Song of the day, 30 December 2025

I was lying in bed this morning and this song popped into my head. And of course I changed the lyrics to be about my cats.

I believe in Grabby's and Pipe as an abstract

 

Gute Nacht Geneva: Good Night Bamberg by Art History Brewing

I braved the Thanksgiving blizzard for this beer.

Roosevelt Road was an absolute disaster with every snowflake threatening to obstruct my view and my poor tires with barely any helpful tread for gription were due to replaced the following week. It was like Mad Max in slow motion with cars fishtailing everywhere and the owners of SUVs steadfastly declining to slow down for the conditions.

But like your friendly letter carrier, neither snow nor jagoffs driving Subarus would stay me in my search for a particular beer - more on that another time. And while the weather outside was frightful, Sal's Beverage Emporium, er, World was delightful. I perused the local beer shelves after a trip to Binny's and the brewery of the highly sought after and temporarily anonymous beer both proved unsuccessful.

"IPA. IPA. IPA. Bamberg. IPA. Barrel...Wait a minute!"

Now that got my attention.

The beer was Good Night Bamberg by Art History Brewing in the western burb of Geneva. The label described it as a "Franconia Style Smoked Dark Lager". As you can imagine, it was an instant buy for this Rauchbier addict.

While I have heard of Art History, I cannot recall ever having tasted their beer previously. Surely I've seen their brews many a time at Binny's yet I am unsure why I had never sampled their liquid until now. My best guess is that I'd mostly seen IPAs and turned my nose up at them. Upon seeing something more to my liking such as a Helles, I moved on because why would I buy their Helles when Dovetail's and Goldfinger's are just down the aisle and I know they have been lovingly decocted to drive me to Maillard gluttony?

And so I was confronted with my first Art History beer. How did I make out?

This was another in a long line of beers lately  that produced a tan head. I got a fairly good amount of foam and it hung around for an average amount of time. When the folks at Art History called it a dark lager they were not kidding. This is one of the most positively Stygian brews I've had in a long time. My desk lamp struggled to get any photons through that nearly impenetrable gloom. I had to tilt my glass at just the right azimuth to discern its deep, dark brown color. It seemed to be clear as I spied quite a number of bubbles at one angle.

The aroma was mainly smoke, luscious smoke. But there was also a bit of plum as well as a hint of spicy grass.

Those bubbles I spied were a portent of a nice, firm fizziness. The smoke flavor took pride of place and was undergirded by some biscuit, a tad of milk chocolate, and a smidge of stone fruit. Spicy hops kept everything in check. The medium-light body allowed for just the barest hint of sweetness.

On the finish, only a subtle sweetness and a gentle smokiness remained as the spicy-herbal hops kicked in. But this is not a particularly hoppy beer which meant there was just enough bitterness to balance the malt and add a modicum of dryness at the end.

I guess I'll have to give Art History another try because this was a very tasty beer. It had a good dose of fizz and the smoke was muscular but not deadly. Perhaps a bit more biscuit flavor next go round. At 4.9% this was not a potent brew but the smoke and the dark malt flavors had real autumnal vibes and made it a nice early fall treat - the canned on date was 10/8/2025.

Junk food pairing: Good Night Bamberg pairs well with another Chicago area favorite, Jays Hot Stuff potato chips. That smoky paprika taste just complements the dark & smoky flavors of the beer perfectly.

Seen on the internet this evening

Hill Farms construction, 23 December 2025

Bundt cake + shrimp creole = ?

Dexter's has a very hearty chili.

Chunky, nicely spiced. Very toothsome. And filling. I think I should have only had a cup as consuming the entire bowlful made it impossible for me to finish my salad which was rather generous. 

It was their Buffalo chicken model and there was plenty of bleu cheese to be had, much to my delight.

While at a friend's house recently it was noted that La Taguara is in bad financial straits. In a show of solidarity, we ordered from them for dinner. I had the Christmas Plate.

The roasted pork was delicious and seasoned with an even hand. I never knew such a thing as chicken potato salad could even exist. It too was quite tasty. And then there was this tamale-like thingy filled with everything but the kitchen sink: beef, pork, chicken, raisins, capers, and olives. Most toothsome!

After I was completely stuffed, I was reminded that it also came with ham bread. 

It was full of heavenly porcine goodness.

I sure hope La Taguara manages to weather this storm and remain open. The restaurant on E. Washington, at least.

Yesterday I made gołąbki soup.

This batch turned out really well, in my opinion. I took a chance and substituted buckwheat groats for rice and it paid off. The buckwheat adds a lighter, nuttier flavor, as far as my tongue is concerned. Not only was it delicious in the extreme but it is one of the things that brings warm memories of my wife to mind as she discovered a recipe for it a few years back. Many thanks to her.

I also baked a loaf of rye bread yesterday but it rose about as much as a stone in water so I took no photos. Still, it tastes just swell.

For some reason my stepmother, Joni, has been on my mind frequently lately and so I decided to make a bundt cake in her honor.

She made the most delicious, most decadent bundt cakes in all of Christendom. Chocolate, bourbon, coffee beans - she spared no expense. A friend of mine was lucky enough to indulge in her bundt cakes and they became the stuff of legend between us. One drunken night he suggested pairing his two favorite foods by putting shrimp creole in the middle of one of Joni's bundt cakes. A curious combination but one that deserves to be tasted.

My cake was much more pedestrian: a simple chocolate version.

I made a couple tweaks to the recipe. First was that I substituted half of the wheat flour in the recipe with buckwheat flour and secondly I threw a little bourbon in there. When I took it from the oven, it looked marvelous. Really, it was a marvel that a cake I made looked so nice.

As you can imagine I had a devil of a time getting it out of the pan and decimated it in doing so. I am too embarrassed to publicly share the photo of its ruins but I will say that it tastes delightful. I adore the nutty flavor of the buckwheat. It is very light and moist - likely due in no small part to the buttermilk. The bourbon is basically undetectable while cinnamon figures prominently. I'd like to try cardamom instead next time. I would also hope that I grease the pan more diligently as well.

Lunch today was at a chain restaurant but at least the onion bloom was good.

Katzen

Here's a photo of Grabby pulled from the archives. She was a beauty. I miss her still.

And here's my sweetpea, Piper. Taken yesterday. 

The Unbearable Sweetness of Ambers: R and J's Rowdy Raccoon by Young Blood Beer Co.

This is another brew that I first encountered sometime in the summer, I do believe, and got lost in the divorce shuffle. 

Young Blood Beer Co. is one of my least favorite breweries in Madison as their portfolio is 99.9% fruity this and pastry that. Reading their beer lists is like reading a menu that consists of nothing but Hawaiian Punch and Hostess snack cakes. There seems to be little more than gimmickry at work here of the most vicious kind.

"Fruit Punch Sour with Lemon, Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava"

"Fruit Punch Sour with Winter Melon, Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava"

blah blah blah

 

I found their helles to be tasty but pilsner-like and their smoked porter to be not bad. Despite never having considered going to their outpost on North Street despite not living far from it, I still try their beer tasting beers if I find something appealing at the liquor store and such was the case this past summer when I discovered that they had brewed a lager with my favorite grain, rye - R and J's Rowdy Raccoon.

 

For all the gimmicks Young Blood employs, this beer sure looked mighty fine. A loose tan head shrank while sitting atop several ounces of gorgeous beer. It was a beautiful amber hue and clear to boot. Many a bubble was to be seen inside the glass. Taking a whiff, my nose caught, disappointingly but not unexpectedly, caramel. Plus black pepper and grass. It reminded me a bit of Eliot Ness from Great Lakes.

 

While I do not seek to have the taste of caramel banished from beer, American brewers are almost unable to produce a brew that isn't yellow or black that isn't a Werther's candy in liquid form. It is weird. When I was in England back in September, I sampled a few amber ales and the caramel taste ranged from little to none. These were not sweet beers.

 

I don't know what English brewers and their maltsters do. Perhaps they take sacks of Maris Otter out to Stonehenge and perform some druidic voodoo on them, reading profane passages from a Barclay Perkins grimoire. Whatever diablerie they practice, English brewers manage to make amber ales that don't taste like candy.

 

So this stuff looked wonderful but had a prominent caramel aroma. But that didn't necessarily consign it to the candy bin. I hoped.

 

My first sip was fizzy heaven and then came the bready sweetness followed by caramel. Underneath those bubbles was a very smooth beer. It also had a savory/bready taste that I presumed was the rye. Oh, and there was a dash of cubeb or Grains of Paradise in there too.

 

The sweetness lingered on the finish but a modicum of spicy hops eventually crept in. Bitterness was medium and dryness a bit less.

 

Despite a near optimal level of fizziness, this beer was a bit too sweet. It never tasted cloying but I wished that it had leaned towards the breadier with less Werther's. Perhaps keeping it more on syrupy side kept the A.B.V. at a moderate 5.2%. The hops and rye were tasty, though.

 

Junk food pairing: This lager pairs well with pretzels, especially Snyder's Jalapeño Pieces. The spiciness tempers the sweetness of the beer and adds a complementary zing to the rye.

Listen to this very loudly

Man alive! When the band kicks in on "Fly On a Windshield" it is visceral. The Mellotron is up front and sounds raw and alive! The open air mic really captured the ambiance of the concert.

I've got both kinds

Today I finally hung my Mammals of Wisconsin print.

This only about 6 weeks after I did the same for the Backyard Birds of Wisconsin. 

 

 

In addition, I got my Japanese woodblock print and my stained glass hung as well. Photos later when there's daylight.

Amber and clover, over and over: La Maison by Taxman Brewing Co.

My annual stop at Crown Liquors in Indianapolis was a bit disappointing this past August in that there were precious few lagers and no local brews really jumped out at me as being something that merited purchase. There just seemed to be more IPAs than ever before. I didn't drive several hours just to hang out with tens of thousands of stinky gamers and so I found something that I wouldn't ordinarily seek out. It was La Maison by Taxman Brewing Co.

Taxman does mostly Belgian styles or Belgian-inspired ones. Belgian beer is fine. Not my favorite but I am pro-Belgian. I mean, this is the country that gave us René Magritte and the guy who invented the saxamaphone. Methinks I had too many tripels and quads put before me and I found their astringency just a bit too much. I am more at home with a blonde or wit.

As if on cue to contradict myself, La Maison is called an "American Farmhouse-style Ale with Clover Honey". Well, so much for the Belgian predictions. It's is also described as a "tribute to the French farmhouse style" and since France is closer to Belgium than Indianapolis I think we're in the ballpark. Truth be told, I am unsure why I picked this one. Perhaps its 7% A.B.V. was a bit more potent than I normally partake in or maybe it was the addition of honey.

I will also admit I don't really know what a farmhouse ale is supposed to be like. Presumably they're brewed with whatever grains are lying around at the brewery just as the farmer brewers of old did. To me, they're fruity and funky.

I poured my La Maison into a tumbler that was given to me by a friend who felt sorry for this soon to be divorcé and the paucity of drinking glasses in his cupboard. I think the thick glass distorted the beer a bit. Refraction or not, I got a decent white head of loose foam that lasted an average amount of time, I'd offer. The beer was of a lovely light amber hue and was more or less clear. There were some bubbles inside.

The aroma was all over the map with a honeyed sweetness, bitterness, funk, a herbal thing, and a banana-led fruitiness. My first sip began well with a nice fizziness which helped moderate the medium body and a rather pronounced honeyed sweetness which could very well have been cloying. There was a piney bitterness which made me wonder if some Cascade hops helped make this an American ale. In addition, there was a big fruitiness that I tasted mainly as pineapple.

I am ambivalent on honey in beer. It can be used for good or for evil. Sometimes it lends a "dirty" earthiness to a beer and I do not care for it that much. Here, though, the honey was sweeter, brighter.

As I am accustomed to with Belgian ales, there was a prominent astringency to be had.

My notes pronounced this to be "good". It wasn't overly sweet nor was it heavy. Instead I found it to be fleet of flavor and nicely balanced with the piney-fruity flavors in harmony. While it may be 7%, it didn't taste like it was going to give my liver a pounding.

Junk food pairing: Grab a bag of Mrs. Fisher's Dark Jalapeño potato chips to go with your La Maison.

Fresh old beer: Alpenwald Altbier by Hinterland Brewery

Every time I encounter some Uerige on a liquor store shelf the beer lives up to its style and proves to be older than dirt. And so seeing an altbier of a much more recent vintage plus one that was brewed right here in Wisconsin got me excited. Perhaps more than was warranted.

The odd thing was the beer's name: Alpenwald. I like Alpenwalds as much as the next guy but the altbier's home is Düsseldorf and Düsseldorf is nowhere near the Alps. It's in west central Germany like Eau Claire is here in Wisconsin. Perhaps Americans are only familiar with Southern German culture and so lump everything German into a Bavarian box.

Hinterland brewed Alpenwald Altbier earlier this year as part of their 30th anniversary celebration. I am not sure exactly when it was released but I am thinking that it appeared sometime this past summer. My tardiness in doing a tasting was due to divorce, moving, and, if I am honest, depression; my tardiness in writing a post was due to being very busy and never finding quite the right moment to put things down in the ol' blog.

I don't think I've ever had even a reasonably fresh altbier from Düsseldorf or anywhere else in Germany for that matter so my understanding of the Platonic form of the style is an amalgam of things I've read and American versions I've tasted. I think of it as being malty with an emphasis on a kind of roastiness with little sweetness but not too malty. The hops should be assertive but not completely in your face. It's like the Midwest nice of beers - no extremes and just pleasant all around.

Despite my can not being straight from the canning line, it did have a best by date of 4/20/2026. I've kept it chilled and hope the distributor and Woodman's did too.

This was one gorgeous brew. A big light tan head sat atop the amber liquid which was clear as day. The foam stuck around a fairly long time and so I managed to get a not horrible photograph. There were lots of bubbles inside which made me slightly giddy because I have become a fan of fizz in my middle age. The aroma was of caramel, roastiness, and grass which is what I expected, more or less.

Also as expected was the nice, firm fizziness that complemented the medium-light body. I was pleased that the brew wasn't particularly sweet and that caramel flavor was minimal. It had some of that roasty taste along with a bread-cracker hybrid flavor that was aided and abetted by the addition of rye. All of this was balanced by a nice herbal-grassy hop flavor with a toothsome bitterness.

The malt faded quickly on the swallow and the hops were more than happy to fill the void. There was a nice briskness to the finish, hoppy and bitter but not overly so. Just a fine dry ending.

With an A.B.V. of 4.7% and a fairly mellow malt taste this stuff was very tasty on a warmer fall day. Just as a schwarzbier is often thought of as a black pils, the moniker of brown pils is not wholly unwarranted here. The fairly light body, the soft maltiness, and the zing of the hops all contribute; it's the malt's roastiness that offers a sharp delineation.

Sehr gut even if it comes from Green Bay and not Düsseldorf.

Junk food pairing: I paired my Alpenwald Altbier with a bag of Flint rye crisps (from Ukraine) with Bavarian sausage flavoring and the combo was excellent.

On the first day of Christmas...

...I was given this wonderful book.

Cats were naughty then, if illumination is to be believed, and they're naughty now. 

A friend texted me:

It's really nice to be loved.

This was followed up by some cookies and then a walk as it was quite temperate outside.

The creek was partially frozen. 

Is this a gang symbol or Zoidberg? Or perhaps Zoidberg is now a gang symbol...?

Stained glass rulez!

The labyrinth was clear of snow and ready for someone to ponder the mysteries of existenz as they tread its twists and turns.

Someone left flatbread on one of the bridges for the critters. 

In addition to two woodpeckers, we spied a hawk looking for its Christmas breakfast.

The walk was followed by some time in front of my new TV watching the first couple episodes of Arctic Circle, a Finnish murder mystery. I'd seen it before but I recalled very little, thankfully. This was the first time I'd watched anything on my TV and had to remove the plastic covering the screen which was taped on very securely.

Dinner was trout, asparagus, and po-tay-toes.

All in all it was a mellow, relaxing Christmas. Occasionally I felt a bit odd knowing that it was my first Christmas not involving my wife in two decades or so. Not bad, though, as it was rather nice not feeling anxious as to whether I had fulfilled the gift quota, just odd. It was a reminder of all the changes that have transpired over the past 5 or 6 months and that I have a new life with new people in it and new traditions to establish.

I did miss my stepsons. The oldest is 1,200 miles away while the youngest was ill so he rested at home. Hopefully I get to see the eldest this winter - I must look into plane tickets - and that the youngest recovers his health soon.

Oh, almost forgot. I received word that my stepmother-in-law's father had died a couple days previously. I texted my condolences but need to go buy a card. The old man had been on the decline so his death was not a surprise. Sad but I suspect people are also relieved. 

I am looking forward to the day when all of the firsts without my wife have run dry. But next up is New Year's.

The Feast of Steven

Happy Saint Stephen's Day!

Coming soon, 23 December 2025

Seen before a screening of The Secret Agent which was excellent and came replete with title cards.

I was surprised to see a trailer for Sirāt as I'd recently seen that it will be opening the spring 2026 season at Cinematheque on 22 January.

Coming Soon: 14 December 2025

Seen before Sentimental Value. First we were treated to a commercial from the Metropolitan Opera before a whopping 9 trailers. Uff da!

Song of the day, 23 December 2025

Spending solstice among the trees

After a walk at Acewood, I was off to Token Creek Park to once again help out with a bit of oak prairie restoration.

Last month the project attracted only 3 of us but this time around there were 12-15 hardy souls. As she did last time, our organizer began the proceedings by reading a poem by Mary Oliver. When she had finished, we grabbed our gear and headed down the trail.

At the work area, we split into two groups with one cutting down the dreaded buckthorn and applying herbicide to the stumps while the other cut the trees into burnable pieces and did the same for piles of felled trees from previous ventures.

As with Acewood earlier that morning, Highway 51 provided some white noise in the background but otherwise the park was peaceful. It was an absolutely lovely day with the sun bathing us in its light and warming the day up into the 20s. 

When the burn pile was ready, the purifying flames were lit. We had a big fire that kept those of us working near it quite warm.

I had first met the organizer on the bus last year and was introduced to her boyfriend last month but the rest of the crew were new to me. Very friendly folks and they all seemed to enjoy themselves out in the woods for a couple hours. 

My physical therapy/strength training is paying off as I broke one of the saws. Oops. Sorry Dane County.

Towards the end of the day our organizer read another poem by Mary Oliver. I believe it was "When I Am Among The Trees".

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.

Six of us stayed to end and chatted amongst the long shadows before dousing the coals once they had burned down most of the way.

 

 

What a fantastic way to spend the solstice! My (gloved) hands touching trees, digging in the snow; the sun on my face, the intense heat of the flames. The air was brisk but the sun illuminated our work area and brightened our moods. I found the company to be wonderful as folks were in good cheer and happy to chat with the old duffer.

 

Our organizer is off to a farm outside of Mazomanie ere long where she will spend six months clearing more buckthorn and other invasive species in exchange for room and board. She is such a kind soul with a great love for nature. Her passion for trees is infectious and her enthusiasm for insects is unique amongst the non-entomologists in my experience. Her encounters with the sublime are to be envied. I shall miss her at these outings and now I have to go through some rigamarole in order to find another group doing this same work.

 

If only every solstice were spent in the woods like this one, with good company and full of mirth.

A solstice stroll

The morning of the solstice I took a walk at Acewood Park. Despite the omnipresent din of Highway 51 hovering in the background, it was rather peaceful overall.

I found that the city had decimated a portion of the eastern side of the park with felled trees littering the ground. 

While I saw no rotten wood, I am no arborist and so there could very well be a legitimate health reason for taking the trees down. Still, it was very sad to see many a lovely tree lying in pieces on the ground.

The areas on the southern end of the park had been spared, for now, anyway, and it was a joyous stroll through that bit.

The obligatory Deakins-eque photo.

The arch was bare but it will bloom again. April will be here before you know it. 

Song of the day, 22 December 2025

I started singing this to Piper as I was doing dishes this morning.

Monday morning, Pipe sure look fine 

The Wonders of Wisconsin

You may think they are the Wisconsin River, the Dickeyville Grotto, or perhaps Copper Falls but you'd be wrong. They are, in fact, dairy products. At least at Sassy Cow.

Don't forget to brush those underfurs

While I was at MadCat today seeking out Christmas meals for my sweetpea cat, Piper**, I wandered a bit and came across the aisle with brushes. Realizing that getting her a brush was on my to-do list, I did so. And so she got a Solstice brushing while she relaxed in the evening sun.

 

 

**She got 2 cans - turkey and quail & pumpkin.

The Sheep Detectives

This looks to be a hoot! Out next spring.

R.I.P. Mick Abrahams

Mick Abahams passed a couple days ago. Ian Anderson has penned a tribute at the Jethro Tull site.

Happy Solstice!

 We are here:

I am heading out this morning to enjoy some time in the woods.