Ross E. Lockhart's Blog, page 89

Wed, 03:29 : RT @marthawells1: Yay, Mysterious Galaxy is now listing The Cloud Roads as in stock! http://www.mystgalaxy.com/book/9781597802161

Sun, 19:50 : Spring, and with it an excuse: brunch pies outside of Petaluma Pie. Sun, 19:52 : Twittering birds and a spinach and egg brunch pie makes for Sunday bliss. Sun, 19:55 : Sweet or savory or decadent as sin, baked in a flaky crust. Sun, 21:00 : Pie-Ku: http://ow.ly/3VBL5 Sun, 23:38 : Tinnitus on a Sunday afternoon: a guitarist has taken residence within my head, filling my skull with amplified feedback, volume set at 11. Mon, 01:21 : RT @ElectricLit: The terror of the novella is that one moment is not one moment, but a node of possibilities... http://bit.ly/dRtNVI Mon, 06:33 : Monster... http://yfrog.com/h3g8xhbj

Virenden is an ale brewed with hibiscus and endive. Endive? Sounds a little strange, but since this "collabeeration" is between New Belgium and Allagash, I've got (lips of) faith.

Perfume on the nose; fruity and floral with hibiscus right up front. Pours deep red with an elegantly collapsing head. Contrails on the glass. Tastes like agua de jamaica--carbonated agua de jamaica. Sweet. No bitterness. Awesome that way. Creamy mouthfeel. Had it with chili and cornbread Would be perfect with mole or huevos rancheros.

It was a nice enough morning that Maddie, Jennifer, and I walked downtown for brunch (and a beer) at Petaluma Pie Company. Because nothing says Sunday quite like a scrambled egg and spinach pie (except maybe an egg-and-spinach pie and a pint of Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin').

Sure, it's still a little chilly out there, and maybe rain is indeed threatening to return and soak next week, but for now, it's early spring. Time for pie... and poetry!

Good thing, too, since Petaluma Pie Company and Copperfield's Books are hosting a Valentine's Day Pie-Ku contest later this afternoon. In anticipation, I penned a handful of entries while eating Brunch (Maddie helped):

Spring, and with it an
excuse: brunch pies outside of
Petaluma Pie.

Twittering birds and
a spinach and egg brunch pie
makes for Sunday bliss.

Sweet or savory
or decadent as sin, baked
in a flaky crust.

"Nothing inspires quite like pie," says Maddie. "Mind if I have another little bite of crust?"

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Sat, 21:56 : Is it just me, or is Facebook the worst thing to ever happen to the Internet? Sat, 22:16 : I should be working on homework or editorial stuff. Instead, I'm trying to figure out why tweets aren't pushing through to Facebook. Arrgh! Sat, 22:35 : Monsters have eaten all my socks. Sat, 22:48 : I've set it so Twitter posts to LJ, and LJ to Facebook. Now if I make FB post to Twitter, I create a recursive loop & destroy the Internet! Sat, 22:52 : Homework done. Now to destroy the Internet. Sat, 23:06 : Small Dog Social: February 6, 2011 http://j.mp/f0ZiC0 Sun, 08:40 : Maddie is restless. Midnight trips outside. Pacing. Maybe craving pie?

A few months ago, my buddy Lyell recommended this California IPA. It's taken me this long to track one down, but I stumbled upon a cache of it at Petaluma Market tonight. Was Sculpin worth the wait, or will I get stung by this wriggly muddler?

Sculpin pours glowing amber with an ample head that flattens around the edges, leaving a snowy mound behind. Paints petroglyphs of deep-sea denizens imagined in your strangest dreaming upon the walls of the glass. Bright on the nose: grass and piney hops, with a strong suggestion of brown sugar. Very light on the tongue; sparkling carbonation. Sweet as promised: Fresh piney hops and a suggestion of citrus, but none of the top-of-palate hop bomb bitterness I typically associate with SoCal IPAs. Finishes clean, with a slight lingering bitterness in the throat. Each sip invites the next.

With a drinkability and subtleness that you'd expect from a gold medal winning IPA, Sculpin provides an enjoyable and refreshing experience, but ultimately lacks bite. That said, the easy drinkability of Sculpin conceals a potent 7% ABV, so imbibers would be forewarned to steer clear of the spines.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

I've been pretty busy lately, so I'm a little bit slow in posting that pictures from last weekend's Small Dog Social at Our Best Friends are now live at Photobucket and Facebook. Click on through and check 'em out, if you're so inclined.


Maddie meets George.

Pours stoplight amber with a notable head that graffities alien alphabets upon the glass. Perfume on the nose: floral hops, warm alcohol, toasted malt, and brown sugar. Taste lives up to the promise of the scent. Sweet. Tangy, with notes of toasted cereal and molasses. Medium bodied. Bitter, piney toffee finish. Always a pleasure, but Two Aught 11 is particularly nice.

And it paired nicely with our veggie "chicken" burgers, sweet potato fries, and asparagus.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

...and she's not so sure she approves.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Had a Deschutes Brewery Hop Henge Experimental with tonight's stir-fry.

Pours golden orange with an inch-thick head that paints suspension bridges upon the glass. Piney hops on the nose. Malt and caramel on the tongue, with a sweetbread peak that leads to a lingering bitter finish. Earthy and profound. In no danger of being trod upon by a dwarf.

And the stir-fry, Gardein Beefless Tips, a package of Trader Ming's Asian Vegetables with Beijing Soy Sauce, fresh broccoli, zucchini and brown rice, and (for me) a generous dollop of Sriracha Sauce, wasn't bad either.

"Stir-fry Saturday!" exclaims Maddie. "It makes the whole house smell taste-o-riffic!"

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.