Turn Three at the P.O.P.E.

The past few weeks have seen several Philly Beer Joints celebrate anniversaries. I am back in town and will be celebrating with the gang at the Pub On Passyunk East tonight. Good food, good/rare/special/cool beer, and friends. Come on out people. Read more!

On the move...

...updates to come.

Till then:

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Chicagoist, Pt 3

Fred said, 'We should've had you out on Wednesday for the dinner.'
Jeff said, 'We ate so much, i went back for thirds. You'd have loved it.'

Sigh. I missed this dinner by a day, not even a full day, I arrived in Holland for Hatter Days while people were still sleeping off their Knickerbocker. Ah well, the chronicle continues...

READ IT.

Off to Boston for American Craft Beer Fest tomorrow.

One jockey box will flow with Golden Cap and 2009 Dragon's Milk all weekend long.
One jockey box will feature such fabulous side by sides as:

*Brother Jacob's Dubbel & Black Tulip Tripel
*Imperial Hatter DIPA and Oak Aged Mad Hatter (Woodford barrels)
*Dragon's Milk 08, 07

Plus 2006 Dragon's Milk at each session which means at some point during the fest there will be a 4 year vertical of the Milk. It's a beautiful thing. Read more!

Chicagoist, Part II

The next piece of the Publican/New Holland Chronicle. Biere De Garde brewday...

READ IT.

More links as they come. Read more!

Summer Reading...a brush with The Mystery.

So i've finished two books since summer officially started. I'm on an old kick and a new one. I literally just finished B Is for Beer by my main man Tom Robbins. Now if it's possible to place someone on your list of favorite authors after reading just one of his books than Tom Robbins is that man on that list (oh, Jonathan Safran Foer is there too). To be fair, as of today i've now read two books by Robbins. A friend hipped me to Jitterbug Perfume a few years back and i ate it up with a spoon. I used to listen to Book of Silk while reading it in my parents living room and used to sit and eat at the Sunflower Cafe while getting ready to finish it.



Ok, so i'm straying already. B is For Beer was a good time. There's some reading between the lines of this simply put "Children's Book for Grown-ups" that poke certain fun at certain folks (or organizations) and there are certain lessons to be heeded and not forgotten by those of us with a tasting schedule that's, well, frequent. At the heart of things though, there's talk of the beauty, of the fun, of the excitement, of The Mystery that make this a good beer book. It's funny, when you sit back with this book and think about the style it's written in (children's tale, simplified explanations) you can actually see how important it is for the uneducated to be taught.



I'm also completely jazzed up on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which has been mentioned here a few times already. It was a fun and interesting read that has made me seriously reasses my eating and spending habits and was the camel's back breaker for me in some ways. Check it out.

From there I'm moving on to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, you can see the theme growing and building. The time is right.



I also found a great cookbook that i am very excited about. Perla Meyers' The Seasonal Kitchen breaks down a seasonal approach to the year, cooking what's fresh and available and makes planning out meals based on what your local farmers can give you a very do-able task. In the Fall section there are soups, root veggies, etc while there is a whole section discussing summer vegetables.

I grabbed most of the books mentioned here at Wolfgang Books in Phoenixville. Mr. Jason really knows his stuff and is an all around great dude. Stopping in to Wolfgang isn't something i do nearly enough, but i always leave impressed. Climb the stairs people.

I have Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer on the list for this summer as well. In addition to Homocide by David Simon. Anyhow, i should put a closing thought of some sort here to wrap this all up neatly, but i am too tired and just wanna hit the way. Read more!

Further chronicles...

The Chicagoist follows the Publican / New Holland collabo....tune in to Chicagoist all week as Chuck Sudo recaps the two day throwdown in Holland.

READ IT

And also, just because this is Chicago related (thanks to Phil Kool for the heads up).

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Paul Kahan & The Publican Crew @ New Holland

Chicago loves New Holland and New Holland loves Chicago. Easy as pie.

Storied and accoladed chef Paul Kahan and his crew from Chi-town's Publican, a beer focused restaurant that soucres much of their menu from local and organic farms, came to our brewery to make a menu, have some fun and brew a beer. They hail from other notable Chicago spots like Blackbird and avec, they have James Beard (and other) awards & nominations left and right, and they are passionate about good beer. The seasonal and essentials-only aspect of their menu mimics and compliments craft beer in a very interesting way, those in town should certainly make a point to stop in.

More about Paul here.

More about Publican here.

From Recurve Media, I present episode one from their recent trip...

WATCH IT

Stay tuned for further adventures and updates on this project. Read more!

Heirloom - A Mix To Spring By

It's that time again, another mix from the desk of Dr. Joel. Usually for me spring brings on a deluge of reggae and other feel good stuff and i've definitely been listening to my fair share (Bus Rider's Sweltering Fever, Rerog's 6 Dollar Mix, Early Wailers sides from 1970 - 72), my mind was elsewhere as Spring began to emerge this year. I am almost done reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (and family) and i couldn't have been given this book at a better time (Thank You Fred). I hit the Phoenixville Farmer's Market hard last year, i saw a total switch in my grocery buying habits and needs. Talula's Table and their charcuterie blew me away, the work of Rod from Backyard Bison spoils me since i am able to see him on a weekly basis.

I've long been a big supporter of the little guy, but over the last year i went in even deeper. As i drove around and around from fall to spring i'd gotten a chance to take part in a lot of different towns' local activities. Beer dinners with local ingredients, i happened upon a nice little farmer's market on Wednesdays in Purcelville, VA right before walking in to one of my events, lots of local meats, cheeses, and produce all over the Eastern side of the country. I was blown away by the Holland farmer's market when i was there in September, i was blown even further away by the work of Matt Millar who i was introduced to on the same trip.

So this mix has a very apparent theme, in some ways it sort of tells a story - there is a concept and dramatic happenings that follow from start to end, at least i think there are anyway. So enjoy, astute listeners will notice one track repeated from my fall mix. As with last time, i'd encourage listening before viewing the track list below, but i know that's not everyone's cup of tea. Enjoy locavores, enjoy.

Heirloom - Spring/Summer 2009





And beyond ado....the track list:






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28 years old...really?

Those tuned into Suz's blog noticed her putting entertainment before ego recently and sad as i am to say it, i am gonna go ahead and do just the same here today. Ya know it'd be great to blame the fine print or something like that on today's little disaster, but really i only have myself to point the finger at here.

I have been travelling quite a bit lately as some of you know and in the back of my mind for the past two weeks or so has been a repeating reminder to grab a new bottle of dishwashing detergent. It hasn't been a major issue since i've spent more of the last two weeks in hotel rooms than my apartment, but after a bit of cooking post-Savor it was high time to clear the sink and start over. I've been a bit more green over the past few months than ever before and when i thought i'd picked up a dandy little product from Seventh Generation things seemed to all be falling into place. The product is great, it's plant based rather than petroleum based, so i am doing my part to cut into the world's oil woes right there.

The main problem i ran into with this product? It wasn't actually meant for dishwashers. In my haste i failed to fully read the label:

'Tough on Grease' - This is good
'Gentle on Hands' - This, yes this, is where it does not apply in my case. You see, it needn't be gentle on hands if you are using a D I S H W A S H E R .





Do green guys even use dishwashers? Sigh, i don't know. My pittance for this ridiculous act of carelessness? All dishes washed by hand until i am done the bottle.

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Saveur

People, if you get a chance to hit Savor next year don't pass up the opportunity. It was a lot of fun and a crop above the mayhem of normal beer fests. Brewery folks behind the tables all night and really, really good beer being poured. Delicious pairings and less of a crush at each breweries table. Plus DC is a fun town. It was my first time running through town and hitting a lot of the must-see beer joints.

I won't make much with the ado here, sleep is a priority. Here a few pics.





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