Hats and Drinks - A Match Made in Heaven

[Short Balding Guy]

Home and watching the stars sipping a Guinness.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Home and watching the stars sipping a Guinness.

Cheers, Eric -

Watching the night skies always reminds me of this great thought used in the opening credits of the movie, Gods and Generals. It was written by
George Eliot, who was really Mary Ann Evans (1819 -1880):

A human life' I think, should be well rooted in some spot of a native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of the earth, for the labors men go forth to, for the sounds and accents that haunt it, for whatever will give that early home a familiar unmistakable difference amidst the future widening of knowledge. The best introduction to astronomy is to think of the nightly heavens as a little lot of stars belonging to one's own homestead.

 

[crawlinkingsnake]

I hadn't been in the area to stop for a while so earlier today I had a few shots of Rebel Yell with Clell Miller.

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I hadn't been in the area to stop for a while so earlier today I had a few shots of Rebel Yell with Clell Miller.

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I've sipped a little Rebel Yell myself but might have a problem toasting runaway slave catcher William Quantrill.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Watching the night skies always reminds me of this great thought used in the opening credits of the movie, Gods and Generals. It was written by
George Eliot, who was really Mary Ann Evans (1819 -1880):

A human life' I think, should be well rooted in some spot of a native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of the earth, for the labors men go forth to, for the sounds and accents that haunt it, for whatever will give that early home a familiar unmistakable difference amidst the future widening of knowledge. The best introduction to astronomy is to think of the nightly heavens as a little lot of stars belonging to one's own homestead.

Excellent Jack! She was raised in Warwickshire in the early 1800's when industrialization was transforming the English countryside. I see her influences in her written word. She can call herself anything, IMO, as I like her works. I have not read them since they were assigned by a college professor, my father, in a required English Dept. class for engineers. I may have to pick up one of George's books up off the shelf.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Excellent Jack! She was raised in Warwickshire in the early 1800's when industrialization was transforming the English countryside. I see her influences in her written word. She can call herself anything, IMO, as I like her works. I have not read them since they were assigned by a college professor, my father, in a required English Dept. class for engineers. I may have to pick up one of George's books up off the shelf.

I like her works a lot also, including some of her one-liners. It was my understanding that she wrote under a male pen name because it was easier to get published as a male than being a female in her day.

A favorite one-liner:

"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact."

 

[Hurricane Jack]

 

[Short Balding Guy]

I got home shortly ago and am sitting on a bench listening to the waves and the sounds of the wooded neighborhood. The local owl sounds off and the other sounds pause. The resumption of the different animals squirreling through the fallen leaves along with the faint sounds of the local turkeys had me asking the question "Did animal sounds start in the dark?" I checked with my phone and it turns out that Scientific American published an article and podcast asking the same question. https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/did-animal-calls-start-in-the-dark/ .

I have been enjoying listing to the podcast on one earbud while enjoying the evening noises. In summary: "though vocalization might have originated with nocturnal animals, some night dwellers seem to have lost the ability—like pangolins—while others, which evolved to be active by day, retained it—like, of course, you and me."

A long way to get the hat/cap drink purpose of the post. I am sipping some Surley Delicious IPA. My choice tonight was the first on the top shelf that my hand reached and went into the glass. Not a deliberate choice, but a tasty outcome.

Inquiring mind tonight. Cheers, Eric -

 

[Blare]

I got home shortly ago and am sitting on a bench listening to the waves and the sounds of the wooded neighborhood. The local owl sounds off and the other sounds pause. The resumption of the different animals squirreling through the fallen leaves along with the faint sounds of the local turkeys had me asking the question "Did animal sounds start in the dark?" I checked with my phone and it turns out that Scientific American published an article and podcast asking the same question. https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/did-animal-calls-start-in-the-dark/ .

I have been enjoying listing to the podcast on one earbud while enjoying the evening noises. In summary: "though vocalization might have originated with nocturnal animals, some night dwellers seem to have lost the ability—like pangolins—while others, which evolved to be active by day, retained it—like, of course, you and me."

A long way to get the hat/cap drink purpose of the post. I am sipping some Surley Delicious IPA. My choice tonight was the first on the top shelf that my hand reached and went into the glass. Not a deliberate choice, but a tasty outcome.

Inquiring mind tonight. Cheers, Eric -

Enjoyed your deep thoughts today Eric

 

[Hurricane Jack]

NBD of a favorite Speyside, Balvenie 12 DoubkeWood. Today has been a day spent with a Resistol 5X SA.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

NBD of a favorite Speyside, Balvenie 12 DoubkeWood. Today has been a day spent with a Resistol 5X SA.

NBD looks tasty. DoubleWood has both the oak and sherry notes. I read about Balvenie on the that the manufacturers website tonight. I listened to Horst Luening's YouTube vid and he has a very complete review. I am interested in the whiskey.

I am watching the full moon sipping a Founders All Day IPA. The aroma is strong tonight, cool without a wind. The bitter piney taste up front and middle trails off to a hint of malt. It is enjoyable.

Cheers folks. Eric -

 

[The Shoe]

One of my favourite brewers over here in Japan is Yaho Brewing. I’ve never come across anything like this before - a black IPA. A lot more bitter than your regular IPA, but still with those fruity nuances...worthy of a black vintage Akubra Stylemaster.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

NBD looks tasty. DoubleWood has both the oak and sherry notes. I read about Balvenie on the that the manufacturers website tonight. I listened to Horst Luening's YouTube vid and he has a very complete review. I am interested in the whiskey.

DoubleWood is continuously among the top 5 Speysides according to Industry notes, & usually scores in the low 90's. And at a great price point compared to the (older) others. The current top 3 Speysides are:

Glenlivet Archive 21 year old (92 points),
Glen Moray 18 year old (92 points),
Balvenie 12 year old DoubleWood (88 points)

 

[The Shoe]

DoubleWood is continuously among the top 5 Speysides according to Industry notes, & usually scores in the low 90's. And at a great price point compared to the (older) others. The current top 3 Speysides are:

Glenlivet Archive 21 year old (92 points),
Glen Moray 18 year old (92 points),
Balvenie 12 year old DoubleWood (88 points)

So happy to see Glen Moray get a mention. They’re my distant relations. What usually happens is I say something about Glen Moray and people say “oh! Glen Morangie!”
Glen Moray is a nice whisky (I’ve never had the 18yo) but I prefer Islay.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

So happy to see Glen Moray get a mention. They’re my distant relations. What usually happens is I say something about Glen Moray and peopl say “oh! Glen Morangie!”
Glen Moray is a nice whisky (I’ve never had the 18yo) but I prefer Islay.

Similarity in names (& pronounciations for me) does get confusing. That's cool that Glen Moray are distant kin.

Isay's are my 2nd most favorites. Since you like Islay's the current top 3 are:

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (95 points),
Lagavulin 16 year old (93 points),
Laphroaig 10 year old (92 points)

I included another bottle of Lagavulin 16 in another order from ACE. Also been seeing great things about Ardbeg Wee Beastie for a young Islay at a great price point. Have a bottle of that to try also.

 

[The Shoe]

Similarity in names (& pronounciations for me) does get confusing. That's cool that Glen Moray are distant kin.

Isay's are my 2nd most favorites. Since you like Islay's the current top 3 are:

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (95 points),
Lagavulin 16 year old (93 points),
Laphroaig 10 year old (92 points)

I included another bottle of Lagavulin 16 in another order from ACE. Also been seeing great things about Ardbeg Wee Beastie for a young Islay at a great price point. Have a bottle of that to try also.

Lagavulin is top of my list, though I’m a fan of the other two as well.
My parents got into genealogy and discovered our link to Glen Moray. They visited the distillery by car, where the boss (our relation) wouldn’t let them go: “You have to have a wee dram.”
“We can’t.”
“You must. You have to have a wee dram.”
“But we’re driving.”
“You can’t go without having a wee dram.”
“Well, ok...are you not going to join us?”
“No, not me. I never touch the stuff.”

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Lagavulin is top of my list, though I’m a fan of the other two as well.

Here are a couple Islay's said not to have the typical Islay flavor profile, but consistently score well. If you have enjoyed these I would appreciate your thoughts. Both are quite popular.

Bunnahabhain 18 year old (92 points),
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie (89 points)

 

[The Shoe]

Here are a couple Islay's said not to have the typical Islay flavor profile, but consistently score well. If you have enjoyed these I would appreciate your thoughts. Both are quite popular.

Bunnahabhain 18 year old (92 points),
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie (89 points)

Sorry. Can’t help you there, but I’ll keep an eye out. Scotch is great value for money over here, but you rarely see anything but the more popular ones.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Set for MNF with some Cragganmore 12.

 

[Blare]

Kicking back to take in the election results enjoying ShineBall (cinnamon infused moonshine) and an OPS era Portis

buckle up... it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Milton's phrase, seeing the night sky "powdered with stars" comes to mind as my dog and I walk down to the lakeside to watch the night sky.


My father had my brothers and I read the book Paradise Lost as kids. As you would expect any English Professor to do, he had us memorize, reflect meaning and discuss the book (s). The good is I can recall parts of the book. Cheers to my father who passed 2 years ago EOM November. No mourning, just reflection tonight.


“A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold,
And pavement stars—as starts to thee appear
Soon in the galaxy, that milky way
Which mightly as a circling zone thou seest
Powder'd wiht stars.” John Milton - Paradise Lost


Sipping a Surly IPA while thinking of powder in the sky.

Eric -