This Weekend in Funville

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Okay… I’m going to start off with a  few things that I forgot to mention last weekend… because it was busy. Last Wednesday night was the start of the Rogue Independence Day Garage Sale, where you can usually find some pretty good ideas like cases of 24-12 oz bottles for about $20-25 (take into account a case of reusable bottles for homebrewing, it’s like $10 for beer), dollar pint glasses, discounted T-shirts & other merchandise. Though there have been great deals in the past, this time around it wasn’t much. I got about 30% off on their anniversary ale (which was delicious) and I bought a nice $10 tie-dye T-shirt (which should’ve been free for my birthday according to their original Rogue Nation pitch) but other than there, there really wasn’t anything. Maybe next time…

 

Also, big announcement everybody… we finished our keg of ChocoNut Stout!!! Yup, in three weeks we went through five gallons of that sweet dark deliciousness… but to be fair, it wasn’t all us. After factoring in growlers that we donated to Izzy’s Aunts, Big Ben & Super Dave, the SF Homebrewers Guild, and other sharing… we maybe got half of it… but it was delicious & we’ll certainly have to do it again. The recipe was pretty easy (once we figured out the basics of kegging) and obviously delicious. We’ll find out soon if it’s award-winning… but at the very least, a decent beer to just have around. What does that mean? We have an empty keg and probably the next thing to go in it will be one of our beers for the family reunion in September. We’re thinking a Pale Ale & our award-winning Honey Amber… but we shall see. We’re still open to suggestions.

 

Also last week, I mentioned that we decided to put a little wait on the Pale Ale recipe that we were going to try… as the real target date for freshness is early September and we only need about three weeks to do that quick recipe… so instead, we did the California Common. However, I forgot to elaborate on the process of how we came to that decision. You see, leading up to the weekend, I decided to put out on Facebook that we were taking suggestions… and kinda did our first “Crowdsourced” brew. Now, it’s not funded or anything… just taking people’s suggestions… and kinda picking one that sounds good to try. There were some great suggestions ranging from a Caramel & Sea Salt Stout (possible future attempt) to Strawberry Blondes to things involving Cherries… which were all great ideas.

 

However, when it was all said & done… there was one that sounded like a great summer beverage… and a bit of a challenge. You see, a fellow leader on the SF Homebrewer’s Guild named JJ suggested that we do a California Common, of which she has won MANY prestigious awards for her recipe. I jokingly said “Hmm… if only I had an award-winning recipe to start from…” or something like that… and basically within a few minutes she had sent me her recipe… correction: THE Recipe for a California Common. Well, having tried her version on a few occasions, it’s absolutely delicious… and now, Izzy & I are going to try to see if we can recreate the recipe to these incredible standards, much like we did with Elevation 66’s ChocoNut Stout. We shall find out soon enough… and of course, JJ gets a growler (and more if she wants it… but I’m sure she has plenty of her own at home).

 

Especially since next weekend, we’re taking part in a 20-gallon Cali Common Brew Day of her recipe at Motobrewer for entry into the Northern California Homebrewers Festival in September. Basically the same recipe that we’re a week into… but on a larger scale to share with fellow homebrewers… and probably take home a ribbon or two… because it’s pretty amazing. More on that next week though…

 

THIS Saturday morning, we woke up early (for a weekend) to observe a collaboration brew between the SF Homebrewers Guild & FreeWheel Brewing in Redwood City. You may recall from back in December that FreeWheel Brewing specializes in cask conditioned ales… which are typically English milds or stouts with a lower carbonation so they typically have a smoother, richer taste & texture that most beers for easy drinkability (and lower alcohol content as well). The brewmaster & the assistant brewmistress walked through the setup & process on how they were going to brew this next batch… which was a lost recipe for a Ruby Mild that we had found in another guy’s book… but yeah, it sounded very intriguing & should be amazing. Here are some pictures…

 

After we got things started & more people started showing up, unfortunately their brewery isn’t big (like… maybe 100 square feet of moving around space in there) so we kinda took turns between observing… and enjoying some of their brews on tap in their dining area. They also have some great, non-pretentious food there to go along with it. Here are more pictures…

 

A few minutes in the World Cup 3^rd place game, we headed out to Orangevale (near Sacramento) to pick up some beer at Heretic (cuz it’s amazing) and meet up with some of Izzy’s friends… but first, we stopped by Orangevale Meats to get some exotic burger patties (boar, buffalo, kangaroo, elk, venison, etc) and sausages. We got some Hunter’s Sausage & Bockwurst. We also stopped by a grocery store called WinCo to get some bulk goods. Afterwards, Izzy took me to a nice Mongolian BBQ place & we hid from the 100+ degree temps outside. Good eats all around.

 

Then as the sun started to go down, we met up with her friends at the taproom Final Gravity for their 2^nd Anniversary Barrel Aged Celebration, complete with a list of 10+% ABV beverages and birthday cake. We were there for a few hours (don’t worry, I was hella responsible since we drove back around midnight) and just had a good time catching up & tasting various brews. If you’re in the Sacramento area, definitely check it out.

 

Sunday, we met up with some of Izzy’s other friends at Little Star Pizza in the part of SF known as the Western Addition (?) over by Alamo Square… and we tried some of their highly-regarded pizza that often listed as Top 5 in SF. Well, yes, the pizza was great… we had both thin crust & their deep dish to try out… but the service was hella slow (like well over an hour wait & yes, I know we ordered deep dish… but they had time for a mulligan & we were the first ones there before the post-World Cup final rush) and… yeah, it was the post-World Cup rush… and there was a group of drunken douches (male and female) who were just as load as they could possibly be. Hell, we even yelled our conversation at some point to emphasize it & they were too f**king stupid to realize it… we’ll blame it on culture I guess… but yeah, not the setting for loud-mouthed douchery… so maybe get the pizza to go? Anyway, we then walked off the pizza by Alamo Square…

 

Then had a few drinks at Mini Bar before heading over to Barrel Head Brewing a few blocks away. Now, this place is fairly new… and let’s be honest, they have a few fermenters that made their three in-house selections (Black Kolsch, nitro-carbonated Rye & a Saison that I didn’t care for) but they’re essentially a taproom for other breweries while making some of their own. Overall, a great place with decent service… and the beer is pretty good, especially if you know what you like.

 

Anyway, that was the weekend… next week, Big Brewday at Motobrewer in preparation for the NCHF… and also, a trip out to Truckee to hang in the mountains with Izzy’s Aunts and introduce you all to one of my favorite breweries… Fifty Fifty!!! Have a great day everybody!!!

Weekend Back in the Bay

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

YES!!! I have returned from Alaska successfully... and it was f**king amazing!!! However, there's a lot to talk about & even more amazing pictures to show... so that'll be for another post when/if I have time. Until that happens (mostly because work is f**king crazy) here's a little recap of the week since I returned.

Well, before that even... before we left, we transferred some Torpedo Clone... behold...

Wednesday through Friday, I worked furiously... and my coworkers were glad to have me back...

Saturday, Izzy & I went to the San Mateo County Fair... mostly because we got free tickets & parking for entering the Homebrew Competition... and Izzy loves the animals being a farm girl at heart... and let's face it, you know what's there & either you're in or you're not. It's good to see some of the art that's up there... and there's carnival games... it's a county fair.

Big Surprise!!! Izzy won 3rd place in the Homebrew Label Competition... and we didn't know until we saw her design in the display case. Sure, I came up with the concept & rough sketch... but her skills made it a reality. Congratulations beautiful!!!

Sunday was Izzy's birthday... number 29 of course. No, for real... it's her 29th, not like all you faking ladies out there. To celebrate, her sister, best friend & their respective men came down to have some fun. We all met up (a few hours late shockingly) and had lunch at Café Avellino, then drove down to Pacifica to spent some time at the beach...

After that, her sister bailed... but the rest of us went to Rogue Ales Public House so that Izzy could get her free T-shirt & birthday beer. Well... shockingly, they no longer do the free T-shirts (gasp!!!) which was lame... but then again, the birthday beer was a liter mug of some of their fine brew... so you take what you can get for free. We had a great time... and unfortunately watched the Heat eek out a victory in Game 2 of the Finals (Spurs in five) but it was great to hang with Izzy's friends & make her birthday fun... and let's face it, I took her to Alaska so their gifts aren't sh*t.

The past few days has been more work, catching up, doing all that... so yeah, hopefully in the next few days I can get to telling you about trip to Alaska... but until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Sweetest of the Sweet Science

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

So… I kinda hafta get this out first & foremost because… well, you’ll see…

 

RETURN OF DMX – Yes… the multi-platinum rap GOD, star of Season 1 of “Couples Therapy”, and occasion Christmas carol enthusiast is returning to the limelight… and it’s even better than you think. This time, he'll be stepping into a boxing ring… against everybody’s favorite neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. Yes… Hate Crime will be coming to your TV set in the near future… with commercials. Although no contract has been signed, a promoter is negotiating the bout as we speak. "DMX has promised to 'beat his ass,' but no contract or paperwork has been signed or agreed to yet," DMX spokesman Domenick Nati told CNN Wednesday. Best part: Zimmerman said the celebrity boxing match was HIS IDEA!!! Boxing was his hobby, he told Radar Online last month, even prior to the "incident." The incident, of course, is the February 2012 encounter in which he shot dead an unarmed 17-year old Trayvon Martin. He stood trial for murder but was acquitted last year. "Prior to the incident, I was actually going to the gym for weight loss and doing boxing-type training for weight loss," he told Radar. "A mutual friend put me in contact with Damon and provided me with an opportunity and motivation to get back in shape and continue with my weight loss goals and also be able to help a charity out." Damon is Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing and a self-described opportunist whose claim to fame is putting together bizarre matchups. Think Tonya Harding, Michael Lohan. He said last week that he was accepting offers for someone to step into the ring for a three-round, pay-per-view fight with Zimmerman. "The news has been out for an hour and my e-mail is overloaded with 8,000 people wanting to fight George," Feldman told CNN on Thursday. Early Wednesday morning, he said he'd picked the contender. Out of more than 15,000 e-mailed requests, he's going with DMX. Praise Jesus! "The match will be one of the Biggest Celebrity Boxing matches of all time," his news release said (uppercase emphasis his). But in order to find out where and when it will take place, we'll have to wait until next week. Feldman said Wednesday he was shooting for March 15^th. Of course… if you’re looking for a fair fight… DMX is who you want in the ring. He's out for blood, he told TMZ. Not only will he break every rule in boxing, he said, he'll "beat the living (expletive)" out of Zimmerman. Not everyone welcomes the chance to see Zimmerman taking punches… even if it’s HIS IDEA!!! Rev. Al Sharpton told a Los Angeles group Wednesday that he was concerned "about the precedent that it sets." Yes… Rev. Al Sharpton doesn’t like the idea of grown men getting paid money to fight. I wonder how he feels about boxing in general… or the predominant denomination of athletes who make their living at it professionally. You know, Tommy Morrison and such. Too soon? "We must be very careful not to glorify or in any way sidestep the implications of making someone whose only claim to fame was killing an unarmed young man named Trayvon Martin into a cultural celebrity or hero," Sharpton said. A petition has been launched on Change.org calling for the planned boxing event to be canceled. "This is a blatant show of disrespect and nothing positive or righteous would come from such a stunt," it reads. Yes… it’s horrible… but George Zimmerman wants to do it… Earl Simmons wants to do it (DMX)… they’ll both be compensated… whatever. Let it be, Reverend. Besides… who doesn’t want to watch a man who’s overcome everything from child abuse… to crack addiction… to a top rapper… to a Hollywood leading man… in & outta jail… and now, he’s going in the ring against a guy who’s famous for doing stupid sh*t that the laws in Florida condone. THERE WILL BE BLOOD!!! And I want to see it spilt. More to come…

 

Tuesday night, I watched “You’re Next” starring… well, it’s a horror flick so you may recognize a few faces… but the only I did was a guy I knew from a few Farrelly Brothers flicks in the mid-90’s. The story revolves around a very well-to-do family who meet at their isolated summer home in the woods to celebrate their parents’ wedding anniversary… but then some unexpected visitors start picking off family members with crossbows… and machetes… and it goes from there. That’s really the whole story… and yes, it’s VERY predictable, even the “twists” that they throw in… but overall, not horrible for a horror flick… just that it’s been done over & over again. Better than most I’d say though. There are a couple parts that are just really cheesy… but hey, that’s half the reason that you watch, right? Yeah… pretty standard… that’s about all I gotta say about that.

  

Wednesday night, I was invited to a special screening of “The Monuments Men” starring George Clooney (also directed & co-wrote), Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchette and a host of others. This tells the true story (by Hollywood standards) of a group of art professors, architects, etc. who braved WWII to find & return countless pieces of incredible art during the final days of WWII. See, as the History Channel will confirm, Hitler’s plans were to take almost all of the art in Europe (and eventually the world) and move it to his epicly massive Fuhrer Museum that we planned to build in his hometown of Linz, Austria as a symbol of his Third Reich being the epicenter of all culture in the world. So while he was invading & taking over countries… he would then send in specialists (similar to the Monuments Men) in to get the art and send it back to Germany for storage until construction was completed. Well, then they ended up losing ground… and so then they started storing the works of art in secret locations… and then when their defeat seemed imminent, the orders were to simply destroy the art and wipe away a very large part of European culture along with it. Literally MILLIONS of pieces of art were involved in this epic snatch-and-grab job. So that’s where these Monuments Men come in… and try to find & take back all of the art before it’s destroyed. The problem is not only the Germans burning the art… but the Russian have their own team doing the exact same thing, looking for the art in order to start paying reparations for the 20 million people who died in the war. So then it’s a race against the clock… and by the way, it’s a bunch of middle aged art nerds in the middle of WWII.

 

I really enjoyed this movie… but it’s exactly what you would expect. There’s a few surprises but no real major twists. Americans & Brits are the good guys… the Germans& Russians are bad… the French are arrogant & so on. Some of the jokes may be a little high brow than I’m used to… and others were just… not that funny… but you know, it didn’t really drag on until a little towards the end. It’s a full two hours… you’ll have a few laughs… you’ll see a great historical story… it’s what you want it to be. No more, no less. Another special treat of this screening was that it was hosted or something by The Legion of Honor Museum (they have a few of the recovered pieces by the way) and one of the actual Monuments Men was able to attend… which by my calculations would’ve made him like… 95 to 125 years old. They presented him… and I’m pretty sure that he had no idea what was going on… but still, kinda cool. I’d recommend checking the movie out… but not necessarily in a theatre where they’re going to charge you $15 a pop… unless maybe you’re a well-to-do art student. I think Dizzy would really like it… and maybe get some of the jokes that missed with me.

 

Thursday night, Dizzy, Jackie D & I went to Brainstormer Trivia Night at Rogue Ales Public House in North Beach. It’s exactly what it sounds like… drunk people form teams (some are veterans there every week) and compete with trivial knowledge & offensive team names. Our team name of “Harry Seaward” was tame considered to some others… like “Philip Seymour Hoffman – Five Days Sober” and “Putin, Eat My P**sy Riot”. Anyway, six rounds of questions running the gamut of popular culture… and basically rounds of beers to accompany them in order to win fabulous prizes. Well, despite my suspicions that some of the teams were blatantly cheating by using their phones… we finished 4^th on our first time staying until the end. I’m proud of us… and I feel like we can do better in the future… but we’ll see if I can afford it. We were there for about four hours so that we’d have a table so… drinks were had.

 

That’ll do it for tonight… join us next time when we’ll share all the adventures of SF Beer Week, starting today & running until next Sunday. It should be quite interesting… or at least I’ll try to make it seem interesting. Have a great weekend everybody!!!