South African Breweries is buying Miller Brewing for $5.6 billion.
Thursday, May 30, 2002
10:35 AM
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Had a couple of Pete's Wicked Summer Beers on tap at the Babylon Clam and Oyster Bar tonight. Almost a sour taste at first, (Eliz said it had no taste at first) but it grew on me. It would certainly be good cold on a hot day.
Thursday, May 23, 2002
10:35 PM
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Dead Reunite: Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh and Weir to play a two day festival in Wisconsin.
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
9:54 AM
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Winter/Summer A good night: home with Eliz, Star Trek on TNN, and Samuel Adams Winter Lager and Summer Ale in the fridge. Both beers use wheat malt, but the Winter Lager is darker in color yet still pretty light tasting, with a mild, somewhat nutty flavor. The Summer Ale is tangy, heading in the direction of the lemon dish-washing detergent flavor I hate in wheat beers, but not getting there. Perhaps it's the "Grains of Paradise" that saves it. Sam Adams ultimate summer beer is the Cherry Wheat, but I'm waiting till the weather gets hotter to pick that up.
Two other things. Notice the clever twist--the Winter beer is a lager in the season of ales, and the Summer beer is an ale in the season of lagers. But it works! Also, the Winter Lager says "Winter Brew" in big letters on the label, and only Winter Lager in small type on the top label, and on the box. Well, I found it confusing.
Friday, May 17, 2002
10:29 PM
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'Dark Angel,' sadly, has been cancelled, but '24' renewed, and will stick to it's real time format next season. Details.
10:10 AM
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Kiwi Power In searching for a good, inexpensive white wine that wasn't a chardonnay, the a young guy at the discount wine shop recommended Babich 2001 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. He was right--it's got an fresh, apricot-y taste, and at $12, the price was right. And it's from New Zealand! It was much better, for instance, than the Clos Du Bois 2000 North Coast Sauvignon Blanc, which just comes across as well, another chardonnay.
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
9:44 PM
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It sounds like they're smashing bottles of Budweiser, but in fact they're celebrating the spring. Pindar Vineyards is hosting a 'Bud Break BBQ' May 25. Info
1:42 PM
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Went to the Long Island Ducks baseball game today and had a great time despite the rainly weather. With a little perserverance, found the one stand selling good beer--Guinness and others in bottles, and on tap, Bass, and one of Eliz's favorites, local brew Blue Point Toasted Lager.
Sunday, May 12, 2002
8:56 PM
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Macho computer moment: Eliz got her PC back from repairs at work, but we had to install ATT Worldnet on it. The plan was to download the Worldnet.exe onto the iBook, transfer it via ethernet to the Quadra, which has a zip drive, then copy it via zip to the PC. But the monitor on the Quadra, which we haven't used in awhile, was fried. I have another monitor, but couldn't find the right cable. I was about to give up when I saw the PC had a USB connection, so I copied the worldnet.exe onto the smart card of the digital camera (!), plugged the digital camera into the PC, and Windows XP was kind enough to recognize it! The installer ran fine, and Eliz is ready to test it as soon as I sign off here.
Friday, May 10, 2002
10:10 PM
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All five planets visible to the naked eye can be seen together after sunset this month. (Six if you count Earth) See details at Sky and Telescope, which notes, "The last widely visible five-planet bunching was in February 1940. And another good one won't take place until September 2040." Don't miss it!
Thursday, May 09, 2002
8:44 PM
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Model of the Moment Hadn't heard of her yesterday, but now I've seen Jolijn Spek on two striking magazine covers in less than a day. Here's one
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
9:33 PM
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The Simpson's Barney Gumble, "There's a line in 'Othello' about a drinker: 'Now a sensible man, by and by a fool, and presently a beast.' That pretty well covers it."
Thanks to The Simpsons Archive.
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
9:28 PM
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One of the purposes of this blog is to plug places I like that I don't get much chance to frequent. Last fall, my sister brought Eliz and my kids and me to The Penny Lane Pub. Its' a great British Pub downtown in Richmond, Virginia -- lots of good beers on tap (British and Irish), good food, even room for the kids to run around. I hear it is the the place to watch soccer, though I wouldn't bring the kids during games.
9:22 PM
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The summer-beer-and-barbeque season opened Sunday after I finished the LI half-marathon. Not really stocked up on summer brew yet, but what was on hand sufficied nicely: Molson Reds, Sam Adams Boston Ale, and even a stray Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Glenn supplemented the supply with Yuenling's Lager.
5:33 PM
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Scott Higham was the first editor I worked for at my college paper, the Stony Brook Press, when I joined as a sophomore in 1981. He was a serious reporter and a wickedly good writer with an unerring BS detector and an great eye for what was important in each story. He also had long hair, stayed up all night, inhaled coffee and cigarettes, and was totally cool. Last month, he won a Pulitzer Prize. Way to go Scott!
Friday, May 03, 2002
9:33 AM
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Before we get too far into the summer, I have to note that the Anchor Steam Christmas Ale for 2001 was terrific - really flavorful without being overloaded by any single flavor. The best Anchor Christmas Ale of the last few years, and the Post Office Cafe had it on tap!
Thursday, May 02, 2002
11:44 AM
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Also in North Carolina, visited, as usual, Greensboro's Red Oak Brewpub. Formerly the Spring Garden Brewing Company, they serve a Red Oak Amber, a Battlefield Black, and a Hummingbird light. They could all use a bit more body for my taste, but they're good brews and the restaurant is well worth a visit.
Wednesday, May 01, 2002
7:46 PM
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Visiting my family in North Carolina, I tried Cottonwood Breweries' Endo IPA, from Boone, NC. Apparently, endo means 'over the handlebars' in bicycle-racing speak, and the beer was brewed in honor of the Cottownood mountain bike team. Turned out to be a good buy - hoppy, sharp, and tasty.
12:05 PM
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Where to begin? How about here -- Brooklyn Monster is available in bottles! Eliz surprised me with a six pack last month. This near-mythic barley wine is normally available only in good beer bars and then only occasionally. It was not available for tasting when I toured the Brooklyn brewery a few years ago, though the folks there did point my friends and I to a nearby pub that had it. Barley wines are pretty uncommon, and good ones even rarer, but, Brooklyn Monster is a terrific one - very, very strong, very smooth. Buy a six pack, look for it on tap, and be prepared!
12:00 PM
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