A Tough Job

But someone has to do it.

Last week a friend dropped off some variations of his award-winning Pike Ale. He was seeking opinions on the three different versions in a blind taste test. So Wednesday evening Colleen and I sat down and "worked' our way through the beers.

Wow, it was a hard decision to pick a favorite. All three are quite good, and any of them I would have enjoyed without complaint. We based our "judging" on taste alone — how much we enjoyed drinking the beer. The beers were extremely similar in flavor, with just subtle variations. After our initial opinions were recorded, we walked away, snacked on some almonds and drank some water. Coming back to the warmed beers, we finished them off, and came up with the same ranking order. Despite having different "favorite" beer styles, Colleen and I both agreed on the same sample as our favorite.

A tough job, but one that I was willing to take on. After all, what are friends for?

Sights and Sounds of Spring

Even though we've enjoyed some warm(ish) weather, it's often felt like the Spring, and all that accompanies it, would never arrive and stay. However, Tuesday the skies were clear, and the temps in the 80's. So we went out for some of this:

We worked up a sweat in the sun, so later we treated ourselves to this:

Yep, it was a good day.

Ommegang Ommegeddon

After an exciting and exhausting day of shooting, it was time to sit back and enjoy a good beer. (So there you nosey hoplophobes.) I broke out an old bottle of Ommegang Ommegeddon Funkhouse Ale. This explosive-themed beer seemed to be just the thing for the occasion. The bottle was labeled Batch #2, March 2008, and was a gift from a friend some years back.

Ommegeddon is described as a Belgian-style ale with the addition of Brettanomyces yeast, along with dry hopping. The beer pours a bright amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma brings notes of sour apple, citrus, pepper, and bready malts, all with a musty undertone. The initial flavor is citrus and some funky yeast. There's an interesting juxtaposition of sweetness and mild sourness in the taste. The complex flavor profile includes hints of pepper, fruit, and toasted malt. There's copious tingling carbonation present and the beer finishes dry and slightly astringent. The 8% ABV is not readily apparent.

I didn't know what to expect from this beer. That hesitation might have contributed to it being left for so long in storage. However, we enjoyed this very much and found it to offer an interesting combination of flavors. We accompanied our drink with a bowl of fresh strawberries and bananas, and believe it or not, a chocolate bar. It all made for an enjoyable finish to the day. The Ommegang Brewery website lists Ommegeddon on their "historical ales" page, so I'm guessing that the beer is no longer being produced. But I'll keep an eye out for sure.

VA/MD Section Match

"That was fun!" "What a great match!" Those exclamations are the common theme of shooters I've talked to after this weekend's FNH Virginia Maryland Section Championship match. Held Friday through Saturday at the Fredericksburg Rod and Gun Club, the match drew some 300 participants from the around the mid-Atlantic region. The match was comprised of nine stages, requiring about 240 rounds to complete. In contrast to the large squads at a typical monthly match at Fredericksburg, squads at the Sectional had just 8 shooters, so things moved pretty fast, with very little down time.

I shot the match on Saturday morning. The weather forecast for the weekend was best described as "iffy." The prognosticators were calling for rain Saturday, in various forms ranging from scattered thunderstorms, to occasional showers, to steady rain. As it turned out, there was a light, sporadic rain most of the morning, along with one brief period of heavy and steady rain.

I always view the first stage of the match as the place to get the kinks out, get loosened up, and put the pre-match nerves behind me. I was happy that I drew a fairly straightforward stage as my first of the day. Fourteen targets laid out along an L-shaped course. I ran my stage plan without hesitation, made smooth reloads, and got my hits. With that, the nerves were gone and I was ready for the rest of the day.

One of the more exciting reasons for going to major matches is the opportunity to shoot unique courses of fire that don't come up in monthly matches. Stage 9, "Stan Hurley's Hallway" was one such course. The course was a narrow, curving roofed hallway constructed of plywood with narrow ports on both sides through which most of the targets were engaged. For this stage I wore foam ears plugs underneath my electronic ear protection to cut down on the inevitable echo. There were a few targets before entering the dark hallway, as well outside at the end. The rest of the targets were visible from narrow points in the tunnel. I had been looking forward to this stage since first saw the stage diagram, and it didn't disappoint.

There were a couple "memory" stages, where it was imperative that you had your plan down pat, otherwise it would be easy to miss targets, or shoot some twice. I asked one of the RO's how many targets were in one such course, and he jokingly replied "Eight. Or seven or nine, depending on how you shoot it." One of my goals this year has been to be able to visualize the entire stage, before shooting it. I was happy that this goal was realized for this match, especially for these memory stages.

There wasn't a lot of steel in the match. One stage had a couple of falling poppers that activated some clamshell targets. Hitting the steel then swinging to hit the rising target before it is covered is one of those challenges I enjoy seeing in match, but one that I do not get to practice.

All the other steel in the match was on Stage 6, "The Whole Nine Yards." This was the last stage I shot, and it was both challenging and fun — a good way to end the day. You started out facing a wall with two targets to engage on either side of the bay. It was then the shooter's choice to advance down either side of a wall that extended down range. There was a low port in the wall mid-way down, through which a single target was visible. It was at the end of the wall that the real excitement happened. Five falling poppers, and the oft-dreaded Texas Star, where waiting, along with more paper targets. Also there were strategically placed walls which blocked access to the entire group of poppers, the star and the remaining paper. Depending on how the shooter chose to engage the targets, there was some back and forth movement required to get them all. During the 5 minute walk through period, our squad was clustered at that end of the stage determine how we'd engage those targets. The challenge was increased by the Texas Star behind partially blocked, possibly requiring the shooter to wait for the plates to swing around again. (He writes knowingly.)

Despite a few misses and a couple "tactical" errors, I was very happy with how I shot and I enjoyed this match immensely. Even the one stage I shot in the pouring rain did not dampen the fun. After shooting well at the beginning, I found myself beginning to go too fast on a couple of stages and dropping points. I quickly calmed down and got back to focusing on making my hits. The courses of fire were all well-designed and offered a variety of shooting challenges. There were extremely close targets that could be shot on the run, long-range targets that required careful aim, wide-open shots, and targets visible only through small openings. And often all these aspects came together on the same stage. The course designers did an excellent job! The match flowed smoothly and was well-organized. Without a doubt this was one of the most exciting and fun matches I've shot. I came home with wet gear, wet clothes, and a smile on my face.

Homefront IPA

Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland, VA is announcing the upcoming release of Homefront IPA. Proceeds from sales of Homefront IPA will go to support Operation Homefront, a charity that provides emergency assistance to our military heroes and their families. The efforts of nine participating breweries are coordinated by Hops for Heroes, which was co-founded by Center of the Universe.

In a press release, Center of the Universe announced this year's Homefront IPA ambassador.

HOPS FOR HEROES ANNOUNCES JIM JOHNSON AS AMBASSADOR FOR HOMEFRONT IPA IN THE VIRGINIA/DC/MARYLAND AREA 

Baltimore closer Jim Johnson is proud to support “Hops for Heroes” and Homefront IPA and thanks Center of the Universe Brewing Company in Virginia for their efforts.  

Ashland, Virginia, May 2: Hops for Heroes and Homefront IPA are proud to announce the support of Baltimore closer Jim Johnson and name him ambassador for the charitable efforts in Virginia.  

Center of the Universe Brewing Company, located in Ashland, Virginia will release Homefront IPA on Thursday, May 23rd at the Richmond Flying Squirrels Stadium. They will also hold a special event in their tasting room on Saturday, May 25th with all proceeds benefitting Operation Homefront. 

Other baseball ambassadors will be announced in Washington, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania.

COTU founder, Chris Ray is a former pitcher for Baltimore, Seattle, Texas and San Francisco. Appropriately, Homefront IPA is aged on Louisville Slugger maple bats. 

Flying Dog St. EADman

St. EADman Belgian Dark Ale is part of the Flying Dog Brew House Rarities series, and I believe the first one to be bottled. Frankly, I am not sure how the oddly capitalized name is meant to be pronounced. The bottle conditioned beer is named in honor of Ralph Steadman, the artist behind the brewery's edgy labels. The St. EADman label features a self-portrait of the artist.

Colleen and I shared the bottle with a guest on a recent evening. Even split three-ways, at 10% AB, the 750 ml bottle sufficed for all three of us during our late evening tasting. However our friend did remark, "Do you have any more like this?"

St. EADman pours a very dark, chocolate brown with a frothy and persistent beige head. The aroma is predominately dark fruit, raisins, with a hint of sweet cherry. The flavor has a mild sweetness with dark toffee and caramel. Hints of dark cherry, figs, raisons are some of the fruits that come in to play as well. The mouthfeel is creamy and slightly acidic in the finish. The alcohol is well-hidden, with just a bit of warmth showing up at the end. Overall a very enjoyable, but not overly complex libation.

I received this review bottle from the brewery late last year. I put it in the cellar and forgot about it until this week. That's too bad, as I would have liked to gotten more. It was a one-time brew, released in the mid-Atlantic area in November 2012. If you see any around, be sure to pick it up.

Note: This beer was provided by the brewery. It is through my own free will that I consumed and reviewed it. No compensation was received for this review.

Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth

A group of hoplophobes, and possible neo-prohibitionists as well, this week launched a campaign designed to pressure daily deal promoter LivingSocial into ceasing deals that include firearms and alcohol. Not having any logical basis or facts on which to base their rants, these groups resort to innuendo and distortions.

The advocacy groups – including CREDO Action, The Gun Truth Project and MomsRising – say promoting deals that integrate shooting and drinking only encourages that combination at the threat to public safety. 

The groups are invoking December's shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School to argue that companies like LivingSocial should refrain from endorsing deals that glorify firearms, particularly in combination with alcohol. 

"In the wake of Newtown, I'd like to know how the people who own or work for LivingSocial can justify profiting from the packaging of AK-47 shooting sprees with an evening of bourbon shots," Becky Bond, CREDO's political director, said in a statement. 

The company, she added, "is endangering the public health by suggesting pairing assault weapons with alcohol binges is just good clean fun." 

Could Ms. Bond get any more inane in her comments; "threat to public safety," "glorify firearms," "shooting sprees with an evening of bourbon shots," "alcohol binges?" Talk about projection.

Curious about the offers that are causing these hand wringers such heartburn, I searched out a past LivingSocial Adventure, and found "AK47s, Rifles and Pistols Followed By 8 Drink Tastings." The deal included "55 Shots On a Rifle, Pistol, and AK-47." That's hardly a "shooting spree." I doubt there's even a mag change involved with any of the weapons. The shooting was done at an indoor range, under the supervision of expert instructors, who provide safety instruction and equipment. After shooting, the participants will travel to another location for "eight tastings of wine, beer, or liquor." The participants even travel to and from the event in a chartered bus.

It's well-documented that the busybodies who babble on about some imaginary danger from firearms are projecting their own inadequacies on to others. They seek to force others to relinquish rights due to their own inability to make responsible decisions. This is the same mindset that gives us large soda bans and school pencil suspensions. It's the same sort of meddling that caused the yentas in Queens to call the police on a dad playing with his kids in a park.

An afternoon of shooting, followed by drinks with friends. Sounds like a Tuesday to me.

Practicing During the Ammo Shortage

If there's an "upside" to the ammo shortage, it's that it forces me to put in more efficient practice sessions. I know that I should have a plan in mind when hitting the range, but it doesn't always happen. Face it, shooting is fun, and it's easy to spend time "playing." Recently, I've forced myself to have specific drills in mind before arriving at the range. The upcoming VA/MD Section match is also inspiring some focused practice time.

A couple weeks ago I hit the range with 200 rounds in hand, and spent the entire session using a timer to practice a quick, reactive draw followed by two shots on target. I did this from 7, 10, 15, and 20 yards. My main points of concentration was a smooth trigger pull without losing sight focus. I paid a lot of attention to the difference in timing and acceptable sight picture at the various distances.
Goal: Better stage starts and accurate first shot.

Another recent drill was a shorter, 100 round session. Despite the low round count, I felt there were great benefits. I set up two targets and a steel plate. The first few magazines were used working on hitting the plate from the draw at 20 yards. I still need to do more work but I was very happy with the hits that day. The rest of the practice was spent transitioning between the two paper and the steel target from about 12 yards, which is a good median distance.
Goal: Accurate hits when moving between targets; on both the exit and arrival targets. And more confidence on steel.

Last week I had planned a session to work on movement, but the range was muddy and under water in places. So I again set up the two USPSA targets and a low 8”steel and found "high ground" at about 15 yards. The drill was run starting with a timer, putting two on each paper and finishing with one on steel. I did 30 iterations, firing a total of 150 rounds. It was an exercise in slowing to hit the steel. I had to concentrate on making that last hit. I purposefully went extra fast on paper to emphasize the change in focus needed for the steel. The holes in the paper reflected that; about a third of the hits were in the C zone.
Goal: Adjusting speed to reflect target size and better target transitions.

All of these sessions were low round count and were done in 30 minutes or so. They were fun and, hopefully, beneficial.

And yes, sometimes we still just play.

Gubernatorial Hops

The Washington DC Examiner is reporting that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is making a contribution to the local craft beer scene:

Virginia's craft brewers have an ally in Gov. Bob McDonnell, who will soon be contributing his own hops to the growing industry. McDonnell planted a total of about 15 hops vines on the grounds of the governor's Richmond mansion Monday and expects a harvest from the 2-year-old cascade vines this August. 

"Virginia was once a hotbed of hops production," Todd Haymore, Virginia's secretary of agriculture and forestry, told Yeas & Nays, citing Thomas Jefferson and George Washington as past growers. "We're coming back around to our history."

Haymore hopes the hops will be used in a commemorative beer to highlight the Virginia craft beer industry, and to recognize this year's 200th anniversary of the Executive Mansion.

The Governor visited Devils Backbone Brewing in Nelson County last year. I guess he liked what he saw, or tasted.

See "Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell joins craft brewing movement" for more information on the hops at the Executive Mansion.

Beer Excise Taxes By State

For your consumption...

H/T to Fr. Z.