(e:jason) and I have a habit of picking up new and exciting beers to try a couple times a week. Last night it dawned on me - one of us should have a beer review to put in our journals! I wish I would have thought about this sooner so I will review two beers for you here in this journal - the first is an absolutely epic Trappist style monk-brewed beer from Belgium, and the other is a traditional English style pub ale from Leeds.

I hope that you guys enjoy the reviews - I want to encourage people who might be afraid of trying something new, or who might be afraid of plunking down $11 for a 4-pack without knowing what it is that they are getting. In the future (e:jason) may place the reviews in his journal, depending on his desire to do so.

Review #1 - Trappistes Rochefort 10 (Belgium) - - 10/10

Check out how in the bag I am - I'm cockeyed and red faced! New rule - treat high ABV drinks with respect! Do not let this fact deter you from my review - I assure you that while I was tipsy this was only my second drink and my pallete was keen as ever!







11.3% abv, 330ml bottle, $5-$10 per bottle.

Simply put, this is one of the greatests beers I've ever had. This beer is produced by one of only six trappist breweries in the entire world - its an exceedingly rare beer and usually very expensive. Luckily for us, you can find it at Premier Gourmet.

What is a trappist brewed beer? My friend, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to the finest, rarest and priciest beers on earth. These certified Trappist beers are made at only six places, all located in Belgium (Rochefort, Orval, Chimay, Achel, Westvleteren, Westmalle). Depending on the abbey that we are talking about, some or all of the production is done by the monks - the employment of laymen to help with the brewing process is common among Trappist breweries.

Why are these beers so rare and exceedingly expensive? The principle behind it is that they only make enough to keep the monastery going and don't give a damn about market demand. As a result, only a few places import these beers. In the case of Westvleteren, they do not commercially sell the beer - there are only two places on earth where you can legally purchase the beer. One is the brewery itself in Belgium, and the other is the inn directly across the street from the brewery. The monks very much discourage the reselling of the product and adjust how much individuals can buy. Even when you buy the Westvletern 12 it costs $40 a case. If you found it 'illegally' it would cost over twice as much... Westy 12 is considered the world's greatest beer yet it is utterly unavailable to the world.

In the case of Rochefort, both monks and laymen are involved in the production of the beer. These are handmade brews, lovingly and meticulously cared for during the brewing process. They are unique, rare and unlike anything you've ever tried. The monasteries usually have long, proud brewing traditions dating back several hundred to even 1,000 years in the case of Orval! What is even more incredible is that at Rochefort, the monks do not drink their beer so they have no idea what it tastes like! Divine inspiration, indeed - this is a beer that is universally considered one of the top 2 or 3 beers on earth.

I first had this beer a year ago in Seattle. The beer must be poured in a goblet to appreciate the color, head and nose of the beer. The beer has a very dark amber brown color, slightly opaque and outwardly shiny quality to it - it is truly a beautiful thing. Even the slightest bit of light makes the brew shine like a diamond when you look at it - can you possibly get more attractive? Giving it a good sniff before drinking reveals exactly how boozy this one is - at 11.3% its not the heaviest drink out there but I advise to sip this one slightly chilled. Upon tasting it you'll notice the leather, plum, raisin, brown sugar, bubble gum, rum-soaked dark berries and an amazing array of spices that deliver a unique and fabulous flavor. Its the most complex combinations of flavor that I've ever tasted in a beer. Given the layers of flavor and the high alcohol content you might assume that this is a heavy beer - not so! Lesser brewers have to compensate for complicated flavor and high alcohol content; most of the time the result is a beer that feels like a brick at the bottom of your stomach. Rochefort 10 is velvety and deceives you concerning the alcohol content - this explains my red face in the picture. Don't drink too fast!

Rochefort 10 is bitter, slightly sweet, medium bodied, fruity and incredible. If you are going to enjoy this with food, I would recommend treating the combination as if you are trying to match a good red wine.

Review #2 - Tetley "Smoothflow" English Ale (England) - 7/10



3.8% abv, 14.9 oz. can, $6 per 4-pack at Consumer Beverage.

In the United States Tetley is a name primarily associated with tea - this is a beer brewed by Carlsberg in Leeds, Yorkshire. Our supermarkets regularly carry UK-based widget ales with tall cans - anybody that has spent time in a beer section has surely seen Boddington's on the shelf. Smoothflow (as we'll call it anyway - this beer is nearly identical to another beer with a similar name that is marketed in the UK) is very comparable to Boddington's and is probably closest in resemblance to that beer. Therefore, if you are a Boddy's fan then you will find a direct comparison with this brew.

In a pint glass this beer has a red/brown/gold color to it, and thanks to the widget the can will produce a magnificent, creamy head that will last to the bottom of the glass. The beer has a more profound flavor than Boddington's with a light nutty, caramel flavor. Imagine the creamy texture of Guinness and the lightness of an ale and you can get the picture. It is not a heavy beer despite the texture and is easily drinkable. The creamy ale style typically doesn't have a strong flavor - if you are used to flavorful beers this beer will seem like a light one. In fact, if you are a light beer drinker I'd encourage you to try this - its better than Amstel Light, is light as a feather after you drink it and is vastly more delicious. Without careful attention you could drink through six of these with ease, which is nice. Here is the kicker - Coors Light would get you drunk faster and since this is Buffalo we all know that this is an important consideration.

This is one of the standard pub ales that you would find in England. I read another review that referred to this beer as "filth" - this is out of order! Ease of drinking and the creamy yet light texture make this one an obvious choice for an "every day" type of drink, if it were available in mass market. If you want something better than domestic beer that won't hammer you and will leave you without that really heavy feeling in your belly then I would recommend giving this a shot. This beer is what it is though and isn't particularly adventurous despite the fact that this is an enjoyable beer to kick back with. Better than average. Whether or not its comparable to light beer nutritionally is something I'll look into later, but if you are a light beer drinker then I believe this would be a good fit for you.

When I have a day off I usually don't appreciate it as much as I should. Today, however, I have to say that I've truly enjoyed it. And it hasn't required the use of green, leafy, flammable, stinky plants!

I went to the Co-Op to get some beans. I totally love their selection - a nice variety of organic and 'regular' beans. My two favorites are the Organic Sumatran and the one I got today - some sort of Nicaraguan variety that I couldn't pronounce despite my decent but still feeble command of Spanish. I'm not even sure that it was a Spanish word. In any case, when you go to the Co-Op its situated on the far right plu #17520. Sad... I can remember the PLU but not the name. Anyway I like the dark roasts best but this one was a medium dark and it said on the container "one of the best coffees" - I'll be the judge of that, thanks! A little over half a pound later ($5.89, small sacrifice considering what it costs to go to Spot multiple times a day every day) I was out the door. A note - their beans are actually roasted by Spot according to the fellas at Spot.

I also got some whole wheat roman rigatoni, mushroom red sauce and some Sierra Mist. I took my blood pressure when I was home - 189 over 102!!! I couldn't believe it so I checked it again - 179 over 101. I seriously, seriously need to get back on the diaretic I took to regulate my blood pressure. On top of that, I want to commit to taking my health more seriously and being in better shape. Part of this, of course, is to commit to a better diet. I don't eat terribly bad, but a year and a half of being on the road and eating very salty, very high calorie meals at chain restaurants, drinking soda, drinking a TON of coffee - you get the idea - has taken its toll on my system and I have to fix it. I've been conscious of this one for a while but after seeing what my BP was I'm a little scared. I need to find a decaf coffee that I can live with, because I don't see myself giving up coffee ever.

In any case, I'm on a tangent. I got the wheat pasta and sauce put together then made some of this double bergamot Earl Grey tea made - man I love this tea! Brand name is "Stash" - they sell it for $2.59 for 18 bags at Wegman's. If anybody can recommend to me an earl grey that they love, please by all means recommend it!

To top it off, Airwolf is on TV. This was an 80's show based around this super secret, super high tech helicopter. The acting is second rate and the script is so contrived... but this is one of those occasions where I'm a stereotypical guy.



Sexy.

Speaking of sexy, I love latinas.

Weird bit of 9/11 trivia - Airwolf episode #209 is titled "Flight #093 Is Missing."

Since (e:ajay) has blessed us with his culinary knowlege for the paneer dish I am begging for a veggie curry recipe. Its my favorite. Help (e:ajay)!

Wow. This picture is not altered in any way.



Nice wrinkle by the hairline there, honey!

Apparently this is caused by having the real human hair extensions, which are glued in, glued a tad too tight.

So, the lesson for celebrities - if you are going to glue someone elses hair into yours in order to improve your physical appearance, either make sure that its not so tight or don't sing, don't smile, look like a robot. Or else YOU TOO might look as gruesome as Beyonce does here.

Hello ladies and germs -

I hope everybody are enjoying or have enjoyed the holiday time off. Today I am at work but am more or less mailing it in. Light unimportant stuff soon to be followed by a monster project that I must complete by Thursday 5pm.

(e:jason) and I enjoyed some time at home with our relatives - I got what I usually get (cash) followed by some Sabres gear and an immersion blender. I'm most excited by the blender! I like to make homemade soups and the last time I tried to blend some up I burned myself... this new kitchen toy will definitely be put into use. I'm thinking about creating a new 750 house drink based on some kind of blended froofy drink. I love the original 750 but some people do not, so perhaps its time to create a second concoction. Maybe we'll make a game of it and have (e:strip)pers participate in the selection of ingredients!

I'm trying to be mellow today but again, and I'm sorry to keep harping on Mike Niman, but to the people that have read the last Artvoice of the year - didn't you find it interesting that his article was based around the concept of a "no shopping day?" My opinion on the idea is that its ridiculous and implausible... if he believes that a no shopping day will ever gain traction I have a 'war on drugs' and a 'war on poverty' to um.... sell him. Oops.

My feelings about Niman's lunacy is well documented, but this is particularly interesting to me because, of course, he had to mention Wal-Mart and that everything in the store is supposedly made at Chinese sweatshops. I was incandescent with rage after reading it. Mike Niman doesn't have a fucking clue about what he is talking about and I will explain why. I'll simply say this - nobody except for people in my/our position have the ability to make an informed comment on the subject of what goes on at the suppliers to the Big Grey Box.

Why? Because, dear readers, without breaking a series of NDAs that would ensure that my company would get in serious doo doo... lets just say that our company has been to hundreds of suppliers to the Big Grey Box throughout the world, including Guangzhou province in China. Sorry Mikey, just because you can namedrop a region in China doesn't mean that you know a fucking thing about what goes on there. We go to Guangzhou. We go to Vietnam. We go to Bangladesh. We go to Pakistan. We go to Nicaragua. We go to Honduras. You get the picture. Niman and almost all activists do not. This is why we in our industry suggest that activists are all heart and no brains - most NGOs that drive our industry have nearly zero participation in verifying what they are making unsubstantiated claims about. Are there concerns? Surely. Is what you think, hear and read about Wal-Mart true? NO. Is the movie that was released this year criticising Wal-Mart factual? Mostly, no.

Understand this - I have a special and priveliged access to see what Niman and several activists are complaining about. If I were able to I could tell you all about it, from an insiders point of view. We are bound by NDAs that prevent us from revealing what it is that we see and precisely where. I could tell you all about the major problems that exist in various parts of the world relating to production for large discount chains. I could tell you about how Wal-Mart has affected labor in the United States - while most of what you buy in Wal-Mart is manufactured overseas you would be absolutely shocked by the sheer volume of American industry that is supported SOLELY by purchases from Wal-Mart. I could tell you about the standard by which Wal-Mart forces all of its global suppliers to adhere to as a condition of doing business and how without it a factory cannot sell to Wal-Mart. I could tell you about where some of the worst factories GLOBALLY are located (here's a hint - the flag is red, white and blue).

I could tell you about what workers in other countries make, what parts of the processes for various products are outsourced and what are not, I could give you a first hand account about the effects of outsourcing and how it has affected American industry in general, I could tell you about how most of the Nimans out there are lacking so much information that when I read what he writes about Wal-Mart I laugh out loud.... and why. I could tell you about the history of the Ethical Standards program, the current size of it, how committed Wal-Mart is to its own standard, how many firms currently audit Wal-Marts suppliers globally, the strength of the W-M standard compared to other independent standards, how many products have at least some ingredients sourced from China that are produced in the USA - the list goes on and on.

Believe me, Niman and several activists out there that don't have a fucking clue about what they are talking about want to talk to a guy like me if they are interested in getting the authentic scoop. Unfortunately for them, we don't spill the beans. Knowing what we know and seeing what we've seen, I can only say that what critics of Wal-Mart suggest are mostly wrong and are based on a complete and utter lack of factual information precisely because they do not have access like I do. Is Wal-Mart deserving of criticism? Yes... but not because of what you might think.