Governor McDonnell Improves His Beer Choice

A couple of years ago we learned that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has a preference for Miller Lite. Now it appears he is learning a bit about good beer. Really good beer in fact.

Nelson County Life is reporting that Governor McDonnell and First Lady, Maureen McDonnell took a tour recently of the Devils Backbone production brewery in Lexington.

©2012 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photo By Yvette Stafford : Jason Oliver (left) head brewmaster at DBBC, gives Governor Bob McDonnell & VA first lady Maureen McDonnell a tour of the new outpost production facility in Lexington this past Friday 2.10.12

See "VA Governor Bob McDonnell Tours Devils Backbone Outpost In Lexington" for the story and more pictures.

Beer Bottle Chandelier

I guess this qualifies as one of those gifts for the beer fan who has everything. Barlite.com makes beer bottle enhanced sconces and chandeliers. The lights are decorative frames that hold beer bottles which are illuminated from behind. Since you supply the beer bottles, I suppose the colors and designs are limited only by your beer preferences.

They're a little rich for my bank account, but if any of my friends decide to order, I'll be happy to help you furnish it.

See more designs here.

(I have association with the company. Simply reporting what I find interesting.)

Cover Me

When Colleen and I are shooting together, we'll occasionally include scenario and verbalization drills in our training. Some of those involve providing cover while the other reloads.

Who knew?

And vice versa.

Start 'em Young

Saw this on Overheard in D.C.

Beer snobbery starts at home

In the beer aisle of the Adams Morgan Harris Teeter, 1:00 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday:

A 30-something mother has her two-year-old son in the seat in the cart facing the fridge.

Child: (pointing towards a row of Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPAs) "Fish!"
Mom: (laughs, to self) "Haha. Fish. (To child, slowly enunciating) Dog-fish-Head!"
Child: "Dogfish Head."

Well, okay then.

2012 Beer Style Guidelines

The Brewers Association has released their 2012 Beer Style Guidelines. Frankly, it's a bit overwhelming and bewildering. I am an admitted craft beer fan. I like trying out new beers, and I enjoy (attempting) to speak intelligently about them. But, the guidelines by which beers are judged in the United States lists 140 unique categories of beer!

The publishers base their guidelines on historical significance, authenticity or a high profile in the current commercial beer market. Each entry includes a detailed description of the beer giving information such as ABV, aroma, appearance, along with historical notes where appropriate. All of this is of great importance to brewers and judges. For the rest of us it does provide some interesting, even if superfluous, information.

Did I mention there are 140 different styles?

See the 2012 Beer Style Guidelines for all the gory details.

PSA For Men

You're welcome.

The Lines Are Drawn

There's a battle over religious freedom brewing in the United States. Currently the aggressors are focusing on the Catholic faithful. However, people of all faiths should be concerned. While the opening volley happens to focus on the Catholic church, this is ultimately an attack on all Americans and on the freedoms we treasure. Russell Shaw opined last year that religious persecution in the United States "will be a tight-lipped campaign of secularist inspiration in which the coercive power of the state is brought to bear on church-related institutions to act against conscience or go out of business."

The declaration by President Barack Hussein Obama ordering the Catholic Church to violate its fundamental beliefs was only the first wave of an assault that shows no sign of letting up. The president's declaration was met, thankfully, by indignation by the Church in the U.S. Over most of the country last weekend, Catholics heard statements from their Bishops, read during Mass, condemning this attack. Here in the Arlington Diocese, we heard a statement from Bishop Loverde.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of Military Services also issued a statement to be read by chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces. In an unmitigated attack on religious freedom, the Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains told Catholic chaplains they could not read the statement. Think about that for a moment — a branch of the United States military ordering the silencing of the Catholic chaplains. Not only is the Obama administration telling the Church it must implement polices that violate the First Amendment and that are directly contrary to teachings of the faith, the administration is now invading the sanctuary by trying to control what is preached from the pulpit. If a politician opens a meeting with a prayer, the left, and the ACLU, get their knickers all in a twist. Yet when the federal government tries to control what a Priest says from the pulpit the silence is deafening.

The freedom of religion in the U.S. was once sacrosanct. No more. This administration, aided by the leftist media, has drawn a line in the sand and is daring the faithful to cross it.

This is not the first time the Church has faced a state-sponsored war. If this battle is to be won, it's time for the 25% of Americans who claim to be Catholic to stand up and be Catholic. Stop supporting heretical "catholics" like Biden, Pelosi and Sebelius. Learn what the Catholic Church really teaches and speak out. We must not stand idly by while the Church is attacked, and ultimately freedom is destroyed. Remember the words of Pope Pius XI, "Let us thank God that he makes us live among the present problems; it is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre."

Virginia Moonshiner Busted

Last month, the diligent agents of VA Alcoholic Beverage Control busted a Roanoke County man for running an illegal still.

Special agents with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) have apprehended a man for manufacture of illegal whiskey in Roanoke County. 

Last Friday, Jan. 27, agents located two active distilleries and said they witnessed a man manufacturing illegal booze.

The agents arrested James Ricky Lyle, 61, of the 2000 block of Sunnyvale Street, in a bust that they said started 18 months ago. 

They seized two active copper stills,--one 75 gallon still and one 50 gallon still—four firearms, $11,000 in cash, and lots of mason jars.

I added the emphasis in the third paragraph. The State spent 18 months investigating and then confiscating 200 gallons of moonshine. Since the VA ABC exists to generate revenue for the state, was that a good return on the investment in tax dollars? You decide.

See "ABC agents bust Va. moonshiner for more on this story.

It's A Major Award

Well, maybe not major, but I'm flattered nonetheless. Two bloggers who I read regularly nominated Musings Over A Pint for this award. I'm not sure where or how it started, but the Liebster Blog award is sort of a chain letter of mutual admiration passed among bloggers.

First, "TinCan Assassin" who blogs at Nine Pound Sledgehammer sent it my way. TC is a fellow Catholic and gun enthusiast. Soon after than, Andy over at In Search of the Tempestuous Sea passed on the nomination. Andy is a fellow Virginian, gun enthusiast and computer geek. I read both of these blogs regularly and I'm humbled that they thought of me.

But here's where I fall down on the job. The "rules" that go along with the award is that I'm supposed to nominate 5 other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers, and then comment on their blogs to let them know. I started going through my blog list and found that so many of them have already been awarded, often more than once. Of course, the two bloggers mentioned above would have been at the top of my list.

Instead I offer this for my readers. First, visit Nine Pound Sledgehammer and In Search of the Tempestuous Sea and read what these guys have to say. Then click on the tabs at the top of top of this blog and visit the many blogs listed therein. These are all blogs I read regularly. If they all weren't worthy of an award I wouldn't be reading them.

That's Not A Solution

I have a friend who drinks Miller Lite exclusively. And he adds salt to it before he drinks it. I once asked him why and he replied it improved the taste. Huh? Naturally I suggested he simply start with a better tasting beer in the first place. He was unconvinced.

Now there's a new product called "Hops Drops" that was developed as a flavor enhancing addition for cheap beer.

Which brings me back to the question I asked of my swill-salting friend, "Why not start with good tasting beer in the first place?"

As an aside, I was once told the idea of putting salt in beer came from WW II vets returning from Europe who were disgusted by the taste of mass-market swill available in the states. In the 1940's they may have had an excuse. With the abundance of good breweries today, there's no excuse.