by Doctor Science
I opened the polling place at 5:15am. We left at 8:30pm. I have now had a full bottle of ommegang[1] and am feeling pretty good, actually, though very much like this:
Noontime rest by Van Gogh, after by Millet. John Singer Sargent also did a drawing after the Millet, which makes me wonder (a) how this particular Millet was so widely publicized that both Van Gogh and Sargent did versions, and (b) why Van Gogh and Sargent’s versions are reversed.
Anyway, talk about your local election or any results that interest you! Turnout at my NJ pollworker-place was low, compared to an even-numbered year or to a gubernatorial year, though still way above what we get for school board elections or lightly-contested primaries — one year we pollworkers watched *3* movies (on someone’s laptop) between voters. Today I “merely” got through 490 pages of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, which I’d never read before, along with some writing. Expect a discussion post some day soon.
Update just before posting: It looks as though the Mississippi Personhood Amendment is going down to defeat. If they can’t make it there, they can’t make it anywhere — at least, I hope not.
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[1] though, OMGang! all of a sudden the microbrew store is HIP DEEP in Belgians! What the heck happened, and which ones besides Ommegang are worth trying? Bear in mind that my local store carries well over 500 types of beer.
A pavilion in Belgium built out of 33,000 beer crates. Because who wouldn’t?
Ommegang…I think I’ve had that once. Have you tried Kasteel Donker? Heaven in a bottle. I’ve had quite a few Belgians, but the Donker is what my taste buds prefer.
I’ve tried the Ommegang Hennepin and Three Philosophers as part of the World Beer Tour that I’m doing this year. (Seven beers away from finishing my 100!)
Among the other Belgians I’ve tried, I’ve liked Gulden Draak, which is dark and a bit bitter, plus packs a wallop at 10.5% ABV; and Piraat, which I just had on tap the other night and is terrific.
Oh, also, Ohio passed Issue 3, the “anti-Obamacare” amendment, last night by a 66-34 margin, so look for Ohio to be wasting a tremendous amount of taxpayer money in courts in the future.
Not so much Belgian stuff over here, but we have a local restaurant that has a small selection of stuff that you can’t find anywhere else in Kyushu and this Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is the stuff dreams are made of.
Doc,
Thanks for your civic service.
In Washington voters decided it’s better to put on your Birkenstocks and buy your booze at big box Costco rather than the local (state run) liquor store, and yet another odious initiative by Tim Eyeman appears headed for defeat.
Kasteel Donker is 11% ABV, not to play one-up, but that there is some serious kick for a glass of beer.
Three Philosophers is the Ommegang that I’ve tried; thanks Phil! I enjoyed it immensely.
Other Belgians I’ve had are Chimay (two or three varieties), Duvel (which was so long ago I cannot recall whether I even liked it), Delirium Tremens (once; liked liked liked it) and of course the more pedestrian Stella Artois.
But to date, my favorite of these is the aforementioned Donker.
Re the artwork: it’s most likely that both Sargent and Van Gogh did their copies of Millet’s Noonday Rest as an exercise in composition (btw, Dr. S: which one are you there?) – IIRC, 19th-C academic practice was to ask students to reverse the orientation of a given original in order to give them a better sense of the general layout: vs. just slavish line-for-line copying.
Also: Millet’s works were pretty popular in his time: it’s most likely that the images were disseminated originally by etchings (which often reversed a composition as part of the process) – later in the century photographs also became used: in the 19th C, it wasn’t always easy to get around to view originals.
Oh, good lord, try Maredsous Triple. It’s heaven in a bottle.
I’m proud to say I know with certainty that I’ve had every beer mentioned thus far on the thread except for Kasteel Donker, which I may have had, since I don’t remember every beer I’ve ever had. But I will have to get my hands on some of the Donker to be sure.
lj’s shout-out to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is worthy of seconding. If you like stouts and you enjoy chocolate, it’s tasty. But not overpoweringly chocolate, which I consider to be a good thing.
Young’s also has a bitter called Ram Rod that’s worth checking into. I like the bitter more than I do the stout, in this case.
Other English ales I like are Fuller’s London Pride and Fuller’s ESB. Stouts…well, this could eat up some comments space. Old Peculier, while not technically a stout, is quite lovely if you enjoyed the Young’s, and Mackeson Triple Stout should really be dusted off and made available once more. I’d almost go so far as to say that it’s in the public interest to do so.
Segueing back to Belgian ales: my younger brother was in Belgium on business earlier this year, and he actually called me from a bar. It was his intention to drink only in moderation, but there were SO many new-to-him (not available in the US) brews that were head and shoulders above most of what you can find in the US that he simply had to sample all of them. And once again, at least, just to make sure. Not just different brewers, but vastly different styles of beer.
Maredsous…yep, Total Wine has that. Time for an expensive expedition, maybe.
’tain’t cheap, the Maredsous.
Doc, what did you think of Public Question No. 1?
I’m not much for gambling, myself, but it’s one of those things people are going to do one way or another, so there’s really not much point in leaving it to criminals or letting the money go elsewhere, where it’s already legal. (That, and I’m not sure why betting on cards or dice or roulette wheels is okay, but betting on sporting events, remotely and in a regulated manner, isn’t, especially as opposed to it being done illegally and without direct oversight.)
Are Belgian-style beers the new (super duper to the max, take it to 11!) Hoppy IPAs? Sure seems like it.
…
I’m with HsH on gambling. Personally, it’s not my thing (unless you count our brokerage account, but of course that’s not gambling, it’s investment, amirite), but I see little point in banning it. I’d rather have it legal and regulated.
I wonder, HsH, if the difference wrt sporting events is that roulette involves a non-human (ball), whereas human beings play sports and are vulnerable to threats and worse from shady gambling types (though this seems to me more likely if gambling is a black market). Early 20th century MLB is what I’m thinking of here. Not saying that justifies a bright line between table games & sports, but that might be the basis for a distinction.
I wonder, HsH, if the difference wrt sporting events is that roulette involves a non-human (ball), whereas human beings play sports and are vulnerable to threats and worse from shady gambling types (though this seems to me more likely if gambling is a black market).
Yeah, that’s why I threw in the bit about it being remote and regulated rather than illegal and left to the whims of criminals. So, in the specific case of sports betting within AC casinos or at NJ race tracks (which already involve sports betting on the sport of horse racing, and not even remote from the racing), I don’t see that the distinction has much meaning.
At any rate, I think that is the distinction people make, rightly or wrongly.
Mmmm, beer. Ommegang is actually brewed in Cooperstown, NY — their annual “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown” festival is a great event. But they, along with Allagash and New Belgium, offer beers in the Belgian style even though they’re in the U.S.
As for other Belgian beers to try, goodness there are a lot of them. Orval and Westmalle Tripel are each brewed by Trappist monks, and are excellent. Ditto if you happen to find Rochefort 8 (some prefer the higher alcohol Rochefort 10).
And there are many fantastic styles created by Belgians, particularly Lambics, which traditionally are fermented using open vats, to let local wild yeast do its thing.
Bottom line is that it can take a lifetime to fully appreciate the wonderful world of Belgian beer — you’d best get started as soon as possible. 🙂
What, no love for the Westvleteren offerings?
For some reason I’ve lost my taste for beer over the last couple of years. Nowadays it’s mostly wine and maybe hard cider.
For cider I like the Harpoon, it’s just apples, no extra crap, and it’s nice and dry. Which is to say, unlike Magners, Woodchuck, and their ilk, it doesn’t taste like fizzy apple juice.
Many thanks for your public service Doc!
I love Westy 12, even more than the ones I named, but I was assuming that folks wanted beer that they could find. Westy is more available at the moment, but it’s still not available outside of Belgium.
Westy is more available at the moment, but it’s still not available outside of Belgium.
Yikes!
I used to get it at Downtown Liquor, on Elm St. in Somerville. Is it no longer being imported to the US?
No joy in Mudville, indeed.
Ditto if you happen to find Rochefort 8 (some prefer the higher alcohol Rochefort 10)
My wife had the Rochefort 10 the other night and really enjoyed it. And she’s not nearly the beer drinker I am, so that’s a pretty ringing endorsement.
Bear in mind, that Mississippi initiative was so extreme even the Roman Catholic Church opposed it. I mean, as the thing is worded, it even criminalizes women disposing of used rags. The only thing more off the edge of the earth would be a bill to shoot women on sight for being…women.
So the fact that Mississippians rejected that proposal doesn’t surprise me. What leaves me very uneasy is the number of people who voted for it, given how extraordinary it is. Putting it charitably, they may have misunderstood its implications. Putting it in a Hammer Horror frame, they may not.
Significantly, many Ohio Dem legislators did not help out in the fight against 5. It was grassroots almost all the way. What a craven bunch of misfits we have pretending to be a one of the two major parties.
Try the Belgian style stuff from Unibrau (Canada). Maudite, La Fin du Monde….all good.
Which is to say, unlike Magners, Woodchuck, and their ilk, it doesn’t taste like fizzy apple juice.
If memory serves me, Strongbow is good for the same reason – no so damned sweet.
One thing I’ll say for Woodchuck is that their pear cider is nice and light, a refreshing summer beverage that plays nicely with a few ice cubes on a hot day. (I only say that after taking my quasi-connoisseur’s hat off.)
Kasteel Donker is 11% ABV, not to play one-up, but that there is some serious kick for a glass of beer.
You want kick from your beer? Check out Sink The Bismarck!, a potent 41% ABV quadruple IPA from the boys at Brewdog (currently out of stock, alas).
Last I looked, most European beers/ales averaged a higher alcohol content than the average American beer/ales, as well.
Are Belgian-style beers the new (super duper to the max, take it to 11!) Hoppy IPAs? Sure seems like it.
Somehow it didn’t occur to me to mention that just last night I was drinking Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch (the artwork on the label, from Ralph Steadman BTW, depicts a female dog, so no misogyny there). It’s described as a “Belgian-style IPA.” It’s an oddly accurate description, so they’re doing the hoppy-IPA thing and the Belgian thing at the same time (at 8.3% ABV).
Try Piraat.
The thing is, the proposed Mississippi amendment was a straightforward expression in law of a leading stance or slogan of the anti-abortion movement: “life begins at conception” (where life is generally understood to mean personhood). If people understand that the amendment has these horrific implications, then, by extension, the slogan must have these implications as well.
But maybe that’s too long a chain of reasoning to have a lot of influence.
Also note, most of the Republican presidential candidates specifically expressed support (including Mitt Romney, but not Huntsman).
HSH – I’m partial to their Doggie Style (Pale Ale) myself. Good stuff.
Anyway, I have come to like well-hopped beers (Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest, for example) but things got really crazy in IPA land for a while. Bitterness != flavor.
Belgians, sadly, are really not my thing. I have hated every one I’ve tried, and I’ve tried quite a few. There is a particular flavor (vaguely sweet) that I just cannot stand. I also detect it in Saisons.
More for the rest of you! Huzzah.
More of a cidery character, but Duchesse De Bourgogne and Rodenbach Grand Cru are both lovely Belgians. (Flanders Red Ales)
Georgia passed a law earlier in the year that allows counties and municipalities to hold votes to allow package alcohol sales on Sundays. So yesterday I was able to vote to make Atlanta more booze-friendly on Sundays. Soon the late Saturday dashes to get “Sunday beer” will be a thing of the past.
Who knew freedom tastes like a Founders Centennial IPA?
Congrats, Priest! If you can’t drink on Sundays, when can you drink?
Second the recs on Gulden Draak and on the Unibrou line (I like Maudite the best). Prefer Delirium Nocturnum to Delirium Tremens. If you like something a little less yeasty you might like Brasserie Dupont’s Foret Organic or Saison Dupont’s Farmhouse Ale. If you want to go big with a spiced Belgian ale there’s always La Chouffe. Corsendonk makes a nice brown ale.
Good Belgian-style domestics — Allagash, Eel River, Lost Abbey, Ommegang. New Belgium Brewery does a good Trippel and their Abbey dubbel is nice but the Grand Cru seasonal version is better as long as you like the citrus and coriander kick. Their 1554 Belgian black beer is dark, sour and yeasty and quite tasty.
Anybody who would like to sample the various New Belgium beers and who finds themselves passing through Denver International Airport should head down to the end of Concourse B (way to the end and then over the skyway). New Belgium has a bar/sandwich place there that usually has 4-5 of their beers on tap, often among them a seasonal one that’s hard to find in stores. They’ll give you samples to try, if you ask.
I fly through Denver at least monthly, and it’s a pleasant interlude for a boring trip.
Denver? The sunshine state? Gorgeous!
Ah, blue laws. I find I don’t mind them. It’s not really that hard to buy Mon-Sat. Of course there’s not real justification for them, but at this point I see it as a harmless tradition. I suspect many of the liquor store owners don’t mind having Sundays off (I rather doubt it really drags sales down much overall. You just have to buy more on Sat).
We did recently allow the stores to stay open an extra hour (to 9pm! Woohoo!).
Thyis is a total change of subject.
My old dog Blackie died last night. I’m not lookig for sympathy for me or for him; he was very old and very tired and he had a good life during years he lived with me. I’m just thinking about that question of when one becomes human and tht got me thiking about when one is no longer a human or a dog or a lizard or whatever. And the mystery of death.
I felt his last breath. I thik I felt when his mind went, too. That happened in the car on the way to the vet. He gave a sign and after tht he was unresponsive but still breathing. From that time on he seemed gone, to me.
I was OK until that asked me if I wanted the body cremated. That my ornery opinionated nuerotic worried but loving little black dog could become just ashes seems outrageously unfair. Unfair to him. What happened to his life?
This is one reason why I do not believe in any dieties or Creators. But it gets worse. Not only do we all have to die but many sentient beins are born to die, born beings capable of fear and pain, but appraently exsting for no purpose but to procreate and be eaten. Mice. Rabbits. Deer. I thought about this every time I bought dog food for Balckie. he was a carnivore so I woul have to stahd there and decide what small animlas to kill to feed my dog. Lamb and rice dog food? Duck and sweet potatoe dog food? I’m a vegetarian but he wasn’t.
Why would a god creat a reality where some have to eat others to survive? And if reality had to be that way, why make the ones who live to be eaten sentient? If there is a god, he’s a sadist.
Anyway I guess this does’t relate to the questio of when life as a human begins but begining of life questios have never seemed as important to me as end of life ones. It matters a lot more to me that the death rate for babies is high in Mississsippi tha that zygotes are getting flused.
I’m not being glib, Laura, when I say it’s like you’ve been inside my mind with that post. You all know that both my parents four cancer in the last year, and that I had to euthanize two cats at once this summer, so this has been The Year Of Thinking About Death for me. And I’m a pretty hardcore atheist, so I often get gripped by this existential dread: “This is all you get, boyo, and it’s slipping away a second at a time while you argue with people on the Internet. And you’re not a young man anymore, either.”
I’m going to go drink now.
Yeah, Laura. Thanks for that.
Oh, good lord, try Maredsous Triple. It’s heaven in a bottle.
all the angels wanna drink Maredsous.
it’s even better on tap, if you can find it.