The Perfect Marriage - Hockey & Beer

     Though winter is officially upon us, and the general consensus is that people wanna stay inside during the next few months, things are slightly different when being from Minnesota... It's a beautiful thing that an ice rink during the winter months is as common a sight as a baseball diamond during the summer - And I state that with no exaggeration... There's a public outdoor rink for just about every lake in the state - 10,000 for those who don't get out of their bubble too often... Along with hockey, there's yet another joy in life that's best savored cold - BEER!! As just about any hockey player will tell you, hockey and beer are an extremely common union, a belief that reaches much further than the state lines of Minnesota... Probably also helps in explaining why so many hockey players have false teeth somewhere in their dental repertoire... Though it's much more sensible to enjoy a case of relatively cheap beer when playin' some stick on the pond, enjoying a nice craft brew once the skates come off is never a penalized play...

Focal: A Photo & Film Expo

     On Friday December 12th, the Locallective Loft made its' space available for "Focal: A Photo & Film Expo" hosted by Modest... The venue was somewhat hidden, as the only indicator that there was a show being held upstairs was a small slab of wood with "Modest Show - Please Shut Door!" written on it... Once inside, the stairwell led immediately to a beautifully painted graffiti piece with the silhouette of the Chicago skyline seemingly "burning" through the upper right corner of it... That led you past a row of stickers, flyers and business cards of those associated with the shows production, all in front of a studio area, where it looked as if pieces were in the process of being completed... After collecting some memorabilia, we did what any respectable art-show-goer does - We hit the bar!!

XII's - 72 Imperial X Christmas Ale

 Breckenridge Brewery - 72 Imperial [Small Batch Series - Chocolate Cream Stout] (12oz ---> Lefthand Pint Glass : 7.2 ABV : 11 IBU)

  This beer was for some reason singled out at my local store and was the only one available on the shelf… There could be a few reasons as to why, but it seems they're usually placed there after having been available for a while, (over a year) or, what I assumed happened to this beer, one of the 4/6 pack became victim to a break and they had to be sold as individuals… If this happened to be a beer with some age on it, hopefully the 7.2 ABV helped it age gracefully…

  The large car graphic wrapping around almost the entire bottle insists the "72 Imperial" is somewhat of a classic vehicle, and a small amount of research uncovered it is exactly that, a Chrysler to be more specific… To add a nice touch to the "72" theme, the '72 Imperial fittingly had a 7.2 liter V-8 engine as well… Also, since it's a chocolate cream stout brewed in Colorado, they chose to use Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's "dark chocolate" in the brewing recipe…

Video: Grant Skate Park, Chicago - Opening Day

Image borrowed from SkateNoize.com

     Skateboarding has always been a staple in my life... Having learned how at a young age, I've come to appreciate and love the simple joy of smooth pavement and wide carves... In the beginning I put many miles on a hand-me-down John Lucero X-2, so longboarding is much more my style these days... Not to say that I don't enjoy rocking out some street lines from time to time, it's just that I've found that my roots have translated to a greater affinity with the longboards... I've always had the luxury of living relatively close to a skatepark, thus I've always been able to acquaint myself with the scene whether on solo missions or through good times spent with friends... That scene has been kind to me, so I do what I can to show it support in any way I can!!

     I came across Modest Inc., which is a dope boutique shop in Forest Park, IL when picking up some art supplies one afternoon... I began following them on Instagram and they posted a flyer which promoted the opening of a new skatepark in Grant Park!! I thought it odd that Chicago would be opening a park in the first week of December, but a little research has has lead me to believe it was to allocate funds from a budget back into the city, thus ensuring further funding in the future... With three acres of street park being strewn across downtown Chicago a few hundred yards from the lakeshore, it's no wonder $2.65 million is the tab on the project... So hopefully someones fiscal year was saved with the official opening of this project occurring when it did, even if it'll most likely be covered in snow within a matter of weeks...

Salty & Sweet - Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout

New Belgium Brewing X Perennial Artisan Ales - Lips Of Faith Series: Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout [Stout Brewed With Chocolate] (22oz ---> Left Hand Pint Glass : 9% ABV : 35 IBU)

There are few things in life as satisfying as watching Minnesota hockey and enjoying a finely crafter brew… They're out there, but the list is fairly short… And much the like the fashion world, with the changing of seasons, breweries also begin to release "season specific" styles, and hockey season is a good indicator that winter warmers are soon to be bountiful in any liquor store… With it still being fall, I figured a "Belgian" chocolate stout would be a light introduction before I dove fully into the winter beer mindset… But when the holiday season fully kicks into gear and Grandma makes her sugar cookies with a Hershey kiss on top, they wouldn't be heavenly without the dose of salt she adds to the recipe to balance out the sweetness… Thus, a salty chocolate stout is one I'm in no hurry to pass up!!

Homebrewing At Its Finest - Xocoveza Mocha Stout

     As an ode to homebrewing in America, Stone allows the winner of the annual American Homebrewers Association competition to have their recipe brewed and distributed by Stone!! This years winner was Chris Banker with his Xocoveza (sho-co-vay-za) Mocha Stout, a brewers nod to Mexican hot chocolate... Even though Corona, molé, and Patrón are the more "prized" commodities of Mexico, if the opportunity to enjoy some of their hot chocolate - Don't pass it up!! Sidenote: Why is Patrón such a highly sought after tequila in America?? It can't be its high quality, but could it be because of DJ Class?! 'Cause that's the only reason I can think of, but if so, well done Class!! Alright, back to the brew at hand... Chris wasn't the only one included on this collaboration, as Cerveceria Insurgente was also brought into the equation to attest to it's traditional Mexican flavor profiles... Since So-Cal was the source for their ingredients, they took it a step further and used strictly Mostra Coffee products for their coffee elements, as well as ChocoVivo for their cocoa elements!! Though I'm not a native of California, I am half Mexican and am also a homebrewer, and was thus further drawn to getting this bomber after the relationship I felt to it simply after  reading it's back label... I haven't gotten around to brewing a stout, but when I do, hopefully it's as tasty as this beer is sounding to be!!

XII's - Timber Beast X Velvet Merlin

Choosing a 12 ounce brew as opposed to larger bottles is both harder and easier… It's more difficult in the sense that there are fewer niche styles that are offered in the smaller servings, but that also makes it easier because there are fewer to choose from… I've also realized that the smaller serving brews are somewhat telling of the breweries efforts on the whole… It's not always the case, but it seems that if a brewery doesn't offer a decent beer in their "standard" selection, what they brew in small batches will rarely impress...

Solemn Oath Brewery - Undisputed Heavyweight Ticklefight Champions Of The World

     A rainy day with an open itinerary is almost a form of divine intervention which beckons one to enjoy indoor activities... While many breweries offer outdoor seating, I have never seen one that is entirely outdoor, thus it makes it pretty safe to assume any brewery one chooses to attend will be able to accommodate on a rainy day... This particular day brought my companion and I to Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville, Illinois, a desirable destination after thoroughly enjoying their "Kidnapped By Vikings" nearly a year prior... It's somewhat tucked away in an industrial parking lot, but the giant roll up door with their logo is a dead giveaway as to the location...
     Upon entering the brewery, it left much to be desired as far as a "welcoming" setting is concerned, as it's again, very industrial in its' look and feel, and lacks homeyness... The bar-top was fairly standard, but the "lounging" area was quite compact and the only table tops offered were overturned barrels... Which was a nice touch, but a few spots to sit would have been a nice option for us patrons... The wall opposite the bar contained the "BFF Blackboard," which hosted a slew of names accompanied by a number... It's purpose was that when you attend the bar without your favorite drinking buddy, you can kindly show them they were dearly missed by buying them a beer for the next time they show up!! Adjacent to both the BFF board and the bar was the brewing room, accommodating many stainless steel fermentors, as well as an oak cask which presumably hid a tasty concoction that's picking up many desirable flavor elements... Once we had completed the short tour that we had helped ourselves to, it was time to indulge in a few cold ones...

Red Grapes X White Beer

Dogfish Head - Red & White [Ale brewed with coriander & orange peel with pinot noir juice added with 11% aged in pinot noir barrels and 89% aged on oak barrel staves] (750ml ---> Dogfish Head Curved Pint Glass : 10% ABV : 35 IBU)

Obviously, I'm a fan of good beer, and I'm also a fan of good wine... So when wine grapes are utilized as an addition to beer, I see the potential for extremely great things!! This particular brew is one I'd been longing to indulge in for quite some time, and after having the exceptional evening at work I had encountered, popping the top of this beauty is much easier and far more rewarding than the scenarios of arson that have continually plagued my thoughts since I clocked out… So to end my rant about my employer, let us move onto this brew calling my name from the fridge… With a fairly aggressive pour, a rocky, two inch, off-white head sat atop an extremely cloudy blood orange hued brew… The head faded moderately quickly and left behind hardly any lacing, but a decent retentive cap decided to linger… On the nose is the immediate presence of pinot noir, as well as a fair amount of soft citrus, and some tamer dark berry traces… Upon tasting, a fair amount of spice was immediately picked up, which could be either the yeast strain or the coriander, but that faded quickly as the mellow citrusy sweetness made it's appearance…

Love Crxmes: Lady Killers

Image borrowed from Penguin

   It's hard to decide on a good place to begin when writing on the interactions of men and women… Thus I'll try to keep this strictly discussing the first steps of the natural pursuit of a man after a woman, and the most efficient way to receive a desirable outcome… Since the beginning of man, we have chased females to plant our seeds and leave our legacy via bloodline… With each cultures' ancestry often abiding much of its' lineages to forms of "royalty" and other such hierarchies… Though cultural norms have changed, as well as chivalric standards, one element that hasn't changed is that (most) men want a woman in their life!! I mention "most" men as it'd be naive of me not to recognize that homosexuality is a NATURAL part of our world… I'd assume that in the homosexual scene, whether men or women, the pursuit of a significant other is still part of any single's day-to-day life, and that many of these points stretch across both homo and heterosexual playing fields…

  A few years back, discussing women amongst peers, I was introduced to what my friend referred to as "The Man Bible," which turned out to be Neil Strauss' The Game… This revelation that other men had developed somewhat of a "science" to picking up women, was groundbreaking to me, and these men referred to themselves as "Pick-Up Artists" or "PUA's…" When going to buy a copy of that book, it led to me bringing home the sequel/companion book, Rules Of The Game… Diving headfirst into the world of Pick-Up, against the books' own instructions I finished the book that night… "Invigorated" would still be quite an understatement for describing the way I felt after taking in this publication… The next day I hit the scene and tried to be the Casanova that the previous nights' reading had convinced me I was capable of being!! That night, and MANY after, I went out solo, and subsequently went to bed solo…