Beer Review - Two I Missed

Fantastic beer - 4/5 stars

Nostalgia from my 6 years in the Portsmouth, NH area.
Great beer, even better on tap.

Beer Review - Sculpin IPA

22 ounce bottle.

IPA's are my beer style of choice. On a whim today I picked up this offering from San Diego's Ballast Point Brewing Company, their Sculpin India Pale Ale. I found out that even after finishing a 22 ounce bottle, I could probably still drink it all day. It's flavor is in the sweet spot between a good 'typical' IPA and Magic Hat's #9 Not Quite Pale Ale.

Bonus: the sunset after imbibing!

New Music Mondays - Bing Satellites

One of our favorites, Bing Satellites, has a new ambient album out.

If you are staring up at the night sky, reading a book, or just doing some deep thinking, and you want a memorable soundtrack for these activities, go snag "Twilight Sessions Volume 13" here. It will fill your ears with what you need...

And make sure you check  out their other releases as well! We have been enjoying them for years.

Beer Review - Pied Piper IPA

No big words today. It was so good,
that it disappeared within an hour,
as I floated in the middle of the lake...

Saturday Night Live

If you're not busy Saturday night sitting around a fire or lounging on the porch, and you're itching to get out of the house and hear some live music, we have two fantastic options for you:

♫ - Almanac Mountain is playing songs both old and new as part of a triple bill at the historic Stone Church in Newmarket, NH. He will be sharing the evening with Portsmouth's Joe Young, as well as headliners Shades of Rust. The show is $5 ahead of time, or $7 at the door. What a bargain!

♫ - Winterpills will be performing their particular brand of breezy, thoughtful folk-ish rock in their hometown of Northampton, MA at the WW2 Club. And if for some reason you're free the night before (Friday the 4th) instead, they will be a bit farther west, at the Dreamaway Lodge in Becket, MA! I'm sure there will be fireworks to be seen, from the far side of the Connecticut border (wink wink). Decisions, decisions...

So enjoy the outdoors all day, but then hie yourself into one of the venues above for great local music from talented artists that we here at Not Lame Minus have been enjoying, supporting and recommending for many years.

New Music Bonanza

If you are looking to add a ton of new music to your device for free, check out the latest compilation from awesome music site EardrumsPop. "Between Two Waves - Second Wave" is broken up into three 'album' downloads (A, B and C), and features a wide range of emerging and smaller local music acts from around the globe.

The site also features EPs from the showcased (as well as other) bands. I've had the pleasure of listening to many of them for the last few years, so I highly recommend giving the compilations a try, and then diving deeper into the EardrumsPop catalog for the bands you've enjoyed.

What could be better than free music? GREAT free music. Try some out, you won't regret the time spent.

And keep up to date with their latest releases by following EardrumsPop on Twitter.

Beer Review - Wachusett Summer

As far as summer beers go, to me the standard is Sam Adams Summer. The offering from the Wachusett Brewery in Westminster, MA is nearly as good.

Wachusett Summer is a full-bodied wheat ale with a wisp of lemon flavor. I would recommend a lemon slice in the glass or bottle, for that particular flavor is more faint than in Sam Adams. Either way, it is quite refreshing, and goes well with sunshine and friends.

Grade 4 stars (out of 5).

Beer Review - Pistil Spring Ale

Another offering from the Magic Hat Spring Sampler, the Pistil Spring Ale is a let-down.

Pistil contains dandelion leaves, but it pours like a Single Chair (see previous review), and tastes like a watered-down #9 (a beer which I have loved for years). It's not bad, but it's not "seek-out" - worthy, either. I will probably drink the remaining two bottles after finishing the three bottles of #9 the next time I spend a day down at the lake.

Grade 2½ stars (out of 5).

Beer Review - Single Chair

Magic Hat's Single Chair Golden Ale was today's 'sunny spring day' beer of choice.

As you can see from the photo it poured out a pale golden color, with a small head. The aroma was quite fresh and light.

I was not sure what to expect from the Single Chair, but upon finishing the pint, the overall verdict was that it was basically a higher quality Budweiser. I enjoyed the first few sips, but when I saw where the experience was headed, I lost interest. Ultimately, if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose the Single Chair, but if I had an overall choice, I'd choose neither, as I am not a fan of that basic style of beer.

Grade 1½ stars (out of 5).

2014 Plans

Wow, already April, and not a single post!

Music, beer and coffee reviews/stories/links to follow...