The Police

Big news around B-town is that The Police are together and playing two nights at Fenway. Luckily for me, we live right next to Fenway. Tonight, on the way home from seeing a movie downtown, I thought I heard someone playing Police with their windows open. The song sounded slightly different from what I was used to. Eventually, I remembered the concert, and hastened to work to sit in the bathroom window that overlooks Fenway. They were playing so loud that I felt like I was at the show (and glad that I wasn't actually inside there, where I would probably have needed earplugs).
So I guess all I have to report is that I heard about a third of a Police show for free, and that Sting is still a badass. The guitar soloes were not to my taste, but the vocals and bass playing were as good as ever.
Awesome.

beers that are too large for your own good: neuzeller badebier

this schwarzbier is from a monastery close to the polish border. it's kind of a monstrosity. it's supposed to be for bathing in, but the label says it's also for "internal use." i remember it was a good schwarzbier, right on par with koestritzer. if it came in smaller bottles, i would drink it all the time. actually, it does, and if you live in germany, shipping is free! so knock yourself out.

Kegerator Upgrade

IMG_2183.JPG
Originally uploaded by quill7111

It's been awhile since I've posted last, and to be honest I haven't even been that busy. But one thing that I have accomplished is to upgrade the Kegerator. It now has FOUR taps and a fancy steel splashguard and drip-tray complete with rubber drip-tray liner thingy purloined from a bar in Tampa.
To check out more pictures of the construction process, you can head over to my flickr stream at http://flickr.com/photos/quill7111/. I'm too impoverished right now to afford the fancy pro account and have more than three sets, but if you have trouble finding the pics they're all tagged with "kegerator."
Kegerator 2.0 will hold and dispense four 5 gal. homebrew kegs, and if necessary I can hook in a normal sankey keg too if ever I need to serve commercial beer. I've only got one beer on tap right now, a chocolate weizenbock, but having all those empty taps inspired me to start fooling around with homemade sodas and things as well. At least until the batch of beer in the fermenter is ready.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

Useful Link #1: http://www.ralphsteadman.com/ The website for the artist who designed all of FLying Dog's labels. He has recently published some kind of memoir of his friendship/collaboration w/ Hunter S. Thompson. Amusing quote from his website: "Hunter always hated me to write anything and warned me that it would bring shame on my family. So be it, but that would only be the case if what I wrote was bad."
You may also recognize his work from such classics as Cardinal Zin

and Savage Journey

He of course also does work unrelated to drugs, alcohol, or gonzo.
Oh yeah, I'm drinking this cold one, and it's real good.
So, I tried to think of a good sampling of some crazy American beers to taste to the Germans that visited tonight. Oskar Belu Dale's PA, Flying Dog Gonzo Imp. Porter, Weyerbacher Blasphemy oaked quad, and Victory Hop Wallop. It turns out, neither really drinks beer so much. While I'm a little sad at not being able to show off our fancy beerness, I'm glad to have a serious stock of fancy beers now at my disposal.
Anyway, the Gonzo Imp. Porter. is awesome. I think it's restored my infatuation with heavy beers. Not that I care, but here's what the top reviewers at Beer Advocate say: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/68/24071/?sort=topr&start=0. The scent is a little awkward - alcohol w/ hops and caramel, but certainly pleasant. Thin foam at edges and a little in middle plus thick opaque dark brown color make it look a lot like good coffee. Only, I wish I could make my coffee have this much body. Nice body without feeling heavy. Much like a baltic porter, but I guess the dry hopping gives it a nice extra kick. I'm sure the "double porter" thing means something too, but I don't know what it implies exactly. Anyway, I don't feel like thinking too much about the beer, so I'll stop, but it's good. I'm glad I dropped a little extra cash to get this four pack. Plus the artwork rocks.

North Coast Old Stock Ale

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/112/1867/?ba=bros (Alstrom Bro Todd does a review that I actually like). Here's top reviewers http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/112/1867/?sort=topr&start=0 if you're too lazy to click the re-sort button.
Picture is linked to North Coast's website. Had on tap at Bukowski's (Cambridge). 2005 vintage, which I assume tastes like all the other vintages. Nose is straight port, though very caramelly. Actually lost a bit of body from the newer versions, but maybe gained ethanol notes and caremelliness. Very smooth and easy for an 11.4% cold one. Not worth the price ($10/10oz). That's a fuckin expensive ounce. Anyway, I couldn't hold back, esp. cause Laura was going to split it with me. Overall, a very nice beer. I stocked one away to be opened up in just one year to see if that balances the advantages w/ the loss of body from aging. Or... just to have it in a year. Sweet.

beer book and podcast from scientific american

Go here: http://www.sciam.com/podcast/index.cfm?e_type=W
Look up the podcasts from May '07 (05/2007). Listen to May 9. The first half is beer, about 15 min.
Here's the related article: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=E699E9C7-E7F2-99DF-38A7329520CF67D6&sc=I100322

It seems the book is only available in hardcover for about $28. I wonder if it's worth buying?

xtreme beers: schneider aventinus eisbock

bock means 'goat' and eis means 'ice', together, eisbock does not mean 'icegoat'. take that linearity.
i drank this beer at the weisses brauhaus in munich. this beer was the dessert to a meal of pork ribs and knödel (dumplings). it tastes like grapes and a whole symphony of alcohols. because of its potency, it's served in diminuitive .33 liter glass, instead of the usual .5 for weizens. it is a beer whose darkness is exceeded only by its intense fruit essence and uppercut-to-the-jaw alcohol content, and i 100 percent recommend it to lovers of dark beers and weizens.