Though it's been said, many times, many ways, Happy New Year to you!
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
8:01 PM
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The Last Word On '03 Fests
I've had ten different Octoberfests in the last couple months. Before I turn to winter beers, here's the wrap:
Drink locally: the two best fests I had were the two freshest: the Black Forest Brew House Octoberfest and the Blue Point Brewing company. Best flavor, best body.
The European fests: Spaten, Paulaner, Becks and Kostritzer were decidely more flavorful than the Americans: Harpoon, Brooklyn, Saranac and Sam Adams. That's not entirely a good thing, as I'm not a big fan of that euro-Octoberfest 'tang' . The RealBeer.com discussion board on Octoberfests eventually helped me pin down that flavor as caused by "melanoidins" from the "high-kilned malts" in Octoberfests. The Kostritzer, though, is a worthy alternative to the similar but pricier Spaten.
The Americans were fun and drinkable but nothing outstanding.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
10:16 PM
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Bush Grabs A Beer!
Well, not actually. At lunch with Tony Blair: "after a cup of tea at Blair's home in the village of Trimdon Colliery, Bush and first lady Laura Bush joined Blair and his wife Cherie for lunch at the Dun Cow pub at nearby Sedgefield.
The prime minister and Mrs Blair, the president and First Lady all chose the same menu -- cream of leek and potato soup to start, followed by fish and chips with mushy peas with lemon creme brulee for pudding.
The president -- a non-drinker for 15 years -- drank non-alcoholic lager while the prime minister and the two women washed their meal down with soft drinks. "
9:34 AM
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Derbyshire quotes
I love this collection of quotes from National Review writer John Derbyshire.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
7:59 PM
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Anchor Christmas Ale
Haven't had it yet this year, but to get in the mood here's 29 Years of Christmas Ale Labels.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
7:42 AM
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Almost two months between columns! It's been hectic. But here it is.
Thursday, November 06, 2003
2:14 PM
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Black Forest Octoberfest
Two weekends ago we brought the kids over to dinner at the Black Forest Brew House just as they were wrapping up this year's Octoberfest festivities. We missed the music and the action out on the deck, but the bar, and partidularly the restaurant, were very busy (good to see!).
Even better, there was still plenty of their Octoberfest brew, which was one of the best I've tried this year-- sweet, flavorful, full-bodied. In fact, Black Forest and Blue Point were probably the two best Fests I tasted this fall -- freshness seems to count for alot among Fests!
Monday, October 20, 2003
9:11 PM
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Report from Syracuse
Eliz was in Syracuse this weekend and got to check out the Syracuse Suds Factory. She tried the sampler and reported that all the beers were good, partidularly the Brown Ale. In descending order, she then ranked the Pale Ale, Honey Ale, Stuout, Porter, Wheat and Black Cherry, which was the only one not to her liking--though some of the people she was with enjoyed it.
9:05 PM
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Octoberfest Wrapup
The real one, that is...
Monday, October 06, 2003
2:30 PM
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Long Island's Great American Beer Festival Winners
Congrats to the Southampton Publick House --winning gold at the Great American Beer Festival for their Trappist Pale Ale -- Brooklyn Brewing also won a Gold and Silver. Complete results.
Monday, September 29, 2003
8:27 PM
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Talking Octoberfest
I'm part of a brisk discussion of '03 Octoberfests over at RealBeer.com. I've still gotta try Harpoon and Black Forest, though!
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
10:32 PM
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Beer Trek Menu
Another fine Beer Trek party at Tony and Jackie's on Saturday. While Capt. Archer and crew were navigating the Delphic Expanse, we had the following brews to enjoy.
Harpoon IPA, UFO
Anchor Porter
Brooklyn Octoberfest
Blue Point Octoberfest
Atlantic Brewing Company Island Ginger
I also bought a bottle of Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale, but we didn't get around to it - it's at the bottom of the cooler somewhere.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
9:24 PM
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On New England Wine
The New England Wine Gazette, which we picked up at Stonington, lists 40 New England wineries: 13 in Connecticut, 5 in Maine; 11 in Massachusetts; 2 in New Hampshire; 4 in Rhode Island; and 5 in Vermont.
Saturday, August 16, 2003
12:33 PM
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Connecticut Report
We took the kids to Connecticut last weekend, visiting Mystic Seaport and Aquarium, the USS Nautilus Submarine Museum, the Science Center, Gillette Castle, and rode the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry. (Though we didn't get a chance to visit the intriguingly named Devil's Hopyard state park nearby.)
Three recommended restaurants: Go Fish, by the aquarium, with regularly scheduled wine events; the Seahorse in Noank; and the Mansion Clam House in Westport.
And, in all the excitement, we made it to a winery: Stonington Vineyards, on a beautiful site in the hills north of Mystic. Their 2002 Cabernet Franc isn't out yet, but they offered us a half dozen terrific whites, including styles, like Chardonnay, Gewurtzraminer and Riesling, that aren't normally among our favorites. We ended up buying a 2001 Fume Blanc, the 2002 Gewurztraminer, and their Seaport White. Nicely priced, and they were very friendly to all of us, even with Sam and Hudson running around their spacious tasting room.
9:09 AM
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Column Helper
When pressed for time while trying to write a column, let your readers do it!. My latest ChannelWeb column pulls out a number of good recent Talk Back postings, on Microsoft, Linux, Dell and more.
Friday, July 25, 2003
2:11 PM
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Masked and Anonymous
Paul Condzal sends this, um, negative, review of Bob Dylan's latest movie.
Thursday, July 24, 2003
2:09 PM
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Liberty Inn
I found this terrific article on classic American taverns by accident."Our nation was born in taverns. In colonial America they were places where people would go not only to eat and drink and pass the time but to argue the issues of the day."Even better, the first pub they profile is Jasper Murdock's Alehouse at the Norwich Inn, which we visited last summer.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
10:36 AM
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Saranac's 'Brewer's Choice Cases'
Saranac is at it again. The brewer has always done a great job packaging their many beers together. The new 'brewers choice' cases, not only have a bunch of different beers--the price is right - half that of a typical case.
In the case I bought, I found three each of the IPA, Stout, Dunkel, Single Malt, Hefeweizen and Chocolate Amber, and a pair each of the Pilsner, Caramel Porter and Lights. Okay, you're stuck with two Caramel Porters, but the other beers are all treats, particularly the terrific Single Malt.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
8:34 PM
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Berry Beer / Beery Beer
Saranac's Mountain Berry Ale ("brewed wtih blackberries, raspberries and sweetened with a touch of blueberry honey") was recommended as a worthy counterpart to Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Like the wheat, it's not too fruity, but with enough bite to make it really refreshing on a hot day. I still give the Cherry Wheat the edge, but they'd both work well together in a big cooler full of ice!
Meanwhile, I sampled a new beer from a new (to me) brewery: New York Harbor Ale, from the Yankee Brewing Company, Staten Island (brewed at Jones Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA). Though called an Amber, it really reminded me of a decent but not spectacular, 'beery' big commercial lager. Eliz will have nothing to do with it, giving it her ultimate putdown ("Like Bud"), but if I'd give it another try, particularly if I found it on tap.
Sunday, June 29, 2003
8:12 PM
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Everyday White
Sadly, the 2002 Babich Sauvignon Blanc isn't as terrific as the 2001 one was. The Chateau Ste Michelle 2001 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc is good, as usual, and, so is the Veramonte 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Valley, Chile -- recommended to us over at Edel in West Babylon.
Sunday, June 22, 2003
9:04 PM
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Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Shiraz 1999
This Australian Shiraz was terrific, rich and tangy. Alot of sediment at the end, though, so watch out. It's also one of the "Wine of the Month Club" wines my sister Marie had sent us.
Other tasty ones included: the French Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers 2001 and Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape 2000, the Chile Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2000, and the Murphy-Goode Reserve Fume Sauvignon Blanc 2000. The Spanish Mont-Marcal Reserva Cava Brut 1999 is still in the fridge awaiting a champagne moment.
9:04 PM
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Pinot Noir, Uncorked
Newsweek's "Uncorked" touts five Oregon Pinot Noirs: O'Reilly's 2001 and Cooper Mountain Willamet Valley Estate 2001 ($13 and $10); Argyle Willamette Valley 2001 and Bergstrom Willamette Valley 2001 ($18 each); and Cristom Willamette Valley 2002 at $36.
9:02 PM
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Took the family to Stony Brook U.'s Planet Stony Brook Alumni weekend, meeting up with Egan Gerrity and the Hince's. An oppressive rain the whole time, but Eliz and I and the kids had alot of fun. (Maybe it was all the Pindar Pythagoras at the dinner!)
Monday, June 09, 2003
3:21 PM
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Friday's Column.
3:18 PM
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This SCO/Linux thing is going to be big news. My latest column.
Friday, May 23, 2003
2:27 PM
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Mmmmm... TV
Series-finale 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' followed by season-finale '24' tonight. This should be pretty good!.
Here's a Buffy quote quiz and a 24 explanation, both from CNN.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
1:54 PM
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Lunar Eclipse coming up Thursday night
Info at Sky and Telescope.
Monday, May 12, 2003
11:38 AM
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Newsweek's 'Big Reds'
In Newsweek's 'Uncorked' section April 7, they recommended these "rich, fruity California reds", all $12 or less:
Bogle Petite Sirah California 2000
Beringer Zinfandel California Founder's Estate 1999
Cline Zinfandel California 2000
McManis Syrah California 2001
Kendall-Jackson Syrah California Vintner's Reserve 2000
Monday, April 28, 2003
12:58 PM
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Seen at an ATM
After I put in my card and entered my PIN number, a Washington Mutual ATM machine displayed this message to me this week:
"I'm sorry, but I've run out of paper.
It's been a crazy day.
Would you like to continue without a receipt?"
Certainly the funniest part of my latest ChannelWeb column.
Friday, April 18, 2003
12:45 PM
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TNN, home of Star Trek repeats and pro wrestling, is changing its name to Spike TV, and becoming the "first network aimed specifically at men" (at least, men who like Star Trek repeats and pro wrestling).
Now, if they could get James Marsters, Spike from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' to host, they'd be on to something.
11:23 AM
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From Associated Press...
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
1:47 PM
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Black Forest Lunch
Early April at Black Forest: Pilsner, Amber, Wheat and Schwarzbier on tap, but the newest brew is the one to try. The Sheepsmuggler Doppelbock is a sweet, medium-bodied lager with a rich, caramel taste. Give it a try!
Monday, April 07, 2003
8:13 AM
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Latest ChannelWeb Column
Friday, April 04, 2003
2:43 PM
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Light Pollution In last night's Simpsons, Lisa can't use her telescope because the night sky's too bright. Did they really base a Simpsons on the problem of light pollution? Yes! Bart and Lisa end up sabotaging the nuclear plant so people can watch a meteor shower. Though I wouldn't recommend that approach, what a way to raise awareness of the problem! Good work, Simpsons!
Monday, March 31, 2003
2:35 PM
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Gulf War Drinking Game Mostly funny observations about the media, but pretty funny...
Thanks to John Dunn for the link!
11:18 AM
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Color The Presidents Download drawings of all our Presidents. Make em cool colors!
Friday, March 28, 2003
1:03 PM
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Drink For Freedom! Off French wine this week? Who can blame you. Cross-reference this chart of the world's top wine producing countries against that last link, of our coalition allies. Among the top 10 wine producers, Italy, Spain, Australia and Romania join the USA on the good guys/good wine side.
Friday, March 21, 2003
3:46 PM
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Going it Alone? Our 45 coalition partners.
3:33 PM
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My Friday Column Up on ChannelWeb.
3:31 PM
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Mutual Incomprehension: This John Derbyshire column spells out just how great the gap is between America's world-view and that of everyone else--even folks even in other modern democratic countries. It's sorta depressing, but you can't solve a problem until you understand it.
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
12:38 PM
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The new column.
Friday, March 14, 2003
2:58 PM
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A cool Powers of 10 demonstration of the scale of the universe, centered on the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, FL.
10:29 AM
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The Dylan song in the Victoria's Secret commercial is "Love Sick." Thanks to the great Dylan site Expecting Rain for the info, though they don't explain this odd coupling either.
Friday, March 07, 2003
4:56 PM
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Busy week at ChannelWeb. Here's What's Happening
4:48 PM
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Seasonals at Black Forest
Had lunch over the weekend at the Black Forest Brew House. Along with their Pilsner and Amber, the seasonals on tap wrere "Blue Star," a steam-style amber, and a Schwarzbier Black Beer. Both were good!
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
3:42 PM
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This Note's For You
Last night's 24 (which was very good, by the way) included commercials featuring songs by Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. I can't remember hearing either of their songs in commercials before.
In fact, one of my favorite concert memories was seeing John Mellencamp at the Meadowlands around 1990. He came out for his encore and said, "For our encores we've usually done some Motown songs, but so many of those great old songs are commercials now. So we're going to do a song by a man who's never sold his songs for commercials." And the band played "Like a Rolling Stone."
Now I don't really have a problem with artists licensing songs for commercials. And I'm not even sure what the Dylan song was, though it was unmistakably Bob-- probably from 'Time Out Of Mind." Van Morrison's 'Moondance' in an Infiniti commercial was pleasant enough, to be sure, but Bob grousing though a Victoria's Secret commercial was positively jarring. Just guessing, but I bet somewhere Bob's laughing.
3:41 PM
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How To Kill A Radio Station This article about the woes of WNEW FM gets my experience with the station exactly right: their programming after John Lennon's death made me a loyal fan; then 15 years later, Jerry Garcia died, and to NEW it was as if he never existed. Meanwhile, KROCK played Grateful Dead songs for three solid days. I quit being an NEW fan and never went back. Apparently I wasn't alone.
Monday, March 03, 2003
4:02 PM
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Fare Well, Pioneer 10
After 30 years, Pioneer 10 has sent its last message home. It's power supply seems to have finally given out in January.
Launched in 1972, Pioneer 10 made history by being our first spacecraft to fly though the asteroid belt, past Jupiter, and out of our solar system. It's now 12.2 billion kilometers from earth, heading in the direction of the star Aldebaran (which it should pass in about two million years).
This link on heavens-above.com illustrates the locations of the four spacecraft that have left the solar system.
Friday, February 28, 2003
4:20 PM
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On ChannelWeb I'm pretty happy with how this column came out, too.
Friday, February 21, 2003
3:29 PM
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My Latest Column Okay, it makes fun of people who send dumb mail, but what are they thinking?
Friday, February 14, 2003
4:34 PM
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Columbia
Eliz was already out of the house Saturday morning and called to tell me of the Shuttle accident.
This is from the statement today from the families of the crew members: "And although we grieve deeply, as do the families of Apollo 1 and Challenger before us, the bold exploration of space must go on."
We're blessed that we have so many people among us willing to risk their lives for things like freedom, society and the hope of a better future. And for families like those of the Columbia heroes.
Monday, February 03, 2003
5:40 PM
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Beer in Review, 2002
Briefly noted, some of the most enjoyable beers, breweries and brewpubs I experienced last year (all recommended):
Commercial Beers
Anchor Steam Christmas Ale
Blue Point Toasted Lager (Long Island)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale
Brooklyn Monster Barley Wine
Harpoon Hefeweizen UFO
Harpoon IPA
Rickard's Red (available in Canada)
Sam Adams Old Fezziwig
Sam Adams Winter Lager
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Brewpubs and Breweries
Black Forest Brew House, Farmingdale, NY
Black River Brewing Company, Cavendish, Vermont
Jasper Murdock's Alehouse (at the Norwich Inn), Norwich, Vermont
Kingston Brewing Company, Kingston, Ontario
Red Oak Brewpub, Greensboro, NC
Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY
Both Harpoon Breweries, in Vermont and Boston
Sunday, January 12, 2003
9:38 PM
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Wine in Review, 2002
Some of the best tasting and best-value wines we enjoyed last year, along with some wineries that were terrific to visit:
Wines
Babich 2001 and 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Bogle 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, California, USA
Channing Daughters 2001 Fresh Red Merlot, The Hamptons, Long Island
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2000 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Clos Du Val 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA
Creekside 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
EastDell 2000 Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Fonseca 10 Yr. Old Porto, Portugal
Georges Duboeuf 2002 Beajoulais Nouveau, Beajoulais, France
Hogue 2000 and 2001 Fume Blanc, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Kenwood 2000 Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma, California, USA
Paracombe, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Paringa 2001 Shiraz, South Australia
Pugliese 2001 Cabernet Franc, North Fork, Long Island
Riverview Cellars Cavernet Sauvignon, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Rosemount Estate 2001 Shiraz/Cabernet, South Eastern Australia
Rothschilde Mouton Cadet 1998 White Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
Schneider 2000 Cabernet Franc, North Fork, Long Island
Wineries
Channing Daughters, Bridgehampton, Long Island
Creekside Estate Winery, Jordan Station, Ontario
EastDell, Beamsville, Ontario
Jamesport, Long Island
Maleta, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
Riverview Cellars, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
9:37 PM
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