Great week overall!
Decent pipe lesson this week, not too much laughter and my teacher, Brian assigned me a few new songs including one of the band's favorites, the Rowan Tree. Very excited! Plus, I almost didn't pass out! I do have some minor maintenance to do this weekend on the pipes but beyond that, I see light on the horizon!
Enter the Haggis will be at The Center for the Arts in Natick next Saturday and I'll be doing some promotional work this weekend for the band. As previously posted, GREAT band and if you have the opportunity, check them out!
I had a LOT of beer since my last post! Let me clarify... In the past, I've expounded on the sampler platter of beers at brew pubs and I've hit three in the last week. Two for business, one distinctly for pleasure. The volume of beers might not be huge, but the sheer number of tiny beers is. I may not hit all the beers but, I'll hit the high and low points.
John Harvard's Brewpub, Framingham, MA:
I've reviewed this place more often than any other establishment. I've always been pleased by it and this time was no exception. Meatloaf was great, sampler was pretty decent overall. The one that sort of hit me funny was the "hop-chronic". It's another example of "how much hop can I pack in here?". Not a terrible beer when paired with something heavy, but on its own, it's like a slap in the face. The nut brown was well balanced and makes for a good pair with most anything. The Stout appeared to have some espresso in it and would have paired well with Tiarimisu. The Celtic red had a little zip to it. Interesting flavors... check it out and let me know what you think.
Boston Beer Works:
-Buckeye Oatmeal Stout: Not sure as to the naming convention but... Go blue! HA! This is by far one of the creamiest Stouts I've had to date. Sweet, malty and with a slight zip, check this one out. Pretty good!
-Pumpkin Spice: Not a terrible beer, but definitely mislabeled. Most pumpkin spice beers taste like pumpkin pie. Who could argue with that? DEEELICIOUS... This on the other hand tasted like one of those Cinnamon Red Hot candies. Had they labeled it as THAT, it would have been spot on! So again, not a bad beer, good body etc, but not very well balanced.
Granite City Food & Brewery, St. Cloud, MN:
Rarely is it that you can find a Brewpub that has both exceptional food AND top notch beer. John Harvard's is one... Granite city is its Midwest equivalent. Great beer and excellent food. I had the London broil with a red pepper & bourbon chutney. GREAT pair to most of their beers. If you're in the St. Cloud area, check it out. I was impressed not only by the physical plant, but by the growlers... I know, it sounds weird, but their growlers have a sweet handle and a grolsch style clasp top. If I had the opportunity to get it on the plane with me, I would have. Classy looking piece... By and large, the beers ran the gambit from a Miller light tasting lager (eh... fairly flat) to some pretty decent beers. The Broad Axe Stout and the Brother Benedict's Bock are two of the best of the house. Tasty beer, tasty food, great atmosphere: all in all a great place to congregate.
Attack of the Brit Beers!
This week, almost by accident, I picked up 2 different beers, both in pint bottles, both from the U.K. Coincidence? I think not.
-Wells Brewery: Banana Bread Beer: By far, one of my favorite beers out there. I had it first at the British beer company in Walpole MA and I've been a fan ever since. Spicy, complex and with a crisp and bitter finish, it's easily in my top 10. The best part is... it TASTES like Banana bread! I would pair this with... banana bread... To easy?
-St. Peter's Brewery: Cream Stout: Interesting bottle, interesting beer! I'm not sure if they could print the story on the label any smaller, but with my magnifying glass and an electron microscope, I found that the brewery has an interesting back story. I won't ruin it... Read for yourself. The beer itself had a chocolatey nose and again, an interesting finish thanks to the Fuggles and Challenger Hops. Their blend of grains made this again, a complex beer with a thick rich body, daaark color and a caramel colored head. If you're looking for something different in a Stout, check this one out.
Next post: Wachussett Brewery's Comeback beer!!
Check out Enter the Haggis!! November 21st, 8:00 at TCAN in Natick, MA!!
Prost!
Rob
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Is it bad if your teacher laughs at you?
Sorry gang, no beer reviews this week... only a heathy glass full O'shame...
Wow... of all the instruments I've learned (Up to 12 if my count is right...) Bagpipes are by far the most difficult!! The fingering alone has been a process but WELL worth it. My goal is to get these perfected over time to Gordon Duncan like consistancy. I've gotten as far as the Lemluath and the Touralouath (sp), however this week, I recieved my first lesson in humility. The practice chanter vs. the actual pipes is a completely different animal. While I've done fairly well at the Chanter, the phrase "playing the pipes is more taming a beast than playing an instrument" has never been more true. My teacher Brian has been remarkably patient, however his sadistic side has now come to light. Ahhh sweet revenge for all my poor playing over the last 10 months. I received my new pipes, a set of Duncan Soutars, the news of which the Band responds with either quizzical looks or gazes of admiration. They are, in short an exemplary example of the Great Highland Bagpipes. So... that brings me to my lesson on Thursday. This by the way is my Second time inflating the bag beyond the day that I bought the pipes (being last Sunday...)
The most important thing that I've learned so far is that you don't blow the bagpipes, you squeeze them. This for me is like when I learned jazz music... it's about the notes you DON'T play. Equal parts enigmatic and rediculous. However, there is an ounce of truth to both sayings. Please don't ask me to elaborate. It's much like figuring out what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like... I can get the drones going and fairly steady for the most part thanks to my training as a singer (thank you Carol Ann, my chamber singer director). Diaphram breathing is MOST important as it allows for the most air to enter the bag. So long and short of it, the drones are going OK and somewhat steady.
Now comes the hard part. Fire up the drones AND the chanter... I only have so much air. I have to say, I've got a LOT of hot air to spare but this is was a challenge for me. This task was only made more difficult by the fact that my instructor gave me a hard reed to work with. Whoooooo! It's tough! On a medium reed, like the one that I tried at Dick Chane's shop, I could get out a full scale, with some difficulty. BUT... On the hard reed, it takes a TON of air and quite a bit of coordination to get this thing going. If I get one note at a time, I'm lucky at best. Suffice it to say... it will be quite some time before I get a full song on the books. I WILL tame this beast!!!
Cheers!
Rob Anderson
Wow... of all the instruments I've learned (Up to 12 if my count is right...) Bagpipes are by far the most difficult!! The fingering alone has been a process but WELL worth it. My goal is to get these perfected over time to Gordon Duncan like consistancy. I've gotten as far as the Lemluath and the Touralouath (sp), however this week, I recieved my first lesson in humility. The practice chanter vs. the actual pipes is a completely different animal. While I've done fairly well at the Chanter, the phrase "playing the pipes is more taming a beast than playing an instrument" has never been more true. My teacher Brian has been remarkably patient, however his sadistic side has now come to light. Ahhh sweet revenge for all my poor playing over the last 10 months. I received my new pipes, a set of Duncan Soutars, the news of which the Band responds with either quizzical looks or gazes of admiration. They are, in short an exemplary example of the Great Highland Bagpipes. So... that brings me to my lesson on Thursday. This by the way is my Second time inflating the bag beyond the day that I bought the pipes (being last Sunday...)
The most important thing that I've learned so far is that you don't blow the bagpipes, you squeeze them. This for me is like when I learned jazz music... it's about the notes you DON'T play. Equal parts enigmatic and rediculous. However, there is an ounce of truth to both sayings. Please don't ask me to elaborate. It's much like figuring out what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like... I can get the drones going and fairly steady for the most part thanks to my training as a singer (thank you Carol Ann, my chamber singer director). Diaphram breathing is MOST important as it allows for the most air to enter the bag. So long and short of it, the drones are going OK and somewhat steady.
Now comes the hard part. Fire up the drones AND the chanter... I only have so much air. I have to say, I've got a LOT of hot air to spare but this is was a challenge for me. This task was only made more difficult by the fact that my instructor gave me a hard reed to work with. Whoooooo! It's tough! On a medium reed, like the one that I tried at Dick Chane's shop, I could get out a full scale, with some difficulty. BUT... On the hard reed, it takes a TON of air and quite a bit of coordination to get this thing going. If I get one note at a time, I'm lucky at best. Suffice it to say... it will be quite some time before I get a full song on the books. I WILL tame this beast!!!
Cheers!
Rob Anderson
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sierra Nevada Porter
Last night was Halloween, one of my favorite Pagan Celtic holidays! Trick or treaters, please... give me something to work with next year. The effort level on our street was mediocre at best. However, iPhone guy was my personal favorite. Also, I had the opportunity to hang out with some of my neighbors and sip a few beers on the porch whilst we distributed candy to the greedy beggars at our door. Jason introduced me to what could possibly be my new favorite beer, the Sierra Nevada Porter. It's a solid beer! Dark, beefy and slightly malty, it's got a good body and a hoppy snap at the finish that makes it a more than interesting beer to drink! This will be a short post in the fact that I'll say, pick up a sixer of this one, you'll not be sorry!
Also, the pipes are in house and ready for assembly. A guy in my band has to help me tie in the chanter this week, but other than that, they're BEAUTIFUL and they sound great! I had the opportunity to play them on another bag (I'm switching the bag out for the traditional leather instead of the gortex that came with the set) and I could keep the drones going and if I really pushed myself, I can get the chanter going. It's going to be a process, however, as the technique is fairly complicated. I should get the basics down, I've got a good teacher and a ton of hot air to expel!
Make it a GREAT week!
Rob
Also, the pipes are in house and ready for assembly. A guy in my band has to help me tie in the chanter this week, but other than that, they're BEAUTIFUL and they sound great! I had the opportunity to play them on another bag (I'm switching the bag out for the traditional leather instead of the gortex that came with the set) and I could keep the drones going and if I really pushed myself, I can get the chanter going. It's going to be a process, however, as the technique is fairly complicated. I should get the basics down, I've got a good teacher and a ton of hot air to expel!
Make it a GREAT week!
Rob
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