Growler Guy

Beer is best when it’s fresh from the tap and one of the best ways to enjoy that freshness at home is the beer growler. Last year the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to allow HoCo restaurants and liquor stores to sell draft beers in growlers. Less than one year later I've become a regular growler guy.

Growlers are also one of the best ways to enjoy the seemingly endless progression of craft beers. At the Wine Bin in Ellicott City for instance, they feature six growler offerings at any given time. Once a tap goes dry it is replaced with something new. There is always something different to try when I go in for a refill. Since they also offer a 32 oz growler you don’t have to make a big commitment to any one brew. Anyone can drink two pints of beer they only sort of like, right?

There are some things to take into consideration with growlers. For one, they don’t keep long. If you bring home beer in growler you should drink it within a week. The longer it sits, the more it loses that freshness. How it’s filled could be an issue as well. In his Thirsty in Seattle blog, Dan Swanson writes he’s “had enough flat, oxidized growlers to know that consistency in properly filling growlers is a big problem, at least at some establishments.  Let’s look at the array of filling technique advice.  Some folks say you should bottom-fill a growler using a tube.  Others say you can just fill from the top.  There are even more pro tips: Use a CO₂ purge, make sure the growler is cold, cap on foam, use plastic polyseal caps (not the cheap white metal ones), and fill using counter pressure.  With all the varying information out there, it’s no wonder growlers aren't consistently filled flawlessly.”

“If your growler was not filled and capped properly, the beer will start to oxidize and go flat the minute you walk out the door.”

So far, I haven’t experienced any freshness failures. I guess the Wine Bin boys are using proper filling techniques but I can just as easily appreciate how that might not always be the case.

Still I like the upside. As Josh Christie writes in Brews and Books, "Growlers are also environmental friendly and often less expensive than prepackaged beer, which works out for everyone.”

I’ll drink to that.

Wooly Bully

It’s too late for this year but you might want to pencil the 41^st Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival into your calendar for next spring. I readily admit to being surprised at how big it is. The two day event at the Howard County Fairgrounds attracts about 85,000 visitors from all over. It is the premier festival “celebrating all things sheep and wool” in the world.

It’s free too.

We watched sheep dogs go through their paces, ate lamb sausage sandwiches, sampled lambs milk cheese, and checked out at a lot stuff made out of wool.

There was even sheep art. Conni Tӧgel has a collection of works she calls Sheep Incognito, perfect for this crowd. This work is entitled “Ewe Tube.”

It’s a dry event and after all that lamb I was a little thirsty so to keep in the spirit of things I picked up a six pack of Baba Black Lager on the way home. Not baaaaad.

Ahem.

All in all, it was a wooly bully day.

You can see more pictures of the 40^th Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival here.

Spring Fever

The blog has slipped down my priority list lately. It’s not that I don’t have the time is just that I've chosen to spend that time differently. For instance, Mama Wordbones and I spent the last five weeks binge watching Homeland. We had both heard people rave about this series so when FiOS gave us two months of Showtime for a free trial we decided to check it out. We were hooked on the first episode.

Work has cramped my blogging time as well. In case you hadn't noticed, commercial real estate in HoCo is becoming red hot. I've lost count of the number of projects underway; Whole Foods, Clyde’s, Merrill Lynch building, the Metropolitan, The Mall expansion, Wilde Lake Village Center. There is more to come too, with at least two more projects being announced in downtown Columbia alone before the summer is over.

If its any consolation, I've at least been thinking about posts for To2C. One of the topics that has started germinating in my twisted mind is the dynamics life in HoCo’s largest business park, Columbia Gateway. It’s really another Columbia village of sorts. People may not live in Gateway but a very large population spends the better part of each work day within its bounds.

How many?

The National Association of Industrial and Office Parks recently concluded that the average US worker occupies 176 square feet of office space. Columbia Gateway has 4,185,941 square feet of office space so that would work out to 23,782.1 people. That doesn't include those who work in buildings that aren't classified as office, which would include most single story buildings in the park.

That’s a lot of people, the majority of which will never have the chance to interact with each other within their corporate village.

Maybe we can change that. My colleague TW often quips about Colonel Gateway in reference to the state highway signs leading to the entrance off of 175 that reads “Col Gateway Drive.”

Maybe we can create a fictional character called Colonel Gateway and throw a big birthday party for his fictional birthday.

I’m thinking April 1st would be the perfect fit.

Comedy is Hard

This weekend, the 2^nd annual Spring Celebration in Ellicott City featured four comedy acts in addition to a wide assortment of bands on three stages. I was able to catch partial performances of two of them; Michael Freidman at the Tiber Park stage and an act called SM Stefano Stratakis at the Wine Bin stage.

I came to the conclusion that grassroots loco comedy is hard. Just because someone tells you that you are funny doesn't necessarily mean that funniness translates into a successful stand up act. Both of these acts struggled to elicit any kind of audience reaction. As a few people pointed out, all successful comedians likely started out this way. I couldn't help but think that this is a very hard road to travel.

Other than the comedy acts, you’d have to call the Spring Celebration a big success. The weather was perfect and the crowds turned out. Dave Carney told me that the ECBA is working on a summer festival too, most likely to occur in mid July.

You can see additional pictures of Saturdays’ event here.

How Animals Eat Their Food

Peanut told me this short clip garnered over 20 million hits in five days on YouTube.

Its classic slapstick stuff and I got a good laugh out of it. Perhaps that reveals something about my intellectual depth.

Anyway…as I've mentioned before, Peanut watches YouTube way more than what I’d call conventional television.

But what is conventional television anymore?

In the most recent issue of Wired, Willa Paskin  points out that streaming video has not only enabled us to watch our favorite shows on any computer with a WiFi connection, it has also changed the very nature of how we watch TV. We are now able to "binge watch” our favorite shows.

“Whatever our televisual drug of choice—Battle­star Galactica, The Wire, Homeland— we've all put off errands and bedtime to watch just one more, a thrilling, draining, dream-­influencing immersion experience that has become the standard way to consume certain TV programs. We've all had the hit of pleasure after an installment ends on some particularly insane cliff-hanger and we remember that we can watch the next episode right now. It’s a relatively recent addition to the pantheon of slightly illicit yet mostly harmless adult pleasures, residing next to eating ice cream for dinner, drinking a beer with lunch, and having sex with someone you probably shouldn't.”

Guilty. Just last Friday we binge watched two episodes of Homeland after we got home from dinner.

Russian Bike with German Bones

The fun vehicles came out of their winter hibernation today as spring made its belated debut. I had been wondering if I’d see something to put in The Garage, when this unusual motorcycle and sidecar appeared in our office parking lot. Fortunately, I was also able to meet and speak with the owner.

Jim Macdonald, who lives in Frederick, owns this 2012 Ural and drove it to Columbia today.  The Irbit Motor Works builds the Ural in Russia and is one of the only manufacturers of motorcycles with sidecars in the world. According to this story by Andrew E. Kramer in The New York Times, the retro looking bike is “a heavy, 40-horsepower motorcycle whose two cylinders jut sideways from the frame. It is modeled after a late-1930s BMW sidecar bike called the R71, which Nazi Germany provided to the Soviet Union after the countries signed a nonaggression pact in 1939. When the Nazis broke this pact and invaded, the Russians used the bike to fight them.”

It’s also proven to be quite popular with older cyclists.

“Irbit found salvation in an unlikely niche market: older American riders seeking utility, not thrills or spills. Suddenly the sidecar, a seemingly anachronistic product evoking a World War II newsreel, had a new life among the late middle-aged.”

Jim admitted that his Ural is a fair weather toy. That’s why it was out being played with today.

Beer Madness

In yet another play on the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament  The Washington Post has been running its 7^th annual Beer Madness, a blind tasting of 32 regional craft brews to determine a loco king of beers. A panel of nine has been “sipping, spitting and scribbling their way through 32 brews from the Chesapeake region.”

This is the first year the competition has focused solely on Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

“In previous years we've gone mass-market, global (in honor of the Olympics) and all-American. In this, the seventh annual Beer Madness, we decided to celebrate the local renaissance and showcase the best this region has to offer. All 32 entries come from breweries in the Chesapeake Bay area. We included some local brewpubs whose distribution doesn't stretch outside their front door, and a few small newcomers, such as Wild Wolf Brewing in Nellysford, Va., and Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore, that are just poking their noses into Washington and suburbs. But you can find all of these beers, on tap or in bottles or cans, within the confines of the Beltway.”

We are truly experiencing a beer renaissance in this country. In 1980 there were fewer than ninety breweries in the US. Today there are over 2,400, the highest number ever.

It’s beginning to get a little overwhelming. Earlier this week, To2C reader and occasional contributor Andy Liberman sent me a note about a new wine bar coming to Turf Valley. He wrote that it was purportedly backed by the folks at Perfect Pour in the Gateway Exchange shopping center. It had been some time since I was last in Perfect Pour so I decided to drop in and see what I could find out. While I didn't discover anything new about the Turf Valley venture, I was bowled over by the craft beer selection in the store. They have one of the most extensive offerings of craft beer in HoCo. There’s a pretty good chance that you will find most, if not all the 32 beers in the WAPO Beer Madness tournament in the store.

Andy later informed me that the name of the Turf Valley place is Petite Cellars. Yesterday I dropped by the new shopping center and saw that work was well underway. He also thinks the new place will be similar to Liquid Assets in Ocean City.

Pints & Politics, Spring Snow Edition

Ten loco politico wonks gathered together again last night in a public house to eat, drink and speculate about HoCo politics. It was the largest gathering of the group ever, the first time that everyone could make it on the same night, at the same time. Anyone who has ever tried to organize a gathering of friends, sans spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, et al, can attest to the difficulty of achieving 100%. Last night we pulled it off.

The opening topic was the 2014 county exec race. Without much disagreement the overwhelming consensus was that it will be a race between Courtney Watson and Allan Kittleman. Courtney gets the edge right now largely because of party. Most all agreed that Allan could win, but it will be an uphill battle all the way. He needs to get independents and unaffiliated in big numbers in order to do so…no small task in an off year election when the primaries generally determine the victors.

One thing certain, a contest between Allan and Courtney would be uncomfortable for many, particularly some of those Republicans for Watson.

One of the group announced, with certainty, that Maryann Maher is not going to take another shot at the House of Delegates. I’m glad that’s settled. Meanwhile Clarence Lam made some loco waves in District 12 by attacking fellow Dems Delegates Steve DeBoy and Jimmy Malone, along with Senator Ed Kasemeyer for voting against the repeal of the death penalty. District 12 is a new animal with a split personality. Clarence just staked out his side.

The Repubs in the group acknowledged that the loco party has a pretty thin bench for 2014. None could name a potential candidate for the District 1 council seat, usually considered a winnable seat for Repubs. It’s an accepted fact that Jon Weinstein will be the Dem candidate but he can’t announce until Courtney makes her announcement.

Sheesh.

Maybe she’ll do that tomorrow night at her fundraiser in Columbia. At least three members of the group said they planned to attend, at least one other had a sent a check.

Last night, since we were all together for the first time, I decided to take a quick poll of everyone’s political affiliations. The results were three Repubs, four Dems and three Independents. The tenth member actually arrived late, after the tally had been taken but with this individual it was never even a question.

Former Prez Pushes Pot

Last night at the Baltimore Speaker Series, Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, called for the legalization of marijuana. He said that the best way to marginalize the drug cartels that are wreaking havoc in his country is to remove the $50 billion market for their products.

He also was quick to point out that Brazil actually has a higher murder rate than Mexico. He wants everyone to know that it’s really okay to visit his country.

This news comes on top of the news that the Maryland Senate has just passed a bill to decriminalize pot in the state. According to this story by John Wagner in The Washington Post, under the senate bill (SB 297) getting caught with about two joints will only cost you a hundred bucks. No arrest, just a fine for the state’s coffers. A tax on joints is another way to look at it..

Further demonstrating his progressive libertarian credentials HoCo Senator Allan Kittleman co-sponsored the bill.

It’s still not a sure thing to pass this year, or at all. According to this story by Erin Cox in The Sun the bill “now moves to the House of Delegates, where proponents said it will be a tougher sell.”

“House Speaker Michael E. Busch said he doesn't like the idea of diminishing the consequences for possessing pot.”

Even if its for only two joint...he's a hard man.

Last night was the second to last night of this year’s speaker series and Sheila Kast took the occasion to announce the line up for next year. The 2013/2014 speakers will be Bill Bryson, George Papandreou, Robert Gates, Steve Wozniak, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. and DaveBarry.

Sounded good to us, we’re re-upping. 

HoCo Loco Brewski

Randy Marriner wants to sell you some truly HoCo loco beer. Randy is the proprietor of Victoria Gastro Pub and if the General Assembly approves House Bill 1405, he hopes to sell beer in his restaurant that he brews on his Howard County farm. According to this story by Arthur Hirsch in The Sun, the farm brewery bill would “currently apply only to Victoria Gastro Pub…”

Presumably the Ale House doesn't have its own HoCo farm...yet

General Assembly Goes to Pot

A bill has been introduced in the House Delegates that would legalize marijuana in the Free State.  According to this story by Holly Nunn in The Gazette, Delegate Curt Anderson “introduced a bill that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Maryland, mirroring measures passed by referendum last year in Colorado and Washington.”

“The bill would allow Marylanders 21 and older to possess one ounce or less of marijuana, and to grow three or fewer plants in their homes. An excise tax of $50 per ounce would be collected by the state under the proposal.”

That being said, it is doubtful that the bill will get very far this year. I just don’t the General Assembly being ready to inhale...not just yet anyway.

Victory Lap

Ed Reed and Jacoby Jones returned to New Orleans, the site of their gridiron triumph a little over a week ago, to celebrate Mardi Gras. Yesterday morning, as Mama Wordbones and I watched the Zulu parade, we were pleasantly surprised to see our hometown Super Bowl champs and those familiar purple jerseys.

Overall it appears that Baltimore fans and their team made a good impression here in the Big Easy. Waiters in restaurants and natives alike went out of their way to compliment Baltimore. I suppose it didn’t hurt that Ravens purple is a popular color here too, it being the primary color of Mardi Gras and LSU.

It was nice to see Ed Reed sporting an Orioles baseball cap too. Maybe some of that Raven mojo will pass on the other birds of Baltimore this spring.

Those February Blues

Despite being the month of Valentines, it’s hard to find love for February. It’s the last full month of winter and by now, for me at least, the cold weather has really worn out its welcome. Everything outdoors looks uninviting.

It seems appropriate then that on Tuesday we learned that the Washington, DC metro area is the worst area in the country for traffic congestion. According to this story by Ashley Halsey III in The Washington Post, DC is the “most congested metropolitan area in the United States, a place where the average driver burns 67 hours and 32 gallons of gas each year sitting in traffic.”

Great. Then again, it’s probably not quite that bad in HoCo. Our Super Bowl champion city to the north is ranked 15^th in the same study.

On yet an even more positive note, signs of spring are beginning to appear. Pitchers and catchers report next Tuesday.

Happy Purple People

The Baltimore Sun posted this snapshot on Facebook of last nights celebration on Fed Hill. It appears that no cars were harmed  in the making of this video

Time Lapse Video: Fan reaction to Ravens Super Bowl Win from The Darkroom on Vimeo.

Hail to the Ravens!

Okay, so now even the BSO is getting into the spirit of things.

Nicely done. Go Ravens!

The Dividing Line

Until today I wasn't aware that Harris Teeter can’t use the Redskins logo in HoCo. According to this story by Dan Steinberg in The Washington Post, the Ravens have exclusive marketing to all of Maryland except Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.

“According to NFL rules, the Redskins have exclusive marketing rights in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, meaning M&T Bank — a large Ravens sponsor — cannot display the Ravens logo in those D.C. suburbs. The Ravens, meanwhile, have exclusive marketing rights in the rest of Maryland, meaning Harris Teeter — a large Redskins sponsor — cannot use the Redskins logo in its North Laurel location, barely 10 miles from the Washington Beltway.”

Dan suggests that the true dividing line between the two franchises is Md Route 216, or more specifically, Reservoir High School and Maple Lawn.

“The Route 216 corridor in southeastern Howard County, though, seems unusual in the apparent exactness of its divide. A half-mile from the 10-year-old high school, the sports bar Looney’s has dueling Redskins and Ravens menu cards and segmented viewing areas — Redskins fans use the big screen upstairs and to the right, and Ravens fans head for the big screen downstairs and to the left.”

Go Ravens!

Pot Etiquette

What does one do when a guest decides to toke up at your cocktail party?

The fact that this issue is now being openly discussed is as sure sign as any that societal attitudes towards marijuana have dramatically changed. In this article by Kyle Spencer in The Washington Post the reporter explores how locals are learning “to navigate dinners, cocktail parties, barbecues and cross-generational family get-togethers as more people liken puffing on a joint to sipping a glass of wine, while others still consider it a malodorous habit that’s best done not at all, or at least far from our house.”

“Here in D.C., it is far from a partisan debate, something that both Republicans and Democrats struggle with. “It’s a cross-party issue,” said a 27-year-old aide to a GOP congressman who, like many interviewed for this story, preferred not to give her name, further highlighting people’s discomfort with this subject. She says she smokes often at home, but does so without telling her ultraconservative, 50-something boss, her co-workers, or even many of her friends. “It’s really hard to know how people stand on it.”

I found particularly amusing the quote from Andrea Khoury who suggested that any such accommodation would be a non-starter in her idealized world. “My neighborhood is prim and proper,” she said.”

I think Andrea might be surprised to discover what goes on behind closed doors in most neighborhoods. Even otherwise prim and proper folks have been known to inhale on occasion.

The times they are a-changin…

Thirteen

By some estimates over 17 million people suffer from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number thirteen. Those folks could be in for a rough year.

They may actually be right to be paranoid. Considering that we begin the year with Congress taking the country over the fiscal cliff, you've have to admit that we are off to an inauspicious start.

Happy New Year!

Watch your step…

Just for Kicks

I won’t be surprised if this Norwegian ends up in the NFL next year…

According to this story by David Picker in The New York Times, he “knows next to nothing about the sport.”

Then again, how much does a kicker really need to know?

Post Proposes DC Annex Columbia

In a parting gesture to the citizens of the District of Columbia, retiring Senator Joseph Leiberman has introduced a bill in the Senate to make DC our 51^st state called New Columbia. The bill would redraw the existing boundaries of the city by carving out The Mall, most federal government buildings and monuments from the proposed state.

Today, in the Style section of The Washington Post, Monica Hesse and Dan Zak have shared their own thoughts for redrawing the capital city’s lines. Number one on their list was making our Columbia part of their Columbia.

1. To eliminate confusion, the town of Columbia, Md., shall become part of New Columbia but be known as Old Columbia.

In case you might mistake this for anything other than satire, consider that one of their other suggestions was to make Georgetown part of Connecticut.

Still, it’s always nice to be number one.