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Mrs. Piehole and I have a rescue dog. A doberman pinscher (her fourth dobe, my third). We adopted him from the wonderful people at Illinois Doberman Rescue almost a year ago. It still amazes me how quickly this guy has become a part of our pack… um… I mean family. We love him like crazy, and he’s clearly become pretty attached to us as well. read more
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One of the things I love about brewing my own beer is that once I got the basic techniques down I was able to brew styles that appeal to me but aren’t readily available at the liquor store (or even a really good beer store). There are dozens of IPA’s out there that are as good or better than any IPA I can brew, so it doesn’t feel like a good investment of time and effort to brew one of those. Harder to find are the British best bitters, the Belgian patersbiers, the Finnish sahtis. Its how I ended up competing with a style called roggenbier, a German rye ale. I couldn’t find a single commercial example of roggenbier in America, but when I brewed my first batch of it I fell in love with the style. I entered it in competition to see if I was getting it right, and the rest is history trivia. read more
I’m a whiskey guy. And the Manhattan is a classic whiskey cocktail. A simple recipe of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. And maybe a cherry. But within these boundaries of simplicity there is A LOT of room to get creative.
There are a couple of small challenges of creating a new Manhattan recipe. First, you need some basic barware including a good cocktail shaker with a strainer, a double jigger, and a cocktail spoon. Optionally, have a silicon ice cube tray for making large ice cubes or (even more awesome) molds for making sphere ice cubes. None of this stuff is particularly expensive, and you get kitted up with all of this bar gear for about $25 of online shopping. (Repeated disclaimer: I’m not selling anything or making any money with this website. I write here cuz I like to. Any products I mention or recommend are because I’ve used them and like them, and I receive no consideration – financial or otherwise – for mentioning them. And that’s why you’re not seeing any links to barware right now. I’m happy to make barware recommendations for any budget, just ask.) read more
There’s a lot of stress in the world lately. I feel it. My family feels it. My friends and colleagues feel it. This Corona virus quarantine has been an isolating experience for nearly everyone, and it often feels like the stress of the situation is increasingly magnified by our feelings of isolation within it. Isolation feeds the stress, stress feeds the isolation, and we spiral down the existential toilet bowl. But being free to make our own choices within our circumstances hasn’t changed, and I think several philosophers living in WWII Europe wrestled with a similar question in the midst of a world also in turmoil. I believe they have a lot to teach us about freedom, choices, anxiety, and authenticity that can help us maintain a healthy version of our selves in this time of high and wide uncertainty. read more