On Tap: Moon-shine

Well, I’ve been fairly busy at work recently so this week’s edition of On Tap is a couple days late and for that, I apologize.  Before we get to last week’s beers, I thought I’d throw out some more “fun facts”:

• The Czech Republic consumes 156 liters of beer per capita, more than any other country, followed by Ireland and Germany.
• Long ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim of their beer mugs or ceramic/glass cups. The whistle was used to order service. Thus we get the phrase, "wet your whistle".
• Last week I wrote that the strongest beer in the world was Sam Adam’s Triple Bock at 17% ABV.  I wasn’t even close.  After some research I learned that currently, the strongest beer in the world comes from Brouwerij't Koelschip in the Netherlands.  Their Start the Future beer is 60% ABV…that’s 120 proof for those of you playing along at home.

Ok, enough of that; onto the beer.  My favorite beer of the week came from the Blue Moon Brewing Company.  The beer in question was their Winter Abbey Ale.
  

Having tried and enjoyed their Belgian White, I had high hopes for this beer and it didn’t disappoint.  The beer has a nice mix of malt and wheat flavors with a slight toffee aftertaste.  It was smooth and had almost no bite.  If you’re just starting to get into beers, this is definitely a good one to try.

The big loser of the week came courtesy of Unibroue, a Canadian brewing company.  The beer in question: La Fin du Monde.  The beer is a triple-style golden ale and came highly recommended from the attorney in my office.  What I didn’t know was that the term “triple-style” roughly corresponds to the potency, in terms of alcohol by volume, of the beer.  La Fin du Monde in particular is 9% ABV, and it shows.  Besides the alcohol, the only thing I could taste when I nursed this beer was the strong malt flavor.  It was all just too much, and I ended up only drinking about half of my beer.

That’s all for this week.  Join me next week when I hope to discuss the following beers:

Ommegang Three Philosophers

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Lytro

I happened to be perusing the inter-web (as I often do) and I came upon this neat little camera:

Lytro 

Rather than try to explain what it does in detail, I’ll just give you a brief synopsis.  The camera’s main draw is that it utilizes a new technology that makes it possible to focus pictures AFTER you’ve already taken them.  You can focus and re-focus on different parts of a picture as many times as you want.  This sounds great to someone like me who is forced to rely on auto-focus for my camera (cameras, if you count my android, which I do!).  The camera has a kind of funky shape; I wish they had a model that looked more like your standard camera, but oh well.

In case you’re interested, here is a review from Engadget that I thought was fairly helpful.  While the camera’s technology is pretty cool, it is also apparent that it is not without flaws.  If you’re considering getting one, just remember that it won’t replace you current camera(s) by any means.  However, there is a camera for every occasion and I can certainly think of some situations where this little guy would come in handy.  Now if only I had the money to buy it.

The Beauty of Sadness

“Great men are always of a nature originally melancholy.”

                                                                                - Aristotle

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that the most beautiful things to me are usually pretty sad.  Lots of people have asked me, “How can you find that beautiful?  Doesn’t it just get you down?”   The answer, quite simply, is yes, of course it gets me down, but that doesn’t mean I can’t also appreciate the inherent beauty.  Some of the most beautiful things can bring me to tears and make my heart feel like an under-inflated balloon.  Those moments, to me, are when you know the art is real.  Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy art that makes me smile and laugh, but rarely will art such as that resurface in my mind for days, weeks even.  In that respect, there is no comparison to the beauty of sadness.

Perhaps it’s the feeling that others have suffered as well; that you are not alone.   Whatever the case may be, I think I will always prefer, artistically at least, the melancholy to the joyful.

This is one of the saddest songs I know.

Album Review: Port of Morrow

The Shins’ (James Mercer’s) new album is here!  It’s been 5 long years since their last full length album was released and a lot has changed with the band.  Gone are Martin Crandall, Jesse Sandoval, and Dave Hernandez.  Newcomers include singer/songwriter Richard Swift, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer, Yuuki Matthews of Crystal Skulls, and Jessica Dobson.  Indeed, the only original band member remaining is Mercer and well, he IS The Shins.

I have to admit, when the single, Simple Song was released ahead of the album, I had high hopes.  And while, this album is clearly the weakest Shins album so far, it is still better than 90% of the crap on the radio and there are some gems to be found.  Overall, the album has a very mellow tone; you won’t find many poppy, upbeat tunes (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on your mood).  One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Mercer’s songwriting ability; he can still weave lyrics together that will make you feel as though you’re floating through an eerily beautiful dream.   Here are some of my favorite tunes off the new album:

Simple Song: “Girl, what a gift you tell me with your tongue and your breath goes in my lungs”

It’s Only Life: “Died in the womb you’ve been cornered by a natural desire.  You wanna hop along with the giddy throng through life.”

September: “Under our softly burning lamp she takes her time, telling stories of our possible lives.  And love is the ink in the well when her body writes.”

No Way Down: “Out beyond the western squalls, in an Indian land, they work for nothing at all.  They don’t know the mall or the layaway plan.”

Another interesting note about the album, the cover art was created by Jacob Escobedo.  At first glance it appears to be just a person standing atop a mountain; however, after closer examination I noticed that the “mountain” (specifically the right side) kind of resembles a human face in profile.

New Poem: Anatomy

I wrote this today after listening to some of The Shins new album on the way to work.  Not sure if it's finished but whatever.  Enjoy!

Anatomy

Quiet lives will creep inside
Our solitary sockets
Trapping time and old intangible knives
Inside some ticking lockets.

The dust-borne dreams will hide
The fated fact that growth
Makes even the simplest of cells divide
And spit the sallow yoke.

But the whir of wings within
Will give flight to sinking stones,
Strip fear of all its blood and marrow,
And give you hollow bones.

On Tap: Smorgasbord

This past week was filled with several new and exciting brews.  But before we get into that, I thought I’d share with you some fun “facts” I found on the internet.  I have no way of verifying any of these, so no idea if any of them are actually true, but they sure are fun!

• The first consumer protection law ever written was enacted over beer by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in 1516. It was a purity law limiting the ingredients of beer to barley, hops and water.
• Sprinkling a little salt on your napkin before you set your glass down will keep your beer glass or mug from sticking to it.
• The oldest known written recipe is for beer.
• The powers that be at Guinness say that a pint of beer is lifted about ten times, and each time about 0.56 ml is lost in a beer drinker’s facial hair. That’s a lot of wasted beer!
• Samuel Adams Triple Bock is the strongest beer in the world with 17% alcohol by volume. The strength is achieved by using champagne yeast.

Ok, onto the week’s winners and losers…sort of.  Last week was a good week, in terms of beer, and I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed all three beers I tried.   The first one I sampled was Kona Brewing Company’s Longboard Island Lager.  I enjoyed this beer Tuesday night with some pizza and my DVR.  I can safely say this was the best lager I’ve had so far; it had a deep, rich flavor that made it very easy to drink.

The second winner of the week was a German beer by the name of Augustiner Brau Munchen.  This one and the Longboard were both from my most recent Wegman’s six-pack.  I originally picked this one out because it had foil over the bottleneck and I thought it looked fancy (what can I say, it doesn’t take much).  There were no subtle notes with this beer, just good beer flavor, with a smooth finish and not too much hops.  

The third and final beer(s) of the week was Harp Premium Lager, which was the brew selected for the St. Patrick’s Day party at my work on Friday.  This one is a little difficult to describe, other than it was crisp and refreshing.  It was easy to drink more than one and I had to be careful not to overdo it with this beer.  The last thing I need is to make an ass of myself at work (no beer necessary for that).

Well, there you have it.  Join me next week when I hope to discuss the following brews:

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale

Dogfish Head Tweason’ale

Desperately Seeking Stuff

It has recently occurred to me that making lists of the things I like/want is FUN!  In the past I’d see things I thought were cool and then simply forget about them.  There are a number of reasons for this; either I figured I’d never be able to find it, or I’d never be able to afford it, or I’d look like a doof if I got it.  But no more!  I’ve started trying to keep lists of the things that interest me (having a smartphone with a notes app has made this much easier).  Not all the stuff is crazy expensive/unattainable, but there are a couple items that I don’t see myself ever really owning; that doesn’t mean I want them any less!  So, without further ado, here is what I’m coveting at the moment:

Cardigan (ala Kurt Cobain):  I know winter is almost over, but I’ve wanted a cardigan for a long time, but have always been too afraid to buy one.  I swear I will remedy this one day.

Emo glasses:  I’ve always felt I had kind of a plain face, and I think sporting a pair of funky glasses from time to time will help break up the monotony.  I ordered these yesterday and can’t WAIT for them to get here!

White belt: Who doesn’t need a white belt!?  I don’t own many belts and I definitely need to change that.

Facial hair:  Ok, so I know most women don’t really dig the scruffy look, but I kind of like it (and not just because I hate shaving).  The problem is my facial hair comes in somewhat patchy in spots so I could never grow a full-on beard, but part of me wishes I could.  Maybe I’ll splash some Rogaine on my face and see if that helps.

Album Review: Anarchy My Dear

As a diehard fan of Max Bemis’ voice and Say Anything in general, I was very anxiously awaiting the release of their new album, Anarchy My Dear.  I first fell in love with Say Anything back in 2004 with the release of their second full-length album, …Is A Real Boy.  That album is definitely on my all-time top ten list; I could listen to it on repeat for days.  However, it would be a mistake to compare their latest album to …Is A Real Boy.  As far as Say Anything goes, nothing will ever take the place in my heart that their second album occupies.  That being said, Anarchy My Dear is still a good album, with tracks that I’m sure will be blasting out of my car stereo for some time. 

One of my favorite things about Bemis’ lyrics is his ability to combine scathing comedic lines with unfiltered emotional outpourings.  In this respect, Anarchy My Dear, stays true to the bands past.  One thing listeners will notice, however, is that the album contains slower, more mid-tempo tunes than previous albums.   Here are some of my favorites off the new album:

Night’s Song: “Under the sun gods stare, I wince and blossom hives, counting the fractions of day, rotting away.”

So Good: “When the universe that is not comes to kill our love and trust, I only want a soul to know it feels so good with us.”

Peace Out: “You hug that pole like a firefighter falling in love.”

Their Notions: “But I’m just proud to know that we spit on their notions that our love parts the oceans, that our love fuels their motion.” This song is only available on the deluxe version of the CD, and I highly recommend you buy it!

The Art of Crying

I’m not sure what possessed me to write a blog post on the importance of crying, maybe because I sometimes need to remind myself that it’s ok to cry.  I can recall tons of times when I’ve cried.  I’ve cried in places too numerous to mention (my car, public bathrooms, my apartment, movie theaters, department stores, walking down the street, you name it).  Lots of things have made me cry (songs, movies, feeling alone, loss of a loved one, stress, the end of a relationship).  Mostly though, I tend to keep my tears a secret.  I don’t like to cry in front of other people, mostly because I feel that crying is a very personal thing.  I don’t want other people to know what moves me, what upsets me so greatly.  You can learn a lot about a person by seeing what makes them cry and I’m not sure I want anyone knowing me that well.  This is a problem.

Crying is healthy and one should let the tears flow freely when they come.  Bottling up your emotions will only lead to stress and anxiety and can even cause health problems.  Poets and novelists for years have known intuitively that crying is somehow good for us.  William Shakespeare, for example, wrote, "To weep is to make less the depth of grief."  And poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote about a woman who learned her husband had been killed, "She must weep, or she will die."  Crying is cathartic; it offers a sense of relief.  A number of studies have also been done to show that crying purges the body of harmful chemicals that build up during periods of stress.  By releasing these chemicals, crying helps the body become less susceptible to illness.

Now if you’re like me, you might be wondering, “Just what makes people cry?”  Well, thanks to William Frey, who had subjects keep "tear diaries" during a study conducted at the Dry Eye and Tear Research Center, the following pattern was discovered:

• Sadness accounts for 49% of tears;
• Happiness, 21%;
• Anger, 10%
• Sympathy, 7%
• Anxiety 5%
• Fear 4%

So what does all this mean?  It means that when you want to cry, cry.  Don’t hold back because you’re scared, or ashamed, or afraid to let people see the real you.  Crying is natural and healthy, and you just might feel better after a good cry.

On Tap: Summer Ales

After a brief, one-week hiatus, On Tap is back folks!  And boy do I have some fun stuff to discuss this week.  But before we get into the weeks brews, I’d like to discuss a topic that interests me: pairing beer with my favorite foods.   Being a relatively new beer drinker, I often wrestle with the problem of which beer would compliment my meal best.  The wrong beer with the wrong meal can make for a most unpleasant experience… and a lot of wasted beer!  Insert, He Said Beer, She Said Wine: Impassioned Food Pairings to Debate and Enjoy –from Burgers to Brie and Beyond.  A friend was kind enough to tell me about the book and I must say, I am very tempted to buy it.  The book is co-authored by Marnie Old, an esteemed sommelier (wine guru), and Sam Calagione, owner of the renowned craft brewery DogFish Head.  Now, I probably wouldn’t be that interested in the wine section but I’m betting that the owner of DogFish Head brewery knows a thing or two about beer.  Anyway, I just thought I’d share that in case you are like me and don’t always know what beer to enjoy with your food.

Ok, onto the week’s winners and losers.  The big winner this week was another from the Leinenkugel family, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy.  Now I bet you’re saying to yourself, “Wait, I thought this was a seasonal brew.  It’s not summer!”  Well, I thought the same thing when I saw it sitting in Wegman’s just waiting for me to enjoy.  Apparently, summer has come early and I couldn’t be happier.  Summer Shandy is a beer infused with the citrusy deliciousness of lemonade.  It is a slightly tart delight that I can see going very well with some grilled barbeque chicken or lounging by the pool.  I can safely say that Leinenkugel now makes the two beers closest to my heart.

Another winner, and a bit of a surprise, was a beer I tried while out to dinner at El Rodeo: Cerveza Pacifico Clara (or simply, Pacifico).  Pacifico is a Mexican pilsner-style beer that is smooth, without too much of the hoppiness that is common among pilsners.  I enjoyed mine with a slice of lime (What can I say?  I’m a fan of citrus) and some tasty tacos.  This is definitely a beer I can see enjoying while sitting on the beach.

The only loser of the week was another rare miss by Leinenkugel.  The beer in question: Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown.  The beer was slightly bitter for me and had a bit of a metallic aftertaste.  Overall, just kind of a letdown. 

Well, that’s all for this week.  Join me next week when I hope to discuss the following brews:

Whatever’s left in my Wegman’s six-pack!  :-)

Vampire Summer

So if you haven’t guessed by now, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of summer.  Ever since I was little, summer has been one of my favorite times of year.  I love feeling the grass on my bare feet, going swimming, fireworks, long days, and warm nights.  To go along with all of this, I have been searching for an anthem of sorts, a soundtrack for my summer, and I think I’ve found it.

If you haven’t heard of Vampire Weekend by now, you must be living under a rock.  I only recently got introduced to them, but they are fast becoming one of my favorite bands.  Their music is poppy and fun, while their lyrics are sharp and witty.  Their sound has been described as “Afro-pop” and I think it suits them well.  I’m sad that they currently aren’t on tour because I would love to go see them, but word on the street is they are in the middle of recording their third studio album.  SO EXCITED!  If it could come out around, say June, that would be perfect. J

Anyway, here are some of their best stuff (in my humble opinion), but really I don’t think they’ve made a song that I don’t like.

25 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1.  I’ve piloted an airplane (if only for a few minutes).

2.  I walked in on my parents doing “it” on 3 separate occasions (…the horror).

3.  I’ve never broken a bone or had surgery.

4.  I’ve smoked pot.

5.  I got my first girlfriend when I was 18, the summer after I graduated high school.

6.  I use to be really into hacky sack (perhaps that explains #5)

7.  I graduated at the top of my elementary school class.

8.  I got kicked out of preschool.

9.  I once ate 16 meatballs for dinner (which is still a Kalis family record).

10. I once dislocated my dad’s finger playing a game we invented called “balloon hockey”.

11. My house burnt down when I was 11.

12. When I was 8, I memorized Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs and Ham and recited it for fun.

13. I can do the following impressions pretty well:

a. Pee Wee Herman’s laugh

b. Charlie-in-the-box from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

c. Gollum from Lord of the Rings

14. I use to sell my old toys to my sisters for their allowance money.

15. I am awesome at chess.

16. I didn’t have a cell phone until my sophomore year of college.

17. When I was little I used to wet the bed and blame it on our cats.

18. My first kiss was in kindergarten.  While at recess I kissed a girl I liked on the hand and ran away.

19. I’ve had the following pets: 2 gerbils, 6 hamsters, 2 beta fish, 2 lizards, a rat, a rabbit, and 2 dogs.

20. I sometimes make up new lyrics to my favorite songs.

21. If I could be anything in the world I would be a famous writer.

22. When I was younger, a drunk driver drove his car into our house.  It ended up just feet from where I     was sleeping.

23. I once used magic markers to make my older sister into a clown.  She got really mad when it wouldn’t wash off.

24. I use to love sleepovers at my grandmother’s apartment.

25. My biggest fear is death.

Poetry: A Passing Dream

Since I crapped out on doing a blog post yesterday, I thought it only fair that today should be a two-for.  Short, but sweet.

A Passing Dream

Passing a cornfield just before

The winter

Something in me wants to go

Out into that cornfield and

Sleep

Sleep till the buzzards are

Circling low overhead, luring them

Down

Just to get up screaming

And scare the shit out of those

Cowards.

Road Trip

We’re well into March guys and though it still feels like winter, I can’t help but look ahead to spring and particularly, summer.  I’ve been thinking a lot about things I want to do in my life and fun summer trips are definitely up there on the list.  I usually make the obligatory trip to the ocean, which I thoroughly enjoy, but the rest of the summer is usually spent lounging around and being lazy; I want to change this.  Summer provides me with a significant lull in my work load and I need to take advantage of it.

When I think about places I might want to visit, I usually end up day dreaming more about the drive than the actual destination.  I love the idea of road trips with friends and family to far away destinations, cruising the highway in fun summer clothes, my favorite tunes blasting through the stereo, stopping at random restaurants that end up being awesome (or awesomely bad).   I would love to pile into a car with the people close to me and hit the open road, ditching my GPS in favor of old school maps and my intuition.  To me, the adventure is half the fun (if not more) and anything you can do along the way to make things more unpredictable, the better.  It’s been my experience that the best memories are made when the unexpected happens.

As for places to go, I’m wide open.  I’d love to eventually see all 50 states, but there are definitely ones that take priority.  I hear Boston and Maine are beautiful and I’m sure they’d provide excellent picture taking opportunities.  I would love to see the Grand Canyon some day.  Lots of places in California I’d like to visit.  But the destination doesn’t HAVE to be anything special; like I said, I’m all about the adventure.  I’d travel half-way across the country to hear one of my favorite bands, go to an amusement park, eat at a cool restaurant I saw while watching the Food Network, it doesn’t matter.  To some people it might sound crazy to drive all that way for a concert or a restaurant, but to me, you’re doing it as much for the adventure as you are to get where it is you’re going.

Destiny

Destiny, a predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.  Do you believe in it?  Do you believe that when we are born, our lives begin down a set path and that all of our choices are predetermined?  Personally, I don’t, but I’ve been thinking a lot about destiny lately.

Now, although I’ve said before that I don’t necessarily believe in God, that’s not to say that I don’t believe that things happen for a reason.  Everything happens for a reason; whether or not you believe that reason to be God’s plan is your own prerogative.  I personally believe that people are the makers of their own destiny.

My little sister once likened her life to a train on a track.  She said that she believed that as you go through life there are signs along the way to help guide you in the right direction or help you switch tracks if necessary.  You can choose to pay attention to the signs or you can choose to ignore them and each time you do, your destiny will be altered by those choices.

I have a nasty habit of living in the past (and sometimes trying to relive it).  I often think about the choices I’ve made in my life that have brought me to this point.  I think about other choices I could have made and what my life might be like had I made them.  I think about the signs I’ve ignored.  I think about the signs I’ve followed and whether or not they were actually signs at all.  It is certainly a maddening endeavor, thinking about the past, but sometimes one can’t help but look back and wonder if the choices they’ve made were the right ones.

Poetry: Driving at Night

This is one of the first poems I ever wrote.  I remember using the ancient printer at the local library to print out the first copy.  Anyway, it's not great, but it takes me back in time.  Enjoy!

Driving at Night

We milled along the old church road

That led down Amber Lane.

I listened to the cricket’s song,

On balmy air it flowed.

The night air was a perfume dense

That smelled of sweet September,

That lingered long around my head,

Suffocating every sense.

The withered trees did bend and sway

And whistle in the wind,

A cold and broken melody

That called to waning day.

We passed a field of wheat and grass,

Adorned with fire-flies,

That seemed a beacon in the night

Among the broken glass.

The leaves did tumble on the ground

And rustle as we passed,

So we paid witness to their dance

And nary made a sound.

The harvest moon loomed in the sky,

The last of summer’s yield,

Reminding me of what I’d reap

And what would surely die.

And when we reached our journey’s end,

The lonesome drive was done

And all that breathless earthy din

Lay down that final bend.