If you want some interesting Chrismas music to stream, check out my longtime favorite site, based out of San Francisco, SomaFM.
My favorite stations are Groove Salad, Deep Space One, LUSH, and Beat Blender, though currently I am all about Department Store Christmas. Check it out, it's free!
Shoegaze music is probably my biggest wheelhouse. I've been a fan of Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Pale Saints, Lush, An April March, My Bloody Valentine, et. al. since my college days.
Needless to say I was thrilled to discover DKFM Shoegaze Radio!
I was on Bandcamp last night looking around for new stuff to add to my wishlist, and during the hunt I was redirected to DKFM, and I immediately saved the bookmark. There is nothing quite like a random playlist of a musical style one loves. It's almost like rummaging through a used record store, but without the travel and laying out of money. Don't get me wrong, one of my favorite pastimes is finding a used record store in which to spend an hour or two! Needless to say, my life just got a little bit better...
My favorite beer for all of September (and part of October) has been Tiger Lily Double IPA from Berkshire Brewing Company.
It's floral scent, and hints of peach & apricot highlight this ridiculously smooth beer. I've enjoyed it several times lately, and am thrilled that the brewery (located in South Deerfield, MA) has decided to include it in its permanent rotation!
My sister & her husband and I drove west in their Tesla to Dalton, MA to have dinner, and the many fine beers of the Shire Breu-Hous.
We got some appetizers to share, including a giant soft pretzel with beer cheese and candied bacon. It was amazingly good. Sarah and I each got a 4-glass flight of 4oz beers.
Haven’t had a beer in a few weeks, so after three evening shifts I am trying GG Vibes, a hazy New England IPA. It’s pretty decent, but the fruitiness overpowers the hops. A nice change of pace, but Greater Good Brewing has other options that I prefer. 🍺🍺🍺 If you enjoy tropical fruit heavy beer, then you might like this one. Careful, it's 8.2% ABV!
Time for another Not Lame Minus Boston area adventure...
I drove to Alewife, parked and zipped into Davis Square on the Red Line. Then I grabbed two seats at Elm Street Taproom's bar, ordered a decent A Little Rain IPA from Small Change Brewing Company, and waited for Brian's arrival. We got dinner: I had the Double Skinny Burger and waffle fries, and he got a BBQ Chicken Sandwich to go along with his Old Fashioned. I had another beer, and around 7:00 we headed out to find another place to hang out until Gavin could meet us around 9:00 pm.
We crossed the street to go to The Burren, but it was packed, so we walked a few feet to Sligo instead. Upon entering, I recognized it for the same dive bar I'd patronized years ago (and disliked greatly). However, as an in-between stop for one round, it was fine. Brian bought the round: a Guinness for himself and a serviceable Harpoon IPA for me. An hour passed with a decent soundtrack, the Red Sox and Celtics both playing on the televisions, and the typical smells and sounds of a dive.
We were going to meet Gavin at Saloon, a favorite destination of recent years, but the wait for a table was over an hour, so we opted for The Foundry instead, where we immediately were shown to a booth even without our full party present. Brian got another Old Fashioned (which was better than the one he'd had earlier), and I decided to try a fancy drink myself. I opted for the Float Downstream, a tequila-based drink containing mango, pineapple and turmeric, with a 'tajin rim', whatever that was. The drink was surprisingly good. The tajin rim was not. So I drank from the other side of the glass. When Gavin arrived he also got an Old Fashioned, and when we ordered food, he got wings with some odd maple BBQ sauce, and I had the fish and chips (very good!). At around 11:45 as a group we decided to call it an evening, though Brian wanted to keep the revels going.
I grabbed a couple of four packs of beer from the local liquor store, and one of them was Took a Boat to Church IPA (Citra & Strata hops, double dry hopped) from Shire Breu-Hous out of Dalton, MA. It is exactly what I want from an IPA: super hazy with a bit of a bite, and seeds at the bottom of the can or glass. At 6.5% ABV, it actually hits a bit stronger, but the flavor makes it worth it. Highly recommended. I only had one last night, so that means there are three left for future fun!
Yesterday I took a leisurely 45-minute drive up to Peterborough, NH to Post & Beam Brewing. It was well worth the trip.
The staff inside were all very friendly, and they knew what they were talking about. The interior of the pub was immaculate, airy, open and clean, with plenty of room to move about.
I bought 2 growlers of the World on Fire, a West Coast IPA with Mango, which was crazy good. It is very hazy, and goes down smoothly. I am so glad I snagged two (one to share with my sister's family over steaks, and the other to bring home for myself). I also grabbed a 4-pack of the Midnight Wish Sour (sweet cherries and blackberries) for my nephew and his girlfriend (I await their verdict). A nice little drive for a great-tasting beer. Next time I plan on trying one of their stouts in addition to bringing home more of the World on Fire.
I spent a few days on Nantucket: Monday 14th - Wednesday 16th (yesterday). I spent a lot of time walking all around town, and also a lot of time eating, all over town.
Monday night I headed back to the dock and had a great burger at Stubby's. The fries were fantastic too.
On Tuesday after a walk to the Brant Point Lighthouse I had lunch at The Charlie Noble. I began with a bowl of their great clam chowder, and then followed up with the N. E. Fish & Chips. Their tartar sauce is the best I've ever had, and the fries were interesting, but not to my personal taste. Also, I had my first Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale on-island in years. The memories of many old trips flooded back as I enjoyed that beer.
And for dinner I walked down to Walter's on Broad Street, where I had the Sweet Caroline (BBQ chicken) sandwich. It was ridiculously good! The roll was packed tight with barbecued chicken, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, and wedged in were a couple of thick slices of bacon. The sandwich dripped sauce steadily onto my potato chips (yum), and it might have been the best value of the trip, in a 'delicious to dollar' ratio.
I ate well on this little 3-day tour. Hopefully I can get back there in early fall with others of our island-hopping NLM crew...
I snagged an album and a redux EP from Phoenix, AZ's Missed Call. It's a great series of shoegaze songs (one of my primary wheelhouses) that should make for a fantastic soundtrack to my vacation full of road trips March 12-20... I'm looking forward to the open road (and open seas) with some music new to me!
