All of a sudden I woke up and it had been nearly 3 weeks since my last posting. What the Hell happened? Other than these 3 scars on my abdomen, which are in the shape of a triangle, about 1 inch apart - I have no idea. That and the fact that I keep watching the movie "Fire in the Sky" over and over. Well, anyway, I'm back and aside from the missing time, am feeling fine.

Got some great comments on the last post. Included was more testimonial to finding, consuming, AND for the most part enjoying, out dated (only a year or so) craft-brews.

And Ed, go ahead and drink that case of Thirsty Dog Hoppus Maximus. Please. I know we're all familiar with the massive influx of quality consumables to the marketplace from the marketing Mecca that is Dayton, Ohio - and Hoppus Maximus and Old Leghumper are no exceptions - but you must drink it down.
General Rule of Law in my house - NEVER throw a brew away. Even if some rookie shows up at my fridge with an AB item or some other dastardly concoction, I can't throw it out, man. No matter how long it sits there - I can't. And there's an art form to sloughing off beers that you're not going to drink (whether they're old, out of season, against your better brew standards - BBS for short - etc.) onto unsuspecting others.
The only excpetions to this rule are: "NA's" and "Smoke Beer". They can be shown the drain to make room for higher priority items. I had a "Retro" party a couple of years ago - served Schlitz, Genny Cream, PBR and Ballantine cans. That was awesome (Chris Farley, SNL). Had lots of leftovers though. Took me a good year to polish them off, but I did it. There are rules, baby - and that one is right up there with "don't start the generator in the living room" and "don't touch my crabcakes".
Crabcakes. My favorite item on many a Portland menu, but it's the only appetizer or entree (doesn't really matter) of which I could actually eat 4 orders. It's like going to Denny's at 3AM back in the twentysomething bar days -

"I'll have the Grand Slam, scrambled, bacon AND sausage.......probably gonna need extra syrup"
"OK, now I'll go with the Moons Over My Hammy please, side salad, ranch dressing."
"Oh, everthing's great, thanks. Can I get a bacon double cheeseburger, rings instead of fries - oh and do you by any chance serve beer and have immunity from liquor inspectors?"
"No?"
"Joey, slide me my backpack."

Back to the comments - Also thrown out there were props for Smuttynose Brewing in Portsmouth, NH - with which I wholeheartedly agree. Smuttynose is one of my all-time faves, particularly their Pale Ale. Top 5 pale ale for me, right up there with Andrew's. The comment was actually for their unfiltered IPA, which is also solid (not literally). They've got a Summer Weizen out for the season - you can't miss it with that unmistakably Smutty-esque packaging. Some of the best packages in the business to go with some of the best brews.

There was also mention that Gritty McDuff's Vacationland Summer Ale is out. And it is. Great new label this year, and great taste as always. Had me a handful by a backyard firepit Saturday night, and I have to say that they performed well. A little more character and body than some of the other summers, which I prefer. Summers and wheats can get a little bland after one or two sometimes - Gritty's Vacationland Summer can play all night. It's also a great pairing with much of the summer eats - from lobster to BBQ. Definite beer of choice this week w/ this forecast.

GET OUTSIDE THIS WEEK! Grill your food. Throw a wiffle ball. See a baseball game. Ride your bike. Eat cole slaw. Mow your lawn for the first time. Put some screens in. Invite friends over. Play music outside. Walk somewhere you normally drive. Reacquaint yourself with the ocean. Patronize establishments where you can sit outside. Trash Roger Clemens. Go fishing. Plant some flowers. Let your kids stay up a little later 'cause they were outside having fun. Praise Josh Beckett. Water something.

And have some Gritty's Vacationland Summer Ale.

Cheers,

Scott Dutton

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