Coming soon, 31 December

I saw Babygirl today at our local AMC outpost and was graced with 9 trailers. 9!! Death of a Unicorn looks to be fun. Lots of Soderbergh in 2025.

Oh look, the human has returned

Things that are confusing

I thought this kind of thing was illegal.

With no caffeine, how does it awaken you?

Coming Soon, 22 December 2024 Edition

I went to see The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim last week at Marcus Palace and here were the trailers.

One man's Baltic Porter is another man's Imperial Russian Stout: Baltic Porter by Dovetail Brewery

When I think of Baltic Porter, I think of crusty, disheveled 17th century fellows sitting at a tavern in Gdańsk on the shores of the Baltic Sea reminiscing about the good ol' days of the Hanseatic League and bitterly lament how the Atlantic trade with its cheap goods from America has just ruined everything. Over flagons of this hearty brew, they revel in the glory days when Finns traded saunas for Latvian pickled herring, the Germans traded their artisanal salt to the Swedes for potash in order to make industrial strength beer glasses, and the Poles offered honey and rye in exchange for silk for all the lovely Polish ladies to wear.

Also when I think of Baltic Porter, I think of a pitch black brew that looks like motor oil when poured into a glass. And it has a viscous feel to it when drank. A nice, full body. (Hint hint. Nudge nudge. Say no more! Say no more!) You know, Baltika #6 and the stuff from Żywiec. But when your Baltic Porter is just a hair from 10% A.B.V. like Żywiec's or Third Space, maybe it's become a Russian Imperial Stout. Baltika #6, on the other hand is only 7%. Looking at other Polish porters - Baltic Porter is a Polish invention, as I understand it - I see 7-8%.

I was thrilled to be able to find some Baltic-style porter from Dovetail on a recent trek to Chicagoland as I just don't recall seeing any here in Madison. It is my impression that it's their late fall specialty, something to enjoy with the cooler autumn temperatures now that you've drunk all of your Festbier and are impatiently waiting on Jenny Pfäfflin to get that Holiday Bock out of the lagering tanks.

The label said it was 6.6% A.B.V. which was less potent than the Okacim Porter which lines Polish store shelves throughout Chicago while being significantly easier going than Żywiec Porter which is 9.5%.

Whatever strength a Baltic Porter may be, it will always be like a black hole in your glass. If you had giant glass vat of the stuff, you could stand behind it and no one would be able to see you. A fine beery hiding spot. My pour produced a lovely, but fast-fading, dollop of tan foam atop the Stygian suds. In addition to looking like its brethren, it smelled just as expected too with coffee and dark chocolate at the fore with a honeyed sweetness and something green bringing up the rear.

The medium-heavy body tasted somewhat restrained and did not simply make my tongue feel as if I had accidentally sipped from a quart of Valvoline. A firm fizziness probably helped. I tasted coffee, dark chocolate, raisin, and a little caramel while a herbal hoppiness proved to be just the right amount to balance those malty flavors. The coffee, chocolate, and mild sweetness lingered on the finish until the hops mustered just enough gumption for a bit of dryness here and a smidge of bitterness there.

Dovetail did a very, very nice job here as this is great stuff. The coffee and chocolate flavors were positively delicious and they didn't have that ostentatious look-at-all-the-black-malt-we-used-here bitterness. And it was hopped perfectly. Enough counterpoint to the roasty flavors but without trying to steal the show. I loved how it was as full-flavored as any counterpart yet, unlike some, one of these just isn't enough to last you throughout Advent.

Junk food pairing: Grab a bag of Utz's Pumpernickel Pretzel sticks and a big jar of spicy mustard for dipping to go with Dovetail's finest.

Scenes from a snowfall, December 2024

We got several inches of snow a few days back. The storm started during the day and continued until the following morning.

Luckily I did not have to go into the office and could enjoy the lovely scenes. (And keep up with the shoveling.) The critters were huddled around the bird feeder waiting on seed to come tumbling down courtesy of the messy house sparrows.

I did go out that night, however, and the roads were treacherous.

The storm had passed by the time I awoke the next morning. After a few gulps of coffee, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood.

A flock of mallards did not seem bothered by the chilly waters of Starkweather Creek.

The sun cast some fine shadows.

I was happy that we would have a white Winter Solstice.

Report from Beantown: Utz Salt 'n Vinegar

It feels like Utz's potato chips started showing up on Madison store shelves only fairly recently and in only limited flavors, one of those not being salt & vinegar. Very disappointing.

A couple two tree weeks ago I was in Boston and stopped in at a supermarket near my hotel, a Star Market, to get a dose of New England culinary culture. While I now see that the chain originated in the Boston area, they carried precious little that Massachusites, or Massholes, as I was later informed that denizens of The Bay State were to be called, produced. Perhaps I just didn't look in the correct aisles. Or Massachusites are too busy doing patriciany things to be bothered with slicing and frying potato chips.

What I did find, however, was the elusive Utz Salt 'n Vinegar chip. Utz is headquartered in southeast Pennsylvania so I guess it qualifies as a regional delicacy. I had an impromptu tasting in my hotel room.

Sticking my nose in the bag and taking a whiff, I was delighted to smell the aroma of fresh oil, some potato sweetness, and a not insignificant dose of vinegar tang. I poured some chips out on a plate and found them to be very thinly sliced and have that typical light yellow color with splotches of brown.

They had a nice crisp snap to them and a fine slightly sweet, earthy potato taste. The oil was not too strong and the vinegar flavor was firm. Better than firm. These were downright tangy! Very nice! They were fairly salty as well. Just a notch or two down from the Platonic idea of salt & vinegar chips that is Vitner's.

The funny thing is that there is no vinegar on these chips; no acetic acid. We've got the lactic, malic, citric, and fumaric types, though. But they do the trick and give your tongue a dose of zesty tang that approaches, but doesn't quite attain, the lethal.

I also see here the Vitner's is now part of the Utz megacorp. Maybe the chip architects for the different brands have no contact with one another. I also see that Utz has a pumpernickel pretzel which makes me sad because Snyder's of Hanover seems to have forsaken this wonderful flavor years ago and I have never seen Utz pretzels in Madison of any stripe.

Let us hope that Utz exports this flavor to Madison soon.

Like the nectars of old: Mango Turmeric by NessAlla Kombucha

Next up in my journey through the drinks of Madison's NessAlla kombuchary (kombuchery?) is their Mango Turmeric.

The stuff was rather hazy and this dulled its light golden hue. It smelled like kombucha - that tangy herbal aroma along with - quelle surprise - mango. There was also some pineapple in there.

It tasted rather thick and heavy - like those Libby nectars that I drank as a kid. However, there was a nice bite to it which I suspect was part fizz, part vinegar. Again, mango and pineapple were prominent with orange and ginger less so. All of the fruitiness obscured most of the tea flavor though the tropical medley wasn't the worst flavor ever. As it warmed some tannins came through, especially on the finish.

Not bad but definitely heavy on the fruit. A busy formula that made me wish there was more tea flavor. For such a viscous feel on my tongue, it is rather low in sugars/carbohydrates.

Rye lager? Make it so.: Rye Lager by Phase Three Brewing Co.

Years ago my annual trek to Chicago TARDIS down in lovely Lombard, Illinois meant a visit at Binny's where I'd eagerly snatch up some Hoss, a rye Märzeny kind of brew from Denver's Great Divide. At some point, that beer, quite unsurprisingly, stopped gracing Binny's shelves in the fall when I was there. This made me sad because this autumnal pilgrimage had become a tradition and Hoss was (is?) a great beer. Oh well. All good things and whatnot. As time wore on, I became inured to being rye lager-less as the winter solstice approached.

Until this year.

Chicagoland has many a brewery which can make perusing the local beer shelves at Binny's something of a chore because a lot of breweries means a lot of IPAs. As in a number that feels like it approaches infinity. There's a mesmerizing quality to scanning the shelves as the letters fly by...I-P-A. Soon every beer looks to be an IPA. And so it was last month. Until I ran across Phase Three's Rye Lager. Could it really be? The IPAs beneath and above and to either side beckoned me.

"Come taste of our faux tropical fruit..."

I felt like Captain Picard in that Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where he's being tortured.

"There are four-packs of rye lager!" I roared back in defiance of the Citra siren calls.

Shaking off my hypnotic haze, I found that indeed there were four-packs of rye lager staring back at me from the shelf. I already had two Rauchbiers, a Dovetail flavor I'd never had, plus multiple brews from abroad. Did I really need more beer?

Yes!

Phase Three is a brewery in Lake Zurich, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. I have no doubt seen their brews before but don't recall ever having tasted any of them. Without meaning to sound overly cynical, I admit to tempering my expectations. There were a lot of Phase Three IPAs on the shelf too so could they pull off a decent lager?

Luck was on my side and I managed to capture one of my pours where there is some head. My glass was happy to have a lot of the light tan foam and, thankfully, it stuck around a while. The brew was a lovely clear amber and I saw a fair number of bubbles inside. No haze; a good start. My luck continued as I took a whiff and smelled grains: a bit of bread, at first, and then some earthy rye. A berry-like fruitiness followed as did some herbal hoppiness.

A medium-light body held a firm fizziness. My initial sips were malt madness with bready and doughy flavors complemented by that earthy-spicy rye goodness. The hops stayed below the fray but I could taste their herbal tentacles weaving themselves between and among all those malt flavors. The rye and a touch of malty sweetness lingered on the finish but eventually ceded to the hops which took on a deliciously spicy aspect. Fizz and hops united for a mellow dryness accompanied by a gentle bitter bite .

What a wonderful surprise. I had my doubts about what appeared to be another IPA factory dipping its toes into the lager waters but Phase Three meant business. For me, this was an easy drinker despite being 6.6% A.B.V. and I had a hard time sitting there with a rye lager in front of me and not pouring it down my maw. The rye flavor was great and benefited from the beer not being particularly sweet. Plus the hops complemented the malt flavors perfectly and I appreciated how they orchestrated a refreshingly zesty finish.

I hope Phase Three brews this again next year so that rye lager returns as an autumn tradition.

Junk food pairing: Pair P3's Rye Lager with a big bag of Mike's Hot Honey potato chips from Utz. (Utz's Mike's Hot Honey potato chips?) The mild sweetness from the honey and potatoes will complement the rye perfectly. These chips don't burn like the fires of Hell but that little bit of heat goes well with the hops and really accentuates their peppery taste on the finish.

How do you say "bummer" in Polish?

I had a Polish bock beer and was all excited to find succor in it after wandering in the cold and write a review of it as a companion piece to the one of Giant Jones' version and then I find that the beer was bad. Long past its life expectancy with that worty-vermouthy taste. Bummer.

But I remain undeterred. As Douglas MacArthur once said, I shall return with a fresh bottle...

Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about Rauchbier: Smoked Helles by Pipeworks Brewing

Rauchbier? Let me tell you about Rauchbier.

Christmas came early at Binny's last month as I walked out into the chilly Downers Grove air with not one but two Rauchbiers. (And a rye lager. And a couple intriguing Polish brews.) I felt what I imagine a new father feels like after his first child is born - all giddy and elated. But, instead of the pride of having sired offspring, I felt the satisfaction that I would be able to enjoy the autumn nights with a luscious, smoky companion.

Sadly, the first Rauchbier that I tasted from my stash was a disappointment - just too much fizz. So I looked to Pipeworks to rectify the situation. Their Oaked Smoked Helles Lager had proven to be excellent and I felt that the (presumably) beech wood version would be as well.

It's funny to me how my perception of Pipeworks has changed over the years. When I first became aware of them I sought out their fruited Berliner Weisses. And then they seemed to go all unicorn IPA on me. I was once at a party with a bunch of brewers from a local brewery - the grunt type of brewer, not the brewmasters who get all the glory - who were a fair bit younger than me. Pipeworks came up and they all bent over backwards to praise, if not worship, their unicorn IPAs. It was as if the hops used in their beers were unique to the brewery and no other had the Precious. I couldn't help but think "What the hell is wrong with kids these days?"

But now Pipeworks has this Pastrami on Rye beer that is infused with rye goodness and seasoned with spices not normally found in beer. It's like a gruit and a Jewish deli made the beast with two backs and had a delectably toothsome child. Then this fall I discovered that they have not one but two different Rauchbiers, each brewed with a malt that was smoked with different variety of wood. Pipeworks deserves tons of credit for escaping the gimmick trap that holds many a craft brewery tied to a routine of brewing barely distinguishable IPAs. I no longer think of unicorns when I think of Pipeworks which is a testament to their willingness to brew with ingredients I prefer over fruity hops and their ability to make quality beers.

For once my photograph is more or less in focus and does a decent job of portraying the foam situation as my pour produced a smallish head that was just off-white. These bubbles were positively kinetic like soda and they burst fairly quickly. On the other hand, my camera's rather poor white balancing makes the beer look a deeper gold than it truly was. The brew was clear and I spied a goodly number of bubbles inside. As expected, a smoky aroma wafted up from my glass and set the olfactory part of my brain all aglow. After it had settled down, I caught a hint of bread as well as some grassy hop scents.

A medium-light body was adorned with a firm, but not overwhelming, fizziness.

Whew!

I mean, was there ever any doubt?

Upon my first sip, waves of ambrosial smokiness caressed my tongue. They weren't tsunamis nor were they mild spilling waves. They hit that nice Goldilocks mid-point. (Though, truth be told, I wouldn't have minded if it had been even smokier.) A bit of bread joined the fray along with grassy hops. On the finish, all the malty goodness slowly faded - smoke tends to leave my palette more slowly than sweetness - letting the hops come to the fore with a more spicy flavor. This, along with the fizz, made for a moderate dryness with slightly less bitterness.

Pipeworks really came through here. Although less bready/Maillardy than Schlenkerla's Helles, this and its oaken sister are excellent Rauchbiers. Luscious smoke and the fizz/hop combo provide balance and a nice, dry finish. Fine brews indeed.

Junk food pairing: As with the oaked smoked stuff, this smoked Helles pairs well with potato chips, especially the All Dressed or Cheese & Onion varieties.

Feeling the cold of winter

We got several inches of snow a couple days ago and this song has been in regular rotation for me. (Do any other Genesis fans avoid the 2007 remix with the Lars Ulrich drum sound?)

Happy Rush Day!

A friend just wished me a Happy Rush Day. It took me a minute but then realized today is 21/12.

Here's a bit of 2112 from Milwaukee in 2013, a show I was at.

Happy Solstice!

We are here:

Happy Winter Solstice!

I held the beer so tightly in my hands: Rauchbier by Goldfinger Brewing Co. & Maplewood Brewery

"Is that the brewery that makes Pulaski Pils?" I asked myself when seeing "Maplewood Brewery and Distillery" on a can of this beer. Truth be known I've never had Pulaski Pils but I am surprised at this considering I grew up in Chicago a block from Pulaski Road and had a Polish grandmother. Casimir Pulaski Day meant a day off from school and time to go cause low level mayhem in the alleys. Driving into Lincolnwood always prompts a bit of derision towards the northern burb. I mean, Crawford Avenue?

While Maplewood distributes here in Madison, I've never had any of their brews. And so their logo prompted a bit of interest but no trepidation due to a beer of theirs that I didn't take to. Let's taste what you've got. Unlike Maplewood, Goldfinger does not distribute here in Madison but I have been to their taproom. The beers my Frau and I had were excellent. I think they do decoction mashes and they proudly advertise that their beers are lagered in horizontal lagering tanks, though I don't know what the orientation of the tanks does to the beer. Whatever brewing voodoo they do, I am all for it as the beers of theirs I have known and poured into my maw were overflowing with Maillard goodness. And they came in mugs with a generous head, as is proper, letting my nose have a thrill instead of being all sullen and jealous of my tongue.

Even if I was unfamiliar with Goldfinger and had, perhaps, a less than stellar experience with a Maplewood beer, I still would have bought their Rauchbier collaboration because Rauchbier is just like manna from heaven and hope springs eternal. I don't recall the can indicating what style it was, a smoked Märzen, for example. Nor do I remember if the can indicated what time of wood was used to the smoke the malt. I always presume it's beech wood unless told otherwise.

My cans indicated they were filled on 24 October and I bought them Thanksgiving weekend.

My pour would have made the barkeeps at Goldfinger proud as my glass was topped with a few fingers of off-white foam. (Pre-photo, that is.) It was loose and frothy and lasted what I think of as an average amount of time. The brew was copper colored and clear with a goodly number of bubbles to be seen inside. A sweetly scented smokiness hit my nose first followed by dash of cherry and a faint bit of grassy hops. Ooh la la!

A medium-light body held a lovely smoke taste which was accompanied by a slight malty sweetness. The hops took on spicy notes in addition to the more green ones from the aroma. And there was lots of fizz which cast an astringent shadow over the beer. For the finish, the fizz ganged up with the hops and washed away the maltiness leaving a really nice dryness with the perfect level of bitterness.

I suspect that the more than generous amount of carbonic acid here dulled my tongue because it became progressively harder to taste the malt and hops - a bit like when you overindulge in some potent salt & vinegar potato chips. They were basically smothered by all that fizz. This was a liquid palimpsest with the carbonation at the fore but the Rauchbier still barely visible beneath. And so, while the first few gulps were very tasty, the smoky satisfaction dissipated all too quickly.

Bummer.

Junk food pairing: I paired by Rauchbier with a bag of Herr's Jalapeno Poppers Flavored Cheese Curls. They have a rich cheesy flavor and just enough heat to make you feel it. Plus the jalapeno complements the smokiness well.

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".

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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 Håskjold 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.

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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.

 

 

(Look at the animals.)