We met a dude by the name of David at the show (I’m bad with names, but I’m almost positive I’ve got this one right), who is interested in playing acoustic drums with us. It was really cool of him to come out to see us, and I look forward to jamming with him at some point to see how things feel. It’s gonna be weird to do that first jam session with an acoustic drummer, not only coz for three plus years I’ve been the electronic drummer for Streak, but because in the 15 years that I’ve been playing in bands, I’ve never once played with an acoustic drummer. It’s always been either the good ole electronic kit, or sampled drums. I am really looking forward to it though, as I think an acoustic drummer and myself moving over to add a second guitar will ultimately push Streak into a new stratosphere, and when this happens, look the fuck out!

I also want to give two quick shout outs… one to David’s friend, whose name I totally can’t remember. Thanks for coming along, I hope you enjoyed out set, and thanks for the slice of pizza… sorry that I had no shame in taking it, even though you didn’t actually offer it to me! Also, thanks to Joe Young, Streak Freak extraordinaire!!! You go the distance man, and you bring the love again and again!

The crowd was great at this show. People standing up front instead of lingering back. I could feel that we had a little more energy than normal on stage because of this. It was a great crowd/band connection, that really makes me remember why we do this. As I write this, I can still feel the twinge in my neck and shoulder, the lingering result of a head banging injury that I incurred during the last couple minutes of our final song of the night, Faces of Fear. I think my head banging was intensified a little more than normal at this one moment because of the energy in the room. I felt the sharp pain, thought to myself “ooohh, that smarts a little.” By the time we off loaded all our gear, I knew I was going to be hurting for a little while. I must be getting old, coz I used to be able to head bang with the best of ’em. Maybe I need to do some calisthenics now before every show or something.

My beer of choice for the night was Harpoon IPA. A solid good old Boston classic. There wasn’t much else good on tap besides Guinness. I prayed to the God of Microbreweries on the way down that they would have Mayflower Brewing Company on tap, being that they are based in Plymouth and all, but unfortunately, He did not answer this prayer. Speaking of Mayflower Brewing, they have possibly my favorite quote ever on a beer bottle on their bottles…

“We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.” — William Bradford in his first hand account of the Pilgrims at Plymouth

I love that quote. It makes you think that the Pilgrims would have kept sailing to a much better climate like Florida, but “SHIT, WE’RE OUT OF BEER! Fuck it, let’s just stay here in this desolate shit hole, so we can brew some more beer.”

Adria took a smell of my Harpoon IPA, and wrinkled her nose like she often does to my beer, took a sip anyway, and then offered Jim a sip. It was pretty loud at the time, but after Jim took a sniff, I believe he said “It smells like shitty Budweiser,” and handed it back. HAHA. Because of this, I decided Harpoon should update their IPA label…

Going back a few hours earlier in the evening, I just had to stop at my favorite package store of all time, Julio’s, in Westborough, MA, since we were practically driving right by there and all. (It’s a sickness.) Among other great beer that I purchased, I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole bunch of Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra 12 ouncers on the shelf. This is a souped-up 18% ABV version of their Raison D’Etre. To my knowledge, this beer has not been brewed since 2007, and these were in fact March of 2007 vintage bottles. It is one of their many beers that age well, and I just couldn’t help myself but pick up two of them to add to my cellar collection, which now makes a total of three of this particular beer that I am cellaring, as I was lucky enough to find one earlier in the year at another store as well.

Again, it’s a sickness. And I seek no cure.

Peace…
Paul

Currently drinking: Mayflower Brewing Company Pale Ale (4.9% ABV), Plymouth, Massachusetts

Part II — Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, or, the exceptionally long blog to make up for the lack of beer blogs for about eight months

Well, Spring, Summer, and Fall came and went, and I’m only now getting to Part II, so my idea of a seasonal beer blog is shot to hell. The best laid plans can be easily ruined for me by the tempting calls of the outdoors in the decent months. Perhaps I need a laptop, so I can multitask and blab about beer while I sit by the campfire at night after a long bike ride. Anywho, I figured I’d change it up a bit and dedicate this blog to one of the top craft breweries out there, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, based in Milton, Delaware. During the course of this year, I found myself blazing through their lineup of beers, and I must say that they have blown me away with their creativity and their willingness to create beer that is not necessarily made for the masses. “Off centered ales for off centered people” is their motto, which pretty much sums it all up. The owner, Sam Calagione, takes pride in his brewery for making more styles of beer and more volume of beer over 9% ABV than any other brewery in America. This makes them a leader in the “Extreme Beer” movement.

From beers that hit a whopping 18% ABV, to ales that are created by analyzing centuries-old pottery fragments, to elixirs that blur the line between beer and wine, to brews aged with ingredients from around the world, Dogfish has it all. So let’s head to the packie (for those of you non New Englanders out there, a liquor store), and see what Dogfish Head has to offer.

The IPAs:
60 Minute (6%), 90 Minute (9%), and 120 Minute IPA (18%)

Hops, the magical flower that makes beer so wonderful. In all three of Dogfish’s IPAs, you’ll find plenty of hops. They are so named because these beers are continually hopped for said amount of time during the boil of the brew. Interestingly, it is the 60 Minute IPA, not the 120, that is the hoppiest of the bunch, as is explained in the “Sip Clip” on the 120 Minute IPA page on the DFH website. This is because there are a lot more unfermentable sugars left over in a much bigger beer like the 120, and therefore the beer ends up with a more maltier taste. If you are looking for a classic IPA, 60 Minute is the choice. 90 Minute will give you less hop bitterness, but the difference in flavor is well worth going out to buy a four pack if you want something with a little more bite to it. 120 Minute is one of those “save for a special occasion” type beers. Available as an “occasional rarity” brew, expect to pay about $9 for a single 12 ounce bottle. At 18% ABV, however, it’s well worth the price. This beer ages very well, so buy two, one to enjoy now, and one to cellar for a while. Interesting side note: an eBay auction I was watching just ended recently, and a 750ml bottle of the original 2003 release of 120 Minute IPA sold for over $92! Too much for me, so I just went out and bought my own 12 ouncer to cellar for a decade or so.

Squall IPA (9%), and 75 Minute IPA (?%) (aka Johnny Cask)

Squall IPA is a souped up version of 90 Minute IPA, first released in the Spring of 2009. Available in 750ml champagne style bottles, it is bottle conditioned and is dry hopped with six different varieties of hops. According to Sam C., it is the hoppiest beer to date that Dogfish Head makes.

75 Minute IPA (aka Johnny Cask) is a cask conditioned blend of the 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPAs, which is dry hopped with whole leaf Cascade hops, and then fermented again in a firkin with the addition of maple syrup. If you haven’t tried cask conditioned ales, be warned that they are served at cellar temperature, so in other words relatively warm, which can take some getting used to for some people (myself included).

The standards (or commonly found DFH brews):
Shelter Pale Ale (5%), Indian Brown Ale (7%), Raison D’Etre (8%), and Palo Santo Marron (12%)

Shelter Pale Ale is probably the least extreme beer of DFH’s lineup. That does not mean, however, that it is not worthy of consumption. It is a well balanced Pale Ale that just about any beer drinker can appreciate. Available year round in six packs, it is a great beer for when you don’t want something overly alcoholic, strong, or bitter.

Indian Brown Ale is somewhat hoppy for a brown ale, and has a nice smooth finish, with a slight warmth provided by the 7% ABV. This one is brewed with brown sugar, and is available year round in six packs.

Raison D’Etre is a malty, dark colored ale, brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian-style yeast. I was hesitant to try this one at first, as some beers are overly fruit or vegetable flavored. Don’t be afraid of this one, though. It may have raisins, but it is not overdone. It is nice and smooth, and it has a very interesting and unique taste that is definitely worth enjoying every once in a while. Available year round in a six pack. DFH has also made a more potent version called Raison D’Extra, which has a huge 18% ABV. I have not yet had the fortune to try this one, and it appears to currently be an “On Hiatus” brew. If you are feeling rich, you can usually find it on eBay for exorbitant prices.

Palo Santo Marron is a very strong, flavorful brown ale, and is one of my favorites by DFH. It is brewed in a 10,000 gallon wooden tank made of Palo Santo wood, which they imported from Paraguay. This is the largest wooden brewing vessel made in America since before Prohibition. If you search for Palo Santo Marron on YouTube, you will find a couple very interesting clips which document the way this tank and the beer was created. There is a great part where a South American guide shows the crew how dense the Palo Santo tree is by shooting it with a .38 revolver, and the bullet just bounces off the tree. This beer is available in four packs, and you may think it is a little on the expensive side, until you watch the video and taste the beer, and then you will see just how much effort and quality is put into this beer (which goes for the rest of their beers as well, I might add).

“Blurring the line between beer and wine” brews:
Midas Touch (9%), Black and Blue (10%), Fort (18%), Pangaea (7%), and Red and White (10%)

Midas Touch is inspired by the recipe for the oldest known alcoholic beverage in the world, which was discovered by analyzing the drinking vessels in the 2700 year old tomb of King Midas. A great sipping beer to enjoy with a big dinner. Available year round in four packs.

Black and Blue fooled me the first time I drank it. I thought it was a blend of a Stout and a Blueberry Ale, which is commonly referred to as a “Black and Blue.” When my server put my DFH Black and Blue (which was on tap) in from of me, I could tell something didn’t jive. It was very light in color, not at all like a stout. So I took a sip, and discovered it to be very fruity. What I did not know until later that night, was that it is actually a Belgian Style Golden Ale brewed with real blackberries and blueberries. Also somewhat wine-like, this beer is super easily drinkable, and great on a warm Spring or Summer night. Available in 750ml bottles in the early Spring. This is one that cellars well.

Fort is a big beer, clocking in at 18% ABV, which is due to the fact that it is fermented with lots and lots of real raspberries. It has a very nice fruit smell, and yet is not too overly raspberry flavored. This is one of those beers you need be in the mood to enjoy, and it could be a good idea to have someone to share your 750ml bottle with. Available in early Winter, this one also cellars very well.

Pangaea is aptly named because it uses ingredients from all seven continents! It features crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, basmati rice from Asia, muscavado sugar from Africa, South American quinoa, European yeast, and North American maize. Another great dinner beer, this one comes out around early Fall, just in time to enjoy with your Thanksgiving feast. Available in 750ml bottle, this is yet another that ages well.

Red and White is a Belgian Style Wit beer, which has a portion that is aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels, and another portion aged on oak staves, and is then ultimately blended together. Part Belgian Style White Ale, part red wine. All together, one hell of a tasty beer to enjoy with a big dinner.

Beers brewed by recreating ancient methods and recipes:
Sah’tea (9%), Theobroma (9%), and Chateau Jiahu (8%)

Sah’tea is special to me, because it is inspired by the traditional Finnish style of the 9th Century “Sahti” beer, and being a Finn, I am loaded with a ridiculous amount of Finnish pride. This beer is brewed by heating stones over a wood fire, and then dropping the boiling hot rocks in a tank to boil the wort (unfermented beer). The rocks give the beer a bit of an earthy taste, while a tea concoction is added that gives it a slight spiciness. A very unique and tasty beer that is available in 750ml bottles in June. Check out the videos on the DFH Sah’tea page that show how this beer is made. Very cool.

Theobroma is another “Liquid Time Capsule,” which is a recreation of an ancient beer that was discovered by analyzing pottery fragments found in Honduras. This discovery is considered the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink, dating back to 1200 BC. It is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds). It is not a dark beer, as one might expect for a chocolate beer. It has a slight chocolate flavor, followed by a spiciness from the chilies. Good as a dessert beer, although as it is not a super chocolaty ale, it could easily be enjoyed with dinner as well. Available in 750ml bottles in mid Summer.

Chateau Jiahu is another ale that is a recreation of an ancient alcoholic beverage discovered by analyzing pottery fragments found in Northern China, which date to over 9000 years ago. This beer is brewed with pre-gelatinized rice flakes, wildflower honey, muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers, and is fermented using Sake yeast. Another interesting combination of ingredients, this beer has a very sweet taste from the honey and grapes, and is available in 750ml bottles in the early Summer.

The other heavy hitters:
Burton Baton (10%), Immort ale (11%), Olde School Barleywine (15%), and World Wide Stout (18%)

Burton Baton is another of my favorites by DFH. It is an oak aged Imperial IPA. This is an intensely flavored IPA, with great citrusy hop taste and smell, and that signature oak aged taste as well. A full flavored beer that is unlike any other IPA out there. Available in four packs and released a few times during the year, so keep your eyes peeled!

Immort ale is currently my favorite release by DFH. It is another oak aged brew made with juniper berries, vanilla & maple syrup. Take a long sniff of this one, because it smells fantastic, and, it tastes just like it smells! … Delicious! (Ode to Dave Chappelle) The maple and vanilla combine to make one sweet, delectable drink. Available in four packs in the Spring.

Olde School Barleywine is a beer that cannot be trusted. I say this because it is devilishly smooth at 15% ABV. Brewed with dates and figs, this unfiltered barleywine will age well for years and years. Check out the Olde School page on the DFH site for an explanation of the Woody Guthrie character on the label pouring yeast into a bottle of beer. Available in the late Fall.

World Wide Stout is a heavy hitter Imperial Stout that weighs in at 18% ABV. This is a meal in a 12 ounce bottle. It has a slight alcohol burn on the way down, but not bad. Nice and roasty flavored. This is not your average bottle of Guinness. Available in the early Winter.

All four of these suckers age very well, so buy a four pack, enjoy three of them (or for WWS buy one extra bottle), and hide the remaining bottle away in your cellar for as long as you can to see what happens as it changes over the years.

The four seasons:
Aprihop (7%), Festina Peche (4.5%), Punkin (7%), and Chicory Stout (5%)

Aprihop is a very interesting seasonal offering by DFH. It is a somewhat fruity IPA, brewed with real apricots. It is very refreshing, and not overly bitter or fruit flavored. I often enjoy one of these after a Spring time bike ride. I would consider this one more of a before and/or after dinner beer. Available in four packs in the early Spring.

Festina Peche is a very light, but very flavorful, wheat ale brewed with real peaches. It has a very sweet flavor from the peaches that are added during fermentation. This is one I, personally, would not seek out very often as it is very fruit flavored, but, it is definitely a great session beer that you can enjoy several of over the course of a hot summer evening by the campfire. Available in four packs in the early Summer.

Punkin has been the DFH fall seasonal since their inception in 1995. It is actually a brew that Sam C. made as a homebrew before the brewery was in existence. It is a brown ale brewed with pumpkin meat, cinnamon, and allspice, which gives it a very rich taste. This pumpkin ale is not over the top spiced-up like a lot of other pumpkin beers out there. Available in four packs in the early Fall.

Chicory Stout is a bold, roasty stout brewed with chicory, organic Mexican coffee, licorice root, and St. John’s Wort. Sam C. jokingly refers to the latter as making this beer the worlds only anti-depressant depressant, so you can drink as much as you want because the alcohol and the St. John’s Wort cancel each other out. A nice beer to drink by the stove or curled up on the couch on a cold winter night. Try one with a chocolaty dessert sometime. Available in six packs in the early Winter.

The big collaboration of the year:
Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head “Life and Limb” (10%) and “Limb and Life” (5%)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company from California and Dogfish Head teamed up this year to create a wonderful beer together called Life and Limb. This was a highly anticipated beer for many craft brew fans, and a very limited amount was made, of which an even more limited amount came to the east coast. This Strong Ale is brewed with maple syrup from Sam C.’s family farm in Massachusetts, and is naturally carbonated with birch tree syrup from Alaska. It definitely has a syrupy taste, with a very slight alcohol burn on the way down. All in all a wonderful, full flavored beer. If you happen to see one in a store still, get it, because it will soon be gone. This one will cellar well for years, if you can hold on to it, that is. Available in 24 ounce bottles. If you can’t find one at the local store, you can find them on eBay for about 3 to 4 times as much as they cost originally.

Limb and Life is a secondary byproduct of sorts of the original Life and Limb. As it was explained to me, it is sort of like using a tea bag that has already been steeped once, to make another cup of tea. A smaller beer than it’s original counterpart, this brew can be considered more of a session beer. It is not as full flavored, so you can pound down a few of em and not worry about what will become of you the next morning. This one is only available on draft, and is most likely long since tapped out just about everywhere.

It is great to see two excellent craft breweries come together to make such a fantastic beer together. The community of craft brewers is not one of competition, unlike the big boys that make all that awful fizzy yellow stuff. Instead, they are peers who are all in it together for the same common goal: to make great tasting beer. They don’t compromise their standards to appeal to a mass audience, they don’t worry about having a huge ad campaign, or having commercials during the Superbowl. They use quality ingredients, often from local sources and independent companies, and spend the time to make something that is actually worth your hard earned dollar. Craft beers are made in smaller batches, and have a human element to them, unlike the mass produced swill that is churned out day after day. Have you ever seen the Simpsons episode where they show the Duff Beer factory, and Duff, Duff Light, and Duff Ice come from three separate pipes that all ultimately connect to one pipe for bottling? Nuff said.

Well, I could babble and blather about this stuff all day, but I suppose this has been long enough. Although I’d really like to push this to a 3000 word essay. I just don’t have much more to say, except “GO GET SOME DOGFISH HEAD!” As DFH says, “Seek it out… and hoard it from the non-believers.”

There… 3000 words suckas. Oooooh yeah.

Peace…
Paul

String cheese is a great snack to bring, but I must bring more next time.  It went too fast.

Mad Libs are a great way to pass the time in a parking lot.  (thanks Mr. and Mrs. Dimock!)

Strapping Young Lad is almost too metal for their own good.

I can sleep just about anywhere, and in the most uncomfortable position, if I am tired enough.

Jim sleeps like a cat. 

Never get a salad at a 24 hour greasy spoon diner at 6am.

There are some really talented musicians that are in extremely shitty bands. (actually, I already knew that, but yeah)

Venues/bartenders/promoters/club owners seemed to treat us with more respect as a touring band than when we play around home.

Washington DC area traffic sucks.

You can get a fully loaded 12 passenger van to pop a wheelie if you play air drums really hard to a Fantomas song as you drive over a raised railroad bed at 40mph.

Never judge a book by its cover.  A lot of people I never would have expected to buy merch (and quite a number of people I actually goofed on earlier in the night) ended up buying our shit.

Hippies make for a great audience.

There are pussy bands everywhere out there that cancel out on shows for no reason.  I’m lookin at you, you sorry ass bitches from North Canton, Ohio.

Parking is a bitch in downtown Philadelphia.

Geno’s steak and cheese sandwich and cheese fries are full of cheesy goodness.  Gotta try a Pat’s next time.

A clean, roomy bathroom means the world to a touring band.

Truck stop showers are not nearly as disgusting as I thought they would be.  At least, the one “Pilot” truckstop we went to wasn’t.  Surprisingly very clean.

Wal Mart parking lots are good for parking for the night to sleep.  I still hate that store with a passion, and the “ban for life” continues.  That didn’t stop me from shitting in one of their toilets, however.

Deer are equally as stupid as they are beautiful.

Sassy black waitresses at Denny’s at 4am are some of the most interesting people in the world.

Their building was somewhat off the beaten path, and if you didn’t already know it was there, you would never know because there are no signs on the building or anywhere else. Very well hidden, and yet the place was packed. There is a garden area you can walk through that has koi ponds, and all sorts of plants and flowers. There is an outside bar and outside seating. Some of the outside tables have little fire pits in the middle with flames going, keeping the guests warm on cool, breezy nights.

Inside, there is the bar area, and a lot more seating, including a balcony area which also has outside seating. The wall is made of a few all glass garage doors, and if it’s warm out they are open, and at night they are closed, but you can still see outside, which is really neat. They feature everything Stone Brewing Company currently has to offer, of course, but also a large list of other excellent microbrews from around the world, both in bottle and on tap. I had the “Mac ‘n Beer Cheese” which was very yummy. And to drink, a Stone Pale Ale and a Russian River Brewing Company Blind Pig IPA.

Of course, there is also a store. This store was like a mini Gap. it was a huge room, with actual shirt racks that you could browse through. And all the other goodies you could ever want like glasses, hats, and of course, their beer. I bought a 22oz 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Couple that beer with a little bit of chocolate ice cream, and you are all set! I also saw this T-Shirt, and absolutely had to have it… Arrogant Bastard Shirt … it’s a shirt for their Arrogant Bastard Ale, and the saying on the back of the shirt was just too good to pass up.

Now I see on their website they are starting up a movie night soon, and the first movie they are going to be playing is The Big Lebowski! That would be a good time, for sure. All in all, a very cool place, and a must visit if you are in the San Diego area. The restaurant (oh, sorry, the World Bistro) is very unique and impressive. Oh, and one hint, if you are going there on a weekend night, call in a reservation, unless you want over an hour wait for a table. This place gets very crowded, especially considering there are no signs whatsoever.

Peace…
Paul

Now Drinking: Nothing, can you believe it? Why do I not have a beer right now?

Part I — Late Winter / Early Spring

One of the best aspects of Microbreweries is the vast variety of beers that each brewery releases over the course of the year.  Seasonal releases, limited one off batches, and new additions make for an exciting line up of beers that change as the year does.  The following is a list of just some of my favorite brews that are out right now.  Many are from the New England area, as I am born and raised in Massachusetts and I like to support the local guys, but there are some very notable brews from other areas of the country as well.  So here we go…. no fizzy yellow beers allowed!

Berkshire Brewing Company, South Deerfield, MA
One of my perennial favorites, this is one of the first microbreweries I got into several years ago. They make some really great beer, and I’m always keeping an eye out for their tap handles when Streak has a gig in Western MA. They have two beers of interest out right now:

Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout (ABV ???) is a limited release that is available now in 22oz bottles with a cool painted on label. According to the bottle, “This Imperial Stout was allowed to mellow for nine months in used oak barrels.” It is very black in color, and smells great. You can definitely taste that it was aged in a Bourbon barrel. It goes down real smooth, but it does have a little bit of a hard alcohol bite to it. I’m not sure what the ABV % is, but it’s probably up there around 9% or so I’m guessing. It’s a great beer to have with a tasty chocolate desert on a cold winter night.

Raspberry Barleywine Style Ale (9% ABV), formerly known as Raspberry Strong Ale, is BBC’s Late Winter Seasonal release. This is a very interesting brew that comes in 22oz bottles, that I usually only get one of every year. It has a very, very strong Raspberry flavor to it. According to the website, “The ruby color is achieved from using a 1/2lb. of fresh raspberries per gallon of beer.” The first time I ever had it, I had to pour about half of the bottle down the drain. I just couldn’t finish it because it had such an overpowering raspberry flavor. What I have found is, the best way to enjoy this beer, is with one or two friends. Splitting it up two or three ways makes it very enjoyable, plus it won’t knock you on your ass quite as much as it has a high alcohol content.

Long Trail Brewing Company, Bridgewater Corners, VT
Long Trail is another great microbrewery, located in Vermont. They have a really cool brewpub up there, that is definitely worth checking out if you are ever in the area. In the warmer months, you can eat outside on the deck that is right along the Ottauquechee River. It’s well off the beaten path, but that’s OK because Vermont’s countryside is beautiful.

Coffee Stout (8% ABV) is the first release of Long Trail’s “Brewmaster Series,” a new series of limited small batch brews that are coming out this year. It is an Imperial Stout made with coffee from the Vermont Coffee Company. I was a little afraid to try this, as I don’t particularly like coffee, and I usually stay away from anything that calls itself a Coffee Stout. However, this winter I have gotten into a lot of stouts and porters, and a lot of them have an underlying coffee flavor to them. So I figured, since my palate has changed a little, I’d give it a shot. It definitely has a strong coffee flavor to it, but not too overpowering. This is another great stout to have with a desert as you try to warm up by the fire. It comes in a 22oz bottle with a plain looking white label.

Magic Hat Brewing Company, South Burlington, VT
Magic Hat is another cool Vermont based brewery. They have great seasonals, really cool artwork on the bottles and packaging, and goofy sayings underneath each bottle cap. One of my favorites, that I had to save, says “Condoms prevent minivans.” So true.

HI.P.A. (5.8% ABV) is Magic Hat’s Spring seasonal. It’s real hoppy, as expected for an IPA, but it is by no means a bitter “hop bomb.” It is extremely crisp tasting, and very easily drinkable. This one is up there in the list of my favorite IPAs, and it isn’t around for too long. They seem to like to release the Summer seasonal real early. This bottle has my favorite of all the Magic Hat designs on it. It has this trippy looking woman’s face designed by Stanley Mouse, who is most well known for his psychedelic art designs for rock concert posters and Grateful Dead album covers.

McNiell’s Brewery, Brattleboro, VT
This is a brewery I just recently discovered, although it has been in existence for quite some time. They have just recently reopened in a new location in Brattleboro, and have started to distribute 22oz bottles in the Massachusetts area. I’m not sure what their seasonal and limited releases are yet, as this brewery is new to me, but I have tried their Extra Special Bitter Ale, and it was quite good. Try one if you are looking for something with a little extra bite to it. I have found their 22oz’s for only $3.50 per bottle, which is very cheap these days. From what I’ve read, they have a very cool brewpub up there, so I’m definitely going to have to check it out some day. Oh, and they have a great motto on their MySpace page: “Beer is the reason I get up each afternoon.” Classic.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA
One of the more well known microbreweries, Sierra Nevada has been making great beers since it’s inception in 1980. However, in almost 30 years as a brewery, they have never had a year round IPA available… until now.

Torpedo Extra IPA (7.2% ABV) is the new year round IPA now available from Sierra Nevada. According to the website, “Sierra Nevada has brewed with 100% whole-cone hops for 29 years with the belief that it makes a better, more natural tasting beer. Whole-cone hops offer subtle flavors and complexities that are unavailable in processed form. Rather than sacrifice flavor, they invented a way to do it better. Torpedo celebrates the brewery’s dedication to 100% whole-cone hops all the way through the brewing process. The name itself comes from a device called the ‘hop torpedo’ that was conceived, designed and developed at the brewery. The result is a revolutionary method of dry-hopping that harnesses the vital hop oils and resins that lead to an unusually flavorful and aromatic beer featuring the full, nuanced range of spicy complexity that hops have to offer.” MMMM, hops. This is a really nice tasting IPA. Super hoppy, but in a good way.

Troegs Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
Troegs is another brewing company that I just recently had the pleasure of discovering. They are now distributing their beer in Massachusetts, and what I’ve had so far is fantastic, so keep your eyes peeled at your local package store for their brews.

Nugget Nectar (7.5% ABV) is their Late Winter / Early Spring seasonal Imperial Amber Ale. It is a hoppier, more potent version of their flagship beer HopBack Amber Ale. The label on the bottle is pretty cool and sums it all up. It’s a fist in the air, squeezing a hop cone to get every last bit of flavor into the brew.

Wachusett Brewing Company, Westminster, MA
This is the brewery that led me out of the world of fizzy yellow beers. Yes, it is true. I once swilled can after can of Milwaukee’s Best Light. 30 pack after wasteful 30 pack. Little did I realize what I was missing all that time. Since I like to support local businesses, I decided one day to try a Wachusett six pack since the brewery was located 30 minutes from home, and only 5 minutes from where I work. Wachusett’s flagship brew Country Ale was the first microbrew that led me into what I call “the dark side.” At first, I’d have a couple Milwaukee’s Beast, then a Country Ale, then a couple more Beasts. Soon enough, I phased out The Beast altogether, and started getting Wachusett all the time. The old adage is true, “you get what you pay for.” Funny thing is, now that I’ve tried so many other beers, Wachusett’s Country Ale is now one of my least favorite Pale Ales out there. It pales in comparison to so many other microbreweries’ Pale Ales. Pun highly intended.

Quinn’s Amber Ale (ABV % ???) is Wachusett’s Spring Seasonal, although it usually comes out in January, and is quickly replaced by their Summer Seasonal, much much too early. It is an Irish Red Ale, named after one of the breweries three founders, Peter Quinn. It is super malty sweet, and goes down so damn smooth. This is one of my favorite beers of all time. In fact, writing this makes me think, “why the hell don’t I have some in my fridge right now!”

California-Style IPA (ABV % ???) is the first of four releases in Wachusett’s limited “Hometown Brewery Series.” This series celebrates both Wachusett’s 15th anniversary as a brewery, and the Town of Westminster’s 250th anniversary. These limited releases will only be available this year at several select Westminster restaurants, and at the brewery itself in their 64oz growlers. I have always considered Wachusett’s year round IPA to be one of the best IPAs out there. Very crisp and easily drinkable, not over-hopped. The California-Style IPA gives you a hoppier, yet still crisp, version of their year round IPA.

Well, that about does it for this installment of “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” I could write all day about this stuff. If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed this, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on any of these beers listed above, and any beers I left out, too. Like I always say, “So many beers, so little time.” Until the next installment, keep trying new brews… They are just sitting on that shelf begging to be drank. I know I’m doing my very best. Cheers.

Peace…
Paul

Currently drinking: Hometown Brewery Series California-Style IPA (ABV % ???), Wachusett Brewing Company, Westminster, MA

My ladyfriend and I arrived at The Atlantic to find Chris, and a couple other bands waiting outside to be let in.  It was freezing outside.  It had to be in the single digits.  We were not allowed inside until the sound guy showed up.  It’s never a good sign when you have a lackadaisical sound guy who shows up late. About a half an hour later when we were given the green light to load in, I noticed that there were a couple cops in the building.  Evidently, this club is in one of the crappier areas of Springfield, so they have cops working detail, frisking people on the way in.  That was a first for me.  I’ve never played a show with UBT or Streak where people were getting frisked. I guess it’s a good thing there was a police presence, though.

After loading in, I realized why this place is called “The Atlantic.”  It seems they try to keep the temperature in the club about the same as the ocean.  It’s pretty bad when you have to wear a coat inside, keep your hands in your pockets, and blow on your hands when you are on stage to try and warm up.  I know times are tough, but come on! Crank up the heat a little!  I wish I had a thermometer on me… I would have liked to known what the temperature was in there. It’s a good thing I have a nice winter beard going to keep me warm.

I needed a beer, naturally, so I headed over to the bar to see what they had to offer.  Western MA clubs usually have some good brews… Berkshire Brewing Company, Opa Opa, and Paper City Brewery are all very close to Springfield, so they must have something good, right?  The bartender starts rattling off:

“Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Miller…” 
OH NO!  FIZZY YELLOW BEERS!  HELP!!!
“… and Sam Adams Winter Ale.” 

So I was reduced to a few Spam Adams’.  I say “reduced to,” because I’m not a big fan of Sam Adams.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s much better than a Bud Light or a Colorado Kool Aid, but I would much rather have something else, especially when so many great microbreweries are nearby.  And as if this wasn’t bad enough, they only had about 6 or so bottles of Sam Winter, and between me, Chris, my buddy Tom and a couple other people, they went fast!

We played 3rd out of 5 bands, a good time slot.  Like I said earlier, the sound guy was nothing to write home about.  We were all set up, ready to get hooked up to the house equipment, and he was nowhere to be found.  He finally emerged from wherever he had been, and we soon realized he had no interest in sound checking anything other than the drum kit and the samples.  He figured he’d wing it with the vocals and the guitar.  As Streak Super-Fan Josh said, we were “sonically violated.”  Apparently the mix was awful.  It’s hard to tell on stage, especially for me because I control my own mix with in-ear monitors.  At one point he had me turn down the amp for the drums.  I’m not sure why he couldn’t just turn down the level of the drums for the PA on his own, but anyway.  Now the drums were too quiet on stage, so we had him turn up the drums in the stage monitors.  He cranked them up so loud that that was about all I could hear, even though I have ear monitors that block most outside noise!  Chris said it was so loud it was echoing, and he wasn’t sure which drumbeat to play to!  It’s always amazed me how some sound guys are so thrown off by an electronic drum kit and a backing track of electronic samples.  It should be very easy to handle, but it’s different than your typical Singer, Guitar, Bass, and Acoustic Drummer set up, so it just throws some sound guys into a tizzy.  Like I always say, “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.”

After our set, I wanted another beer real bad, but they were out of Sam.  I didn’t feel like getting a $7 mixed drink that was tiny and loaded with ice, so I did the unthinkable.  I got a Coors Light.  Let me preface all of this by saying that I am very ashamed of myself.  It did, however, make me remember how good real beer is.  It was in a can, not a bottle.  Even more ghetto.  Even worse still, it had ice in it!  It was like a beer slushy!  I’m way too nice… I should have complained.  If it was a good beer, I would have, but since it tasted like water anyway, I figured why not have a little ice with it?

It was not one of our more memorable gigs, but of course the fans there made it worth the while.  Thanks for coming out, and we’ll see you at another show soon!  And remember, stay away from those Fizzy Yellow Beers!!!

Peace… Paul

Currently drinking: Harvest Wet Hop Ale (6.7% ABV), Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA

First, the pre-show event… Food and beer with Chris, Angela, and Adria at the Old Forge in Lanesborough, MA.  A very cool place, with a sizable beer selection.  I wanted to try a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, but it was $20 for a single 12oz bottle! I guess I won’t feel so bad when I buy one at the local packie for $9. I got a Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale instead. Very good. Then I got a Green Flash Brewing Co West Coast IPA. I thought it was awful for an IPA, but I think maybe it was skunky or something. I donno, I’ve since read a lot of glowing reviews about this brew, and I’ve had their Imperial IPA before which I thought was awesome, so I might have to give it a second chance sometime. They were doing a keg tossing contest outside while we were there. I should have participated, but I didn’t think we had enough time. I probably could have, though. Doh!

The show in Pittsfield was at this small art gallery called Zeitgeist.  The place was ok, but it wasn’t really equipped to handle live music.  No stage, no sound equipment, and not enough power to handle our PA and amps.  The DJ that was there may have been sucking some of our power too, which we didn’t really realize until the next day.  Oh well.  Thankfully, the other band, Forever Autumn, let us use a couple of their smaller amps so we could proceed with the show.  However, because of this different setup, I had no electronics going to my in-ear monitor.  This made playing drums a little difficult, especially during the song Groovy Booty.  In most of the songs, I have a click track to keep me in time, but in that song I don’t coz I like to follow the electronics.  Therefore, I had nothing to keep me in time.  I didn’t want to just give up, but I really had no choice.  I knew it was sounding like shit coz I was way off, and I wasn’t gonna keep going like that for five more minutes.

The technical issues we were having, coupled with the fact that there was no bar at this place so I could get a beer to calm me down, got me a little frustrated.  When I was taking the legs off of my drumset with my rubber mallet, I hit it too hard and cracked one of the joints.  This made for a special trip to Home Depot on Sunday morning.  Damn temper.

There were a lot of Streak superfans there, including Pat, Joe, Mysi, Brandy, Krista (in a pretty sweet inflatable penis costume, see it in the Flickr stream), and others I’m sure I’m forgetting.  The turnout was great, and the fans were very cool to be patient while we worked through some of our technical troubles.

On to Sunday, and the pre-show event… the four of us went to the Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston, MA for food and beer. This is my new favorite place to get beer when in Boston. 112 taps, and 380 bottled microbrews! I’m like a kid in a candy shop at this place! I tried some great brews… Heavy Handed IPA by Two Brothers Brewing out of Illinois, and Titan IPA and Denver Pale Ale by Great Divide Brewing Co out of Denver, Colorado. So many more beers to try there, so little time.

The 5th annual Mass Morgue show in Cambridge was at the Cantab Lounge downstairs, which is this small, dark, almost dungeon-like room, perfect for a Halloween show. Uncle Big Time played the Mass Morgue at the Cantab last year, and I had a blast, playing a set of old school Ministry songs. This show, to me, was the most anticipated show of the year for Streak. There was a great lineup of local electronic/rock bands, including The Shadows Smile, Lucretia’s Daggers, and Eternal Embrace. All of the performances were awesome, and there was also a DJ and gothic bellydancers to round out the evening. It was another great turnout, including a high UBT representation by Tom, Charlie, and Lezlie. Plus, a couple good friends and new Streak fans Lauren and Ernie came out, which was really cool.

I’ve always loved playing in the Boston area, and I think I was on top of my game for this show. I was feeling good, and ready to drink some beers! Long Trail Brewing Co. IPA was on tap, always an excellent beer. Also, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. gets an honorable mention for their Pale Ale, another damn tasty brew available in bottles at the Cantab.

To me, the only thing better than being drunk and having a great time at a show, is watching someone else who is way more drunk and acting like a total nut. There was this guy at the show who was apparently enjoying himself quite a bit, hollering and making quite a spectacle out of himself. Normally, I wouldn’t do this to someone, but, he was hitting on all the girls in the club, including my lady friend quite a few times, and was being kind of annoying. He seemed harmless, so it wasn’t really a big deal, and he was actually pretty funny. So, I would now like to present to you, “The Seven Stages of the Super Drunk Guy.” Enjoy.

Until next time…. Peace…
Paul

Currently drinking: Old Rusty’s Red Rye Ale (6.5% ABV), Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA

This show was dry, but since I was relatively in the neighborhood, I made sure to stop by the Long Trail Brewery before the show for a couple beers and some food at their brew pub. I’d never been there, but had enjoyed their brews for some time. I thought I’d already had everything they have to offer, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out they had a brewery exclusive on tap, “Triple Bag,” which is their “Double Bag” brew, only fermented longer. Instead of 7.2%, it was 9.2%! I was flyin’ high after two of those! The food was great, too. Simple pub menu… all you need, really. My lady-friend Adria and I got out of there for under $30. Well, until I bought some merch, anyway. They have really cool shirts and other stuff, also very reasonably priced! The place was very busy, but we were still seated right away. You can eat inside, or you can sit outside (what we did) on a deck that overlooks the Ottauquechee River. I definitely recommend anyone who likes good beer and pub fare to check this place out.

Ok… on to The Depot in Dalton, MA. Third time playing there. We always seem to have a lot of people show the love at the Depot, which is great. There was even a high Uncle Big Time representation at this show, as Tom and Charlie caught a ride with us.

Adria and I got our asses kicked at pool two games in a row by Tom and Charlie. It was all me, I was playing like shit. It was probably the Berkshire Brewing Co. “Steel Rail’s” going to my head… that stuff is so fucking good! I love playing in Western MA coz almost every club has that on tap.

Warsynium opened up the evening. They are really awesome… Heavy metal, the way it was intended to be. Lots of headbanging and crazy fast riffs, drums, and solos. They’re really nice guys, too.

We played a really long set, about an hour or so. It’s awesome to have the chance to play that many songs, but it is really tiring, too. We were a little surprised to have the crowd asking for an encore when we stopped playing. We’re not used to that! So, we busted out the Cars cover of “Just What I Needed.” Chris dry humped me. Check it out on the Flickr PhotoStream on the main page.

Peace… Paul

Currently drinking: Hocus Pocus (4.5% ABV), Magic Hat Brewing Company, South Burlington, VT

R.I.P. Richard Wright (1943 – 2008) of Pink Floyd… Off to “The Great Gig in the Sky”

The B & G was cool… it had a good sound system and some neat stage lights that flickered around the STREAK banner. The owner, whose name I cannot recall, was totally cool and excited to have bands coming in for the night. He’s a drummer, and after our set he encouraged me to learn to play an acoustic kit. Something about putting all my energy into beating the shit out of a real drum kit. That’s something I’ve thought about many times, but I donno… maybe some day when I have more time, money, and space. In the meantime, I’ll keep thrashing away on the old electronic kit. That thing’s got 10 years of beatings in it, between Uncle Big Time and STREAK, and it’s held up really well. Plus, it just looks so cool!

STREAK super-fans Josh and Jenn made it out. I love it when Josh is there… he’s got a bad ass death metal growl that he is not afraid to use between songs. There is some video evidence of this, that may surface some day on the STREAK YouTube channel or something. I, regrettably, did not get a picture of them, but I did get this one of Lezlie (left) and his friend Haven (right).

Lezlie was the original drummer for UBT, and more recently the bass player. OK, so, his name isn’t really Lezlie, but look at him, he’s Lezlie, right?

As for the beer, this place was OK in my book. I had prayed earlier in the day to the God of Micro-breweries that these two places would have good beer on tap. My prayers were answered. They had Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on tap. Son of a bitch, that stuff was good! Some day I want to try their 120 Minute IPA… it’s 20% ABV, and from what I’ve heard, you can only get it in single 12oz bottles. Anyway, they also had Long Trail Ale on tap. Always a solid favorite. Then, back in the motel room later in the evening, I wanted to pop open my 24oz Sierra Nevada, but forgot to pack a bottle opener. This marked the first time I ever opened a bottle with my teeth. I’d always wanted to try it, but was sort of afraid. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

On to Pittsfield, MA for the benefit show for the family of Angelo Rossi. It was a celebration of the life of Chris and Angela’s friend, Angelo, who passed away last year. It would have been his 30th birthday. I, personally, never met the man, but he looked and sounded like a cool dude, and we rocked as hard as we could for him… I think he would have enjoyed it. Chris and I did a shot of Jager in honor of him after our set… smooooth.

This show marked the first time I performed (to my knowledge, anyway) with the hot dog stand open for business. Evidently, I had a zipper malfunction prior to us performing, which I was unaware of until after we were done, and I went to pee and the damn thing was wide open. Thankfully, the cucumber I stick down there wasn’t visible (watch This is Spinal Tap if you don’t get the reference), or my secret would have been out.

Chris and I took off for a few minutes to get the individual tracks for the album from the recording studio, which was close by in Pittsfield. Remix time! When we came back, some drunk goofy guy was hitting on my lady friend. He took off a few seconds later. “Made a new friend, huh?” “Yeah, thanks a lot, Aho.”

One of the great things about playing out in Western MA is that most places have Berkshire Brewing Company on tap. This place had three taps of theirs: Shabadoo Black and Tan, Lost Sailor IPA, and Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, the latter being tapped out from the night before. Too bad, coz that is one of my favorite beers of all time, but the others are also very good. They had Magic Hat #9, too. Good, good stuff.

I pussed out, and we took off early from the show. We were tired, and missed our kitty. I was looking forward to seeing the headliner, Q, but oh well. On the way home, we stopped at the Goshen Snack Bar (Goshen, MA). We saw the sign on the side of the road of RT 9 / RT 112 that said soft serve ice cream. That sounded pretty good, so we took the road, which was a dirt road that seemed to be going into the middle of nowhere. Sure enough, there it was, a little trailer by the side of the road. There was a sign that said “Not quite in the middle of Nowhere, but you can see it from here.” Nice people… stop in if you are ever going by.

We got home, and were greeted by our kitty, Biff… and then greeted by two piles of barf and a decapitated mouse head on the carpet. At least he knew enough not to eat the head. Then he made a B-line for the litter box, and took a really stinky shit. Welcome home.

Currently drinking: Raspberry Wheat (?% ABV, probably around 5%), Opa Opa Streakhouse and Brewery, Southampton, MA

The other thing I was very glad to see was that the beer selection had not changed. This place has awesome beer on tap. Most notably, Long Trail IPA, which was my drink of the night. They have a couple Sam Adams taps, Guinness, Magners Cider, Harpoon, and a few others I can’t think of now. Very nice. So, I don’t know if it was the extremely rocking set that Chris came up with, or the IPAs, but I thrashed my drum set pretty hard that night. It’s four nights later now, and my neck is still sore. It made for some good pictures, though… check em out at the STREAK MeinSpace.

Some good friends came out, including Tom who is my bestest oldest friend ever! My BOFE. Jim and Lauri, 2/3 of Lucretia’s Daggers, were there (see pic below), and Anderson Mar, who is the queen of the Boston music scene!

Anderson used to be the booking agent at the Skybar in Somerville. The club closed last July, because the owner did not want to pay for an updated sprinkler system, to the tune of around $40,000. He instead expanded the Chinese restaurant that he owned next door, which I guess circumvented the sprinkler laws. It’s really too bad… that was such a fun club to play. My other band, Uncle Big Time, played there so many times, and Anderson was the first person to give us a shot in the Boston area, at the Skybar. That is where I met Chris, too. I feel all warm and squishy inside. I hadn’t driven by there in a while. The last time I went by, the old blue neon Skybar sign was still up. Here’s a kinda crappy pic taken from the car of what it looks like now, which sorta bummed me out…

Chris dedicated the song Groovy Booty to my mom and my sister, which kinda creeped me out, since he calls that song the “makeout song.” That, and all the images on the TV screens of girls getting spanked during that song, put some fucked up images in my head that are kinda disturbing. By the way, Chris, my sister called you a “weenie” for dedicating that song to them. Haha.

I think we rocked that stage pretty hard, all in all. I love playing in Boston, and I can’t wait until the next time we can play the Abbey. The other bands rocked, too. Us Versus Them did a great job, especially for their first show ever. Lack Sabbath? was cool, even though they didn’t play Supernaut (despite me and some other guy shouting it when the singer asked for requests). Faith in Distortion rocked too, from what I remember… they were last, so my IPA buzz was pretty strong at that point.

Highlight of the evening: Chris putting one of these from our merch table directly on my left nipple. Yep.

Peace… Paul

Currently drinking: Southern Hemisphere Harvest (6.7% ABV), Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA