I am having my first cup of chicory coffee that I brought back from New Orleans.
This is some fine stuff, Congregation. Extra intense nuttiness. Very tasty indeed.
19 April, 2024
First cup of the day
17 April, 2024
Stoopid app
When I was at The National WWII Museum last week, I took oodles of photos. At one point I was looking at some of them on my phone and came across one taken in the gallery about the Holocaust. My photo app made an unfortunate touch-up suggestion for a photo of two Jews being humiliated by some Nazis.
12 April, 2024
Under Pressure at the Mecca
It was 40 years ago today that Rush released what is perhaps their most synth-laden album, Grace Under Pressure.
"Distant Early Warning" and "Red Sector A" survived in live sets for a long time with the former lasting until the very end. But most of the album didn't survive much beyond the tour in support of the album. ("Red Lenses" did make it to the Power Windows tour, oddly enough.) And so I am going to celebrate this anniversary with the album's closer, "Between the Wheels".
It was recorded in Milwaukee on 25 June 1984.
10 April, 2024
Clasping Later That Same Evening in Madison
Jethro Tull's The Broadsword and the Beast was released on this day in 1982. 42 years ago!
To celebrate, wrap your ears around this live version of "Clasp" recorded here in Madison on 2 November 1984.
05 April, 2024
Somebody tell me what's Carnival for: Mardi Gras Bock by Abita Brewing Company
In anticipation of making my first trip to The Big Easy, I recently started buying a weekly bag of Zapp's potato chips despite the chips not actually being made in Louisiana and Zapp's now being a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Utz potato chip empire of Hanover, Pennsylvania. And so it's only appropriate to eat them while listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On the Bayou", a fantastic slice of swamp rock by a band from California that I don't think had ever stepped foot on the bayou when they recorded that song. Thinking that I ought to consume something other than potato chips for this endeavor and something actually from New Orleans, I mistakenly bought some beer from Abita.
Although not brewed in New Orleans, Abita is at least brewed in Louisiana. Looks like 40ish miles north of there. That's close enough, I suppose, for them to legitimately use New Orleans iconography. Besides, they use more generic bayou stuff in their beer names too. It's like New Glarus. They use a lot of Wisconsin imagery on their labels but I don't think anyone would object if they brewed a smoked rye lager and put a flamingo standing on a hill on the label. I for one would welcome such a thing.
For my sampling, I recreated a small bit of my past. One time back in the days when I prepared food for a living, one of my fellow cooks brought in a Mardi Gras mixtape to celebrate the season. It was through this tape that I learned that New Orleans R&B extended way beyond Fats Domino. Irma Thomas, Earl King, Clarence "Frogman" Henry - ooh! - "Sea Cruise" by Frankie Ford. But there was this 3 song stretch that I listened to while sipping my Abita:
"Jolie Louise" by Daniel Lanois (who knew he did more than produce U2 and Bob Dylan?)
"My Toot Toot" by Rockin' Sidney
"Go to the Mardi Gras" by Professor Longhair
Fess!!! "Big Chief"! "Tipitina"! "Bald Head"!
Oh mama! I can remember many other songs from that tape but it's only those 3 that I can recall the order of.
While Mardi Gras is done and Christians the world over are enjoying Lententide by ignoring all of their chosen denomination's injunctions against fun, the season for pale bocks, a.k.a. - Maibocks, is not. As it happens, Abita is a fairly large brewery and their brews are found even here in Wisconsin. Furthermore, their Mardi Gras/Lenten seasonal is a Maibock called Mardi Gras Bock. A perfect choice as I get the New Orleans factor and the drinking seasonal element all in one fell swoop.
Looking at this lovely beer, I felt like I should have thrown some beads at it. It was a gorgeous gold and clear as day. The big, off-white head had staying power and the clarity allowed me to see a few bubbles inside. The aroma was a nice mix of the malty - caramel with a bit of bread - and the hoppy - grass with a hint of white pepper. If only there was a hop that smelled of cayenne.
A medium body and a medium dose of fizz greeted my tongue. There was a definite malty smoothness but it was cut by a bit of astringency. While there was a little taste of bread, the malts generally gave honey and caramel flavors. Despite this, the beer wasn't overly sweet with those flavors being balanced by some spicy/peppery hops.
The malty sweetness faded on the finish rather quickly with hops on the peppery side coming in to give a firm dose of bitterness and a solid dryness.
Would it have been cool to have a little plastic baby inside one of the bottles of my 6-pack? Yes. Would I have preferred some hot decoction action to strengthen that bready taste? Of course I would. But nonetheless, this stuff has a nice malty flavor and I really appreciate that the sweetness was moderated. Its 6.5% A.B.V. strength provided a little warmth on a chilly evening. Mardi Gras Bock is a fine brew as the pale lagery goodness just hit most of the Maibock notes for me.
Junk food pairing: I've been pairing Mardi Gras Bock with generous portions of Zapp's Evil Eye potato chips. Their Worcestershire sauce/tomato paste combo complements the beer's hoppy zing perfectly.
04 April, 2024
No, not that ministry
I ran across this screenshot I look last month of the WKOW webpage featuring their list of upcoming events. Someone or some algorithm or AI chose a fine picture for the Ministry-Gary Numan show at the Sylvee.
Someone doesn't like industrial, perhaps.
Judge Dee’s Mystery
Netflix is now showing a Chinese TV series called Judge Dee’s Mystery. It's based on the 18th century detective tales that come to us English speakers as Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, which I read back in 2012.
I have only watched the first episode and found it to be a lot of fun. It takes place during the Tang Dynasty, I believe, but I am unsure of the exact year. The Tang Dynasty lasted from the 7th until the 10th century so there's a big time frame here. Our hero, Di Renjie, was a real Chinese magistrate who lived in the 7th century so perhaps that's when it takes place.
So far he has demonstrated some superior fighting skills as well as a preternatural ability to observe his surroundings a la Sherlock Holmes. There is a trio of sidekicks and we've had a small dose of supernatural wuxia. Lots of Steadicam and/or crane work as there is an abundance of smooth camera movement around the big sets. I think each mystery takes 3 or 4 episodes to solve so I have barely dipped a toe in the water.
Russian roulette...with jelly beans
My Frau bought me a BeanBoozled recently.
You spin the, uh, spinner on the right and then grab a corresponding jelly bean. Each color/type comes into 2 iterations: one tasty and one disgusting.
For example, the brown ones with off-white splotches could be cappuccino flavored or it could be liver & onions.
I have discovered that most of my co-workers are a bunch of unadventurous chickens.
Imperial Radler?!
New Glarus Brewing has announced their spring beer line-up and there's an Imperial Radler in the Thumbprint series along with a Milk Chocolate Stout.
Since a radler is usually 2%-2.5%, does that mean an imperial version will be 4% A.B.V.?
Throw in Two Women, a Landbier(?), and there'll be a lot of fine lagers on store shelves this spring.
Iron Maiden wants you for dead!
The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's Dark Adventure Radio Theatre has a new drama out: The Iron Maiden.
It is an adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's 1837 novella La Vénus d'Ille.
"Just a few years after being hired to teach at Miskatonic University, young Nate Ward uses his summer vacation to visit the Isle of Wight and examine some curious ancient ruins. While there he makes a surprising discovery on the estate of a local landowner. Will it bode well for the family, or has he unearthed inexplicable misery and woe?"
I am thinking the latter.
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