By Timothy Long February is the shortest month of the year, but it feels like it’s the longest. It’s the Tuesday of months. It’s lipstick on a pig. Do you get that February is not my favorite month? If you regularly read this column, you probably already knew that. It’s a dull and dismal month that’s usually colder than January. You shiver so much that it counts as a workout. And it doesn’t offer us much in the way of fun. The best part is the Super Bowl, but that’s always at the very beginning. At least in January you have New Years Day and playoff football for both NFL and college teams throughout the month. In February you get Valentine’s Day, a holiday created by Hallmark. It was the greeting card industry’s biggest success. But now even Valentine’s Day has been eclipsed by the Hallmark Channels and Hallmark Christmas movies. Our wives and significant others should be buying us dinner after we have suffered through Hallmark Christmas. I know, wishful thinking. Let’s face the brutal facts, February is 28 days, sometimes 29 during bad years, that we are never going to get back However, I feel that maybe this February will be different. Maybe this February will turn out to be fairly fun. Maybe, just maybe, this February wont consist of us counting the days until March. Why? Because there is a feeling in the air, and a fun event that many of you may not know about. The feeling in the air is Olympic Fever, and the fun event is the Waste Management (WM) Phoenix Open. The fact that I just suggested a PGA event for fun may throw off those who don’t play golf. You’re probably thinking “What the hell is fun about a golf tournament?” Keep…
By Timothy Long Why didn’t I think of this before? It’s so obvious. These end of year lists are everywhere. They pop up on social media. They come in emails. They glare at us from magazine stands. It’s like being hit on the head with a mallet. I guess the most obvious things are often the hardest to see. The idea dawned on me while I was reading the most recent edition of Whiskey Advocate. I subscribe to both Whiskey Advocate and Cigar Afficionado. And I’m like a kid in a candy store when either magazine arrives. This year’s Whiskey Advocate winner was the Elijah Craig 12 Year 3-Month-Old Barrel Proof Rye. Heaven Hill does a great job with the Elijah Craig series, and I was happy to read that one of their newer brands had been named Whiskey of the Year. It’s the first rye whiskey ever to win the award. The writers claimed it earned the award for its complex and balanced profile, which includes notes of baking spices, stewed fruits, and a generous rye spice finish. Reviewers from Whisky Advocate specifically praised its maturity, depth, and surprising approachability. At 108 Proof and $75, I am definitely adding it to my wish list. So, while I’m reading about this wonderful whiskey, an idea popped into my head. Why don’t I do my year end favorites? If the writers of Whiskey Advocate and Cigar Afficionado can do it, so can I! It’s all about passion. And I have a passion for good beer, good whiskey, and good cigars. My passion also includes other things as well, like golf, family, etc. But one must have one’s priorities. My list works a little differently than most. Each category will have a winner and a runner up. It’s just like a beauty pageant. And…
By Timothy Long Christmas comes once a year. And when it comes, it brings good beer. Holiday beers have been around almost as long as people have realized winter is cold and alcohol can make it warm, or at least bearable. My guess is that our ancestors figured this relationship out rather quickly. The Vikings kicked things off with Jól ale during Yule—strong, malty brews that were basically ancient antifreeze. And they probably tasted like antifreeze. If you could still pronounce your own name after a mug or two, you probably didn’t brew it right. Medieval Europeans picked up the tradition, brewing darker, richer ales for the winter months. Monks were especially good at it. Let’s face it, you can only do so much praying and meditating. And nothing says “silent night” like a warming ale that could knock a reindeer on its butt. The monks tossed in whatever they had around: honey, herbs, spruce tips… basically the medieval equivalent of “let’s see what’s in the pantry.” By the 18th and 19th centuries, British brewers created “winter warmers”—beers designed to keep you cozy and maybe help you tolerate your obnoxious brother-in- law and the other uppity relatives who visited during the holidays. These weren’t heavily spiced beers. And they were just strong enough to make you forget how short the days were. The big modern turning point for the American craft beer industry came in 1975, when Anchor Brewing released its first Anchor Christmas Ale. They changed the recipe every year, which created a yearly anxious crowd of holiday beer lovers dying for the new release. Craft brewers everywhere saw this and collectively said, “Oh, we can go wild with this,” leading to peppermint porters, gingerbread stouts, cranberry saisons, and at least one beer that tasted suspiciously like fruitcake (and…
By Timothy Long “When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter, I spang from my bed to see what was the matter.” These words from Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, almost applied to the situation, but not quite. It was not the night before Christmas; it was Thanksgiving morning. And I was not in bed. I was on a couch in my parent’s rec room. This is where you ended up when you were the youngest child and you came home for the holidays. The fact that you’re 24 years old doesn’t matter at all. You got the couch. I can still hear my mother on the phone with anyone who was coming to visit, “Oh, it’s fine. You can have the spare bedroom. Timmy can sleep on the couch.” That statement ruled my childhood. You see, I was not only the youngest sibling. I was the youngest of all the cousins on my father’s side of the family. So, if anyone came to visit, for any occasion, I was condemned to sleep on the couch. And the clatter was not St. Nicholas. That noise would have been welcomed. It was my two oldest nephews playing “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots”. Not only was the two-robot battle loud, but the accusations of cheating had begun to fly. Sibling rivalry can be vicious and noisy. I glanced at my watch. It was eight o’clock in the morning. I had been asleep for approximately four hours. At this point in my life, I looked forward more to Thanksgiving Eve than Thanksgiving Day itself. Thanksgiving Eve was then, and remains today, the biggest bar night of the year. And this one had not been disappointing. It had been a long night of debauchery with cousins and…
By Timothy Long If you’ve never been to Lexington, KY, you need to go. It’s a short plane ride, and worth it. Lexington is a small quaint city with thoroughbred horses, beautiful countryside, a great food scene, and, of course, world class bourbon. The horserace track, Keenland, is absolutely stunning. It only runs races twice a year, in April and October. So, we couldn’t go on this trip. It’s so elegant that you would not be surprised to see King Charles there. We were visiting to attend the University of Kentucky and Ole Miss football game. My wife, Leigh, attended Ole Miss. Her brother, Colby, lives in downtown Lexington. His house is one hundred yards from everything, or at least he claims it is. Colby picked us up at the airport in Cincinnati. Lexington has its own airport, but sometimes it is easier, and cheaper, to fly into Cincinnati or Louisville, both of which are close. Our first stop was lunch at Libby’s Southern Comfort in Covington, Kentucky. A wonderful choice made by Colby. Covington is a cute little town not far from the airport. Libby’s is a very homey, diner-style restaurant. As you enter, it kind of looks like a dive, which is usually a good sign. The bar is right by the host stand at the front and displays an amazing bourbon selection. I knew that we were in Bourbon country, but wow! The bourbon list in this little place was impressive. “They have quite a bourbon selection.” I said to Colby. “Can’t stay in business long around here without a good bourbon selection,” he said with a smile as he also admired the bottles. We got a table and began to peruse the menu, which featured both fried chicken and bourbon. Not quite ready to start drinking…
By Timothy Long “A Wonderful Coincidence or Divine Intervention?” It has to be more than just dumb luck. There has to be a better explanation. Higher intelligence must have caused it. It’s the ultimate proof of intelligent design. The fact that the release of Oktoberfest beer coincides with the start of American football and tailgating season is too fantastic to be a coincidence. I believe it to be divine intervention, a true act of God. It’s proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Ben Franklin is credited with saying the above quote. But unfortunately, Ben never actually said it. It’s a myth. But a myth that many people love and choose to believe regardless of the evidence. Why? Very simple, it’s a feel-good quote. And it does sound like something that Ben would have said. Ben was known to enjoy a pint, or two, or three. Here is Ben’s actual quote: “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.” That quote sounds more like Thomas Jefferson than Benjamin Franklin. Tom was a true connoisseur of fine wine, especially French wine. The quote is boring, a bit pompous, and way too pretentious for your everyday beer drinker. And worst of all, it’s about wine. Beer is associated with fun way more than wine is. Wine is “formal” fun; beer is “casual” fun. When we picture Ben drinking, we picture a tankard of beer in his hand, not a goblet of wine. My guess is that the quote was slowly altered and adopted by beer drinkers over time due to their mutual love for beer and for Ben. Oktoberfest is…
By Timothy Long August marks the fourth anniversary of this column. It gives me quite a feeling of accomplishment. The column has done well. Even if I do say so myself. I decided to go back and read my first article in this series “Give Me Hops, But Don’t Give Me Bitter Death.” The article deals with a trip to Pittsburgh, which, by the way, has a great craft beer scene. I wrote about how the craft beer industry was moving away from the idea that a bitter beer was a better beer. I discussed the use of hops and how hops were associated with bitterness. If I may quote myself from that first article: Even the mere mention of hops makes many beer drinkers think of only one word, bitter. Over-hopped beer can be very bitter. It also raises the specter of beer elitism. We envision brew pub bars packed with man-bun-wearing millennials sipping from a flight of five small glasses in front of them while they are taking notes, discussing aromas, and comparing flavors. The trend away from bitterness has continued. Mercifully, so too man buns. And craft brewers now create a variety of great beers with complex delightful flavors using hops. I was pondering what to write about this month, when I received an email from Ryan Pederson, the General Manager at Port City Brewing Company. It seems that Port City was releasing some new beers, and Ryan was inviting me to come in for a tasting. The timing was great. Just as I was wondering about a subject, I got an invitation from one of my favorite breweries. A brewery which also just happens to be a ten-minute drive from my home. The beer gods had spoken. I was destined to write about Port City. Now…
By Timothy Long I grew up in the Pittsburgh area. So, I spent most of my youth thinking that water was supposed to be brown. The three rivers are not known for their beauty. This is why I love the Caribbean. The water that surrounds the islands is amazing. As I stood on the balcony of the apartment my brother-in-law had rented for us for the week in Turks and Caicos, all I could do was stare. We had a great view of the beach. The water was an unbelievable turquoise color. The sand was almost as white as snow. This was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The pool area of the resort was spread out below me. It was beautiful too, but it was nothing compared to that beach. We stayed in Grace Bay, which Forbes lists as the tenth most beautiful beach in the world. It’s the only Caribbean beach in the Forbes top ten. The entire country is surrounded by a huge barrier reef that is one of the largest in the world. As the website Visit Turks and Caicos Islands states it: The barrier reef system defines the environment of the Turks and Caicos, accounts for our spectacular beaches, and is hence critical to the luxury tourism-driven economy and the general well-being of the country. The healthy reef system directly leads to ongoing and proficient sand creation, and consequently the amazing white sand beaches found on nearly all islands in the country. I walked back inside to see what provisions we have, or may need, for the refrigerator. I immediately saw a 12-pack of craft beer, a good start. The beers were from the local brewery, Turks Head Brewing. I knew they had one here, but Caribbean breweries are hit and miss, so I…
By Timothy Long Last month I wrote about the joy of visiting the Eastern Shore. I mentioned how great it is to live in this area with a plethora of fun places for day trips. So, it was only fitting for this month’s article that I travel west to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. After all, that is our motto, “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge.” This trip fell into our lap. My wife and I were invited to a weekend party at Bear Chase Brewery. It was my buddy Evan’s birthday. His wife, Trish, had planned a weekend celebration there. Leigh and I made the cut and landed on the guest list. And man, am I glad we did. Bear Chase is located in Bluemont, VA, just west of Leesburg. It took us about an hour to get there. You’re so far west that you can throw a rock into West Virginia. You’re not on the top of the mountain, but you’re close. To say that the view is spectacular would be an understatement. This place is truly God’s country. On a good day, you can see Tyson Corner. Although, I don’t know why you’d want to. (Sorry, that’s an Old Towner joke.) Trish had rented the Manor House for all of us. It’s a big, gorgeous house right next to the brewery. It’s spacious and elegant with huge rooms and a great deck that offers the same great view as the brewery. Leigh and I were both blown away by its beauty as we entered. Evan immediately greeted us. “Do you want a beer?” He knows me well. “Of course I do.” Once we stowed our gear in the room. I headed downstairs with Evan to the rec room. This was not only a great party room…
By Timothy Long One of the great things about living in this area is that there is a plethora of locations for fun one day getaways. When I first moved here after college in the late 1980s, I was fortunate enough to have several friends living in the area. One of which was my former college roommate and fraternity brother, Andy. He had grown up here and was a proficient sailor. When he graduated, he bought a thirty-foot Catalina sailboat and it docked in St. Mary’s, Maryland. We would go on great weekend sailing trips all over the bay. I’ll never forget my first time sailing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It was amazing. To this day, I love visiting the Eastern Shore. My wife, Leigh, and I go there a couple of times a year. We love St. Michaels. But we always stay in the adorable town of Easton. Trips there never disappoint. It’s a great place for strolling, shopping, dining, and of course, imbibing. We decided it was time for an Easton trip. We met our friends, Bonnie and Art, at the Tidewater Inn in downtown Easton around noon on Saturday. Located in the heart of Easton, this beautiful boutique hotel is a must see. The architecture and design capture the look and feel of the inn’s waterfront home. A classic inn lobby with working woodburning fireplaces greets you as you enter. It has spa services and wonderful banquet facilities. Plus, Hunter’s Tavern, their fun and delightful bar. It’s lunchtime, so we headed down the street to Rude Burger. They’re not actually rude to you at Rude Burger, which I found a tad disappointing. But that was my only disappointment. It’s a cute, small, and very busy place. The first thing that jumped out at me was the…
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