Beer

I Love Beer

February 20, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Exhausted.

It’s been an odd few days here.

Dad is doing better today.

Glad Shangy’s is nearby where I can get good case beer that I can’t find in Maine.

Yesterday I got a case of Flying Fish Variety Pack. All quite nice but not super amazing.

Today I got a case from my favorite brewery right now (which of course isn’t available in Maine) Bell’s Brewery out of Michigan.

So far I have had the Amber, Kalamazoo Stout and Best Brown and all are delicious.

The best of the Flying Fish case easily is the Belgian Abbey Dubbel. That’s pretty yummy.

Beer makes me happy. It’s good that I’m here but it’s hard.

Cleaning up my dad is unfun. Changing a diaper is unfun. Dealing with his demands sometimes delusional, and sometimes hilarious isn’t really fun.

Beer is awesome.

As is my iTunes and Dominion Online.

And thank you for your support.

edmund

2012 – The Best of a Not Good, Very Bad Year

January 1, 2013 by rurugby 2 Comments

2012 was the toughest year of my life. I lost my wonderful father in law Walter Maheux in March. Seeing my dad’s brain cancer return in August.

But even in a terrible year there are best things.

Best poetry venue move: Rhythmic Cypher to Dobra Tea. The tea house fits it perfectly.

Worst poetry venue move: Port Veritas from Local Sprouts to Bull Feeney’s. There should have been a way to both charge a cover and keep a perfect venue for the place.

Best poetry book: Carl Sandburg’s amazing “Chicago Poems”. This is a reminder that many of these things weren’t produced in 2012.

Best poetry chapbook: Billy Tuggle’s “The Way of the B Boy”, just an amazing Chicago slam poet, and simply an awesome dude and poet.

Movie: Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom”. Not even close, Anderson’s best since the fantastic “Rushmore.”

Book 1st Read: “Daytripper”, a graphic novel that goes through life through a series of deaths in important places. Beautiful, poetic and amazing.

Book re-read: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Amazed how well this held up to re-reading. So it goes.

CD: Fiddler on the Roof – Original Broadway Recording. I love Zero Mostel and Fiddler together.

Hot Mess: Cloud Atlas — Lanna and @gennyfer both loved this. I like the modern tale, but a lot of it was just a mess. From the jub jub sounds of the primitive future, to some of the worst Korean makeup ever in the New Seoul scene. It’s a mess. **

Podcast: Lounging with LannaLee. Proud of Lanna doing this every week. Really, really good. It’s an adventure in conversation.

Discovery: How much I love golf. I am really shocked about it.

New Restaurant: The Dancing Elephant in Westbrook. Yummy Indian food a few blocks from my house, I do miss the lunch buffet though.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Catbird Creamery in Westbrook. Always good, but favorite was snickerdoodles with brown sugar ice cream.

Go to restaurant, great service: Saigon. Pretty much universally loved. Just excellent.

Beer: Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale. Just an amazing barleywine. Great balance and just amazing with a beef roast.

Brewery: Bell’s (Michigan). Not available in Maine but pretty much getting a case every time I visit my parents in Allentown, PA from Shangy’s in Emmaus, PA.

Blogpost: Write Poorly. Can’t believe this little poem inspired Colleen Hoover enough that it’s in the New York Times best selling book “Point of Retreat.”

Accomplishment: Seeing “Write Poorly” in “Point of Retreat” and being in the acknowledgments. Makes me super happy.

2nd Accomplishment: Blogging every day on this site in 2012 and completing a National Blogging Year (not even totally sure that exists.)

Most spiritual moment: Being in the room when my father in law spirit passed from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. Feel blessed to be there.

Tap Water: Sebago Lake/Portland Water District. It takes going to Allentown to appreciate how great the tap water tastes in greater Portland.

Website: Goodreads. Just loved that it let me know I read 182 books in 2012. And of course that I can see how others love the books that I love.

Blog: Margaret Miller Finch’s Stationary Unicycle. I think Ms. Finch should make sure to blog more this year and not listen to her critics.

Best Local Brewery: Bunker brewing. Still at only a 1 barrel system. I hope this changes soon. Their beer is seriously amazing, if only available a few places in Portland, Maine. Ie Mama’s Crowbar, Sonny’s, Local 188 and the Great Lost Bear. I have loved every beer I have tried from Bunker.

To buy wines: Trader Joe’s and it’s not close.

To buy liquor in Maine: New Hampshire.

Best/worst website discovery: Dominion Online. Great in that it’s really Dominion and that’s awesome. Bad in it’s really Dominion and I want to keep playing. Even already spent $10 in real money to buy some sets and plan to get more. Warning addictive.

Beer, Glorious Beer

May 10, 2012 by rurugby Leave a Comment

So I love beer. It’s liquid bread, it’s delicious. It’s “proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.” I guess for Ben Franklin it was actually wine: “We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. The miracle in question was only performed to hasten the operation, under circumstances of present necessity, which required it.” And the delicious process of grain to beer also shows God’s love.

And wine is delicious too, amazing how yummy fermented grape juice can be.

But, beer is one of the great beverages of the world. Often fresher then local water in much of history, as boiling the water and letting it fermented was part of Ancient Egypt and part of Colonial America (as was hard cider.)

But, beer is delicious and I am lucky to live in Portland, ME. Home of 63,000 people and seriously this many breweries:

Breweries:
Allagash Brewing Company – 50 Industrial Way, Portland
Bunker Brewing Co. – 122 Anderson St, Portland
Maine Beer Company – 1 Industrial Way #3, Portland
Rising Tide Brewing Company – One Industrial Way, Suite #2, Portland
Sebago Brewing Company – 211 Fore Street, Portland
Peak Organic Brewing Company – 110 Marginal Way #802, Portland
Casco Bay Brewing Co. – 57 Industrial Way, Portland
DL Geary Brewing Co. – 38 Evergreen Drive, Portland
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company – 396 Fore St., Portland
Shipyard Brewing Co. – 86 Newbury Street, Portland
Bull Jagger Brewing Company – 1 Industrial Way, Portland

Looks like Casco Bay Brewing is a Shipyard brand, and Gritty McDuff’s is contract brewed by Shipyard.

I don’t think there is a city in America with more breweries and more per capita. And there are other ones nearby like Freeport brewing and arguably Sebago (most of the beer I think is made in Gorham 2 towns over).

It’s interesting in Maine, there are SO many local breweries that sometimes it’s harder to find national microbreweries and beer from other regions.

I love IPA, I love Amber, Brown, Farmhouse Ale, Saison … Beer is delicious, it’s liquid bread and it makes me happy.

And if you are ever curious about what I drink, check out my Untappd profile. Cheers!

Slammed ****

January 17, 2012 by rurugby 3 Comments

I first got Colleen Hoover’s wonderful book “Slammed” when it was being promoted for free as an Indie book.

As someone who does slam (even if sometimes finishing in last) I was curious.

The book completely surprised me, it absolutely blew me away.

Read most of it in one day, and finished in the next day, it’s very rare that I read a whole book in 2 days.

The characters were strong and believable, as was the tragedies and difficulties in their live.

Give it a try, it’s $3 in eBook and $16 in paperback, well, well worth reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Slammed-ebook/dp/B006RUJST6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326766212&sr=8-2

And a quick poem:

Friends

Time with friends
Time with beer
Time with food
Time to talk
Time to tease
Time to laugh

Days that bring smiles
Days that bring laughs
Days that bring tears

Don’t forget to love
Don’t forget to appreciate
Love those who love you
Friendship is far too rare a gift to let go.

Don’t forget to love, laugh and be yourself.
It’s a gift to self,
it’s a gift to friends,
it’s a gift to being who you are meant to be.

Love may not conquer all,
but love with laughter is magic.

Ranty rant rant rant

January 16, 2012 by rurugby Leave a Comment

When I first started blogging every day, I didn’t think Maniacal Monday would be hard.

As my wife Lanna can well attest I like to rant a lot.

But poetry Tuesday has been super easy, thoughful Thursday pretty easy, #FridayReads Friday has pretty much a template now (honestly stolen from Nick Hornby’s “Believer” column) and the Saturday Night Review has been a chance for reviews and for sometimes business related stuff.

The only other day which has been as hard has been the Spirit of Sunday.

So want to rant about?

I suppose rants can be positive as well, so want to rant about how amazing craft beer is across the nation and especially in Maine.

Was just at the fabulous Great Lost Bear and thinking about how many great breweries there are in Maine, some of which are very, very small. Such as: Marshall Wharf (Belfast, ME); Andrew’s (in the midcoast); Maine Beer in Portland, Oxbow, and of course the nationally known Allagash.

So go beer, and go Maine!

The November Beer review

November 17, 2011 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Thought it was time to give some of my thoughts on recent beers I have had.

Always interested in trying new beers, also have some wines I have recently.

Tried a few tonight to start with:

Stone IPA (CA) which I have had before, lovely and very nice IPA. Enjoyable, nice balance. 89/B+

Moat Mtn. Czech Pilsner (NH) … Very nice beer I haven’t had before at the Old Port Sea Grill. Very drinkable pilsner, nice richness, excellent value at happy hour for $3 .. 88/B+

What I am having now is a Narragansett Porter (RI) which is really, really lovely. Narragansett is a traditional regional brewer known for Narragansett Lager, which is a nice drinkable everyday beer. This is a delicious beer, micro or regional. 2nd Narragansett “Micro” Beer which I have really enjoyed (Narransett Bock 90/A-). Makes you wonder what is a micro vs. macro .. wouldn’t surprise me if Harpoon is a bigger brewer.

The Porter has lovely color, nice mouthfeel, good richness and an excellent finish. 91/A-

Most of the rest of these beers are from brewing notes or my head.

Sam Adams Latitude IPA 87/B+ .. nice, very drinkable IPA .. one of Sam Adams beers I have enjoyed the most .. Another is the Boston Lager 84/B

——————

This next group is a taster run at the Great Lost Bear a couple weeks ago.

Best of the tasting going away (of 5) was the Brooklyn “The Companion” Wheatwine. Lovely beer, nice balance. Don’t feel the alcohol that strongly. Very nice. 10% ABV (92/A)

The worst: Geary’s Oaked Hampshire Ale (cask) 72(C-) .. this might be a generous grade. Beer just tasted of oak chips. The Oak hurt the balance, the warmth didn’t help this beer at all, odd oaky flavor. An experiment that failed. Oak does not make everything taste better. (Chardonnay has been destroyed by being overoaked in my opinion). And I give the Cask Hampshire usually an 89/B+ and non-cask 83/B.

Geary’s Hudson Red Ale (82/B) Very sharp, high bitterness, interesting richness, hard bitter notes, some complexity. Could be a much better beer for a different palate I think.

Abita Turbodog …. 78/C+ (LA) .. Not my thing, dark, not bad .. I have found most of the Abita beers very disappointing. Especially with the very high quality of Maine/New England beers.

Peeper Ale (Maine Beer Company) .. 88/B+ — Lovely beer, very nice. Found more hoppiness in bottle then on tap. Would drink more beers from Maine beer if they were less the $5 per 16.9 oz bottle. Favorite Maine Beer Company beer is Lunch (94/A)

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One more bonus rave for the Albero Spanish White Sparkling wine. Was only $5 at Trader Joe’s and simply delicious. If you are looking for a good, inexpensive Champagne give it a try. Nice balance, very drinkable (and had no hangover) 91/A- … Miles and miles ahead of other similarly prices Champagnes/Sparkling Wines in Maine like Andre.

So that’s the post. Plan to do these whenever I do some tastings.

— Edmund

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