It’s been a bit too quiet on this blog lately, and that’s mostly because I was away last week on a family vacation. My parents rented a lake house in Virginia (in the town appropriately named “Bumpass“), and Shell, my sister, my bro-in-law and myself all joined them. It was a lot of fun and we all really enjoyed our time there. We did quite a few things too. Here’s a brief breakdown of what we did on our summer vacation at Lake Anna: Read More
Tag Archives: beer
How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2011
3
Filed under My Personal Life
Tagged as battlefield, BBQ, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blue and gray, boating, bumpass, civil war, droid, fishing, fredericksburg, google, google maps, gps, grill, harry potter, internet, lake anna, monopoly deal, monticello, Movies, pool, risk, rock band, scattergories, spotsylvania, summer, swimming, tavern on the rail, thomas jefferson, trivial pursuit, vacation, virginia, wilderness
Tagged as battlefield, BBQ, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blue and gray, boating, bumpass, civil war, droid, fishing, fredericksburg, google, google maps, gps, grill, harry potter, internet, lake anna, monopoly deal, monticello, Movies, pool, risk, rock band, scattergories, spotsylvania, summer, swimming, tavern on the rail, thomas jefferson, trivial pursuit, vacation, virginia, wilderness
The Best Damn Tuna Fish Sandwich EVER!
Filed under Food & Drink
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, breakfast, chocolate milk, dinner, Food & Drink, fried onions, juice, lunch, mexican, milk, sandwich, tuna, tuna fish
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, breakfast, chocolate milk, dinner, Food & Drink, fried onions, juice, lunch, mexican, milk, sandwich, tuna, tuna fish
Once or twice a week, I will head to the kitchen around lunch time with a craving for a tuna fish sandwich. I’m very picky with tuna, and I will never order it from a deli or other sandwich shop (and I NEVER ate the tuna fish in school because the cafeteria tuna looked like a pile of ash!) If I happen to be at my parents house, I have no problem eating it when my dad makes it. However, it’s just not the same as my home-made tuna, because I do things to it that my dad would never think of eating. So today I’m going to share with you what I put in my tuna. It’s not a full-blown recipe because I do everything by sight and don’t measure the ingredients out, so feel free to do it to your personal taste. I use:
- One can tuna
- Light mayonnaise
- Honey mustard
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- Kosher salt (it is essential to use kosher…using regular table salt doesn’t do the sandwich justice)
- Ground black pepper (I crush the peppercorns in a grinder, not regular “table pepper”)
- Two slices Arnold’s Bakery Light Bread (its a much smaller piece of bread which cuts down on bready carbs)
- 1 Slice of cheddar cheese
- French’s french fried onions Read More
Cooking/Food Category Now Food & Drink
Filed under Food & Drink, Site Updates
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, cooking, f.n.beer, Food & Drink, food & drink, restaurant, wine
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, cooking, f.n.beer, Food & Drink, food & drink, restaurant, wine
Since this site first started up, I had a blog category titled “cooking/food”, which is where I lumped my adventures in the kitchen along with restaurants we ate at and different things we drank. Today as I was writing up my previous blog on my brother-in-law’s F.N.Beer, I realized that I didn’t like lumping beer and wine talk into a category called “cooking/food.” So I went ahead and changed it, and it will now be called the more stylish “Food & Drink.” This category fits about everything to do with consuming anything, so it works for me.
My Brother-in-Law’s F.N.Beer Blog
Filed under Food & Drink
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, brewery, brother-in-law, f.n.beer, fnbeer, sasquatch
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, brewery, brother-in-law, f.n.beer, fnbeer, sasquatch
My brother-in-law has been brewing beer for quite some time, and yesterday he unveiled his new blog, F.N.Beer. This will chronicle his adventures of experimenting while perfecting his craft and pursuing his dream of opening his own professional brewery. I can personally attest to the tastiness of his spirits, and I wish him all the best in his quest.
I also told him he should make a Sasquatch Ale, as I think it would sell like hotcakes.
Homemade Beer
Filed under Food & Drink
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, brew, brother-in-law, dunkelweizen, homemade, sam adams, wine, winter ale
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, brew, brother-in-law, dunkelweizen, homemade, sam adams, wine, winter ale
Now don’t get excited, I don’t make my own beer…but my bro-in-law does! When I last saw him, he gave me two hefty bottles of his homemade brew, one which was a Dunkelweizen and the other was a Winter Ale. I had finished with the Dunkel a few weeks ago, and last night I opened up the Winter Ale for the first taste.
The Winter Ale is a strong, tasty beer with plenty of flavor. It also has that “bite” that I’ve come to enjoy in beer, particularly in Sam Adams brews. The Winter Ale is a bit stronger than the Dunkelweizen, so I did prefer the Dunkel, which had some interesting flavors present. I was originally planning on saving them for our New Years Eve party, but in the end I decided to serve Sam Adams and keep the homemade beer all to myself.
The homemade beers my bro makes are a real treat, as there is a lot more to them than a commercial beer I can get in a store. I look forward to trying out more of his special brews. While making beer is not something I would personally like to get into, I would definitely be interested in making my own wine once we get a house. My dad used to make his own wine when we were down on Long Island, and it’s definitely something I want to try my hand at.
I’m Getting Too Old For This Shit!!!
Filed under Music
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blink-182, concert, drugs, flogging molly, green day, losers, metallica, Music, new found glory, sugarcult, ticketmaster, tom petty, warped tour
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blink-182, concert, drugs, flogging molly, green day, losers, metallica, Music, new found glory, sugarcult, ticketmaster, tom petty, warped tour
Ever since my first concert back in high school (Blink-182, Green Day, New Found Glory, and Sugarcult), I have loved going to them just so I could see my favorite artists perform live. Back then it was such a simple experience: you went to your local Ticketmaster dealer (which for me was Sound Trax) and they went on their computer and got tickets. Then the internets came along, and I started buying my tickets directly from Ticketmaster. Then I was plagued with crappy seats (as it was easier for everybody to get tickets) and outrageous service charges, on top of already expensive ticket prices. Today dealing with Ticketmaster for anything just makes me sick!
But that’s not my biggest concern. No, instead I am more pissed off at the actual concerts these days. As I said, I go to concerts to enjoy the music. I have never gotten drunk or done drugs or anything else like that at a concert. Call me crazy, but I just like to be clear-headed when my favorite tunes are being played live. But it seems that I am the minority in this respect, and other concert-goers are pretty much out of control. Now I have no problem if someone is going to have a beer or two to wet their whistle…they are not going to get stupidly drunk off that. However, when I’m driving to a concert and I look over at the car next to me and see a bunch of topless guys drinking 40s in the middle of traffic, that pisses me off, and I wonder where in the hell the cops are at a time like this. It also gets me going when people are literally stumbling back to their cars upon leaving a concert, and getting behind the wheel. Oh, and don’t get me started about when I’m sitting in the middle of a concert and all of sudden some moron blows a cloud of smoke directly into my face! Read More
Our Independence Day in Boston
Filed under My Personal Life
Tagged as 4th of july, adam richmond, au bon pain, barking crab, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blue man group, boston, boston brick red, bum, chowderfest, clam chowder, colonial, cruise, doubletree, emack & bolios, fireworks, gelato, harbor, hobo, hotel, independence day, kennedys, legal seafood, little italy, man vs food, new england aquarium, north church, paul revere, pax, penguin, sam adams, state house, u.s.s. constitution
Tagged as 4th of july, adam richmond, au bon pain, barking crab, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blue man group, boston, boston brick red, bum, chowderfest, clam chowder, colonial, cruise, doubletree, emack & bolios, fireworks, gelato, harbor, hobo, hotel, independence day, kennedys, legal seafood, little italy, man vs food, new england aquarium, north church, paul revere, pax, penguin, sam adams, state house, u.s.s. constitution
I wanted to do something really fun and huge this year for Independence Day. I thought it would be cool to go to one of the old colonial cities for the weekend, and since we had already been to Philadelphia last year, I decided that we should go to Boston. While I was just there in March for PAX, we didn’t really do too much outside the convention, so I was looking forward to seeing more of the city. Once I told Shell, she was excited, and we made our plans to go. Our three day trip to Boston was a lot of fun, and definitely a perfect place in which to celebrate Independence Day.
Saturday:
We left early Saturday morning to head out to Boston, and our hotel. We had decided to get a hotel on the outskirts of Boston so it would be cheaper for the room as well as parking. We hit a little traffic going there, and were pleasantly surprised with the hotel. We stayed at the Doubletree Bayside hotel, and it was great. It was in an awesome location (four minute walk to the subway station), the room was very pleasant, and they give you a delicious chocolate chip cookie when you check in! It was definitely one of the best hotels I ever stayed in (not counting the Rockafella Suite, of course) and I highly recommend it if you’re staying in Boston and want to save a lot of cash for room and car parking. Read More
Survived my Bachelor Party
Filed under My Personal Life, My Wedding
Tagged as bachelor party, BBQ, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, central park, comics, drinks, geocache, Geocaching, jim gaffigan, long island, new york city, nyc, video games
Tagged as bachelor party, BBQ, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, central park, comics, drinks, geocache, Geocaching, jim gaffigan, long island, new york city, nyc, video games
I had a blast this weekend at my bachelor party. As I said, I went into it not having any idea what we were up to. We ended up heading down to NYC for the weekend. We had a blast with plenty of good food, drinks, and friends. I headed down on Saturday with Steve and my cousin, then we met up with my brother-in-law for some afternoon drinks. Eventually we made it to an awesome BBQ place for dinner and met up with my high school friend. Later on my childhood friend from Long Island met up with us also, which was awesome.
One of the coolest things that happened was that we went to a comedy show at one point, and all of a sudden Jim Gaffigan comes on stage and starts doing stand-up. I turned to my friend and we’re both in shock, because it was this divey comedy place inside a childrens hospital or something, and he wasn’t even mentioned on the set list or anything. It was a hilarious surprise.
On Sunday Steve and I hit up some comic and video game stores, and then went and did a geocache in Central Park (I will post that separately.) After that, we headed home. It was a very fun weekend, and it was really nice outside (though I could say it was too hot for my taste.) I had a blast down there having drinks with my friends, and a good time was had by all.
The Sam Adams Brewery Tour
Filed under Food & Drink
Tagged as barley, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, boston, boston lager, brewery, cherry wheat, gift shop, hops, noble pils, pax, pax east, sam adams, sams, tasting
Tagged as barley, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, boston, boston lager, brewery, cherry wheat, gift shop, hops, noble pils, pax, pax east, sam adams, sams, tasting
I do love my Sam Adams Boston Lager, so when we were getting ready to head up to Boston for PAX East, I thought it only fitting that we find some time to take in the Sam’s Brewery. So on Friday, after checking into the hotel, we hopped on the subway and made our way to the Sam’s Brewery for a tour and a tasting.
We walked into the building, and made it just in time to catch the tour going in. The tour was technically free, but they suggested a $2 donation which went to local charities. However, they were not aggressive about it, and in fact we almost missed the keg which was set aside to receive the donations. So even though I did it, if you were a real cheapskate you could go to the Sam’s Brewery and keep all your money to yourself and no one would know or care. I was amazed to find that the tour actually took place on the production floor, amongst the vats of beer. The first part of the tour takes place off to the side, where the tour guide explains about the ingredients in Sam Adams beer, and passes around samples of hops and barley for you to smell. After that, we go back onto the production floor, and the guide explains the process of making different varieties of Sams. On that particular day, they were brewing Cherry Wheat, so you could see the guys in the back covered in cherry stains as they went about their work. It was really cool to be standing around watching the process go down in front of you.
We Italians Need a Holiday Too!!!
Filed under Food & Drink, Randomness
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, cabbage, Chicken cacciatore, columbus day, cooking, corned beef, easter, Food & Drink, holiday, irish, italian, italian-american, lasagna, st. patricks day, wine
Tagged as beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, cabbage, Chicken cacciatore, columbus day, cooking, corned beef, easter, Food & Drink, holiday, irish, italian, italian-american, lasagna, st. patricks day, wine
Sure, I like St. Patrick’s Day for the annual corned beef meal, but that’s about it. You won’t catch me wearing green, I won’t down a Guiness, and, long story short, I won’t go around pretending to be Irish, like so many people do. All too many people make believe that they are Irish for a day (and the weekend before, and the weekend after) during St. Patrick’s Day, and run around going bar-hopping and acting like fools. Now if you’re of Irish decent, I have no beef with ya…it’s your holiday and you do what you like. But there are more non-Irish people celebrating it here in the States than those who are Irish, and for that I say boo.
So on that note, I want to make my voice heard for all us Italians out there, that we want a holiday too. I mean, just picture how awesome a holiday would be if the Irish stuff was replaced by Italian stuff. For example, everyone would down awesome, delicious wine rather than beer. And let’s face it, wine is tastier than beer, goes better with a dinner, and gets you feeling good faster than a bottle of beer would. Secondly, the food. Screw the corned beef, cabbage, potato, and Irish soda bread. Sure, it’s a decent meal, but what about a GREAT meal?! Picture it: lasagna, baked ziti, meat pie, chicken cacciatore, veal piccata, sausage and peppers, pasta, meatballs, fresh warm Italian bread with some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings to dip it in…mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!! And what about dessert?! To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know what an Irish dessert is, but look at Italian desserts: cookies, cannoli, spumoni, tiramisu…simply fabulous!
So while I don’t mean to bash Irish cuisine and culture, I’m just saying that Italians need an ethnic holiday in the U.S. too. To be quite honest, both the food and drink are better, and I think people would have a great time getting drunk on wine and eating warm, hearty food. Easter is kind of a good example, so maybe that counts? Or maybe Columbus Day? Don’t start hating on me and telling me about all the bad things Columbus did…I’m a historian, so I know. However, it is an important holiday to Italian-Americans, and maybe more of us should start embracing it as such, rather than for the man himself.
The Gilded Otter Brewing Company
Filed under Food & Drink
Tagged as alcohol, appetizers, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, booze, brewing company, dessert, dinner, Food & Drink, gilded otter, lunch, New Paltz, restaurant
Tagged as alcohol, appetizers, beer, big bad bob, bigbadbob, booze, brewing company, dessert, dinner, Food & Drink, gilded otter, lunch, New Paltz, restaurant
Shell and I met up with Steve and his friend in New Paltz last night, and had dinner at The Gilded Otter. I had originally heard of the place from a friend, and we were going to go with them, but when we got there the parking lot was 100% full, leaving us nowhere to park, so we didnt stay. We went to New Paltz last night since its kind of a half way point between Steve and me.
The Gilded Otter is a restaurant/brewing company. They produce several different beers at the place, and feature it with their food. Shell and I got there a little before Steve, so we went up to the bar and got our drink on a little early. I tried their Hefeweizen beer, which was pretty awesome, and had the faintest taste of banana. I had never heard of Hefeweizen until a few weeks ago, when it was in my Sam Adams summer collection of beers I bought. I liked Sams Hefeweizen also, but the Gilded Otter’s simply blew it away. Shell partook in her drink of choice; hard cider. The Gilded Otter does not make their own hard cider, but they bring it in from Warwick, which is also a local producer.
Eventually Steve and his friend got there, and we sat down at a table. Steve and I ended up ordering a sampling of their beer. I forgot what the exact name was, but it consisted of eight small glasses of each of their draft beers, along with a card so you knew what you were drinking. They were all pretty good, and after sampling them all, I still thought their Hefeweizen was the best.
So now onto the food. The menu at The Gilded Otter is extensive, and has some classics (wings, mozz sticks, calamari, etc.) as well as some upper-scale foods you wouldnt normally find at a bar/pub (smoked trout mousse, stuffed grape leaves, and mussels.) We stuck to the classics for appetizers and ordered chicken wings. There was mild, hot, and BBQ, and we went with hot. It was a very good hot wing sauce, and had some nice heat to it. For dinner I ordered braised short ribs, which was awesome. The side it came with was horseradish mashed potatoes, gravy, and squash. I wasnt a big fan of the potatoes (since Im not a fan of horseradish), but with the gravy and squash mixed with it, I enjoyed it. Steve got an order of jambalaya, and he was pleased with the heat and spice with it. Steve’s friend and Shell both had a bowl of spinach fettuchini and a bolognese sauce, which was also excellent. We also ended up ordering dessert. Shell and I split a slice triple chocolate cheesecake and Steve had a chocolate peanutbutter pie.
The Gilded Otter is freakin awesome! The beer is great, the food is delicious, the service was fast and pleasant (Steve had fun pestering the waitress as usual), and the overall atmosphere was pretty cool. I would totally go back, and I recommend anyone who is close by to go check it out. Heck, its worth the 1 hour 15 minute car ride for me!
Happy Independence Day!!!
Filed under History, Randomness
Tagged as 1776, 4th of july, Afghanistan, America, BBQ, beer, Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, George Washington, grill, independence day, Iraq, John Adams, July 4th, nation, President, U.S., United States
Tagged as 1776, 4th of july, Afghanistan, America, BBQ, beer, Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, George Washington, grill, independence day, Iraq, John Adams, July 4th, nation, President, U.S., United States
Now I know Im a day early, but I will be out hiking and BBQ’ing with the family tomorrow, and will thus be unable to do this, so I am writing this up now.
July 4th, or Independence Day, is a great day in the history of the United States, mainly because it is attributed to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What is funny, however, is that the founding fathers had originally approved the document on July 2nd. John Adams even wrote a letter to his wife saying :
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more”.
Being an ameture historian,with a background in early American history, I hold Independence Day to be my second favorite holiday (trumped only by the commercialization of Christmas). I love the idea of being outdoors, holding a burger in one hand and a beer in the other, reflecting on how far this nation has come. Within the course of 233 years, America today is truly one of the greatest, most powerful nations. Over the course of this time, we have seen the coming and going of 44 Presidents, and each time, the transition of power has been peaceful and routine. Of course, I dont count assasinations, which are violent events, but I refer to the fact that the nation never faltered, never stopped, and that the government, even though it is constantly changing as each new President brings in a new cabinet and staff, it has always been done in a peaceful manner. I dont know how many other nations can boast that.
The international neighborhood can say what it will, but I believe that America is the most powerful and well-respected nation in the global community. The U.S. has done a lot for the world since it first came to power. America fought against piracy in Africa while Europeans were paying them bribes and taking the easy way out. U.S. forces stormed across Europe twice to help end the military conflicts going on there. During the Cold War, the U.S. became the supreme technological nation worldwide. The U.S. has also delivered tons of aid to nations in need across the globe.
So what am I saying? Am I saying that the United States is the best damn country in the world? Hell yeah I am. I am most definitely a nationalist, but just because I have these beliefs does not mean I am putting down anyone else. I embrace the international community, simply because only an organized, unified world will be successful in repelling the inevitable alien force that will one day threaten our planet.
So this Fourth of July, while on your back porch enjoying the food and fireworks, take some time to reflect on who you are. You are an American, a proud member of a great nation. Remember those who sacrificed their lives from the American Revolution through today in Iraq and Afghanistan, to help maintain the safety of this nation and its citizens.
Thank you founding fathers, and particularly Mr. George Washington, who endured much ridicule, torment, and tempation to lay down the foundation for this great nation.
