Good to see you back Keith, though the vacation seems to have made you surlier. Did it rain the whole time, or could you not find any quality dining establishments?
Given that teams do physicals, how is it that the White Sox have managed to offload so many players just before they got injured? Is it mere coincidence or do you think they really have a sophisticated enough scouting technique to spot potential flaws (reminds me of the story from that SI article on Lincecum where his dad talks about seeing the guy the Cubs drafted [Brownlee?] and knowing he’d end up injured)? And if they have such a sophisticated group of scouts on the pitching side, why can’t they figure out how to sign guys who get on base?
Ever tried Newman-O’s? I would refer to them as Oreo alternatives, except that, for me, Oreos are the alternative; at this year’s Superbowl gathering, the hostess at one point presented us with a plate of familiar-looking sandwich cookies, and I shouted out, “Newman-O’s!” I’m not sure what that says about my social decorum but I really recommend these cookies!
The hint-o-mint Newman-O’s are especially addicting…mmm
Keith, can you elaborate on what you said about the Cubs? How are they worse than the team that broke camp last year? That team had the disappointing Felix Pie and the atrocious Jason Marquis, and did not have Harden or Bradley.
Also, on an unrelated note, how do you feel about Indian food? We recently discovered how much we love it and make it once or twice a week, but have little experience with it. Do know any good cookbooks?
Jeff: I can’t eat most Indian food. I love it, but between the cooked yogurt (killing the bacteria makes yogurt a lactose bomb), the red pepper, and the cooked tomatoes, it just kills me.
I’m not sure where you live and thus what’s available in your area, but there are so many better stouts than Guinness in the US. But perhaps you live in a black hole for craft beers — there are some areas of the country that are just wretched for beer drinkers.
And yes, the Guinness in England and especially Ireland really is better than the stuff here. I have it on good authority that for the US market stuff they send some sort of premix to the Moosehead brewery and make it there. It’s not even the same beer to be honest even though it has the same name, I was shocked at the difference. Heineken is better in Europe too, but that’s because it’s fresher and those green bottles just beg for the beer to get skunked.
With respect to the toaster oven question in the chat, have you seen the website Avec Eric (www.aveceric.com)? Here, Eric Ripert makes some damn fine food in a toaster oven as opposed to a traditional oven. He also has a show coming out on PBS in the Fall (also called Avec Eric). I now use a toaster oven for so many small things; it heats up much faster than the big oven. In fact, Ripert’s website now has me cooking fish fillets (typically Tilapia) in the toaster oven.
I do a lot of things in the toaster oven, including toasting nuts, broiling bacon (using the broiling pan that came with the toaster oven), and reheating anything fried (a gas oven will have a little bit of water vapor in the air inside, which reduces crispiness in the food being heated).
Keith, if you haven’t, I’d highly recommend trying Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout – delicious, and any store with decent selection should have it. I love Guinness, but (at least in my mind) Sam Smith’s has level of flavor that easily tops it.
Some other dark American beers which should be easy to find by you that are worth a try…
– Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter
– Rogue Chocolate Stout (available as 22 oz. bottle)
– Founder’s Breakfast stout – one of the best American stouts around in my opinion – may be hard to find although they have it here in North Jersey
– Troeg’s Dead Reckoning Porter
It used to be that to get good stout or ale you had to buy European stuff, but I don’t think that’s the case at all anymore. In fact, I think a lot of American microbrews have far surpassed some of the stuff from the UK and Ireland.
I actually prefer a porter to a stout. A litle history – porters tend to have a lower alcohol content, lighter body and malt character, and a slightly sweeter taste. And they were here first. The stout actually gets its name from a porter. The name “stout” for a very dark beer came about from the name for a strong porter – “extra porter” or “stout porter”. The name would eventually be shortened to just stout.
Anchor Poter is one of my favs.
As for stout,I actually compare Guiness to McDonalds in the food world – mass produced garbage that is acceptable occasionally if it’s fresh but not nearly as good as several microbrewed stouts.
Agree with Bob on Anchor Porter; it’s really good as well and is available at most liquor stores with a decent beer selection.
Re: Guinness – some of it is actually brewed in Canada. Last time I checked it was only the 6 packs of black bottles. I think the kegs and pub tins are still brewed in Ireland, but I can’t say for sure.
I think for many Guinness is the only stout/porter they ever try since it is typically the one stout/porter bars and restaurants have on tap or in bottles.
Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is great! As is Young’s Double Chocolate Stout – comes in a can with thin widget…think Guinness and chocolate.
If you like higher alcohol content brews, Avery makes a stout that is good (Kaiser or Czar – cannot remember) and Southern Tier makes a seasonal Choklat Stout (imperial) that is good, but can be a little too sweet.
I know this has nothing to do with beer, but I found this on MLBTradeRumors.com and found it interesting:
“On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38.”
You may want to find another place to buy beer, Keith. I agree that bottled and can is not quite as smooth as draft, but if you’re getting bitter aftertaste, it’s been on the shelves too long (or your taste buds are much more sensitive to that than mine). It’s certainly a reasonably common problem, especially with microbrews and imports that tend to sell more slowly, but it shouldn’t happen all the time.
Brian – I love Young’s Double Chocolate as well. In general, I tend to favor British stouts and porters over their American counterparts, simply because American beers tend to be hoppier, which I don’t particularly enjoy (which is not to say I haven’t had some great American microbrews).
Ok I’ll be the first to say that I can’t stand A-Rod. But the IRS seizing and leaking tests performed under the condition that they’d never released is bush league.
What a mess for MLB. They were hoping that A-Rod would break Bonds’ HR record so they wouldn’t have a “cheater” owning baseball’s most sacred record, and now A-Rod is a “cheat” too. I say, who cares? Guys have tried to gain advantages forever…perhaps Babe Ruth would have taken them if he could have, who knows? What about all the “greenies” players used to take? Spitballs, corked bats, stealing signs, it’s all part of the game. And now there are more than 100 players with dr’s scripts for Ritalin. Lots of NFL players that did PEDs are in the football HOF. I know they are bad for you, so I’m certainly not advocating their usage, but we shouldn’t keep players out of the HOF because they may have done what 50% of their peers were doing.
Keith, are you going to give us a KLaw 100 (or maybe 25, I don’t know) of the top [fill in number] vacation spots you’ve ever been to? Florence would definitely be in my top 5, along with Siracusa in Sicily (best beaches I’ve ever been to) and probably the Naples-Sorrento area.
Chimay Blue & Red
St. Bernadus ABT12
Dilerium Nocturnum & Noel
Kasteel Donker (Brune)
Guulden Drak
Golden Carous Noel or most Noel Beers
Any Grand Cru – the best American is Ale Smith’s
Now these beers, most of them anyway, are sold in 750ml bottles with a cork. If there is a smaller version, it will not be corked.
In general, dubbels are darker…some tripels are dark as well, but not overly dark – more tan. Quadruples are some of the darkest Belgians I have seen. Oh, and Noel Beers (Christmas) tend to be darker with more alcohol for the bitter winter months.
What alcohol content do some of these darker beers contain? I remember drinking EKU28 when I was about 18 or so, and got so drunk I started wrestling with a buddy of mine and put my head through a TV screen.
Chimay is 6% for red and 9% for blue. The St. Bernadus ABT12 is 10%. The Dilirium brews are around 8%, the Kasteel Donker is 11%, but is surprisingly sweet! Guulden Drak is 10% as is the Golden Carous Noel.
I would recommend trying them. For high alcohol beers, they are full of flavor.
Good to see you back Keith, though the vacation seems to have made you surlier. Did it rain the whole time, or could you not find any quality dining establishments?
Given that teams do physicals, how is it that the White Sox have managed to offload so many players just before they got injured? Is it mere coincidence or do you think they really have a sophisticated enough scouting technique to spot potential flaws (reminds me of the story from that SI article on Lincecum where his dad talks about seeing the guy the Cubs drafted [Brownlee?] and knowing he’d end up injured)? And if they have such a sophisticated group of scouts on the pitching side, why can’t they figure out how to sign guys who get on base?
Ever tried Newman-O’s? I would refer to them as Oreo alternatives, except that, for me, Oreos are the alternative; at this year’s Superbowl gathering, the hostess at one point presented us with a plate of familiar-looking sandwich cookies, and I shouted out, “Newman-O’s!” I’m not sure what that says about my social decorum but I really recommend these cookies!
Its because plate discipline and physical frailty have a direct linear relationship. Sometimes too much knowledge can be detrimental I guess.
The hint-o-mint Newman-O’s are especially addicting…mmm
Keith, can you elaborate on what you said about the Cubs? How are they worse than the team that broke camp last year? That team had the disappointing Felix Pie and the atrocious Jason Marquis, and did not have Harden or Bradley.
Also, on an unrelated note, how do you feel about Indian food? We recently discovered how much we love it and make it once or twice a week, but have little experience with it. Do know any good cookbooks?
I’m not Keith but I know this, Jeff:
http://www.youtube.com/user/vahchef
Jeff: I can’t eat most Indian food. I love it, but between the cooked yogurt (killing the bacteria makes yogurt a lactose bomb), the red pepper, and the cooked tomatoes, it just kills me.
Answering and calling $5 is a cop out.
I’m not sure where you live and thus what’s available in your area, but there are so many better stouts than Guinness in the US. But perhaps you live in a black hole for craft beers — there are some areas of the country that are just wretched for beer drinkers.
And yes, the Guinness in England and especially Ireland really is better than the stuff here. I have it on good authority that for the US market stuff they send some sort of premix to the Moosehead brewery and make it there. It’s not even the same beer to be honest even though it has the same name, I was shocked at the difference. Heineken is better in Europe too, but that’s because it’s fresher and those green bottles just beg for the beer to get skunked.
Thanks Dan. There is a video for making Naan! Naan = delicious.
With respect to the toaster oven question in the chat, have you seen the website Avec Eric (www.aveceric.com)? Here, Eric Ripert makes some damn fine food in a toaster oven as opposed to a traditional oven. He also has a show coming out on PBS in the Fall (also called Avec Eric). I now use a toaster oven for so many small things; it heats up much faster than the big oven. In fact, Ripert’s website now has me cooking fish fillets (typically Tilapia) in the toaster oven.
I do a lot of things in the toaster oven, including toasting nuts, broiling bacon (using the broiling pan that came with the toaster oven), and reheating anything fried (a gas oven will have a little bit of water vapor in the air inside, which reduces crispiness in the food being heated).
Keith, if you haven’t, I’d highly recommend trying Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout – delicious, and any store with decent selection should have it. I love Guinness, but (at least in my mind) Sam Smith’s has level of flavor that easily tops it.
Oh God please tell me your Richie Robnett story. You can’t lead me this far and not tell me more, because that’d be Bush League.
re: front-loaded contracts for players…
Wouldn’t it make more fiscal sense to get a front-loaded contract (after arbitration period) so that you can earn more interest on the money?
Keith,
Some other dark American beers which should be easy to find by you that are worth a try…
– Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter
– Rogue Chocolate Stout (available as 22 oz. bottle)
– Founder’s Breakfast stout – one of the best American stouts around in my opinion – may be hard to find although they have it here in North Jersey
– Troeg’s Dead Reckoning Porter
It used to be that to get good stout or ale you had to buy European stuff, but I don’t think that’s the case at all anymore. In fact, I think a lot of American microbrews have far surpassed some of the stuff from the UK and Ireland.
I actually prefer a porter to a stout. A litle history – porters tend to have a lower alcohol content, lighter body and malt character, and a slightly sweeter taste. And they were here first. The stout actually gets its name from a porter. The name “stout” for a very dark beer came about from the name for a strong porter – “extra porter” or “stout porter”. The name would eventually be shortened to just stout.
Anchor Poter is one of my favs.
As for stout,I actually compare Guiness to McDonalds in the food world – mass produced garbage that is acceptable occasionally if it’s fresh but not nearly as good as several microbrewed stouts.
Agree with Bob on Anchor Porter; it’s really good as well and is available at most liquor stores with a decent beer selection.
Re: Guinness – some of it is actually brewed in Canada. Last time I checked it was only the 6 packs of black bottles. I think the kegs and pub tins are still brewed in Ireland, but I can’t say for sure.
I think for many Guinness is the only stout/porter they ever try since it is typically the one stout/porter bars and restaurants have on tap or in bottles.
Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is great! As is Young’s Double Chocolate Stout – comes in a can with thin widget…think Guinness and chocolate.
If you like higher alcohol content brews, Avery makes a stout that is good (Kaiser or Czar – cannot remember) and Southern Tier makes a seasonal Choklat Stout (imperial) that is good, but can be a little too sweet.
I have never found a canned or bottled stout that was any good. They all have a bitter aftertaste that I don’t find in draft.
Agreed on Anchor Porter. John Harvard’s also makes a very good oatmeal stout.
I know this has nothing to do with beer, but I found this on MLBTradeRumors.com and found it interesting:
“On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38.”
Wow.
Have you tried any Belgian beers Keith? They are pretty good too.
You may want to find another place to buy beer, Keith. I agree that bottled and can is not quite as smooth as draft, but if you’re getting bitter aftertaste, it’s been on the shelves too long (or your taste buds are much more sensitive to that than mine). It’s certainly a reasonably common problem, especially with microbrews and imports that tend to sell more slowly, but it shouldn’t happen all the time.
Brian – I love Young’s Double Chocolate as well. In general, I tend to favor British stouts and porters over their American counterparts, simply because American beers tend to be hoppier, which I don’t particularly enjoy (which is not to say I haven’t had some great American microbrews).
Preston: The liquor store I go to has absurdly high turnover. I highly doubt that this is the problem.
Brian: Only Belgian beers I’ve seen are either pale beers (no thanks) or lambics (hardly worth the cost to me).
Ok I’ll be the first to say that I can’t stand A-Rod. But the IRS seizing and leaking tests performed under the condition that they’d never released is bush league.
What a mess for MLB. They were hoping that A-Rod would break Bonds’ HR record so they wouldn’t have a “cheater” owning baseball’s most sacred record, and now A-Rod is a “cheat” too. I say, who cares? Guys have tried to gain advantages forever…perhaps Babe Ruth would have taken them if he could have, who knows? What about all the “greenies” players used to take? Spitballs, corked bats, stealing signs, it’s all part of the game. And now there are more than 100 players with dr’s scripts for Ritalin. Lots of NFL players that did PEDs are in the football HOF. I know they are bad for you, so I’m certainly not advocating their usage, but we shouldn’t keep players out of the HOF because they may have done what 50% of their peers were doing.
Keith, are you going to give us a KLaw 100 (or maybe 25, I don’t know) of the top [fill in number] vacation spots you’ve ever been to? Florence would definitely be in my top 5, along with Siracusa in Sicily (best beaches I’ve ever been to) and probably the Naples-Sorrento area.
Keith – some good dark(er) Belgian beers:
Chimay Blue & Red
St. Bernadus ABT12
Dilerium Nocturnum & Noel
Kasteel Donker (Brune)
Guulden Drak
Golden Carous Noel or most Noel Beers
Any Grand Cru – the best American is Ale Smith’s
Now these beers, most of them anyway, are sold in 750ml bottles with a cork. If there is a smaller version, it will not be corked.
In general, dubbels are darker…some tripels are dark as well, but not overly dark – more tan. Quadruples are some of the darkest Belgians I have seen. Oh, and Noel Beers (Christmas) tend to be darker with more alcohol for the bitter winter months.
Give them a shot…you may like them.
What alcohol content do some of these darker beers contain? I remember drinking EKU28 when I was about 18 or so, and got so drunk I started wrestling with a buddy of mine and put my head through a TV screen.
Bob:
Chimay is 6% for red and 9% for blue. The St. Bernadus ABT12 is 10%. The Dilirium brews are around 8%, the Kasteel Donker is 11%, but is surprisingly sweet! Guulden Drak is 10% as is the Golden Carous Noel.
I would recommend trying them. For high alcohol beers, they are full of flavor.
Is it pronounced SHi-may or Ki-may? I always feel dumb ordering one when I know I am saying it wrong.
SHi-may – at least you are drinking it…that is a good thing 🙂