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| Where the waves at? Next to nuthin' surf, 94th street crossover. 4/17/2020 |
Looking so sorry that I'm gonna believe
You've been infected by a social disease
Well, then take your medicine
I created the sound of madness
Wrote the book on pain
Somehow I'm still here to explain
That the darkest hour never comes in the night
You can sleep with a gun
When you gonna wake up and fight
For yourself?
Wrote the book on pain
Somehow I'm still here to explain
That the darkest hour never comes in the night
You can sleep with a gun
When you gonna wake up and fight
For yourself?
-Shinedown, Sound of Madness
Eerie, the landscape as of late. Everyone seems to be in hiding. By state mandate no less. Still say it's paranoia at work. Volunteered to do the run up the beach to pick up a pizza from Albertino's for dinner. Wife knew why. They do the absolute best brick oven pizza in town. Hands down. Make all their own ingredients including dough, sauce, dressings, toppings, etc. Anyways, runnin' up the beach like that, had to do a surf check. The reason to volunteer. Like I said, she knew. Water's been in the 50's since late March, start of April. Early for our slice of the coast. Usually go to one of the handicapped beach crossovers so I can drive up. Pulled up to 81st street...police cordoned off. 94th and 107th, same. As a matter of fact, the majority of all entrances were taped off. It is thought that as long as you are a local, are exercising...walking, running, even fishing, etc....stay in groups of four or less, and keep your distance it is okay to be on the beach.
Pretty crappy day this day was. Overcast. Onshore winds over 15-20 mph. And the waves were beyond mush. Small slop. Even on a nice day, regardless of the Atlantic's temps, I'd have been pressed to give it go. Assuming I could go. Surfing was exercise last I checked. Hard to say these days. However we've been dealing with not just the surf conditions, but also bay conditions with high winds, and chop on the back waters. Stick's been waitin'. Boat's gassed up. I wanna give it a go. Prayin' for surf. Just grab my stick and paddle out. Launch the boat and drop a line in. Go live and challenge the conditions. And the authorities. Waiting for it all to clean up...even a little.
Beers to challenge the palette. Couple more Mid-westerners. Still puttin' back those "off-season" brews. Chicago's Maplewood Brewery groomed Fat Pug Oatmeal Stout. Plenty of chocolate and coffee in the aromas as I poured the pint canned pitch black liquid into a Nonic glass. Thin, less than a finger, tan head. Tasted of roasted malts, burnt espresso, and very light sweetness. Finish was not real bitter (26.0 IBUs), but extremely dry. Like an English Stout. Very smooth at 5.9%. Not real creamy. Lacked that finishing punch. Like a pug that doesn't come when you call it. Fair. Better than the surf has been! Rated a C+.
One of my more favorable Chi-Town breweries has always been Half Acre Beer Company, known for some really creative Pales and IPAs. My recent try was Shores IPA. New England style. Long for hazy...juicy...heavy. Poured an orange-amber, with a near 2-finger, near white, foamy head. Sticky, thick lacing. Smelled of a cornucopia of tropical fruit. Mangoes, pineapples, oranges, lemons, limes. You get the picture. And, of course, that tell-tale grapefruit hop. Upon the first swig, I was surprised at how light it felt. Especially at 7% ABV. Not good. An ass-kicker must always be dealt with accordingly. Slowed down to take in the sweet citrus and tropics. Although more subdued than the aromas. Grapefruit was more prevalent...much more dank in the tasty, hoppy trip of the experience. I'd estimate it exceeded 50.0 IBUs. Juicy through and through. Mouthwatering. The last half of the stem glass didn't last long. Made the surf wait more tolerable. So much for slowing down. Rated an A.
Eerie, the landscape as of late. Everyone seems to be in hiding. By state mandate no less. Still say it's paranoia at work. Volunteered to do the run up the beach to pick up a pizza from Albertino's for dinner. Wife knew why. They do the absolute best brick oven pizza in town. Hands down. Make all their own ingredients including dough, sauce, dressings, toppings, etc. Anyways, runnin' up the beach like that, had to do a surf check. The reason to volunteer. Like I said, she knew. Water's been in the 50's since late March, start of April. Early for our slice of the coast. Usually go to one of the handicapped beach crossovers so I can drive up. Pulled up to 81st street...police cordoned off. 94th and 107th, same. As a matter of fact, the majority of all entrances were taped off. It is thought that as long as you are a local, are exercising...walking, running, even fishing, etc....stay in groups of four or less, and keep your distance it is okay to be on the beach.
Beers to challenge the palette. Couple more Mid-westerners. Still puttin' back those "off-season" brews. Chicago's Maplewood Brewery groomed Fat Pug Oatmeal Stout. Plenty of chocolate and coffee in the aromas as I poured the pint canned pitch black liquid into a Nonic glass. Thin, less than a finger, tan head. Tasted of roasted malts, burnt espresso, and very light sweetness. Finish was not real bitter (26.0 IBUs), but extremely dry. Like an English Stout. Very smooth at 5.9%. Not real creamy. Lacked that finishing punch. Like a pug that doesn't come when you call it. Fair. Better than the surf has been! Rated a C+. |
| "You know what goes great with the Corona virus? Lyme disease!" -AP |
One of my more favorable Chi-Town breweries has always been Half Acre Beer Company, known for some really creative Pales and IPAs. My recent try was Shores IPA. New England style. Long for hazy...juicy...heavy. Poured an orange-amber, with a near 2-finger, near white, foamy head. Sticky, thick lacing. Smelled of a cornucopia of tropical fruit. Mangoes, pineapples, oranges, lemons, limes. You get the picture. And, of course, that tell-tale grapefruit hop. Upon the first swig, I was surprised at how light it felt. Especially at 7% ABV. Not good. An ass-kicker must always be dealt with accordingly. Slowed down to take in the sweet citrus and tropics. Although more subdued than the aromas. Grapefruit was more prevalent...much more dank in the tasty, hoppy trip of the experience. I'd estimate it exceeded 50.0 IBUs. Juicy through and through. Mouthwatering. The last half of the stem glass didn't last long. Made the surf wait more tolerable. So much for slowing down. Rated an A.
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