Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.
The feel good (beer) story of the year comes out of New York. Ithaca Beer Co., Pederson Farms, Cornell University agricultural researchers and the Northeast Hops Alliance have all worked together to revive memories of when Upstate New York was a prime hop-producing region.
The result is Double India Pale Ale from Ithaca beer made with lots of New York grown hops, and only New York hops. "My goal is to see what we can do over the next 50 years," said Dan Mitchell, owner of Ithaca Beer. "While the nostalgia is important, this is just a starting point of where we could be going. It is a potential new industry. We would like to see all New York-brewed beers use New York-grown hops."
Hops were once a leading specialty crop in New York, but suffered from plant disease and insect pests. Prohibition in the 1930s also helped spell the crop's demise, and 50 years ago, production ceased.
Two years ago, Duncan Hilchey, a Cornell senior extension associate, began working with the Northeast Hop Alliance. They conducted a market survey of microbreweries, brewpubs and regional breweries to learn about potential sales of regionally grown hops in the Northeast. More than two-thirds of the brewers surveyed were interested in buying regional hops and more than 25% thought brand loyalty would be increased.
At the same time, Rick Pedersen, of Pederson Farms in Seneca Castle, N.Y., was growing test plots of hops with a $7,350 grant from the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. Last fall, he sold his first crop of Cascade, Mount Hood and Willamette hop varieties to Ithaca Beer Co.
Make no mistake, this doesn't mean a return to the good old days of New York hop production - there are many good reasons hop production matriculated to the Northwest. "It's not going to go back to the multiple tens of millions of pounds we produced in the late 1800s. But it can become a small sideline enterprise again for many farmers," Hilchey said.
But just as many of us get additional pleasure from knowing a beer was brewed just up the road, there much to be said for drinking beer made with hops you might have driven by last summer.
We are also reminded of this passage from Harper's New Monthly Magazine in October, 1885:
"Poetry and song and the pages of romance have united to make classic the vine-clad hills of the Rhine and of Italy, and next to the ruined castle which crown their commanding heights the traveler looks for the clustering fruit which has give its name to all this region. But he looks in vain if he expects to see anything which adds picturesqueness or beauty to the landscape. A vineyard is not in itself 'a thing of beauty.' On the other hand, the golden wreaths of hops, as they hang ripening in the August sunshine, depending in graceful cluster from the tall poles, or swinging in the freeze in umbrella-like canopies, give to the hills and alleys of Central New York, or the slopes of distance California and Washington, or the meadows of sunny English Kent, far more of beauty than the boasted vineyards of France or of Italy ever dreamed."
Beep beep beep, oh no heavy, the coins keep coming out, beep beep beep, even the telephone hates me, beep beep beep, I wish there were no machines, and everyone led a pastoral existence, trees and flowers don't deliberately cool you out and go beep in your ear.
You bahstard! I just completely cracked up reading the letter to the bank manager bit from Cash. Some of the folks here are giving me stranger-than-usual looks. Thanks a lot!
This news was announced the day we were visiting Edinburgh.
NEWCASTLE TO CLOSE HISTORIC BREWERY Scottish & Newcastle will close its Fountainbridge Brewery in Edinburgh by the end of the year. It will retain a brewing presence in Scotland by acquiring the smaller Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh. Fountainbridge's lager production will be transferred to other Scottish Courage breweries in the U.K., while production of the McEwan's ale brands will move to the Caledonian Brewery. Scottish Courage will take a stake in a new business, Caledonian Brewing Co., and use its distribution strength to help Caledonian. For 150 years, the brewery has stood at the same site after moving from Leith, where William Younger first built in 1749. Although the brewery employs 200, it is the second smallest in the S&N family, and would have been a logical choice for shuttering even if the real estate it occupies weren't so valuable. Close to major businesses in Edinburgh's west end, and within an established residential area, the site in Fountainbridge is likely to bring many millions of pounds when it goes on the market.
I tried the Caledonian 80, the Deuchars IPA and their March seasonal brew, Six Nations. All were very good. Let's hope that S&N will use their clout to make these brews available here in the US.
DRUNKEN CHIMPS THREATEN HUMANS Officials report beer contributes to the threat chimpanzees sometimes present in western Uganda. The chimps have been raiding illegal brewing operations in forested river valleys and getting drunk on the country beer. Once intoxicated, they become hostile and attack and at times kill human children, parks officials say. A Uganda Wildlife Authority report on the attacks says that local beer is usually brewed illegally along river valleys, which are also the habitat of chimps. "When chimps come across the local brew, they drink it, become drunk and in that state any encounter with people means an attack," says the report.
After that quiz, I can't help picturing how a camping outing involving the three of us would turn out. Hee. Check those hops out at the in-laws, Frosti!
You are a complete literary geek, from knowing the classics (even the not-so-well-known classics and tidbits about them) to knowing devices used in writing, when someone has a question about literature, they can bring it to you and rest assured; you know the answers.
You can't? I wonder why. But yes, I'm sure we would all have the same outcome. There were questions there that I had no idea about, and it still pegged me as a geek.
Hey Sparky, Maybe we ought to move back to Fargo?? This was in the LA Times yesterday.
Fargo Hip? You Betcha The North Dakota city immortalized by the Coen brothers' film as a grim, frozen wasteland is reinventing itself as a stylish, worldly place.
Full story here, use "Salon" as the user name and "tabletalk" as the password to avoid registering.
You're watching TV, on vacation in a foreign land? Hmm.
The beer sounds interesting though - what's it like?
We had the tv on in the bar. It was good beer, kind of fruity flavored. Very drinkable. Cask conditioned, so it was very smooth.
We're in Dublin now, about to visit Guinness. Yum!
You're Watership Down!
by Richard Adams
Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
It's shocking, I know, but I was Lolita. I posted the paste thing elsethread.
<giggle, giggle>
Ahem. Really?
Yes, I saw that one too. I was I, Robot
LOCALLY GROWN BEER
The feel good (beer) story of the year comes out of New York. Ithaca
Beer Co., Pederson Farms, Cornell University agricultural researchers and the Northeast Hops Alliance have all worked together to revive memories of when Upstate New York was a prime hop-producing region.
The result is Double India Pale Ale from Ithaca beer made with lots of New York grown hops, and only New York hops. "My goal is to see what we can do over the next 50 years," said Dan Mitchell, owner of Ithaca Beer. "While the nostalgia is important, this is just a starting point of where we could be going. It is a potential new industry. We would like to see all New York-brewed beers use New York-grown hops."
Hops were once a leading specialty crop in New York, but suffered from plant disease and insect pests. Prohibition in the 1930s also helped spell the crop's demise, and 50 years ago, production ceased.
Two years ago, Duncan Hilchey, a Cornell senior extension associate,
began working with the Northeast Hop Alliance. They conducted a market survey of microbreweries, brewpubs and regional breweries to learn about potential sales of regionally grown hops in the Northeast. More than two-thirds of the brewers surveyed were interested in buying regional hops and more than 25% thought brand loyalty would be increased.
At the same time, Rick Pedersen, of Pederson Farms in Seneca Castle,
N.Y., was growing test plots of hops with a $7,350 grant from the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. Last fall, he sold his first crop of Cascade, Mount Hood and Willamette hop varieties to Ithaca Beer Co.
Make no mistake, this doesn't mean a return to the good old days of New York hop production - there are many good reasons hop production
matriculated to the Northwest. "It's not going to go back to the multiple tens of millions of pounds we produced in the late 1800s. But it can become a small sideline enterprise again for many farmers," Hilchey said.
But just as many of us get additional pleasure from knowing a beer was brewed just up the road, there much to be said for drinking beer made with hops you might have driven by last summer.
We are also reminded of this passage from Harper's New Monthly Magazine in October, 1885:
"Poetry and song and the pages of romance have united to make classic the vine-clad hills of the Rhine and of Italy, and next to the ruined castle which crown their commanding heights the traveler looks for the clustering fruit which has give its name to all this region. But he looks in vain if he expects to see anything which adds picturesqueness or beauty to the landscape. A vineyard is not in itself 'a thing of beauty.' On the other hand, the golden wreaths of hops, as they hang ripening in the August sunshine, depending in graceful cluster from the tall poles, or swinging in the freeze in umbrella-like canopies, give to the hills and alleys of Central New York, or the slopes of distance California and Washington, or the meadows of sunny English Kent, far more of beauty than the boasted vineyards of France or of Italy ever dreamed."
Makes me wonder how my hop crop will do this summer...
wouldn't that be the feel good story of the beer? Heh. Ahem.
If your crop does well, we could have a harvesting party at the in-laws.
That would be, um, interesting. Maybe we could bring tents and camp!
 *perks
Camping?
You know you've got a standing invite to any camping trip I go on.
Cool.
I can't believe I went all the way to England for this gag. Sparky, this is for you.
I went down to Speaker's Corner and was thunderstruck
They had free speech,
and tourists.
but I didn't see any police in trucks.
Hey does this mean you got your luggage?
<edit> Nevermind.
Aww!! Thanks dude, that was too funny for words. No two men saying they were Jesus or protest singers? Heh.
Camping!? Woo!
No two men saying they were Jesus or protest singers? Heh.
Nope. Those two guys were the only ones out there. I think it was the off season. :)
Thanks for the new tagline, dude. It's feeling appropriate as hell lately.
Not everybody would take Visionary Wingnut as a compliment. That's why you're one of the good ones.
Beep beep beep, oh no heavy, the coins keep coming out, beep beep beep, even the telephone hates me, beep beep beep, I wish there were no machines, and everyone led a pastoral existence, trees and flowers don't deliberately cool you out and go beep in your ear.
Neil!!
We should add that collection to the DVD view-fest.
Yes! But I need to get the DVDs back from Tim.
In the mean time, thisshould keep you busy.
You bahstard! I just completely cracked up reading the letter to the bank manager bit from Cash. Some of the folks here are giving me stranger-than-usual looks. Thanks a lot!
Darling Fascist Bully Boy,
This news was announced the day we were visiting Edinburgh.
NEWCASTLE TO CLOSE HISTORIC BREWERY
Scottish & Newcastle will close its Fountainbridge Brewery in Edinburgh by the end of the year. It will retain a brewing presence in Scotland by acquiring the smaller Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh. Fountainbridge's lager production will be transferred to other Scottish Courage breweries in the U.K., while production of the McEwan's ale brands will move to the Caledonian Brewery. Scottish Courage will take a stake in a new business, Caledonian Brewing Co., and use its distribution strength to help Caledonian. For 150 years, the brewery has stood at the same site after moving from Leith, where William Younger first built in 1749. Although the brewery employs 200, it is the second smallest in the S&N family, and would have been a logical choice for shuttering even if the real estate it occupies weren't so valuable. Close to major businesses in Edinburgh's west end, and within an established residential area, the site in Fountainbridge is likely to bring many millions of pounds when it goes on the market.
I tried the Caledonian 80, the Deuchars IPA and their March seasonal brew, Six Nations. All were very good. Let's hope that S&N will use their clout to make these brews available here in the US.
Drunken Monkeys!
DRUNKEN CHIMPS THREATEN HUMANS
Officials report beer contributes to the threat chimpanzees sometimes present in western Uganda. The chimps have been raiding illegal brewing operations in forested river valleys and getting drunk on the country beer. Once intoxicated, they become hostile and attack and at times kill human children, parks officials say. A Uganda Wildlife Authority report on the attacks says that local beer is usually brewed illegally along river valleys, which are also the habitat of chimps. "When chimps come across the local brew, they drink it, become drunk and in that state any encounter with people means an attack," says the report.
I know what will liven things up, an internet quiz!
find your element
at mutedfaith.com.
Drat, I'm the same one.
Hee hee!
Let me try.
<edit> Hey! What the heck is this?! We can't all three get the same answer, can we ...
Three peas in a pod we are...
That spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool!
After that quiz, I can't help picturing how a camping outing involving the three of us would turn out. Hee.
Check those hops out at the in-laws, Frosti!
Dangerous.
We would protect you from the voodoo dolls in the trees, amie. Hee.
Yeah, right.
Y'all'd throw me to the ghosties, I betcha.
Well, I would. Sparky probably would take pity on you though. He's a pushover.
But you're not. Ok.
That's good to know...
That's good to know...
For some reason, this makes me nervous.
Be afraid...
You gonna go all Sigourney Weaver on me?
Nyah, you'd prolly like it.
You are a complete literary geek, from knowing the
classics (even the not-so-well-known classics
and tidbits about them) to knowing devices used
in writing, when someone has a question about
literature, they can bring it to you and rest
assured; you know the answers.
How much of a literary geek are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Gak, I can't access that quiz!
<sobs quietly>
<internet quiz addict>
Me neither.
that's okay though, cause I'm all too afraid I would know what the answer would be. Heh.
<hands amie a tissue>
<booohooohooo>
<sniff> thanks Sparky
You can't? I wonder why. But yes, I'm sure we would all have the same outcome. There were questions there that I had no idea about, and it still pegged me as a geek.
Hey Sparky,
Maybe we ought to move back to Fargo?? This was in the LA Times yesterday.
Fargo Hip? You Betcha
The North Dakota city immortalized by the Coen brothers' film as a grim, frozen wasteland is reinventing itself as a stylish, worldly place.
Full story here, use "Salon" as the user name and "tabletalk" as the password to avoid registering.