Uncle Patrick and the Bearable Lightness of Being

2011-11-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

[Originally posted June 16th, 2009]

Here's where I am. Midnight. It's a dark room, a hospital room but not a hospital room. It's a waiting room. Me, I'm fine. It's my uncle. It's my uncle.

Two days ago, I got into town at about six. The trees looked beautiful, and I am still getting used to how they paved Kidd Road all the way out to the "T". After letting Murphy smell his favorite trees at my parents house, I walked across the road to my grandparents house. My uncle lives there too.

I had heard all about it. The weight-loss, the cancer, the pain, the blood. But, I hadn't seen it. Living two hours away keeps you in a terrible safety. It was hard to believe that this had all happened in two short months. Back in April everything was normal.

Grandma was so new to retirement, she'd still wake up at 6am without an alarm. And Grandpa, was shedding cattle by the day like hair on a dog. The were making plans for Alaska in the summer, and Texas in the winter. Everything was going perfect.

But that was in April. Now it's June. Now it's different.

The way you enter my grandparents house, is you open the door and say "Knock Knock". You don't actually knock. You've never seen a nicer 30 year old door, because no one's ever knocked on it. The door opens in, blocking view of the living room beyond.

Saying "Knock Knock" and opening the door made my heart race. What was I going to see. How was he going to look? Skinny? Sickly? Pale? I am talking about my uncle of course. I had heard, but I hadn't seen. So I was expecting the worst. I was expecting concentration camp jew.

What I got was my uncle Dickey. Sitting on the couch next to Grandma, he looked skinnier, sure, but he looked fine other than that.

Grandpa was sitting in his chair, and I sat on the loveseat. Immediatly Grandpa started talking about the bills, the surgery, what was going to happen. I wont go into it.

Dickey's tounge was swollen with cancer, so when he talked he did sound a little different. But not to much. It was as if he had a Boston accent. You could tell he was in pain though, and that he was nervous. It was terrible to see him and my grandparents like this.

Later that night, after Grandpa went to bed (he didn't go to sleep, he just went to bed) Grandma, Dickey and I stayed up talking. We agreed that this was terrible, and made no sense. He never smoked, he never drank, he never chewed tobacco. There was no reason for the cancer.

Grandma soon retired to bed so she could not sleep, and Dickey and I stayed up. We made each other laugh, we joked and talked about music. He gave me a little boom box cd player, that will come in handy around the apartment.

Every once in awhile, he'd stop laughing. He'd tell me again, in a new way, how he wishes he wouldn't have got this. And how he hopes I don't get it. I'd do my best to tell him that maybe it all means something, but as an agnostic it's hard to preach.

I got an erie feeling. I felt like Dickey thought, for sure, he wasn't going to make it through the surgery. Everything happened so quick. It got hard to eat, he went to the dentist, the oral surgeion, the cancer doctor, and now he's on the eve of a hospital visit with dreams of death dancing in his brain. There was nothing I could do to make him feel any better, so I just hoped for the best. He is such a good person, it wouldn't go down like that.

At 2 am we parted, I walked back to Mom and Dad's and Dickey went to bed, where, like everyone else in the house, he wasn't going to sleep.

This morning, we all met at the hospital. It was 4:30, and Grandma, Grandpa and Dickey were in the lobby. I walked in with Mom, Dad and Daniel. We all sat there, waiting.

When it was time, they came and got Dickey. He went to get ready for his surgery. Grandma and Grandpa looked like nervous wrecks, Mom too. Dad, Daniel and I tried to hold it all together. As if we had some skill to do so.

After about 40 minutes, they told us we could go see him before surgery. We went in, 3 at a time. First Grandma, Grandpa and Mom. Then Grandma, Mom and Dad. Then Grandma, me and Daniel. He looked terrified. A look I never wanna see on anyones face again. A look I hope no one ever sees on my face.

The doctor asked Dickey if he had any questions. Dickey responded, with some of the last words he'd ever speak, "No. I don't know. I've never had cancer before." I hugged him, said "Be good" and walked out with Daniel. We both had tears, but it was a long hall way back to the waiting room to get our faces on.

Now Here I am in the ICU waiting room. Through out the day the family came, and we have a big family. But now, it's just Grandma, Grandpa and Dad here. It's late, it's quiet.

I should tell you, Dickey came out of surgery after 9 hours. A good 3 hours earlier then expected. They cut his tounge out, his larynx and part of his jaw bone, but everything looked good. As if he wont have to have anything else done.

Also, they said he wouldn't be awake til' Wednesday, but he was awake and aware about an hour after surgery. That's when we went to see him. This time I was with Kim, my sister. We walked in and he was hooked up to dozens of machines. He had a stitched scar on his neck ear to ear, a tracheotomy tube on his throat, but he looked good. He looked painless. I think he was surprised and happy he was alive.

Kim and I handed him the small notebook we got, so he could write to us. The first thing he wrote, after all this surgery, after everything he went through, it wasn't "How'd it go?" or "Am I gonna be ok?". No, it was simply, "Are You Ok?". He didn't care how he was doing, it was us, the family. That's what mattered.

Dad and I went into Dickey's room a little bit ago. He was still happy, and his pain level, which he has said was a 10 out of 10 since April, was at a somber, wonderful, 3 out of 10. We flipped the TV on for him and he found Family Guy on Adult Swim. I don't remember what was happening on the show, I just remember laughing, with my dad and Dickey.

Then the nurses, who were great, came in and said that he needed to get some sleep. He had had a hell of a day. We said goodnight, and walked out. I asked Dickey if he wanted the light off, and he shook his head. I could find the switch, but then when I did the room went almost black. It was funny, it was quick. Just dark. Dickey smiled again and gave me a thumbs up.

So now here I sit. Typing on a free computer, about whats been happening. I don't think I'll be able to sit in here all night though. I just feel like I need to be in the room with him. So I am gonna go hold my uncles hand while he sleeps and be there if he needs anything.

Why? Because I know, for a fact, that if the situation was reversed, he'd be there for me. In a second. In a heartbeat.

.................................................

Dickey's cancer got better for about a year.

He visited Texas twice with my parents and grandparents.

He came to my wedding in the summer of 2010.

Two years and five months after his surgery, my uncle Dickey passed away at his home.

He is, and always will be, the best person I ever met.

Richard "Dickey" Hastie

May 23, 1965 - November 2, 2011

My uncle, my friend, my brother.

Comedy Showcase - May 27th - Beechwood Lounge

2011-05-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Frontier Ruckus, Omaha, April 5th, 2011

2011-04-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Stacie, Nick, his girlfriend Megan (remember them, from The Great Iowa Beer Fest) and I drove across the state of Iowa to see Frontier Ruckus in Omaha.

I first told you about Frontier Ruckus a few years ago in a "READ/LISTEN/WATCH/RENT", and we saw them in concert in October of 2009 in Ames. At that show they signed an album for us congratulating Stacie and I on our engagement. Well, married for some months now, it was great to get the chance to see them again.

Now, "Deadmalls and Nightfalls" was my favorite album of 2010, so I was excited to hear the newer songs off of it live. And, since we asked Dave (banjo) before they went up, they played "Mona and Emmy" for us too. So that was great. And then, for the last 2 songs, they stood on the floor and played close to the crowd, which was very cool to see. Concert couldn't get much better right?

Well, it did.

After the set was over, we asked Matt (guitar/singer) if they were planning an encore. (Nick wanted really wanted to hear "The Upper Room" and I was hoping to get "I Do Need Saving" out of them.

Instead of a standard encore, the four of us followed Matt upstairs, and in a small room we drank and talked and Matt played songs for us. It was amazing. It was surreal.

We talked about 90's rock (Matt would go in and out on covers of Gin Blossoms and Lisa Loeb), Walt Whitman, and just life in general.

We were up there for about an hour, and we got to hear "The Upper Room", "I Do Need Saving", a new song titled "Blackhole" which was of course great and after the rest of the band joined us, he finished with "The Tower".

It was the best concert experience I have ever had. It was one of those things that it would have been great to have on film, or a recording of it, but, since there wasn't a tape player or camcorder it made it so much more intimate. A moment Nick, Stacie, Megan and I shared with this great band that we'll always have.

I really liked talking with Matt and hearing him talk about what he loved. Nick and I would comment about something, and his eyes would light up. It was like, giving him that validation that yes, we're hearing you and not just that, were really listening. As a fan it's one thing to root for the band, but after meeting them, and getting to know him (even just a little bit) it makes it so much more real.

Before we left, Matt signed a guitar pick for me, on which he wrote "Patrick is my friend". And the best thing about that friendship is I know that every year or so, this band will put out another great record that continues these stories. These trials and tribulations of this Orion town, a land I've never been but doesn't seem much different from a place called Glenwood. And with these records, I, as well as my friends, will have an on going soundtrack to our lives. And I can handle that.

"I hope everyone else made a funny face." - Ryan "Smalls" Etzcorn
(L/R: Zach, Matt, Nick, Dave, Me, (Ryan, kneeling), Stacie, and Megan)

Go to www.frontierruckus.com to find music, and tour dates. If they come near you, see 'em.

Below is a video the band shot earlier in the day on Tuesday in the old market (the same alleys Stacie and I shot our engagement photos.) The video is for one of my personal favorite songs, "Mona and Emmy".

Frontier Ruckus: Mona and Emmy from Love Drunk on Vimeo.

My Favorite Stand-Up Comedians...

2011-03-08T23:26:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite (current) stand-up comedians, in no particular order. I hope you go through the list, and if you like them follow 'em on twitter. They are all extremely funny.

Paul F. Tompkins
(Paul's twitter)

Marc Maron
(Marc's twitter)

Kristen Schaal
(Kristen's twitter)

Doug Benson
(Doug's twitter)

Eugene Mirman
(Eugene's twitter)

The Sklar Brothers
(Jason and Randy's twitter)

Louis CK
(Louis' twitter)

Donald Glover
(Donald's twitter)

Rory Scovel
(Rory's Twitter)

Maria Bamford
(Maria's twitter)

Harris Wittels
(Harris' twitter)

Jimmy Pardo
(Jimmy's twitter)

Kyle Kinane
(Kyle's twitter)

Aziz Ansari
(Aziz's twitter)

Todd Barry
(Todd's twitter)

Jonah Ray
(Jonah's twitter)

Norm Mcdonald
(Norm's twitter)

Chris Hardwick
(Chris' twitter)

Steven Wright
(Steven's twitter)

Kumail Nanjiani
(Kumail's twitter)

Jon Dore
(Jon's twitter)

Zach Galifiankakis
(Zach's twitter)

Demetri Martin
(Demetri's twitter)

Patton Oswalt
(Patton's twitter)

Here, I made you a mixed tape...

2011-02-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

I made you a playlist on youtube, of 17 wonderful songs you should listen too...

Click here to hear.

Enjoy friends.

My Oscar Picks

2011-02-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

(get it, it's Oscar)

Last year I did Oscar picks and didn't do to bad.

So here I go again...

The Oscar Best Picture nominees for this year are:

127 Hours (saw it)
Black Swan (saw it)
The Fighter(saw it)
Inception (saw it)
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech(saw it)
The Social Network(saw it)
Toy Story 3 (saw it)
True Grit
Winter's Bone

My Picks (will win/should win in my eyes)...

Best Actor:
Jesse Eisenberg/James Franco
Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale/Christian Bale
Best Actress:
Natalie Portman/Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actress:
Helena Bonahm Carter/Hailee Steinfeld
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 3/Toy Story 3
Best Documentary:
Inside Job/Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Director:
David Fincher/David O. Russell
Best Picture:
The Social Network/The Fighter

The 50 States of Beer - South Carolina

2011-01-31T00:04:00.000-08:00

South Carolina

Thomas Creek Brewery - Greenville, SC

Best Beer:

Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale

The vanilla cream ale isn't your typical style of beer. As a matter of fact, this is only the third type of Vanilla Cream Ale I've had. The first, was the Raccoon River Brewery right here in Des Moines, and the second was my home brew "2 Scoops Vanilla Cream Ale". The Thomas Creek isn't as good as Raccoon River's, but it was slightly better then mine.

I spent the weekend in Iowa City with Nick, JJ and the girls and we got beers at this little store that really wanted to be a Walgreens. I grabbed the Thomas Creek because I'd never heard of it before, and when I saw they had the vanilla, I was stoked. We also got a 6 pack of the O'Fallons Hemp Hop Rye which was good. (Fun Fact: my taste for hops is back finally!!)

The Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale tastes great. I love the idea of the vanilla ales, because it's such a plain beer and they really don't do much to make it stand out. I'd like to know what it tastes like off the tap, so I'll have to find my way to South Carolina again one of these days. I am looking forward to trying other beers from Thomas Creek, and hopefully I can find them here in Des Moines Rock City.

For more information on Thomas Creek Brewery, go here.

Up Next: Ohio

Marc Maron was a member of The Kids in the Hall?

2011-01-27T01:05:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite comedians, Marc Maron (host of the WTF Podcast, which I told you about here) was on Conan last week, and made a joke about how he looks like the cool professor at a small school, because something happened at the big school.

Here's the video:

Well, tonight I was watching old Kids in the Hall episodes on Netflix, and came across this sketch:

WTF indeed.

The 50 States of Beer - Kansas

2011-01-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Kansas

Tallgrass Brewing Company - Manhattan, KS
Best Beer:

Buffalo Sweat

The first time I had Buffalo Sweat was this past summer at the Great Nebraska Beer Fest. It was good, but it was also about 90 degrees out, so I didn't much of this dark beer.

In November, I went to a holiday beer fest in Omaha at the Crescent Moon and got a chance to enjoy the stout in a better weather situation. I loved it.

Like Oskar Blues, Tallgrass has taken to canning their beers, which was a turn off for me at first, but after I warmed up, I have found that the appropriately named "Ale" and "IPA" were also good. But, the Buffalo Sweat is the best. If you are looking for a new stout to try out, look no further.

For more information on Tallgrass Brewing Company, go here.

Up Next: South Carolina

Belize Knows Beer!

2011-01-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

So, the wife and I just got back from a cruise. On this cruise, we visited Mexico and Honduras, but my highlight was Belize. Why? Because of this:

I never would have guessed, but Belize has an amazing brewery called The Belize Brewing Company, and under that name, they make Belikin Beer (pictured above).

I wanted to find some local brew, and after many days of downing cerveza such as Corona, Sol, Pacifico and El Barlito, I was expecting similar from Belikin.

The man at the bar asked if I wanted Dark, Light or Really Light. I paid 1 American dollar for a Dark and Light.

First, I tried the Dark: It was a stout! It was a damn fine stout. I wont compare it to Guinness, but it was so good, and very drinkable. Before I knew it that bottle was gone.

So, I tried the second one. The Light. It was golden, and I assumed it'd be the traditional cerveza. But no, they shocked me again, and the Light was a Hefeweizen! A perfect wheat beer. I could not believe that I had never heard of this brewery before.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to Ladyville to the brewery, but I could see myself traveling back some day to try it again.

From what I can tell it is hard to find in the US, but if you come across it, drink it. You wont be sorry.

This Just In: The Chiefs Win The Super Bowl!!! (Part Deux)

2011-01-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

So, if you remember, a little over a year ago, on Decemeber 27th, 2009, after the Chiefs had their 3rd losing season in a row, I made a bold prediction. That they would win the Super Bowl in 2012.

Well, since that game in Indianapolis is still more than a year away, let's look at some of the other predictions I made in, shall we....

In the 2010 draft, the Chiefs will have one of the top 3 picks. I think Mr. Pioli will do
everything in his power to bring in this fella:
[Insert picture of Suh]
That's right. I think Ndamukong Suh will keep wearing RED once he hits the NFL.

My first major mistake. The Chiefs didn't get Suh, he went to the Lions and wore BLUE with the 2nd pick. KC ended up with the 5th pick of the 2010 draft and went with another Defensive threat, Tennessee Safety Eric Berry.

This fella:

And how did Mr. Berry do in his rookie season?

Started all 16 games

72 Tackles
15 Assists
2 Sacks
4 Interceptions, 1 returned for a Touchdown (note: Suh had 1 INT this season)
1 Forced Fumble
9 Passes Defensed

Those are some great numbers, but I went on to predict:

Suh will have big games at home against Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tennessee as well as on the road at Houston and Seattle.

So, how'd Berry do in those games?

Jags: 3 Tackles, 1 Interception, and 1 Forced Fumble
Raiders (in 2 games): 10 Tackles, 2 Sacks
Titans: 4 Tackles, 1 Interception returned for a TD
Texans: 3 Tackles, 2 Assists
Seahawks: 2 Tackles

Not that bad at all, so far so good Eric Berry.

Now this is where I went wrong, I predicted that in the 2011 draft the Chiefs would get some offensive threats...

In the 2011 draft, the Chiefs will have a middle of the road pick, and I think they'll try for some offensive threats. Perhaps Golden Tate outta Notre Dame or Damian Williams from USC.

Whelp, KC didn't wait till 2011 to work on the offense. They followed Berry with RB/WR Dexter McCluster and soon after TE Tony Moeaki outta Iowa. Not to mention, Kick Return/Punt Return/Corner Back Javier Arenas fresh off his National Championship win with Alabama. Not to mention, the Chiefs picked up Thomas Jones in the off season. (note: Tate and Williams ended up skipping their senior seasons and were also drafted in 2010, going to the Seahawks and Titans, respectively).

So...

Cassel, Charles, Bowe, Tate/Williams/unnamed rookie WR/TE will be the offensive weapons. And Suh, Brandon Flowers and Donald Washington will lead one of the leagues best defenses.

That's what I thought would take the Chiefs to the Super Bowl in 2012. What we got instead was Cassel, Charles, Jones, Bowe, McCluster and Moeaki on Offense and Berry, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr on defense ready for the 2010 season. A great team, a year earlier then I expected.

So how has that 2010 season turned out? What did the sports analysts, the ones who get paid to write about the NFL say, well funny you should ask:

Sports Illustrated: 6-10, fourth in the AFC West, no playoffs
CBS Sports: (if lucky) 8-8, fourth in the AFC West, no playoffs
What if Sports: 5-11, third in the AFC West, no playoffs
Bleacher Report: 8-8, third in the AFC West, no playoffs
Associated Content: 5-11, third in the AFC West, no playoffs
Unassisted Sports: 4-12, forth in the AFC West, no playoffs

All Sports Talk: 8-8, second in the AFC West, no playoffs

And what did I say?

The Chiefs will make it to the postseason next season, with a record of either 10-6

Well would you look at that. I predicted the Chiefs would make the playoffs with a record of 10-6. And what do you know:

THE CHIEFS MADE THE PLAYOFFS WITH A RECORD OF 10-6!

However, I did get the situation wrong...

The Chargers will again take the AFC West, but Kansas City will get the 2nd AFC wild-card spot.

The Chargers didn't take anything this season except "it" up the butt. And the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West with the 10-6 record taking the 4th seed in AFC.

So, what does that mean for the next part of my 2010 season prediction?

I think they will lose in the first round of the playoffs (probably to Cincinnati or Baltimore.)

Well, right away, you can see that I got the Bengals season wrong, but they did play a major role in the Chiefs playoff picture knocking off the Chargers in week 17.

I predicted the Chiefs would lose if they played the Ravens. And, as you know, the Chiefs are playing the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.

Here's the rub though, I was invisioning a wild-card Chiefs team going to Baltimore and losing. What we have instead is a wild-card Ravens team coming to Arrowhead. That is a different ball game. Especially when you consider the Chiefs went 7-1 at home this season.

I hope the Chiefs beat the Ravens and can advance through the playoffs and make it to the big game. But, if that doesn't happen this season, I will reiderate what I said before, this has been a pretty good season and one hell of a turn around.

I didn't say who I thought would win the Super Bowl in 2011 in my post last year, but I thought then (as I do now) that the Falcons would win the NFC.

I don't want to Jinx the Chiefs playoff run (I don't believe in god but I do believe in Jinx) so I will instead call the Super Bowl final score as:

AFC Champion over the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27

Now, on to next season, where I stand firmly behind my previous statement...

What I said last December was this:

The Chiefs will take the AFC West this season, edging out the Chargers, with a record of 13-3 or 12-4. (I call an upset of the Patriots in KC, but also a major loss to one of the NFC front-runners, the Packers, in Green Bay).

I am not sure if the Chiefs will get a first round bye or not, but they will make it to the Championship game. (No clue who they will beat to get there).

In the AFC Championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Indianapolis Colts, who would be playing for a shot at a home field advantage in the Super Bowl.

All the Chiefs fans will be thinking of 2004, but unlike in that year, Kansas City will win this shoot out, advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time since beating the Vikings in 1970.

So this leads us to Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis. I call the Green Bay Packers vs the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Packers, who were the number 2 seed in the NFC behind the Matt Ryan led Falcons (who lost in the 2nd round, not sure to who), will be favored in the game.

The sportswriters will all focus on the parallels between Super Bowl 46 and Super Bowl 1, when these two teams met (Green Bay winning that game 35-10), and the fact that the Chiefs lost to Green Bay in the regular season.

The Chiefs will ultimately win, 31-24. Matt Cassel will get the MVP trophy.

Yeah, I like that still. I'll write again before the playoffs next year to see where I'm standing.

I'll leave you with this. My original post with the prediction of a Super Bowl win was written on December 27th, 2009. On December 26th, 2010, one year later, the Chiefs played the Tennessee Titans at home and my favorite play of the season happened. Enjoy:

When Bowe, Charles and Cassel all 3 jump into the stands I got goosebumps and they got a flag. Fair trade.

Chop it Up.

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2011-01-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

READ: World War Z by Max Brooks

If you ever read Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (one of my favorite books ever) then you are familiar with an oral history. It's a narrative told by the people who lived the story. In this case, the story is of World War Z, or, the war with the zombies. It sounds weird, and this is way more "Downfall" then it is "Shaun of the Dead", which is great. The seriousness of the book and the topics adds a credibility to the story. Honestly, I listened to the audiobook, which i recommend, because it is like a BBC broadcast or an ep. of This American Life. You get the story of the greatest tragedy in the history of the world by the people who lived it and made the decisions. Great book, don't let the "oh it's about zombies" get in the way. This is a book about humanity and reaction.

LISTEN: Fun

I am most def. late to the party when it comes to fun. The band, made up of members from Steel Train, Anathallo and (of course) The Format, is a delicious bit of pop rock, well, fun. I was a devout follower of The Format, and perhaps it was there demise and the subsequent rise of fun that turned me off them, but I get it now. I saw them in concert at Veisha last year and it sunk in. I gotta thank Nick for letting me know about them and for somewhat pounding them in my head (we listened to the cd on repeat from Iowa City to Chicago in 2009). I can't wait to hear what comes next from these guys. Below is the song "The Gambler", which Nick kept insisting I play at my wedding. However, I thought he was talking about Kenny Rogers, so we played that song instead. My mistake. (Click "View Original Post" to see video if you are reading this on facebook. Who am I kidding, no one is reading this. You suck Patrick.)

WATCH: The Larry Sanders Show

When I was a kid we didn't have HBO, so I had no exposure to this amazing show from the 90's. Larry Sanders, a late night talk show host in competition with Leno and Letterman is brilliant. This show is like 30 Rock meets Curb meets Entourage 15 years earlier (and Jeremy Piven has much less hair). Judd Apatow was a writer on it, yeah he was. And it stared Garry Shandling and Jeffrey "George Bluth" Tambor. What more do you want? How, each show has guest stars like Robin Williams, Danny Devito, Alec Baldwin, Bob Saget, Seinfeld, John Ritter, David Spade and Vince Vaughn playing fictionalized version of themselves. This is to the 90's as Arrested Development is to the 2000's. The first 4 seasons just got added to Netflix Instant, so go watch it. You will laugh your ass off. Here is a great clip featuring a svelte Vince Vaughn.

RENT: Moon

Moon. Watch it. It's on Netflix, you probably already have it in your que. Watch it. You will like it. That is fact. Sam Rockwell is one of my favorite actors, and he should have an oscar for this no doubt. It's a perfect movie. Trailer is below.

My favorite Movies of 2010

2010-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Movies of 2010

Inception

Toy Story 3

Hot Tub Time Machine

Shutter Island

It's Kind of a Funny Story

127 Hours

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Kick Ass

Youth in Revolt

best picture:
The Town

honorable mention:
Date Night

Movies from 2010 that I have not yet seen but still really want to:
Leaves of Grass
True Grit
Winter's Bone
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Black Swan
The Fighter
Somewhere
The Other Guys
I Love You Phillip Morris

Let's Talk about Podcasts

2010-12-04T02:01:00.000-08:00

So, ever since I started this new job I have had my earbuds in and my Ipod on. I sit at a computer all day and type numbers.

After the first week I had listened to all the music on my Ipod 3 times. So I was getting bored. That's when I started looking into Podcasts. They are great.

Do you work a job where you are allowed to listen to your Ipod? Or do you have a long commute to work? Maybe you stay at home all day and just want something interesting to hear. Radio without all the bullshit.

If that sounds like you, you should definitely check out some podcasts. I believe it is the future of radio, and is an awesome medium because there is no regulation, no interference. Just some folks talking about whatever the fuck they want, for however long they want.

These are my recommendations:

WTF! With Marc Maron

Marc Maron is great. He's a comedian who came up with Louis CK, Sarah Silvermen, David Cross and Dave Atell, except he never learned how to play nice. Now, middle aged and twice divorced, he is finally coming to grips with the fact that most of his problems are his own. (the fact that he had 3 hour long specials and looks completely different in all 3 and that he's been on Conan over 30 times and not recognizable to the casual comedy fan is ridiculous.) In WTF Maron, the former Air America talk radio DJ, interviews folks, comics mostly, and get's real with them. He almost always learns something himself, and also apologizes for whatever shitty thing he did to the interviewee in the past. Probably my favorite podcast.

Jordan, Jesse GO!

Jesse "America's Radio Sweetheart" Thorn and Jordan "The Boy Detective" Morris, are the titular hosts of Jordan, Jesse, GO! which is a 1-2 hour interview show, where they interview comedians, actors and general interesting people. The shows are always fun, and a non-radio friendly alternative to Jesse Thorn's NPR/PRI radio show The Sound of Young America. They talk about all sorts of amazing stuff, and encourage their listeners to call in when a monumental moment happens to them. It's a funny, light, fun show.

Smodcast

"You want a podcast? I gotta smodcast", so rhymes MC Chris on the theme song to Smodcast, featuring Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) and his best friend/producer Scott Mosier. This podcast, dating back to 2006, is based around the two friends sitting in a room for an hour or so and talking to each other. Sometimes it's topical, sometimes it's insane. There is a fun timeline involved, since it starts back with the filming of Clerks 2, goes through Zach and Miri (and the fallout after it didn't reach industry expectations), the fucked up-ness of filming Cop Out, and finally the relaxation of shooting Red State. To see how Kevin Smith has changed over the last 4 years is pretty interesting. Probably the biggest change came working with Seth Rogan in 2008, when Kevin became a full time stoner. Listen and laugh.

The Nerdist

The Nerdist Podcast, with hosts Chris Hardwick (G4's Attack of the Show and Web Soup, but most importantly MTV's Singled Out) along with comedian Jonah Ray and Apple Store employee Matt Mira, is a great show for nerds. They interview guests and talk about technology (but not in an overkill way.) My favorite thing is that they hosts all have a great outlook, and are big into motivation and living life. Every episode ends with a quote from Jonah Ray about savoring every moment by saying "Enjoy your Burrito". I like that.

Kevin Pollak's Chat Show

Kevin Pollak, character actor and comedian, best known for roles in A Few Good Men and The Usual Suspects (and Juwana Man) is the host of this wonderful show. Pollak sits for 1-2 hours with actors and does an in depth serious interview. No bullshit Leno stuff. He asks real questions and you can tell the guests enjoy the show. He's hilarious, and his sidekick Sam Levine (from Freaks and Geeks and Inglorious Basterds) keeps the banter alive. This is a wonderful way to pass time.

Those are the biggies. Below are some more I like. Links to the websites where these are found are useless cause the easiest way to get these is to just subscribe for free on Itunes. So check 'em out. and if you like them, let me know, cause I feel like the only one in Iowa who listens to podcasts.

(interview show) (pop culture show) (sports/comedy)

Doug Loves Movies
(comedy/movies)

(comedy variety show) (3 friends talking about shit)

(Kevin Smith helps Jason Mewes stay off drugs)

(comedy up your ass)

(npr show) (my lefty fix)

(wonderful live concerts)

READ/LISTEN/WATCH/RENT

2010-11-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

READ: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby is one of my top 5, all time, favorite authors. His latest book, "Juliet, Naked" is one of his best. His book before this, "Slam", was good but seemed almost like a YA novel. Juliet, seems to take the tone of How to be Good and A Long Way Down. The story is told by 3 people, Annie, Duncan and Tucker. Annie and Duncan are a couple living in sea-side England. They are trapped in a small nothing town and only have each other and the music of a reclusive 80's rockstar to comfort them. Tucker, is that rock star, living in rural Pennsylvania with his 5th wife and young son Jackson. Tucker is Bob Dylan meets JR Salinger. The story begins as Annie finds her self in contact with the recluse, unbeknownst to her partner (and number one Tucker Crowe fan) Duncan. This book is great, I can't say to much more without giving the story away. But read it, I am sure you'll like it.

LISTEN: Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian is (like Hornby was with authors), one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time. In fact, if it wasn't for Nick Hornby I wouldn't know who B&S were. In the film High Fidelity, based on Hornby's great novel, there is a scene where Jack Black walks into the record store and says "What the Fuck is this?" and John Cusack says "It's the new Belle and Sebastian". That's when Black's character Barry pops in his mix tape and you hear "Walking on Sunshine." I loved the name, "Belle and Sebastian". I was 17 and living in the apartment in my parents garage and I logged on to IMESH and downloaded as much as I could find. The first song I listened to is what I know consider my favorite song of all time, "The Boy with the Arab Strap". Ever since, I have been hooked. Also, the fact that they are from Glasgow, Scotland clinched a spot for them in my heart. I love every song. Their newest album, "Write About Love" is perfect, and was on my list for best albums of 2010. Below will be the video for "The Boy with the Arab Strap". Enjoy.

WATCH: The Walking Dead

I do not like horror movies. I also don't really like zombie movies. The only two zombie movies I have really got into were Zombieland and 28 Days Later. If you like the latter, then you will love The Walking Dead, AMC's newest amazing television show. I almost did this on Mad Men, which I have just started watching and really enjoy, but The Walking Dead is more exciting to me. It follows a small town sherriff who wakes up from a gunshot wound to find that a Zombie Apocoplyse has happened. He doesn't know if his family is a live or dead, and has no real answers as to what is going on. It is only 3 episodes in, so start watching it now, you'll dig it. It's based on a popular graphic novel that I had never heard of, but still, it's great. I like how some shows on television now have better acting and directing then most hollywood movies.

RENT: Scott Pilgrim vs the World

This movie is wonderful. I didn't watch it in the theater because when it came out I had just scene Youth In Revolt and really liked it, so I thought that this wouldn't be able to stand up against it. After seeing both, I think I like Scott Pilgrim better. It's a fun movie, with a lot going on, and some really funny actors. I love me some George-Michael Bluth, so I should never have doubted him. And with the man behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz behind the camera, it really is a win/win situation. One of my favorite people in this movie was Kieran Culkin, who hadn't done a movie since back in 2002 (the year of The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys and Igby Goes Down) who stole a lot of scenes as Gay Wallace. This came out last Tuesday so go find it.

My Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

A year ago today I posted a list of "my 100 favorite albums of the decade".

Now, a year later, I give you my list for 2010.
(The links go to youtube videos so you can hear songs from each album.)

My favorite albums of 2010:

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Click to hear "Diamond Church Street Choir"
Click to hear "Lucky"

The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

Click to hear "We Can Get Together"
Click to hear "Hurricane J"

The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Click to hear "You're Going Back"
Click to hear "The King of Spain"

The Tallest Man on Earth - Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird EP

Click to hear "Tangle in this Trampled Wheat"
Click to hear "The Dreamer"

Titus Andronius - The Moniter

Click to hear "A More Perfect Union"
Click to hear "Four Score and Seven"

Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love

Click to hear "Write about Love"

She & Him - Volume 2

Click to hear "In the Sun"
Click to hear "Ridin' in My Car"

Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking it Easy

Click to hear "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're from Alabama)"
Click to hear "The Mermaid Parade"

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Click to hear "Older"
Click to hear "Compliments"

album of the year:
Frontier Ruckus - Deadmalls and Nightfalls

Click to hear "Nerves of the Nightmind"
Click to hear "Silverfishes"
Click to hear "Pontiac, The Nightbrink"
Click to hear "I Do Need Saving"

honorable mention:
Tim Kasher - The Game of Monogamy

Click to hear "Cold Love"

READ/LISTEN/WATCH/RENT

2010-10-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

READ: When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

This is my favorite of Sedaris' novels. I read it for the first time recently and loved every story. Much like "Naked" and "Corduroy" it delves into his crazy upbringing, but really is more related to stories of him in his mid to late 20's and beyond. I really loved his story "Road Trips" which has some graphic imagery of what can happen when you hitchhike in the late 80's. If you haven't read any of Sedaris, pick up any of his books and you'll enjoy. Like Augusten Burroughs, he writes great short stories that some how fold together in a non-linear way.

LISTEN: Childish Gambino

I am not a fan of the rap music. I never got into it. It doesn't speak to me. But, Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover (Troy from Community, and from Derrick Comedy) is wonderful. He takes an indy rock approach, and even though he is an established comedy writer (wrote for 30 Rock for 3 seasons when he was 25) it isn't comedy rap. Think Atmosphere not Lonely Island. My favorite part is he writes about shit I know. He drops lines about Aubrey Plaza, Tina Fey and Dunder Mifflin. He does have some of the normal boistours rapper characteristics, but you can tell the tounge in cheek mixed with honest rap skills in every line. This guy is like Midas, everything he does is golden. And he doesn't even charge for his music. He is a comedian, actor and writer by trade who raps on the side. Enjoy folks.

WATCH: Bored to Death

Bored to Death is exactly what you want it to be. It's like Monk written by the guys from Arrested Development. When the cast is Jason Shwartzmen, Zach Galifanakis and Ted Danson, how could you honestly go wrong? The story is Jonathan Ames (Rushmore) is a depressed writer who takes Private Investigator jobs off Craigslist in his spare time, while sharing time between politician father figure/man-child George (Sam Malone) and comic book artist Ray (He who sits betweenith two ferns). The stories are nothing special (Jonathan finds a skateboard, looses a screenplay) but they are executed perfectly. And with only like 10 episodes per season, they really focus on quality. I have season 1, and can't wait to start season 2 and hopefully it will get a season 3. Great television.

RENT: The Vicious Kind

Adam Scott showed up on my radar earlier this year in Party Down. Then he went to Parks and Rec, and so I started to investigate him. Not only did I realize he was on Boy Meets World, but he also was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor last year for this movie, The Vicious Kind. Now, I had this movie in my netflix cue for months, just because I liked the synopsis, so I finally watched it, and I was blown away. It was like The Machinist meets Little Miss Sunshine. Very dark, and awkward at times, but still with heart. Brittany Snow, who I only knew as a teeny bopper, was great (And hot) and Adam Scott really was perfect. I hope that just because he is popping as a comedic actor now, that he doesn't abandon dramatic rolls, because this was one of those rare perfect movies to me. Like Garden State or Royal Tennanbaums, where as soon as it was over, I watched it again. It is for free to watch on netflix so check it out.

The 50 States of Beer - Massachusetts

2010-10-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Massachusetts

Boston Beer Company - Boston, MA
Best Beer:

Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat

This is my favorite time of year for beer. October. Now, you may think it's because of all the wonderful Octoberfest beers that come out around this time. But if you wanna know the truth, I am not the biggest fan of Octoberfest beers.

But, one of my top 5 favorite beers of all time does happen to come out in the fall and it is this Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat. Yum fucking Yum.

The first time I tasted this delicious brew was at (yep, you guessed it) the Old Chicago in Ames. Now, my beer life can be broken up into three categories (so far):

Golden Age / 2003-2007
From when I started to drink beer up until Cassada, Alister and Schenck left Ames.

Silver Age / 2007-2009
From when they left Ames, until Nick told me about homebrewing.

Bronze Age / 2009-Current
From when I started brewing my own beer until now.

Cherry Wheat came into the picture at the dawn of my Silver Age. I had it on the Octoberfest minitour 2007 and fell in love. I can't think of a beer on tap I'd take over Cherry Wheat.

I tried to make my own Cherry Wheat last Christmas, which turned into "St. Patrick's We Wish You A Cherry Christmas". It didn't taste a thing like Sam Adam's Cherry, but it was great and I wish I could recreate it. But it in it's absence, I'll settle for the Boston Brewers version.

For more information on Boston Beer Company, go here.
And visit the official Boston Beer Company website here.

Up Next: Kansas

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2010-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

READ: Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut

Bluebeard is one of my favorite all time books. The story of avant garde artist Rabo Karabekian in his twilight years, reflecting on his life. Much like all of Vonnegut's books, this is an extremely dark yet very funny book. Rabo, going through his highs and lows and recalling his triumphs and insecurities, is great. It reads like an autobiography, I feel like it's all true. The final art project revealed towards the end of the novel (and Rabo's life) is the most beautiful part of writing I've ever read. Find this and read it.

LISTEN: The Mountain Goats

"It was song number 3, on John's last cd. Gonna make it through this year, if it kills me. And it almost killed me". That's a line from this song by The Hold Steady, which was on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie soundtrack. The first time I heard it, I thought "who the fuck is John?" Well, I went to the old interweb and found out John is John Darnielle, founding member of The Mountain Goats. Before I even listened to his music, I was surprised to find that he had spent sometime living in Ames, Iowa. What are the odds? The first song I looked up, obviously, was Song number 3, on his most recent release. The track titled "This Year". Such a voice and great song, and not at all like The Hold Steady. The songs are so dark and full. Like Daniel Johnston with better recording equipment. Click here to see the song "No Children", which played over the end of Morel Orel (another Adult Swim nod, see how I tie this shit together) and as my friend Aaron pointed out one night, this is one of the most heartbreaking scenes of any tv show. Below, is the video for "This Year" which was my anthem for 2009.

WATCH: Eastbound and Down

Kenny Fuckin' Powers. That is all you really need to know. Or more approraiatly, Danny Fuckin' McBride. He makes this show, and makes me laugh more than anyone else right now. It started with The Foot Fist Way, and then Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder, and now with Eastbound and Down, as a former MLB hothead who gets in his own way. This show is wonderful. Follow K Fuckin' P on twitter here, and you'll find it's worthy of being a "READ" section on my blog. Below is a compilation of The Best of Kenny Powers. You're fuckin' out, I'm fuckin' in.

RENT: The Messenger

This movie came out last year, and I would say that it should have been nominated for best picture. This and The Hurt Locker go hand in hand, where as The Hurt Locker takes you just to the edge and then pulls back, this movie is after you've already fallen. It's the story of 2 soldiers whose job is to notify families when there family members have been killed in action. It is heartbreaking. Like The Hurt Locker, this doesn't politicize the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it just presents the reality of it. Woody Harrelson got an oscar nomination for this, and I think that Ben "Tucker James" Foster should have also. When I finished watching this movie it made me feel very erie about the way of the world, and made me think about the soldiers overseas. What a world.

Two New Brews for Fall...

2010-09-14T00:33:00.001-07:00

In October I'll have 2 new brews on tap here at 1808.

FIRST:

St. Patrick's Vanilla Cream Ale, which hopefully will turn out similar to Raccoon River's Vanilla Cream Ale.

SECOND:

St. Patrick's Apartment Three Nut Brown, this is my first foray into nut browns, and I am hoping it turns out similar to Empyrean's Third Stone Brown.

Hopefully it will be a very tasty fall!

The 50 States of Beer - Indiana

2010-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Indiana

Three Floyds Brewing - Munster, IN
Best Beer:

Robert the Bruce

The first time I had Robert the Bruce was in Chicago a few years ago at a pizzeria. I really like it. I wish they would distribute to Iowa, because it seems like a waste to have such a good brewery so close and yet so far.

In the fall I start to get thirsty for red, scottish ales and nut browns, so hopefully I can find a lesser scottish ale that is comparable.

For more information on Three Floyds Brewing, go here.
And visit the official Three Floyds Brewing website here.

Up Next: Massachusetts

"Quoth"

2010-09-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

"And [brewing] provided a sense of community as well. To become a [brewer] was to join a self-contained, rabidly idealistic society, largely unnoticed and surprisingly uncorrupted by the world at large. The culture of [beer] was characterized by intense competition and undiluted machismo, but for the most part, its constituents were concerned with impressing only one another. Getting to the top of any given [beer] was considered much less important than how one got there: prestige was earned by tackling the most unforgiving [recipes] with minimal equipment, in the boldest style imaginable. "

I came across this quote while reading the Krakauer book, and even though he's talking about mountain climbing originally (I did a little editoralizing), I think it really sticks to the whole homebrewing community. I love it.

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2010-09-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

READ: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen is an author who I never heard of, but apperently I should have. He wrote a book back in the early 2000's called The Corrections, which Oprah removed from her book club, when he made a comment that he didn't like the idea of being on her book club. Freedom, is about a St. Paul democrat, Patty, who is going through some shit. She has lived her "cool mom raise my kids better than I was raised" life only to find her son is still rebelling, even though she did everything right. She's gotta bullshit Rush Limbaugh wannabe living across the street and an old friend, indie rock sensation Katz, shows up to test her marriage. This sounds kinda sitcomy, but it has a lot of depth to it and humor. It's a good read. Also, Franzen was on Fresh Air the other day so you can check that out.

LISTEN: Phosphorescent

Listen... I don't know one good goddamned thing about the band/guy that is Phosphorescent, alright, except that they are good. I haven't even checked out the wikipedia page. Listen to this song (video on actual post, if you are reading this on popular networking site book face) and then try not to be hooked. I put it on repeat at work all the time.

WATCH: Louie

Louie, starring Louis CK, is one of the best television shows I have seen in awhile. It's funny, obviosuly, but it is so dark and serious. It has a heart, and yet can still make you laugh fucking histarically. Louis CK has always been a great comedian, and even though his HBO series Lucky Louie didn't work, I think it's for the best. After It's Always Sunny did so well, Archer killed and The League had a promising first season, FX decided to gamble with another comedy. They fucking got sevens. I can't put into words how good Louie is, it's like Breaking Bad mixed with The Office. I wish the show was a full hour, because it's very fast paced, and seems to end to soon. But, definatly worth checking out. You can watch a handful of episodes here. Below is a scene from the 2nd episode which perfectly shows how much of the spectrum this show plays. It's 7 minutes long, but well worth it.

WATCH: Waiting for Guffman

Waiting for Guffman, written by Christopher Guest, followed in the mocumentary footsteps of it's predecssor Spinal Tap (also written by Guest). It is the tale of a small town in Kansas that is putting on a Sequisentinial play. Well, it just so happens that Corky St.Clair, former broadway actor, is now living in town and can direct. Hijinx ensue. These movies, Spinal Tap, Guffman, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, For Your Consideration, they all just kill me. So funny, so real, so good. Everyone involved is just a pro. Rent this or check it out on Netflix soon.

The 6th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers [UPDATED]

2010-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 5th, 2010... What a wonderful day. Stacie, Schenck, Melissa, Nick, Megan, JJ, Michelle and Matula all took a trip to the Amana Colonies, with the intention of eating a family style lunch and drinking a shit-ton of good beers.

Mission Accomplished.

We drank a whole bunch of great beers (which I will get into down below) and had a really great time. Also, on the day, we met this fella Jeff Clausen who just so happened to be on the 1995 National Championship Nebraksa Cornhuskers. And we ran into Stacie's 6th grade teacher, Mrs. O.

In comparison to the Great Nebraska Beer Fest we went to the weekend before, this one was very different. Nebraska had a much better location, a long pedestrian mall, easy access to all tents, but the beer wasn't all that great and it was full of volunteers only who didn't know shit about the beers they were pouring (usually out of a bottle).

At the Festival of Iowa Beers, the location sucked. It was a half gravel pit, half hilly grassy lawn. But, the beer was great, I think every brewery represented had actual employees there (usually the owners or brewers) and the volunteers were all homebrewers who could talk your ear off too.

I guess I am obligated to mention that I personally got drunk as hell, threw up all over that quaint Casey's in the Amana Colonies and when we got back to Iowa City I slept in the car while everyone else ate dinner. So like I said, great time.

(I'll go down the list of breweries and name which beer I liked best, or what I liked least or whatever. Since I may, kinda, sorta have forgotten the order of the beers, I'll use the guide as a list.)

Court Avenue Brewery - Des Moines, Iowa
I like Court Avenue, and we actually went drinking there that same weekend when we were still in DSM. At the fest I enjoyed the brown ale, Sophie's Mild, named after the owners daughter and the Belgian White was delicious.

Hub City - Stanley, Iowa
Hub City is the only brewery I did not drink from.

Lost Duck Brewing Company - Fort Madison, Iowa
Lost Duck was an urban legend to me. I had heard of it, but never found it. It was alusive, so when I finally got the chance to try it my hopes were high. My first sample was the Orange Lager, which was good, but in the you could only stand to drink about 2 ounces at a time. WAYYYYY ORANGY. The Oatmeal Stout was really good though, and the owners were great to talk to.

Millstream Brewing Company - Amana, Iowa
Millstream, the organizers and sort of Godfathers of the whole Iowa Brewing network, were great as usual. At lunch that day I got to try Millstream cream soda and root beer, which was very good. As for true beer, I am a softy for John's Generation White Ale, so I drank my fair share of it.

Madhouse Brewing Company - Newton, Iowa
Madhouse is very new to the scene, I think... I mean, they same new as hell. They only have 2 beers, the Pastime Pale Ale and American Wheat. I like the wheat a whole lot, and since they only had 2 offerings, they always had a quick line, so I downed a lot of 'em.

Olde Main Brewing Company - Ames, Iowa
I have a warm spot in my heart for Olde Main. Sometimes I get tired of it, but I always come back. Dinky Wheat is one of my all time favorite beers. After I had drank a shit-ton at the Fest, I actually brought up to Olde Main's brewer how he needs to talk to the assholes in the bar about keeping the lines clean, because he makes great beer and they fuck it up upstairs. Now, I understand that's a fucked up thing to tell a guy, especially a brewer I really respect, but I wasn't in the business of being "cuth".

Sutliff Cider Company - Lisbon, Iowa
Didn't try any, when it comes to Cider, I'm a Frosty Jack's man.

Third Base Brewery - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
I like 3rd Base, even though I think it's a super non-traditional brewery. It does have great beer though. My favorite is the Oatmeal Stout, but at the festival I drank a lot of the Hefeweizen.

Peace Tree Brewing Company - Knoxville, Iowa
Peace Tree is becoming one of my favorite brewerys. I love everything about them. All the beer, the marketing, the bottles, the logos, the names, everything. My favorite si the Red Rambler, it is delicious. At the fest I got to try the Cornucopia, which has corn and cornstalks mixed in to enhance flavor, and it really truly did. I am excited to see how far these guys can go.

Worth Brewing Company - Northwood, Iowa
Like Lost Duck, Worth is a brewery I have been wanting to try for awhile. I read a write up about them in some Beer magazine and really wanted to try it. I wasn't let down. The Bar Bella Blond was great, one of the best blond's of the day. The people manning the both were really nice also.

Raccoon River Brewing Company - Des Moines, Iowa
Raccoon River is great, and I love the Vanilla Cream Ale, but they didn't bring it. So I had to settle with drinking the Lakeside Wheat and El Bandito Loco. They were amazing. The El Bandito Loco was a high gravity bitch that had a kick. Raccoon and Court are definatly battling in my heart for DSM's finest.

Rock Bottom Brewery - West Des Moines, Iowa
So, at the Nebraska Fest, I talked to these guys and drank some of the beer and enjoyed it, then it turned out that the same guys were at the Iowa Fest, and I recognized 'em. We got to talking and they poured me a White Tale Pale Ale without me even asking... if you read this blog you may know that I can't drink Pale Ale after my keg of it last May, which ruined my taste buds, so I had to throw it back quick. It wasn't bad. Christ, I hope I can hop again soon.

(That's all the breweries, now is the time in our show where we talk about the Homebrew clubs, or as refered to at the murder trial of my liver, exhibits A thru H.)

Burlington MOB - Burlington, Iowa
Great beer, not the most memorable, but that is more my drunken minds fault and not the clubs.

CR-Beer Nuts - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
My 2nd favorite club of the day. We drank a hell of a lot of these guys beer. They had a new beer up every half hour, and we even got to try a high octane White Ale, they had been keeping in a bottle. In line for the bathroom, I talked to one of the beer nuts and he was a great guy. They all were.

CRAZE - Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa
Craze had a lot of really good beers, and I think they might have been the ones with the Choclate Cookie beer, which like the Orange Lager from early, is really good for about 2 ounces, but I can't imagine drinking a pint.

Cenosilicaphobia Brewers - Pella, Iowa
My favorite club of the day. These guys were great. Cenosilicaphobia (which means the fear of an empty glass), had some great brews. Including, the high octane belgian that was 11% and I pretty much had a bottomless glass of towards the end. I blame the puking and the passing out on these guys. and I loved 'em for it.

Iowa Brewers Union, MUGZ, Powder Keggers - all over, Iowa
I like these clubs, they had great beers, but it was hard to distinguish. They all seemed to work really well together and had a great since of fellowship.

THIRSTY - Iowa City, Iowa
THIRSTY, like the rest had great beers. Sadly, I cannot remember them. Sorry, I party.

So all in all, it was a wonderful weekend. I cannot wait for next year, and maybe Nick or Schenck or I will be able to take part and have one of our brews in it then... maybe not. But we'll be there.

Michelle, JJ's girlfriend, took these cute pictures at the fest. For some reason, she is not in any of them...

A commenter named Jacob brought up that I forgot to mention Old Man River Brewing Company from McGregor, Ia, and he is absolutely right. So here goes:

Old Man River Brewing Company - McGregor, Ia
As I have said before, I got pretty great towards the end of the event, and unfortunately I cannot remember my favorite OMR beer. Also, it is not mentioned in the guide, but I do not I went back 2 or 3 times, so it had to be a good belgian, white or heffe. I also loved the slogans and quotes on the coasters and cards in there booth. such as "never trust a beer with enough preservatives to survive a nuclear fallout".

The 2010 Great Nebraska Beer Fest

2010-08-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

So Saturday Stacie, Schenck, Melissa and I went to the The Great Nebraska Beer Fest at Shadowlake Town Center in Papillion. If tickets would have cost us only 15 bucks a person (like the festival of Iowa Beers will cost us next weekend), then the whole day would have been wonderful.

However, the tickets were $30 a piece, and at that price, the beer fest wasn't all that great. There was a lot of great beer, don't get me wrong, but for that price, I expected more.

With 20-25 breweries represented, he illusion of quality was there. However, some of those breweries sent nothing but a few bottles, and volunteers poured them. Not knowing anything about the specific beer.

Also, there was no free stuff. Not that I am cheapskate (read: I am a cheapskate) but for $30 a person, I want to walk outta there with some stickers, glasses, key chains... the like. When we left, all I had was a drunk (which was very nice), 2 stickers and a coozee. Bullshit.

But, instead of ragging on what I didn't like, let's get to what I did like: the beer.

(I'll go down the list of breweries and name which beer I liked best, or what I liked least or whatever.)

Upstream Brewing Co. - Omaha, Nebraska

I don't care much for Upstream, but I tried the Harvest Peach Saison and loved it. That and the Ebenezer are my two favorite beers they got.

Empyrean - Lincoln, Nebraska
I love Empyrean. My favorite from them was the Better World Wheat. I was saddened by the Cask Condiioned Lazlo's Limited Summer Ale, but only because the keg wasn't cold, and it was a very hot day out. Empyrean still wins in my book.

Lucky Bucket - Omaha, Nebraska
I first heard of Lucky Bucket last week at El Bait Shop (the best beer bar in the world). I was intrigued, but hadn't got a chance to try the Pre-Probition Style Lager yet. Well, Schenck tried it at the beer fest and did not like it. For one, it was out of a bottle. That's like going to Iron Chef and trying to serve a McNugget. I tried the Oktoberfest Sour Belgian Porter, because it was kegged, and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.

Thunderhead Brewery - Kearney, Nebraska
This was one of my favorite beers of the day. Thunderhead couldn't send a representive down because of a scheduling conflict and was almost going to have to pull out of the beer fest all together, but the guys from Empyrean went and picked up a keg of Grand Ale Grand Cru and had it side by side with the Empyrean beers. The Grand Ale was a wonderful wheat beer, like a wit, that made the temperature go down with every sip.

Schilling Bridge - Pawnee City, Nebraska
I tried the Cherry Wheat from these guys and I was pleasantly surprised. It came from a bottle but tasted great. Although, they have a beer called "Git-R-Done", nuff said about this brewery.

Gottberg - Columbus, Nebraska
I really liked the Tin Lizzie Hefeweizen.

Tallgrass- Manhattan, KS
I only had one of the Tallgras brews, because they were mainly darker beers and came in a tall boy can, but the Buffalo Sweat Stout was really good, and this was Stacie's favorite beer.

Boulevard - Kansas City, MO
I don't like Boulevard, so I didn't drink anything from them. But, they did bring stickers, so there's that.

Boston Beer Company - Boston, MA
Sam Adams was represented well, but only in bottle form. The dumbest thing was they had the imperial bottles on the table where everyone could see them, but they wouldn't taste them because of some Nebraska law. Bullshit. I drank the Oktoberfest.

Left Hand Brewing Company - Longmont, CO
I really like Left Hand, and if I could remember when we visited the brewery, I am sure I'd cherish the memories. I drank some Milk Stout, but it didn't taste the same with out 10 or 11 basic menthol lights.

Avery Brewing Company - Boulder, CO
I had never heard of them, apperently Schenck really wanted to go to them back in March. I loved the White Rascal belgian white. It was crisp a delicious.

Odell's - Fort Collins, CO
Another brewery we missed on our brew tour last spring, Odell's didn't impress me. THe Easystreet Wheat wasn't anything special, but I didn't hate it.

North Coast - Fort Bragg, CA
I liked the Bluestar alright, I was looking forward to trying North Coast for a long time. I was surprised to see them at the beer fest.

Breckenridge Brewing - Breckenridge, CO
I drank 2 glasses of the Vanilla Porter, and loved it. I wish I hadn't been so hung over when we went there back in March.

Schell - New Elm, MN
I drank the Lakemaid just to try it out. I remember seeing this all over Minnesota. It wasn't terrible for a lager, but I don't see myself going out of the way to drink it again.

Rock Bottom - DSM, Iowa
I hadn't tried Rock Bottom Brewery before, but I was happy with the Liquid Sun Wheat. It was very good.

Crabtree Brewing Company - Greeley, CO
This is my most memorable brewery of the day. We followed the truck to Shadow Lake, they were funny, nice and had good beers. The Ginger Beer was way better than it sounded. Also, they gave us a sticker. Great showing.

My "Best in Show" award would go to the Railroaders Brew Club. A group of homebrewers who brought the best beers I drank. Plus, they were the most energetic and social brewers of the day. The best beer was the Watermelon Wheat (served with a piece of watermelon) and a hoppy beer, served with a hop garnish. They were side by side with the South Omaha Brewers, another homebrewer club that also had some great beers.

There were some more breweries there that I didn't drink. (most notably, the Nebraska Brewing Company, who held the event. However, thanks to Julianne I do have a growler now, waiting to be filled.)

So like I said, if the tickets would have been half price, it would have been a wonderful afternoon. Instead, it was just an expensive day of drinking with some great friends. Which really, isn't all that bad in retrospect.

I fully intend on writing a review of the 6th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers next week. So stay tuned.

The Best Beer Bar Ever...

2010-08-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

This amazing bar, located in Downtown Des Moines, is 2 blocks from my office. We went there by accident. This is what we found:
- 105 beers on tap.
-100 beers in bottles.
-The largest selection of Microbrews in the US.
-It is the only official Rogue Nation bar in the midwest.
-It has an A rating on Beer Advocate.
-Voted one of the Best Bars in America by Esquire magazine and Draft magazine.
-Has delicious chips and salsa.
-Thursdays is home brewer night, where home brewers can showcase there beers.

and did I mention it's 2 blocks from my office? Goodbye productivity.

Go here to the official website and learn more. Also, go to the bar. It's great.

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2010-08-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

READ: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

What a book. The first Krakauer book I read was Into the Wild (the story of Alexander Supertramp, which the Emile Hirsch movie was based on.) and I really liked it. I figured that's what this was going to be. The true story of somebody else's adventure. Probably sad, but good in the end. I had no idea that it was Krakauer's own story. His tale of climbing Everest, researching a story, and the storm that came and killed 9 of his fellow climbers. What a book, it breaks your heart but keeps you on path to get to the summit.

LISTEN: David Dondero

David Dondero has one hell of a voice. Conor Oberst claims that he was most directly influenced by Dondero, and now Dondero is on Oberst's Team Love record label. His balads seem standard, but every song has a life in it that you don't find often. He reminds me of Shawn Mullins in that I can listen to his songs and get lost, like each 3 minute tune is a movie. I am really excited to find that he is coming to DSM on September 28th, so I can hopefully get to see him. Enjoy!

WATCH: Friday Night Lights

I had heard for a few years that Friday Night Lights was a really great show, and worth watching. Well, I never had the time until lately and I found that everyone was right. I watched the first 3 seasons over a week and a half. It, much like a BBC show, has 13-15 episode seasons instead of the standard american 24, which really keeps a "quality not quanity" aspect to each episode. Also, with the documentary feel of the show, it makes me feel like it is all real. I feel that these people do exist. It is a little bulky on characters (Lila is hot, but useless. Same for the wife's sister in season 2, useless), but characters like Landry and Street steal every scene. I cannot wait to see the current season, with how things shook up at Dillion High. I hope the lights don't go out on this show. (You see what I did there?)

RENT: The Ten

If you have a movie that is written by The State, how could it be bad? The same folks who brought us The State, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer, and Role Models, also delivered this gem back in 2006. With an amazing cast (Paul Rudd, Famke Jansen, Adam Brody, Winona Ryder, Ken Marino, Oliver Platt, Rob Corddry and Gretchen Mol) this tells 10 loosely connected stories that detail the 10 commandments. My favorite part? The Lying Rhino, voiced by non-other than Coach McGirk himself, H.Jon Benjamin. The Ten Fever, catch it!

The 50 States of Beer

2010-08-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

20 down, 30 to go.

Hi Bruce. (the only one who reads this).

The 50 States of Beer - New Mexico

2010-08-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

New Mexico

Santa Fe Brewing Company - Santa Fe, NM
Best Beer:

Chicken Killer Barley Wine

Beertopia in Omaha is great. I really love that place. That's where I got the Chicken Killer earlier this year. It was the first Barely Wine I ever had, and it set the bar pretty high.

It's got a good mix of barley and hops, along with a fruit flavor that mixes well. Plus, the 10% ABV ain't nothing to shy away from.

I want to try more from Sante Fe, it seems like a New Belgium to me, a dependable brewery.

Visit the official Santa Brewing Company website here.

Up Next: Indiana

The 50 States of Beer - Maine

2010-08-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

Maine

Shipyard Brewery - Portland, ME
Best Beer:

Shipyard Export

I didn't know Shipyard was from Maine. I had drank Shipyard a lot, especially the Export (a pale ale). It's very good.

I was reading about Shipyard and found out that it was acquired by Miller in 1995, but then Miller sold it back to the originaly owners 2000. How weird is that?

I recommend Shipyard as a great Pale Ale that all hop lovers should down. For your health.

For more information on Shipyard Brewing Company, go here.
And visit the official Shipyard Brewing Company website here.

Up Next: New Mexico

The 50 States of Beer - Nevada

2010-08-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Nevada

Triple 7 Restaurant Brewery - Las Vegas, NV
Best Beer:

Problem Child Imperial Porter

On the trip Schenck, JJ and I went on back in March to visit breweries, we visited this microbrewery located at the Main Street Casino, in Las Vegas, with Bag of Donuts.

We hit this brewery at like 11am, and drank a sampler. The brewmaster was very nice, although he seemed as if maybe he'd spent the night drinking (nothing wrong with that). This porter, a stronger version of their Black Chip Porter, was great. I usually find porters to be to thick, but this went down good and tasted great with my burger.

Sadly, later that day we went to this fucking shit hole, which really took the spark outta our Las Vegas brewery experience. Luckily, we drank Joe BOD's nut brown that night and ended up at the Talk of the Town.

Ah, memories.

For more information on The Triple 7 Restaurant and Brewery, go here.

Up Next: Maine

The 50 States of Beer - Louisiana

2010-08-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Louisiana

Abita Brewing Company - Abita Springs, LA
Best Beer:

Abita Beer Amber

When Bag of Donuts was back a few years ago, we went to the Hyvee in Council Bluffs and they had Abita Amber on sale. It was cheap, so we bought it. I didn't think it'd be that good, but it turned out to be pretty great.

For an amber, it was very crisp. I drank it fast, in between some other good beers and we got extremely drunk that night.

I wish I knew more about Abita, I have thought of getting Turbodog a few times, but never do. Oh well, small post for Louisiana. Oh well.

For more information on Abita Brewing Company, go here.
Visit the official Abita Brewing Company website, here.

Up Next: Nevada

The 50 States of Beer - Delaware

2010-08-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Delaware

Dogfish Head - Milton, DE
Best Beer:

Punkin Ale

If you know me, you probably know 3 facts about me. I love beer, hate vegitables and love pumpkin pie. (If you didn't know, know you know).

The first Pumpkin beer I ever had was in Chicago (on the same trip where I first drank the Bell's Brewery beers), and I got a sixer of Michelob Jack's Pumpkin Ale . It wasn't terrible, but I had really wanted more.

Later last fall I found a 4 pack of this wonderful Punkin' ale, at the Hyvee in Ames, and it was what I was looking for. All the cinamon, pumpkin spice that I was hoping mixed in a brown ale. This gave me aspirations to make a Pumpkin Nut Brown Ale, which I think would taste like Thanksgiving.

Dogfish head is a really interesting brewery. Anyone who has seen Beer Wars, knows the story of how Sam Calagione started his brewery before it was legal for him to do so. Calagione has a show coming up on Discovery called "Brewed" that you can read about here, looks like good tv.

For more information on Dogfish Head, go here.
Visit the official Dogfish Head website, here.

Up Next: Louisiana

The 50 States of Beer - Maryland

2010-08-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Maryland

Flying Dog Brewery - Fredrick, MD (although originally Aspen, CO)
Best Beer:

In-Heat Wheat Ale

For me, it's hard to find a Hefe that I don't like. It's also hard to find one that I love. Most fit in that perfect middle ground. This was the first Hefe I ever had, and so it holds a special spot in my heart.

Cassada got a sampler pack of this back in the day, and the first thing we noticed was the wonderful artwork and beer names. Later I found out that none other than Hunter S. Thompson had a hand in the brewery getting started, and Ralph Steadman (artist famous for this) is who draws all of the Flying Dog labels. They also released the Gonzo, in honor of Thompson, which I have yet to find.

The brewery was originally started in Aspen, but relocated to Maryland and serves as it's only state since 2008. This helps me out, cause I really love the In-Heat Wheat Ale and I didn't have another brewery from Maryland. Boom, Beer'd.

For more information on Flying Dog Brewery, go here.
Visit the official Flying Dog Brewery website, here.

Up Next: Delaware

The 50 States of Beer - New York

2010-08-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

New York

Saranac - Matt Brewing Company - Utica, NY
Best Beer:

Adirondack Lager

Lager's are not my favorite beer usually. But every once in awhile one really sticks with me, like Iron City, and of course Adirondack Lager.

Saranac was part of that first wave of microbrews that crossed my path. It was easy to find at the Ames HyVee, and I drank a bit of it.

I was sitting in London one time and met an American soldier who was on leave and we talked late into the night about beer. He was from Saranac, Michigan, and I made the comment about how nice it would be to have the brewery in his hometown. He's the one that informed me it was actually a New York brewery. And what a brewery it is. Matt did good.

Just for kicks, I am throwing in a vid-e-ya of Frontier Ruckus performing the song "Adirondack Amish Hollar", just because (if you're on facebook, you gotta view original post to see the video).

For more information on Saranac, go here.
Visit the official Saranac website, here.

Up Next: Maryland

The 50 States of Beer - Michigan

2010-08-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

Michigan

Bell's Brewery Inc. - Kalamazoo, MI
Best Beer:

Two Hearted Ale

Last year I went to Chicago with Nick, JJ and some other friends and we decided to go out to some bars. Nick had been talking about this Bell's brewery for a few months, and so he was elated to find that they had Two Hearted Ale at the perticular bar we were at.

This was back before my obsession with IPA's and subsequent rejection of them.

Two Hearted Ale is a delicious IPA. When I made my own Nag Nag Nag Pale Ale, I was hoping to get a taste similar to the Bell's version. It's hoppy but not in an obnoxious way (which my IPA turned out to be, not that there is anything wrong with that) and it has a slight orange-y flavor, which I love. Or at least, I did love before the dark times began where I cannot drink IPA's anymore. Someday, someday the flavors will come back to me.

I am excited that Bell's beers are showing up more and more in Iowa. I am looking forward to the Oberon and Third Coast Ale.

For more information on Bells Brewery Inc., go here.
Visit the official Bells Brewery Inc. website, here.

Up Next: New York

Iowa Beers to Live For

2010-08-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

So, I'm gonna set my "50 States of Beer" aside for the time being, and showcase my favorite beers from the state nearest (And dearest) to my ticker:

Now, I am not gonna pick my absoulte favorite Iowa beer until later on in my series, but for right now I'd like to highlight some of my favorite beers from the Cyclone State. (See what I did there?)

So ya, here are some Iowa beers I like. I can't wait to try more.

In No Particular Order:

Yum. First Iowa beer I ever tried. One of my favorites for any beer, not just home state.

The most recent Iowa beer to tickle my tastebuds. I have a growler half full in the fridge, and I look forward to finishing it, and re-filling it soon.

Stacie went over to Millstream one day and brought back a growler full of this oatmeal stout. It was a perfect surprise for me. Can't wait till I can get over there and do the tour. Maybe at Iowa Beer Fest.

I had heard so-so reviews over Peace Tree Brewery, but I tried the red and really like it. And I don't usually like reds. Hell of a rambler.

Raccoon River Brewing Company downtown DSM has a Vanilla Cream Ale that is one of my current favorite beers. It is the best beer I've ever had with a Vanilla flavor. So crisp. I HAD a growler full of this... (Had meaning I don't anymore).

and of course, from:

we got...

Nick's first home brew and the first home brew I ever drank. This is very high on my list of "best beers I've ever had".

Schenck's Copper Ale (which HE calls something else, but I call "Rocko and Copper Ale" is even higher on my list of "Best beers I've ever had."

I love my hefe. I drank the shit out of it at my wedding.

The 50 States of Beer - Missouri

2010-08-03T13:03:00.001-07:00

Missouri

O'Fallon Brewery - O'Fallon, MO
Best Beer:

Hemp Hop Rye

I don't like Boulevard. I don't. I think it is a poser. Boulevard wants to be Sam Adams or New Belgium. Sadly, it's not. It's fucking Boulevard.

So, that is why my favorite Missouri brewery is O'Fallon's. The 5 Day IPA impressed me a lot during my IPA phase (RIP IPA phase, March 2010-June 2010). Then I tried the Wheach (a peach flavored Wheat beer, which was pretty good.) And I finally found the Hemp Hop Rye at our new Hyvee down here in Des Moines.

The Hemp Hop Rye intrigued me. How would those flavors mix? Well, it was good. the hoppy rye beer sounds either great or terrible, but this is very good. Plus, the hemp seeds used in the mix gives it an almost nutty taste. Like a light brown.

This is apparently a seasonal beer, so I am going to try to get a case before the Hemp Hop Rye season is over.

Visit the official O'Fallon Brewery website, here.

Up Next: Missour-E

(just kidding)

Up Next: Michigan

The 50 States of Beer - Washington

2010-08-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Washington

Red Hook Ale Brewery - Seattle Washington
Best Beer:

Red Hook ESB

Red Hook ESB was one of the first "good" beers I ever really loved. It was my first ESB (extra special bitter) and still my favorite ESB.

I haven't had any other beers from the Red Hook brewery, but I do want to visit the facility in Seattle. I have heard the brewery is great.

Red Hook is easy to find round these parts, and I suggest picking some up if you like a good bitter beer.

For more reading on Red Hook Ale Brewery, go here.
Visit the official the Red Hook Ale Brewery website, here.

Up Next: Missouri

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2010-08-02T00:37:00.000-07:00

READ: Love and Marriage by Bill Cosby

I bought this book a year ago at the Boone Goodwill. Now that I am married, I decieded to read it. Now I love Bill Cosby asmuch as the next guy. The Cosby Show was a pivotal part of my childhood, and I think his "Himself" standup is hilarious. Also, this. So, I thought his book would give me some great life lessons. So far, it has let me down. It's funny, cute and makes me feel good. However, Bill really hates the youth. Especially the youth of 1988 (the year the book came out) which is weird.

LISTEN: Titus Andronicus

So, I just heard about these guys and fuck, do they rock. Let's do some rock math:

Conor Oberst's Voice
+

Craig Finn's lyrics
+

The indie-arena power of The Gaslight Anthem
x

This guy
=

Enjoy!

WATCH: Community

So I was a little late to the table when it came to Community, but let me tell ya, I am loving it. Joel McHale, Donald Glover and Danny Pudi are hilarious. Gillian Jacobs and Alison Brie are gorgeous and funny, which is hard to get (oh Sarah Chalk, how I miss you). Then throw in newcomer Yvette Brown and oldcomer Chevy Chase, and shit, we got us a show. The first few episodes were spotty, but through out the first season, Community become more important for me "not to miss" than 30 Rock. I can't wait for season 2, and hope it gets more. I've learned to be ok with television shows being canceled, because tv is getting better. Finally.

RENT: Mystery Team

Don't let the title fool you, this is no sequel to Mystery Men. No, this is funny. Donald Glover (hey, I talked about him above) and his crew in Derrick Comedy, makers of Bro-Rape, bring you this tale of a junior detective agency who accidentally grew up. Now, as 18 year olds, they have to start dealing with real shit, all while still solving crimes. With Aubrey Plaza (from Parks and Rec.) and Ellie Kemper (from The Office, hey a lotta NBC folks round this movie) in the cast, you can imagine the hi-jinks. Rent it. Also, go see Inception.

The 50 States of Beer

2010-08-01T22:49:00.001-07:00

10 down, 40 to go.

This has been fun.

The 50 States of Beer - Texas

2010-08-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Texas

Padre Island Brewing Company - South Padre Island, TX
Best Beer:

Speckled Trout Stout

So, the first time I had calamari I was eating in Texas with JJ and some of his friends at this little restaurant. Turns out, this restaurant was a microbrewery, and I got a sampler to go along with my calamari, which I loved.

Everyone else hated the calamari, said it was terrible.

The Speckled Trout was really good. Dark, heavy but still crisp. At the time I didn't know much about beer, but it stood out compared to the rest, and went well with the fish I ate.

A couple years later, I was on the island again and stopped in again for a pint. This was after I was a much better beer drinker and had been to the Guinness brewery once. The thing was, the Trout Stout held up. Can't wait for my next trip to Texas to have some more.

Visit the official the Padre Island Brewing Company website, here.

Up Next: Washington

The 50 States of Beer - Wisconsin

2010-08-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company - Chippewa Falls, WI
Best Beer:

Summer Shandy

So, I can see this being a controversial pick. A lot of people don't like Leinenkugel's. I get it, since Miller owns it is hard to look at it objectively. However, they have a few beers that really do it for me.

If I had written this post back in April, I would have called Sunset Wheat my favorite beer. [ed. note, also my favorite beer that tastes like hot dogs] But, now I have tried Summer Shandy, and I totally love it.

"A wheat beer with Lemonade mixed in" is the idea. And that, personally, sounds fucking terrible to me. But, I love it. At my wedding, I spent the entire night going between my own homebrew Tastie Hastie Hefeweizen and Summer Shandy. It's smooth, it's tasty, it puts a smile on my face.

Damn good beer, especially on a hot summer day. I am drinking one right now, and every sip is better then the last. If you have issues with the brewery or the idea of it, put that shit aside and try it. And if you think you have a better Wisconsin beer, let me have one. I'll gladly try it.

For more reading on the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company , go here
And visit the official the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company website, here.

Up Next: Texas

BACK! (or almost back)

2010-07-28T17:32:00.001-07:00

So, back in May my computer crashed, and since I have not updated this blog.

But fear not, soon I will be back and I can't wait to continue my "50 States of Beer" series, as well as bringing back my "Read/Listen/Watch/Rent" posts.

So stay tuned, and expect a thrilling story of scary and woe all about the making of my wedding's homebrew!

(I pretend people read this, but I know no one really does.)

The 50 States of Beer - Montana

2010-05-05T19:31:00.001-07:00

Montana

Big Sky Brewing Company - Missoula, MT
Best Beer:

Scape Goat Pale Ale

Moose Drool is a damn good beer, so get off my back. I just think Goat is the best in the Big Sky line.

Browns, to me, can be perfected. Like Empyrean's 3rd Stone, that is top of the line, so to me all other nut browns have to match up to it. Where as with Pale Ales, either they all are on the same level to me (well, all good ones) or I just haven't found my top Pale Ale yet.

With that being said, Scape Goat is a very good beer. I like it a lot better than the Big Sky IPA, which I find a little harsh.

I used to drink a good amount of Big Sky beers, but lately I have been out of the Pale Ale game. But writing this makes me thirsty for a Goat. Also, I was under the impression that Big Sky was a major brewery, but the Wikipedia page has hardly anything on it. What's that all about?

For more reading on Big Sky Brewing Company, go here (actually not that much info. at all)
And visit the official Big Sky Brewing Company website, here.

Up Next: Wisconsin

The 50 States of Beer - Pennsylvania

2010-04-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

Pennsylvania

Iron City Brewing Company - Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Penguins.
Best Beer:

Iron City Beer Premium Lager

I want to be honest with you. I don't drink a whole lot of Pennsylvania beer. I picked this state without having a beer in mind. After reviewing what my options were, I knew that Iron City stood out as my clear favorite.

Pennsylvania has a lot of things I really like. The Penguins, Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company, Boy Meets World, and Paddy's Irish Pub [note, I am watching It's Always Sunny as I write this.]. Add to that list, this beer. Straight outta the tin bottle, Iron City is one of my favorite lagers.

It is a "great white buffalo beer" in my mind. I have only drank it two or three times, but the memory of how good it is stays with me. I get thirsty for it occasionally. Sad thing is, it's hard to find round these parts.

My best memory of it is drinking it at, surprise surprise, the Old Chicago in Ames with Cassada, Schenck and Marc Sellers. Them was the days. That was the beer.

For more reading on Iron City Brewing Company, go here.
And visit the official Iron City Brewing Companywebsite, here.

Up Next: Montana

The 50 States of Beer - Oregon

2010-04-26T18:26:00.001-07:00

Oregon

Rogue Ales - Newport, OR
Best Beer:

Dead Guy Ale

You'll find that if I didn't discover a beer at the good ol' Old Chicago in Ames, then I probably first found it at the Crescent Moon while I was living in Omaha back in 2007. That's the story with Dead Guy Ale, and it's also the story of the first time I ever went to the Crescent Moon.

On Tuesday nights, the Crescent Moon has a deal where you can go, pay five bucks for a glass and fill it with the "beer of the night" for a dollar or two all night. Then, you get to keep the glass. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love things I can take home.

That first night, I was with my roommate at the time Garrett who suggested we go there in the first place. The "beer of the night" was Dead Guy Ale, and definitely had a unique taste. It was the first maibock I ever tried. I easily refilled that glass six or seven times that night.

This night was also the first time I ever heard of Rogue Ales. It wasn't long until I found Kessler's and their wide selection of Rogue brews. Which lead to me drinking several 24oz bottles of the MOM's Half-E-Weizen (with this picture on the bottle), Brutal Bitter, but I always found my way back to the Dead Guy Ale.

The only Rogue beer I don't like, is the rauchbier, aptly named "Smoke Beer". Nick bought it and we all tried some, and it is forever known as "Bacon Beer".

For more reading on Rogue Ale, go here.
And visit the official Rogue Ale website, here.

Also, here is a funny tour of the Rogue Brewery. Enjoy:

Up next, Pennsylvania

The 50 States of Beer - Minnesota

2010-04-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Minnesota

Summit Brewing Company - St. Paul, MN
Best Beer:

Summit Extra Pale Ale

So I was at Old Chicago. I don't remember exactly what the occasion was, but there was a bunch of us there. Cassada, Schenck and I (of course), and then Sellars, Artie, Alister and Emilie. We were all having lunch (I think) and I had just finished an Iron City Lager (in the aluminum bottle, fyi) and asked the waitress to surprise me. I got Summit EPA.

Since, I have always used it as a quick go-to beer. It never fails, and is perhaps one of the only beers I can safely say I like just as much out of a bottle as I do on tap.

Summit also makes an India Style Rye Ale, which I think just sounds wonderful. However, it's a seasonal beer, so I am going to have to find my way up to Sweet St. Paul (man, that must be the hardest luck Saint of 'em all) to get one.

I also recommend the Summit Porter, it's pretty damn good. Honorable mention for the land-o-lakes state: Granite City Food and Brewery's Duke of Wellington India Pale Ale is pretty good, but I haven't technically had it. I drank it in Cedar Rapids at a chain.

Also, for good measure, here is a shout out to Midwest Supplies where I get the majority of my Home brewing supplies, located in Minneapolis.

For more reading on Summit Brewing Company, go here.
And visit the official Summit Brewing Company website, here.

Up next, Oregon

The 50 States of Beer - Illinois

2010-04-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

Illinois

Goose Island Beer Company - Chicago, IL
Best Beer:

Goose Island's India Pale Ale

Goose Island has long been one of my favorite breweries. Ever since I first had the Honkers Ale at Old Chicago in Ames (where you'll find, I had most of my beers), I was a fan.

Over time, I had tried others that I enjoyed, 312, Nut Brown and the Matilda. But it wasn't until some friends and I went to a concert in Chicago that I got a taste of the IPA. We were at Harry' Caray's, and the first sip I was hooked. It was the hoppiest son of a bitch I've ever drank.

Since, I have had it as often as I could, and when I home brewed my first IPA, it was Goose Island's IPA that I compared it to. I suggest to any hop lover to try it out. Cheers.

For more reading on Goose Island Beer Company, go here.
And visit the official Goose Island Beer Company website, here.

Up next, Minnesota

The 50 States of Beer - Nebraska

2010-04-14T22:10:00.001-07:00

Nebraska

Empyrean Brewing Company - Lincoln, NE
Best Beer:

I wavered on this pick. I love Empyrean Brewing, from the very first time I ever tried it at the Crescent Moon in Omaha. (Perhaps, the best beer bar in Omaha, located directly above the 2nd best.) And of all the Empyrean's I have had, Third Stone Brown is my favorite. For a nut-brown, it is very crisp and clean. (The words spoke by Schenck also helped sway me.)

My other possible pick, was from Upstream Brewing Company in Omaha, and was the winter seasonal Ebenezer's Brew. But, when it comes down to it, the one hit wonder of Upstream in my eyes does not overshadow the continuous great beers coming out of Lincoln.

My local Old Chicago in Ames, just started getting Empyrean brews on tap, so perhaps it's just my recent partaking in this beer that brought it to the front, but regardless, it is the best beer I have ever tasted from the state of Nebraska.

For more reading on Empyrean Brewing Company, go here.
And visit the official Empyrean Brewing Company website, here.

Up next, Illinois

The 50 States of Beer - Colorado

2010-04-03T10:49:00.001-07:00

Colorado

New Belgium Brewery - Fort Collins, CO
Best Beer:

New Belgium's Biere de Mars

While visiting the New Belgium brewery in Fort Collins last March, we took the tour. At one point we stopped for a tasting, and I asked the tour guide if we could try a beer that you couldn't get outside of the brewery at that time.

He poured us a Biere de Mars Ale. It was a great beer. The first thing we did was throw it back, it had a lemon taste that invited drinking.

Then he says "Ok, now taste the beer." Ours were gone. So he poured us another, it was just as good as the first.

He told us a story of how the head brewer at New Belgium, Peter Bouckaert (a belgian) loved how American's were so different than Europeans when it came to beers. If you hand a European a beer... they sniff it, they scrutinize it.

Hand a beer to an American and we drink it. Cause, hey, you might give us another.

For More Reading about New Belgium and Biere De Mars, go here.

Up next, Nebraska

Microbrew Adventures in Colorado

2010-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

So, in March my friends Erick, JJ and I decided to go on a road trip.

We met up, packed a car and headed west towards Las Vegas (or as I like to call it, Lost Wages) to visit one of our other good friends and fellow home brewer, Joey Bag of Donuts.

Well, as luck would have it, there are several microbreweries between southwest Iowa and Las Vegas, so we decided to visit some.

1st Brewery: New Belgium Brewery - Fort Collins, Co

New Belgium was a great brewery. The three of us all gave it high marks. You could really tell they took a lot of time to make a visit to the brewery a well rounded experience.

The story goes like this:

We walk in, have our complementary beers, and then inquire about the tour. We are told that you need to go online to sign up for the tour, which we didn't do. We do get our name on the list though, just in case someone doesn't show.

I get a textual message from Nick saying that when he visited the brewery a few years ago they told him to write a haiku about New Belgium and that if we read it infront of the bar, we'd get a free beer... well JJ, Erick and I like free beer. So we put our poetry hats on.

They were fedoras.

We came up with this:

Sunshine Wheat, Fat Tire.
We All Love Mothership Wit.
Fifteen Fifty-Four.

Pretty fucking good, huh?

So I go up to the bar and ask the fella about the haiku, and he says he'd never heard of it, dammit. Haiku written in vein... the worse kind of haiku.

Then, as luck would have it, someone skipped the tour so we got in. Awesome.

So the tour begins and there is a table full of beers. The tour guide starts talking, makes a few jokes and gets some laughs. I make some jokes... get some half assed laughs but I can tell this guide works alone, so I decide to lay off the jokes.

Then, this fella with a hat that looked like a bear. (Bearhat = asshole, amiright?) starts talking. He was annoying, but harmless. Him and the tour guide developed a repour and I knew I was not gonna be the class clown of this tour.

The tour guide handed everyone a beer, and continued to talk about the brewery, and goes over some rules. Then Bearhat pulls every bodies favorite (read: nobodies favorite) trick where they point off into space and go "whats that" and then steals another beer.

Tour guide gets pissed. Bearhat looked like an asshole, and the rest of the tour was pretty great.

We asked if we could try a beer you can't get anywhere else, and the guide let us try the Biere De Marz, which was wonderful. JJ and I finished ours quickly, not realizing he wanted us to slow drink it, so he poured us another. (That's when Erick finished his and got another. We can work a system.)

Another cool thing was we got to try an Abbey, that had been bottled that day. It was good.

At the end of the tour, where they were very good about getting us a 3/4 drunk, we went down a slide and watched a video.

We bought growlers, and all in all the experience was great and a hell of a way to kick off our brew tour.

2nd Brewery: Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing - Fort Collins, Co

Coopersmith's was a brewpub. We were pretty drunk by the time we got there. The first thing I noticed walking in was the names of the beers, like Columbine Kolsch and Punjabi Pale Ale.

Now, to me those sounded sorta sketchy, but they both were pretty good.

We ate dinner at Coopersmith's and they (like any respectable Witherspoons franchise in Europe) had a 2 dinner special. I had fish and chips and drank.

The beer was very good, and the staff were knowledgable. We didn't take a tour, but did get a little history of the place, learning that it was started by 2 former Old Chicago managers.

My personal favorite beer on tap was the Punjabi Cask Conditioned Pale Ale. I bought a growler, and would very much like to go back next time I am in Fort Collins and drink some more.

3rd Brewery: Oskar Blues - Lyons, Co... I mean Longmont, Co.

Oskar Blues is popular for being the only micro/craft brewery that solely cans their beer. That sounds like a joke. It is not.

The whole place wasn't a joke either. We originally drove to the brewery in Lyons which is a brewpub, but no longer the major brewery. That is in Longmont. So we drove to Longmont, and passed another Oskar Blues restaurant, on the way to the new brewery.

The brewery was a giant warehouse looking building. We weren't for sure if it was the right place, maybe we should have stopped at the resturant, but then we saw this door.

And went inside. There was a tiny bar, called "The Tasty Weasel". We tried some beer, Dale's Pale Ale and Mama's Little Yellow Pils standing out in my mind, and then took the tour.

The tour was given by the cutest girl, and she was full of energy and willing to answer all our questions. However, she couldn't. She had only given a handful of tours, but she was cute, so we let it slide.

She also introduced us to the brewer, Eric, who did answer some questions.

Oskar Blues was very impressive, and the fact that they only can seems to be very controversial. We had never heard of the brewery, but they are in over 25 states.

After the tour, we got to hang out in the employee break area, drink and play this shuffle board style game.

At the Oskar Blues restaurant in Longmont, we ate lunch and drank some more. Also, JJ spilled a glass of water everywhere.

4th Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company - Longmont, Co

Of all the breweries we'd been to at this point, Left Hand was the one I was most familiar with. I had drank a lot of the Left Hand Milk Stout and Sawtooth Ale in my time.

In my mind, the brewery was going to be a lot like New Belgium. Big, Fancy, Flashy. It wasn't. That isn't a bad thing though.

The bartender was great, and there was a couple sitting next to us who gave us a good history of the brewery as well as a history of themselves.

After having a flight of beers, we inquired about a tour. The bartender told us if she could find someone to give us one, we could go.

She did.

At the time I am writing this, I have forgotten his name. Because I was drunk. This was after we'd been to Oskar Blues and drank a lot at Left Hand already. But, what I do remember is that the tour was amazing.

He kept telling us that he wasn't for sure what we wanted to know, and that he hadn't given tours before. But then we spent about an hour and a half going around the brewery, learning everything and taking photos.

I don't want to publish everything that went on in the brewery because of OSHA restrictions, but ask me and you'll get the low down.

I was to drunk when we left to get a growler, but I still plan on going back.

5th Brewery: CB and Potts - Denver, Co

I will not dignify this brewery with information. Just stay away. If not for the picture below I wouldn't even believe we went there.

6th Brewery: Breckenridge Brewery & Pub - Breckenridge, Co
We went to the Breckenridge Brewpub the day after our adventures in Longmont. So we were all a little under the weather. That sucked, considering they had such great beer.

Breckenridge, famous for it's Oatmeal Stout, is no longer only made in the town it's named for, but is now in Denver. But, the brewpub is still supplied by it's on sight brewery.

We met the brew master, and he gave us a tour. He was a really nice guy. For a popular brewery, it was run small. I liked that. The brew master made all the beer, and there were only a handful of employees.

I wish we could have hit the brewery in Denver, just for comparison, but that'll be for another time.

As a whole, the brewery leg of our trip was pretty good. CB and Potts wasn't the only shit brewery we stopped at, there were a couple in Las Vegas that were bad. But still, we drank more good beer than bad.

The 50 States of Beer - California

2010-04-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

California

Anchor Brewing - San Francisco, CA

Best Beer:

Anchor Steam is the first TRUE American Beer. Originally brewed in the 1896, it's called "Steam Beer" due to it being brewed with lager yeast at ale temperatures, during the gold rush when they didn't have the ability to brew at the temperatrure required for the popular lagers of the time. (or so the story goes).

The dry taste is a real unique character to the brew, and thanks to some handy trademarking in those early years, Anchor Brewing is the only official brewery that makes a "Steam Beer".

I had my first Anchor Steam at Old Chicago in Ames in 2006, and have drank several since. It's always a safe bet.

For more reading on Anchor Steam, go here.
And visit the official Anchor Brewing website, here.

Up next, Colorado

The 50 States of Beer

2010-03-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

I love beer and I love to travel.

I have decided that, since there are 50 states (ed. note: verify number of US states before publishing this post), there has to be 50 great breweries / beers in each state.

So, I am going to pick my favorite beers / breweries in each state. This will be a 50 part series, and it will happen in no particular order, considering I haven't had beers in all the states yet.

If you think a beer I recommended sounds good, try it. If you have tried a beer I mention and agree/disagree, let me know. And also, this isn't necessarily going to be a travel blog. Some will be beers I have had even though I haven't been to the brewery. Some states will be more interesting than others, such is life.

Thanks, and keep drinking (you filthy alcoholics.)

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

2010-02-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

READ: Microbrewed Adventures - A Lupulin-Filled Journey to the Heart and Flavor of the World's Great Craft Beers by Charlie Papazian

Last year, as you may know, I got into homebrewing. It is great. It's fun, time consuming, nerve wracking and rewarding all at the same time. I have made 4 brews so far, and my latest (St. Patrick's On The Fence IPA) didn't turn out. It made me really angry at first when I realized my IPA failed, but I got over it quick cause I learned from my mistakes, so now I look at it as a win. Anyways, since getting into homebrewing, I have wanted to learn all I can about beer. I came across this Papazian book. I love it. It is part biography, part history, and part recipie book. Every page has humor and insight. The ironic thing is, I was watching the wonderful documentary Beer Wars, and sure enough, Charlie Papazian shows up in it, spreading his knowledge. Beer lovers should enjoy this book.

LISTEN: The Rural Alberta Advantage

The RAA are one of my current favorites. The band (from Ontario, ironically), have that same folk meets rock style as Band of Horses. The voice of Paul Banwatt over the drumbeats and fuzz infused guitars sets a great mood. Their first full length album, Hometowns (re-released on Saddle Creek Records in 2008) is 13 gems that flow together with tales of deathbridges and small town traps. My music taste has been evolving (or de-evolving) into the corners of folk for the past few years now, and the RAA is a great companion for anyone who thinks Frontier Ruckus is to "soft" or Beck is to "out there". Below is a video for "Don't Haunt This Place". (If you are reading this on Facebook, click the link to "view original post" to see video.")

WATCH: Little Britain

Remember Kid's in the Hall? Did you ever wonder what Kid's in the Hall would be like if it was set in England? Wonder no more. Little Britain is a hilarious. It's a sketch comedy show full of recurring characters. Most of which are played by Matt Lucas and David Walliams. It's full of exaggerations of British people, and it is perfect. Characters such as Lou and his wheel chair bound (as Lou thinks) friend Andy, Emily Howard and Florence aka the two "ladies", Prime Minister Michael and his VERY helpful aide Sebastian, and my personal favorite, Teenager Vicky Pollard. The first 2 seasons of this show are up for free to watch on Netflix, otherwise you can watch a ton of clips on YouTube. It is well wroth watching folks, below is a video I only wanna preface with the word "bitty".

RENT: Extract

I mentioned this movie in a post from last year about what movies I was looking forward to seeing. And I was right, this movie is wonderful. Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck and Mike Judge are reason enough. Throw in Mila Kunis, JK Simmons and David Koechner and you have a movie. It's funny, much funnier then Judges last effort Idiocracy (which is great, don't get me wrong, but not as good as this.) and much more put together then Office Space. Taking place in the world of an Extract plant, it gets mundane mixed with insaine perfect. Everyone should rent this movie, today, Dingus. (Trailer below).