The State of BeerRantsAndBooks Address

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Blog Life, COVID19

Hello friends!  As some of you may have noticed, I haven’t posted here in a little while.  Back in January I was facing the daunting task of simultaneously learning a new job while taking programming classes at night and to say I was stretched thin mentally would be an understatement.  Something (ok, somethings) had to give for the sake of my mental well-being and keeping up with the blog just didn’t fit into my schedule.

My portrait, courtesy of my wife @Ann Leonard Photography

My original plan for the past few days was to regroup a bit and work my way back into a posting routine.  My class ended the first week in March and the week after the family was going to take our annual trip down to Florida for some much needed time off.  I was going to sit back, read, and drink a few brews to celebrate the end of a demanding month and a half. The universe it seems had other plans, and facing the rapid advance of Coronavirus we made what was at the time the difficult decision to call off our trip.  Turns out we made the right choice since I am coming back here facing a drastically different world than when I left.

So what does this all mean for my posts going forward?  Hopefully, not a lot in most areas. I am feeling determined to make this comeback a success and feel like it will be a welcome distraction for me during these difficult times.  I have some great novellas lined up for review and since I primarily read e-books, I don’t see any major shifts in my reading habits once I get back into a rhythm. I also also have a few tags set aside I’ve been meaning to get to as well so Random Tag Tuesday will be making a return soon enough.

As for the beer side of things, well, that gets tricky.  Acquiring new, post-worthy beer is rather complicated now, despite the valiant efforts of my local breweries to safely stay open.  It pains me a bit to say this, but in all honesty I most likely will not be visiting them for the duration of the pandemic. I feel somewhat badly about this knowing that they need support to stay afloat right now, but I just don’t feel like even the curbside pickup options are worth it right now for something that is ultimately a luxury item.  In terms of the cost per beer and the risk of exposing my family I just can’t justify it. I pass no judgement on those who choose otherwise, but this is my personal choice based on my particular situation.

That said, I do have a few review beers left in my fridge that I am sure to get to soon enough.  I also stocked up on some more affordable options to keep me supplied over the period of isolation to come.  My beer needs for the next few weeks will be fulfilled by a dozen Lagunitas IPAs and a mixed 12 pack from Ipswich Ale Brewery.  Even after the delivery fees (thank you Drizzly driver!), they provided a relatively inexpensive way to stock up without sacrificing quality.  If these can’t hold me over until the end of this whole mess, I’ll have much bigger things to worry about anyway.

I’m looking forward to rejoining you all in WordPress land this week.  Stay safe out there and be good to one another!

Birthday Beer! Wizard’s Burial Ground and Screenshot

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Vivant, Massachusetts, Prairie Artisan Ales

Earlier this week I officially made it through yet another trip around the sun and celebrated in part with a pair of spectacular brews I found at the Rye and Thyme restaurant in Leominster, MA.  It was a somewhat random stop on the way to our final destination, but it was certainly a welcome one.  Boasting some amazing pub food and an equally impressive tap list, this was definitely my kind of place!

Beer number one was Wizard Burial Ground from Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids, MI.  Checking in at 10%, this bourbon barrel aged Quad was certainly an eye opener!  It poured a see-through amber colored body with a thin white head and had an invitingly sweet smell.  As for the taste, it packed a huge caramel and dark sugar sweetness upfront followed by a hint of bubblegum yeast in the middle and smooth, warming bourbon notes on the finish.  The pleasantly medium-thick mouthfeel held the flavors well, making this one amazing brew and an excellent start to my special day.

My second beer of the lunch was Screenshot, an 11% Imperial Stout from Prairie Artisan Ales.  Brewed with hazelnut coffee, it poured to a thick black body topped by a layer of tan foam.  It opened with a delicious mix of rich dark malt and sweet cream that was soon followed by moderate notes of hazelnut coffee, espresso, and dark chocolate.  It closed with a good luck of sweet, roasty heat and featured a super smooth thick body.

And there you have the two brews that helped me kick off my birthday celebration.  Here’s looking forward to another year full of great beers and (eventually) books!

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery – The Chocolate Manifesto

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Canada, Chocolate, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, Stout

I am checking in this fine Monday morning with the first review of beer coming from my Christmas haul.  I was in the mood for something sweet and this looked like it had the potential to really satisfy.

Beer Name: The Chocolate Manifesto

Brewery: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery (Ontario, CA)

Style: Imperial Milk Stout

ABV: 10.0%

Description: The brewery’s “definitive statement about chocolate and beer is described on the label as a “triple chocolate milk stout” brewed with three kinds of chocolate: shade-grown cacao nibs, roasted cacao powder, and chocolate malt.  Many promises of chocolatey goodness were printed across the label.

Appearance: It poured a dark cola brown body that looked black in the glass.  Resting up top was roughly a finger’s worth of than foam.

Smell: HUGE cocoa powder aromas immediately upon opening the bottle and pouring into the glass.  Think of opening up a can of good hot chocolate and then at least doubling the experience.

Taste: Again an explosion of chocolate with each of the three types well represented over the course of the sip.  It opened with notes of creamy chocolate malt and decadent milk chocolate which around mid-sip gave way to a more bittersweet cacao powder influence.  The finish was dark chocolate with bits of roast and heat mixed in. This was all chocolate throughout, but it was really interesting how it managed to feature the different types so well.

Mouthfeel: Super smooth, with a moderately thick body and low carbonation.

Hype: Moderate.  I was intrigued by this one when I saw the bottle but really didn’t know what to make of it.  Based on the label alone, I went in thinking this either going to be fantastic or disappointing with very little room in the middle.

Overall: I really enjoyed this.  To my pleasant surprise, it totally delivered on the aforementioned promises of chocolate overload.  This is a must try for chocolate lovers, though it is a beer you’ll end up spending some time with. As much as I was tempted to drink quickly on account of the decadently sweet, creamy opening, the heat and bit roast kept me at a much more reasonable pace.

Two Villains Brewing – Nyack, New York

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Visit, New York, Two Villains Brewing

My first brewery experience of the year is also a very special one for the BeerRantsAndBooks family.  The two gentlemen who run operations and make the beer at Two Villains Brewing have been in the circle of friends for many years now and it was absolutely amazing to see them realize their dream!  They officially opened up shop in mid-November of 2019 and my wife and I were thrilled we got a chance to stop by and visit some old friends over the Holidays.

The brewery is located on Main Street in downtown Nyack, NY and sits amongst a row of other storefronts.  There is no dedicated parking, but we had no problem finding ample (metered) public spaces literally right across the street.  Walking in the door you enter a beautifully finished taproom with a very industrial and modern vibe. It was well lit and had a very open and inviting feel.  Wooden tables and benches are spread throughout a rather roomy seating area and a long bar runs along the left wall. Beyond that and behind a short barrier lay the brewing floor with all the tanks and equipment one would generally expect to see at such a location.  The bathrooms downstairs are definitely worth a visit as well. There are four stalls (including one with a changing station), and each of them are wallpapered with old comics. It was a fun touch and great play on the “villain” name.

For the non-beer drinking crowd, they also pack a full bar and offer cocktail specials and have a craft soda fountain as well.  As of this post they are not serving food yet, but that is something that will be happening in the very near future. All I’ll say is that the descriptions of the chef-to-be’s cooking style certainly had my mouth watering!

And now it’s time to bring on the beer!  I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing several Two Villains home brews over the years and have likewise enjoyed the stuff they worked on at their previous gig, so I couldn’t wait to dive into the taplist.  There were several beers pouring that day and while I wasn’t going to be able to try them all, I did get a good sampling of what they had available. First up was Gummy World, an 8.5% NEIPA inspired by the brewers’ favorite gummy worms.  This particular batch was brewed with a strawberry and watermelon puree and dry hopped with El Dorado.  The oat/malt bill gave it a smooth base atop which the beer featured a light bitterness and a deliciously sweet blending of the featured fruits throughout.  Definitely an excellent start!

Beer number two was a 5% “Hoppy Norwegian Farmhouse Ale” named Sol Eater.  It opened with a nice wheat and rye backbone, followed by orange and apricot before coming to a rather dry finish with notes of pear and yeast.  This was probably my favorite farmhouse ale in quite some time!

My final full pour of the day was a 5.0% nitro milk stout called Neighbor Cat.  It was everything you could want from the style; light, smooth body and great notes of creamy and roasted malts.  In talking to the guys it sounds like they have some big plans for playing around with this one, so keep an eye out if you’re in the area.

As a bonus beer, I was treated to a sneak peek of a Kolsch they were working on at the time.  I know it’s not really a style people tend to get worked up over, but damn this was fantastic!  Light, super crisp, and featuring a subtle fruity sweetness this tasted like a real winner even when poured from the Brite tank.  It looks like they debuted this for New Year’s Eve, so get in there and get this while it lasts!

And that rounds out a very enjoyable day at the brewery.  I know I am a bit biased on this one, but seriously check this place out if and when you’re in the area.  It’s an awesome space and the beer will most definitely give you something to smile about.

PS – I’d like to add an additional thank you here to my wife, who took on some of the photography duties this visit!

 

2019 Year in Review

Tags

Blog Life, Happy New Year

It’s that time again to take a look back on the year that was and start thinking about the one that will be.  2019 was an interesting year blogging year for me in that I had some definite peaks and valleys in the amount of time and energy I had for posting.  I did manage to stay somewhat regular though, largely on account of mixing up my posts. This was something I had a lot of fun with, so I’ll be doing more of that in the year to come as well.  I found it helpful not just in terms of keeping me interested, but also keeping up with my posting in light of changes to an already hectic schedule. That said, let’s take a look at the two mainstays of my blog, beer and books, and see how I did.

The Beer

This was an unexpectedly challenging year for me beer-wise.  I felt a definite decline in my enthusiasm for reviewing, and I think one of the biggest factors in that feeling was that I often found myself coming across a whole lot of perfectly fine yet surprisingly homogeneous and unremarkable brews that were not particularly inspiring to write about.  To remedy this going forward, and to save my wallet and waistline a bit of stress, I will be slowing down my reviews and being more selective about the beer I pick up. Don’t worry, I’ll still have plenty of excellent brews to share and will still be checking out local breweries whenever I can.  I just felt like I needed to make an adjustment to make this aspect of my writing fun again. In that spirit, I do already have a few locations and events planned for the new year that I can’t wait to share!

The Books

I felt like I had another pretty solid year on this front.  I’ll never read as much as I want to, but upon looking back I find myself extremely satisfied with the books I did get to.  I read a whole bunch of great books, crossed a few key items off my TBR list, and managed to get almost all caught up on the Cosmere.  Needless to say, I’ll have a very interesting annual awards post coming up in the next few days! As for next year, I plan to focus more on works that are a bit shorter than my usual fare.  I have some personal and professional obligations coming up that may cut into my already scarce reading and review writing time, but, again, rest assured I’ll definitely still be reading.

And that’s a wrap on 2019.  Looking forward to blogging with you all in 2020!

Monday Mixer: Plum Wine and Sake

Tags

Drinking, Mixed Drinks, Plum Wine, Sake

Today I’m here to talk to you about one of my favorite non-beer beverages, a blending sake and plum wine that I’ve been enjoying for quite a few years now.  I’m not sure if this is a popular thing or not (a quick search of the internet brings back the phrase Sake Martini), but it’s a little something my friends and I started doing back in our Chinatown drinking days.

For the uninitiated, I’ll first offer a very basic introduction.  Plum wine is a type of fruit wine popular in Japan and South Korea and tends to be quite sweet with a slightly tangy finish.  I typically find it in screw top bottles, which depending on the style can contain liquid only or have actual plums inside soaking up all the alcohol goodness.  These plums are perfectly fine to eat, but I often find them a bit too sour and tough for my tastes. The bottles I buy usually cost around $15-20 for 750 ml and have an ABV around 10-14%.  The one pictured above isn’t one of my usuals, but I did end up liking it quite a bit.

Sake, on the other hand, is a Japanese rice wine with a brewing process that generally comes in the neighborhood of 15% ABV.  Very light in body, it has a very distinct dry, slightly herbal taste (some call it savory) with a finishing heat that can vary widely in strength depending upon the type.  Personally, the Gekkeikan brand pictured above is my go to as it costs only about $10-12 per 750 ml bottle. I find that it walks that fine line between being good to drink on its own (you’ll have plenty left once when the wine is gone) while not being so fancy that you feel bad about blending it.

So why mix two beverages perfectly enjoyable on their own?  Well, I find that they have taste profiles that compliment each other perfectly.  What I do is pour myself a glass of the wine and then add to it one full shot of sake.  You can adjust to taste, of course, but I find those amounts to be the perfect balance between the two.  Plum wine on its own (while delicious) tends to be a bit heavy on the palate and exceptionally sweet. The thinner, drier notes of sake though, mellow these out perfectly and (depending on the amount added) can give the drink the distinctive warm kick of rice on the finish.  As a warning they are very easy to drink on account of the sweetness and can really start hitting you by the second glass!

Does anyone else out there do this?  If so, I am very curious to hear about your preferred combinations in the comments below!

13 Days of Halloween – Day Eleven: Jackie O’s Brewery – Dark Apparition

Tags

13 Days of Halloween, Beer, Beer Review, Jackie O's Brewery

I apparently managed to round up a rather spooky collection of brews this month!  This next one comes at you with additional props as well.

Beer Name: Dark Apparition

Brewery: Jackie O’s Brewery (Athens, OH)

Style: Russia Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.5%

Description: Dark malts and bold flavors abound in this brewer’s favorite.  Check out the official description here for more information.

Appearance: Dark brown/black body with a short-lived beige lacing from the pour.

Smell: Rich dark malts mingled with molasses and bourbon.

Taste: A strong dark malt backbone topped by a sweet bourbon hear upfront followed by notes of dark chocolate and molasses about halfway into the sip.  The finish was warm, with a layer of dark roast covering an excellent barrel presence.

Mouthfeel: On the thinner side of medium and rather slick.  Very low level carbonation.

Hype: Elevated due to the brewery’s reputation and cost if the bottle.  At $16 my wife informs me that this accounted for almost half of our beer expenditures for my Halloween theme this year.

Overall: It was a good beer, but could have potentially been much more than that with a thicker mouthfeel.  The slickness and relatively thin body did make the beer dangerously easy to drink, but that’s not really what I want in a brew like this.  I also think that a heartier body would have carried the big tastes a bit better. Considering the price I would probably not repeat this one in the future.

Happy Monday and Scenes from a Successful Weekend!

Tags

Activism, Beer, Blog Life, Honk Fest, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Theater, Weekend

Hello and Happy Indigenous People’s Day!  I’m in high spirits today on account of a much needed day off following an amazing weekend.

On Saturday, my wife and I had a long anticipated date night (technically afternoon) to belatedly celebrate our anniversary by seeing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at the Huntington Theater in Boston.  The show was fantastic and we followed it up with dessert at a nearby coffee shop that gave my wife fond nostalgia for her time teaching in South Korea.  If you’re not acquainted with the play, go out and read it right now!  (Note: a passing knowledge of Hamlet is strongly recommended).

On Sunday we took our son on a subway ride into Porter Square to see the Honk Festival‘s parade. Billed as a festival of activist street bands, the parade and ensuing musical performances are always fun and chock full of energy, political awareness, and brass bands and drums.  The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time!  After the parade, we happened upon an excellent brunch spot where I got a chance to show off my newest sticker alongside a delicious Marzen from Castle Island Brewing Company.

30 Day Geek Out Challenge – Day 26: Favorite Disney movie?

Apparently I goofed a bit and published today’s prompt a few days early. You can find it here. Not sure how I managed to do that, but there you have it.

30 Day Geek Out Challenge: A Pause

Tags

Blog Life, Renaissance Faire

As  a scheduling note, I am taking a break from the challenge today.  I feel like a day off to attend a Renaissance Faire keeps things sufficiently geeky, though.