all things considered. Ya pays yore money and ya makes yore choice. I LOVE this tune, as it seems to remain relevant after all these years. Time was when I really had "seven women on my mind" but that's not quite the case any longer. But I've found a place to make my stand and I'm definitely takin' it easy these days. More so than I prolly should, actually.
―:☺:―
A few Random Notes... We spent the better part of our day cleaning house before adjourning to the verandah for Happy Hour this afternoon. Which was mainly because we were graced with a three and a half hour visit yesterday with Isabel, the two-year old daughter of our neighbor. And her babysitter, of course. Our living space is not quite child-proof, which necessitated extreme vigilance on my and the babysitter's part(s) lest Young Isabel cause damage to herself on the many sharp glass-and-chrome edges that abound in El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington, and there are many. Said glass and chrome is also very susceptible to lil fingerprints and other such tarnishing, and that was what we spent some time cleaning up today. It must also be said that Young Isabel, despite all our attentiveness, managed to whack herself on the noggin by spinning one of my bar stools on its axis and not QUITE getting out o' the way when the bar stool was in close proximity to her head... which resulted in a fairly large bump on the young girl's head and much wailing and crying. But no serious damage was done and I managed to make it better with a kiss or two. Imagine that, if you will.
I think I've acquired a surrogate grand-daughter. Imagine that, yet again. Imagine also that her mom might come along. Yeah... there's a fantasy I can live with!
―:☺:―
So... I noticed Miller Lite has a new ad they're running and it begins with words to the effect of "there's a place for strong dark beer but on the other six days when you want sumthin' lighter..." Wrong. I can sorta relate, from a cigar perspective, coz there ARE days when I want sumthin' other than a full-flavored, robust maduro or the like. But BEER? Frickin' NEVER. I'd rather drink Perrier than Miller Lite or its bros-in-arms. As a s'matter o' fact I'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Perrier and "light" beers with the possible exception of Blue Light, but there's an exception to every rule. Miller makes some pretty cool ads, but this ain't one of 'em.
The pic is the result of today's restock. Last week we mentioned we bought our fourth or fifth installment o' Sammy Adams' Winter Seasonal 12-packs and also had minor regrets about not buying more. Well, we fixed that:
I got lucky... those were the last two 12-packs on the shelf. Which are now in my fridge.
A 2011 analysis of 16 earlier studies involving more than 200,000 people, conducted by researchers at Italy’s Fondazion di Ricerca e Cura, found a 31 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those who quaffed about a pint of beer daily, while risk surged in those who guzzled higher amounts of alcohol, whether beer, wine, or spirits.
More than 100 studies also show that moderate drinking trims risk of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 to 40 percent, Harvard reports. A beer or two a day can help raise levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol that helps keep arteries from getting clogged.
That's from "10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer," which might be surprising to some but not to us beer drinkers, who've known it all along. I mean... how could something so GOOD fail to be good FOR YOU? Other beer-bennies include protection from Alzheimer's, stroke, diabetes, and a longer life. It must be said the key is moderation, of course, as immoderate intake just makes ya a drunk and those guys have an unfortunate tendency to die alone in alleyways. Or worse.
I like it. It's been over 15 years since I was last in Scotland, but this brew meshes quite well with my memory of Scottish Heavy. I don't think we'll do two of 'em, though, even if we are so very tempted. This is a tasty beer. Strong, too.
That fat stick o' incense to the left o' the beer is looks a lot like a Gurkha Status Natural in the torpedo size. You might think that's a cigar, but who are ya gonna believe? Me or your lyin' eyes?
We're back from running the day's errands... picked up our monthly meds, got our quarterly shearing, bought beer, and made a medium-to-large commissary run. And picked up that certified letter, which was nothing more than a reminder from my (former) RV club that my mail service would be terminated if I didn't renew my membership. Why they sent the notice via certified mail shall forever remain a mystery but that was a load off o' my mind. I was expecting some sorta legal notice but we shan't go into detail about THAT.
I picked up a four-pack of Sammy Adams Wee Heavy which won't be cool enough by the time Happy Hour rolls around... mere minutes from now... as we just now put the beer in the fridge. This won't be a session beer when I get around to drinkin' it, given the ABV is a whopping 10%. "Normal" Scottish Heavy ain't NEAR that strong and was my brew o' choice back in the day when I ventured up to Scotland from London. I'm looking forward to it, though.
The Class VI store also had 12-packs of Sammy Adams Winter Seasonal brews and I bought my fourth or fifth installment of same. I really shoulda bought three 12-packs... beer keeps (for a while)... but I didn't. I really, rilly like the Chocolate Bock and the Black and Brew that comes in those 12-packs and wish I could find those beers in something other than the 12-pack. Alas... not HERE.
About that shearing... the Ol' Gal that cut my hair kept up a running commentary about how nice my hair was throughout the 15 minutes I was in the chair. Words to the effect of "sooo thick!" and "you have beautiful natural highlights... wimmen pay BIG money to get that!" and so on and so forth. Twenty years ago I mighta thought she was hittin' on me but these days I recognize that stuff for what it is: a ploy to increase the size o' the tip. It worked, too. I'm SO easy, if not more than a lil bit vain.
I KNOW all y'all are just dying to know how the election turned out, right? I mean I've been inundated with off-line communications asking just that question. Well, sorta. Well, not at ALL. But that's beside the point, coz I'm gonna tell ya anyhoo. Here it is:
With Sunday liquor sales approved by voters on Dec. 13, businesses serving alcoholic beverages are already in the process of turning in their applications for Sunday liquor licenses, according to Portales City Clerk Joan Martinez-Terry.
[...]
Cattle Baron Manager Richard Chambers said he believes Portales has more to offer people and this is one way of bringing more to the community.
He said the Sunday liquor sales will also bring more jobs to the community.
“Vines will be open on Sundays now, so that’s going to be a whole other day they weren’t open before and they are going to have to hire new people and I’ll have to hire new people as well,” Chambers said. “I think it’s great for Portales that people won’t be driving to Clovis to eat and have a glass of wine or beer. There aren’t a lot of eating options here, so it will be good for the community.”
That last bit is oh-so-true... we don't have a lot o' dining options. One other thang you should know: the vote was 311-278 in favor of Sunday alcohol sales. It was a near run thang, but P-Ville has been dragged... kicking and screaming... into the 21st century. Well, sorta. You still can't buy beer on Sundays at Wally-World or anywhere else (except at Cannon Airplane Patch), for that matter. One small step...
The errands are done and I was most gratified to see the local likker locker expanded their selection of Abita beers to include Purple Haze and Turbodog, the latter of which comes highly recommended by Occasional Reader Anon. Or one of the Anons, anyhoo. So ya know what we did...
MMMmmm! Malty! Caramel-y! The Bros rate this beer as "exceptional," and I wholeheartedly agree. Good stuff, Maynard... and Turbodog will become a fixture in these parts. It's a new fave.
Bonus: Tonight's dessert managed to sneak into the picture. I wonder how that happened? Yeah, it's a bought-punkin-pie, not homemade. Don't gimmee no grief, mmm-kay? OTOH, you could gimmee pie. Homemade pie.
This could be BOH XXXVII, Part Two... seein' as how we went back to the well today for yet another seasonal installment from that lil ol' brewery in Bawston. Well, let's make it that Big-Ass brewery in Bawston, just for accuracy's sake.
Today we're indulging in my favorite selection from the 12-pack, the Black and Brew:
This is some seriously tasty beer despite the terminally-cute name, which is an all too obvious reference to this beer's main taste components: coffee and malt. How could one NOT like this combination? I mean... it's caffeine and alcohol together, two of the four major food groups (the other two bein' nicotine and sugar). The only thang that's missing is sex.
And now we shall adjourn to the verandah for our second outdoor Happy Hour in as many days. It's warm enough today that we don't need our flea jacket... just a sweater, a cigar, and that beer I just poured. Life is good.
Two days in a row, this broadening thang. Today it's a Sammy Adams Chocolate Bock (rated "B" at BA) which is included in a 12-pack of winter seasonal ales I picked up today. Like this:
Yeah, I know. I made a beer run yesterday but the local likker locker didn't have the seasonal "Winter Classics" 12-packs (which includes two each of the above plus two Old Fezziwig Ales, two Black & Brews, two Winter Lagers, two Holiday Porters, and two Boston Lagers) and Wally-World did. Go figger on that one, eh? But... in this neck o' the woods ya gotta jump on these thangs while ya can, coz ya never know how long they'll be around or even if they'll come back once the first round is gone.
As for the beer itself? I give it a B+... mebbe even an A-. Hearty, tasty, full-bodied, and warming... a perfect accompaniment to one of those Drew Estate Cafe con Leches I got in the mail the other day. And I mean PERFECT.
This really cheeses me off, or to put it bluntly: Family Values, my ass. So I ran right down to the courthouse and registered to vote. Alas, I found out I can't vote in the upcoming city election... you must be on the voter rolls 30 days prior to any election to be eligible to vote.
Dang. Now I can't do my bit to avoid havin' to drive out to Cannon when the beer supply runs low on Sunday. It's always sumthin'.
We got off the dime and ran our errands today, thanks in no small part to the Virtual Nagging™ kindly provided by Occasional Readers Lou and Kris and even though we slept in until about the same hour as yesterday, which is to say well on the south side of the ten o'clock hour. But the errands couldn't really be put off another day, for the food supply was perilously low and we needed to fill a prescription out at the Cannon Airplane Patch pharmacy. So, we went. Mission Accomplished, and all that.
We also stopped by the Class VI store and re-stocked the beer supply even though said supply was good enough to last another three or four days, at least. The seasonal winter brews have hit the market and we picked up a couple o' sixers, to wit: Sammy Adams Winter lager and Blue Moon's Winter seasonal offering... Winter Abbey Ale. I expected the beer snobs at BA to hate on the Winter Abbey Ale (coz it's from Coors, perish the thought), and some did. But the overall consensus opinion is a C+, which ain't all THAT bad. And the beer geeks rate the Sammy Adams a solid "B," so that's good news; that and the fact we've had pleasant experiences with this beer in the past. That said, the beer was too warm for today's Happy Hour but we're looking forward to sampling one of each tomorrow afternoon. Everyone needs a goal in life...
We were still drinkin' our morning (heh) coffee when Happy Hour time rolled around but we think we're caffeinated enough to make it through the rest of the day, even if we're leavin' a couple o' cups in the pot. As a good friend o' mine useta say... "Sometimes it bees like that." Today is one of those days.
But... to the bid'niz at hand. No, make that the pleasure at hand:
That's a Linenkugel Fireside Nut Brown. I like this brew, unlike one o' The Bros, who gave the beer a "D." A D! That means "avoid" in BA-speak. I firmly disagree and I'm not the only one who doesn't share Mr. Alström's point o' view, as the consensus opinion on this tasty nut brown ale is C+ and that's based upon 347 reviews. Personally? I'd give it a B, mainly coz I like the smoky taste that is quite prominent in this brew. It's definitely a seasonal sorta thang, and it goes very well with a chilly Fall kinda day.
Today's cigar is a box-pressed Ave Maria, a stick I have some small experience with and a worthy companion to the Fireside Nut Brown. You'll note that I'm both politically and legally correct today: the cigar sits in the ashtray unlit.
And now it's time to layer up (coz it's a mere 52 degrees outside) and take this show out to the verandah.
Update, 1555 hrs: Well, THAT didn't last long. I could handle the 52 degrees but I couldn't handle 52 degrees along with the brisk breeze that accompanied the chill. So we're back indoors to enjoy our beer in the coziness of El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington. Sans cigar. (Sigh)
We're just in from the local beer emporium where we picked up a couple o' sixers to get us through the weekend. Like this:
What you see is a good ideer from that lil ol' brewery in Shiner, Texas... which is a sixer of six different beers from Spoetzl, two of which... the Kosmos Reserve and the Brewer's Pride... will be new to me once I get around to drinking 'em. Variety packs from breweries ain't exactly a new thang, but ya usually see 'em in 12-packs, not sixers. And those 12-packs almost always have two bottles of sumthin' you don't like so I usually give 'em a pass. But a sixer? Yeah, I like that ideer... coz if I don't like one of the beers it ain't no biggie. Are ya listenin', Sammy Adams?
But that said, our broadening exercise today is Alimony Ale, a name which intrigued me seein' as how Mother's Day is fast approaching (you know: pay this mother, pay that mother, yadda, yadda, not the least o' whom is the Mom of the adult boys, who gets a sizable chunk of my USAF retirement every month. But we digress.). And it's an IPA, of which there are very few of those I've met that I didn't like. One of the Bros... Jason, specifically... likes it:
Presentation: 12oz brown. Turn of the century cartoon of a small man, big mouth character holding a sign. On the sign it states, "The Bitterest BREW in America."
Appearance: Very dark with ruby edges and a nice looking thin lace that retains.
Smell: Big and malty with caramel and rum notes.
Taste: Extremely smooth, rich malt sweetness that transforms into a roasted grain dryness becoming almost tart. Hop leaf flavours finish at the end, mixing well with the complexity of malt afters.
Notes: Not the bitterest brew, but, very malty and complex. The malts definitely reign in this brew. Very unique and enjoyable.
He gives the beer a B+ and I'm in agreement. The beer is plenty bitter enough, though. And now it's time to take this show out to the verandah where we can actually enjoy Alimony. And a cigar.
I haven't done one of these Broadening thangs in a while... what with us sticking to what we know best for well over a month now... so it's time. Past time, actually. So, there we were out at the Cannon Class VI Store this morning when we noticed a passel of these on the shelf:
That's a New Belgium Lips of Faith Super Cru, about which one of The Bros has this to say:
Big beer brewed with Asian pear juice. Shiny copper color; two-finger head drops to a thin ring of lace. Some vague floral fruitiness meets spiciness, with medicinal herb and alcohol in the nose. Some smoothness, slick with a big body. Mild tartness with a thick malty foundation, and a hint of sweetness up front. Toasted bread and ripe fruit soon make way for a more toasty, dry, almost broth-like flavor. Spicy, boozy alcohol, rose water and tropical fruit. Semidry finish clings to the booziness. A serious beer if strength is considered, though beyond that, it lacks a bit of depth that was expected. A tasty brew nonetheless.
The general consensus is the beer rates a B- and so much for criticism... I like it, even if it IS fruity, but it's not TOO fruity. I'd give it a solid A, but you have to realize I'm predisposed to like pretty much everythang New Belgium puts out. We've paired the brew up with an old favorite... an Acid Kuba Kuba. Now it's time to adjourn to the verandah before the Smoking Police come and bust me for lighting a cigar inside the house. Whatever will I do when winter comes?
I was mucking around on the Tube O' You and found this (via Sunny):
Heh. The beer a person drinks is a pretty good social indicator. Not always, as there are outliers, but usually. Coors Light? Suspicions confirmed.
Speaking of light beer... I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, "this" being the new series of Miller Lite ads that feature four guys standing around drinking beer, three of whom have Miller Lites and the fourth a generic light beer. At which point in time the Three Cool Guys dump all over the fourth for not bein' manly (coz he ain't drinkin' Miller Lite, of course) with some admittedly funny scenarios, like one guy asking other guys if they wanna go to the men's room. But irony is apparently lost on the Miller people, because men DON'T FUCKING DRINK LIGHT BEER. That's the general rule and there may be the odd exception, of course. The emphasis should be on "odd" in that last sentence.
I considered an alternate title for this post, i.e., "Wherein Our Shirt Matches Our Beer." Because...
That would be a New Belgium 1554, both on my shirt and in the glass. Who said men aren't fashion-coordinated?
―:☺:―
In other news... we stopped by the future Casa de Pennington while we were out and about today and had a brief conversation with one of the guys working on my unit, which went sumthin' like this...
Me: "Ya think you'll be done by Thursday? Coz I'm told I can pick up my keys on Friday."
Workin' Guy: (Looks at me incredulously, laughs) "Hell, they're not layin' the carpet until Thursday!"
That was just the first exchange in what turned out to be a lengthy conversation, the upshot of which is my unit will NOT be completed by Friday. So... the first order o' bid'niz when I got home was to ring up the furniture company and have my delivery rescheduled for Wednesday. I have my fingers crossed that everything will be kosher by then; I'm in a whole lotta trouble if it ain't. Well, it won't be the end o' the world... it'll just be a major pain in the nether regions.
I mentioned in the post immediately below that I picked up more beer at Wally-World and it was this:
About which... we decided to give Santa Fe a third chance. I really liked that Porter, sooo... we popped for a sixer of Santa Fe's Nut Brown Ale. The folks at Beer Advocate give the brew a B- and I'm thinkin' that's about right. Santa Fe won't be taking away any of Newcastle's bid'niz, but the beer is worthy. It's cheaper than Newcastle, too, which prolly has sumthin' to do with transportation and duty costs. But anyhoo... two out outta three ain't bad, according to Mr. Loaf (that means Yes on the Porter, Yes on the Nut Brown, and Fuck NO! on the Hefeweizen). I'm thinkin' we'll try more of Santa Fe's output as time goes on.
Lastly... we obviously made that decision we alluded to below.
We... that would be Buck, Erma, and YrHmblScrb... did significant damage to the beer supply here at El CasaMóvildePennington this weekend. Almost to the point o' exhaustion, a rather rare occurrence. Witness:
THAT was easily and pleasurably rectified by an 80-mph, top down, Stones blaring, blast out to the Cannon Airplane Patch Class VI Store (coz it's SUCH a nice day, see the top o' my sidebar for proof), where we also replenished the likker locker (not pictured) with yet another bottle o' tasty single-malt. Witness, again:
That should hold me for a couple o' days... beginning right now. Beer me!
