Top 25 Beers
Feb/104
In no particular order, here are the 25 best beers I’ve had in my lifetime.
| Great Divide Brewing Company | 15th Anniversary Wood Aged |
| Allagash Brewing Company | Allagash Tripel Reserve |
| Bell’s Brewery, Inc. | Bell’s HopSlam |
| Brasserie Cantillon | Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic-Bio |
| Brasserie Cantillon | Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus |
| Brouwerij Corsendonk | Corsendonk Christmas Ale |
| Southern Tier Brewing Company | Creme Brulee |
| Brouwerij Huyghe | Delirium Noël |
| Founders Brewing Company | Founders Blushing Monk |
| Founders Brewing Company | Founders Breakfast Stout |
| Founders Brewing Company | Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout |
| Brasserie d’Achouffe | La Chouffe |
| Unibroue | La Fin Du Monde |
| Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Olde School Barleywine |
| Russian River Brewing Company | Pliny The Elder |
| Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Raison D’extra |
| Selin’s Grove Brewing Company | Razz Merry Ale |
| Selin’s Grove Brewing Company | Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout |
| Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV | St. Bernardus Abt 12 |
| Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV | St. Bernardus Abt 12 (60th) |
| Stone Brewing Company | Stone Ruination IPA |
| Brouwerij Westvleteren | Trappist Westvleteren 12 |
| Brouwerij Bosteels | Tripel Karmeliet |
| Tröegs Brewing Company | Tröegs Nugget Nectar |
| De Leyerth Brouwerijen (Urthel) | Urthel Hop-It |
And in case you weren’t already aware here are the other 1131 I can remember drinking.
Man vs Food
Feb/101
I am currently watching Adam Richman (Man vs Food) eat a 48oz porterhouse steak “live” on TV. This is so American. This is so cool.
Uh oh, I think someone used the phrase “Super Bowl” which means the Travel Channel is gonna owe someone some cash money.
I am thinking a steak might be in the works this weekend.
Wisdom Teeth
Feb/102
I finally had a consult with an oral surgeon to talk about my wisdom teeth. They are scheduled for extraction next Wednesday morning at 8am. That could be the end of the story, but it is not.
On a side note, though relevant, I bought the old computer from a coworker for $25. It doesn’t have the required connections for my hard drives (SATA) but I guess I can pick up a card for a few bucks to make the connection. Points being, I’m not spending money on a new computer at this moment.
It will cost me $168 to get all four teeth extracted. This particular practice does not deliver general anesthesia which means I’ll be awake for the procedure. I should note that 2 of the 4 teeth are impacted but it doesn’t appear they are impacted in a particularly obtrusive way. An option is to have nitrous oxide (”laughing gas”). However, neither my dental nor my medical insurance cover this so it would be an extra $175. the plus side is that I can drive myself home immediately after the procedure. Downside is that if I went to a practice that operated with general anesthesia I’d only have to pay 15% of the bill which would likely be less than $175 though that process does come with more risks.
Given that I’ll likely be paying $343 plus any pain medication prescriptions I don’t think it is a good idea to buy a computer right now. I probably should have signed up for a health flexible spending account this year.
Farewell Computer
Feb/104
After nearly six and a half years my desktop computer has finally bitten the dust. It no longer boots. It no longer sends a signal to the video card. It no longer beeps. It does spin all the fans but that’s about all. It was working just fine on Sunday evening until I got the bright idea to attach an extra hard drive. Normally, that is not a big deal. For some unknown reason my motherboard didn’t like that very much. A very boring death. I would have at least enjoyed a puff of smoke.
The question is of course, what do I do next. The answer is complicated.
For starters, let’s talk about what I use my computer to do. I use it to surf the internet 3-6 hours per week. I occasionally edit photographs. Sometimes I play some very basic computer games. I write emails. I listen to music and burn CD’s. I don’t really use it a ton to be honest but to not have a normal, functional personal computer would not be acceptable. For the record, I do have a work laptop but I can’t really use that to download music (that I already own of course) or to edit photos or to store things long term. I also have an old computer in the basement that I use solely for playing mp3’s. It is too old and slow to do much more than that.
I think it is fair to say that I do need to replace the computer. For the sake of seeing a big picture let’s assume I can get all of my relevant data stored on external storage so that I transfer what is needed but essentially start fresh. So, what are my options?
1) Custom system - good specs but not a dream system - motherboard, CPU, memory, case, DVD drive = ~$500
2) Custom system - top of the line - mostly the same parts, a better CPU plus a new video card = ~$800
3) iMac - base system = $1200
4) MacBook - base system = $1000
5) A friend’s old extra computer - nearly the same specs as my dead computer = $50
6) Refurbished HP desktop - modern hardware but no where near top-of-the-line = ~$350
I could leave it at that, but that really wouldn’t paint the picture fairly. You might think this is a conflict of wants versus needs and the $50 computer would do the trick. While that is a great short-term solution, how will it go in the long-term? The other options are better long-term investments and will ensure that I have a system that can aptly handle any new technologies. The Macs can be setup to dual-boot which means I not only would have the features of the Mac but also a Windows based system. The decision is pretty tough.
Any recommendations?
Updated Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
Jan/101
This week I wanted some comfort food and lately meatloaf has been my comfort food of choice. In fact, I made two seperate batches of it this week. That’s how much I like it.
Not really related to the core of this story, I made some new kitchen purchases as well. I got 4 Pyrex mixing bowls, an oven thermometer, a proper knife sharpener (my knives are so sharp again!!!), a cutting board, a 9″x5″ metal loaf pan and a glass-top scale (for measuring small quantities of ingredients in my beer brewing). I felt very please with my new kitches gadgets.
I think I’ve pretty much tweaked my buffalo meatloaf recipe. It does not actually contain buffalo/bison but rather refers to the spicy/hot connotation. Previously, I used turkey as my meat of choice. Ground chicken was on sale at Acme this week (99% fat free for $3 a pound) so I decided to try something different. It has a pretty terrible consistency but makes a darn good base for a meatloaf.
2 lbs 99% fat-free ground chicken
1 medium yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 oz bleu cheese
7 tsp sriracha sauce (”rooster sauce”)
5 tsp ”Louisiana” hot sauce (generic brand)
3 tsp black pepper (fresh ground)
2 medium eggs
10 cloves garlic
Chop the choppable things to your desired thickness. Combined it all in a large mixing bowl ensuring that it is really mixed together well. Bake at 375°F for 90 minutes. Serve with chicken gravy and extra hot sauce. Bamo!
State of the Stuff
Jan/100
Best Obama line from tonight would be “I won’t quit!”
He can be found using this line in a variety of contexts.
Michael Jordan: Dude, we were playing to 21 and I’m winning 47-3
Obama: I won’t quit!
Michelle Obama: Honey, not tonight, I’m quite tired.
Obama: I won’t quit!
Dr. Regina M. Benjamin (Surgeon General): You should really lay off the cigarettes
Obama: I won’t quit!
In all seriousness, the agenda has shifted back to job growth and at least our country as some official direction. Will we actually be able to do anything about it? Yes, if the Republicans stop being little bitches and actually vote “yes” to something in majority to demonstrate their willingness to participate in country improvement. Yes, if the Democrats actually make a conceded effort to give them Republicans something reasonable to vote for and stop whining about the stubborn Republicans. Yes, if pigs fly, unfortunately.
At least he has a commanding presence that makes you want to believe, even if just a little bit.
Chef, Witbier, Trails, Pizza
Jan/100
This was a busy busy weekend with a wide variety of adventure. Fortunately, Sunday night has been pretty calm so I’ve been able to wind down.
Saturday morning started relatively early with a trip to the restaurant Savona in Gulph Mills, PA. The purpose was for my Christmas present from Erin; cooking lessons with head chef Andrew Masciangelo. We spent several hours in the kitchen with a small group (mostly folks our age) walking through recipes prepared by the chef which would eventually become our lunch. It was fun watching a chef so closely and honestly it reiterated a point I’ve often felt: cooking is not that hard if you can follow directions. We had four items for lunch. 1) A crimini mushroom puree soup with a drizzle of hand-whipped cream, deep-fried mushroom slivers and fresh herb spätzle. 2) A risotto with fennel puree, topped with three large scallops and surrounded by scallop jus. 3) A molten chocolate cake with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and berry compote. 4) A glass of 2007 Sycamore Chardonnay and 2006 Sycamore Cabernet. It was a really fun experience and afterwords I got a tour of the Villanova campus.
On Saturday evening Erin had a bunch of friends from college over for drinks before heading out to dinner. This was exciting to me because I had the opportunity to conduct a beer tasting. I decided the most accessible style would be the Belgian white or Witbier. There were 11 people ranking the beers and the results were pretty interesting. One beer stood far above the rest while the remaining four were within 2 points of each other. From best to least: Unibroue Blanche de Chambly, Allagash White, St. Bernardus Wit tied with Hoegaarden and Blue Moon. It seemed like everyone had a good time and enjoyed the results as much as I did.
In an effort to keep exercise a priority through the winter months we headed up to Reading, PA for a 7.2 mile trail race on Sunday morning. It was our first trail race and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It took us quite a bit longer than we expected to finish. Part of the problem was the 600 people in our way on a course that took us on single track trails around the hills surrounding Reading. You had to experience it to understand it. We spent a considerable amount of time speed-hiking as opposed to running but it was a good workout nonetheless. The final challenge of the course was climbing up an embankment that required you to climb on all fours. Spaten lagers after the race were a enjoyable recovery drink. Even better, my parents came out to see us run. They’ve always been such good supporters of my athletic endeavors and it made me very happy to see them cheering us on.
In an effort to wind down, Sunday afternoon and evening were spent not doing very much at all. We did one final adventurous event as we tried a new pizza place in the Manayunk/Roxborough area. It was Alex’s at 400 Leverington Ave in Roxborough at the recommendation of the chef at Savona. The pizza was think crust with cheese first, sauce on top. It was pretty basic but nice. Would I order it again, probably not, but I’m glad I tried it.
It really was an action-packed weekend and I’m quite pleased I was able to experience so much.
Good Bye Conan
Jan/100
I look forward to September 1st when Conan O’Brien will be back, on a new network, and better than ever. I watched his last two episodes of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and I think the sadness that the show attempted to illustrate is ill-placed.
Dude, the guy is getting $33 million and his staff is getting $60,000 each on average. That isn’t anything to be sad about, especially when Conan will be back on TV in seven months and I’m sure a good portion of the staff will follow.
The end of anything certainly can have a sad connotation, but it is more important to focus on the laughs and joy that it all brought us.
Haiti Text?
Jan/100
I just tried to sent the message “Haiti” to 90999 which supposedly would give Haiti $10. I haven’t gotten a response yet. I hope they get my money. I just double-checked to make sure I spelled their country correctly. Check! Such a shame. Not a shame so much about the natural distaster, but rather the fact that if it weren’t for the rest of the world, 90% of the people injured in the earthquake would die because that cannot support themselves. In this modern age there is a depressing amount of dispear.