Bitter American

IRS targeting critics of the administration, Benghazi abandonment, eavesdropping on reporters, ATF gun sales, Holder perjury, Solyndra, attacks on the Church ...  Oh wait, this post isn't about why alert Americans are angry and bitter, today were talking about another Bitter American, the beer.

So, starting over...

Bitter American from 21st Amendment Brewery pours a cloudy, marmalade color with a frothy white head. The head is persistent and leaves behind a sticky lacing. The beer has a citrus and biscuity malt aroma. Starting out with a pleasing grapefruit citrus, the flavor also brings some fruitiness in the background. The moderately thick mouthfeel is mixed with a tingly carbonation.

21st Amendment Bitter American is very low in alcohol, checking in at just 4.4% ABV. However, that does not mean it's lacking in taste. I found it to be an exceptionally flavorful beer, and the sessionable nature of the beer is a bonus. I cracked one open after an afternoon at the range, while waiting for the grill to heat up for our Father's Day dinner. I took advantage of the low ABV and poured another to accompany the Jalapeño cheese topped burgers. It was a delicious pairing.

Father's Day On The Range

Colleen and I decided to take a chance on the range crowd to do some Father's Day shooting. I packed up the new clay targets stands and the shotgun, in addition to the pistol gear. We set up the stands and spent about 30 minutes busting clays. Although the stands were an impulse purchase, they proved to be handy, and a lot of fun. They were easy to move around to different places. I think I'll pick up a few more in the future to expand the course of fire.

We went through several boxes of shells before moving over to a now open pistol range. Setting up a couple targets we spent the rest of the time putting holes in cardboard. I didn't really work on any specific drills, it was just fun to be outside and shooting with Colleen. (Okay, I did work a bit on my neglected strong-hand shooting, but that's it. Well, and weak-hand shooting. And a few heads shots. But that's all. The rest was just fun plinking, I swear.) After a few hundred rounds we packed up and headed home, just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.

The rain was short-lived and had stopped by time we got home. Father's Day concluded with opening a couple of good beers and grilling burgers for dinner. Surprised? It was a perfect ending to a fun weekend. 

I See A Sticky Phone

And a lot of spilled beer.

The Salve Jorge Bar in Sao Paolo has altered their beer glasses in an attempt to keep patrons' eyes off their cell phones, and on their friends.

See "Specially Designed Beer Glass Prevents Phone Use In Bars" for more on the "offline glass."

Last Pint Poured

It was with great shock and sadness that I learned of our friend Greg's passing this weekend. Musings readers know of Greg due to his recent win in the preliminary round of the National Homebrew Competition. I chatted with Greg a couple weeks ago when I dropped off the growler of Lost Rhino New River Pale Ale. Greg was an avid home brewer, who was inspired to get into the craft after enjoying the original release of that beer. He was surprised and excited to have the chance to try it once again. Over the years, Greg became an unabashed hop head, but still appreciated his "roots."

Greg always wore a smile and was a genuinely kind human being. His love for his family and his faith was obvious to all. He was an active volunteer at our parish school and with the community swim team. He was an Army veteran who never lost his drive to serve others. Last weekend, Greg was doing what he loved most, spending time with his son. They were camping, along with another father and son, when he apparently succumbed to a massive heart attack.

Greg leaves behind his son, who just graduated from 8th grade last week, and a loving wife. Words cannot express the sorrow felt at this unexpected loss. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family. I hope all the readers of this blog who are so inclined, will also pray for Greg's eternal peace, and especially for his wife and son as they face this difficult time.

Greg named his home brewery "Hunting Run" after a local waterway, and his many friends were privileged to enjoy the quality beers he brewed and shared. I still have a bottle of a Munich Helles that he sent over just a few weeks ago. Soon I'll open that bottle and raise a special toast to the memory of this fine man. Rest in peace friend.

Father's Day Road Trip

As an early Fathers' Day celebration, we spent Saturday on the road, taking in local gun shops and local breweries. What else would you expect?

Our first stop was the recently opened Airsoft GI Tactical store in Richmond. Our son frequently participates in air soft games so this stop was ostensibly for him, but I wanted to look around too. No sooner did we walk in the door did I spy an air soft replica of the SIG P226 I use in USPSA competition. Knowing little nothing about these guns, I spent just about the entire visit chatting with the store employee about it. I was sorely tempted when he offered me the chance to try it out in the store's range, but I declined. Next time perhaps.

Next we moved on to the iconic Green Top. I was simply interested in browsing, and also picking up another NEVCO target stand to add to my assemblage. (Like ammo, one can never have too much target paraphernalia.) While looking at the stands, I spied some clay stands, designed to hold clay pigeons for shotgun practice. We typically prop the clays up on tree stumps and other assorted pieces of wood, but these metal holders would add some height and variety. So my family decided a few of those would go along with the other stand for a Father's Day gift. Ties are cliché, shooting accessories make the preferred gifts around here!

That done we headed up the road to Bass Pro Shops. Again, just for more window shopping, but first, food. We decided to eat at the in-store restaurant and I jokingly pointed out the fried alligator appetizer featured there. Except I wasn't joking, I fully intended to order it. (BTW, it doesn't taste like chicken.) The appetizer, along with a tasty oyster po-boy made for a filling lunch.

Browsing through the shooting sports section followed the meal, and then it was time to move on to the beer-focused part of the day. The first stop on this leg was Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland. There I enjoyed a pint of Ray Ray's Pale Ale. This ale has a fresh, almost green, bitter and citrus hop profile, and was very tasty. Colleen went the malt route with a Main St. Altbier. I took a couple sips from her cup, and could detect the rich malt flavors, but my palate was too tainted from the lingering bitterness of the pale ale to get a proper impression. I enjoyed my beer very much, though I was a bit taken back by the disposable plastic cups being used. Perhaps that's a choice made in deference to the outdoor patio service. We arrived at the brewery just a few minutes after the 3:00PM opening time, and watched the place fill with people quickly. It seems to be a popular Saturday afternoon stop and there was soon a long line for beer. I did pick up a bottle of Homefront IPA to bring home, which will be the subject of a future review.

The final stop on our day trip was Rusty Beaver Brewery in Ladysmith. This micro-brewery opened just this Friday. Located in a strip shopping center, we actually drove right by it twice before realizing where the combination home brew supply shop and brewery was. (GPS guidance is not always that helpful.)

I typically prefer to pick just one or two beers at a new place and enjoy a full-size serving, however I was undecided on what beer to try, so I broke from my usual routine and opted for a flight of all five beers. Of the five, Colleen and I both enjoyed Roy's Big Bad Brown Ale and The Quake Stout the most. The Brown Ale had a subtle chocolate and brown sugar flavor with a mild bitterness. The Stout had a mild espresso flavor. There was nothing extreme about the Rusty Beaver beers, and they were all drinkable. Since we only had small tastes of each, I brought home a growler of the Brown Ale for a more in-depth review in the near future. I spoke to brewer Austin and his plan for the future is to brew larger batches at the nearby family farm, and use the small system at the store front for small batches of special beers. I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to stopping in again.

It was a very enjoyable trip. We at some good food, looked at some firearms, and enjoyed a few new beers. The fun will continue soon at the range with the new target stands, to be followed by even more beer to enjoy. Thanks to my wonderful family for a fun day!

Caffeine Withdrawal Is A Mental Disorder

Here's another reason why I refuse to give up my other favorite brewed beverage. The American Psychiatric Association has listed caffeine withdrawal as a recognized mental disorder in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). A member of the working group that put together that manual says, 

We feel that there is enough data to support a caffeine-withdrawal syndrome. There are enough people who go into withdrawal — that if they don’t get caffeine, it becomes a real syndrome and can affect work, sleep, or whatever they need to do. So we’re suggesting that it ‘make the big leagues’ and become part of the DSM to make sure everyone is aware of it.

If you enjoy your morning, and afternoon, and evening, coffee. Keep it up. There are enough crazy people in the world already. 

See "Caffeine Withdrawal Is Now a Mental Disorder" for more on the report.

Bar Tabs For Dummies

Tip #101: When running a bar tab, it's probably not a good idea to use a stolen credit card.

Crime Report: Two Men Run Up Bar Charge With Stolen Credit Card

So these geniuses started a tab, using a pilfered credit card, and sat at the bar while the system tracked them down. No word on their beverage of choice.

Quantico USPSA Match - Gunfire and Cicadas

It was a tough weekend for practical shooters in the area. I know of two matches that had to be cancelled due to poor range conditions from the heavy rains last week. Fortunately, I had signed up for the Quantico Shooting Club match, which came off as planned. This Sunday's match was a classifier match with 6 USPSA Classification stages, and just one field course.

Two of the stages, "Night Moves" and "El Strong and Weak Pres" required single handed shooting. The latter was especially challenging as the three targets all fanned out from behind a single no-shoot target. Not sure if it's indication of the challenge involved, but by time our squad shot this one, our last stage of the match, the supply box had been emptied of white pasters! And, if there's a lesson to be taken away from the match, it's that I really need to work on my strong hand and weak hand only shooting.

I didn't hit this no-shoot.

The lone field course was a 32 round stage with paper targets and steel plates hidden, quite well in places, among copious walls and vision barriers. Several targets were visible only through narrow openings. Shooting the stage involved a lot of bobbing and leaning back and forth to see all the targets. The final two targets were placed beyond a building and could only be engaged by lining up the shots through openings in opposite walls. Imagine standing on your front porch and shooting through the front window and out the back door. It was a very fun stage to shoot, and I was very happy to keep my plan in mind so as to not miss shooting any targets.

There are targets are back there. Somewhere.

It was a noisy day on the range too. There were busloads of Marines shooting on the next range over, and letting off large barrages of gunfire which drowned out conversations at times. The 17 year Cicada "swarmageddon" was still going quite strong on the base, and their amorous song was a constant presence. They were also frequently found hanging on targets, and people. I even pulled one out of my range bag.

Alas, I never got into a good groove with my shooting and I did not put in a good performance. I think just one of the classifiers will help my percentage. Nonetheless, it was a fun time and I enjoyed the time shooting and chatting with friends. There's always the next match...

More Beer, More Mad Fox

We spent another Saturday morning in NoVA while our son finished his Life Guard certification classes, so we killed the time doing "beer stuff." First stop, Norm's Beer & Wine in Vienna. I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm at this store. So many beers, so many decisions.

Two large boxes of goodies loaded into the car and we were off for lunch at Mad Fox. In a switch from the "big" beers I enjoyed during our visit last week, I opted for "lighter" fare this time. I started off with The Elixir Maibock. This lager pours a dark golden in color with a bready, toasted aroma. The flavor is a rich, sweet malt with toasted and caramel notes. The finish is pleasantly bitter with just a hint of sweetness. I enjoyed it very much, and finished it quickly so I needed to order another beer to accompany my lunch. For that round, I opted to follow our friend Checkered Flag's lead and ordered the Kölsch that he was enjoying. Crisp, citrusy mild hops, with a faint malt sweetness, made a good foil to the spicy meats of "The Mob" pizza I ate for lunch. 

Dining with family and close friends who also appreciate good beer is always an advantage as we get to try out more variety through shared sips. Colleen opted for another beer that I had wanted to try, Mason’s Dark Mild. This is a true "session beer" at just 3.3% ABV. Dark in color with a rich roasted coffee aroma, the taste does not disappoint either. It's a flavorful blend of roasted espresso and dark chocolate. Mason's Dark Mild packs a big flavor in an extremely low alcohol beer.

His Life Guard certification complete, I wonder if I can convince the boy to take more classes that require us spending time wandering Northern Virginia. The past two weekends provided a great excuse to visit some new, and old favorite, beer stops!

Now That's Fast Shooting

A Grand Master duel.

And I was thrilled just to get the gun out of the holster in .7 seconds.