Monthly Archive for September, 2008

Harpoon Leviathan Series

Published on September 26, 2008 in Ale, Beer and Review. Closed

Harpoon Brewery from Boston and Vermont recently started a big beer series, as many breweries have been doing lately (or for a while).  Until now, Harpoon had the limited release 100 Barrel series.  However, it can’t really be called extreme as many of the beers are pretty tame (though still really good, nothing wrong with a tame beer).  They wanted a piece of the extreme beer action and dove in head first.

The first beer of the Leviathan series was Triticus, a reworked version of their wheat wine brewed by Todd and Jason Alstrom, of BeerAdvocate fame (they’re the founders).  This version of it is 14% ABV.  It was not bottled.  I was lucky enough to be having dinner at Doherty’s in Pawtucket.  They had it on tap.  It’s a very dark color for a wheat wine.  This one was nice and sweet and pretty smooth.  There was a little alcoholic heat to it, but it was very flavorful with some nice fruity notes.  It had a nice thick, and somewhat oily mouthfeel.

The second Leviathan beer is an Imperial IPA.  Clocking in at 10%, it’s a doozy.  This isn’t simply Harpoon IPA on steroids.  This one rivals even some of the west coast double IPA’s.  It’s very hops forward with a nice malt backbone to give it just the right amount of balance.  It’s citrusy and bitter with a little sweetness to it as well.  Seek this out while it’s still available.  It’s worth it.

Harpoon has never overly impressed me (I do like their IPA), but they’ve gone balls to the wall with their Leviathan series.  I look forward to the next installment.  If it’s anywhere near as good as the first 2, I’ll be in heaven.

Financial Crisis

Published on September 24, 2008 in Politics. Closed

I’m not an economist.  I don’t have any schooling in finance.  I don’t even care about any of that stuff.  What I do know is that the government’s $700,000,000,000 bailout plan is telling people who make poor financial decisions that it’s okay for them to do that because the government will just help them out.  Will this financial crisis affect me if there’s no bailout?  Perhaps it will.  I have yet to see any effects, though.  I am in favor of government support for certain things.  When it comes to money, however, the government should not be assisting people who had all the money in the world but invested it poorly.  Welfare and unemployment are good to get people who are stuck in a rut back on their feet (though I think it needs more regulation and it needs to be less of a handout than it is, especially here in RI).  However, this is not picking someone up who can’t get out of a rut.  It’s picking up huge corporations that made poor financial decisions.  It tells them that it’s okay that there’s no risk because the government will always be there to bail you out.  There are inherent risks for both sides of an investment.  In this whole mortgage/foreclosure thing, the people who are being foreclosed on are those who made a poor financial decision.  They couldn’t afford the house they bought.  Too bad.  It happens.  You shouldn’t be spending more money than you have.  That was a poor financial decision.  That’s not being stuck in a rut.  The banks that gave the mortgages to these people took a risk in lending money to high risk borrowers.  The banks should suffer the effects of the risks, not be bailed out.

George Bush, our moron of a president, claims to be all about the free market.  He’s a big fat liar.  He has no problem giving $700,000,000,000 to private enterprises, but he won’t give health care to children because that’s socialism.  I hate to break it to you Mr. Moron, but this is nothing but socialism.  It’s really a shame that our Democratic congress is a bunch of whiny little bitches that have done nothing but bend over backwards for the Republicans.  It’s getting to the point where I think we need to just wipe out every senator and representative and replace them with someone new.  Replace all of Washington with people who did not study law, people who did not study political science, people who did not study economics.  Replace them all with average Joe’s.  Let the country be truly run by the people.

This financial crisis was caused by people lending and borrowing more than they had.  Where is this $700,000,000,000 going to come from?  It’s going to be borrowed because our government doesn’t have that money.  Why doesn’t the government have that money?  Because of Iraq.  If we pulled out of Iraq a long time ago, or better yet, never went there in the first place, we’d have the $700,000,000,000 for this bailout.  In fact, I’d be willing to bet that if we never went to Iraq in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this position.

I say let the country go into a recession.  Let it go into a depression if that’s what’s coming.  Pretty soon, the government will realize that they’re blowing loads of money on useless wars, senseless BS.  Our country could be in a much better place if we’d just legalize drugs and prostitution.  Regulate and tax the hell out of both and let people who OD just screw up their lives and don’t bail them out.  They had it coming.  If you want to kill yourself with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or the probable STD’s from a hooker, so be it, but don’t ask for handouts when you’re dying.  There’s a gold mine to be had in the drug and prostitution industry.  It’s a shame the government hasn’t tapped into that yet.

Anyway, I’m done with my rant.  Again, I am not an economist, a financial analyst, or anything like that.  I barely know how our government works (I don’t even think our government knows how our government work sometimes).  Perhaps I’m just spewing rubbish and stupid comments.  I just think congress should give this more though than push this through like Bush and his cronies want.  Paulson wanted this pushed through and wanted the money without any oversight or review.  That’s not how government in this country works (that’s one thing I know… at least that’s not how it’s supposed to work).  Let the banks fail.  Let Wall Street suffer.  Let the brokers, CEO’s, traders, and everyone else who took a risk suffer the consequences when the risk goes bad.  There should not be a benefit to people who take a risk and end up losing, but that’s what’s happening.  Let it go.  Let it fail.  We’ll grow back.  But first, if you really care about this country, get the hell out of Iraq!  That’s been nothing but a financial drain…. a risk gone wrong.  Sound familiar?

I’m done ranting.  Comment as you like.  Just don’t call me an idiot.  I admit to not having any sort of financial or economical knowledge, but it seems that those that do haven’t really used it properly.

Review: Cafe 412

Published on September 19, 2008 in Beer, Food, Providence and Review. Closed

Last night, after spending a couple hours at Nikki’s for the Thursday night beer tasting, I headed over to Cafe 412 at the suggestion of Mike (the beer guy and owner of Nikki’s).  I had known of the existence of this bar/restaurant, working for Providence College and all.  One of my former student employees, Jenny, had talked about this bar quite a bit as I believe she is friends with the owner.  So we headed over to this little bar on Douglas Ave and walked inside.  It was about 9:00 pm and the bar was completely empty.  It’s a small room with a U shaped bar and a couple of bar-height tables around the edge.  There’s a little nook with an ATM machine (that is “free”, in that they’ll take a dollar off your purchase for using it and paying the dollar fee) and a bathroom in the back corner.  In the middle of the bar are the taps and a row of bottles beneath displaying the beer.  There are 2 chalkboards hanging on the walls on either side of the bar displaying the beer list.  Behind the bar is a big reebar (sp?) rack to hold wine bottles with a neat arch made of tab handles for various beers.

The beer selection last night was pretty impressive, especially considering this is a college bar.  They had the following on draft:

  • Allagash White
  • Stone Ruination
  • St. Bernardus Abt 12
  • Victory Prima Pils
  • Ipswich Ale
  • Rogue Dead Guy Ale
  • Left Hand Milk Stout
  • Flying Dog In Heat Wheat
  • North Coast Red Seal Ale
  • Thirsty Dog Hoppus Maximus

In addition to that, they also had one tap that wasn’t being used.  Their bottle list was a little less impressive, though the standouts were Haverhill Leatherlips IPA and Whittier White, Long Trail Double Bag, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, and Left Hand Sawtooth Ale.  There were probably about 25-30 bottled beers in total.   The beer was served colder than what would be ideal, but with a little time, it warmed up.  The Abt 12 was served in a St. Bernardus chalice, which was a nice touch.

Our waitress, Audrey, was fantastic.  She didn’t know a whole lot about the beers, but she seemed very willing to learn, and had informed us she was planning a trip to Nikki’s to mix her own 6 pack this weekend.  We also ordered some food.  I had heard their pizzas are really good.  Those who told me weren’t lying.  It’s a grilled flatbread pizza.  I got a margarita (fresh tomato and basil) on their whole wheat crust.  It was awesome, rivaling Bob and Timmy’s (though this was a little different from Bob and Timmy’s grilled pizza).  Everyone else also seemed to enjoy their meals (I don’t remember what people got, other than Susan who got nachos that looked fantastic).  We left around 11:30 and there were still only a few other people in the place.  I’m going to assume that because they actually card, it’s not a big hot spot for the students.

If you’re looking for a great low key bar in Providence that serves great food, Cafe 412 is worth a visit.  The beer selection, while not over-the-top, is great, the food is awesome, and the service is fantastic.  Check it out, have a beer or two, and enjoy their awesome prices (my pint of Ruination was $4 and the Abt 12 was $5).  Chatting with the waitress, it sounded like the owner wasn’t too sure how much longer he’d be able to carry some of the beers because they’re not big sellers and because of their high price.  We actually suggested to her that the owner should raise his prices on some of these beers (Ruination usually goes for $5-6 for a 10-12 oz. pour and Abt 12 is usually around $7-8 for a smaller pour as they filled it above the fill line on the glass).  I’ll definitely be going back, especially if I end up moving back to the neighborhood.

Presidents

Published on September 17, 2008 in Fun Stuff and Music. Closed

Every now and then I like to plug some of my friends.  Two of my former student employees are a hip hop duo.  I wrote about them once before performing with their live band called Capitol Hill.  This time they’re on their own with a project called Smart Songs.  They made their first music video for one of the songs off that album titled “Presidents”.  See if you can guess where the video was filmed.  It’s not where you might be thinking.

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You got the mother and the kid…

Published on September 12, 2008 in Environmentalism, Providence, Transit and Urban Issues. Closed

… you got the guy and his date.

So sang the Violent Femmes back in the 1980s.  Well, I’ve been taking the bus to and from work for the past week or so.  I’ve been kind of anti-RIPTA in the past because it isn’t overly convenient for me.  However, with 4 new employees in our department and more people using our parking lot outside the building (because the faculty are still too lazy to walk across campus), I have to get up around the same time to get to work early and get a parking space.  So instead of driving, I’ve decided to take the bus.  I get on the 92 Green Line trolley with Susan (she takes it all the way to work) and get off at Kennedy Plaza and wait for the 55 Admiral St./Providence College bus that comes at 8:15.  It gets me right at the Huxley gate at 8:30.  In the past, I never got to work until like 8:35-8:40 (because I’m slow and lazy).  Now I get to work right on time.  The bus is quite relaxing.  I don’t have to deal with idiots on the road and I can just sit and watch the scenery go by on my way to work.  It also puts me downtown more often, which I’ve been wanting to do.  I now get to see the progress of the current projects down there.

There is a downside to the bus.  There’s nothing convenient to bring me back to Federal Hill at the end of the day.  I have to stay about 15 minutes late to get the bus at 4:47 or leave early around 4:20.  I stay late, it’s not bad and lets me get some more things done.  I get home a lot later than I used to.  When I drive and leave at 4:30 (or even 4:45 or closer to 5:00), I am always home no later than 5:10.  However, I now get home around 5:30.  Generally, I make the hike from Kennedy Plaza to Federal Hill.  The bus I would take is the 27 or 28.  They’re always over crowded and standing room only (and there are always way more people waiting).  So instead of waiting 5-10 minutes in Kennedy Plaza, I just walk.  It’s been good for my legs and weight.

I’m going to continue taking the bus until it snows.  It’s an easy and relaxing way to get to and from work.  I’m just tired earlier at night though.  I wake up about 45-60 minutes earlier because I need to get in the shower first (Susan wasn’t willing to change her schedule to accommodate my new mode of transportation).  I feel good doing something for the environment, and I’m saving us money at the same time.

Samuel Adams Beer Lover’s Choice

Published on September 6, 2008 in Beer. Closed

For the past few years, Boston Beer Co., brewers of Samuel Adams beer, have been holding a Beer Lover’s Choice promotion.  They brew 2 beers they’ve never brewed before and hold tasting events at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores throughout the country.  At the event, the customers get to try the 2 beers and then vote on which one they liked best.  This is how they chose to brew their Irish Red Ale, Brown Ale, and Honey Porter.  The current 2 couldn’t be more different.  There’s a Blackberry Witbier and a Coffee Stout, covering both ends of the spectrum.  I went to the event at Nikki’s on Thursday and got to try them both for myself.  The Coffee Stout is hands down the better of the 2 beers.  However, after hanging out for a while, it became obvious to me that people who don’t like beer make up the majority of people voting.  What is that supposed to mean, you ask?  Well, that means that the Blackberry Witbier will be the next Sam Adams beer to hit the shelves.  Unfortunately, a light fruity beer that doesn’t realy taste like beer is what most people want.

Now, I like a light, easy drinking fruity beer every now and then, but there are just too many on the shelves.  There aren’t enough coffee stouts.  In fact, there is only one stout in the Sam Adams lineup, their Cream Stout, which is pretty good.  They could use another dark beer.  This one was a great introductory coffee stout.  It had a medium body, which was a little on the thin side, with a nice coffee/espresso/chocolate flavor to it that was really nice.  Unfortunately, beer geeks like myself are in the minority.  I can just sit back and hope for the best now.  Maybe they’ll brew both.  Unfortunately for Long Trail, if the Blackberry Witbier wins (which it will, I have no doubts about that), there will be some serious competition from another New England brewery for the blackberry wheat beer position.  Long Trail’s Blackberry Wheat isn’t as good as this one (I’m not a huge fan of wheat beers or fruit beers, though I do enjoy both from time to time).

There’s also another part to this story.  Sam Adams comes under fire from many beer geeks for not being a “craft” brewery.  Sure, they might be too big to be considered craft, and many of their beers are designed to be more for the beer newbie.  However, they do a lot for the industry and most of their beers are still extremely solid examples of their styles (with a couple that aren’t quite that good).  Brewing the Blackberry Witbier will just be another notch against them for most beer geeks.  If they brewed the Coffee Stout, I’m sure we’d see more geeks praising them.  Anyway, it’s neither here nor there.  I still have a lot of respect for Sam Adams beers and Jim Koch.  I love the idea of this competition and I do enjoy a lot of their beers quite a bit.

Thoughts on Chrome

Published on September 6, 2008 in Google, Internet, Software and Technology. Closed

I’ve been using Google Chrome as my main web browser on my home computer, which runs Windows XP.  While I will say that I really like it, there are some features I miss from Firefox.  I miss my extensions and plugins.  That’s the one nice thing about an established browser, even if I do have to add on to it.  I have that option.  Specifically, I miss the Gmail notifier.  I suppose I could just download the one from Google to run in Windows, even when the browser isn’t open, but that’s one more thing running and I like to keep as little running as possible.  I also miss Twitterfox, my Twitter client, though I have downloaded Twhirl, which seem to work pretty well, though I find it to be a bit more than I need.  I like the simplicity of Twitterfox.  Other than that, I don’t really regularly use the other extensions I have installed (web development stuff, FireFTP, etc).

I love the homepage feature of Chrome, showing the most frequently visited pages.  I also like the speed.  It seems very streamlined and small.  I like the multi-threading with a new instance for each tab.  That makes buggy sites easy to kill without killing the whole browser.  It’s a promising browser. That being said, it can be a little buggy and sluggish at times.  For the most part, it’s quick.  I like that it uses Webkit, because Gecko just isn’t as standards compliant as I’d like it to be (for instance, my blog looks noticeably better with a Webkit browser than a Gecko browser).

I hope Google keeps up development on Chrome and that it becomes more mainstream with support for extensions or plugins.  I wish there was an option to open or save certain files (Quicken files for example want to be downloaded and not opened directly).  I like how it uses Windows Media Player as a plugin right inside the browser.  It could be a real contender and it’s kind of fun to have browser wars starting up again.  Now if only they’d release a Mac version (as I type this in Firefox on my MacBook Pro).

Why Macs Aren’t Better

Published on September 3, 2008 in Apple and Technology. 4 Comments

I’ve been using my Mac for quite some time now.  I’m a bit more acclimated with it, and while I’m no expert, I’ve seen enough to safely say that Macs are no better than PC’s.  Here are a few reasons why:

  • My MacBook Pro crashes with the Apple’s version of the BSOD more often than I’ve had Windows BSOD on me… and it does it on shutdown!
  • Today, for instance, an application locked up on me. Tried to Force Quit to no avail. Killing it from the Terminal didn’t even work. Decided to log out and it froze. No BSOD or anything, but it sat there displaying my wallpaper and nothing more.
  • The “beach ball” shows up more often than Windows would ever hang up on me. It shows up randomly and applications hang and even OSX hangs. It’s quite annoying.
  • You can’t highlight a file and hit the Delete key on the keyboard to move the file to the trash. The mouse is not always better.

That’s just a few, but the first 2 are big ones. Everyone whines about how Windows is always crashing and needs to be rebooted. I haven’t had a better experience with MacOS X. The only operating system I’ve had fewer crashing issues with is Linux.

So to all you Apple fanboys out there… It does not just work.