So I quickly wrapped up yesterday's blog before heading over to a friends for dinner last night. One of the things that I threw out there in yesterday's posting was that I'd been away and had anyone seen any signs of the arrival Gritty's Scottish Ale yet (and threw out a little comparison between GSA and a cowbell).

Well, nevermind - I found it.

Upon arriving last night, my friend and host said - Shipyard Winter or Gritty's Scottish? I hugged him.

Prost,

Scott Dutton

Sorry for the delay there – I was away on other side of country and didn’t have as much access to blogging as I expected. I was in Phoenix, Arizona for a week or so – one of my favorite places in the country to visit.
I keep tying in the topic of climate change on this beer blog - not sure why, but check this out. The day I depart for Phoenix, Arizona it’s 67 bloody degrees in Portland, Maine. That’s nuts in January. I land in PHX and it’s about 55 degrees (which isn’t that out of line for this time of year for them, but Portland, Maine being 12 degrees warmer is way out of line). The day I leave AZ to head home, they are having the coldest temperatures recorded in decades. It was 29 degrees the early morning that I left. 29 degrees in the Valley of the Sun. 67 degrees in Maine in January (cue Twilight Zone music here).

And by the way, accoring to the nightly news out there, and due to the same temps in California last week - it's going to cost us all 3X more to buy an orange this year. Just giving you a heads up so you can budget accordingly, and hopefully still afford to fend off scurvy.

Someone’s got to be kidding me with Santa’s Butt Winter Porter (we kind of lost track of the ‘winter porter’ part, didn’t we?). I totally want to buy some right this minute. I love all of this flagrancy regarding beer labels. Like there’s some 16 year old sitting there saying, “Jeez, I wasn’t going to drink beer until I was 21, but that Santa’s Butt label is really calling me – oh to heck with it, I’m drinking”.
I suppose a line needs to be drawn somewhere with labels - I am for a little decorum, but that wasn’t anywhere near it. Holy job justification, Batman. Every time we raise such a stink about something, the consumer just wants more of it than they would have before the idiocy started anyway. Does it come in a 1/6 barrel? Can I get one at Toys-R-Us?
I would very seriously like to know how much state money was spent on that one. And in my opinion, -CLU’s – Maine, American and beyond, can often add as much to the ridiculousness as they do good – but good for them on this one.

Alright, that’s enough on that I suppose.

Anyone go to a nice Holiday or New Years party in the last couple of weeks?

My wife and I actually hosted one (Holiday Party, that is). Went off without a hitch (thanks to my wife), the food was wonderful, and as far as I could tell a good time was had by all. There was actually dancing in the dining room in the wee hours (please don't tell the kids). And also one friend was dancing out in the front hallway - I'm guessing he simply preferred the lighting out there.