Buckleberry Ferry- Follow Me.

Threadless is having an AMAZING sale right now- 9.99 t-shirts, with an additional 30% off with the code HAPPYFUZZY. Plus- Free shipping on orders over $75. Clearly, this was an opportunity to pick up some christmas gifts. To rack up enough dollar signs to get free shipping, I couldn't help but pick up something for myself.

My choice?

"The Brandywine"

What an awesome homage to J.R.R. Tolkien and also to booze. Can't wait to rock it!

Weird Beer

If you're thirsty and in the mood to try something unusual, I have a recommendation!

Kelpie Seaweed Ale from Williams Brothers Brewing Co., creators of the "historic beers of Scotland". The recipe for this brew is purported to be based on 400 year old sea coast treat, which mixes seaweed and barley. If you are kind of in the mood for something dark, but feel like it's still a little early to be busting out the stout, this beer is a really good choice.

It has nice malty, chocolate, nutty flavor, but is also very light and effervescent. There's even the lightest hint of a salty smell to it, bringing out again the reminders of ocean origins.

It's definitely worth trying, especially if you want to treat your taste buds to something atypical. Good for a rainy summer evening or a night by the seashore. I give it a solid B+!

Do you have....

a favorite IPA? I do!

This was one of the best discoveries that came out of our ill fated journey through the mid-atlantic. Goose Island IPA! After drinking the hoppiest of the hoppy beers, it's nice to take a step back and enjoy a beer that's a little more mellow. This beer has a great flavor with a good amount of sweetness and a bit of a bite. It's flavor is balanced in such a way that you can really taste the hop flavor, without it being overwhelming or too bitter.  It's super refreshing!

One might consider it a "training wheel" sort of beer, for those new to the IPA scene. But I really like it as a mild, basic version of one of the best beer types.

It's my favorite, at least for now!

Drunk Music

Paul and I were celebrating yesterday's holiday in the supposed typical fashion; Drinking significant quantities of imported beer. Since we got 2 cars, sometimes we accidentally both buy beer on the way home.We ended up having a veritable smorgasbord of choices:

  and

 and

It all kind of reminded me of our honeymoon, where literally the only beer you could get at the hotel bar was corona and negro modelo. It encouraged me to try lots of different rainbow tinged girl drinks that I never would normally touch.


Anywho, as we imbibed, we listened to some tunes. We came to the conclusion that John Brown's Body is the best possible music to listen while getting drunk.



Eventually the session devolved into us binging on Disney movie songs, and debating the veracity of princess movies being bad for little girls' psyches.



I voted "no".

Benchmarks

Spring is here y'all. Proofs:

1. Ample Daffodils in the yard.

2. We cooked dinner out tonight on the grill.

 

We had steaks and aspargus. Our complementary beer was the good as always Allagash Dubble.

 

3.New spring slip-on shoes.

I decided to get some sweet Tom's as my shoe of choice. For those who aren't in the know, Toms is a shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that is purchased. They're definitely wooing the "vote with your dollar" crowd. Along with my penchant craft beer, daily ponderings of literary tattoos and my burgeoning love of anime, these shoes make my transformation into an insufferable hipster functionally complete.

So far, I really like them! They're very comfortable and extremely breathable, so it's not gross to wear them as they are intended (ie: no socks!). I like how they're the most basic looking shoe you can imagine, which means you can dress them up or down. They are a lovely replacement for my poor ol' naturalizer flats that died over the winter.

Let's hope for a continuation of this sunny, 70 degree weather!

Back to Basics

After a winter of drinking very flavorful, heavy sorts of beer, I feel like the time is ripe to drink something light and simple. Spring calls for a beer that's got that good old fashioned "beery" beer flavor.

In anticipation of our incoming season, I've been enjoying "Anchor Liberty Ale".

Very good!

How I spent my St. Patricks Day

I drank these beers:

Paul and I closed our eyes and compared them. Once again, in a blind taste test, Wachusett kicks Hapoon's butt.

We played a traditional Irish game, Fichneal, which Paul kicked my butt in twice incredibly quickly. I decided that I hated the game.

We ate corned beef and cabbage from a crock pot!

And we watched an amazing movie: The Secret of Kells (2009). It's a very cool animated film, with  beautiful stylized art.



It's the story of a boy named Brendan who lives in a medieval Irish fortress, as Vikings plague and pillage the land. He befriends a skilled Illuminator and develops a passion to protect a sacred book and learn the skills of his craft. This movie is really cool because it's partially about how old books are awesome! It's also got a really good overlay of mythology and history. It was certainly the most satisfying movie I've watched in awhile.

Though I kept getting reminded of home movies whenever somebody called out to Brendan. I associate that name mostly with that other little red haired kid, thank you very much!

Happy St. Pattys

Hope you enjoy enough pints to sing like these guys:

New Awesomest Beer on the Block

All these snow days lately have provided ample opportunity for beer enjoyment! It is a most crucial antidote for common cabin fever and shoveling fatigue. As a fake doctor, I prescribe at least one of these after snow removal chores:

Lagunitas Brown Shugga!

It's like halfway between an IPA and a just PA, with a really delicious, sorta-sweet after taste. Very good! And the 9.99% ABV is nothing to sneeze at neither. Unsurprisingly though, it is a bit dehydrating, so don't forget to drink yer water!

Also, this is officially the face I plan on making when Miss and I go here.



Hells to the Yeah!

Antidotes

So enough of this negativity about life and the new year. Let's talk about the good things that came out of our week off. Like:

Soooo many delicious beers.

Also received/drank but not pictured: Abita SOS, Lindeman's Framboise, Rodenbach and Southern Tier Pumpkin (My Favorite Pumpkin Beer of the Year!)

So far my favorite was the Lindeman's, which basically tastes like berry nectar, or delicious candy. But what can I say, I'm a girl drink drunk.

Wrapping it Up

So I'm gonna try to wrap up the vacation recap in this post. Get back to posting fun stuff like recipes and music videos and stop living in the past!

The second day we were in Dover, we decided to venture out of the warm swaddling of the casino and see Dover proper. We headed into the heart of the town, away from the strip mall and into the residential area/civic center. (You may already know that) Dover was the first state in the Union, so the center of town was positively brimming with old historical buildings, including the first State House. Most of the buildings were done in a style very similar to the dorms at UMass in Central, so I got the eerie feeling I was looking up at a transplanted Butterfield Hall. The square really felt like we had wandered into Old Sturbridge Village, except that all the old houses were actually still being used as homes and businesses. It was pretty neat to see.

Strangely, the businesses that filled the old buildings seemed to be of two sorts and two sorts only. Lawyers Offices and Bail Bondsmen. Dentists : Baltimore as Bail Bondsmen and Lawyers: Dover.

From here, we decided to drive about an hour down the coast to Rehoboth Beach, a touristy boardwalk town, to worship at a beer Mecca - The original Dogfish Head Brewery and Restaurant. It was well worth the voyage, as it supplied us with the best meal we had on the trip (OMG Turkey Lentil Soup!!!). Plus: (duh) Dogfish Head Beer(!) and a brewery tour. It was neat to see that the company started out brewing in batches not much larger than the ones we make home-brewing.

It was nice to get out there too, because it gave us the chance to walk on the beach. It's amazing how calming the ocean can be. Looking out on the horizon at sunset was when I think I finally really felt relaxed on this vacation.

The next day, after swinging back by the terminal to pick up our vacationing luggage, we headed to our final destination, Washington DC. We ended up staying in an awesome, beautiful suite at the Capital Hilton, just two blocks from the White House, which made getting to any landmark was no sweat.

I think that being in DC was both Paul and my favorite part of the whole trip. We spent the first night walking around and seeing all the monuments. Paul's favorite was the Washington Monument, Mine was the new WWII memorial. Ihad never seen it before, but it's really cool, I love how it incorporate lots of water/ fountains. After chilling in the Lincoln Memorial, we went out to an absolutely ridic beer bar called The Churchkey, which had over 50 great beers on tap. They had 2 big refrigerated rooms in a loft that they kept their kegs in, and an elaborate pipe system to pump the beer down, along the ceiling, into the tap.

The next day we went to the Smithsonian museums. We managed to see The American History Museum, Asian Art Gallery, Air and Space Museum, and Botanic Gardens. The botanic gardens were nice to do last, because you could just sit down and chill in a beautiful tropic environment and smell the orchids after a long day of walking and seeing.

5 Favorite Things I Learned/Saw at the Smithsonian

1. That the original technology for our birth control pills was developed in Worcester MA.
2. The DARPA Car.
3. That coal tar was the key to the development of chemistry, and those that understood it lead in the print industry, and causally, weapon making.
4. Apollo Anton Ohno is also a ballroom dancer.
5. The Wright Brothers Plane.

The next day, we went home. So overall, it was a pretty cool trip. We did a lot of neat stuff we wouldn't have otherwise, and had a lot of fun. I think next time we'll be a little bit more neurotic about planning our trips though. Or at least I will be.

Next destination, Bermuda by plane?

Pssst...Baltimore Sucks

On our second day in Baltimore, we had a whole handful of interesting things we thought we could do. There was an exhibition of Andy Warhol paintings at the gallery up the street, a pop art/toy museum, The Baltimore Basilica (Americas First Cathedral), IMax movies at the Science center, Various Baseball museums at Camden Yard. We were pretty excited.

That is until we realized that ALL of the above choices, except the Basilica, were closed on Mondays. Pretty much everything fun was closed on Mondays. It was frustrating and bizarre, but it made sense. We were November tourists in a town that really only got visitors in the Summer.


But, in the true spirit of the trip, we made the most of it and decided to go on the tour of the Basilica. It was really neat, a monument to the true development of freedom of religion in America. It has a neo-classical look that was totally unheard of in catholic buildings, specifically designed to make it a distinctly American church. Our tour guide was this really irreverent quintessential New Yorker who seemed really "so over" the religious propriety of working in a Cathedral. In fact, the Cathedral itself in some ways, seemed tired of maintaining pomp and circumstance. The Sacristy had the usual holy cabinet dead center, but if you looked to either side, somebody was totally using it as an office, computers and all.

A few of my favorite quotes from our guide:

"This is a painting of the Baby Jesus. They say, he's blessing you, but I think he's just waving hi."
"This Bell is one of the official artifacts that make this building a Basilica. They're only allowed to ring it when the Pope is coming. Last time he was here was 50 years ago, so they're still waiting on that."
"Here's a picture of the Pope praying at this alter. He was probably thinking 'Boy this place is a dump, I can't wait to get out of here'"

She even let us touch the old vestments they had on display, which every museum worker knows is a huge no no. But an awesome no no for the inquisitive visitor.

It was a really cool building though, and it had lots of neat artifacts in it's museum, like letters from George Washington and Jewel encrusted talismans from Constantinople. My favorite part was the crypt, it was recently redone and totally architecturally awesome. Spooky!


After our cool historical tour, we were at a loss for things to do. We wandered around the city a bit, and noticed that the not-so-nice part of town creeps up surprisingly close to the nice part. It was clear that the recession had been really really unkind to this city. We also noticed that there was at a subway restaurant and at least 2 dentists offices on every block. No doctors, Baltimore only has dentists. They even have a Dentistry Museum, which was naturally closed on Mondays. Wandering around, I couldn't help but lean over and whisper to Paul "hey, Baltimore sucks."

So by 2:30, we found ourselves chillin' back in our hotel room, drinking Yuengling and watching high school kids smoke weed on the roof across the street from us.


It's so strange that you can't get Yuengling in MA. I remember the first time my New Jersey Roomate heard I didn't know Yuengling, she nearly exploded with disbelief. The next time she went home on break, she brought me a bottle. It was a nice gesture. It's a nice beer too. Pretty average!

It grows on you...

In my childhood, I was somewhat of a picky eater. I had kind of unusual tastes for a kid, like loving raw vegetables and shredded cheese for snacks. I also didn't eat sandwiches for several years, because I didn't like when things had too many flavors at once. I guess the best description was that I had was like a taste for simple foods, a restricted palate.

Once I left home for college though, I became much more open to trying new foods. I quickly learned that things that I was afraid of trying, or that I assumed would be gross were actually wicked delicious. One food experience that really stood out for me was when Paul first got me to try Clam Chowder. I was convinced that I hated this soup, because I thought the idea of eating clams was kind of icky. Clam Chowder also has a weird, unique smell to it that can be off putting at times, particularly if you don't know what clams taste like. The minute I tried it though I regretted missing out on all those years of chowder eating, and full heartedly admitted that it was delicious.

Some other foods though, took me multiple tastes to realize how great they were. I guess there are just some flavors that you have to get used to. My acquired tastes include:

Chamomile Tea - I always found the flavor to be too medicinal, and I went through a phase where I couldn't eat or drink anything that reminded me of cough syrup (I'm looking at you, grape popsicles). I've been drinking a lot of bedtime tea lately though, and it really gave me a liking for the flavor. Now it's one of my favorite kinds of tea.


Feta Cheese- Feta and I got off to a bad start. When I worked at the Hatch, I had to restock the feta for the greek food station. I had never really encountered Feta before, so having to handle a giant block of it, submerged in a tub of water, was a little much. I was grossed out. Lately though I've enjoyed this cheese in pasta and sandwiches. I got over our bad first impressions.

IPAs: Almost nobody likes IPAs the first time they try them. They're very bitter, and completely different from Lagers and Ales. I remember quite distinctly saying that I'd never like IPAs. But lo and behold, they are now my favorite type of beer. I think that as you try more and more beers, you start to crave the flavorful taste of Hops in you beverage.

Sushi: I remember gagging the first time I ate sushi. I left the restaurant thinking I'd never eat it again. Strangely enough though, I started craving sushi not too long after that. I think it's a meal that makes you feel fulfilled after eating it. I initially just liked the satisfied feeling I got after eating raw fish, but then I moved on to actually really liking the flavor. Now its just about the only way I eat fish.

Strange how your tastes change!

Yummy

This is the best beer I've had in a long time:



Trois Mousquetaires Unfiltered Kellerbier from Quebec. It's been awhile since I've had a beer that I'd declare categorically delicious. Very refreshing, not too sweet or intense, with just the right amount of hoppiness and citrus flavor. The unfiltered-ness gives it a nice slightly earthy quality too. Plus, it sure looks pretty in a glass.

I enjoyed it greatly. Paul and I drank it while playing:

Which is awesome! Allons-y!

The Almighty Dollar

I would consider myself a person who is more attuned than average to the dangers of materialism, on ecological, psychological and economical levels. That being said, I am always loathe to call my self a consumer. This week I think proved to me better than most that I am just as bad about acquiring stuff as any other American. I blame the heat wave, it made being inside an air conditioned store seem like a better option than sweltering in our house.

The first thing I bought was even to help us keep cool. Paul and I ran through the sprinkler the other day and it was awesome. I run it for a little while in the afternoon too, to keep the vegetables alive.


I was also fighting a really nasty cold earlier in the week. I decided that taking vitamins would probably help my immune system kick it. I opted for the gummie type, because I'm secretly 5. The name of this brand is a big oxymoron. "One-a-Day"....but you take two of them!

We finally decided to resolve the not having Mario Kart issue once and for all, and broke down and bought a new copy of the game. I missed playing so much!

A Hula Hoop. Paul and I are going to the Gathering of the Vibes music festival at the end of the month, and people often bring hula hoops to these types of events. I had always been bad at hula hooping, and wanted to see if I could get better at it. I'm still pretty terrible, but I like to think I'm improving...The check out guy asked me if I went to Hampshire College when I bought this.
These hot shoes. I could not resist them, for they were only $7.

Mmmm....Trader Joes Vegetable Gyoza are AWESOME!

Annnd in spite of them losing the summer beer taste test, A Harpoon UFO is still nice on a hot hot day.

Beers of Summer

So the Solstice is right around the corner (4 days), and with it (hopefully, after 6 out of the last 7 days being overcast and rainy) will come all the trappings of summer. Including, of course, summer ales. But with all the summer beers out there, which one do you pick to go with your barbecue, your 4th of July fireworks, your day at the beach?

Fear not, gentle reader. My husband and I have saved you the trouble of debate, and did a double blind taste test of summer beers to determine the true king of ale.



The Contenders: I walked into my local packie and made a mix pack, one of everything that said "summer" on it.

- Sierra Nevada Summerfest
- Flying Dog Seasonal - Woody Creek White
- Harpoon Summer Beer
- Leinenkugel Summer Shandy
- Sam Adams Summer Ale
- Wachusett SummerAle

During the tasting, Paul and I decided that the Shandy (which was basically a bottle of lemonade) and the Flying Dog (which, while delicious, didn't really fit the flavor profile of a "summer ale") would be disqualified in the final tally. We wanted to make sure that summer ales and summer ales alone were considered in this definitive taste test.

Doing this tasting at home was a really interesting an enlightening experience, not to mention awesomely fun. I hope to do it again with other seasonal styles.

The Results (combined, overall score):

4. Harpoon- Paul and I were both surprised that this locally revered favorite actually tasted the worst! Described in our notes as "Blandish," "chalky," "flat taste" and "gritty"

3. Sierra Nevada - While there was nothing glaringly bad about this beer, it didn't stand up to it's other competitors. "Clean taste," "faint hint of hop," "Good simple beer for a hot day."

2. Sam's Summer- Paul and I were both impressed with how much more flavorful this beer was than the others, while still staying true to the summer ale profile. It had a more sophisticated, defined flavor profile, where the slight differences in taste really stood out, and it seemed like it was on purpose. "Full flavored/bodied but light," "clean aftertaste," "slight taste of smoke," "more citrus taste," "peppery."

AND THE WINNER:

1. Wachusett Summer Ale: Just as shocked as we were that Harpoon lost, we were really surprised that Wachusett won. We actually predicted, before we knew which beer was which, that Wachusett would be the lowest placing beer. So apologies, local brewery, we underestimated you, greatly! Wachusett has crafted a Summer Ale that is the perfect balance of deliciousness, and a light refreshing body. The notes we took speak for themselves: "Strongest coriander smell and taste," "nice aroma, hint of lemon, sweeter, refreshing," "nice round flavor, no strong aftertaste." It's a beer that really mastered the balance of having that wheat beer flavor, without creating a lasting after taste. I officially declare it my perfect post bike-ride beer. Good job Westminster MA!

Take one down, pass it around

Paul and I spent the afternoon bottling our yet-to-be-named homebrew IPA! It's awesome to have a basement to do this in.




Paul poured, I did the handy dandy cap machine.

In a couple weeks, we'll have beer. Anybody got any name suggestions? All I can think of is "summer vakay IPA". Top it!

Pictures from the Weekend

Paul and I spent the weekend in Boston and it was awesome. We went out Thursday morning, stopping in Gardner to drop off Roosevelt at the in-laws.

Bai!

We saw the Red Sox game that afternoon. They lost, but at least it was exciting.

Here's the view from our room. It was nice 'cuz the hotel had balconies, we really enjoyed sitting out and taking in the city at night. It was so strange once we got home to compare the alive, constant drumming of city sounds to the dead silence of Pearl St.

We spent a lot of time too just wandering around Boston. If anything, this trip has made me realize how small the city actually is, and how close together all the T-stops are. We also managed to stumble across parts of the city that I had never even seen before. Trinity Church, for one. Also, the Granary Burying Ground, where the Boston Massacre victims and Sam Adams are buried side to side.

It was kind of funny too. One night, we went out for a few drinks. Being away from home, we didn't really miss being at the house, and we didn't really miss the cat. We did, however miss the Moan and Dove. Bars we visited just didn't stand up, at all. Sorry!

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the Cambridge River Festival, which was really cool.

They shut down Memorial Drive in Cambridge, and fill it with vendors, fair food, booths for all sorts of local organizations, and some really great bands playing. It was a great place for people watching. There was some really esoteric stuff, like a tent where elderly people took turns telling stories from their childhood. They had a whole section too, called "figment", that was all about imaginative expression and creativity, which was chocked full of unusual/cool things.


Basically the idea was that different artists and groups would create all sorts of interactive installation art pieces. My favorite was this; Instead of a ball pit - a tent full of rose petals for kids to frolic in. It smelled absolutley lovely!


The only weird part was that there was this guy, you can see him lying down in the back. He was in there th entire time, pretending to be asleep. I have to assume he was the artist?????

Paul and I also saw the entirety of both our extended families and a great portion of our friends between that night and Sunday, at a series of graduation, citizenship, and birthday parties. It was a busy, crazy time, but it was a lot of fun.

Victory Bread

I made some beer bread this afternoon. I'm really pleased with how it came out, and the recipe is so so easy! You could really whip this together on the fly, and totally come out looking fancy.

I got the recipe from here. It only takes 3 ingredients, all of which you may already have in your house: Flour, sugar and beer.

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 5x9 loaf pan.

Mix 3 cups of flour with 3 Tbsp sugar. Then add 1 bottle of beer and mix well, first with a wooden spoon, then with your hands, until the dough is firm and sticky.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

I used one of my favorite beers to make this bread: Victory Storm King Stout

This yummy dark beer makes an earthy, sweet bread. I think the heaviness of the stout also made the bread a little richer. We had it still warm from the oven w/ dinner. It was very yummy buttered. I actually also think it would be good with PB&J or a mild swiss cheese.

This recipe is a great way to magically turn your favorite beer into a food!

Drinking with the Warner Bros. (and the Warner Sister)

In the wide wild world of drinking games, the ones based upon TV shows are rarely ever good. Take for example, this Futurama drinking game. There are just waaaay too many rules. There's no way that somebody on their 3rd or fourth beer could remember all that stuff.

However, Paul and I may have discovered, inadvertently, the greatest drinking TV show of all time. And that show is Animaniacs. We've been renting the episodes from Netflix. The show is great mix of formulaic gags and childhood nostalgia. The same "rules" come up again and again in every episode, but not so frequently that you can't enjoy watching the show too.

The Animaniacs Drinking Game Rules

1. Drink whenever they say "We're the Warner Bros (and the warner sis)."
2. Drink whenever there's a song.
3. Drink anytime Dot says she's cute.
4. Drink for any instance of comic violence.
5. Drink for any celebrity cameos
6. Drink anytime a character from another cartoon makes an appearance. Like if the Goodfeathers stroll by in the background during a Slappy the Squirrel short.
7. Hellloooooo Nurse!

I'll let you all have a practice round with this Star Trek parody sketch. I really like that this clip reinforces the "Spock Uhura" 'ship that was canonized in the new movie.



Poor James Doohan. He was such a sweet old man, it makes me sad they make fun of him so.