Saturday, January 31, 2009

Stout & Imperial Stout Things

Friday 30 January was the meeting of the Orval Malt Tasting Society. The subject that was explored were stouts and imperial stouts. We had a glorious tasting and sampled a wonderful selection of beers. Lacking in the tasting was one of the best stouts made and that is Rogue's Shakespeare Stout, a truly world class beer. The winners of the evening share the top spot - New Holland Poet Stout and Mcauslan's St. Ambroise Stout with 5 votes each. Second place was also shared by Victory Storm King and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout(Dublin). Bronze medals went to Flat Earth Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout, and Deschutes Obsidian Stout. The stinker of the night was Podge Belgian Imperial Stout it was universally thought of as undrinkable.

Here is the list of the evenings libations:
Gene's Hershey's Chocolate Quaker Oats Stout, St. Ambroise Stout, Moylan's Dragoons Dry Irish Stout, Stockyard Oatmeal Stout (Trader Joe's), Schell's Stout, Flat Earth Black Helicopter Coffee Stout 4.8%, Guinness Extra Stout (Canada), Guinness Foreign Extra Stout 7.5%(Nigeria), Guinness Foreign Extra Stout 7.5% (Dublin), Poet Stout 5%(New Holland), Surly 2 cranberry stout, Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout, Podge Belgian Imperial Stout 10.5 %, Boulevard Imperial Stout (smoke stack series) Avery Mephistopheles Imperial Stout 15.9%, Avery Out of Bounds Stout, Fitgers Big Boat Oatmeal Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout 6.4%, Titanic Stout 4.5%(Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2004), Bell's Expedition Stout, Victory Storm King Stout, ABC Stout 8%(Cambodia), Cooper's Best Extra Stout, Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout, Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout 8%, Stoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Alaskan Oatmeal Stout, Viking Big Swede Imperial Stout, Dragon Stout 7.5%, Weyerbacher Raspberry Imperial Stout. We had some nice IPA from Flat Earth for a palate cleanser after having so much malt, chocolate, and alcohol. All in all in it was a very good tasting of some of the best and most unusal stouts around. It was a successful tasting for the club. Meeting was called at 1:30 am, 31 January 2009.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Burns Nite Things

The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns (25th January) was celebrated in Orval at Chez Skrade. A good time was had by everyone, at least that is what they said. Katherine and I provided haggis, veggie haggis, tatties, cheese, scotch, and soda bread . Our guests Colleen, Doug, Molly, Jeff, Cathy, John, Steve, Damian, Jenn, Bob, Michele brought goodies to share as well. We started off the night with a social hour and then at 7:15 pm CST. I piped in the haggis, Bob recited the customary Ode to a Haggis by Burns and we sat down to eat. We had clapshot, Guinness stew, more cheese, more scotch, beer from Flat Earth, salad, and lots of fun. Around 8:30 pm we had the customary toasts to the President, the Queen, laddies, lassies, departed friends, and whatever else we could think of in the way of toasts. All in all it was a good evening of friendship and warmth. Perhaps we will do it again next year.

The scotches on deck for sampling were Lagavulin (16), Highland Park (18), Glen Moray (10 sherry cask), Glen Farclas (12), Bunnahabhain (18), Jura, Bowmore, and a couple of others I forget.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Bagpipe things

I was in Kansas City, MO for the Winter Storm 2009 events and concert. This event is about bagpipes and drumming, Scottish drumming. The best pipers and drummers from around the world come to the bleak cold Midwest every year to give lessons, compete for prizes and money, participate in a concert, and connect with fans, friends, and colleagues from around the world. This event is sponsored by MHAF - Midwest Highland Arts Fund, a non-profit group dedicated to the promotion and support of piping and drumming. I flew down on Thursday and flew back home on Sunday. It was an incredibly amazing event. Here are the best pipers and drummers in the world playing.

Thursday, I volunteered to help sign in pipers and drummers. It was colder in that hotel than it was my garage in Minnesota. For a Marriott not to keep the lobby and 2d floor heated is just beyond belief considering what you pay for a room there. Thom and I stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street. I turned in around 2 am and Thom came in around 3am and went to sleep around 5am. We got up at 6:30 am.

Friday, I was dressed in my Highland outfit and I spent the day running the timing lights. The timing lights were timed so when the piper came out to play for the judges, he had 4 minutes to tune his pipes and then start his competition set of tunes. So I manned the lights from 8 am to 5 pm and by the end of that shift I was completely shagged. The piping was remarkably outstanding. You look at the lineup of contestants and judges and they are the top namesin North America and Scotland. At 11 pm they had the awards ceremony for all the different competitions from the whole day. I was able to figure out some and completely lost it on others. I went to bed early in the morning, 3 am.

Saturday, I helped set up the community Church for the evening's concert and then went for a wee walk. The church was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and it was a real gem. built to FLW's height requirements. The space is charming, intimate, and wonderful acoustically. I also had some Gate's BBQ brought in by the sponsors. YUM YUM!! I am glad I do not live in KC. I stumbled on the Nelson Atkins Art Museum. What a lucky break for me! I wandered in and saw the various galleries. They have a gorgeous Caravaggio - St John the Baptist in the Wilderness, a painting of such beauty and depth. They also had two Lucas Cranach the Elder paintings - Three Graces and the Last Judgment. The Three Graces was just beautiful and invoked memories of the past. I walked around and watched people looking at the art as I myself looked at the art. People watching is great fun and two great places are museums and airports.

The concert that night was so cool. The piping was world class as was the drumming. The cd will be out next year. I picked up the cd from last year and it is a real show stopper. There was an old grandma sitting in front of me. She had been brought to the concert by her grandson. She must have been in her nineties but she loved the piping and drumming. After the concert was the party - Winter Steam. Newcastle Brown Ale sponsored the event and provided a prodigious amount of beer for the festivities.The party lasted all night. I finally went to bed at 4 am so I could get up for my 8:30am shuttle to the airport.

Would I go again? Hell, yes! It was very exciting to be part of this event. A major world event in the piping and drumming world right here in the Midwest. Thank you MHAF for all your work at making this a truly great event.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Scotch things

We went to John & Deb's home last night for a scotch tasting. The gang was there Thom, Steve, Charles, Phil, Bob, Damian and myself. There were 5 scotches presented by John: Bruichladdich 20 yrs old - bourbon cask, legs close together as a virgin (good viscosity), Nose - vanilla, pear, heather, sea, iodine, grassy, peppery. Finish - woody and long. Glengoyne 16 yrs old 15 years in bourbon casks then 1 year in Scottish oak, darker colour, warming. Nose - spicy, vanilla, butterscotch. Mouth - maple syrup, butterscotch, woody. Finish - woody, astringent. Glengoyne 15 yrs. Nose - butterscocth, citris, vanilla, pepper, creme brulee. mouth: mold, old shoe, musty warehouse. Glen Grant 30 yrs., cask strength, sherry butt. Nose - strong sherry, brandy nose, dried fruit. Mouth - sherry, brandy like, dried fruit. Finish - fruity and long. LAPHROAIG 30 yrs. Nose - peat, smoke, vanilla. Mouth - astringent. H2O added less smoke. This is the best whisky I have ever tasted. Good balance and complexity, it is best without water. Lagavulin 16 yrs. just a really good whisky. Port Charlotte 5 yrs. 46% Nose - iodine, fruit prickly, smoke, charcoal. Mouth- light, vanilla, sweet. Finish - short. Gordon MacPhail Imperil 14 yrs. Sweet, slight smokey taste and nose, fruit, dry finish. Laphroaig 15 yr This is a very tasting whisky and one of my personal favorites. A good time was had by all and I especially had a very good time as I was completely comatose till 9 this morning.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Summit Things

I was the tour guide today at Summit. It is very cool talking about beer and Summit. I had a great time. It is funny, I always flog the Great Northern Porter and the Oatmeal Stout. Invariably, the people taking the cue try it and enjoy drinking it. The pouring was fast and furious. We served over 100 people three beers each. It was mad.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Porter Things

2 January 2009, I held a porter tasting or some friends. We tasted 20 porters and 6 stouts mostly of the imperial variety. The tasters were: myself, Patrick, Thom, Bob, Damian, Andrew, Mike, Brian, Phil and Tina. The porters were Fitger's Parr's porter, Olfabrikken Danish porter, Capitol Baltic porter, Bell's porter, Mudpuppy porter (Central Waters, WI), Badger porter (Black River Falls, WI), Tyranena Devil made me do it coffee porter, Summit Great Northern porter, Surly Bender, Rogue Mocha porter, Smuttynose Robust porter, Zywiec porter (Poland), Gonzo Imperial porter (Flying Dog, Denver), Baltika 6 (Russia), Nogne O (Norway), Cygnuc X-1 (Flat Earth), Cygnus X-1 cherry infused, Samuel Smith Taddy porter, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, Okochim porter. The best of the night were Olfabrikken, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, and Nogne O. The worst was Capitol's Baltic porter. It was terrible, thin, tasteless, no character, and no redeeming qualities.

The imperial stouts were Pozharnik Imperial stout, Speedway Stout (Alesmith), Southern Tier (NY) Creme Brulee Chocolate stout, Pizza Port Santa's Little Helper, Obovoid (Boulder), and Tenfiddy (Oskar Blues, Lyon, CO). The best were Speedway but it needed another year lying still and Tenfiddy (in a can) just excellent. The worst and almost unpalatable was the Southern Tier too sweet in the bottle. Perhaps some aging might mellow it out. The taste and smell stayed with you as well.

Tattoo things

I was tattooed by Nic onMonday 29 December. He put a picture that Ava drew of Ann in the summer 2001. I placed it on my right leg opposite of DeDe's drawing. I think it is very cool and I like it a lot. I need to get one from Damian. The number is now at 8, eight tattoos. I still want a large one on my right shoulder and arm. Thanks Nic.