Harrisburg, Josh Ritter

I don't know where this guy is from, but I first heard Harrisburg as a sound track for a crazy-assed ski movie at some kind of outdoor film fest in Toronto. I like a few other of his songs, but this one I love.


It's a long way to heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg


Listen from joshritter.com.

We drove through Harrisburg on our way from Tennessee to West Virginia. The south is strange and wonderful.

Highland Scottish Ale, Storm, BC

Can't recall why we got a pitcher of this at the Whip one day, but it ousted the Plague as my favorite Storm beer.

Why describe it when you can go drink it yourself? Yum.

Black Plague Stout, Storm, BC

I used to drink this regularly when I was at the whip. Its a good stout, but there's a flavour stouts have that sometimes gets a bit over-emphasized and gets slightly odd. Not sure what it is. Should do a field trip with Mike to find out. Maybe sunday, in conjunction with:

> The Whip Real Ale Sundays
> March 30 @ 4:00pm
> This week is actually going to be a Real Mead Sunday.
> Crannóg's Clontarf Mead is a traditional, year-old
> organic mead made from honey produced on their farm.
> It is fermented cool and cask-conditioned with
> champagne yeast. At approximately 12% ABV, I am told
> this is lightly carbonated and somewhat sweet. This is
> a rare, small-batch offering that is the last of
> Crannóg's mead supply for this year. The Whip will be
> offering it in 8 oz. servings for $4.25.

Anyhow, enjoyable. But then I found the Scottish Ale...

stormbrewing.org

Chambly Noire, Unibroue, QC

I've had this before, and like it a bunch. Its frothy, like all the Unibroues, from the bottle fermentation on its lees, but tasty.

6.2% ABV, maybe a good thing after a long week.

some kind of pine beer, Dix, BC

Reminder to self - pine is not an appropriate flavour for beer.

Mind you, I got a tiny 50ml bottle of grappa once flavoured with a pine cone. It was yummy!

Junmai Nama Genshu, artisansake, BC

I think they grind the grain and steam it in Japan, but otherwise its made here. And grain prep is pretty specialized, its not that different from roasting grain for beer... too much work.

Anyhow, I bought two bottles from here, and we opened this one (the Genshu) last Sunday, and I finished it the next night. A bit high at 18%ABV, but I toughed it out... apparently it'll go bad if you don't drink it.

I really liked it. I think it was a bit over $24 a bottle, which is a bit more expensive than wine, but if you decide to calculate by alcohol volume it might be a deal. Anyhow, soft, sweet, a bit vanilla-y, and overall very, very yummy.

I can't wait to open the next one, but will so I don';t get in trouble. Its an unfiltered sake, all milky in color. I tasted it down at the Granville Island location, and its very good, I liked it better than the Genshu at the time - maybe I should buy another Genshu so I can drink two bottles at once to better compare? Yes, good idea.

It wasn't quite as good as the Japanese sake we opened at the same time, but that's a bottle my Sensei brought me from Japan as a gift, and I can't even tell you the name because the only non-japanese on the entire bottle is numbers... (it's 50% something, and I'm sure thats not alcohol, I'll have to ask Yuko to translate for me).


artisansakemaker.com

Spoken word/Body, Martin Belanger, Round House, Vancouver

We saw Martin Belanger at the Vancouver International Dance Festival Friday night. Apparently Julie knows him from Montreal, went to school with him, or something.

It was a really strong performance. He presented a series of thoughts on the development of movement in technological times (maybe the only place where our physical movement is still important is "sex, dance, and sports"), and his accompanying movement sometimes illustrated, sometimes not, his words. Very informal, and very thought-provoking.

He's an amazing dancer, and the music (partially mixed live on stage with him by his accompanying technician, who he interacted with during the presentation) was pretty varied and interesting.

Of course, if you haven't seen it already, you've missed it!

Quebec-Montreal, QC

A number of people on their way to Montreal from Quebec along highway 20. Their relationships are not going so well, and turn out to be intertwined...

Great fun, a little bit of schadenfreude.

A rating theory

So, I'd like to have ratings for beer, so I can know at a glance how much I liked something. It can get out of hand quickly, though, so I'm going to try for 3-scale rating system:

1. Would try to avoid drinking again
2. Would be happy to drink it again
3. Finding it on tap would make it be a very good day

I'll see if its useful.

beer and climbing go together like...

Good news and good timing, so now I need transportation and a belayer...

Villa Teresa, Prosecco Veneto, IT

Neumann brought this in to work, and I quite liked it. Its an organic slightly sparking white wine. It seemed high in alcohol content, even though it claims its only 11%ABV, and I only had a tiny glass... maybe because I was hungry?

Or maybe not, BCLDB claims its 13%. Maybe Italians measure differently?

Anchor Porter, Anchor Brewing Co., CA

Yum! An excellent beer! Too bad about the price... $16.65.

5.6%ABV

anchorbrewing.com

Mike and I made a new beer a few weeks ago

This would be the 4th I've helped him make. Getting close to numbers so high I won't be able to keep track!

Anyhow, apparently its pretty light, he isn't sounding really enthusiastic. Mutterings about the quality of the malt have been overheard during the mashing...

I haven't seen it yet, will have to get it in bottles soon.

I'll keep the readership informed of developments... that would be all two of you! :-)

Russel Cream Ale, Russel Brewing Company, BC

This is pretty good on draft (at least, it can be, I had a great pint at the new Barney's on Broadway and Main a week ago, and a lousy one a few days ago, whats with that? They've been open 3 weeks, and already the beer is off? Hm.).

Anyhow, its cheap in a can (about 10$, if I recall correctly), so I'm trying it that way. It's OK.

5%ABV

russellbeer.com

Tetley's English Ale, England

Tastes like a bitter. I like it, creamy, a bit bitter, a bit sweet, low alcohol. Is this what some call a "session beer"? At 3.6%ABV, I'd call it a breakfast beer.

Guinness, Ireland

It comes in a can. You've all drunk one. So have I, and now its immortalized on my blog :-).

Its good, and its always fun to take the can apart to figure out how the nitrogen thingy works.

4.2%ABV

Gulden Draak, Belgian

A little sweet, 10.5% ABV, don't know much else about it... came with Mike Fellows, and we done drunk it ensemble.

vansteenberge.com