A Tad Askew

December Boys Got it Bad

2011-08-19T04:27:00.001-07:00

File Under: Yeah...

2011-08-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

I finally forced myself out of the house and on the bike late this afternoon. I wasn't feeling all that great, but the weather was perfect for a ride. Somewhere along the way, my Garmin quit working. Not a big deal, though, because I know the roads pretty well still.

I was going to do my normal 20 mile loop on the bottom road, but as I was riding I started feeling a little better, so I kept going towards Highway 4. In the end, I rode about 43 miles. It was neither as bad as it could have been nor as easy as it should have been.

Well, you have a lot of time to think on a bike, and my mind covered many topics. What I finally figured out though, was this: simply knowing you're out there somewhere makes me happy.

I'm back baby

2011-08-12T19:04:00.001-07:00

Gone daddy gone, that's what this blog was. Perhaps it still is. Time will tell, but maybe you should buckle your seat belts...

From the Dept of Shameless Self-Promotion

2008-12-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

I always hate when I get contacted to give my perspective on...anything. Usually it's brewing, but sometimes someone throws something else in (I was once interviewed by someone in North Carolina about politics, for crying out loud).

Thus, when I heard from Brew Your Own magazine about my perspectives on turning pro, the only thought I had was "this will end in tears." Fortunately for BYO and myself, I now have a friend who looks at anything I say in a public forum and makes it more...shall we say... palatable...

I'm 0 for 3

2008-11-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

In the last three Presidential elections. It is my contention, however, that McCain was not beaten by Obama, but rather by Bush. The same holds true for many of the Senate and House races. This, of course, means I've been beaten by Bush three times, which doesn't bode well.

It's unfortunate that I didn't have a blog 4 years ago, because I could have shown myself to be quite the prognosticator. You see, four years ago, while debating with people who were going to vote for Bush I predicted if he was elected to a second term we would all be sorry. Not just with the mess he would leave us with, but the fact that the pendulum would swing too far left in the next election. Sorry partisans, but most of the US is quite centrist. You elect someone too far to the right, the next person will be too far to the left.

Perhaps Obama will prove me wrong. Perhaps he will in fact be a great President. But I gotta tell you, I heard a lot of the same hollow talk from him during the campaign that I heard eight and four years ago from W. That doesn't give me any warm fuzzy feeling.

Thus, with my retirement worth less than half of what it was a couple of months ago, I'm doing the only thing that makes sense...I'm going to Germany to drink beer and eat sausages...talk at you when I get back.

It's called phishing...

2008-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting here listening to Nick Drake "Pink Moon," which reminded me of our Desert Island Discs...and then I started to wonder...where the hell is everyone? I still hear from MK and JN, but my east coast smart-girl contingent Rorschach and CJ have disappeared (as have their blogs), and our heartland grad school hopeful hobo is very sporadic at best. So, here's to hoping you're all still well. Drop a line every once in a while, if only to let us know you're still alive (or I'm still an idiot).

Best commercial....ever

2008-10-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's gotta be frustrating...

2008-10-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

...to be beaten by the same person twice. That's what McCain faces now. He was defeated by W in 2000, and he will be defeated by him again in 2008. Because it doesn't matter

Did you ever notice...

2008-10-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

...that politicians are not unlike folks who write diet books. The latter likes to tell us we can eat whatever we want, not exercise, and *still* lose weight. The former tells us they can cut taxes, introduce a multitude of new spending, and still be better off in four years. It's classic hucksterism folks. You don't get something for nothing. But that's what we all want, and the politicians shovel the crap for us to consume.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? It seems that neither party has ever heard of it, at least during an election cycle. The economic problems we are now faced with show us the problems with America. We all think we deserve more than we have, we all want more than we can afford, and we want it now. I don't know about you, but I grew up in a household where we had to decide what we wanted to spend our money on. And then we saved for it. It wasn't our *right* to have anything. We were the captains of our destiny.

I don't know if either Obama or McCain truly believe what they say, or are merely saying it to get elected. But I do know this...you cannot cut taxes and increase spending and still think you are fiscally responsible, just as you cannot consume more calories than you burn and expect to lose weight. It's simple math people. Apparently too simple for the *smart* people to understand...

Let me get this straight

2008-09-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lending money to people to purchase a house for no money down and no readily identifiable proof that they will be able to make mortgage payments is a bad idea. Who'd have thunk it?

An unexpected visitor

2008-09-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I awoke at 2:30am after a moth struck me in the face. Groggily I opened my eyes, and attempted to focus on the culprit. And finally, I saw him, flying about the room bouncing off walls. That my friends, was no moth. It was a bat.

I'm not a big fan of bats. I understand they serve an important part in our ecological system, but it's my opinion they can provide their service outside of my home. Needless to say, I scrambled out of bed quickly, and went to the living room closet to retrieve the universal anti-bat device: a tennis racquet.

When I arrived back in the bedroom the bat promptly flew into my closet. I poked around, but could not see where it had landed. So I closed the door, blocked the cracks at the bottom of the door, and went back to bed.

Around 5 am, he was out again. This time I chased him into the living room and opened the door to the deck. He really wasn't interested in going back outside. With my trusty tennis racquet, I knocked him to the ground and flipped him onto the deck outside. He was only a bit stunned, because he took off into the night seconds after he was tossed onto the deck.

So the next day, I'm having a cup of coffee at my computer, and hear a scratching in my closet. Damn, there's still one in there. I opened the door, beat the tennis racquet around, and finally saw him clinging to one of my shirts. Once again, I knocked him to the floor and using a rag picked him up and escorted him outside.

By this time, I'm a little freaked out because now I've had two bats in my house in the same night. I start looking for possible entries, none of which made any sense to me. The problem is, although bats look pretty big when they are flying, they are actually quite small. A little research showed that they can get through a space only a quarter of an inch large. I'm guessing they came in through the window frame where there was a small gap.

During my research, I discovered on the CDC website it is recommended you undergo rabies treatment if you have a bat in your bedroom. Their teeth are so small that you probably will have no idea if you were bit. Further reading yielded this tidbit: there are only six documented cases in the US of a human surviving untreated rabies. On the flip side, there has never been a fatality when treatment was administered.

So, to make a long story a bit longer, I am now undergoing rabies treatment. It's not like the old days where the shots are administered with a long needle through the stomach lining. The ongoing treatment is simply a shot in the arm, no big deal, really. The first part of the treatment, however, still kind of sucks. You need to get enough human anti-rabies immunoglobulin in your system to protect you until your body can build up the anti bodies. The dosage is based on weight, and mine came out to be 11 ml. Here's the rub-you can only inject about 2 ml at a time. So I got 5 shots: 1 in each hip, two in my left thigh, and one in my right. Add in the vaccine in my right arm for a grand total of 6 the first day.

So that's my public service announcement for the day. If you come into contact with a bat, you better head to the doctor. I just read in the paper yesterday that 2 bats tested positive for rabies in Winona, MN. That's a bit surprising, as only 1/2 percent of the bat population carry rabies.

Elections make me tired and bored

2008-09-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

If you broke it down, I wonder how much time is spent by a candidate telling you why you should not vote for their opponent instead of telling you why you should vote for them. I bet the numbers would be quite shocking.

I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. I bet if you look at the voting records of people, more often they vote to prevent someone from winning rather than voting for someone they truly want to win. Perhaps I've just realized the problem with the two party system; I don't know. But it exhausts me.

It's Deja Vu all over again

2008-08-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it- George Santayana

I keep thinking to myself, it's the 80's all over again. There is a phenomenon in the brewing industry that we insiders like to call "thin and wide." Basically, it boils down to the fact that you cannot sell enough of your beer in a local or even regional market; thus, you end up shipping your beer to as many states as you can. This model almost killed craft brewing in the 1980's. And here we are in 2008, and it's happening again.

Beer has always been, and should always remain, a local product. Peter Austin once stated that beer should never travel farther than a horse could walk in one day. Mr Austin was referring to cask-conditioned beer, but really, how does that differ from unpasteurized (and often unfiltered) beer today? Beer that most likely will not be refrigerated during its journey, nor will it be kept cold at its final destination. I refer to these beers as a disaster waiting to happen.

The ideal situation, of course, is these beers will reach their final destination, be promptly purchased and consumed by some lover of beer. Ideal situations, unfortunately, rarely happen. What is more likely is that some amount will promptly be purchased, and the rest will sit on the shelf for God knows how long. Now your ideal case is the beer will simply be bad. Worst case? Take a look at this.

So who, exactly, is to blame? In my view, everyone. Blame the brewers for not understanding they are not making something that is going to set the world on fire. Of course, they should have realized this before they started sending their beers to 49 states when they are only producing 2000 Bbls a year (there are brewpubs larger than that, for crying out loud). Blame the distributors, bars, and liquor stores for driving sales by always having to get something new, and once they receive it sticking it on a shelf and forgetting about it. Distributors and retailers have a responsibility to remove old beer from the system; yet, they seldom do. It's gotten to be like the music industry; everyone is looking for the next big thing to cash in on.

But you also have to blame a small segment of consumers, whose voice seems to carry much more weight than their numbers would suggest. The so-called beer aficionados, who don't care very much about what they have, but are more interested in what they don't have.

I don't expect the consumers, retailers, or distributors to back off. It's time for the brewers to step up. If you're not selling more than a couple thousand barrels in your local market, maybe it's time to re-evaluate what you're making instead of simply shipping beer everywhere to meet your growth estimates. If you do that, everyone wins in the end. Consumers get fresh beer, and you get to sleep at night knowing the beer you worked so hard to produce was enjoyed in the form you intended it to be.

Oops, we got our VP picks mixed up

2008-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm waiting to hear, at least. Obama, running a campaign based on change, picks someone who's been in the Senate since 1973. McCain, running on a campaign based on experience, picks someone who was mayor of an Alaskan town of 8471 people 2 years ago.

2008-08-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

Damn, there goes my cover

Hey Dumbass

2008-07-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

If it's really so important for me and everyone else in the world to check out your Myspace page, here's a tip

Disable your music link

Why, you ask? Two reasons...first, I didn't go to your site to find out what kind of crappy music you listen to. If I wanted to listen to crappy music, I'd turn on my radio. Second, you crappy music player is locking up my web browser.

We now return to your life, already in progress...

I got 49 cents burning a hole in my pocket

2008-07-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Should I buy

A donut
A cup of very cheap coffee
Or this

I think we know the answer...

I'm no doctor, but you may want to lay off the crack pipe for a while

2008-07-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

I was just reading about the purchase of A-B on CNN, and found the following comment quite amusing

And, with Stella Artois, we may finally get some drinkable beer instead of the swill A-B produces

Me, I'm holding out for Stella Light.

2008-06-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I received a phone call from one of the guys I went to Germany with last November. I was out riding my bike at the time, and was left with a voicemail that simply stated "This is Jay, give me a call." My immediate thought was in these trying times of hop shortages, he was probably looking for hops, and I had none to offer.

I called Jay back after dinner, and the first thing out of his mouth when I told him it was me was "How do you spell Schäufele?" I started laughing and asked "How the hell did you get my phone number?"

We talked for a while, and Jay said "Man, it's great to hear your voice."

Jay passed away this morning, at a mere 48 years of age.

I wish I could hear his voice today.

Godspeed.

Now I need a larger house

2008-05-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

I saw a commercial tonight about some disinfectant that would eliminate the rhinovirus while another brand wouldn't. Unfortunately, I don't remember which was which. Thus, I have a 50/50 chance of returning to my abode someday and finding a full-grown rhino in my living room. Stupid short attention span...

I still like the bear

2008-05-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1980's, G Heileman Brewing operated on a somewhat flawed business model. They snapped up struggling regional breweries, closed a lot of them, and brewed regional beers in centralized locations. The problem with this idea, as they found out, was if you are brewing Lone Star beer for the Texas market in Wisconsin, then ship it to Texas to sell at $9.99 a case, transportation costs are going to kill you, which they eventually did. As my good friend Paul once told me "You can't make up for negative financials with volume." Of course, the volume wasn't there anyhow.

I told you that story to tell you this: while digging through a filing cabinet today, I found recipes for Hamm's, Buckhorn, Lone Star, Olympia (regular, Gold and Dark). Seems we got them from one of the retired Brewmaster's at Stroh's a long time ago.

What's this all mean? Next time I'm struggling to come up with a new beer, I might just brew up some Buckhorn, or maybe even some Oly Dark, just for old times sake. Or maybe not.

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

2008-05-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen
would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved
by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more
reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this
advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You
will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until
they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at
photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much
possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You
are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things
that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you
at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead,
sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's
only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank
statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with
your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most
interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them
when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children,
maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the
funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do,
don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it
or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument
you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living
room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel
ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone
for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your
past and the people most likely to stick with you in the
future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people
who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you
soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians
will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll
fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust
fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when
either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it
will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over
the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

-Mary Schmich

Music Monday - Prince

2008-05-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Think the little man can't play guitar--think again.

Stupidest thing I read today

2008-04-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

On a beer geek site, the following observation was made:

A-B is only interested in maximizing their profits.

Really? I always strive to minimize ours, by needlessly wasting as much as possible. When will these people realize that breweries are, in fact, "for profit" organizations? Yep, it's true, even the really small ones. If you run a brewery and tell me you're not trying to maximize your profits, you're either lying...or simply stupid.

Question of the day

2008-04-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Why is my Crest toothpaste made in Mexico?

It's just like that, only different

2008-04-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

A-B is rolling out a new beer, with a $35 million dollar launch directed at fans of indie rock, electronica, and dance music.

We're also rolling out a new beer this week; I'm driving my car to Fargo for the release...

Sounds risky, but I'm in

2008-04-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

I love drug commercials on TV, if for no other reason than listening to the list of side effects spoken very quickly just below the threshold of hearing. Tonight I saw an ad for the sleeping aid Lunesta. When they rattled off the possible side effects, I thought to myself "there's no way I heard that correctly." Thank God for the Internet, because I was able to prove my hearing is still ok.

Call your doctor right away if after taking Lunesta you walk, drive, eat or engage in other activities while asleep.

So let me get this straight...if I walk to my car, drive to McDonald's, eat a Big Mac, and call my doctor all while I'm sleeping, do I still have to call when I wake up?

Music Monday - George Jones

2008-03-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Wanna know how cool I am? I went to see George Jones on Friday night. Why you ask? Because I could.

Once the hardest drinking man in Country music, George has many nicknames including "The Possum" and "No show Jones." He earned the latter by missing countless performances because he was too drunk to make it to the stage. His legendary voice was only surpassed by his legendary love for Bourbon.

George is 76 now, doesn't drink, smoke or hit the high notes anymore. But it made no difference. He still is a legend in music, and he still was entertaining.

Happy Monday.

Thank you wikiHow

2008-03-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

I just might have to do this.

Things that make you go hmmmm

2008-03-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Somehow, one of our sales people talked me into doing a beer tasting at a liquor store next week. I've been exchanging emails with the office woman there, making sure they have all the beer we need and such. Today she called. During the course of the conversation, she told me I sound younger and "not as dorky" as she had imagined. Obviously, she doesn't know me very well (or at all, really).

How not to answer the phone

2008-03-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

As I was preparing to go out for a bike ride today after work, my friend from Michigan called. I didn't get to the phone in time, but he left a message that he was at work and he needed to ask me a question. Instead of dialing his office direct, like an idiot I called the brewery. A woman answered the phone.

Me: "Is John there?"
Her : "John? I'm not sure. Do you want me to try his extension?"

No, not really, I was just wondering if he was there. I guess it's my fault for not asking to speak with him from the get go.

Music Monday - Jackson Browne

2008-03-18T03:27:00.000-07:00

JN wrote about songs that he could listen to over and over again on his *gasp* Ipod. I thought I'd tie in with that with a couple from Jackson Browne.

Happy Monday.

The Professor and Mary Ann

2008-03-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Those coconut cream pies always taste better when you're stoned...

Giving it 110%

2008-03-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

While eating lunch today, I was reminded of a funny story regarding Floyd Landis and his reaction to someone saying a rider always gave 110%. His reaction was "Why stop there? If you can go over 100%, why not give 100,000% or 1,000,000%? Why stop at 100?"

The incident that reminded me of this story was the fact I was eating a sandwich on 100% multi-grain bread. Really? The ingredient list contains, among various other things, brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, salt, etc. So where does the 100% multi-grain come from?

I'm going to start making beer from 100% imported ingredients, except the things that aren't...

Music Monday - The Pixies

2008-03-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Is there a more frustrating profession than that of a musician? Sometimes, I think there is not. Some of my favorite bands (Velvet Underground, The Replacements, Big Star) have an impact on pop-culture that extends well beyond what they ever accomplished when they were actually still a band. They are measured, instead, by how many other bands they have influenced. This, of course, does not pay your bar bill, much less any other bills that seem to appear at your doorstep at least once a month.

And so let's add another to the fray-The Pixies. Perhaps Black Francis/Frank Black/Charles Thompson didn't invent the quiet verse, loud chorus, quiet verse, LOUD CHORUS style of music, but his use influenced many bands that followed. Listen to "Smell Like Teen Spirit," and tell me you can't hear The Pixies. It's no shock that Cobain listed the Pixies as an influence; I'm thankful they at least got some credit.

So today, let's celebrate The Pixies. Two clips, one from the early days, and the latter from the reunion concert. From the latter, I take two points of comfort: first, they can still rock, and second, I'm not the only one gaining weight and losing hair as I grow older.

Happy Monday.

Admah and Zeboyim

2008-03-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

A couple of interesting alcohol related items have been in the news lately. Despite the risk of losing 17 million dollars in Federal Highway Funds, Vermont is considering lowering the drinking age. All this is taking place while here in the heartland, the parents of a 21 year old who died from alcohol poisoning is suing the bar and five of her friends who were with her that night.

Thoughts?

Music Monday - Split Lip Rayfield

2008-03-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Life's a strange journey, sometimes. When a friend was going home for Christmas 10 years ago, she gave me a copy of the first Split Lip CD on her way through town. They were friends of hers; as a matter of fact, she was dating the bass player.

I'm not sure what I expected when I dropped it into my CD player. Bluegrass? Sure I like bluegrass. It's one of the only musical genres which is entirely an American phenomenon. But this? It was fast...and I'm not talking a little. This was Speedgrass, or punk bluegrass. And I loved it from the start.

About a year later, I got a call. Split Lip was going to be playing at the Turf Club, and my friend was going to be there. So I headed to the Turf Club with my buddy John, and had my mind blown. How in the hell could anyone play that fast? John and I decided to blow off work the next day (we were both brewers at different pubs) and head to Duluth to see them again. We were blown away again.

Over the years, I saw SLR a couple more times. I even attended my friends wedding to the bass player, and fondly remember playing kazoo (the gift to all attendees) while the band played on the deck of the golf club where the reception was held.

About two years ago, one of my other brewer friends asked if I heard the news. One of the guys in the band had throat cancer, and he thought it was the bass player. I called my friend immediately. No, it wasn't Jeff, but it was Kirk, the guitar player. A relief, on some level, but not really.

Kirk passed away last year. He took himself off chemo, and decided to spend his last days doing what he loved...playing music at breakneck speeds.

Here's the band playing on what must have been the final tour. Happy Monday.

The evolution of taste

2008-02-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about how tastes evolve for a while now, and the quiz about wine spurred me to think more still. Here's what I have observed, in both myself and others.

The initial stage mimics the child who likes what their parents don't. In beer, we want hops, and lots of them. Give me a heavily hopped IPA, or Double IPA. You can't use too many hops. In coffee, we require beans to be roasted beyond recognition; we want French roasts, Espresso roasts, coffees with full body and tons of burnt flavors. Wines need to be big, bone dry, and full of tannins and oak. Scotch needs to be peaty, an assault to the taste buds. Food needs to be spicy. Suicide wings? We laugh. I'll take mine with a side of napalm.

But as you learn more about beer, coffee, wine, Scotch and food, you realize more isn't necessarily better. You learn that a simple beer like a Pilsner can be revelation in flavor, a La Minta bean roasted to City can display a pleasing nutty-like characteristic in the cup, the subtle fruitiness of a Pinot Noir can bring a smile to your face, and the elegant complexity and smoothness of a Speyside Scotch whispers perfection. You realize you don't need something screaming in your face to appreciate how good it is.

I see it all the time in beer circles. Yet, I can't criticize too much, because I was that guy. I wanted bigger than life flavors, perhaps as a rebellion of what the vast populace chose. But there is a middle ground. There is a time and place for each. To me, the person who exalts an ultra-hoppy beer at the expense of all others has no more of a clue in taste than the one who only partakes in light beers. It all becomes the harder you try to be different, the more you become the same. You're just at the opposite end of the spectrum.

And that is the beauty of variety. I can choose different coffees, beers, Scotches, wines, and foods depending on how I feel at the moment. As I'm a brewer, this might shock some of you to hear: one of the best beers I ever had in my life was a mass-produced American lager. I drank it at mile 16 of Grandma's marathon in 1997, with some guys who were partying in their front yard. That beer, at that moment in time, was perfection...

Music Monday - Devo

2008-02-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

No story today, just a kick-ass video of Devo playing "Uncontrollable Urge."

Happy Monday.

How's that taste?

2008-02-22T02:42:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal had an article about a quiz to help you decide what type of wines you like. Here's how it works: you answer a series of questions, and it determines what kind of taster you are, and then suggests styles of wine.

While the idea is novel, I don't think it works that well, at least in my case. Here's why:

The questions asked involve a couple of topics I know a bit about, namely coffee, Scotch, and beer. Let's take a look at each of these.

Coffee: The beauty of coffee is in the varietals of the beans. Yet, the quiz seems to address only strength of coffee, which I correlate to roast level. Yes, a Kenyan roasted to Vienna will taste "stronger" than one roasted to City. It will also lose much of it's varietal characteristics. That's one of the most common knocks against Starbucks-they seem to roast everything well into Full City, regardless of the bean. They are commonly referred to as "Charbucks" by coffee people. Hey, it works for them though. Stick with who brought you to the dance.
Scotch: Scotch is more dependent on process (ie still shape, barrel types) and regional influences (Highland, Lowland, Islay, Skye, etc) than raw materials. Surely you wouldn't confuse an Islay with a Lowland. Each, however, has its place. I prefer bolder styles if I have a choice, but that's probably because Scotch isn't an everyday drink for me. When I do drink Scotch, give me a Talisker or Laphroig.
Beer: Ok, we all know I like beer. But different beers serve different purposes. While I like Barleywines, it's certainly not what I want every day. Same goes for all the highly hopped IPAs on the market now. But a Pils I can drink anytime. I enjoy the delicate complexity, and I can drink a couple without overwhelming by taste buds.

So when I take the test, it tells me I am a "Tolerant Taster." It goes on to say that I "demand intensity." Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. But looking at the spread, the only wines I really don't like are the really sweet ones. So actually, I could fit into any of the last three categories, depending on my mood. That, in a nutshell, is what it's all about, isn't it? I love Prime Rib, but don't want it every day.

I guess perhaps the quiz is more useful to someone who is a novice in tasting and thinking about tasting. It just doesn't hold water for me.

Note to self

2008-02-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

If you are a convicted felon with a warrant out for your arrest, it is better off to leave the shotgun at home when you go for a bike ride...

At least my windshield will be clean

2008-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

As I was out and about this weekend, the worst thing that can happen in winter driving conditions happened-I ran out of wiper fluid. Usually I have a couple of gallons rolling around in the back of my vehicle, but I seem to be a bit too lax this year.

I told you that story so I could tell you this one:

When I was in Germany last November, we made a stop on the Autobahn at one of those restaurant/gas station things the Germans love so much to get something to eat. While walking through the gas station part, I noticed some windshield wiper fluid that claimed to be good to -100 grad. I'm not disputing this claim. But consider these facts:

-100 Centigrade, for you metrically impaired folk, is -148 Fahrenheit
Gasoline begins freezing at around -97 F. Since it's composed of many different substances, it won't become solid until much later. But any water in your gas line is history.
If it's -148 out, the last thing I'm worrying about is keeping my windshield clean

Music Monday - The Raspberries

2008-02-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Let's get one thing straight-I'm a sucker for Power Pop. You know, Big Star, Matthew Sweet, and the granddaddy's of it all, The Raspberries.

I saw a Yo La Tengo interview where Georgia was saying that the first concert she ever saw was The Raspberries when they played at her high school. Can you imagine? I remember the bands we had at our school playing really bad versions of Quarterflash tunes.

Here's two from the band: "Go All the Way" and "I Wanna Be With You." Hell yeah.

Happy Monday.

Ah, what was that again?

2008-02-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

I forgot this the moment I was done reading it...

Music Monday - Yo La Tengo

2008-02-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

About 4 years ago, I was walking around Best Buy when Sugarcube came on over the in-store radio. I headed straight to the Y section of the music section and picked up "Prisoners of Love," the (then) new Yo La Tengo compilation.

YLT seems to drift in and out of my life. They are one of those bands that I really dig, but never seem to remember to listen to (if that makes sense). Then when I finally run across a disc and play it, it will remain in the player for the next week.

Formed in 1984 by husband/wife team Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, YLT has consistently put out great music while other bands have come and gone. Think about--an indie band with a 24 year run. I don't know if that's cool, or a bit sad. Surely they have enjoyed some success, but nothing near what they deserve.

They have a wonderful knack of combining feedback-drenched rockers with acoustic songs, and seeing them live at the Sun Club in Phoenix was, in a word, awesome.

Here's "Sugarcube" and an acoustic version of "Tom Courtenay." Happy Monday.

The World's greatest intelligence agency

2008-02-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

I got a letter from my college alumni association today, asking me to donate some money for some wall they're building on campus. Now here's the part that I find interesting: since I graduated, I have lived at eight different addresses. I have never updated my whereabouts with the college. Yet, they always seem to find me, quite quickly I might add.

Contrast this to any governmental agency, be it the license bureau or the IRS. If I were to move next door, it's like I disappeared off the face of the earth as far as they are concerned.

Perhaps it's simply my college, but I sincerely doubt it. So here's my idea to fight the "War on Terror [sic]." Find out where suspected terrorists went to school. Odds are, the alumni association knows exactly where to find them.

I was smarter last year, and here's proof

2008-02-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a stressful couple of weeks trying to find hops for next year. I'm not out of the woods yet: one of the merchants I contacted is completely sold out, one won't even give me a quote, but I have two that are supposedly sending proposals this week.

Last year in March, I saw that I was going to run out of a certain variety and called my supplier to get some more. The response: we're out too. I purchased a different variety, and then sat down and calculated my needs for 2008. I remember when I saw the quote-prices had risen, and I was a bit ticked off. But I locked in. Turns out to be the smartest thing I ever did, as the price rose to about 10 times what I contracted for.

As the hop room got empty in January, I started ordering hops from my contract. I sent out a purchase order last week for another shipment. Yesterday I got a phone call from New York.

It started like this, in a heavy New York accent:

"Well, hon, I got your purchase order and we have a problem."

Did I mention I love being called "hon" by people I have never met?

It continued "You ordered 15 boxes of Goldings...well we have 13."

I replied "Ah, ok, I'll just take the 13 for now."

I then was treated to the following "That's not the problem, hon." There's that "hon" again!

"The problem is the price you have. You wrote $4.90. Do you know what Goldings are going for now?"

I countered with "Ah, I believe that's the price I contracted for."

A bit of a pause and then "Wait, you have a contract? Let me look that up."

As it turned out, it was simply an oversight, I did have a contract, and I would be receiving my hops for the price I agreed to. She apologized profusely, and then inquired "Would you like to guess how much Goldings are going for now?" I guessed $30 a pound. "You're close, it's $35," she responded, "If you haven't thought about next year, you better pretty soon."

So if I was so smart last year, why didn't I contract for 5 years?

Music Monday (or Tuesday) - Neil Young

2008-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've been slacking a bit. Something to do with a big beer event with 6500 of my closest friends here in Minnesota.

Anyway, what can I say about Neil? I've seen him solo, twice with Crazy Horse, and once with Booker T and the MGs backing him. Love the man.

I first started listening to Mr. Young in college. I was learning to play guitar (still am), and I remember telling a friend that I really liked his acoustic stuff, but when he pulled out the electric, I had to turn it off. Funny how tastes change. Now if he's not playing that Les Paul with his Marshall turned to 11, I get bored.

So here are a couple of clips...the first of Neil playing "a new song" with a new harmonica holder.

The second, Powderfinger.

Happy Monday (er, Tuesday)

Now I'm confused

2008-01-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

CNN is reporting how a tester sneaked a mock bomb past airport security. Are they screening for fake bombs now also?

By the way, you'll notice that I used the correct past tense of "sneak." That's because "snuck" alerted the spell-checker. Maybe the spell-checker folks should work in airport security as a side gig.

Because he's a hack

2008-01-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first to admit I don't know a lot about classical music. But in my limited knowledge, I was under the impression that Bernstein was considered a pretty good conductor. Thus, I am having a hard time understanding the sticker on my newly purchased Beethoven "The 9 Symphonies" box set that states

You can't make this up

2008-01-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

The Hershey Company is discontinuing production of Ice Breaker Pacs. The reason: the mints look to much like illegal drugs.

My favorite part is when the Philly Narcotics Squad argued

that the consequences could be serious if, for example, a child familiar with the mints found a package of cocaine.

Songs of the yesteryear

2008-01-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Laurie Lindeen wrote a great piece on her experience listening to a new radio station in Minneapolis. I haven't had the chance to hear the station, but I can relate to everything she is talking about. A lot of times I find myself more drawn to "Oldies" stations than the current crap that is being played on the radio.

By the way, this line in the article made me laugh out loud

Why does Steve Miller still get so much airtime? Billy Mack cannot possibly still be a detective down in Texas. Knowing exactly what the facts is, he must have at least been considered for Attorney General sometime in the past six years.

That's some funny stuff!

Why can't I be me?

2008-01-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

Yep, the main reason I became a brewer is so I could "bring home the fruits of their labor to partake and share with their drinking buddies."

I'm stupider just having read this

2008-01-24T03:50:00.000-08:00

I saw this on another site, and decided it was worth reprinting...

A sister of one of three people killed early Friday in Louisville said it "really isn't a shock to any of us" that her brother died in a high-speed crash. "The thing that really makes me feel much better about this is they died doing what they loved to do -- they were drinking, they were going fast and they were together," Lorie Flaherty said. "It gives me comfort, it does, to know those three things."

Full story here.

Music Monday - Let's Active

2008-01-21T03:18:00.000-08:00

Fact #1: Mitch Easter's talent as a record producer virtually shaped the "jangle-pop" genre of the 1980's and beyond. His laundry list of groups include R.E.M., Game Theory, The Connells, Chris Stamey, The Primitons, Velvet Crush, The Orange Humble Band and Pavement.

Fact #2: I used to buy albums simply because they were produced by Easter. I liked his production that much.

Fact # 3: In spite of his influence as a producer, his own band, Let's Active, is sadly overlooked by most people.

Fact #4: An acoustic Flying V, while cool, seems like a bad idea to me.

Just to remind you how good they were, here's Let's Active performing "Every Word Means No" and "Mr Fool."

Happy Monday.

The other white meat

2008-01-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

On my home page, I have a link to "How to of the Day." No reason, really, except I never removed it. Boy am I glad now. Today's tip is How to Survive an Encounter with an Ostrich. I'm printing out a copy and carrying it with me at all times.

Mitchell to House Subcomittee "Psych!"

2008-01-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

Let me get this straight- George Mitchell testified today that the reason he included Roger Clemens in his report on steroid use in baseball, which was based on information he got from Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee, was because he believed McNamee was telling the truth.

Damn, I wish he would have said "I just put Clemens in there to make someone interested in reading it."

Music Monday - REM

2008-01-14T03:07:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the first band you fell in love with? Something in the music just struck a chord (no pun intended) with you? For me, that band was REM.

I first heard these lads from Athens on our college radio station in 1983. The DJ was playing the original Hibtone version of "Radio Free Europe," and I was dumbfounded. Oddly enough, the DJ also happened to own the coolest record store in Ames, Ia, and we became good friends. As a matter of fact, he offered to sell me that Hibtone single for $35 at one point; man, I wish I would have taken him up on the offer.

Here's the kind of geek I was (and am) : I can remember where I bought each and every one of the first 5 REM albums, on the day they were released no less. I can remember running back to my place, opening up the album, and listening to it. They were my band.

Fast forward 8 years, and I'm sitting in Annie's Kitchen in Flagstaff having breakfast with my parents and girlfriend. We're sitting there talking, and I glance over and 2 tables away sits Michael Stipe. My girlfriend is asking me a question, and I am obviously not listening to her. Finally, she gets my attention by kicking me. I inform her that I'm not positive, but I was pretty sure Stipe was sitting behind her. She confirms my suspicion.

I think to this day she's still mad that I didn't go over and talk to him. But you know what? I'm not. I don't want to meet my heroes, because they usually end up disappointing you.

Anywho, here's some gems. REM playing "Radio Free Europe" and the then unnamed "So. Central Rain" on Letterman. As an added bonus, a version of "Moon River" that segues into "Pretty Persuasion." I had to include this, as Moon River is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Happy Monday.

Dear Web Designers

2008-01-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

You're pissing me off. I want you to explain to me how a pull-down box for entering a state abbreviation is saving me any time. Instead of being able to simply type "MN," I type "M," end up at "Maine" and then I have to scroll down through "Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan." Thank the good Lord that I live in Minnesota and not Montana, because then I'd have another three states to scroll through. Perhaps, however, the fine people of Montana have figured out if they type "N," they end up at Nebraska, and then only have to scroll up one state.

Can't touch that

2008-01-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Denver Post ran an article on five artists who should never, ever be covered by anyone. The list included

Radiohead
The Pixies
Joy Division
Janis Joplin
The Clash

I'm not a big fan of cover songs anyway, but they could only pick five? Any you would add to the list? Any you would add to the list of covers that work?

This can't be good

2008-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I tend to ride the same route on my bike probably about 60% of the time. It's a road that has shoulders (which is a bit rare where I live), doesn't have a lot of traffic, and usually has favorable wind conditions (headwind on the way out, tailwind on the way back). The road is in decent shape, consists mostly of rolling hills, and you can vary the route from an 18 mile out-and-back to a 40 mile loop (I'm sure some wiseguy will try to point out you could go less than 18 miles if you wished, but that's really not an option. If I'm not riding for at least an hour, I'm staying home).

All in all, it's a damn good ride, with one exception. About 8 miles into it there is a farmhouse with three of the fastest, meanest dogs you'll ever encounter. Add to the misery the house is on a hill (from both ways!), and it makes for some interesting moments.

Now, I've never done anything to provoke these dogs. I'm just minding my business riding my bike. For some reason, however, they either don't like the cut of my gib, or they want to see if they like the cut of my gib. I've tried everything to discourage their antics, including yelling "Stay," "No," and "Bad dog" to no avail. They see me coming and the chase is on.

At least that was the case until a couple of days ago. Whereas I could usually count on them barking and giving chase, now they only look at me in an uninterested manner. No barks, not even a yip. And certainly no chasing.

Now, I thought this was a good thing, because sooner or later they are probably going to catch me. I thought that they must have simply given up. Until tonight. As I rode past tonight, I could see them in the yard. They glanced up at me, and then promptly ignored me. As I rode by, I looked closer at what they were up to. It seems these three dogs have built some sort of doggy Solider of Fortune training camp. There was a doggy obstacle course, a doggy rope slide--hell, they even had a doggy repelling wall. And they were training, harder than I've ever seen a canine train in my life.

So I guess I know what's in store. I may have to rethink my wartime strategy.

Music Monday - The Suburbs

2008-01-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

Was there a better era in the Minnesota music scene than the 80's? In one corner you have Husker Du, The Replacements, and Soul Asylum playing at eardrum shattering volumes at the Entry. In another corner you have The Jayhawks with their country-tinged sound. Trip Shakespeare broke onto the scene in the latter part of the decade with beautiful harmonies and smart lyrics. And, of course, you had Prince and all his pet projects.

And then there was The Suburbs. Five guys, dressed in suits, that played this wildly hypnotic music that was a melding of rock/jazz/disco/funk. Did I mention the crazy lyrics? Seriously, what the hell does "I've got to tape my wife to the ceiling" mean? But we ate it up.

I remember seeing them at Carleton College in 1983, and there were so many people dancing in the balcony that they had to momentarily stop the show because they thought the balcony was going to collapse. But that's how it was with The Suburbs--you couldn't stop yourself from dancing. And I don't dance. But I did when I saw them.

Here's the lads playing "Rattle My Bones" and "Baby Heartbeat." Happy Monday.

Oh say can you see

2008-01-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

A perfect example of why cameras should be banished at beer festivals. By the way, apparently Ryan was using a "trick" camera, because I know I'm taller and better looking than what is represented in this photograph. And I am not singing.

(Ryan-sorry, had to steal this photo, especially when I hit some random link on your page and this is the first thing that appears)

I must be losing my mind

2008-01-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when you write a word and the way you spelled it doesn't seem quite right? You stare and stare, and the more you stare, the more wrong it seems?
It usually happens on words you commonly use, and have written more than a million times. Finally, you decide it must be wrong, look up the spelling, and discover you were right in the first place. But it still looks wrong. It happened to me today when I wrote the word Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. No matter how long I stared at it, it still seemed wrong.

By the way, I've been sick all week, so this may be just the Nyquil talking...

I know what they're saying, but ...

2008-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

Headline from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Zoo opens to tourists and curious onlookers

Seems like a good target market...they might be onto something...

Music Monday - Paul Westerberg

2007-12-31T03:03:00.000-08:00

PN has been bugging me to use this video, and I'll have to admit, it's a damn good one. The band that PW had assembled for this incarnation is simply awesome: Josh Freese on drums, Darren Hill on bass, and Dave Minehan on guitar. The raw energy they have feeds Westy.

Anyway, today is PW's birthday, and here he is in 1993 on SNL playing "Knockin' on Mine" and "Can't Hardly Wait." I love the part in the latter where during a break Freese yells out "Burt Reynolds" and throws Paul for a loop.

Happy Monday.

My ears!

2007-12-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

So I'm out riding my bike today, trying to ignore the following three facts:

I'm cold
I'm out of shape
I'm carrying around way too much weight

Well, the best thing to do in that situation is to try to concentrate on something else. Thus, I begin to think about Liz Phair.

Now this may seem like a peculiar person to think of, but I was listening to "Exile in Guyville" before I left, so perhaps it's not so strange.

I've always liked Liz. She puts together some interesting chord progressions, especially on that first album. The follow-up albums were good also, but didn't exhibit the rawness of the first. It culminated with the release of the self-titled "Liz Phair," where she teamed up with the production team known as "The Matrix." Not that it was her choice really; Capitol kind of coerced her into it.

Anyway, this collaboration yielded her greatest commercial success to date with the singles "Why Can't I?" and "Extraordinary." But it wasn't classic Liz.

So I started thinking (because I was really getting cold), what happens when people hear this top 40 song, and then go out and pick up other albums by her? Or maybe even pick up this album, where they will probably drive their vehicle into the ditch when she plays "H.W.C." Since this is a PG blog, I'll let you research what those initials stand for.

All of this led in a roundabout way to thinking about radio, and people who buy albums based on a song they hear on Top 40 stations. Of course, I-tunes has probably put an end to a lot of that, but surely it still happens now and then.

Which brings me to my point: name an album that someone would buy due to some hit single, and be freaked out when they hear the rest of the record.

Here's my classic: all the people who bought The Pixies "Doolittle" after hearing "Hear Comes Your Man" on the radio. Imagine the distress brought on by Side 1 Track 1 "Debaser" with Black Francis screaming

Slicing up eyeballs
I want you to know

I laughed all the way home...

How Pavlovian of me

2007-12-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Every time I see a news report on Giuliani's mysterious health issues, I have an uncontrollable urge to eat fat-free frozen yogurt...

Since it was already mentioned

2007-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

In my post about Tuscan Milk, R commented that you could also buy uranium ore on Amazon. I didn't investigate...until now. Three words...oh-my-God! You have to read the reviews. I'm in tears. Here's one of my favs:

586 of 620 people found the following review helpful:
Great product, lousy packaging., November 30, 2007

By Jimbo Jones (Chicago, IL)

I bought a can of this about 4.5 billion years ago, give or take a few million years, but when I went to use it today I noticed only half of it was still in the can. I swear I put the lid on tight. I'd give it more stars if it came in a better package.

By the way, I love the fact that Amazon, in typical Amazon fashion, states that this item is "better" if you purchase it in conjunction with a Futurama DVD.

Now if only they sold the dilithium crystals I need to complete a project I'm working on...

I swear to God...

2007-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

...I'm getting in my car, driving to the nearest mall, and proposing to any single woman that works in the present wrapping booth. I go through this every year, and the results are the same...my presents looked like they were wrapped by drunken one-armed chimpanzees.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Nature School

2007-12-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

My friend's daughter attends this school in Colorado. Sounds like a great program. She must be learning something, because she sent me reusable shopping bags for Christmas!

Spin of the century

2007-12-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past 3 days, I'm sure you're aware that the younger Spears child is pregnant. This, of course, has started an onslaught of "news" reports and editorials, as well as opening a debate that modern society encourages this type of behavior with movies such as "Knocked Up" and "Juno." I'm not here to talk about any of that.

What interested me, was the sentence inserted into all the early stories:

"that the father is her long-time boyfriend"

What a beautiful piece of PR work. Let's get the facts straight--she's 16. Long-time? What, maybe since she was 15? Or 14? The news industry should be ashamed on two counts: first because they found this story news worthy, and second because they allowed themselves to be turned into apologists in what is a less-than-ideal situation. Wait, make that three counts, because they caused me to be outraged and waste my time writing about it...

God, I love the internet

2007-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

I noticed tonight that I am dangerously low on milk for breakfast tomorrow. Suddenly, it dawned on me. Wouldn't it be cool if I could just order milk on Amazon? Alas, their usual supply of milk is currently unavailable. It was especially disconcerting after reading the following review:

This milk was so good, I passed out. When I woke up 3 weeks later, apes ruled the earth. It was crazy. DRINK THIS MILK!

One can only hope that it will be available in the new year; it will save me a trip to the store, and the possibility of actually having to speak to anyone. Plus, I like apes.

This is why you have PR people

2007-12-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

The 16-year-old sister of US pop star Britney Spears is expecting a baby, it has been reported.

Jamie Lynn Spears, star of the cable TV comedy series Zoey 101, told OK! magazine that she is pregnant and that the father is her long-time boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.

Only in the make-believe world of famous people

Music Monday comes early - Snow Miser/Heat Miser

2007-12-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

Since I'll most likely be too busy Monday morning to post this, here it is...I'm too much!
Happy Holidays all!

Anyone have a recipe for Haggis?

2007-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

How do these people get my email address? And isn't "dear" a little too familiar?

Hello Dear,

I am Dr William Glenn ,the director of Abbey Business center in Glasgow Scotland .I want to inquire and book dinner for my group of staff representative arriving from Scotland Dates for the dinner will be January 7th,8th and 9th 2008 by 7:00pm each day.

They are are 15 in number and I propose to make the necessary arrangement and booking earlier before next year.
Get back with your response if there is availability in your restaurant.

Best Regards,
William Glenn
ABBEY BIZ. CENTRE
Glasgow.
Scotland.
TeL:+447024062539

Music Monday - Jonathan Richmann

2007-12-17T03:07:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the early 90's (the exact year escapes me--must be old age), I headed over to Anderson's Fifth Estate in Scottsdale to see Jonathan, with my girlfriend in tow. We were seated next to an elderly woman, maybe in her 70's, which I found interesting to say the least.

Well, the warm-up musician finished up, and before Jonathan came out, my girlfriend struck up a conversation with the elderly woman. That's the kind of girl she was/is: she'll talk to anyone, anywhere. I'm lucky if I even talk to the people I'm with...but I digress.

My girlfriend glanced over and said "Excuse me, but are you here to see Jonathan?" The woman replied "Oh yes. He was my next door neighbor in Boston. I live in Sun City now, but whenever he comes to town he calls me, takes me out to dinner, and I go see him perform. It's nice to see him." My girlfriend responds, "Wow, that's really nice that he does that." "Oh yes," continues the woman, "he was always such a nice boy. He was in a band with my son when he was still in high school."

This, of course, perks my interest. "Is your son still involved in music" I blurt out. "Oh yes, he's been in a couple of different bands, and he still makes his living that way." Further interested, I inquire "If you don't mind me asking, what is your son's name?" She responds "Steve Wynn," to which I gasp "Your son was in the Dream Syndicate?" She looks me squarely in the face and says"Yes, have you heard of them?"

So that's how I met Steve Wynn's mom. God bless my ex- girlfriend for being nosy...

Here's a young Jonathan performing "Now is Better than Before." Happy Monday.

To my friends on the East Coast

2007-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

We're sending you some cold weather. Maybe some snow too. It was fun while it was here, but we want to share, because that's what we're all about here in the Midwest. Consider it an early Christmas present.

Oh and by the way, to our friends up in Alberta-we love your clippers, but we're full up for the time being. Save them for March or never.

Christmas Shows Online

2007-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

For all of you with wee ones (and you too, JN!) here's a fun website with all the Christmas classics we grew up with.

Things to avoid today

2007-12-12T03:28:00.000-08:00

Television cameras
Newspaper photographers
Those damn horses

Damn, I hope they don't expect me to drive

2007-12-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Our local newspaper announced today that our little brewery

is pulling out its 1 millionth case of beer on Wednesday. That milestone case will be delivered to downtown that afternoon the old-fashioned way, with an 1880s horse-drawn beer wagon.

Horses scare me...

Music Monday - Elliott Smith

2007-12-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

No stories today, just some music for my mood.

Elliott playing "I Didn't Understand" and "Miss Misery." Happy Monday.

A year older, but not a year wiser

2007-12-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

Thus, I've planned my perfect day. Here it is:

Drink a pot of coffee
Eat a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch
Go for a bike ride
Read
Listen to some music
Play guitar
Eat Yankee Pot Roast for dinner
Have a beer

How's that for a simple life?

Did you want what you got?

2007-12-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend's son a couple of weeks ago, and he was informing me what he had been up to and what he was planning for the future. The way future, as in what he wanted to do for a living.

It struck me that I seem to have this conversation quite often with kids; they always seem to have some kind of a plan. Thinking back, I can't really remember wanting to be anything when I was young. Most certainly, I never dreamed of doing what I'm doing today. I mean who in their right mind grew up in the 70's dreaming of being a brewer?

I always liked math, and I suppose at one point I thought I'd be a mathematician. I seem to also recall thoughts of being a pilot, but I think that was more my father's dream than mine. A couple of years ago I ran across a report I wrote for some social studies class on being an Aerospace Engineer. I concluded that I could see myself doing that for about 10 years or so, which in the end was pretty accurate. I lasted 8 years.

If you asked me today what I wanted to do, I'm not sure I could give you any better answer than I could when I was 10 years old. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. But I also think it would be fun to do other things sometimes. Of course, every job looks great from the outside looking in. So I guess the question is if you could choose any one job to be successful at, what would it be?

Odd that I would forget this

2007-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment. Drink up, and keep me employed. Of course, should prohibition return, a guy like me could make a hell of a lot of money...and friends.

I love this picture...

2007-12-05T03:34:00.000-08:00

North Dakota's Andy Hampsten in the 1988 Giro d'Italia.

Night ride in the snow

2007-12-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Kind of had that feeling of the sinking black cloud of depression today. Got home from work and promptly went to bed. Got up an hour later, ate dinner, and tried to decide which wall to climb. Finally, I decided to go for a ride-in the dark, in the snow, during a light snow fall. People were looking at me like I was crazy. Nope, not today, and trying to stay that way...

That just plain sucks

2007-12-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

I loved that old tree...

Music Monday - The Gin Blossoms

2007-12-03T03:06:00.001-08:00

I first saw the Gin Blossoms in 1988 when they opened for the Young Fresh Fellows at some bar in Phoenix. At this time, they were barely a blip on the musical map; indeed this early incarnation still had Robin playing guitar and Jesse doing the singing. They had some good songs with strong hooks, but what seemed to be the driving force behind the band was the lead guitar player, Doug Hopkins.

During the next few years, I had the opportunity to see the band quite a few times. They, along with the Meat Puppets, were pretty active locally at the time. Hardly a week would go by without the opportunity to see one or the other. If you visited me during this period, odds are that you were drug to a Blossoms' show.

They finally hit the big time, got a contract with a major label, and recorded New Miserable Experience. It was also at this time they kicked Doug out of the band, purportedly for his drinking problem.

Around Thanksgiving in 1993, I ran into Doug (and bass player Bill) in Tempe at Long Wongs. Totally out of character, I struck up a conversation with him. He was working on starting another band, still writing songs, etc. He was just a regular guy, and it was a pleasure to talk to him. I wished him well and headed off into the night.

About a week later, I read in the paper that Doug had taken his life. At the time, you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing the Gin Blossoms. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him. All he ever wanted in life was to have a song on the radio, to make music that people would enjoy, the way he enjoyed Sugar by the Archies.

Unfortunately, I can't find any videos with Doug playing with the band. I had to settle for one of his best songs instead. It's not quite the same without Doug's Les Paul, but it's the best I can do.

Here's the Gin Blossoms with Hey Jealousy. RIP Doug. Happy Monday...

Music Monday - The Gin Blossoms

2007-12-03T03:06:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just me

2007-12-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

But it seems that every time a storm goes across the US, it doesn't really get reported in the media until it hits the east coast. CNN is announcing that a "Killer storm barrels into the Northeast." Oh, is that the same storm that just came out of the midwest? I seem to recall many such instances last winter also. I guess I really don't know what the average snowfall is on the left side of the US, and I'm also too lazy to look it up. But the fact that the spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority stated "Compared to what's happening in the Midwest, we've kind of got it easy right now," kind of makes me wonder.

Of course, we've had it easy here as far as snowfall is concerned, at least since I've moved back to Minnesota. Last year was the first time in 10 years that I actually could use my snowshoes, and that wasn't until April--a couple of weeks before my first race. When I was young, we had way more snow. Believe me, I remember, because my father was too cheap to buy a snowblower. Funny how the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree...

It's all in the presentation

2007-12-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

From our website:

Once a year, our brewmasters lock themselves in the testing room with a secret selection of fine malts and hops, only emerging when they've hit upon something truly extraordinary.

This is why marketing guys get paid the big bucks. It sounds way more impressive than "Well, I was out riding my bike, and I came up with this idea..."

Has anyone seen my studded bike tires?

2007-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

How's that for product placement?

2007-11-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

I guess there is a movie coming out (or maybe it's out) based on the Watchmen graphic novel. I seem to recall that it was Rohrschach's fav (which reminds me, by the way, where the hell has Rohrschach been? You can't just leave and not say goodbye!). Anyhow, here's a picture from the backlot Warner Brother's built. Check out the beer sign in the upper left corner.

Do you want my autograph now, or should I just include it in your Christmas present?

Love to hate

2007-11-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, we all talked about some albums/bands/musicians we love. How about this one: What is a band that you know you should like, but absolutely don't? For me the obvious one is Led Zeppelin. I just don't see the appeal. Believe me, I've tried, but there is nothing there for me.

The price of fame

2007-11-28T03:47:00.000-08:00

Life of a rock star...

We gotta get the band back together...

2007-11-27T03:38:00.000-08:00

...so I can wear this...

The season begins

2007-11-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

Enough sitting around, eating, drinking and being merry. Time to get back on the bike. Here's what I learned tonight

You can lose all the fitness you worked a year to accomplish in about 1 month. You'd think I'd remember this from year to year.
33 degrees is a lot colder in the fall than it is in the spring. Especially once the sun goes down.
Always wear warm socks.
Drunk, fat and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

11/26/07

Music Monday - Johnny Cash and June Carter

2007-11-26T03:15:00.000-08:00

Picture this, if you will. The year is 1990. I'm living in Phoenix, leading my life as a rocket scientist, and I see that Johnny Cash will be performing in Sun City, the nation's first retirement community. Keep in mind this was 4 years before the release of American Recordings; thus, Johnny hadn't been rediscovered by the hipsters yet.

I told my girlfriend we were going to the show. She wasn't impressed. Why on earth would I want to see some old country star? I got tickets anyway.

We were by far the youngest people at the show, and most likely two of the very few not sporting blue hair. The Carter Sisters opened the show, and eventually Johnny took the stage. He played quite a few songs, and then June joined him onstage for "Jackson." Watching them together was seeing what being in love was all about, at least in my mind.

When I read that June had died in 2003, I knew that Johnny wouldn't be far behind. He held on for about four more months. Losing June had made his ongoing fight with his health not as important as it once was.

My girlfriend? Well, let's just say it was the wrong time for our relationship. She remains, however, one of my dearest friends.

Here's Johnny and June singing "Jackson." Happy Monday.

Why can't I be you?

2007-11-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

I was surfing the internet tonight, and I found some beer website talking about our new winter beer. The author stated they loved our new beer (good), but then said they talked to one of our brewers at an event this fall and "he was really excited about the beer." Here's the problem: there are only four brewers where I work. Two that actually do the brewing, me, and my boss. The first two never go to any events. My boss never goes to any events. That leaves me. But I wasn't at this particular event.

I don't know why this bothers me. After all, I don't go out of my way to tell people what I do. In fact, I could walk into any bar in our town of 14,000 people and they would have no idea I even work at the brewery. That doesn't bother me. I'm not looking for a pat on the back. What bothers me, however, is someone taking credit for my work. Such is life, I guess...