Mellody Brewing

I have a golden ticket...

Well, sort of. My friend Brian in Tampa agreed to secure me some rare Cigar City Beer. Hunahpu Imperial Stout is rated in the Top 50 beers on beeradvocate and rate beer, with only one year under it's brewing belt. CCB is doing some great things, I wish I was there to celebrate today, but I'll be there next week. The bottles will be waiting for me.

It's not where you are, It's where are you going

ALERT!! High Cheese Factor in this post, beware.

I watched my fair share of Olympics on NBC during the last few weeks.  I enjoyed the mass consumer advertising during this sporting event (which is what it is all about, right?) P&G - Olympic Moms, Coke - Athelete Snow Ball fight, and my favorite Olympic atheletes eating McDonalds.  (Do you hear the sarcasm in my writing?)  There was however, one commercial that really caught my attention, and that was Nike's commercial using The Hours song, Ali in the Jungle.  I liked the slow motion capture in the commercial, but I love ths song.  It's slowly becoming an internal anthem, or theme song.  I downloaded it, and have listened to it lately to get me pumped up or to just raise my energy level.  The lyrics too are simple - yet strikingly clear and relevant.  I look at what the singer/ song writer is saying here and it's really, if you look at some of the amazing things people have done, how quick are you going to get up?  The more I hear it, and sing it in my head, the more I'm motivated to get up, and move past what I've seen as my adversity and to move forward.  This isn't all just brewery related, but just life in general.  I think I've been letting life and it's pressures drive for too long, it's time to get up.

It's Friday, and I'm feeling especially excited to be done another grueling work week here and to get some manual labor in volunteering at the Craft Beer Festival tomorrow night.  Watch for pictures and updates.

Also, here's the Nike commercial:

 

March Madness

Since Philly Beer week has been moved from March to June, it seems some places are going to hold some events anyway - to ease our pain of having to wait till June to celebrate all things beer.  So, as we wait out yet another snow storm, I am trying to plan which events I'll try to get to.

It all starts with my volunteering at the Philly Craft Beer Festival at the Naval Ship Yard on March 6th.  I'll be working the night session so if you're going to be there, look for me lifting heavy kegs and cases behind the tables.  If I get lucky, maybe I'll get to pour a little too.  I do this for multiple reasons; 1. I get to meet a bunch of brewers, and network - while helping them out; 2. I get a free ticket to a beer festival during Philly Beer Week in June; and 3. I get to drink for free at the end of the night.  Last year I left with some bottles too, so hopefully I get lucky again this year.

The following weekend there are three events, all of which I'd like to attend.  Realistically, I'll only do one.  The leader right now is the Craft Beer Express.  $15 dollars gets you bused transport between seven local beer bars.  There are drink specials at each bar, and food too.  Sunday, the 14th is a Bell's Beer Brunch at Devil's Den featuring Bell's Brewery.  The final event, the same day as the brunch is The Brewer's Plate.  This is the ultimate event, from what I hear, and something I really don't want to miss.  I'm still on the fence on getting tickets since it's a Sunday, but I'm not sure I want to not go - then read all about the event that I missed.  This also supports Fair Food, an organization I think needs all the help it can get - so the price tag of this event while high, at least some of it goes to a good movement. Decisions, decisions.  If someone were to say, come with me to The Brewer's Plate, it might make the decision easier.

After two weeks of beer events, I'll be heading to Phillies Spring Training Camp in Tampa, FL.  While there, I'll be hitting the first of my 2010 Brewery Tours - Cigar City Brewing.  They have a new tasting room, new beers and growlers for me to fill and smuggle home with me.  Maybe Joey will remember me, and give me and my brother a behind the scene's tour.  I am also looking forward to going back to one of my favorite bars of all time, Oldsmar Tap House.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it.  I'm also going to write my old part-time volunteer spot, St. Somewhere Brewery to see if while I'm in town I can stop in and help out. 

I'm tired just thinking about it all.  Just wait till the real Philly Beer Week in June.  I've already put in for the vacation time.

Top Nine in 09

Here's my list of the Top Nine Beer moments in 2009.

1. I have now drank nine of the Top Ten rated beers according to BeerAdvocate.
2. Volunteered at Philly Craft Beer Festival, meet brewers, walked home with bottles and contacts.
3. Shared beers with Bob from St. Somewhere and Patrick from The Bruery during Craft Beer Week.  I still have Patrick's card on my chalk board, it may yet come in handy.
4. Back to homebrewing (even if partially extract) - two batches in two months - one tapped - one ready to go.  It feels good.
5. My brother sent me beers from Chicago for Christmas, including: Goose Island Matilda, Bourbon County Stout and New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red. He even drove to Wisconsin to get me the bottles of New Glarus - I've clearly made an impact on him.  Best gift this year, by far.
6. Philly BA Meetup - it was hotter than Tampa, and we drank in the cooler to fight of total dehydration.  
7. Hit almost every major new beer bar (Gastro Pub) that opened while I lived in Tampa.  I'm overwhelmed by my options now that I'm back.
8. Shared bottles of St. Somewhere with friends and family that I bottled while in Tampa.  
9. Buying bottles at Capone's before Thanksgiving, and sharing lots of good beers with the family through out the day.

Cheers!

No words of wisdom, no resolutions, just a moment to stop and enjoy friends and family.  That's what I've been doing the last few days and I hope you have been too.

Exciting stuff for Mellody Brewing in 2010 - so please keep reading and thanks for always checking in despite my official life limiting the postings as of late (this is becoming more normal I know.)  

Beergenuity

If it were not for the cans of Sly Fox Dunkel at my side I might have given up trying to replace the lines in the kegerator. It's harder than I thought. Lesson learned, keep lines clean next time.

If I were Tiger

I cheat on beer with Manhattans.

Thankful for options

With the feast holiday approaching, I'm usually in charge of finding and compiling beer options for my family's feast.  In years past I bring homebrew, or one or two special bottles.  We're not looking for a drunken feast, not usually.  So, this year I'm on the hunt for something fun (as usual) and Philadelphia does not disappoint.  There are so many great options now, and with Hawthornes open near me, I can even get some growlers to bring home - oh the humanity. 

I'll post what the haul is after I decide.  I could be at the store for hours tomorrow night deciding.

Music and Beer, a Remix

I've written about the ideas around Mellody Brewing, and brewing styles of beer to music.  How I feel the connection between drinking and socializing and music is almost visceral in my mind.  I hear songs to this day that bring me right back to group dance circles at weddings, conversations at Oscar's or Cockeyed's in college.  The smell of warm Miller or Coors Light still makes me think of beer pong and beer stained basements.  A recent thread on Beer Advocate had a very passionate discussion around beer styles and music styles.  It was a fascinating read.

Personally, I seem to pair beer with specific artists and genres of music.  For example, I like IPAs and Neko Case, Russian Imperial Stouts and Calexico (or Iron and Wine,) Belgian Triples go well with my recent new band Deer Tick and historically James Brown.  When I go to a beer bar and can rock a juke box, I do sometimes think of the scene and what I'm drinking.  Has it been a long slow night, then we'll liven things up with some funk/ soul music (aka Tower of Power, James Brown and Stevie Wonder) while sipping some pale ales.  Is it a low key end of a night, and we're finishing it with some strong porters and stouts, then it's time for some slower, indie rock, like; Neko.  Her sultry voice goes well with a velvety porter.

Tonight's forecast is for rain and grey.  I'll be headed home to spend some quality time with Barley. I'm sure after the Phillies beat the Braves tonight, I'll turn the TV off, plug the iPod in and crack one of the bottles of Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA to relax and recall the week. 

On again, off again...

This blog is like a bad relationship - one that I just can't ignore and can't give up; brings me joy and fun yet also frustrates the hell out of me.  It's frustrating because whenever I write here I get upset that I'm only just writing here.  I'm frustrated cause I'm all talk and while I dream of all things beer and bee related I for some reason, personal or other can't seem to break out of this mold.  Writing here though does motivate me and it does get me to do things that I normally don't - last year I volunteered for a brewery and made good friends and gained some interesting expereinces in doing so. I did it, so I could write about it...I also went to BeerAdvocate Meet-ups, again something I did to write about it - but also to network.  Well, after months of sulking, and dreaming up other business venture ideas I'm back.  I can't say for how long, or at what quality these posts will be but as I garner all my internal strength to get back on the horse of making a dream come true I hope you all still continue to come along for the ride.

I'm headed to Bell Vista distributors tomorrow night for my first Philadephia BA Meet-up.  Hope I can make it to work on Wednesday.