19 December, 2024

Even more Connections

I can't believe I missed this: James Burke has a new series of Connections that came out last year. It's called Connections with James Burke. I shall have to check this out.


IN DORSET NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM!

This looks like a fun documentary and I am jealous of folks who got to see the show.

Alien On Stage is a Documentary about a unique crew of Dorset Bus Drivers whose amateur dramatics group decide to ditch doing another pantomime and try something different.

Having never done anything like it before, they spent a year creating a serious adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film, Alien; finding ingenious solutions to pay homemade, homage to the original film.

The show is a crushing flop but fate gives them a second chance to find their audience. Whilst still adjusting to the idea that their serious show is actually a comedy, the group find out they’re suddenly being whisked from their village hall to a London West End theatre to perform this accidental masterpiece for one night only.

With wobbly sets, awkward acting and special effects requiring 'more luck than judgement’, will their West End debut be alright on the night? This bus driving crew are our space heroes. Their bus station is our space station. Dorset is outer-space and where is the Alien? It’s behind you!

R.I.P. Zakir Hussain

A few days ago several shows by Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain started appearing at Dime. While it took a couple days for it to sink in, it finally occurred to me that he had died.

He was, I take it, primarily a tabla player and, as far as tabla players go, the most widely celebrated here in the States, if not the West. In addition to performing with fellow Indian musicians, his discography includes sessions with Van Morrison and George Harrison; and he collaborated with John McLaughlin, Pharoah Sanders, and several times with Mickey Hart.

This is part of his performance with Rahul Sharma who plays the Kashmiri santoor, a type of hammered dulcimer, here in Madison on 27 April 2017. Although my sources files says the performance was at the Overture Center, the show was at Shannon Hall at Memorial Union. The notes describe this as "Various 'light classical' pieces".


14 December, 2024

The winter's bitterness is lost

I checked my email today and saw that Lake Louie has a new brew: Winter's Tale.

Taproom only. It sounds not bad. And it was the Genesis song that came to mind first and then the work by Shakespeare.

And now Robin Shepard informs me that Wisconsin Brewing Company's brewmaster Kirby Nelson has a barleywine and a wild rice doppelbock (Manoomator Mk II?) coming later this month.

He, Robin, also notes that Full Mile Beer Company and Kitchen and Working Draft Beer Company have collaborated on a smoked Helles. I look forward to tasting this brew. 2025 will be the Year of the Rauchbier, I just know it.

Christmas has come early!

The H.P. Lovecraft Society has a new Dark Adventure - The Temple, based on H.P.L.'s story of the same name.

As the Great War drags on, German U-boats prowl the North Atlantic, torpedoing military and civilian vessels alike. When a shipwrecked man is recovered at sea, he tells a strange and disturbing tale of his experience on a German submarine. Has the experience driven him mad, or did his voyage reveal unseen monstrosities at the bottom of the ocean?

12 December, 2024

Errol Morris & Jacob Soboroff on Separated

Perhaps our greatest living documentarian (and University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus), Errol Morris, has a new movie out called Separated which looks at the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their aspiring immigrant parents at our southern border. It's based on the book Separated: Inside an American Tragedy by journalist Jacob Soboroff. Sadly, it seems that it had a very brief theatrical run in New York to qualify for Academy Awards and will only be available to stream. It comes to Amazon and Apple TV on the 17th of this month. Perhaps a DVD/Bluray release...?

The pair were recently interviewed on ReasonTV and it was very interesting - and disturbing.

06 December, 2024

Is it January already?

It was a chilly morning yesterday. More like January than early December.

Piper spent a lot time in bed and I caught her as she was cleaning a rear paw, a.k.a. - pusher.

We were invaded by a flock of starlings yesterday. Perhaps they were grabbing a bite to eat on their way south. My Frau managed to snap some pictures.

05 December, 2024

There is no dark side of the loon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark: Dark Side of the Loon by Lake Louie Brewing

So what is the difference between Lake Louie's Li'l Louie Lager and their Wisconsin Vacation Lager?

This question came up as I was checking out their website in preparation for this very entry you have before you. They both appear to be Miller/Bud types of beers. Perhaps the former is akin to Miller Lite since it has a lower A.B.V. than the latter. Lake Louie's website is one where ad copy reigns and revealing the ingredients comes piecemeal, if at all.

This reminds me of an exchange I had on Twitter several years ago. A beer writer whose name I cannot recall (wrote for Forbes, perhaps...?) posted a tweet saying that Goose Island was coming out with a new beer, Four Star Pils. I asked him if it had been brewed with then new, fruity tasting hops or with more tried and true Nobley ones.

Bad mistake.

Almost immediately, if not in his first reply, the guy turned into a snide jagoff and began addressing me as if I was the Mrs. Grundy of the beer world. Accusations that I was an obstinate puritan unwilling to consider the new and novel came first. My retort was that I simply wanted to know the ingredients before I spent my money. I am merely a humble consumer and in no way was I opposed to the existence of pilsners with nouveau, fruity hops; I just wanted help in deciding whether to go all in with a 6-pack or to dip my toes in the water with a single bottle.

Before long, his pal Michael Kiser (the marketer behind Great Beer Hunting) waded in and went on the attack. At one point, I told the original fellow that he had changed the direction of the conversation and moved the goal posts - in order to be an even bigger jerk, in my opinion, although I didn't write that. He sneered back "I can move the goal posts if I want to." I could easily imagine the guy hunched over his keyboard writing in response to disaster victims who are short on potable water, "Let them drink Westvleteren."

What an asshole. So were they both, both assholes.

It took me years but I eventually learned my lesson and left Twitter. A few or more years ago I heard that my original interlocutor was no longer reported on beer for a living and I now see that GBH is on indefinite hiatus. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel even a smidge of schadenfreude.

So back to Lake Louie. Their site's description of the beer at hand, Dark Side of the Loon, says "This rich and complex American Stout finishes as smoothly as a majestic loon gliding across a moonlit lake in hunt of its prey." Just ad copy. Can I get a bit more than a simile, please? I don't know what makes a stout American beyond being made in America, perhaps. How does it differ from an Irish or English stout? My guess is that either it has been laced with Citra hops or it is very potent and I see that it's 7% A.B.V. Does it lean sweet or dry? Was it blended with a soured portion of IPA?

Dark Side of the Loon is a recent addition to the Lake Louie portfolio. I think heard tell of it a month ago or so. An email I received shortly thereafter features a picture labeling it as a seasonal so, once it's gone, it's gone until at least next fall. I was going to lament that a brewery that has Kirby Nelson as an employee lets an autumn go by without a doppelbock is a crime but I see that Lake Louie does now have one called Mallaggie, a Märzen doppelbock. Not sure if it's being packaged or is just available on tap. And, to be honest, I am not sure if Lake Louie operates independently of Wisconsin Brewing Company or who. Brewmaster Kirby Nelson may spend his time fulfilling brewing contracts while someone else keeps the Lake Louie lamp trimmed and burning.

Even if the Lake Louie website isn't particularly helpful, the can does note some roasty flavors in addition to the major selling point of smoothness.

How many other beer labels are there that depict nature all red in tooth and claw and bill?

This beer got brownie points right off the bat for having a head that stuck around while I fumbled with my phone's camera. It was a lovely tan hue and jiggled when I moved the glass. And the beer's name was true to its word as this stuff was positively Stygian. If I held my glass up to a light at just the right angle it appeared a deep mahogany but, for all intents and purposes, this was the kind of beer that H.P. Lovecraft would have had at his side as he chronicled the events witnessed by Randolph Carter. A strong smell of roastiness wafted into my nose as I took a whiff as did an astringent one. Was this stuff really only 7%? I caught some stone fruit too as well as faint bitter chocolate and some herbal hoppiness. No fruity hop aroma!

My first sip revealed a medium body and a decent fizziness. I tasted milk chocolate, plum, some roast, and that boozy taste. Oh, and some of that herbal hoppiness and absolutely no tropical fruit. The stone fruit and chocolate flavors faded on the finish allowing the hops to share some bitterness to make for a perfectly dry denouement. I found that the much-touted smoothness appeared as the beer warmed and indeed the stuff became positively velvety as it went down. The smoothness helped minimize the boozy astringency, which I appreciated.

Once up to temp, this is one very, very tasty beer. The chocolate/mild roasty flavors are really nice and I was happy Loon steered away from the more intense roasted flavors that lend more of a bitter/burnt taste. It's not that I don't like these flavors, it's that American brewers tend to overload dark beers with them whether they be stouts, porters, dunkels, or schwarzbiers. You don't need to use black malts in every dark beer. The hops lovingly balanced the overall taste perfectly. Plus they give just the right amount of dryness to complement the luscious, satiny finish.

Junk food pairing: Dark Side of the Loon will pair well with nutty, smoky foods such at Barbeque Nutchos or Smokehouse Nut-Thins.

The Corona Diaries Vol. 118 - Plea: Look at the animals, look at you

(Read #118.)

Some residents of Heartland Farm Sanctuary, just south of Madison in rural Stoughton. You can help them out here.

Meet the animals yourself.

04 December, 2024

GREEN BLAH!

Some intrepid fans/filmmakers have produced a documentary about the history of the Green Bay punk scene called GREEN BLAH! The History of Green Bay Punk Rock "The First Ten Years or so...". Considering this teaser was posted a decade ago, the movie has been in the making for some time.

Hopefully this will screen at the Wisconsin Film Festival in the spring.

The Corona Diaries Vol. 118: An inauspicious start to the new year

{Watch the lovely prelude.}

(late January 2024)

The new year did not start well. My Frau did not make Hoppin’ John.

It was a mix of her ongoing health issues and just feeling depressed which is obviously intimately tied into those aforementioned health problems. I hoped that this was not a portent for 2024 and that she would find relief, if not being cured outright, soon. It has been heartbreaking to witness her struggles over the last year and I really didn't want a repeat.

Although I knew it was going to happen, I was still saddened at the news that Valkyrie Brewing had closed. You may recall that this was my stop of choice for some muscle relaxant after my hikes at the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area. I shall miss their Whispering Embers dearly.

Their last call was on the 6th and the intrepid editor of the Barron News-Shield, Ryan Urban, was there. You may recall him from earlier entries as we met on Twitter and have gotten together for a few beers on a couple of occasions.

Saturday’s farewell event featured many of the elements of a Saturday at the brewery. Games of cribbage were going on at nearly every table, game after game was played at the vintage pinball machine, friends and strangers alike conversed with enthusiasm and laughter, and there was music—for this occasion, by Kaptain Karl and the Dirty White Boy Band. Many people brought flowers and gifts for the Lees, and there was a cake, which they cut together with a sword, of course.

In addition to lamenting the loss of their amber restorative, I will miss the Viking theme of their taproom. Despite being in a former creamery, it eschewed the sadly fashionable industrial chic of so many taprooms and instead owners Randy and Ann Lee created one with a cozy, Nordic ambience. A real third space vibe where one could comfortably practice drawing runes and contemplate raiding monasteries.

Speaking of beer, now that it’s winter, one of my all-time favorites is once again available: Tippy Toboggan from Vintage Brewing here in Madison.

It’s a Roggenbock, I guess you’d say. That is, a German-style hefeweizen brewed to bock strength and with the healthy addition of rye to the customary grain bill of wheat and barley. And so it has the banana/clove flavors of a hefeweizen along with the earthy-spicy taste of rye. As someone with a lot of Central and Eastern European blood, I love rye. And with an A.B.V. of 6.9%, it keeps the chill at bay on cold winter days.

********

We had a few good snowstorms the first half of this month which made for some pretty scenery as well as great walks at my beloved Acewood Conservation Park. Temperatures got rather chilly too which made those walks a bit shorter than they would have been otherwise. It’s all-too easy to just stay inside on winter days and watch the TV, browse the internet, or do chores that you put off all summer and autumn. But it’s important for me to get outside regardless of both the temperature and the fact that the dryer vent needs cleaning.

Just after the first storm of the new year, I headed out to Acewood. The arch was bare.

While some folks and dogs too had come through already as evidenced by their tracks, the path was empty during my time there.

While the bare trees gave off a feeling of emptiness and death, there were critters aplenty out and about. This squirrel seemed to be taking a breather from scurrying around. I hoped that it was relaxing after a hearty meal. It looks well-fed.

I heard a woodpecker and somehow managed to track it down and, believe it or not, get a decent photograph of it. I think it was a hairy woodpecker.

A few days later we got several more inches of snow and the backyard was a veritable winter wonderland so I wandered around the house to check out the scene.

The house sparrows were ravenous!

 

It wasn’t long before we got yet another big storm and even more of the white stuff. This necessitated another trip to Acewood.

I found that the entrance to the path was snowbound as the wind had whipped up after the blizzard had ended and now my way was barred by drifts.

Although cold and windy, the sun made it, if not exactly pleasant, then much more bearable.


I saw a fair number of tracks beyond those of people and their hounds on my walk such as these which I believe were made by a mouse.

They hop atop the snow and you can see the marks its tail left here.

All in all, a wonderful walk, cold be damned.

********

Despite being the bowels of winter, I found a portent of spring at Farm & Fleet. They were taking orders for chicks and honey bees for pickup when the winter is over or nearly so, at least.

Speaking of animals, one of the movies I saw this month was Gunda.

Gunda is a documentary but an unconventional one. The title is the name of the sow on the poster above and we follow her and her piglets along with other farm animals including a one-legged chicken who despite its disability, gets along rather well.

Shot entirely in gorgeous black and white, it is pure cinéma verité as it features no narration nor any music and the camera is a fly on the wall, so to speak. I gotta tell ya, Gunda’s piglets are cute as all get out. We viewers just watch as the pigs, the chicken, and some cows simply get on with life. They eat and sleep and wander around the barnyards they call home.

I got lost in watching some creatures with whom we share this planet go about their lives. We hear them grunt, snort, moo, etc. They eat and poo. And did I mention that the piglets are as cute as the dickens? It was difficult not to ponder what was going through the animals’ heads and to not anthropomorphize them. I mean, piglets like to run and play just like human children do. Watching that chicken was inspiring as it didn't let a little thing like missing a leg stop it from roaming the barnyard with determination.

The cinematography is amazing with the camera normally low to ground putting us on the same level as the subjects, inviting us to view them as equals instead of we humans smugly looking down upon the animals from on high. And somehow director Victor Kossakovsky and cinematographer Egil HÃ¥skjold Larsen managed to get a camera in Gunda’s home to give us some intimate scenes as the piglets suckle, sleep, and spend quality time with their mother. In addition to being low to the ground, the camera was also able to get us up close to the animals. They never seem to feel like distant subjects and instead are more like pets.

I have read that Kossakovsky and producer Joaquin Phoenix are both vegans and the message here is basically “be kind to animals and don’t eat them”. By and large, though, the movie doesn’t preach this and instead tries to endear the animals to you by just letting them be themselves. The ending, however, was heart breaking and had me in tears.

Gunda and her piglets are out and about in the farmyard. An enclosure is set down with a small entry and the piglets scurry inside. The camera pulls back and we see the enclosure lifted up and hauled away by what I think was a tractor with a forklift implement attached.

Tears ran down my face as Gunda zipped around looking for her children but it was all in vain. Her grunts seem to grow ever more desperate as she darts this way and then that scouring every inch of the yard. Alas, she was never to see her piglets again. (Or so we are led to believe.) This scene is several minutes long and really tugs on your heart strings.

Piper watched the movie with me and I gave her a big hug afterwards. She came away with wet fur, I can tell you.

********

Bonus photo. Back in 2019 a transformer at the Madison Gas & Electric power plant on the isthmus had a little problem and exploded. A friend had this harrowing sight on his drive into work on that day. That jogger seems rather nonplussed.

 

03 December, 2024

The Corona Diaries Vol. 118 - Prelude: Look at the animals - aren't you glad to be one?

 
 
{Now read more in #118.}

They say that elderberry is the healer: Elderberry Healer by NessAlla Kombucha

I continue to work my way through NessAlla Kombucha's brews. It's a Madison company where brewers ply their trade just across Starkweather Creek from me so I get to support a local business as I indulge my fancy for kombucha.

With a name like Elderberry Healer, I was expecting my sampling to provide some pukka health benefits.

While I haven’t been ill since I drank this stuff, I am not convinced that I can attribute this wholly or even in-part to it.

Elderberry has a reputation for being a good treatment for colds and probably other ailments. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, it’s possible that elderberry will make you feel better if you have a cold or the flu, but the jury is still out.

So, with the salutary effects being questionable, I am left to consider the gustatory ones.

In addition to elderberry, this kombucha features hibiscus, ginger, licorice root, and oil of grapefruit. Regardless of whether it’ll help with a cold, it sounded very tasty.

The brew was a lovely red color – hibiscus is good that way – tinged with brown and a bit hazy. On first sniff my nose caught mildly sweetened tea with a great floral element. It also smelt of elderberries with just a hint of anise.

My tongue was quite pleased to be greeted by a healthy fizziness and tasted of elderberry, hibiscus, a hint of ginger zing, and, thankfully, slightly sweetened tea. I say “thankfully” because I’ve had kombuchas that could compete with the sweetest teas of the South for sheer cavity-inducing terror. The ginger became more prominent on the finish and the anise flavor reared its head here too.

This is an excellent brew! I appreciated the restrained sweetness and adored the elderberry-hibiscus combo. I am not a big licorice root person and, luckily, it was not a major player here but did add some nice contrast as did the zip from the ginger.