28 March, 2025
Dan Carey's Imperial Period: Imperial Pilsner by New Glarus Brewing W/Dan Carey
Upon hearing that New Glarus was to release an imperial pilsner, my mind immediately said, "I've had one of those before!" and I recalled thinking that the ostensible pils was really just a helles bock given an "imperial" moniker for marketing cachet. Wasn't it from 3 Floyds? Then I recalled that Point had brewed one for their Whole Hog series but I never reviewed it. Going back through my blog, I realized it was, in fact, an imperial helles from Southern Tier that seemed to me better described as a helles bock.
I also discovered that Lakefront brewed an imperial pilsner as the 9th entry in their My Turn series, Pilo. Furthermore, Chicago's 5 Rabbit CervecerÃa brewed one as well called Super Pils. (R.I.P. 5 Rabbit.)
New Glarus' brewmaster, Dan Carey, discussed the beer on the latest episode of New Glarus Brewing Podcast W/Dan Carey which I listened to with great interest and, by the time it came for me to sample one, I had forgotten everything he said about it except that it wasn't a big version of their regular strength pilsner, Pilsner. The label doesn't say what variety pilsener this is an imperial take on, though. It does say, however, that there are German and Czech malts in the recipe along with a trio of German hops: Diamant, Hersbrucker, and Spalt.
While I still feel that imperial pilsners are just helles bocks trying to get above their raisin', I chose this brew over New Glarus' other new beer, Tailwagger, as it is spring, the season for pale bocks.
This has to be one of the few beers from New Glarus that has the A.B.V. on the label - 8.7%. Dan Carey is not a boastful man, from my experience, so maybe this was to alert consumers who might stumble across one of these thinking, "Oh look, a pilsner! Pilsners are light colored, easy going, highly quaffable beers with a reasonable amount of alcohol."
Imperial Pilsner is of a slightly darker yellow than your typical German pils yet not quite the golden color of a helles bock. There was a smattering of bubbles inside that floated up to the big head of pure white foam. The aroma was very pilsnery with cracker, bread, and hay/grass to be had.
My first sip had a medium dose of fizz to it and revealed a medium-heavy body, the first real sign of the imperial here. That variety of grains in the recipe yielded a rich bready flavor (after decoction) [Mmm...decoction...] along with some honeyed malt sweetness. My tongue was pleased to also taste a bit more than enough grassy-herbal hops to balance out the big malty taste. The bready sweetness lingered on the finish for a bit until the hops, having taken on a spicier flavor, really dried things out and gave a firm dose of bitterness.
My sampling began with Imperial Pilsner right out of the refrigerator. At the nice cold temperature, sweetness was moderated and this stuff went down easily, not unlike a regular pils. As the liquid warmed, the honeyed sweetness became stronger and the beer became more bock-like. I scrambled to down the stuff before it became cloying and soon enough I had an empty glass before me as my head buzzed. I also found that I was a bit peckish.
I suppose that it was the extra hops that gave this brew a pilsner quality to distinguish it from a run of the mill helles doppelbock and I really appreciated the extra bitterness they gave to the cause to counter all that malt and the very dry finish. And that bready malt flavor was simply savory and delicious.
Imperial Pilsner is a fine spring beer but go easy on it and/or share your can with a friend or loved one.
Junk food pairing: Pair your Imperial Pilsner with a bag of Herr's Carolina Reaper Cheese Curls. Actually, with this beer's potency, get multiple bags. They have a rich cheesy taste and the chili dust adds a firm, though not deadly, heat to complement the hearty hops.
"Going to Raleigh"
Another new tune from Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson. I am really looking forward to their album What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow which is to be released on 18 April.
From the Great White North: Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips
I was traipsing down the organic junk food aisle at my local supermarket last weekend not really expecting to find a new salt & vinegar snack as it had been months since one was seen. Indeed, it was just the usual suspects until I near the end of aisle when I spied bags of Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Vinegar chips. The brand looked familiar and I, at first, assumed that I had already reviewed it. Well, René Descartes would have been proud because I began to doubt.
I didn't mess around and just logged into Blogger and did a search of this very blog only to find no reviews of Miss Vickie's salt & vinegar chips nor indeed anything Miss Vickie related whatsoever. I did, however, discover that she is Canadian.
Cue the David Attenborough voice in my head.
"And then a rare Canadian salt & vinegar chip comes into sight. With its brilliant blue bag it signals to potential eaters, 'Here! Come hither and take me home!'"
Yet the brand remained so familiar. Perhaps the store had carried the brand for ages but only recently started stocking the salt & vinegar variety.
Now that's how Vittorio Storaro would have photographed a bag of potato chips if one had been featured in The Conformist. Just look at that fine chiaroscuro!
According to her website, Miss Vickie began making potato chips from spuds that sprouted from the terra firma of her family's farm back in 1987. Wikipedia expands on this and reveals that her real name is Vickie Kerr and that she had some help with the whole potato chip manufacturing thing from her husband Bill. It also notes that the potato farm that launched a thousand chips was in New Lowell, Ontario.
Furthermore, Wikipedia informs us that Miss Vickie's was bought by Frito-Lay in 1993 and, since I read nothing to the contrary, I assume that it remains part of the Evil Snack Empire.
One last thing I discovered: these salt & vinegar chips are apparently available at my local Dollar Tree's. Perhaps they also carry other salt & vinegar snacks...
As you can see, I hope, the chips were of a lovely yellow hue with some spots there were more tan along with bits of brown. I think the skin remained on these puppies as the edges of some chips looked like the fibrous, vitamin-laden outer layer was still there. Sticking my nose, well, my face, really, into the bag and taking a whiff, I was surprised to find that a rich potato aroma dominated followed by oil and a touch of tang. Usually it is the oil that dominates things on the nose.
As you can from the bag, these are kettle cooked chips - I think all Miss Vickie chips are, actually - and they had the requisite kettle crunch. Biting into some, I found them to not be salty above & beyond your average chip and that the vinegar tang was rather moderate. However, they did have a really tasty potato flavor. They tasted like roasted potatoes. As in when you take some baby reds, quarter them, toss them in oil and seasoning, and then bake them for a spell. I don't think I've ever had a chip that tasted quite like these. That wonderful earthy potato flavor overlaid with a healthy dose of Maillard goodness. Quite sapid, mind you, just something novel for me.
A bit more salt & vinegar and I think Miss Vickie is onto something here.
It Rained Down on Me
I have some memories of buying The Division Bell, which was released on this day in 1994, and bringing it home. It was good to see that Rick Wright and Nick Mason had more prominent roles, including five writing credits for Wright. The album sounded a bit more like their mid-70s stuff as opposed to A Momentary Lapse of Reason which couldn't be mistaken for anything but a product of the mid-80s.
One of my favorite songs from The Division Bell was and remains "Take It Back". I was thrilled to hear them play it when I saw the band on a rainy Sunday, 3 July 1994, here in Madison. And here it is.
Phil Collins in his Hawaiian shirt period
Genesis released Duke 45 years ago today. 45 years! Holy biscuits! This is "Behind the Lines" from Milwaukee on 7 June 1980.
27 March, 2025
Coming soon: 26 March @ Point
Seen before On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. And it's great that this movie made it to a commercial theater here, especially since I missed the screening at Cinematheque. Very affecting.
24 March, 2025
Coming Soon: 23 March @ AMC Fitchburg
My second senior discount in a row!
Trailers for The Assessment. Things began with a commercial for the Metropolitan Opera which was followed by a commercial for another Christian feature, Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality. This one is a documentary about a kid who died young and, according to Wikipedia, became canonized as the patron of online influencers. Good lord.
Nice to see a trailer for David Cronenberg's latest, though I have a ticket for it at the Wisconsin Film Festival. The Penguin Lessons looks cute.
Coming Soon: 22 March @ AMC Fitchburg
Trailers at a screening of Ash. These followed a commercial for The Chosen: Last Supper and one for the Metropolitan Opera. Why do these Christian movies get commercials instead of trailers? Did the distributor pay to get their commercial shown? Do theaters get paid to run these movies or do they choose to screen them like other, secular/profane ones?
Summer approaches so now cometh the slasher flicks. While I had read some good words about Freaky Tales the trailer left me wholly unenthusiastic. Two red band trailers. They used to be as rare as hen's teeth and now they're not uncommon.
Coming Soon: 19 March @ Marcus Palace
Trailers before Opus and after a commercial for Thunderbolts:
I am looking forward to Warfare. I wonder how Alex Garlandy it's going to be.
21 March, 2025
Piper in the sun
I haven't posted a photo of Piper lately so here's one where she's enjoying the sun as she blocks my keyboard. That her face is half in the light and half in shadow is the purrfect symbolism for her naughty-nice personality.
Na zdrowie to Prost!
I finally made my first visit to Prost!, the German beer hall & restaurant which is the heir apparent to Essen Haus, if/when the venerable German restaurant/bar is demolished to make way for apartments or condos or a hotel or whatever is slated to take its place.
Housed in a former church, Prost! is a lovely space with stained glass everywhere.
A friend and I had lunch and I dined with a Früh Kölsch. The bier was delicious, full of bready/crackery goodness. And the food was very tasty. There were enough pickled vegetables on my plate to fell a horse and I think that I ate the equivalent of 2 cucumbers.
With such a lovely space, it's a shame there are TVs. On the other hand, the bier selection is pretty good. However, there was no gose, no altbier, no Dortmunder Export, no schwarzbier, and, most importantly, no rauchbier. But what's not to like about having drei Helles's on tap? Perhaps they'll put a Maibock on tap once Easter has passed.
The wurst was really good and we were told that it was artisanally made by, if memory servers, a Chef Mike somebody-or-other in Chicago. And the senf was sehr gut too. A nice little kick.
Polka on a Sunday afternoon
Next month on the 27th The Bur Oak will host an afternoon of polka - music and dancing.
DJ Shotski kicks things off at 1 with classic polka on vinyl and the dance lessons begin at 2. And then you can put your lesson to the test at 2:30 with The DB Polka Express.
Winding my way down to Bakers Place
Whenever I find myself on East Washington, I marvel to one degree or another at the transformation of the avenue from the home of industrial buildings and used car dealerships to a constellation of fancy high rises. Well, as high as you can get when near the Capitol.
Here are a couple of the latest builds: the Moxy, a boutique hotel and Bakers Place, a mass timber building that nears completion and shall be home to folks who can afford luxury apartments. Costs to live in the lap of luxury will surely be high but their website curiously omits prices.
The white exterior makes Bakers Place stick out but is not my cup of tea. Just looks too clinical, too sterile. On the other hand, I was pleased to see that the graffiti had been removed from the Gardner Bakery Co. ghost signs.
A snowy start to spring
Yesterday was the vernal equinox and to celebrate I went on a hike. (I wonder if my boss has noticed that my first time-off requests of each new year are for equinoxes and solstices - followed by gaming conventions, of course.) After suffering through 4 lanes of stop & go traffic on the Beltline and then some slippery country roads I arrived at my arboreal destination.
Wednesday's lousy weather had left about an inch of the white stuff on the ground and the temperature was just below freezing. However, it was nice and sunny so my spectacles did their best Peril Sensitive Sunglasses imitation as my body synthesized an abundance of vitamin D.
The snow scrunched beneath my feet and so I didn't see many critters - just a bird or two and a chipmunk that scurried across the path just a few feet in front of me. However, I did hear a lot of birds with my whole walk punctuated by the cries of woodpeckers and even one pecking away for breakfast.
Soon enough the forest will be lush and verdant and I shall return.
Chocolate pierogi!
I bought these at Deli 4 You in Schaumburg a couple months back and finally pulled them out of the freezer and lovingly bathed them in boiling water. Served with plain yoghurt.
The choco-filling was gooey goodness with a bit of grittiness from chocobits. Good stuff!
No Dominion yet but soon
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