Category Archives: Beer!

Happy Thanksgiving

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  • Thursday, November 26, 2015
  • In Beer!, Food
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For the second year (not in a row), I’ve managed to make my lobster cranberry sauce gel. I’m pretty pleased about that, and the fact that my in-laws were welcoming to my bringing cranberry sauce. It seems that’s a pretty important part of my adult Thanksgiving holiday. I had to pare down quite a bit, and this was something I opted to keep.

Cranberry sauce in a lobster geletin mold in the foreground, whole cranberries in the back ground. All clearly in a fridge.

I imagine most of you won’t see this until after dinner; more likely Saturday or Sunday. But when you do, know I’m thankful for you guys. And, if you’re interested and willing, tell me the one thing you’d be sure to keep if you suddenly had to change your traditions?

Thank you.… Continue reading →

If I Ruled the Thanksgiving Beer Fridge

I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, or any year for the foreseeable future. It’s a mighty change for me, and I must admit not an easy one. I love hosting very much, partially because I love parties but also partially because I love cooking. And this year it’s also a bit hard because I finally feel like I got my legs under me for not only planning the meal but exactly how I’d do the beer. And, well, that basically requires knowing the food.

I thought.

Then I reconsidered.

Really, Thanksgiving might be just about the most easy to predict meal on the American menu. So I decided I might as well just pretend I was hosting and tell you guys what beers I’d have on hand (and why!)… Continue reading →

Beer Me! Links for a Monday

Brewdog, a Scottish brewery that’s fairly popular, just released a beer they’re calling “No Label.” The profits are going to go to a few British LBGTQI+ organizations. This is all well and good, in theory, but a number of trans people I know and know of have pointed out massive problems with the beer and campaign. Julia Astrid Davis, a brewer and transgender woman breaks down clearly and quickly the various ways in which this action, though it may seem good on the surface, is actually incredibly problematic.

Will Robertson and Julia Burke have another response, both to Brewdog and Davis over on Skepchick. I’m unsure of this one, myself, but it’s another set of interesting perspectives. Overall, though, I find myself agreeing strongly with Davis.… Continue reading →

Activism Through Collaboration: New Belgium, Ben & Jerry’s, Protect Our Winters

I love following @ClimateOfGavin on Twitter. He’s a climatologist, and I learn a lot. I’ll be honest, even with my background in science, sometimes it’s a bit tough to follow (I have no climate training), but overall it’s well worth it. Gavin is interesting and very clear.

Unfortunately, what he’s clear about is that anthropogenic climate change is happening. Like it or not, here we go.

The bad news is the phrase “locked in,” meaning we’re already guaranteed some amount of massive negative impact from climate change. But maybe there’s hope yet that we can prevent further lock-in. And that will take advocacy.

Enter Protect Our Winters to this post. An advocacy organization rooted in the snow sports (skiing, snowboarding, etc), Protect Our Winters is about raising awareness and education around climate change, as well as encouraging advocacy within and beyond its members.… Continue reading →

Five (Unexpected!) Chicago Places I Miss

Chicago is too massive for me to wrap my brain around. I lived here nearly eight years and I barely scratched the surface of it. Like many residents of any town, I settled into my routines and barely got out of them. I thought maybe I had a lifetime to figure this city out. And now I only have the occasional visit…

As excited as I am to choose my own PDX adventure (or do I want to take the Rose City path!?!?!), I can’t deny I miss Chicago deeply. And as I’m visiting for the first time, I’ve been replaying so many things I miss, and I realized there’s an important category I’d like to share.

Places I Regret Not Visiting More

MANA Food Bar

MANA has fabulous food.… Continue reading →