October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween !



Overcast and crowded.



Still lots of pumpkins. I picked up two normal ones.



Many vendors wore costumes.



Save this one for St. Patrick's day.





Beers for the game tonight: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Go Yankees !

October 28, 2009

Today's NYT has a good review of Stouts. They tasted
North Coast Brewing Old No. 38 Stout not the above Rasputin.

Tasting Report:
The panel tasted 19 bottles of North American stout, including conventional stouts, oatmeal stouts, and milk and cream stouts — styles that may vary greatly in their flavors:

1. Mendocino Brewing - Black Hawk Stout
2. McAuslan Brewing - St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
3. Mad River Brewing - Steelhead Extra Stout
4. Avery Brewing - Out of Bounds Stout
5. Sierra Nevada - Sierra Nevada Stout
6. Arcadia Brewing - Starboard Oat Malt Stout
7. Bear Republic Brewing - Big Bear Black Stout
8. North Coast Brewing - Old No. 38 Stout
9. Anderson Valley Brewing - Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
10. Keegan Ales - Mother’s Milk Stout

October 25, 2009

NYT Book Review inspires me to buy or read:
R. Crumb's Book of Genesis Illustrated.



Also, Malcolm Gladwell's: What
the Dog Saw.



Now on HBO on demand. Missed it during its
run. Well worth watching.

October 24, 2009

Picked up this Fresh Hops brew.
These Hops are from New Zealand.



Rainy, not too crowded morning.



Brussels sprouts.



Osage orange cockroach repellent.



Sycamore Farms, no more corn but lots
of Pumpkins.



Different displays.



All over the place.



Decorative minis.

October 22, 2009

Yesterday's NYT food section had a nice article
on Fresh-Hop Beer.

October 17, 2009

Nice crisp day.



Pumpkins all over.



Including anti-Bosox ones.



Grown in sheep manure. Not baaaad!



Romanesco broccoli



From Oskar Blues Brewery's Web site:

Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% alcohol by volume, and has 85 International Bittering Units.

It features a gooey, resiny aroma and a luscious mouthfeel. Gordon is brewed with dash of chocolate malt in it, to round out its load of hops and balance the beer. The result is an assertive yet exceptionally smooth version of strong beer.

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

Originally our winter seasonal beer, it has become a cult favorite of extreme-beer lovers, so we now brew occasional batches of Gordon throughout the year. Released in bottles in 2003 and 2004, Gordon is now sold in four packs of hand-labeled cans and on draft in select markets.

October 15, 2009

It was in my personal Library. I do not recall reading it.
I also do not recall reading it to my children but I'm sure
I did. Wonderful book.

October 12, 2009

Monday Greenmarket is Greenmarket-Lite.
Even P.E. and D.D. Seafood is smaller. Bought a pound
of Flounder and some Heirloom Tomatoes.



Cauliflowers on display.



Cornucopia.



Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale 2009.
Very tasty.

October 11, 2009

Early morning at the market.



There is a pepper stand with every type of pepper
you could want. I bought some Pablanos and Trinidad Reds.
Made an awesome Chili. Added a lot of Cinnamon based on
a NYT recipe.



Decorative Corn. This stuff lasts forever.
I have a decoration on my door that I bought
10 years ago.



Great Garlic. I buy it all the time.



This was painted on a delivery truck.
Wow !



This is your brain on Cauliflower.



On the way to Madison Square Park.
Wisdom - front of Appellate Division First Department,
27 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010.



Force - front of Appellate Division First Department,
27 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010.



Madison Square Park Harvest festival kicks off.
Hill Country BBQ. Beer was ice-cold.



Hill Country BBQ Beef.



Pumpkin House.



Last stop was Heartland Brewery for Pumpkin Ale.

October 5, 2009

Seasonal market this Fall at Madison Square Park.
Looks interesting.

October 4, 2009 - Harvest Moon

Shine On Harvest Moon
By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (1903)

Shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky,
I ain’t had no lovin’
Since January, February, June or July
Snow time ain’t no time to stay
Outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon,
For me and my gal.



On my must read list: Generosity by Richard Powers.
Reviewed in today's New York Times Book Review by Jay McInerney.



Pumpkin Ale, not bad. Ale Street News has a column
by Lew Bryson on why Pumpkin Ales generally suck.



My own Oktoberfest Taste-Test. The line-up minus Blue Point.



Brooklyn Oktoberfest wins, a close race and beats out
Spaten Oktoberfest on tap. Blue Point Oktoberfest was
very good but I have to rate it a close third.
Sam Adams Oktoberfest on tap is last but not least.
I liked them all. You can't miss with any of these brews.

October 3, 2009

Early morning at the Greenmarket. No lines
at P.E. and D.D. Seafood where I bought some Bluefish.
No more peaches and corn is at its end. Tonight's feast
is Stuffed Peppers.



40,000 - 50,000 (Scoville scale) Santaka pepper

The Scoville scale is a measure of the 'hotness' of a chilli pepper or anything derived from chilli peppers, i.e. hot sauce. The scale is actually a measure of the concentration of the chemical compound capsaicin which is the active component that produces the heat sensation for humans.



Serious Eats has an Oktoberfest taste test.
I am conducting my own and last night enjoyed
Spaten Oktoberfest on tap. It was splendid.
Sweet, smooth and strong.



My son has to read this for an English class.
I knocked it off in one night. It is a quirky but enjoyable book.
The title derives from a line in a Sherlock Holmes short story:
Silver Blaze.