Cocktail Confessions

My buddy gave me a sweet present a few weeks back: The Sam Adams Harvest Collection Variety pack.  It really surprised me as he’s not much of a drinker, at least not anymore, and he offered up this 12 pack gem unsolicited, so my hat’s off to him.

In addition to their Boston Lager, seasonal Harvest Pumpkin & Octoberfest, and Black Lager, they’ve included a new brew introduced this year (2011): Bonfire Rauchbier.

It really has a surprising ‘smokey’ taste to it that totally caught me offgaurd.  However, that being said, I guess I could have figured that out or at the very least got a hint by looking at the label emblazened with a roaring fire.  You know how certain tastes remind you of certain smells or vice-versa?  Memories are triggered by flavors or scents?  That’s exactly what happened to me.  Upon my first taste on my pallete, I was instantly transported to a night time beach party with an actual ‘bonfire’ in tow.  You can actually taste a mild smoke flavor that reminds me of a campfire.

According to the Sam Adam website, the history of brewing this type of beer that imparts these characteristics is as such: Prior to the practice of kiln drying, barley was dried either by sunlight or over a flame.  When fire dried, the grains were suspended high enough for the heat and smoke to pass through without burning the malt.  As a result, this imparted smoky characteristics to the malt.

Also from the website are a few more particulars:

Flavor: Rich malt flavors of toffee and caramel, balanced with a smokiness that is ever present but not over powering.

Color: Dark amber, 39 SRM

Original Gravity: 15.57

Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 5.7%ABV – 4.5% ABW

Calories/12 oz.: 213

IBUs: 19

Malt Varieties: Two-row Harrington, Special B, Caramel 60, and Weyermann Smoked Malt 

Hop Variety: Spalt Spalter Noble Hops

Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast

Availability: Seasonal (Aug. – Oct.) in the Harvest Collection Variety Pack

First Brewed: 2011

213 Calories! Yikes!  A good thing this is seasonal.  There’s just enough to whet your interest and make it a treat, especially delicious on the cooling fall evenings.  This will be one I look forward to again in another year.  Too bad it only comes in the variety pack, ’cause I’d for sure pick a sixer up for a winter BBQ.  I’d pair this up with a good lake trout dish, or grilled pork.

This episode/entry was fun to do for a few reasons: we (that is Brian Liles and I), had already had a few pitchers of Sam Adams Summer Ale under our belts that we enjoyed over at a beautiful day at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon, CA.  Then as we proceeded to records this, we had a surprise visit from Chip Gahagan of Smogtown who popped on by for a few minutes, and lastly we discuss a little bit of G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie as well. Listening back to make show notes was a little embarrassing as I caught myself being tongue tied and repeating myself multiple times.

Cook's Corner

So to start with Brian of Brians4x4adventures.com, or friend Scott W and myself headed out to Cook’s Corner (Wikipedia entry) for a little Sunday afternoon beer bonding.  The short synopsis of the place is as such: Built by Andrew Jackson Cook around 1884, the original building was meant to supply local miners as a mercantile and a few years later a place to eat as well.  It survived the prohibition era and was converted into a bar.  In 1970 a motorcycle accessory shop owner from Santa Ana bought the property and publicized it as a place for motorcycle clubs to enjoy.  It has changed hands once again a few years back and actively participates in the promotion of several charity motorcycle rides.  It’s now considered a historic landmark and is enjoyed by numerous social clubs and O.C residents.

It’s a great place to spend the afternoon, especially the weekends where one can typical witness 200+ motorcycles parked out front.  They have a very large outdoor patio area that has seen many improvements the last few years including new picnic tables, umbrellas, outside bars (three portable at last count), and a place for local merchants to sell various motorcycle accessories.  They have a small kitchen that turns out various burgers, tacos, and finger foods along with a inside band stage and the occasional outside band as well.  I’ve been coming here for at least 7 years now, and it really never gets old.  I have yet to run into a bad situation with a ‘biker’ and quite the contrary all the ones I have met or spoken to have been pretty personable for the most part.

Music for this episode

I’ve listened quite a few bands there over the years, and while I’m not a huge fan of classic rock they have the occasional bluegrass or jazz band out there and it always sounds good under the Southern California weather and sun with a couple of pitchers of beer and friends.

In this podcast episode Brian discusses his recent FJ Crusier trip across Canada and into Alaska that he took part in with his friend Luke from Radrod57.com.  Head over to Brian’s site for some gorgeous high quality pictures he took and read some of his continuing exploits.  You can ever read more over at Luke’s page as well.  Makes me wanna cash everything in, grab an RV, and do a roadtrip across America myself and hit up some hidden bbq joints, some town festivals and make some new acquaintences in local camp grounds.

Baroness

Finally we discuss G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie (hence the ‘criminals’ in my title).  For those of you who grew up on the property that made it famous back in the 80′s, you may be slightly disapointed in some of the character origin reboots in this 2009 feature film.  Being a comic book purist in my own right, and being a huge fan of Larry Hama’s creativity for the Hasbro line and the yarns he spun for Marvel, I have a few problems with the treatment that gave Cobra Commander, Zartan and the Baroness.  Also the Ripcord/Scarlett love angle and the CC/Baroness sibling reveal really bothered me.  But if you can put those issues aside ,(and the accelerator suits) then this was a pretty darn good matinee action-comic movie.  Good fight scenes, neat technology, grand in scope….but clearly sets up and demands a sequel.  I mean it is called ‘The Rise of Cobra’ after all, and we just get a taste of things to come towards the last 15 minutes of this movie.

The one that did surprise me however was the Joe’s dropping the “Shit” bomb as gratuitous as they did.  There were a couple of things in the movie that may have made the old cartoon watchers smile, like “Knowing is half the battle.” and the of course the reference to the “Kung Fu grip”.

Show Notes

• Bumper Music: “My ’98 Old’s” – Public Enemy, Yo-Bum Rush the Show (1987)
• 00:35 – Introductions
• 01:10 – Discuss Cook’s Corner memories and atmosphere.
• 07:55 – Brian talks about recent trip with Luke across Canada, including camping, camera’s, and food.
• 29:59 – Brian gives us an update on his incredible wieght loss thus far.
• 33:30 – We talk G.I. Joe the movie (lore vs current re-imagining), Transformers, comics

Cook’s Corner

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