In the spirit of the season I went out to my local beer store and picked up a few different Christmas brews, or winter brews if you prefer.  I will review some of the beers that are easy to get out west, while Jim will focus on ALL the other beers.  I know that you […]

Have you ever noticed that some good things and some bad things come with age.  In time you learn that the bad things might not have been as bad as you thought they were when you were going through them.  Take for example the fall of the Greek empire, I’m sure it really blew for […]

This is a little bit of an odd week for the blog.  Typically we post a Whatcha Havin’ post on Friday, but this is a short week, and people are all over the place, so here is our Holiday version of the Whatcha Havin’ post.  It is Thanksgiving week, and in my household that means […]

Nothing evokes more of an emotional response than the color red.  It seems people either love it or hate it, and there are fewer people in the middle than other colors.  I fall in the middle, I think some things red are great, and others are not so good.  Take for example hair.  My wife […]

Argh, Ye Mateys!  Listen up, I’m gonna tell you a tale of adventure and debauchery on the high seas!  Twas a lovely evening when the pearl set out to do a little sailin’ and some plunderin’.  The crew was well rested from some much deserved shore leave and drinkin’ and fornicatin’ the previous evenin’. After […]

I’ve never been that into horse racing.  I have known a couple of people who own horses and have raced and been involved in horse racing at the regional level in the west, and one thing for certain is it gets into your blood, and it is something that is impossible to do casually.  When […]

Now I know that Mega beers are pretty bad, and most of you don’t like them, or if you do you keep it to yourself, and there are some whiskeys, especially the blends that are truly bad.  They can elicit the kind of look you see above from me.  I’m not too interested in your […]

There are just some words in the English language that evoke a negative feeling.  For example the word “terminal”.  If you are in a doctor’s office that is not the word you want to hear.  It is typically used there to mean the end of life, and lets face it, when it comes right down to it […]

Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, but it was taken in a bar with very low lighting.  As you can see this is a bottle of A.H. Hirsch Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.  It is 93 proof and aged 22 years in Oak.  I had a sample of this on a recent trip to […]

The Lompoc Brewery in Portland, Oregon has been an on again off again affair.  In the 50’s and 60’s the Old Lompoc House was a well known tavern on 1st and Arthur in SW Portland.  The New Old Lompoc opened on May 6, 2000. But the Old Lompoc Brewery (as it was formerly known) has […]

It has been quite the journey of discovery for me and Wheat Bourbons.  I have found some I liked, and others I loved.  I know there are more wheat bourbons out there for me to try, but I thought I would bring this series to a close.  I have found a great appreciation for the […]

I’ve always traveled a lot for my work.  Since I have been a professional planner I have been going places either to conferences, training sessions, or in my later years as a consultant for project work.  Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to travel to Portland, Oregon for a transportation summit put on by […]

Billy Idol has got great style!  Whether you like his music or not, you have to admire his unabashed and unapologetic approach to his life and his fame.  He openly admits to drug use, and has said he uses recreationally, but hasn’t ever been addicted to anything.  Again he states the truth, he chose to […]

What do you get when you combine an insane amount of hops in a beer that uses plenty of two row malt and Munich malt, and age it in the bottle before releasing it?  Leafer Madness from Beer Valley Brewing in Ontario, Oregon.  Their web site states that in addition to the two malts there […]

Van Gogh was an amazing artist.  Some of his most inspired, I think are his paintings of wheat.  The colors, the shadow play, the texture, and depth of these paintings seem to me to be some of his best work.  I also like the analogy to bourbon, the color the depth, and mouth feel (texture) […]