Arbor Brewing Brasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale
Light copper, a bit hazy. Heady, but it fades fast, light lacing.
I get mostly yeasty aromas. The flavor is sweeter than I expected, citrusy sweetness. A tiny bit of tang in there too.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but certainly I had hoped for a little more flavor, more oomph, and so I was a tad disappointed.
Overall rating: 3.05
B is for Beer
B Is for Beer by Tom Robbins
My review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It would have been hard for me to not love this book. Tom Robbins? Check. Beer? Check. A protagonist just like my daughter? Check. So there you have it, I loved it. Robbins' ode to the wonder of beer through the eyes of a five/six-year-old girl won me over from page one. Throw in hilarious characters like the Beer Fairy and Uncle Moe, and I think you just might like it too. And even if you don't, it'll only eat up at most a couple of hours of your time.
I've started on Wrigleyworld by Kevin Kaduk, but that may get pushed to the side if and when I get to the library to pick up another book I've been waiting for, Genesis by Bernard Beckett.
Ketchup Is Evil
It has taken me a while to come to this conclusion, but I do not state it lightly: Ketchup is evil.
Maybe it's because I've seen a few too many kids using ketchup in ways it was never intended, such as the most recent this past weekend: my nephew dipping his turkey and cheese quesadilla in ketchup. But looking out on the vast world of food and condiments, I find myself coming to the conclusion that ketchup is simply a completely unnecessary condiment. It has uses as a base ingredient in better sauces, but by itself, I've developed a real disdain for ketchup.
Take a little tour with me, won't you?
First we have the most common ketchup use: burgers and fries. Let's face it, the only time you really need ketchup on a burger is to cover up the fact that it's a bad burger. If it is a good burger (see: Ray's Hell Burger, Big Buns), it has a nice natural juiciness from the meat. You can even get other toppings like cheese or grilled onions to give it some missing flavor. I realize that many people aren't going to get over dipping their fries in ketchup, but I really enjoy fries just with vinegar drizzled over them. Of course, you can also get fries done much better, like the parmesan truffle fries we had at the Town Tavern in Royal Oak, or served with one of the seven sauces from Eamonn's Dublin Chipper in Alexandria (all mayo-based and delicious). I admit that I myself am just coming around to this particular point of view, so consider this your impetus to go out and find a decent burger instead of slathering your crappy one in a crappy condiment.
Closely related to the burger is meatloaf. OK, I freely admit to being a ketchup meatloaf guy, not a gravy meatloaf guy, so this may be the exception to my rule. But this weekend I also had a meatloaf sandwich from Zingerman's deli which featured a "spicy ketchup." Way better than using the standard ketchup, and I believe it was ketchup in name only, so I get a pass on this one.
Chicken nuggets: So many many alternatives, including the just-as-sweet barbecue sauce, honey dijon, etc.
Eggs: Baby Jesus is crying, you heathen. Again, if you don't want to actually taste the eggs, order or make yourself something else.
And finally, we have hot dogs. Look people, ketchup on hot dogs is simply an abomination, okay? You can make your dog Chicago-style with a freakin pickle and tomato and crap if you must, but please, don't put ketchup on it.
The list of things my kids have eaten with ketchup could go on for ages, and it completely grosses me out just thinking about it: mac and cheese, broccoli, the aforementioned quesadilla (once their cousin had it, they had to try it too, ugh), etc. What do you put ketchup on? Could you live without it? I know I could. Feel free to chime in with a comment.
That Long Weekend
Sigh. Sometimes it just seems worse than usual coming back to work after the weekend. Having a 4 day weekend definitely adds to that malaise. Luckily, it's rainy today, so it's not like staying home would have been any fun.
We left DC on Thursday evening, to the usual early holiday traffic, of course. We rolled into bed in Pittsburgh just after 11pm. We then arrived in Michigan the following day, and handed the kids off to the grandparents for the night as we went out to dinner and a hotel for our anniversary. We headed to the lovely and scenic Southfield Westin ($51 on Priceline for a $120+ room, gotta love it), checked in, then headed out to the Town Tavern in Royal Oak. I have to say, we were not disappointed. I had the buttermilk fried chicken with cole slaw and root beer baked beans. The chicken was nice and tender, not overly greasy, and the beans were so awesome. Lisa had the barbeque braised short ribs, which were also very good. Afterward, we found a little cupcake shop in Birmingham for dessert, which hit the spot. After a night with no whiny children sharing the bed with us and kicking us off, we had brunch at the Beverly Hills Grill. I had the lobster cobb omelette, and Lisa had the bananas foster french toast, both very good once again.
Our children and the grandparents somehow survived without us, and we went out to Ann Arbor for more cousin time. It was Sam's birthday party on Sunday, and everyone had a fun time there. On Monday, we had perfect weather for the Dexter Memorial Day parade, and all the kids filled their bags with candy, as if we didn't still have vats of it from Halloween and Easter!
The kids did fairly well on the long drive back home too. Thankfully, Target's $99 dual screen DVD players performed better than the crappy ones we had before, so they were happy watching their movies as we managed to stop only briefly for meals and toilet breaks. Of course, they were sorely disappointed that it was dark when we got home and they couldn't play outside or go to the pool. Alas, you can't have everything, and so it's back to work and school for us today.
Sag Harbor
Sag Harbor: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
My review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's not every author who can pull off a book about nothing, but Colson Whitehead is one of them. Essentially a nostalgia trip through a summer in Sag Harbor, he pulls us back to the early 80s and Benji's sometimes painfully awkward experiences with New Wave music, D&D, BB guns, and the ritual summer job scopping ice cream for tourists. A fine book to bring along with you to the beach.
Next up is B is for Beer, "a children's book for grownups," by, you guessed it, Tom Robbins.
Bike to Work Week 2009
We're halfway through Bike to Work Week 2009, culminating in Bike to Work Day on Friday. In the DC area, WABA organizes pit stops and commuter convoys to help introduce newcomers to the wonders of biking to work. None of the convoys head to where I work (most are directed toward downtown DC from the burbs), but I go out of my way to stop by the Vienna pit stop outside the Whole Foods grocery store. They always have good snacks there, and it's not too far out of my way.
So far this week, the weather has been fantastic. It's been a little cool the past two mornings (44 degrees this morning!), but my new rain jacket/windbreaker has done a fine job of keeping me warm but not making me sweat like my old plastic jacket did. Unfortunately, it looks like I may have the chance to see how well it does in the rain, as the forecast for the next couple of morning calls for rain. I'm committed though, so I'll be riding regardless.
I know there are a lot of people out there who work too far to ride, but for those just don't have a good idea of how to do it, check out your local Bike to Work events. The people who do this stuff are always willing to help and are excited when new people are out to give it a try. And even if you think you are too far, I started out driving in the morning, biking home in the afternoon, and then biking back the following morning. It's a good way to get started by only doing half the mileage.
And hey, while you're here, click on this link to help me win that Madsen bike, will ya?
Castle
Castle: A Novel by J. Robert Lennon
My review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to say, reading the first 100 pages or so of this book, I thought it would be something more along the lines of a Stephen King novel, a supernatural thriller. But as it turned out, the plot is much more human, and in a way, more interesting. The turns the plot takes may not be for every reader, but I enjoyed the psychological intrigue that played out on the novel's pages.
Next up is Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead, which happens to be the first selection of the unofficial Twitter Book Club. It pleases me to once again be the first person to check this one out from my local library.
Founders Red’s Rye
Wonderful looking beer. Perfect coppery orange color, head retains very well, sticks to the glass all the way down.
Mostly hoppy nose, I do even get some grapefruit in there (I checked, I have a grapefruit in my kitchen).
Now I can taste a bit of rye in there. It's kind of strange, like a piece of rye bread with a big wallop of hops baked in, then put into liquid form. Lovely really.
Definitely seek this one out, well worth it. Glad that Founders is now available here in Virginia, looking forward to more of their stuff.
Overall rating: 4.6
City of Refuge
City of Refuge: A Novel by Tom Piazza
My review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Some books are great because the writing, the prose, just sings to you, it flows into your brain. City of Refuge is not one of those books. Instead, it is one of those books which is great because the story is so powerful. There were times reading this book where I was so angry I wanted to throw it against the well. Times when I wanted to go back in time and kick myself in the butt to do more to help the New Orleans Katrina victims. And, especially for the last fifty pages or so, times when I just cried and read through teary eyes.
Will City of Refuge hold up in another 20, or 50 years as a classic? Maybe not. But here, and now, it's as important and powerful a book I've read in a long time. You should read it too.
Next up is Castle by J. Robert Lennon.
Left Hand Brewing Ginger Ale
The logo bizarrely reminds me of Lord of the Rings... This one was in this year's Washington Post Beer Madness, and I had to try it. It's beer, not ginger ale like Canada Dry.
Thick effervescent white head. Golden orange clear color.
My nose is recovering from the sniffles, so I can't pick up as much as usual. Still, a bit fruity and a little bit of ginger in the aroma.
This pretty much tastes like what you would expect would happen if you stuck ginger ale into beer. So, take away the sweetness of the ginger ale, throw in some malty and hoppy beer flavor, and there you go. The first time I tried it, I didn't noticed the ginger so much, but it's definitely there, kind of a tart flavor.
Good crisp beer, fairly refreshing too.
Overall rating: 3.8
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