8/19/10- Hawaiian Holiday!

Sierra Nevada Chico IPA- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint, Brooklyn- 32 oz- Poured in to Pub Glass- 7.3% ABV- I was told by the beer guy that Brouweji Lane has two of the four kegs of this beer in the entire city! So that was a bit of a selling point. He also said this beer is sort of a mix of an American IPA and a classic English IPA. Definitely amber in color. Fluffy two finger head which receded pretty quickly with nice lacing. Again this beer has a light to medium bodied mouth feel, with a bit of a slick,oily finish. Light on the carbonation. Very piney aroma with some citrus in the background. This is a good IPA, almost feels like a Double IPA. Also very reminiscent of the Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA but maybe a little more complex. I 'm not really getting the classic English IPA in this one like the suggested in the store but maybe I'm just missing something. I like this beer but if I had to choose between this and the the Sierra Nevada Torpedo I'd go with the Torpedo.

Tonight I chose two records Music of Hawaii- Henry Mancini and his Orchestra and Hawaiian Holiday- Hal Aloma (king of the steel guitar) and his Hawaiian's. This selection is inspired by and in preparation for our one week honeymoon to Hawaii which we are leaving for in two days. We have been married for almost two years and we are finally going on our honeymoon! We will be spending a week in Kauai and are really excited. Not only was our honeymoon almost two years late but we have both not been away together in probably 3 years. This is an extravagant trip for us, but one that is probably a bit deserved. I am in the midst of packing so I can't discuss these records two much, but for a buck a piece there great especially the steel guitar record! This record has both instrumental and vocal tracks and looks like it was issued in the late 1950's or early 1960's on Columbia. Nice sparse arrangements which favor the steel guitar. This is music I dream about when I think of Hawaii. The Henry Mancini record is also good but for different reasons. Mr. Mancini made dozens of orchestral albums back in the day and he tried to incorporate alot of different musical styles into an orchestral format. Alot of these songs prominently feature the harpsichord and steel guitar and also include vocals, strings, horns, etc. Think James Bond scores of the 1960's and you can imagine what this record sort of sounds like. I wish I could write more but I have to finish packing. I am hoping to score some records in Hawaii but my cursory searches on the internet do not show any record stores on Kauai. Maybe I'll get lucky and come across a flea market. However I should be able to find some local beers to bring home.

8/12/10

Victory Hop Wallop Double IPA- Community Beverage, Queens, NY- 12oz. Bottle into Pub Glass- 8.5% ABV- Its been about 2 weeks since my last review due a bachelor party in Miami for a friend, and I was a little preoccupied with that. I din't drink any good beer there but I did do alot of drinking. Pours a hazy straw color. Almost a pilsner color but slightly hazier. Nice fluffy head which receded quicker than I expected. There was a moderate amount of lacing which I also expected to be more intense. Light to medium mouth feel with subtle but noticeable carbonation. Aroma is definitely hoppy with a bit of citrus and pine in the mix. This beer is brewed in Pennslyvania and I have to say this is my favorite beer that I have reviewed so far. I have had it in the past in a bottle and from a tap but had not had a chance to review it here. It's a bit more bitter than I remembered but very good. I think what put this one over the top is its rather a light and refreshing compared to the other double IPA's I have tried. It also leaves me wanting more, as in, another one! This is a quality beer and definitely would drink it again if I came across it in a bar.

On the turntable is All In The Family- The Stonemans- Recorded in 1967 and was produced by Jack Clement for MGM Records. There was no indication of where it was recorded but if I had to guess I would say Nashville. I felt like indulging my Bluegrass jones which I have been neglecting as of late. I had a few years around 2002-2005 where I was heavy into Bluegrass. Playing it and listening to it. In the last few years I have fallen off a bit but feel the urge to start exploring the genre again, but, I do not think I can define this LP as straight Bluegrass. The Stoneman's were founded by Ernest "Pops" Stoneman who was one of the pioneers, and earliest recorded artists, who popularized early American stringband music. Stoneman, who played a variety of instruments including the banjo and autoharp. Stoneman was the man who encouraged Ralph Peer, of the Okeh Recording Company, to visit southern Appalachia which resulted in the Bristol recording sessions. These recordings turned out to be the earliest known recordings of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers (1927). Many consider these recordings the Rosetta Stone of American Roots Music. Stoneman later went on to reord with his children in the 1960's which is when this album was produced. Despite the music on this LP being rooted in the 1920's it reflects the production values of the 1960's. Particularly Donna Stoneman's electric mandolin which sparkles, rings and resonates throughout. This is an album which exhibits both traditional bluegrass songs and instruments but also has electrictrified elements which make this record a real standout for me. If you are intreterested in exploring the Stonemans on CD I reccomend The Stonemans: In All Honesty released by the Omni Recording Corporation in 2009.