2009 Connecticut Craft Brewers Beer Festival

Last Saturday was the 15th Annual Connecticut Craft Brewers' Beer Festival outside Jesse Camille's restaurant in Naugatuck, CT. It was a bit of a gloomy day. Although the much needed rain held off (we're down 7 inches), the cloud cover remained solidly in place.

Besides myself, this year's group consisted of Cooper, Bob and his brother, Ethan. I covered the malt end. Cooper had the hops. Bob is all about Belgians and Ethan loves Colorado brewers. He lived out in Colorado for a while so he had some favorites he wanted to revisit.

With Spring here, I thought a mai bock was in order so I went over to Smuttynose to try their Maibock. It's part of their big bottle series and weighs in at a hefty 6.2% ABV. I liked it a lot. It was medium bodied with a hint of a floral bouquet and a fruity finish. I'll have to look for this one in the store.

I decided to go for another maibock. This one came from Willimantic Brewing. Their Mail Carrier Maybock came across as hoppier than Smuttynose's. It too was really good. When I asked the brewer why he spelled it differently, he said it was because he used American ale yeast instead of lager yeast. I'd say it worked.

I spotted Bluepoint Brewery and decided I needed a palette cleanser before moving on to a different style of beer. They were also selling cobalt blue pint glasses. Since the free sample cups just don't cut it for an adequate tasting sample, and I'd left my other brewfest cup at home, I bought one. Rewarding me for my purchase, the Bluepoint rep filled my glass with their Blueberry Ale. It's a refreshing little beer that stands up to summer heat and won't leave you parched at a picnic.

Cooper recommended Brooklyn's Intensified Coffee Stout as he knows I'm a stout fan. Well, this beer certainly lives up to its name. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was drinking coffee. Really, the taste is that strong (as is the alcohol content: 8.0%). Unfortunately, I hate coffee. I don't drink the stuff. In years past, the smell alone would make me nauseous. Fortunately, that didn't happen here. Still, I didn't like it. But if you like coffee and stouts maybe this is the beer for you.

Silly me. I went and tried the Coffeehouse Porter from Berkshire Brewing. While it wasn't as strong as Brooklyn's offering, it was more of the same. I don't know why I did it. I shouldn't have.

In dire need of a good dark beer, I went to the Hartford Better Beer Company to grab some of their Praying Mantis Porter. Still good and I only get to have it at brewfests.

With my tastebuds back on track, I went over to Olde Burnside to try their Ten Penny Ale Reserve. Since they're stubbornly sticking with their growlers, I don't get to buy them too often. The Reserve is different. It's 10% ABV and mercifully sold in swingline bottles. But unlike some high alcohol beers, it doesn't knock you on your ass. Instead, it gently helps you down to the ground to sit on your ass. In other words, a great tasting ale.

I wandered over to Otter Creek to find out if their beers of the world series was going to come back. Indeed it is so if you're a fan of that line. Keep your eyes open. Anyway, I had their Russian Imperial Stout which was another high alcohol (10% ABV) concoction. Really good.

I was on a roll at this point. I went with another Imperial, Sam Adams' Double Bock. I could get this 9.5% ABV any ol' time but it's expensive and I shy away from expensive beer unless I know it's good. Wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a beer that would make me cringe, right? That's where beer fests come in handy. Well, fear not. Sam Adams Double Bock comes through.

I finally broke out of the Imperials. I went over to the homebrew supply store, Maltose Express to try their Smoked Maple Wheat. It was like drinking smoky pancakes. That's meant as a compliment.

Ethan pointed out that Rogue's Mom Hefeweizen was good, but I didn't get around to trying it.

Instead I had Trout River's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Very good. More my kind of stout as opposed to the coffee flavored kind.

Bru Rm @ Bar has always come through with good beer in the past so I gave their BruMaster's Rye a shot. Cooper had this one early in the day and I was intrigued by it. It was good.

By now, my taste buds were no longer reliable. My notes say that I had Farmington River's Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada's Porter (all good of course), River Horse's Triple Horse Belgian Tripel (Bob must've talked me into that one), and SBC's English Brown Ale (Notes say "sucks" but no explanation).

Don't worry. It sounds like I drank more than I did. Bluepoint was the only pint I drank. The others were smaller samples. However, I was beered out by the end of the night. In fact, I didn't have a beer all week (until tonight, but it was just one).

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My Music Library - 1970

1970 marked the end of the Sixties in more ways than one.

The Beatles released Let It Be and announced that they were breaking up.

Hendrix's new group, Band of Gypsies, crumbled just after it began. Hendrix stopped a show two songs in and apologized, "I'm sorry we just can't get it together." His drug use escalated and impaired his performances. He ultimately died of a barbiturate overdose.

Joplin follows suit with heroin just a couple of weeks later.

The Who took a break from touring to record Live At Leeds. I have the original 1970 version on cd, but it's full of clicks and crackles. I may as well be listening to a worn out vinyl copy. I understand that the 1995 remastered and extended version is better as is the 2001 double cd. I should probably pick up a copy of one or the other as I find the 1970 version is lacking. While it's a good album, I've always come away from it feeling that it lacked cohesion.

Jim Morrisson further retreated from his rock god persona, seeking to re-invent himself as a blues shaman. Morrison Hotel marked the return of The Doors from suckiness.

"Roadhouse Blues" kicked off the album with a blues rock stomp. "Waiting For The Sun" followed with an emphatic call to join the Lizard King's rebellion. Morrisson drew on elements from his own life with "Peace Frog" over a funky beat. The song segues into "Blue Sunday," a mellow love song that only Morrisson could get away with. "Indian Summer" complements it.

The happy jazzy beat in "Ship of Fools" belies Morrisson's lyrics:

"The human race was dying out
No one left to scream and shout
People walking on the Moon
Smog will get you pretty soon."
"Land Ho!" continues the happy beat and it sounds like a sea shanty. "The Spy" is a sinister slow burn blues number. The album isn't perfect, however, as "You Make Me Real," "Queen of the Highway," and "Maggie M'Gill" seem lacking. Overall though, it symbolized a return of the band.

Led Zeppelin, who were already living in the rock god self-indulgence of the 70's, released their third album, Led Zeppelin III. The album took a lot of flak for its varied musical direction, but I think it's unfair. Zep were trying to expand their sound and I think III is a precursor to Physical Graffiti. "Immigrant Song" is still my favorite (I learned the words from this video) though later versions of "Gallows Pole" really captured the full potential of the song.

But nothing quite said the Sixties were done than the rise of Black Sabbath. Although they looked like all the other hippies out there, their sound thundered across the sky threatening to bring hail and brimstone down on the flower people. They were the anti-hippies. Their music proclaimed doom and gloom with war machines, insanity, horror and mysticism. Heavy Metal was born.

They arose from the industrial wastelands of Birmingham, UK, and could easily have lived dead end lives. Ozzy dabbled in burglary while Iommi lost the tips of two fingers in a machinery accident. But Ozzy's brief stint in prison scared him into finding another avenue of escape from the drudgery (music) and Iommi fabricated two thimble-like extensions for his fingers so that he could properly hit the frets.

Their self-titled debut opens with their eponymous song. A church bell rings in the distance as a thunderstorm rages. The next thunderclap is Tony Iommi's guitar, Geezer Butler's bass and Bill Ward's drums. The song carries on with a menacing diminished fifth chord progression while Ozzy reels in terror as a "figure in black" stalks him (though apparently it was Geezer Butler). The song crescendos towards the end as the protagonist meets his fate. While some might interpret this song to be the band's love of the occult, it's rather a warning not to mess with it.

Harmonica announces the arrival of "The Wizard," a rocking homage to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. "Behind The Wall of Sleep" is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's "Beyond The Wall of Sleep." "Bassically" is Geezer's bass solo intro to "N.I.B.", a song written from Lucifer's point-of-view on deceiving humans to follow him.

Bill Ward opens "Wicked World" with an up tempo beat. The rest of the band follow suit with some rocking blues only to abandon it for a more serious rhythm change in time for Ozzy's dire vocals. The guitar solo towards the end of the song is odd in that the rest of the band has stopped playing.

"A Bit of Finger," "Sleeping Village," and "Warning" are merged together as one track as part of a grand 14 minute suite. "Warning" is a blues cover about loving someone a bit too much. There's all sorts of jamming going on. There's a part where it's just Iommi noodling around showing everyone what he can do. It's just him. No other instruments. It's like they took a cigarette break or something. But they come crashing back to continue with the jam and close out the song.

Amazingly enough, the band recorded this album live in one day. They only had two days in the studio and needed one day for mixing and pre-production.

But in case people didn't get the message the first time, Black Sabbath followed up with Paranoid.

"War Pigs" opens the album with a slow progression as air raid sirens build. It all comes to an abrupt halt. Staccato notes punctuate Ozzy's anti-war lyrics like mortar fire eventually crashing into another theme to carry the song into the jam. The outro, "Luke's Wall," is more melodic and elevates the song into a musical triumph.

I never get tired of "Paranoid." Everything about it kicks ass. It's got the now classic chunka-chunka-chunka rhythm punctuated with the quick Iommi riff and the solo wails. Ozzy's vocals stay within a fixed range as if he's straining to hold it together but at times completely loses it. And the lyrics are all about alienation and isolation and knowing that he's messed up and can't do a thing about it.

And the funny thing is, the song was an afterthought. The record label thought the album was too short and insisted Sabbath go back into the studio and record one more track.

"Planet Caravan" is one of those hidden gems. It's a mellow, psychedelic trip through space. The song also gives the listener a chance to rest after the first two tracks.

Then comes "Iron Man." Everyone knows this song. It had nothing to do with the comic book character (though the movie would reverse this). It's a sci-fi tale about a man who travels into the future and sees unbelievable carnage. When he returns to his own time, something goes wrong and he's turned into "iron man" by the "great magnetic field." He's unable to explain what he saw and people turn their backs on him. Furious, he exacts revenge upon mankind and unleashes the very carnage he tried to warn them about.

And the song rocks! Once Ozzy's vocals are done, the rest of the band stampede along to convene to the listener images of Iron Man's destruction.

"Electric Funeral" plods along with it's tale of nuclear war. It picks up the pace in the middle of the song with a brief funky rhythm and guitar solo. It then slows back down to its original pace and fades away.

"Hand of Doom" is about the dangers of heroin abuse. It starts slow as the Geezer's bass walks along with Ward's quiet backbeat. The chorus brings a swell of volume along with reverberating riffs. Two minutes in the guys rock out while Ozzy sings his warnings. "Your mind is full of pleasure. Your body's looking ill." A stomp kicks in, simulating a heart pounding in the user's chest. "You're having a good time baby, but that won't last. Your mind's all full of things. You're living too fast." The last two minutes of the song document the demise and death of the heroin user. "Now you know the scene. Your skin starts turning green."

"Rat Salad" is downright happy compared to the previous track. It's a short instrumental that showcases the musical prowess of each of the band members. Drum solo!

"Jack The Stripper" is the name of the instrumental introduction to "Fairies Wear Boots." It's slower in tempo than "Rat Salad" and serves as a warm up for "Fairies..." There seems to be some disagreement as to the origin of the song. Even the band is split on it. Some say it was reference to skinheads who were harassing the band others that it was a hallucination. Irregardless, the song is primarily a heavy blues jam that is just fun to listen to until it fades away.

These two albums from Black Sabbath cemented the foundation of Heavy Metal. They would serve as the inspiration for a flood of bands, especially in the next generation.

From this point on, hard rock and metal were defined by two bands: Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Successive bands in these genres could trace their lineage back to either one or the other. Sub-genres would arise that enhanced the listening sphere, taking the music into incredible new territory. Others would be detrimental, leading to fads that blew up fast, crowding out everything else and (like all fads) died, threatening to take the parent genre along with it.

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Beer In Review - Left Handed Irishman

When St. Patrick's Day rolls around, some beer drinkers turn to the Irish, which typically means Guinness. Well, Saranac decided to grab some of that market with their Irish Red Ale. While it certainly won't compete with a Guinness Stout, it is an alternate choice for people who aren't big on that style.

Saranac's Irish Red Ale offers a good amount of near white head on the pour. It has good retention too. The body is a clear reddish amber (Saranac describes it as "deep garnet"). There's a decent amount of hops (Vanguard) which greet your nose on the bouquet. The maltiness is on the light side of medium. I didn't really pick up on the "caramel and toffee notes" that Saranac says are there. I suppose after all the stouts and porters I've been drinking, my palate needs more than a couple "notes." Overall, it had a lager-like mouthfeel to it. I did a bit of research on Vanguard hops and found that they're an American offshoot of Hallertau, the preeminent German hop used in lagers for centuries. 4.5% ABV

It was ok, but it didn't wow me. But that's because lagers aren't my style. Still, it would probably go well with steak and I'd order it out in a restaurant.

The other two brews I'm reviewing this month come from the Left Hand Brewing Company. Situated out in Colorado, they offer to make real beer from the snowy Rockies.

The Black Jack Porter pours out of the bottle with a decent amount of cream-colored head and forms the typical dark brown body with light ruby hues of the style. This is a robust porter with roasted malt dominant, but chocolate is quite evident too. Although it clings to your tongue while it's in your mouth, once you swallow it has a clean finish. 6.5% ABV

Checking with the website, Left Hand Brewing used Magnum hops for bittering. As its name implies, this is a very bitter hop (10.0 - 12.6 a/a). I suspect that's what why the taste really clung to my tongue. US Golding hops were there for flavor, because where would a porter be without the Golding? ;)

I also got to try the Milk Stout but I think I got an old bottle. In many ways it resembles the Porter in appearance, but there wasn't a lot of head and it died quickly. Although it uses the same hops as the Porter, I really didn't get a sense that they were present. There was a faint bouquet of chocolate and espresso which were evident on the tongue as well. 5.9% ABV

The website states that it's a cream stout with actual milk sugar added to "mellow the intense roastiness" and provide "the most incredible creamy mouthfeel." And Left Hand isn't shy about posting the accolades this beer has received. However, my one sample didn't live up to the praise. I'll have to try this one again to figure out where things went wrong. It may be some time though as Left Hand isn't available in CT.

In other brew news, CT now wants all the unclaimed bottle deposits to cover state budget shortfalls. It used to be that all those nickels went to the breweries and, in turn, it would subsidize beer prices. According to Beer Guy at my local store, only 1/3 of all cans are ever returned (he didn't mention bottles) so a lot of nickels were going to the brewers. Once the state took over, beer prices went up.

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My Music Library - 1969

1969. It was the year that not only marked the end of the 60's in a literal sense, but heralded the cultural end as well. The Summer of Love seemed a distant memory as the Manson "family" went on the rampage in California. While there was Woodstock, there was also Altamont.

Events that happened this year would affect the world for years to come.

Nixon declared the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States expected its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. In essence, it heralded a long, slow, bloody fade to our involvement in Vietnam.

Yasser Arafat was elected the leader of the PLO. Muammar al-Gaddafi, a captain in the Libyan Army, staged a coup and ousted Libya's King. Rupert Murdoch expanded his media empire by purchasing the largest selling British Sunday newspaper, The News of the World. Serious border clashes occurred between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, raising the specter of a Sino-Soviet War.

These events weren't all bad. The first message was sent over ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet. UNIX, the language of computer servers for decades was born. It would later give rise to Mac OS and Linux.

Monty Python's Flying Circus and Sesame Street premiered and gave people a reason to watch PBS.

My favorite part was Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. For a moment, the world held its collective breath as Neil Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind."

In the music world, Noel Redding finally had enough of Jimi Hendrix and the hysteria surrounding the scene and quit the band.

Creedence Clearwater Revival, known henceforth as CCR, released not 1, not 2, but 3 albums! They even played Woodstock, but they didn't go on until 3 AM because The Grateful Dead had jammed far past their scheduled set time. By this time, most of the audience had passed out from exhaustion.

The Beatles released Abbey Road, their last great album. In fact, it was the last album they recorded as 1970's Let It Be was recorded several months before the Abbey Road sessions. Their last live performance was on the rooftop of Apple HQ in January, before it was broken up by police (U2 would do something similar for the "Where The Streets Have No Name" video). The Beatles had already begun to go their separate ways as business decisions, personal lives, and creative differences drove the Fab 4 into the Mad 4.

The Doors hit bottom with The Soft Parade. For some reason, they thought it would be a good idea to add horns and aim for a more commercial sound. Morrisson was pretty much drunk all the time at this point. Except for the single, “Touch Me,” and the title track, a transcript of an acid trip if there ever was one, the album sucks (well, “Shaman’s Blues” was ok). In fact, it was painful to go back and listen to it for this post.

Morrisson's drinking and rock god status had finally taken its toll artistically and turned him into a piece of crap. It all culminated in the Miami Incident. Something must've clicked in his head at this point. In the few shows the band did several months later, Morrisson ditched the rock god persona for a more laid back performer. The wild shaman antics were replaced by a sober man on a bar stool. Leather pants were ditched for jeans, t-shirt, and a beard.

Pink Floyd released the two record Ummagumma? Yeah. WTF? The first record was live material while the second record was “experimental” studio material. Each band member wrote material to comprise 1/4 of the record and, except for Gilmour’s piece, performed it by themselves. Waters’ “Grantchester Meadows” is a nice acoustic piece while “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict” is funny. Gilmour’s “The Narrow Way” is a good psychedelic rock song. But “Sysyphus” (Wright) and “The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party” (Mason) come across as self-indulgent dreck.

Led Zeppelin heralded the coming of the 70's with their eponymous debut. It all started with the first track off the album, "Good Times Bad Times."

"In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man.
Now I've reached that age I try to do all those things the best I can."

That bit of verse became the battle cry of every teenage male and set the tone for the next decade to come.

The album and it's follow up, II, was a mix of blues covers and hard rock numbers with even the occasional ballad (before 80's metal bands made them suck) thrown in for good measure.

While hard rock had its foundation in the Blues, where musicians went with it from there was another matter. While Hendrix was cooking out on the astral plane, Led Zeppelin was firmly rooted, digging in the dirt here on Earth. In fact, Led Zeppelin's sound was forging something heretofore unheard of: Heavy Metal.

Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones. You know them and what they delivered. I won't go on about them any further right now.

But my favorite album of the year was Tommy by The Who. You've know the story. No need to rehash it, right? It was more than "that deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball." Then again, pinball? We journey with Tommy from his traumatized upbringing to his eventual spiritual awakening. It was ambitious in its undertaking and, somehow, the band pulls it off. The album launched the band into greatness. The fact that they didn't rely on an orchestra to back them probably helped. Audiences were amazed that four musicians could make so much music on stage.

1969 revealed that the rock world was now in transition. The 60's were fading and the 70's were coming. Some bands adapted. Others didn't and faded away.

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Non-Profit Newspapers

Senate Bill Would Make Papers Nonprofits

A new Senate bill could grant nonprofit status to newspaper companies, many of which are currently struggling to survive in a worsening economic environment.

Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D., Md.) has introduced what he calls the Newspaper Revitalization Act, which would grant newspaper companies nonprofit status under the same U.S. Internal Revenue Service code reserved for religious, educational and other charitable organizations.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Sen. Cardin said in a statement. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.

Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected, Cardin said.

If the bill were approved, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements, but would be allowed to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax deductible.

While a transformation to a nonprofit organization may not be the first choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains, Cardin said "it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat."

A number of published newspapers have run aground recently, including the 149-year-old Rocky Mountain News in Denver, The New York Sun and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which is now only on the Internet. Meanwhile, the Ann Arbor News has announced it would stop publishing later this year, and the Hearst Corp. has threatened to shut down The San Francisco Chronicle if a buyer cannot be found.

A number of other publications have gone through dramatic changes, including newspapers owned by the Tribune Company, while filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News will curtail the home delivery schedule for their print editions to the three days.

Gannett, the owner of USA Today and more than 80 daily newspapers, wants virtually all of its U.S. employees to stay at home and forgo at least one week's pay before July. The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper, also ordered pay cuts of 8% and 10-day furloughs for nonunion employees.

I'm still digesting the implications of this.

Free Market proponents might argue that since people are getting their news from the Internet then the newspapers should just die. But Internet news sites don't make money, except from banner ads. Subscription models have failed. So then what happens? Journalists have to get paid too. Less journalists means an already narrowly focused newsmedia becomes even more enslaved to the 24 hour news networks, where ratings rule the day. Haven't we heard enough about the Octumom or the Pop Tart-of-the-Month's run in with the Paparazzi? Local news? Gone. You're not going to find out about your town's budget hearing on CNN.

I don't believe that this should be misconstrued as a bailout. Less tax revenue? Is tax revenue even relevant with trillion dollar deficits? At least, if we get newspapers to stop worrying about the bottom line and start focusing instead on journalism, there's a chance that the quality will improve. Ok, maybe not. But at least it'll give small cities a chance to keep receiving newspapers instead of being at the mercy of national corporations who are beholden to Wall Street.

Eventually, the newspaper industry will figure out how to make the transformation from print to bytes a profitable one. Once everyone owns a PDA and has electronic banking, then some form of micropayment system will probably be established. As much as the digital gadget crowd claim they're ready for it now, Small Town, USA isn't. Read the Sunday paper online? At least if one of my kids spill their milk on the newspaper, it won't cost me $500 to replace it.

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The White Death

Little brown bat infected with a new species of Geomyces fungus that has coated its muzzle, ears and wings white. Credit: Al Hicks, NY DEC.

Lost amid all the AIG outrage this week was the report that White Nose Syndrome has killed off 90% of Connecticut's bat population this winter. This is nothing short of catastrophic. By way of comparison, even the Black Death killed no more than 60% of Europe's population. And it's not just Connecticut. Reports are coming in from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York where casualty rates in the bats' caves are 90%, 95% and even 100%! The death toll has already surpassed one million!

And it's spreading. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia all reported cases this year. It has crossed bat species lines.

The reason why this is such a big deal is that bats eat bugs. LOTS of them. Bats are Nature's bug zappers. Depending on the species, a bat will eat anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 mosquitoes and other insects every night during the warmer months here in the northeast. Think about it: one million less bats means 1 to 3 billion more mosquitoes and other bugs get to live each and every summer night. That means an increased likelihood of West Nile virus, though that's the least of our problems.

Think about what some of those other insects eat. If you guessed "plants," you're right. If the fungus spreads to the really big agricultural states, then it's going to mean more insects free to attack our crops. Farmers will be forced to counter the attack by using more pesticides, which carry their own health risk. Yes, there are farms here in the Northeast, but they certainly don't compare in size to other parts of the country.

Fortunately, the fungus seems content with cold climate dwelling bats, so far. But it's a new species (While the fungus is genetically a member of the genus Geomyces, it looks different from the known Geomyces species, according to microbiologist David Blehert of the U.S. Geological Survey - source), so I don't know if it's certain that there aren't more surprises in store. And biologists aren't sure yet if the fungus is what's causing the die off or an opportunistic invader of an already weakened host. "Bats with white-nose burn through their fat stores before spring, driving some to rouse early from hibernation in a futile search for food. Many die as they hunt fruitlessly for insects." (source) "Once beneath the outer layer of skin covering a bat's wing, the fungus multiplies, sometimes causing the wing to bulge to five to 10 times its original thickness." Researchers are working on a fungicide to treat the scourge.

Right now, polar bears are getting most of the attention in the MSM. They're used in the political arena to draw attention to melting ice caps and climate change. As much as I hate seeing any non-parasitic species threatened with extinction, polar bears are nowhere near as important as bats, bees or frogs. They're top-of-the-food chain predators. Humans have already displaced them in their role in Nature. Their extinction would be tragic, but not catastrophic. We NEED bats. While they lack the cuteness factor (Coke has made people forget that polar bears are carnivores who eat even cuter baby seals), it's important that people are aware of this. Not only is there a dire need for a cure, but we need to find out why this new species of fungus came into existence now. If it's a random mutation, then so be it. But if there's a man-made reason, then it needs to be eradicated.

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Beer In Review - Marching On

While I've always been a fan of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I really haven't had a chance to sample their other wares. It's been an availability issue. But that's changed. I finally got to try their Porter and it lives up to the brand.

A glass treats you to an ample quantity of rich, brown, long lasting head that floats on top of a dark brown body. Very little light gets through the pint glass, what little does reveals a faint ruby hue. There's a slight, roasted malt bouquet. Chocolate and roasted malt dance with your tongue. Caramel tones tap your taste buds, hoping to cut in. A tingle of hops arrives just before the savory finish. 5.6 ABV

The website informs us that they used Goldings hops for bittering with Williamette used for flavoring. I find this surprising. Normally the reverse is how I've seen it done. Not that you can't. I mean, I've done it with my homebrews. It's just that you don't normally see it done that way. Kent Golding is typically mellow on the alpha acids while Williamette is stronger.

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Next up is the Storm King Stout from Victory Brewing. This is an Imperial Stout, clocking in at a hefty 9.1% ABV. They brew it in Downintown, Pennsylvania, which is a couple dozen miles west of Philly.

This dark brown elixir is nearly black as it flies out of the bottle. The color even seeps into the head, forewarning the imbiber that a potent concoction is on the way. No light gets through the pint glass at all. And if you're brave enough to drink it, it sticks with you the whole way down. Pacific Northwest hops provide the initial tingle on your tongue which yields to a rich, complex malt character that warms your spirit like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

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We'll take a break from all of the scary dark beers for something lighter: Berry Weiss from Leinenkugel Brewery. Over the summer, I went to an Iron Maiden concert down in New Jersey. The amphitheater served Leinenkugel, which I'd never heard of. I had their Sunset Wheat which was really nice to have on a summer day. Back home, I spotted the Berry Weiss and picked some up.

There's ample white head on the pour. As this is a wheat beer, there's a bit of haze to the amber (you could call it peach) body. There's no denying that this is a fruity beer. The website says that there's a mix of blackberries, elderberries and loganberries (I've never heard of the latter and elderberries always reminds me of Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail). It's a very sweet berry beer but it didn't overwhelm me. I can't say that everyone that tries it will feel the same. The beer had a very lambic mouthfeel to it so if you're into lambics this would be a good beer for you. 4.7% ABV.

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And now, back to the dark stuff. North Coast Brewing provides us with the Old #38 Stout. Named after a retired steam engine, this beer has all the charm of an old locomotive. A light brown head rides atop a dark brown body. It's opaque, like the finish, but instead of burning coal (fortunately) we get a faint, roasted malt aroma. It's smooth with alternating bits of chocolate and cappuccino notes. There's a hint of hops and a nice smooth finish, like your riding the rails. 5.5% ABV.

* * *
Finally, we have the Steelhead Scotch Porter from Mad River Brewing. "Steelhead" is the name given to ocean bound rainbow trout. Just as this species of trout goes by two different names, this beer has two different styles blended together. They took elements of scotch ales and blended them with a traditional porter. The result is an intriguing mix of both styles.

This beer has an ample brown head and a dark brown body. It's quite dark. No light gets through the pint glass. There's a faint roasted malt aroma. When you drink it, bits of chocolate and roasted malts dominate but give way to the Scotch ale character. Since it shares your tastebuds with the porter elements, it doesn't get a chance to be too sweet. The addition of German Rauch malts lends a bit of smoky character to it as well. Hops are mild as the malt profile of both styles is what identifies this beer. 6.7% ABV.

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DED

Short Watchmen Movie Review

Four of us went out Saturday night to watch the Watchmen movie and all four of us liked it. It was a really good movie, though I'm not sure if I can call it great. It's always hard for a movie to live up to a book. While the illustrations in a graphic novel make it easier, there's still only so much book you can cram onto film.

All in all, it was pretty faithful to the book. A plot device used to bring about the ending of the story was changed, but it didn't affect the outcome of the story. The same effect was achieved. And the plot device substitution was related to something that was already being worked on in the original story. The swap enabled them to eliminate a lot of minutiae, subtle hints and side stories. Though purists are complaining about that, it works fine for the movie. It's already 2 hours and 45 minutes. While the time flew by for me plenty of whiners out there have complained that it was too long.

The violence was amped up a bit, but that's Hollywood. I'd expect nothing less with Zack Snyder (300) at the helm. The sex scenes were on target, though the last one lasted a little longer than it had to be so if someone wanted to call it gratuitous, well, so be it. Oh, if you're phobic of glowing blue penises, you might not want to see the movie. ;)

As for the acting, the actors that played The Comedian, Rorschach and Dreiberg/Nite Owl 2 were great. The voice for the guy who played Dr. Manhattan seemed odd. It wasn't what I envisioned. In the group I went with, the consensus was that the actress that played Laurie/Silk Spectre 2 was weak. I thought she was ok. The guy who played Veidt/Ozymandias came across as watered down Bowie eurotrash when he should've been Brad Pitt or Robert Redford when he was in his prime.

And the makeup used to transform actors into Nixon, Koppel, Cavett and other historical figures seemed cartoony. I don't know if that was intentional or not.

Do I sound like I'm nitpicking? I hope not because I think it's a good movie, probably a 7.5 out of 10. I already covered the story in my review of the book and since the movie is faithful to the book, I didn't feel the need to rehash it. I'd still recommend the book over the movie, but that's just me.

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DED

Move Over Nigeria

By now, people should know better than to reply to any of those Nigerian phishing emails offering millions of dollars to any kind soul willing to help them cash a bank check. All they need is your bank account number. :)

Well, now there's a new scam out there that's up-to-date with current events. The poor grammar, among other things, should be a dead giveaway.

---

From: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK, NEW YORK
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:23 PM
Subject: YOUR FUND PAYMENT IS READY - RESPOND WITH YOUR DETAILS FOR CONFIRMATION

From the Corporate Department
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York , NY 10045

Attention; Beneficiary

The fund and its interest accrued to it amounting to US$ 4.5 Million United States Dollars is ready to be released to you as the beneficiary of the Fund and its Interest Fund upon the confirmation of your personal details. This Fund and Interest Fund is on your name. This Fund has been long over-due payment and has been officially approved for payment by the G8 Government, United Nations and the United States Government.

This is based on encouraging quick inflow of cash/liquidity into the world economy as a means of boosting the economy already ailing and bad. Based on this, we have been authorized by the various authorities and governments to urgently process and release these funds to the respective beneficiaries, all outstanding payments including With-held Lottery Funds, Unpaid Inheritance Funds, Unpaid Contract Funds and all other Funds that have not been paid till date that are enlisted in the unpaid funds files with us.

Most of these Unpaid Funds were with-held due to improper and un-official payment documentations, lack of proper verification documents to ascertain the legality, source/origin and authenticity of these funds. As a means of boosting the ailing world economy, these funds have now been properly documented and verified officially and we have been asked by the various government authorities involved together with the United Nations authority to urgently contact the recipients of these funds and get them released to them without delay. This is the reason why you are being contacted to enable you contact us urgently without delay because these funds are due for payment to the respective beneficiaries as indicated.

You are therefore required to cease or stop any further communication, contact or response to any office, person or group pf persons with regards to the release of your payment. You are instructed in your best interest to "only" contact us for the immediate confirmation of your personal details, processing and release of this fund to you. Contact us now as we have been authorized and mandated to confirm details, process this payment and get the payment released to the various beneficiaries.

We are required to re-confirm your personal details to ascertain and ensure that you are the rightful beneficiary of this Fund and its Interest Amount that has accrued to the fund which is due for payment.

The Government has therefore given us time limit within which to confirm your details and release the Fund and its Interest Amount to you. Failure to hear from you with your timely and urgently, your fund payment will automatically be cancelled.

You are here-by required to urgently contact us with your details as follows;
Your Full Name
Your Contact address
Your telephone numbers
Your sex
Your age
Your occupation
Let us know if you were expecting to receive any payment

You are required to quickly respond urgently without delay.

Faithfully yours,

Edward F. Murphy
Head, Corporate Department
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045

---

If you reply, your email is addressed to: interestfund.fedreserrvbnk@live.com
...which doesn't seem quite right of course since this email is supposedly from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Looking further into the header I discover that the email originated overseas and that an Australian mail server was used. That wouldn't happen with an email that originated from within the continental US.

Consider yourself warned.
\_/
DED

My Music Library - 1968

Ahhhh 1968. Hot Wheels and 60 Minutes make their debut. The former would prove to be invaluable to my parents in their attempts to get me potty trained. The latter would prove to be invaluable to investigative journalism. Pierre Trudeau becomes Prime Minister of Canada. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back U.S. currency. The Civil Rights Movement threatens to derail as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is assassinated. Perseverance gets The Civil Rights Act of 1968 passed.

The Soviets steamroll into Czechoslovakia to ensure freedom there stayed in a coma.

It was the year that Vietnam got downright in-your-face ugly. There was the Tet Offensive. This execution is photographed for all to see and then there's the My Lai Massacre. Attitudes towards the war change in a big way. It's no longer some fringe group of hippies against the war. It's mainstream. It threatens to tear apart the Democratic Party. Three weeks after barely edging out McCarthy in the NH primary, LBJ announced he wouldn't seek re-election. RFK enters the race only to be assassinated months later.

Nixon is elected president and the presidency is forever changed.

Oh yeah. And I was born.

While many a musician has gone on to have an acting career, the reverse hasn't been true. Case in point: William Shatner. While I don't own a copy of his 1968 album, The Transformed Man, I've heard bits of it and it is so awful it's hilarious.

More weirdness this year came in the form of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. While side one is largely forgettable, side two's 17 minute title track is a superb mix of proto-heavy metal and psychedelia. You don't have to be stoned to enjoy it, but it certainly adds a certain element to the listening experience.

The Beatles released their magnum opus: The White Album. While some would argue that it was their best, I only thought that half of it was good. While Side 1 is great from start to finish, Side 2 leaves me flat. With a couple exceptions, Sides 3 & 4 follow the same pattern. If they only released half the album, containing the songs I like of course, I think that it would've been a much tighter package. But I know millions disagree. :)

Once again, for me, the top three albums, in ascending order, were from Pink Floyd, The Doors, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

1968 was a painful transition year for Pink Floyd. The pervasive use of psychedelics upon a fragile mental health ruined Syd Barrett. David Gilmour was brought on board in hopes that he would fulfill Barrett's duties live but Syd proved to be too erratic to work with. By April of that year, the band gave up on Barrett and he was set free.

As the band entered the studio to record their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, there was an obvious vacuum that needed to be filled. The band did what they could Roger Waters and Richard Wright rose to the occasion and offered the band (and their fans) two different styles.

Waters wrote the space rock songs “Let There Be More Light” and “Set the Controls for The Heart of the Sun,” the latter being a beautifully moody piece with the bass guitar carrying the melody as the keyboards and guitar flit in and out. Nick Mason accentuates the piece with xylophone and kettle drums. He also penned, “Corporal Clegg,” an anti-war song that paints an unflattering portrait of a WWII veteran. And to add weight to the ironic lyrics, we’re served up with a dissonant chord progression and kazoos.

Richard Wright’s offerings, “Remember A Day” and “See Saw”, were more moody psychedelic affairs. The former was actually recorded the year before and featured Barrett on slide guitar. Both songs come across as forlorn longings for a childhood that will never return.

All four remaining band members collaborated on the title track. As an instrumental, each member gets to explore his instrument to bring forth mysterious and sinister elements. But it’s Mason and Wright who own this song. The percussion and keyboards are what draw the listener in and hypnotize them. After the guitar has had its way with their brains, it is Wright’s keyboard that restores tranquility to the listener’s mind.

“Jugband Blues” closes the album. It’s the last Barrett song to be included on a Pink Floyd album. The lyrics call attention to his deteriorating condition while the music strives to be joyful, in a drunken way.

“It’s awfully considerate of you to think of me here
And I’m almost obliged to you for making it clear that I’m not here”
...
“And I’m wondering who could be writing this song”

* * *
The Doors were riding high off the success of their first two albums. But all that success fueled Morrisson’s excessive drinking. In December of 67, Morrison was arrested after an obscenity laced tirade on stage in New Haven. Angry audience members rioted.

Morrison’s drinking made recording Waiting for the Sun difficult. Envisioning himself a pagan god, Morrison wanted his 17 minute, “Celebration of the Lizard,” to be this album’s monumental opus (as “The End” and “When The Music’s Over” were on the previous two albums”) but it was alleged that the band couldn’t perform it well enough for Morrison’s liking. In the end, only the section entitled “Not to Touch the Earth” was used. To make up for it, a couple of older demo songs were pulled out of the closet, “Hello, I Love You” and “Love Street.” The mix of old and new material marks “Waiting For The Sun” as a transitional album for the band.

“Hello, I Love You” starts off funky with the song’s groovy (sorry) melody held down on the keyboards. It’s all about scoring with a hot chick and it’s great. The song builds and builds and by the end it crescendos in a cacophony of fuzz box distortion with Morrison shouting “Hello!”

“Not To Touch The Earth” starts with dissonant chord progression and dizzying chords on the keyboards. The song is reigned in for the chorus as Morrison pleads, “Run with me.” But after the second chorus the song crescendos into chaos and madness ending in crash of keyboards and Morrison stating that he is the Lizard King.

“Love Street”, “Summer’s Almost Gone”, and “Wintertime Love” serve as counterbalance to the mania of those two. “Love Street” is a happy hippy song that only The Doors can do. “Summer’s Almost Gone” sounds almost mournful with its bluesy guitar bidding adieu to the Summer of Love. The harpsichord evokes a waltz in “Wintertime Love”. There’s a certain sweetness to it.

“The Unknown Soldier” opens with a haunting keyboard whistle and then Morrison sets the stage telling the tragic fate of the song’s namesake. In the middle of the song, a military style execution takes place. During live performances, the band would act this part out on stage. The haunting keyboard whistle cues up the last section as Morrison re-sings the first verse ending with “the war is over.” Bells ring out. Crowds cheer.

“Spanish Caravan” is a real gem. The flamenco guitar intro alone would carry the song (Krieger credits Albeniz) but it becomes a keyboard carnival caught up in a tornado. Morrison doesn’t overplay his part (for once) letting the guitar and keyboards work their magic.

But with all that’s good on this album, not all of the experimentation works. “My Wild Love” builds slowly but comes across as lethargic. It’s all vocal chant over a simple beat. It’s an experiment gone awry. “We Could Be So Good Together” sounds like leftover material from one of their previous two albums. “Yes, The River Knows” is a vocal over piano with Densmore providing a soft jazz backbeat. The guitar is sparse, coming across as desperate not to impede upon the song.

“Five To One” ends the album on a defiant note. Morrison drunkenly pleads his case for revolution and the band is eager to lend a hand. Krieger’s guitar work trumpets, perhaps signaling the end of this phase of The Doors’ career.

* * *
Unfortunately, Morrison wasn’t the only rock star with a drinking problem. Jimi Hendrix found that parties could be had at any time so long as he was around. And when he drank too much, he became a mean drunk. He hit his girlfriends. He even trashed a hotel room and got into a fight with bassist Noel Redding in Stockholm.

Jimi wanted to mix business with pleasure while recording Electric Ladyland, so he invited his friends over to watch and listen. This didn’t sit well with either Redding or producer Chas Chandler. The latter eventually got fed up with Hendrix’s perfectionist approach (“Gypsy Eyes” took 43 takes, 20 takes for the acoustic guitar part in “…Watchtower”, and playing the bass tracks on six tracks) and drug use and quit. He even sold his stake in the management company that handled the Experience.

“…And the Gods Made Love” is disposable noise. It may have been inventive in its day, but it feels like a cheapened rip off of “Third Stone from the Sun”. It doesn’t so much introduce the listener to the album so much as distract from it.

“Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)” is the proper introduction to the album. The song invites you to come along for what promises to be an event. Hendrix sings "I want to show you..." in falsetto as the track winds down. Indeed he does.

You know “Crosstown Traffic”. It grabs your attention and lends itself to radio airplay. 1968 must’ve been the year of the kazoo because Hendrix used it here too.

“Voodoo Chile” is a 15 minute blues number that was recorded live in the studio. Redding got upset with Hendrix over the crowded conditions in the studio and took the night off. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) filled in for him and Steve Winwood (back when he was cool) plays keyboards.

“Little Miss Strange” is the sole track where Noel Redding gets the spotlight. He wrote the track, plays acoustic guitar and sang it with Mitch Mitchell. It’s the one track that Hendrix let Redding call the shots and not interfere. As for the song itself, musically its tight, although the lyrics a bit simple and innocent. It’s a nice little number though.

“Long Hot Summer Night” starts funky then rocks out, even with the piano. “Come On” is a rockin’ cover of Earl King’s blues number. “Gypsy Eyes” is another blues rocker, but for all the effort put into it, it’s only about average.

In “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” Hendrix got the idea to use electric harpsichord from the Beatles and the wah-wah pedal from Frank Zappa. Arethra Franklin’s backing singers provide the harmony vocals. Amazingly the whole thing works and the song soars into the stratosphere.

“Rainy Day, Dream Away” was another one of those spontaneous slow burn blues jams. Organ and tenor sax show up and Buddy Miles filled in on drums.

There’s a lot of speculation about what “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” is all about. I'm not hung up on it. It's just a fantastic song full of sonic invention with feedback, phasers (no, not the Star Trek kind), reverb and delay. Mitchell goes insane on a drum solo in the middle but reins himself in. The one weak point in the song is when Hendrix just noodles on the bass and there’s nothing else to hear. That small bit sounds amateurish. "Moon, Turn the Tides... Gently Gently Away" is the coda to that song.

“Still Raining, Still Dreaming” picks up where “Rainy Day…” leaves off. Literally.

“House Burning Down” is a furious blues rock number

The band’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower” is phenomenal. You know it. You've heard Classic Rock Radio play it a billion times. Even Bob Dylan changed the way he performs his song to match the Hendrix version.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” sounds nothing like the 15 minute number, and that's a good thing. As good as the other track, this one is awesome. Hendrix sings, "I stand up next to a mountain and chop it down with the edge of my hand" while his guitar is doing exactly that.

Electric Ladyland would be Hendrix’s masterpiece but it would also signal the beginning of the end of the Experience. Recording was no longer a band effort. If you didn’t live up to Jimi’s standards, or just do things his way, he did it himself. All one could do was hop on and enjoy the ride or get the hell out of the way. It's a tragedy that the Hendrix train would derail two years later.

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DED