Caps practice

This morning Teri and I played hooky and went to the Capitals practice that is at 10:30 on non-game days. The rather new practice rink happens to be not far from my neighborhood and practice is open to the public. I had never been and the slow work week after Christmas seemed like a good time to go. Unfortunately it turned out the team was on their way to the west coast for a couple road games. But to Teri's great fortune Varlamov happened to be there by himself practicing with his coach and two Caps lackies. We just hung out for a bit, Teri snapped some shots, and we took off to work. The other rink was packed during the public skate time.

pics and videos from Teri's album

Christmas in Pburg

Christmas was on a Friday so this year I flew in town on Wednesday and left on Monday. That gave me all of Christmas Eve and the weekend which was about perfect. I can only hang out in the home town for so many days. Unfortunately I didn't get upgraded to first class on my flight out. About 10 minutes after we were supposed to have taken off the flight attendant announced that we were too heavy and asked for a volunteer to get off. Some 130 lbs woman got off the plane and about 10 minutes later they came on and asked for another volunteer. Eventually someone else got off the plane. 10 minutes later they came on and asked for two more volunteers. At some point a flight attendant also got off. After some time we queued up for take off and eventually got in the air.

All that wasn't too bad because I was scheduled to come in to Detroit 45 minutes before my sister. I turned out to be only about 30 minutes late. Dad was waiting for me in the cell lot and after I got my bags and got in the car Beth called and said she was ready. On the way home we stopped by the jerky store. The place has awesome, fresh, thick jerky of all kinds. Later that night I met up with Ben at a bar out in Sylvania. It was a good thing too because I didn't end up seeing him again during the trip.

Scott and Jen showed up after the drive from DC on Christmas Eve. Christmas was pretty typical. We rolled out of bed late and ate breakfast around 11:00. Then we opened up presents. I was bad at getting a list out this year and got a bunch of CDs and books that have been on my x-mas list for awhile. I did pick up the car mount and charger for my phone and that has worked quite well when using it in navigation mode. Later my Mom's brother came over, we had appetizers, ate dinner (yummy Honey Baked Ham), talked, and the old people called it a night.

On Saturday Beth had a wedding shower. Then after some Mancy's Italian I went over to Corey's house with Adam, Nick, and Brett. Karnes and Tony showed up. It was a good night of swill and chill. I remember some snowflakes while hanging on the back patio. Corey has a nice house. The two little ones were asleep upstairs. Kim eventually stopped by. Bummer Ben and Abby were on call.

On Sunday Matt and Beth's Matt flew in to Detroit at about the same time. That night I went out with Matt over to Adams. Adam's girlfriend Heather was over and it was the first time I hung out with her.

On Monday it was snowing pretty good. CNN also caused a ruckus by talking about non-existent long lines at the airport after the terrorist attempt and bathroom incident two days in a row. I did get upgraded to first class this time and was able to avoid the rather long line at the ticket counter. The security line was quite short but I bypassed that as well. Once through security I had 90 minutes till my flight was boarded.

After a few drinks and some snacks I walked over to my gate and found out I was moved and a bit delayed. It turned out the reason for all this was that our plane had a mechanical problem and we were given a new plane. A new plane with 15 less seats. This caused a clustermuck at the gate counter and more delays as they sorted out those who didn't have seats and those volunteering to give up their seat. Eventually we boarded and made the 59 minute flight back to DC. Unfortunately all the snow in DC had melted.

pics and video

the Salukis

I posted an album of my Mom's Salukis. Jazz (Sonama's Rhythm and Blues) was born in 1993 and passed away in 2008. Jazz was our favorite but we don't tell the other salukies that. Jazz was a giraffe pup. He had no idea how to use his super long legs. But once he figured them out he could keep up with me as I rode my bike downhill as fast as I could go.

My mom wanted a second pup so in 2002 she got Quest. Quest (Z'bees Quest for the Cup) is named in reference to the NHL Stanley Cup. Quest always wanted to lay on top of Jazz but they got along together well. Quest isn't as smart as Jazz but has all the energy. He did learn from his older brother though.

Once Jazz passed away in 2008 when he was 14 my Mom got her third Saluki Ciara. Unlike Jazz and Quest, Ciara came from a shelter and her breeder is unknown. She was around 5 years old when we got her. She was very scared and skittish for the first few months. She wouldn't go up or down stairs. She is still timid but has gotten comfortable at her new home. Neither Quest or Ciara are feathered like Jazz had been. Ciara is quicker than Jazz was and has become quite the hunter.

Pics of the pups

"blizzard" of '09

It started snowing Friday night during the Greyboy Allstars and didn't stop till Saturday night. Saturday the city looked nice in a clean white sheet of snow. None of the streets were plowed yet. There were cars stuck everywhere. I saw people pushing two different cop cars. One guy and his friends had a nice tunnel dug in a parking lot snow pile made by a backhoe. You could easily fit two people inside it when I walked by. Seeing adults build a snow fort was a laugh. People were also sledding down 14th Street near me. I saw one guy with a Little Sumptin' Extra Ale which is a favorite of mine.

There was a snowball fight organized on Twitter at the corner of 14th and U St in DC. 100 or so people turned out. Cars braving the conditions might have be hit by an errant snowball or two. A Hummer near the intersection happened to receive a few snowballs making the driver a little unhappy. First the guy waved his walkie-talkie. Then he pulled out a gun. It turns out he was an undercover cop but this was not realized until 911 had been called by a few people. Cops show up with sirens and guns drawn. Lots of pictures and videos were taken by participants and spectators. National news was made. My parents heard about it. Good times in DC.

The main roads were passable on Sunday. All the roads were fine by Monday even though the Federal Government closed. They claimed it was a blizzard because of the wind or something. I got 15 inches. Wish it happened more often.

Flickr pics

The Greyboy Allstars

The Greyboy Allstars rocked on Friday at the 9:30 Club. The place wasn't that crowded but they sure threw down. I was up pretty close and they laid down the funk. It was great seeing Karl Denson and Robert Walters. The guitarist was fun to see as well. They played two full sets and seemed to have a good time. They are definitely one of my favorite bands. They played some old classics and some new ones. I hope they tour more often but I'm sure its hard to get away from their own individual bands.

cell phone pics

Winter beer tasting

The Brickskeller had their annual winter beer tasting on Wednesday. It's usually a popular event. Teri came along for her first beer tasting. We got a couple seats at a table up front and ended up sitting with a bunch of local beer people. The Lagerheads are a young couple that blog for the City Paper and tweet, Thomas Cizauskas works in the beer industry and also blogs and tweets, Gregg Wiggins is a beer writer, and Bob Tupper and his wife have tasting notes on over 18,000 beers. As usual Bob was the host for the evening. The line-up for this tasting was:

Capital City Shirlington - Organic Belgian Triple

Capital City DC - Black Forest Stout

White Marsh / Red Brick Station - Organic Winter Solstice

Pratt Street - Merry Old Ale

District Chop House - Double Bock

Vintage 50 - Wee Heavy 2008

Devils Backbone - Wood Aged Wee Heavy

He'Brew - Jewbelation 13th Anniversary

Anchor Brewing - Christmas Ale 1997

I don't have a whole lot of notes for this tasting. Next time I need to remember that I don't remember any specifics. The Belgian Triple came in at 10% and was quite earthy. I'm not sure if it was this organic beer or the Winter Solstice that was not a certified organic beer but used all organic ingredients.

The Black Forest Stout was made with bourbon vaniella beans. It was not aged in oak barrels but rather had oak spirals dipped in the beer for six weeks. It had a milk chocolate stout taste and was 5.2%.

The Winter Solstice was made with coco nibs and was 5.6%.

The Merry Old Ale from Pratt Street was an English spiced Ale at 6.2%. It was good and not too spicy. The Pratt Street Ale House is a favorite brewpub in downtown Baltimore.

The Dobble Bock from District Chop House was a nice dry beer at 10.9%. Barrett Lauer said he has been perfecting this for awhile. He has been brewing it for eight years and brewing it for the Chop House for five years. The beer had a nice chocolate, roasted, smoked malt flavor.

The Wee Heavy was brought by Bill Madden and brewed in December of 2007 for Vintage 50. He is now building his own brewpub called Mad Fox. He has won a lot of awards and his Malakoff Hoptail is a legendary brew around DC. Teri remembered him from Vintage 50. This Wee Heavy weighed in around 9%.

Jason Oliver of Devils Backbone also brought a Wee Heavy. Apparently this was called "Kilt Flasher" at one time.

He'Brew Jewbelation 13th Anniversary is made by contract brewer Jeremy Cowan. He started in 1996 with seven barrels. I think he said he has 45,000 cases and 49 kegs of this beer. He also makes Coney Island beer. This 13th Anniversary is 13%.

The last beer was from Dave's special stash in the basement of the Brickskeller. He pulled out a keg of Anchor Christmas Ale from 1997. No one was exactly sure how it would taste. I don't think it was all that.

It was a fun alcohol filled night. It was nice putting names to faces to some of the local beer bloggers and tweeters. Looking forward to the strong ale tastings in February.

pics by Thomas Cizauskas

Beth, Mark, and Michelle come up for The Pietasters

Beth came up to see the Pietasters at the 9:30 Club and convinced Mark and Michelle to join her. Beth is a big fan after meeting them and hanging out with them in Raleigh. We were supposed to have backstage passes but they were in Matt's name and Beth couldn't get them changed beforehand.

Teri joined us and the five of us headed to the 9:30 Club. The Pietasters always play late with 2 or 3 bands playing before them. We showed up to see the second to last band, Ruder Than You, and get a little warmed up. The place was rather empty still. The band wasn't too bad and we got down right in front.

Before the Pietasters went on we could see the band next to the stage and I convinced Beth to go talk to them. The trumpet player was hanging out near by and he recognized Beth once she got his attention. He brought the two of us backstage and we hung out before the show for a few.

The show was great. Teri and I got down with everyone skanking while Beth, Mark, and Michelle hung out on the second floor balcony. The Pietasters are always high energy and we had fun getting down. They let everyone on stage at the end like they always do at the 9:30 Club. I couldn't convince Teri to jump up. One guy did a stage dive and no one caught him. The place wasn't too full.

Afterwards the singer was hanging out on the almost empty venue floor and Beth went up to talk to him. He brought Beth, Teri, and I backstage up to the green room. It was a cool little hangout area but none of the other band members were there. They were lacking beer as well and when it did show up it was Bud. First time I've had Bud in as long as I can remember. We took off quickly after as the band wasn't really hanging out.

The next day Beth woke up with her hand over her head and Teri, Mark, Michelle and I went to Ragtime for the omelet bar, mimosas, and bloody mary's.

pics

Phish in Cville

Thanks to a tip from Lee I entered in the pre-sale lottery for Phish in Charlottesville awhile ago. Surprisingly I scored two lower level tickets. The show at Merriweather over the summer wasn't that exciting because they played all new unknown songs. I was looking forward to this indoor show at John Paul Jones Arena.

The plan was to leave at a decent time for the 2.5 hour drive to get settled at the hotel, enjoy the lot, and make it in the venue comfortably. The forecast of snow made things harder to plan. Being the morning after the office holiday party it was not so easy to get out of bed. Teri was especially hating life. I woke her up around 10 or so and said Lee was leaving around noon and we had to leave no later than 2:00. She didn't sound happy and I didn't blame her being unfamiliar with the band, hungover, and having a bit of a family crisis back in Montana. I was surprised and a little unprepared when she showed up at my place ready to go before 1:00. We grabbed some food and took off in the snow.

I drove and we had to go pretty slow at first. Even on the highway we were going about half speed. Lee, Kari, and their friend left about a half hour before us. Once we got off 66 the rode conditions got a little better. And the closer to Charlottesville and further south we went the better things got. We checked in to the hotel room, got some food, picked up beer, and met them at their hotel a few blocks away. All the hotels were packed with Phishheads. After a beer we took off to the show.

The original plan was to take a taxi but I should have known that would never work. Even if we got one there we would never get one back. Teri was kind enough to drive. That turned out to be an issue as well with the traffic. It took 30 minutes to go a block. We finally just turned in to the shopping center next to us, parked, and started walking. It wasn't too far of a walk. The venue was decent and our seats weren't too bad at the back of the lower level.

The first set rocked. It had some good funk. We were rollin' and getting down. I've never seen so many glow sticks. They were constantly in the air. The entire place was puffing. The light show was excellent as usual. The whole event made an impression on Teri. At the start of Ya Mar a naked guy jumped on stage and ran around for a minute before security got him. The second set rocked as well. Lots of classic songs. Trey and crew referred to the naked guy in Run Like An Antelope which got the place going. Here is a video of naked guy and naked guy references.

The setlist:

Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Chalk Dust Torture, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The Divided Sky, Ya Mar[1], Sneakin' Sally through the Alley[2], The Old Home Place, Cavern > Funky Bitch, David Bowie, The Wedge, Bold As Love

Set 2: Tweezer -> Light > Piper -> Free, Sweet Virginia, Harry Hood > Suzy Greenberg > Golgi Apparatus, Run Like an Antelope[1]

Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise

After the show we couldn't find much of a lot scene so we boogied. We partied in Lee's hotel room for awhile before passing out and sleeping late. It was a nice sunny drive home after a fun night.

't Smisje Kerst

While waiting to meet up with a friend I stopped in the new happenin' beer bar in DC called ChurchKey. They have some very impressive offerings including a few rare casks. As written previously the first time I was there I had an excellent Brooklyn Manhattan Project. On this occasion I tried one I hadn't heard of called 't Smisje Kerst. The bartender tried to warn me that it was "intense". He couldn't describe it further but said many people who ordered didn't like it. Well those people need to step back to a Blue Moon cuz this was a most excellent beer. Its a strong Belgian dark ale served from a wooden cask that once held JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale! This was quite tasty. It was strong but well balanced. Can't really describe it after the fact much more. All I could do was talk it up to two friendly ladies at the bar who appeared to have an interest in beer. Looking forward to some more rare and fine cask beers at ChurchKey.

Juxtaposition Black Pilsner

I finally drank the second of my two Juxtaposition Black Pilsners from my beer stock purchased back in September. It's a collaboration brew between BrewDog, Cabridge, and Stone Breweries. I got two 12oz singles at about $8 or $9 each. Not the cheapest beer in the world. I must say though it was one of the best tasting beers I've had. I'm a fan of the black pilsner style and this was quite enjoyable. I wasn't impressed by the first bottle apparently. I noted in my beer notes that it had IPA bitterness and that was about all. But the second time I had it I was quite impressed:

great complex beer; has that vintage taste similar to the Thomas Hardy types w/o the velvety taste but all the flavors; looks like a black lager but doesn't have any pronounced roast or chocolate flavor; smells hugely of alcohol but hides the taste well; good hoppyness

Thanksgiving

Just like the last few years, my parents came down from Ohio and my sister up from Raleigh for Thanksgiving at my brother's. It was another big two turkey thanksgiving.

When my parents arrived on Wednesday evening we went out to eat at Restaurant 3. On Thursday Beth and Matt picked me up on their way to Scott's. We all hung out and munched on snacks till Jen's family, Steve, Yuko, and their daughter Avril came. Avril is 2.5 years old and has spent all of her Thanksgivings with us. She gets more active each year and was the star of the dinner as usual. This year the oven roasted turkey was the favorite over the the deep fried turkey. Scott had Sam Adams and Yuengling and I brought over Bell's Winter White and Sparkling Ale. The Sparkling Ale is an interesting triple.

On Friday the seven of us went to the ICE! scuplture exhibit at National Harbor. It was expensive but interesting. The venue was set at 9 degrees to preserve the ice. Apparently they have a team of foreign artists maintaining it each night. After the ICE! exhibit we ate at Sweatwater Tavern. Then on to the Strathmore to see Brian Setzer and his orchestra on their Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza Tour. We sat way up in the upper tier in the second to last row. Its not a huge theater and every seat is decent but we were up pretty high. It was a rockin' show. Both Santa and the Grinch made an appearance.

We laid low on Saturday. We had a good lunch at Bernie's and dinner at Faccia Luna.

On Sunday we woke and went to Whole Foods together. Last year when we went and there was a jazz band playing. We had to go back this year since the place is huge and we wanted some food and beverages to hold us off for the weekend. Once back at Scott's I made my classic left over turkey and stuffing sandwich. Then we took off to the National Aquiraum in Baltimore. It was smaller than I remember. They had a special jellyfish exhibit which was cool. For dinner I tried to take the family to Brewer's Art but of course it was the one day they were closed. The downstairs bar was open and we walked in but decided to go to Il Radicchio in Arlington for some Itailian.

My Mom brought me my own whole coffee cake which I'll eat for breakfast everyday this week. Good tastes from the childhood.

pics and videos

DHS Director and I ate at Ray's last night

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was enjoying Ray's with me last night. We didn't exactly eat together. But she was there while I was there. Robie heard the contingent at the host stand talk about security while we were getting seated. We took our time with dinner. Robie seemed like he had some steam to blow off from work. Having the day to day responsibility for ISG would not be a fun task. We finished our drinks and headed out the door. While we talked outside Secretary Janet Napolitano came out with some security and got in a communications rigged van. Her security had two rigged up SUVs parked directly outside the doors. Once the Secretary was ready the three cars drove off.

I wonder if her steak was as good as mine.

Bela & the original Flecktones

Lee gave me a tip that the original Flecktones would be playing with Bela Fleck on his upcoming tour. There is one guy who played harmonica and piano who stopped playing with the Flecktones before I started listening to them. He was joining them for the first time in 16 years on a few dates this tour. They were playing at the Strathmore and I had the date on my calendar for months but never did get a ticket. Lee talked about going to the venue to get tickets but ended up not going. I finally got online the day before and there were only about 10 tickets left. I scored a lone seat in the middle of the 6th row. Not bad at all.

Teri and I hit Faccia Luna for some fine 'zaa and then I took off to the show. I took the metro all the way there since Lee wasn't going. The show started at 8:00 and I didn't walk in to the venue until about 8:20. They want you to wait for a break between songs to sit after the show has started. There was no way I was going to get to my front and center seat without interrupting the show anyway. I tried to go between songs but Bela doesn't stop for long and was right on to the next one. To make matters worse the ushers had me enter on the wrong side. My seat was closer to the other side and once I found my row I had to push by everyone all the way down the row during a quite part of the show with the whole audience and band checking me out. Once seated though things were good. Just like the Widespread Panic & Allman Brothers Band show I forgot how much more detail you capture sitting up close. All four members of the band were right in front of me.

I've seen Bela and the Flecktones on many occasions. They are all excellent musicians although my least favorite is Futureman. Not sure what his deal is; he plays percussion on some funky garage built guitar looking contraption. He taps on the thing to get his sampled sounds. To me its a gimmick and I'm not impressed. Sitting this close though I got the best look so far at his instrument. He did play a few real drums and cymbals with one hand on occasion.

Bela played his usual virtuoso banjo. He switched between his normal custom banjo and his purple bodied banjo with a sampling system attached. Victor Wooten also threw down. He played his fretless 5 string most of the night and sounded awesome. The new guy switched between harmonica and piano. Admittedly I haven't seen a ton of harmonica players, John Popper is the obvious one that comes to mind, but this guy is one of the best. He played these awesome loops at about a dozen notes per second and then played melodies within the loops making it about two dozen notes per second. It was amazing. All four guys had the stage to themselves for a bit. It was some good jams and a good time.

Cornmeal, DSO, and a good Sunday

Dark Star Orchestra played at the 9:30 Club for the second night in a row on Saturday. And for the second night in a row it was sold out. Cornmeal was opening up on Saturday and Lee wanted to go. When I showed up at his place to leave he was at John’s apartment, the same guy from the Mike Gordon show. John drove and we stopped by Lee’s friend’s place on T St before the show. After walking there we walked in a good 10 minutes before 9:00 but Cornmeal was already playing. There weren’t that many people there at the time.

The 9:30 Club has some good beers. I had a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre on draft before going to Harpoon IPA in a bottle once the crowd came in. Cornmeal rocked out. They were a good blend between bluegrass and jam without being spacey at all. The female violinist and the acoustic guitarist were stand outs. She was throwin’ down. Playin’ a ton of notes per minute during solos and speedgrass jams. The guitarist was impressive on that acoustic neck as well. He played slide on one song.

I haven’t seen Dark Star Orchestra in many years. It was sorta surprising that they sold out two nights at the 9:30 Club. They do a good job of “recreating the Grateful Dead experience”. They started out with Hell in a Bucket and continued to play the Dead tunes in a quite realistic fashion. It was amusing how each band member often physically mimicked the Dead persona they were taking on. They played pretty well and it was an entertaining show.

On Sunday after some french toast out in the nice sunny day I stopped by D’Vines for some fine beer. I found a few worth carrying home.

• Avery - Salvation 22 oz
• Avery - Sixteen Saison 22 oz
• Brewer's Art - Ozzy Ale 750ml
• Stone - Vertical Epic 2008 22 oz
• Victory - Wild Devil Ale 750ml

I rode through town to North Capital St to meet Mike. Not far but the farthest I’ve ridden east in the city.

Friday Night Caps

It was a short four day week with Veteran’s Day. Monday was sunny and 70 but the rest of the week was wet including my day off on Wednesday. Around 4:30 on Friday it was time to forget about work and start the weekend. Teri and I took off and grabbed some food before going to see the Caps. I scored two club level seats near center ice for $70 each. I responded to a Craigslist ad for tickets and it turned out being a service called dreamtix.com. They did the same thing this other guy does that I’ve gotten tickets from and that is having the tickets reprinted at willcall and left in my name after paying paypal. Unfortunately when Teri and I got there no tickets were to be found. I had a phone number and the guy on the line was quick to help me out. Dreamtix.com servers were down a few times that day apparently. There were down the first time I called to get tickets. My emergency contact had a guy on the scene and after being conferenced together we met. He handed me tickets and kept on walking. The guy on the phone told me to enjoy the upgrade. They were lower level seats.

After getting some beers we walked in about 10 minutes in to the game. Our seats turned out to be about the 8th row almost exactly on center ice. After a scoreless first period the Wild got the first goal in the second. The Caps had to come back from behind as opposed to trying to maintain a lead as usual. They pulled through without Ovie; Green and Pothier scored. Laich scored on an empty net at the end.

ful, biking, Cajun, hiking, Birch & Barley

Today was a full day. I met Kirby for breakfast at Keren for ful as usual. Somewhat unusual she was on time and I was five minutes late. We had a good breakfast. Afterwards we headed to a tourist bike rental downtown because they had their full 2009 bike fleet on sale. They get new bikes each year. They were standard Trek hybrids and cruisers but for a good price. Kirby toured around on a 17.5” hybrid which was too short and a 20” which was too big. Then she tried the 18” cruiser and liked that. The hybrid had a guy’s top tube and the cruiser was good for her as she often rides in skirts. Her old bike was falling apart and she needed a new bike. We rode around the mall for a few and it appeared she was happy with her new ride.

Next I rode up Mass AVE to meet up with Sarah to enjoy the nice day. I forgot to turn on to Wisconsin and went a bit too far but made it to her place a little after 3:00. The plan was to check out a Cajun dance at Glen Echo park. Sarah drove there and it was an old person party as expected. Sarah and I, and the band, were about half of the average age of the people there to dance. We missed the lesson but it didn’t look like this type of dancing took much practice. We hung out for a few songs, walked around, and then decided to hit Great Falls before the sun went down.

We drove to the Virginia side of the river since I haven’t been there in years. I forgot about Scott’s Run Preserve which was crowded. We stopped at the next area. It was a small parking spot and trail. We went on a stroll for 30 or 40 minutes and made it back at dusk. A couple guys were on mountain bikes which makes me wonder if it’s a possible spot. They didn’t look too serious though.

After the hike we hit Birch & Barley. Kirby and I were going to hit this the night it opened but things didn’t work out. We didn’t go upstairs to Churchkey but downstairs was quite nice. I started off with a Stone/Brewdog Bashah. It is a nice black Belgian IPA. It was very tasty. Sarah and I began dinner with the octopus and it was excellent. We were basically served one big tentacle. It wasn’t the slightest bit tough. Very tender and delicious. Sarah got the burger and I got the pork cheeks. Her burger looked good but she asked for medium rare and it was well done. My pork cheeks were small but good. They were fall apart tender in some mashed potatoes with other good stuff. The manager almost insisted we return Sarah’s burger and promised to bring out some munchies to hold us over. After a few they brought out the funky cornbread, mushroom, cheese appetizer that we asked our server about. Now I assure you that “cornbread”, “mushroom”, and “cheese” were nowhere in the description. This was a fine dish. They also brought out a mustard duck pizza. I wasn’t a fan because of the mustard. It wasn’t too bad but not something I was in to. The second burger they brought out for Sarah looked like it was cooked medium to us. It was definitely not medium rare. They flavored it with something decent though.

My second beer was a Brewdog Hardcore IPA on cask. That was pretty darn good too. Sarah liked both as well. I think I was only supposed to get a 12 oz snuffer of that being 9% but they gave me a full pint. I was able to top this most excellent beer with my third though. I ordered a Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Project. This is a strong ale. I’m not a huge fan of strong ales but I am a fan of Brooklyn Brewery. I didn’t realize until just now that this was Garrett Oliver’s latest Brewmaster Reserve. It is not listed on their website. Sarah and I thought it was awesome. A not over the top strong and complex brew. Hopefully I’ll be able to find this beer again. Here is the description:

Just as good restaurants will often feature the Chef’s special new dishes, every two months our “Chef” creates a new draft beer for our Brewmaster’s Reserve line. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver certainly loves beer best, but many good things provide inspiration. In this case, it was the realm of traditional cocktails. So Garrett decided to conjure up something unique with his friend David Wondrich, America’s top cocktail expert and winner of the 2008 James Beard Foundation Book Award. A few years back, David introduced Garrett to the classical version of the Manhattan, made not with bourbon but with rye whiskey, red vermouth and bitters. It quickly became Garrett’s favorite cocktail, and it spawned an idea. A robust rye beer, partially aged in Rittenhouse 100-proof Bonded Rye barrels from the Heaven Hill distillery, and then infused with the herbs and spices that flavor red vermouth and bitters. Then a dash of tart cherry, and the result is THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, a tasty new beer showing echoes of New York’s most famous cocktail, the Manhattan. It is great as an aperitif, but also with game dishes, especially duck.

Malt: Malted Rye, Crystal Rye Malt, Canadian Two row pilsner malt, British Maris Otter

Hops: German Perle

Other sugars: Caramel syrup, brewer’s sugar, Organic cherry juice

Other Herbs/spices: Bitter Orange Peel, Sweet Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Gentian Root, Cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, cloves.

ABV: 7.5%

It was a good Sunday with excellent weather for some biking, hiking, great food & beer, and even some music.

missed karting & got the Droid

I was excited for my first kart race since I broke my collar bone. It was a NASA enduro kart race at Summit Point. Unfortunately the cops and DMV had other ideas. I got pulled over on the way by a cop on the side of the road with a license plate scanner. She proceeded to inform me that according to the DMV my license has been suspended since February of 2008. This was interesting information being that the DMV issued me a license in February of 2009. The cop had to take my license anyway. She told me to go straight to the gas station at the next exit and park my car. I got off at the next exit, which happened to be Falls Church, and drove straight home. I’ll be calling the DMV on Monday.

Since I wasn’t racing karts I decided to look in to my next phone. I got the HTC Imagio when I came out on October 6th. It is a nice phone. As mentioned I have always liked my XV6800 I got almost 2 years ago. It was a slick piece of hardware for its time. My biggest complaint was it being thick and heavy with a full keyboard. The HTC Imagio is thin and light with a huge screen. It was even the first phone with Windows Mobile 6.5. The problem was that it had Windows Mobile 6.5. Microsoft hasn’t updated their phone operating system in many many years and in this technology world that means it is obsolete. I knew a Verizon Android phone was coming and I decided to get the HTC Imagio anyway with the ability to return it within 30 days. Sure enough the day after I get the Imagio it is leaked that Verizon will soon have a sweet new phone with Google’s Android operating system. So I sent my phone back on day 28. Their warehouse had received it but not processed it by Friday when the Verizon Droid went on sale.

I went to the crappy private Verizon store in my neighborhood to see if they could do anything for me. My info had not yet been updated which meant I couldn’t get the 2 yr contract upgrade deal. As luck would have it on the second call the Verizon people were able to find the warehouse supervisor and confirm everything was there. I was able to walk out with my Droid.

It’s a slick phone. It has a full keyboard but it is super slim. The best thing may be the email. Being a gmail user Google’s Android email interface is ideal. I don’t drive much but the free new Google Navigation capability is cool. The contacts and calendar apps are 100x better than Windows Mobile. And I can access Google’s chat client GTalk. The home screens can be customized with shortcuts and widgets. I still need to figure out how to import my bookmarks from Opera. It appears you get a lot of the missing functionality from their app store being that it is an open source operating system. So far I’m enjoying the phone with the largest resolution, fastest processor, thinnest keyboard, and most advanced version of Android. I assume things will only get better.

fine steak and throw down speedgrass

It was lining up to be a good night. I’ve been looking forward to the Stringdusters playing at IOTA within walking distance of my apartment for a month or two. I’ve only seen them a few times and don’t have any of their albums but I’m a fan. These guys throw down. Starting the evening out with some fine flesh properly seasoned and grilled over an open flame doesn’t hurt either.

Teri’s birthday is Sunday and we decided the celebration should start at 5pm Friday. We kicked things off a bit early by busting out of the office just after 4:00. After a few drinks and a little break we hit Ray’s. As usual it was some lip smackin’ deliciousness. We had the grilled scalps and chateaubriand. Their scalps are the biggest I’ve ever seen. As good as it was we couldn’t finish all the chateaubriand. Being Teri’s birthday we got a free slice of key lime pie. They have some damn good key lime pie.

We hit the Galaxy Hut for a drink after dinner before the show. I can’t remember what I had but it was a new one for me from their impressive beer list. It was early so it wasn’t crowded and we even got to sit at the bar for a bit.

The Stringdusters, as expected, threw down. I walked in right before they started their first song (I think). They played a good combo of excellent traditional bluegrass and rockin’ dynamic speedgrass. The place was full, although people were leaving before the end. They played two short sets. The whole band was strummin’ those strings real swell. They were jammin’ out and putting a lot of energy in to it. IOTA has an early curfew or something because their shows always end early. I’ve probably been to IOTA more in the last month than I have in my whole life.

Not a bad night.

Why Is There Beer? beer tasting

The latest tasting at the Brickskeller was different than their normal affair. Instead of having one or more brewers come and speak about their wares they had a few folks from the industry on the panel to discuss any and all things beer. Bob Tupper hosted the event as usual. Everyone has been expecting his Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale and Pilsner ever since he announced his partnership with St George’s Brewing. He said that after many many delays he was promised that the beer would start to brew this Tuesday. He also said that he hopes to brew other kinds of beer including possibly a wet hopped beer. The other panelists included Larry Robinson of Chevy Chase Liquors, Greg Kitsock the writer, Bill Catron a distributor, and Dave Alexander himself the owner of the Brickskeller and RFD. I took Judy for her first true beer tasting.

They each picked a couple beers for a total of ten. Four I had in my fridge at the time (but are of course favorites of mine), a couple I was unfamiliar with, and two more were aged. The list:

• Williams Brothers – Grozet 5%
• Rodenbach - Red Ale 5%
• St Louis – Gueuze Fond Tradition 5%
• Sierra Nevada – Harvest Wet Hop Ale 6.7%
• Victory – Wild Devil Ale 6.7%
• Anchor – Old Foghorn ’97 or ’95 8.8%
• Thomas Hardy 2005 11.7%
• Dogfish Head – Burton Baton 10%
• Stone – Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale 8.7%
• Founder’s – Breakfast Stout 8.3%

The Grozet was an interesting beer made with gooseberries and wheat. It was rather light; not too much of the Scottish flavors. I didn’t think it was much to write home about.

The Rodenbach was interesting. It is a red Flemish ale and had that sour cherry flavor. It wasn’t too sour; it was drinkable. The Red that we had is a blend of 25% old and 75% young. I guess the Grand Cru is a 33/66 ratio. Rodenbach has managed to keep its lineage of family owners throughout the generations.

The St Louis Gueuze was another Belgian style. I’ve had other lambics but I don’t think I’ve had much gueuze. It was pretty good and well balanced. Apparently this beer was a blend of one year and two year aged beer. Five kegs of this made it to the US.

The Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale is a familiar one. I just drank one from the store and have another in my fridge. This keg was much better than my bottles though. The bottle was starting to taste more like a traditional IPA whereas this keg had much more of that floral hoppy taste and aroma.

The Victory Wild Devil is one of the four beers in my fridge but the only one I have yet to try. I was quite pleased. Apparently this is a mix between a lambic and an IPA. They took their Hop Devil and added a Belgian yeast. It has a nice balance; it is not very sour. They paired the wild yeast flavor with the hops pretty well. I’ll have to go home and drink my bottle soon.

The Anchor Old Foghorn was either from 1997 or 1995. Apparently the Brickskeller cellar notes aren’t too complete from that time period. I’m not a big barley wine fan but this was pretty good. I’m sure the aging helped mellow it out a bit. I’ve never had a recent Old Foghorn so I can’t compare but I may need to buy some and stash them away for a decade.

The Thomas Hardy 2005 was interesting to taste because I’ve had the Thomas Hardy 1988 at a previous tasting. It had that syrupy rich taste but not as deep as the 1988. Judy gave most of her sample to me and I didn’t complain. I liked the Old Foghorn better but this was definitely a complex beer.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton is a favorite of mine. The panel really enjoyed this beer as well. They all felt it had some of the best aromas of any beer. The Burton Baton is pretty expensive at about $4 a 12 ounce. Although a lot of the beers we had are expensive. The Burton Baton is their 90 Minute IPA blended with an oak aged strong ale. A great beer.

Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale is right at the top of my favorites with the Burton Baton. This is the same recipe as their 11th Anniversary Ale but they got such great feedback they are now brewing it whenever they have the time and ingredients. This is a wonderful hoppy black beer. I wish the panel would have talked more about this one.

The last beer was Founder’s Breakfast Stout. This was definitely a robust coffee flavored stout. As usual by the time they got to the last beer people were heading out the door because of the long event. They didn’t talk about the beers as much as they told stories. It was an interesting night. I could have listened to Bob, Bill, and Dave all night. They had to pull the words out of Larry’s mouth and Greg isn’t his best in front of crowds. They were a knowledgeable group though with a lot of experience and insight.

Smuttynose Beer Dinner

Last month was the Oktoberfest beer dinner and this month at Pizzeria Paradiso was an Autumn Smuttynose dinner. I took Sarah to her first beer dinner and it turned out pretty well. I’m starting to get spoiled and remember a few of their extra delicious pairings from the many dinners I’ve enjoyed. Now if it’s not an over the top taste bud sensation I’m almost disappointed. This was a good dinner though. The brewer was in attendance and speaking about his beers which is better than the usual regional rep. Maybe I wasn’t blown away by the beers.

We sat with an interesting tall character with blond hair parted down the middle and almost in his eyes. He met his quite friend at some odd neighborhood dog/drink street gathering that has been going on for years. The other two were a young couple at their first beer dinner who liked the restaurant and didn’t know anything about beer. The tall old blond dude kept the table high in group sprits. The menu:

Sweet Potato Coffee

Robust Porter 5.7%

Spinach, Artichoke, Olive Salad

w/ Farmhouse Lemon Dressing

Farmhouse Ale 7.5%

Salmon Pastrami

IPA “Finest Kind” 6.9%

Pumpkin Pesto, Pancetta, Parmesan Pizza

Pumpkin Ale 6%

Old Brown Tomato Sauce, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Roasted Garlic, Cherry Tomatoes, Thyme, Oregano Pizza

Old Brown Dog 6.7%

Autumn Pound Cake

Baltic Porter 8.7%

The first course, “the bite”, isn’t sweet potato coffee it’s coffee sweet potato. And I didn’t taste much coffee. Everyone seemed to like it though as long as they only had a bite. And everyone liked the Robust Porter. It was an interesting start.

The salad dressing was a lot of lemon but I liked it with the Farmhouse Ale. The dressing was made with the ale but it was pretty much all lemon. There was a lot of artichoke which was good but I would have liked more spinach.

Everyone was curious about the salmon pastrami. It came out as two peppered strips on toasted bread with a cream cheese made with the IPA. It was quite good. The table wasn’t so much a fan of the IPA as I was but the appetizer was given the thumbs up. The salmon pastrami and cream cheese on toasted bread was delicious.

The first pizza was interesting, almost a little dry with just the pesto, but still pretty good. The pesto was made with a lot of pumpkin but I didn’t taste it. The Pancetta and toasted parmesan was good with the Pumpkin Ale. The brewer said he likes his beer tasting like beer with the spices kept subtle which was good to hear. The Pumpkin Ale was good but I think it was the only pumpkin beer I’ve had this year other than the 1 yr old Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale.

The second pizza was pretty good looking to the table. I sent a MMS to Teri as she is a pizza lover. This was a cheesy creamy pizza. Greg the beer guy said he wanted a creamy pizza to go with the Old Brown Dog. It was too cheesy to eat with your fingers. It was a lot better than I thought though not being a fan of an overly cheesy pizza. I ate more than one piece. The Old Brown Dog was not as robust as I’m used to. The brewer said it was a good session beer. He also said he was told to brew Really Old Brown Dog as they had the idea and the label ready to go. He said that one was very malty, which I liked, and this next one will be more of a Barley Wine, which is not my favorite style. Apparently they sorta skipped 2009 and will brew it next year.

The Autumn Pound Cake was good. And of course not just a pound cake. There was some super thick rich chocolate/maple sauce on top as well as roasted apples. It was quite good. Of course by the time you get to the deserts they always taste damn good. The Baltic Porter was much different than the Robust Porter. That is all I can say.

gypsy jazz

A nice hotel downtown has been putting on a jazz series and lately they have been doing a tribute to Django Reinhardt. Django is a favorite of mine so I’ve been meaning to check it out. The guy I really wanted to see as part of this tribute series was Frank Vignola but I missed his shows. This other band, Harmonious Wail, was playing and Kirby said she would go with me. They are an interesting group from Wisconsin.

After some Thaitanic we headed to the hotel for the show. The Madison is a very nice hotel; recently renovated I think. The band was playing in the back of the restaurant. The band came on after we sat in our assigned seats and ordered a drink. The woman vocalist had a great voice. She played percussion on a Smirnoff box and mixed in some scat. One guy kept switching between guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and an acoustic four string. They also had another guitarist that played some good lead. A rhythm guitarist appeared to be on loan. The double bass player was pretty good and had some great moves as all stand up bass players should. They played their own folksy style of jazz but there were a few good gypsy jazz songs. I would have preferred more of the gypsy jazz but overall it was a good show.

It was nice to see Kirby for the first time since she came back from Colombia. She will be her usual self and pop in and out when she feels she has time.

Robert Earl Keen & Friends

Sarah mentioned her favorite singer, Robert Earl Keen, was coming to the Birchmere. Even though it was country, being the music guy that I am I volunteered to take her if she couldn’t drag any friends along. I noticed the tickets weren’t cheap and commented to her that being a popular show tickets could go quick. Sure enough a few days later it was sold out. So I took it upon myself to check Craigslist. I saw two posts asking for tickets but no one was selling tickets. Later that night I happened to see an ad about 15 minutes after it was posted and emailed the guy. He was offering two tickets at face value. I quickly claimed them and then teased Sarah before letting her know she was going to see her favorite man.

We got there right after 7:00 and the parking lot was full. We found some good seats at my usual spot on stage left. Apparently he normally plays with a band but tonight he was with Bruce Robinson and Todd Snider. Robert came out first and said that the three of them will each play a few songs solo and then come out together for the second set. It was interesting that Robert played first. The crowd was happy with his choice of songs. Bruce Robison was pretty good as well. These guys are definitely song writers as opposed to just some guy that looks good and can sing. Todd Snider was probably my favorite. He came out for his solo set in bare feet. He was also the only one with a roadie taking care of him. Todd reminded me a bit of Bob Dylan with his song writing and his harmonica playing. He was a funny guy and had the crowd going on a few of his songs. He had a bit of the Arlo Guthrie thing going on too with his story telling songs.

They played together after the set break but they really didn’t play together. The three of them sat together on stage but they took turns playing their own songs. Maybe they don’t normally play together or something. It appeared they wanted to try to join in with whoever was singing but they didn’t want to ruin the song having not rehearsed it together. So they just took turns singing songs while the other two sat and watched. It would have been nice had they played all together.

I’m not a fan of country but I enjoyed the show. They were all good song writers. No flashy pickin’ but apparently the words fit together well. I could be convinced to go again with good reason. Sarah was happy and enjoyed the show.

rockin’ out at IOTA

There were a few shows at IOTA in the last week.

Last Friday Sarah and I went to IOTA to see Down Dexter. We had nothing else going on and the alternative, Bill Frisell at the Kennedy Center, didn’t seem like it would live up to my Friday night expectations. The previous week we hit the comedy show at Listrani’s. That was pretty much a bomb. The first comedian was wasted and the second one joked about how pathetic it was to perform for us. This week we decided to check out some music. After some dinner we headed over to IOTA and walked in around 10:30. The place was full as usual and it appeared as if the lead singer had some friends and family in the crowd. They only played for another hour or so and the show was over.

I missed The Brew and The Heavy Pets on Sunday. Lee wasn’t feel well.

On Tuesday somehow I dragged some coworkers to see Trampled By Turtles. I was out at happy hour with Lewis and Teri at some new place Sonny took us called Eat Bar. After a few drinks and some food Teri convinced the crew to go see the band I was interested in. Of course they forgot between all the drinks that it was a bluegrass band. They still paid the $12 cover (except for Sonny) and came in. I asked the doorman about the show I missed on Sunday and the guy gave me a CD of The Brew. Inside I got beers for the group. Sonny and Lewis were a bit bored. They also felt a bit in the minority but I did point out a few other non-whities. Teri seemed to be enjoying herself which I’m sure was due to the drinks involved. The three of them left after a few songs. I hung out for the last jam. It was a decent band. Not nearly as intense as the Stringdusters but they got it going during a few songs.

Caps pull through

I hit my first game of the year on Saturday and the Caps almost gave away another win. I got tickets through some scalper guy who has multiple tickets to games for multiple sports. I found him on Craigslist while looking for Widespread/Allman Brothers tickets. I got two club level seats for Teri and I at $75 each which is a great deal. I dig the club level with its plush carpet and shorter beer and bathroom lines.

The Caps started the season off well in preseason and their first couple games. Then they lost four times usually giving up an early lead. On Thursday they kicked some butt against the Sharks. And they started off Saturday’s game well being up 2-0 after the first period. It was usually territory though and their defense was yet to be trusted. The Predators came back with two goals of their own. The five minute overtime failed to produce a winner so they went to the shootout. Ovie, who had the first two goals, got one past the goalie and the Caps walked away with a win. It was drama but they came through.

another weekend in DC; another protest

A ton of people showed up downtown for the National Equality March yesterday. It was a nice day and I rode my bike down to check things out. The march was supposed to start at noon and I showed up a bit before 1:00 at the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania Ave where the march was turning to go past the White House. The route was closed to traffic and the marchers took up the whole width of the street zigzagging around the block in both directions. I started to take some pics and videos of the amusing signs and characters while the protesters kept coming and coming. They were organized in to groups. Other than a ton of general sounding GLBT groups there were catholic church chapters, groups from each state, and even “Teabaggers for Gay Rights”. They continued to stream past for at least an hour.

Once the last of the protesters came by I cruised over to the capitol area to try to catch the beginning of the march. On the way I spotted the Playgirl van. The march was so big that half of the protesters were already forming on the Capitol grounds when I got there and I was resigned to watch the second half of the march again. They had a speaker near the west steps of the Capitol and the Capitol grounds were already mostly full. I saw some religious freak driving a box truck covered with anti-gay slogans around the mall. I followed him for a block to see the reaction of protesters but since he couldn’t get near the parade route not many saw him. The few that did see him waved hello.

I rode around the Capitol and decided to grab some ful at Keren. Along the way I noticed the Breast Cancer Walk participants in pink who were outnumbered in DC probably 1000 to 1 by the gays.

Pics and videos

beer score at the beer store

I scored at Whole Foods tonight. Not that my beer stock was lacking but you got to take advantage when rare beers are available. The big score was Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. They brew it every year but only occasionally and in small batches. It’s not inexpensive beer but it’s one of the least expensive Stone beers I’ve bought. I busted some out at with friends before the Phish show and they were all over it.

A new one for me is Duck-Rabbit’s Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale. Of course I didn’t realize till at the cash register that it was $14 a six pack. Not that I would have done anything differently; it’s something I wanted to try.

I picked up another bottle of Stone’s 2009 Vertical Epic because I only had one for long term storage and one for current consumption. I assume it won’t be in stores much longer.

I also picked up my second bottle of the Sierra Nevada Chico Estate 2009 Brewers Harvest Ale. I drank my first bottle tonight and it is most excellent. I love that fresh floral hop taste.

I saw the Dogfish Head Pangaea and decided to pick it up since it’s been awhile and I don’t have any in stock.

Last, but definitely not least, I replaced my stock of Lindemans Framboise. Always got to have a bottle of that for the ladies. It is fail proof.

finally a new phone!

After almost 2 years with the same phone I finally got a new one yesterday. My old phone, bought in January 2008, really was awesome with GPS, multiple input methods such as a scroll, D pad, and touchscreen, as well as solid hardware. I was happy with the unofficial support and hacks that were available online. I had slick updates such as Windows Mobile 6.1 and unlocked GPS many months before Verizon released it. Actually Verizon never did release an update to unlock the GPS. Anyway, the thing weighed a ton with a full keyboard and with all the new sweet phones now on the market I was set on getting a new one. Having the HTC Touch Pro2 for a few weeks as a demo phone for work sealed the deal for me. I bought the HTC Touch Diamond2 which is the same phone without the keyboard. Verizon calls it the HTC Imagio. The other major difference with the Touch Pro2 is that yesterday was the official release of Windows Mobile 6.5 and this was the first Verizon phone with the new OS. I got it online and Verizon shipped it out overnight. It was only $99 after the 2 year upgrade discount, online discount, and $100 rebate. I’m diggin’ it. It is very slick.

The only reason I was hesitant to get the phone is that I’d rather have an Android phone (Google’s OS). Unfortunately Verizon doesn’t have any at this time. There is solid unofficial information that a Motorola Android phone will be released on Verizon next month but I don’t like that phone with the full keyboard. And I’m a fan of HTC over Motorola. Also, the Verizon’s Touch Pro2 sold out in a few days and is still out of stock. I didn’t want to wait on getting the HTC Imagio. Of course the day after I purchase my phone it was leaked that Verizon will be releasing the HTC Hero in November with Android. So now I have 30 days to decide if I want to get the HTC Hero next month and return my new phone for a full refund. I would love to get away from Windows Mobile but I’ve read that the HTC Hero is lacking powerful hardware and can be slow. Maybe Verizon will give it an upgrade. But will the specs be leaked before my 30 days is up?

Widespread Panic & Allman Brothers Band

Not a bad double bill. The only issue was they played at Merriweather Post Pavilion which has an early curfew. Being that they had to end at a decent hour, and both bands were playing full sets, that meant an early start time. 6:00 to be exact. Not the most convenient coming from DC in traffic. But it was worth it!

I tagged along with Lee and Kari and the plan was to leave at 3:00 to beat the traffic. We left my place around 3:45. Apparently there was an accident on the beltway and we sat on 495 for an hour. We arrived a few minutes before the show. I came without a ticket since it wasn’t sold out (and a last minute change of plans by a coworker). As soon as we parked I was offered a pavilion ticket for $60. Lee and Kari had 7th row pavilion and had offered to get me down so I wasn’t too keen to spend a ton of money on a show with tickets still available. He then offered it for $50. While I was trying to remember what kind of cash I had in my pocket the guy took off to deal with someone else and came back with a lawn ticket for $40. I would have rather had the pavilion ticket for $50 but settled for the lawn ticket.

Widespread Panic was playing first and when we got in the place was quite empty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the venue with so few people. After a few songs Lee came up with Kari’s ticket and got me down to the center of the 7th row. The front few rows were full but there was room to get down in the middle. It was quite the vantage point. Widespread was rockin’. At that close distance you could see the whole band and how they interacted with each other. In the back of the pavilion or up on the lawn you could only see one band member at a time on the big screens. It was cool to see them getting down together.

During the set break we met up with Mike and his friend at the 9:32 Club. It was a nice place to relax between shows because it was open with tables to chill at. After a few drinks, a few minutes before The Allman Brothers were to start, we headed out so Lee and Kari could get down to their prime seats. By this time the venue was almost full. It wasn’t sold out but the place was filling up. I hung out on the lawn for the first few songs to let Lee and Kari get settled. Security was light during Widespread Panic but during surveillance at the beginning of the Allman Brothers I saw there was no getting down without a ticket. Apparently it was crazy down in the pavilion because word was they couldn’t get back up to let me down. No matter. While on the lawn the guy next to me asked if I was alone. “My friends are down in the pavilion” I replied. “Would you like to go join them?” he asks while pulling a ticket out of his pocket. Apparently he had two pavilion tickets and was happy on the lawn. After many thank yous and a cling of the beer cups I headed down to the pavilion. The center pavilion sections were full. My ticket was in the far right section and I could get down pretty far.

The Allman Brothers rocked out as they have for the last four decades. I haven’t seen them in years since Dickey Betts left. I may have only seen them once or twice since Allen Woody died. I’ve seen Derek Trucks play with them but only as a guest. Wayne and Derek threw down. Both of them traded off leading the show and playing back and forth. Susan Tedeschi came out for a song or two. She sung at first then threw down a nice solo that got the crowd going. A sax player came out for a bit. For awhile there were 10 people on stage jamin’. A few members of Widespread Panic came out and played with the band as well. The place was rocking out. Getting my last beer I finally found the Starr Hill tap and got a Northern Lights IPA. After drinking Stella Artois all night I took a sip of the Northern Lights and immediately noticed good flavor. The band was a rockin’. The crowd was getting down.

They encored with Whipping Post. It met expectations. No need to elaborate.

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve seen them.

World Beer Fest again

It’s October which means it is time for World Beer Fest in Durham. Raleigh in the spring; Durham in the fall. As usual I drove to Fredericksburg and met up with Mark and Michelle for the drive down to my sister’s in Raleigh. We have developed a pattern of attending the afternoon session in the spring Raleigh event and the evening session in the fall Durham event. After arriving we had lunch at Lynnwood Grill which is pretty good. After hitting the store for post fest beer we arrived at Eric’s in Durham around 4:30. Eric, my sister’s bridesmaid next spring, is another regular member of our beerfest gang. His place in Durham makes for a perfect home base before and after the fest.

Each year we get a little wiser. This year we actually had reliable transportation waiting on us. We made him wait over 30 minutes while three people showed up late (and ended up driving themselves) and one person searched for her lost ticket. The temperature was perfect. The Durham venue is not as nice being on a baseball field. The Raleigh location is in a decent downtown park. Others in the group thought the crowd was a little more spread out this event but I didn’t notice any difference. It is always crowded in the beginning and as people start catching a buzz and getting tired the lines get shorter. A good time was had by all. We ate some food during the event which is not normal for us. The samosas were excellent.

It is not uncommon for some breweries to run out of beer at the end of the evening session but it seemed like there was less than half of the booths open at the end of the night. That is not cool at all. Even in the beginning I was looking forward to some St. Bernardus Grotten Brown but there was none left. I took a few more videos than normal this time and am going to try to more short videos in the future. As the evidence shows we were feeling quite good at the end of the fest. We also scored lots of good cheap food. I got 3 more somosas for a dollar each. Another in our group got a few for free minutes later. And Mark got a free gyro.

We had to wait a few for our van ride home but it wasn’t long. My sister’s friend who just recently had a baby had her first crazy night out in a year and she was making herself feel better over the garbage can. When the van did pick us up Mark did a great job smoothing over the driver as the sick one made good use of the passenger window.

Back at Eric’s place the party continued. I busted out some Allagash Black which probably wasn’t the best choice after 4 hours of solid drinking. The crew did well to continue partying till late. A game that Eric had similar to the old-school Pyramid game show kept the group entertained. Eventually we all passed out.

The next day after some mimosas we cruised back to my sisters, played some Wii, and had lunch at the Flying Saucer. Is it legal to have such a wait staff? Michelle and I drove home while Mark stayed in Raleigh for work.

They are going to have a beerfest in Richmond next year but two a year may be enough for me.

Pics and videos

‘tis the season for good brew

As a guy who enjoys the outdoors I’m not a fan of the weather getting colder but one thing I do enjoy are the seasonal beers in the fall. The winter beers tend to be a bit too spicy for me but I’m a fan of the oktoberfest märzen. From BeerAdvocate.com:

Before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew beer in the summer due to the hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing ended with the coming of spring, and began again in the fall. Most were brewed in March (Märzen). These brews were kept in cold storage over the spring and summer months, or brewed at a higher gravity, so they’d keep. Märzenbier is full-bodied, rich, toasty, typically dark copper in color with a medium to high alcohol content.

The common Munich Oktoberfest beer served at Wies'n (the location at which Munich celebrates its Oktoberfest) contains roughly 5.0-6.0% alcohol by volume, is dark/copper in color, has a mild hop profile and is typically labeled as a Bavarian Märzenbier in style.

I like the roasted malt flavor. Yesterday I got some Hofbrau Munchein Oktoberfest, Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier, Allagash Black, and Sierra Nevada Estate 2009 from their Harvest Series. The Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier is a seasonal for them and I had my first last night. Good stuff. I’ve been diggin’ the Hofbrau Munchein Dunkel and Maibock lately too. Definitely going back to those dark German styles.

Another similar beer that I’ve been enjoying when I can get my hands on it is Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. It’s only brewed on occasion so it’s not around much. I didn’t realize till now that they just started brewing it this year. I’ll have to stock up next time it’s in stores.

I hit the stores this weekend and the fridge is full.

I didn’t go out till late last night and at 8pm I was enjoying fine craft brew, eating fresh picked Virginia raspberries, and listening to sweet jams on Hot Jazz Saturday Night. Life was good.

a suggestion for Pumpkin Ale

If you think the Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale is a bit too spicy for you do what I did by accident. I bought a four pack last year (10/10/2008 to be exact) and only managed to drink three. The pic at right shows three of them in my fridge on 10/25/2008. The fourth has been hanging out in my fridge ever since. I happen to be swillin’ it at this very moment. I was worried it wouldn’t keep as most beers aren’t made for long term storage but this ain’t bad. I think it mellowed out the spices a bit. You still get all the flavors but it is much more mature. It may now have more than the stated 7% ABV. Admittedly I haven’t had any yet this year so I don’t have much to compare it with but there is a reason this beer has been sitting in my fridge for a year without having been consumed. Maybe I’ll pick up another four pack this weekend and compare.

some people have all the fun

My coworker was out in the mountains of Idaho surveying remote sites where we are developing network access capability for the Forest Service. The Forest Service recreation folks manage rafting permits at these sites and they are out in the middle of nowhere. One site is about 50 miles from the closest electrical outlet. Another site they had to fly in to with a small plane. We are going to set up access to the internet for them so they can manage permits electronically in real-time. I used to go hang out in the woods a lot but since I’m doing more project management and less solution development Lewis got to enjoy this trip. I did get out to Oregon, Montana, and Pennsylvania this summer and hope to visit those locations again soon.

One of the Forest Service folks that took him out to these locations had to go out and locate a dead body on Sunday after elk hunters came across him. He crashed on his motorcycle a couple weeks earlier on a remote road by himself. News article here.

There is a photo album for each site:

Corn Creek

Indian Creek

Boundary Creek

Also be sure to check out the video of them landing a small plane in a remote mountain landing strip.

Victory Oktoberfest beer dinner

Speaking of Pizzeria Paradiso, Monday was their Oktoberfest beer dinner with Victory Brewery. I think the employees there are starting to recognize me. After Judy said she had never been to a beer dinner on Saturday I invited to Monday’s event. One of the co-owners made the 2.5 hour drive down from PA to represent the brewery. Often you just get the regional rep so that was cool. Pizzeria Paradiso does some very good beer dinners and this one met expectations. The menu...

Pretzel & Pilsner Mustard

Prima Pils

German Panzanella

dice of roasted beets, mushrooms, celery, radicchio, sliced onions & vinegar served over black bread & chives

Kolsh

Sauerbraten & cabbage

wilted cabbage topped with slices of suarbraten sprinkle w/ parsley

Scarlet Fire Rauchbier

German Oktoberfest Pizza

dill & parsley pesto, beer roasted vinegared potatoes, bacon, chicken & smoked mozzarella

Festbier

1810 Rye Pie

caraway, onions, celery root, fontina served on a rye dough crust

Hofstetten Original Munchner Hochzeitsbier

Cinnamon Goat Cheese Apple

baked apples stuffed w/ rustic cinnamon goat cheese filling

St. Victorious Dopplebock

The first course, the bite, was true Oktoberfest style. The pretzel was made in-house. The mustard was spicy with lots of horseradish. And the Victory Prima Pils was just as excellent as it always is. The Prima Pils has a ton of hops but its excellent floral to bitter ratio makes it wonderful.

I wasn’t much of a fan of the salad with beets and celery but it was good enough to eat. The bread was made with the Kolsch and was quite good. Victory only makes one batch of Kolsch a year and is only served on draft at the brewery so this was a nice treat. It was very crisp. Judy compared it to wine with its dryness.

The sauerbraten & cabbage appetizer was pretty good. It was paired with another beer only available at the brewery: their Scarlet Fire Rauchbier. This rauchbier was extremely smoky. The last rauchbier I had was from Allagash and I think that was a one off for them. The Allagash was most excellent with just the right amount of smoke. This one was almost too much but it got better with time. Although it was quite smoky it complimented the food perfectly.

The first pizza was good as usual. All the ingredients fit together perfectly. It had a smoke taste that I first assumed was from the bacon but then noted the smoked mozzarella on the menu. It was served with Victory’s Festbier in true Oktoberfest fashion served in a large mug. Prost!

The second pizza was quite different but just as good. I’m sure something in this pizza was made with the paired beer but I’m not sure what. This was the one course without a Victory beer. The Hofstetten Original Munchner Hochzeitsbier is supposed to be the original recipe from the wedding in Munich in 1810 that started Oktoberfest. I’m sure the beer ain’t bad but this particular keg had a metallic taste that I could get over.

The dessert was the best course. They do some cool desserts, such as the Mango, Proscuitto, Balsamic, & Pliney Mascarpone dish from back in March that I still remember. This baked apple stuffed with rustic cinnamon goat cheese filling was most excellent. I realize my taste buds aren’t at peak performance during the last course but I wasn’t the only enjoying this one. Victory’s St. Victorious Dopplebock was a good pairing as well. Most of their beers were mild at 5 or 6 percent and this was their hefty one at over 8%. I great way to top off the night.

I like the one-off dinners and the great pairings they match up. Good thing they have them once a month. This time we got a souvenir as well. The Victory owner brought us each a pint glass and I managed to get it home in one piece on my bike.

the waterfront and Brasserie Beck

Saturday was yet another perfect day in DC. Yet another day to be out and about. Judy and I met up down at the riverfront for a bit of canoeing. Lots of people were out in motorboats and kayaking. We made a loop around the Theodore Roosevelt Island. The wildlife included two blue herrings and some ducks. Not a bad little paddle.

We had reservations at Brasserie Beck, a nice Belgian/French place, at 9:30 so we had some time to kill. Being in Georgetown my perfect idea to kill time is to have some fine brews at Pizzeria Paradiso. The downstairs bar was full and it took quite a long time to get a beer. After a La Chouffe we had a Three Floyds Blackheart. It wasn’t on the menu but after ordering a Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow that they didn’t have the bar tender suggested it. I had yet to have any beer from Three Floyds and they have been on my list for a bit. They have quite the reputation. The Blackheart is an English style IPA released once a year in May. I was quite happy with it.

Then on to dinner. Neither Judy or I have been to Brasserie Beck. It is supposed to be some damn good food with a nice Belgian beer selection. We weren’t disappointed. The gruyere and mushroom crepe appetizer was very good. Judy had the pork tenderloin with confit of cabbage and mustard sauce. I had the choucroute "en croûte" which was a pastry with a few kinds of pork inside. Mine was pretty good but Judy’s tenderloin was most excellent. We were talking about that dish all night long. We’ll definitely be back.

Lightweight

I was at the doctor for the first time in way too long on Monday for a general physical. Holy crap have I lost some weight. I weigh less now than I ever have in my adult life! There are probably three reasons for this. First I was sick for multiple weeks. Then I went on a camping/kayaking vacation for a week exerting energy and eating dehydrated food. And I lost a bunch of muscle mass in my arms after breaking my collar bone.

I think every day this week someone at work has commented on how skinny I am. My pants are quite loose. No worries. I’ll fatten up soon. Need to work those arms a bit. It is good to know though that if I need to I can still lose weight without any problems.

a run down to Mt Vernon

It was an absolutely beautiful day today and it was required that I get out and enjoy it. I wasn’t planning on a big bike ride but I couldn’t resist. I didn’t want to do my normal 20 mile loop around Arlington. The choice was to head west on the W&OD trail or head south on the Mt Vernon trail. I decided to do the 40 mile round trip down to Mt Vernon. I’ve done it before with Robin and I must admit it wiped me out. It was mostly because of lack of food that day though and I assumed I was good to go today after some Indian buffet. I held back a bit being with Robin last time and I was determined to set a good pace during these 40 miles.

I started off just after 5:30 after it cooled a bit. There were a bunch of people on the trail but it wasn’t as crowded as I’ve seen it. It is a good 19 miles down to Mt Vernon. I dig the trail. After going by the river, the airport, and Old Town Alexandria, you get in to some ups and downs among trees. I dig these Arlington park trails in the woods cuz it makes me feel like I’m mountain biking. Last time on the trail I spied a bald eagle’s nest.

I felt pretty good during the 20 miles there averaging 15.9 mph. Not too bad for dodging lots of pedestrians, intersections, and navigating Old Town Alexandria. Once at Mt Vernon I only stopped for a few minutes because the sun was dropping fast.

The return trip was a bit of a challenge. The ride was over 2.5 hours and my arms and legs were feeling it. I had trouble keeping pace on the way back. I lost my legs on some of the hills. I’d get a little strength back after the straights. My arms were also feeling it. I’ve always had decent shoulders but my arms were a bit weak after 3 months of recovering from a broken collar bone. I had to sit up and relax them a few times on the way back. I think some push-ups are in order. But a 14mph average on the way back ain’t bad.

And just like the first time I was lacking calories. The one meal beforehand didn’t cut it. I was starving when I got back and felt like crap when I tried to eat. Lesson learned. I’m taking some Power Bars with me next time. And like always when riding the river trail I came back with a few bugs plastered to my face. The sun was about down when I got back but I brought my headlight and taillight with me.

I’ve got some base data now to work with and try to improve on. We’ll see how well I do before the season is out and if I can stay in shape over the winter.

Distance: 38.19 miles

Time: 2:34:14

Average speed: 14.9 mph

Average heart rate: 154 bpm

Max heart rate: 182 bpm

Stats and map

tea party, Rosslyn Jazz Fest, and Mike Gordon

On Saturday I got a good night’s sleep for the first time in awhile and woke up a bit before noon. About that time I got a text from “DC Alert” saying a few streets were closed in DC because of thousands of protesters. The protests are always an amusing aspect of DC so off I went on my bike. Estimating the size of protests in DC is a notoriously difficult thing to do. The cops, Park Service, media, and the groups involved all have different opinions and have all been blasted in the past for incorrect guesses. So now the cops and the Park Service refuse to give any numbers. It was somewhere in the tens of thousands.

I saw a few people with protest signs in Arlington before I got across the river. I didn’t see much on the west side of the mall or at the White House but once I headed down Pennsylvania Avenue I ran in to the crowd. This was mostly an anti-government protest with people who drove and flew in from all over the country. Conservative groups did most of the organizing and no part of government was spared. Signs blasted Obama, public healthcare, taxes, gun laws, “big government” in general, the bail outs, and anything else you can think of. Signs compared Obama to Stalin and Chavez. Lots of people claiming the US was turning in to a socialist country. I thought it was interesting how many pro-capitalist signs there were after the financial collapse. Regulation? Must be a bad thing! And I’m a very capitalistic guy. Unlike most DC protests, which are mostly people my age, this one was a bit of an older crowd with families. Lots of little kids holding anti-government signs. A very white crowd as well. They filled up the west lawn of the capital and overflowed in to the streets and mall. It went on for most of the day. DC protests are always good for a laugh.

pics on Flickr from the protest

On my way back I stopped by the Rosslyn Jazz Festival. I wanted to see a jazz harmonica player named Frederic Yonnet as I’ve never heard a jazz harmonica player. At this time around 1:30 a sweet latin influenced band called The Spanish Harlem Orchestra was jammin’ and they were rocking out. People were getting down.

biking stats and map

I ran home to shower, eat, and see if I could recruit someone for Fred Yonnet at 4:00. My friend Sarah, George Will’s neice, was game for relaxing at the fest. Somehow I managed to bike there with both my outdoor festival chairs. She biked down all the way from north DC. Apparently she had seen Fred play with Stevie Wonder last year. It was a cloudy day with a chance of rain and it wasn’t as packed as it was two years ago. Last year was rained out. They have food and beer and the show is broadcast live on the radio. Fred played pretty well. There were a few songs that weren’t my style but the solos rocked out. I enjoyed it. He ended his set with Georgia. Sarah and I boogied after that.

After the jazz fest it was time to see Mike Gordon at the State Theater. I’ve seen Mike play solo before years ago and wasn’t so impressed. He played at the 9:30 Club with one person accompanying him. It wasn’t the jam I expected. This was a completely different show. And the State Theater took on a different feel as well. There were more staff walking around then I have ever seen. For the first time we were searched upon entry. They took out all the table and chairs so they could fit more people. Mike had an acoustic guitarist open for him and he wasn’t bad. Then Mike came on with his quartet. They immediately rocked. Similar to Phish they had some sweet band dynamics and each musician played a key part. I’m sure it helped that I was rollin’ for the first time in years thanks to a friend of a friend who drove us there. There were no long spacey jams; just great rockin’ from all members of the group. It was upbeat with a groove you could get down to. The crowd was pleased.

Setlist:

Another Door

Andelmans' Yard

Emotional Railroad

Can't Stand Still

Spiral

Ain't Wasting Time No More* >

La La La*

Sound

Sarala^

Couch Lady >

15 Step

Only A Dream

Encore:

Sugar Shack

Taking It To The Streets

Show Notes:

* Allman Bros cover, Reid Genauer on guitar & vocals

^ Craig Myers original

Facebook pics of show