Disciplining Teachers For Drinking and Smoking

Last week, the Tucson Citizen published a short blurb about possible disciplinary action for six teachers in Tucson public school system, because of bad conduct. Apparently, the teachers had gone on a picnic to Sabino Canyon, a popular recreation area in Tucson, where they "drank beer and wine and smoked cigarettes." Of course, to make matters worse, it was on a Sunday. Now this may sound absurd; however, it makes more sense when you understand that this occurred a hundred years ago, in 1906. [1]

When I read it, I kind of laughed. However, it prompted me to dig into the mind set of the time a little further. That is when I found an article about the Temperance Movement from Wikipedia.

In particular, there was a lady named Mary Hunt, who lead the Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction, in the 1880s, which pushed teaching the evils of alcohol in schools at the time. [2]

Wikipedia, in the Temperance Movement article, says the following about Mary Hunt:

She decided to use legislation to coerce the moral suasion of students, who would be the next generation of voters. This gave birth to the idea of the compulsory Scientific Temperance Instruction Movement.... The implementation of this legislation was closely monitored down to the classroom level by legions of determined and vigilant [Women's Christian Temperance Union] members throughout the nation. [2]

That is why it makes sense to me that teachers would be disciplined by the Board of School Trustees for drinking and smoking, in 1906. Coincidentally, 1906 was the same year that Mary Hunt died [3]. However, she was very influential, and the ideas of the time eventually led to prohibition.

[1] "On this day." The Tucson Citizen. 22 Mar 2006 <http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local/032206a4_on_this_day>.

[2] "Temperance movement." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Mar 2006, 05:16 UTC. 31 Mar 2006, 03:52 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temperance_movement&oldid=45664362>.

[3] "Mary Hunt." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Mar 2006, 20:55 UTC. 31 Mar 2006, 04:05 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Hunt&oldid=44551159>.

Newspaper Article About Microbreweries in Southern Arizona

Yesterday, in the Arizona Daily Star, a local Tucson paper, an article appeared, entitled "Choices fewer but better since 'there were a lot of bad beers,'" by Scott Simonson, about the beer business in Southern Arizona. Looking at the article, first, it mentions both breweries that have not made it in Tucson since the 1990s microbrewery boom, including Breckenridge Brewery, River Road Brewery and Pusch Ridge Brewing, and breweries that have lasted, including Gentle Ben's, Nimbus, and Electric Brewing. Next, it went on to indicate that the breweries that do make it here use the brew pub business model, ones that are both a restaurant and a brewery, rather that the microbrewery business model, which focuses more on bottle production and distribution.

The Beer Spa

According to several sources, a beer spa has opened up in the Czech Republic. I can see it now. Rather than a spa full of women with towels on their heads, cucumbers on their eyes, blue faces, and Kleenex stuck between their toes, I can see a bunch of hairy, beer-bellied men, sitting in a bath of Pilsner Urquell, drunk, and telling fart jokes.

"What's the difference between beer and ale?"

How many times as homebrewers have we been asked the question, "What's the difference between beer and ale?" Every time we are asked that question, we don our best imitation of the Comic Book Guy, from The Simpsons, and state something like the following:

Don't you know anything? Ale is a type of beer. Beer can be split into two categories according to the yeast that is used. Lagers use a bottom fermenting yeast, fermented at colder temperatures, producing a crisp, clean taste. Ales use a top fermenting yeast, fermented at warmer temperatures, producing a beer with more fruity esters. End of story. Sheesh.

Not so fast, Sherlock. While the above is true, it is not the whole story.

Certain states in the western United States enforce laws forcing bottles to have labels that use the term "beer" to describe malt beverages below certain alcohol percentage, and "ale" or "malt liquor" to describe ones greater than that alcohol percentage. An example is Texas, where the cut-off is 4.0% ABW. A discussion about the Texas law can be found at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website.

Well okay, Texas legislators only make the worst laws ever. The first definition still applies.

More kindly, the gap between the legislated definition and the accepted industry defintion may be described as Wikipedia describes it: idiosyncratic. However, there are the historic definitions to consider.

Again, according to Wikipedia, after the introduction of hops in the 15th century, the term "ale" was used to describe an unhopped beer, while the term "beer" was used to describe the hopped variety. This idea is explored at some length by Tofi Kerthjalfadsson, in his paper, "Recreating Medieval English Ales." These definitions are very prevalently used in medieval re-enactment circles.

Okay, if you're such a smarty-pants, which definition do you use?

For me, that depends upon who I'm talking to. If I'm talking to homebrewers, I use the modern lager vs. ale definition. If I'm talking to re-enactors, I use the historic beer vs. ale definition. However, if I'm being asked by a member of the general beer consuming public, I give all three.

And yes, I still use my best Comic Book Guy voice.

Buckle Up; We're Brewing

Why is this carboy buckled into the passenger seat of a car? The reason: yesterday was brew day. However, instead of being a solo project, like it usually is, I had a friend, Gabe, over. In fact, it was his first all-grain batch.

The week before, we worked on the recipe over the phone, with both of us running Promash on our respective computers. Then, on Tuesday, we met at the brewshop to put together the ingredients. Wednesday, I made the yeast starter. Finally, Saturday was the big day. Gabe then took the beer home to ferment out into the finished product. I can't wait to taste it in about a month.

Review: David Gilmour's On an Island

Okay, I'm branching out. I am now reviewing music on my blog.

How do you review an album like David Gilmour's On an Island? There are two schools of thought. One says, he is a member of Pink Floyd; it must therefore be compared to that work. The other says that, as a solo artist, it must be reviewed on its own. Really, to do a proper review, though, one has to do a little of both: look at it, first, from a Floyd point of view, and then, beyond.

First, comparing it to his work with Floyd, one may notice some similarities. As one would expect, it has similar sounds to post Waters' Floyd albums, such as 1994's The Division Bell, and 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Unexpectedly, however, it has an occasional amazing throwback to much earlier Floyd works, such as 1972's Meddle, or 1971's Obscured by Clouds, the era before Roger Waters' tight grip on the Floyd sound. That is a pleasant surprise.

One thing that is missing, however, is the edginess that accompanies a Floyd album. The dark brooding lyrics, attributed mostly to Roger Waters, are of course missing. However, even in the guitar work, Gilmour never quite reaches that sound that cuts you open and tears at your very soul. Despite that, though, the guitar could be regarded as very Gilmour-esque, lilting yet powerful, with dramatic pauses. If one word could be used to describe the record, however, it is mellow. There is as much acoustic as electric guitar.

Vocally, the album is very tight. Gilmour's voice has the same soothing quality that it has always shown, since the beginning of his work with Floyd. In fact, in many ways, it is that vocal work that makes this album reminiscent of Meddle era Pink Floyd. Songs from the new album, like Where We Start, and perhaps even the title track, On an Island, would feel very much at home next to A Pillow Of Winds from Meddle, or Wot's...Uh The Deal from Obscured by Clouds.

Granted, as mentioned above, there are songs that remind one of a Floyd long gone, winding between the familiar and unfamiliar. Looking beyond that, though, there is one distinct difference between this and a Floyd album. Gilmour, now in his 60's, with a wife and kids, has an optimism and a satisfaction in life that one would never hear on a Floyd record. That, more than anything else, comes through loud and clear. He seems genuinely happy.

The list of instruments that Gilmour plays on the record is impressive, including guitar, bass, piano, electric piano, saxophone, bass harmonica, cumbus, and Hammond organ, making it truly an album of his own work. Others play on the record as well. Fellow Floydian, Rick Wright, appears, of course, but more interestingly, a smattering of guest artists appear that seem far from the Floyd sound, including David Crosby and Graham Nash.

In the end, I have to say that I like the album. In fact, I would give it a solid B. If you are looking for another Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall, you will be sorely disappointed. However, like Meddle or Obscured By Clouds, it is an album you can throw on after you've spun Dark Side and The Wall to death and you want something occasionally familiar, but a little different.

A Beer Blogger's Dilemma

Recently, I was approached via email by a PR firm, offering me free beer to review on this blog. I was taken aback at first because I have never been interested in promoting commercial interests on this website. Granted, I have talked about various brands of beer and wine, but it was always driven by personal preference, and never by the companies that produced them.

At the same time, however, I was intrigued because it has become apparent to me that blogging is on the map as an important force to industry, and the beer blogging community is no different. In fact, it flattered me that this blog was even considered for such a thing.

Not knowing what to do, I responded to the email to get more information. What I found out is that the beer they wanted me to review was a new light version of a popular mega-brew. That sealed it for me and prompted me to respond with the following:

I don't wish to discourage you, but I can tell you right now that I do not generally like beers of the style American Light Lager (BJCP category 1A):

http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category1.html

You may find this true of many of the beer bloggers. In general, there has been a backlash against beers made with rice and corn adjuncts among the homebrew and microbrew drinking community, which makes up much of the beer blogging community.

The reason for this backlash is that these beers, often made by very large corporations, are credited with killing the vast varieties of beers that used to cover the American landscape before prohibition, replacing it with a very bland beer. For a couple of generations, only that one style of beer could be found in America.

In the 1980s, the microbrew revolution started, and introduced beers made without rice and corn (and thus having more flavor) back into American communities. Many of the ancient styles of Europe are now made by these breweries, diversifying beer in America. Few homebrewers and microbrew enthusiasts will embrace the post prohibition style that once dominated and stifled American beer for so long.

Thanks for thinking of me, but I respectably say, no thank you.

- Dave, the all-grain evangelist
http://hunahpu.blogspot.com/

Wine Tasting Ritual

To bring the blog back into beer and wine mode, I think that I'll start with wine. I have a particular ritual that I perform when I taste wine. This is nothing new; many people do, in fact. On the other hand, you'd be surprised how many people do not know how to drink wine. They simply gulp it down kind of like the way my dog, Murry, gulps down table scraps.

This post outlines the way I drink wine.

1. Use the right glass: I try to drink the right wine out of the right glass: reds in red glasses and whites in white glasses. You can cheat a little bit if you only have, say, a white wine and a red wine glass. However, if you attempt the ritual with plastic sippy cup or something, it will not work.
2. Fill the glass only part way: If it is too full, you wont be able to perform the ritual.
3. Look at the color: I like to hold it up to a light, looking through the side of the glass, while holding the stem. I look though the middle where the color is the deepest. I also roll it around in the glass and look where the wine meets the glass.
4. Swirl: There is a secret to swirling. It is easier to swirl the wine when it is sitting flat on the table, rather than holding it in the air. Again, I grip it by the stem. The goal is to get the wine moving around the glass in round motion. This will open it up for the next step.
5. Smell: I stick my nose way into the glass and take a deep slow breath through my nose. I tend to do this before the wine comes to a rest from the swirling stage. I still grip the thing by the stem.
6. Contemplate the smell: I tend to take a second to think about what I just took in, and try to compare it to fruit and other non-wine things.
7. Take sip and hold in mouth: I do not gulp it; I simply take a reasonable sip. There will be an initial impression of flavor.
8. Roll around in mouth: This opens up the flavor. The tannins and acids, at this point, usually fill my mouth with a slight burning sensation.
9. Contemplate the flavor: Like above, I tend to take a second to think about what I just took in, and try to compare it to fruit and other non-wine things.
10. Swallow: The burning sensation, at this point, rolls down the back of my throat.
11. Contemplate the finish: The flavor will change as it dissipates.

You may read this and say, "Oh my God! This guy is a total wine snob. This is all a bunch of horseshit."

If you do think this, you are right. I am a bit snobby about wine. However, I invite you to try the ritual on two bottles of wine, a less expensive wine, like [REMOVED], and one that is more expensive, and a lot better quality, like Renwood, Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel. I bet you will find a difference after all.

UPDATE:
I removed the brand name of the less expensive wine listed above, in light of the post after this one, where companies seemed to have taken an interest in the blog. Personally, I do not think that comparing two wines has any problems, especially in the context of the post. However, I do not want anything to get misconstrued, as companies have deep pockets, and I do not.

ANOTHER UPDATE:
Let me also add that they did not ask me to remove it. I did it on my own.

Ali Farka Toure: 1939 - 2006

I am a huge African music fan. It is that reason that I was sorry to find out that the small community that makes up African musicians lost one of its own yesterday: Ali Farka Toure of Mali. He was known as the African "John Lee Hooker."

I raise my glass in his honor.

The Crazy Kooks vs. The Weekend Tourists

I am going to finish up my series on this year's Estrella War with this post. Then, it is back to brewing posts for me.

Now that I've made a few posts about Estrella, one may ask, with all the silly clothes, silly names, and silly talk, at what point does one cross the line from sane rational person to crazy kook?

That is a good question. That line is not that easy to define. Various people have different levels of involvement in the SCA. However, at the two ends of the spectrum are two groups of people: the weekend tourists and the crazy kooks.

To really understand it, I think that an analysis needs to be made. In fact, I will do just that. On one side, I will describe the weekend tourist, someone who goes to SCA events once and a while, but does not really give a rat's ass about what is going on. The other side will be the crazy kook, someone takes it way too seriouly and has a lost look and weird intonation in their voice. Bare in mind that meeting any of the criteria below does not necessarily mean you are a crazy kook or weekend tourist; most people are in-between. However, if you meet most or all of them, one way or the other -- well -- what can I say?

• A crazy kook wears a Coathardi, designed from a 14th century medieval manuscript. Now his persona is actually from 13th century, but the 14th century manuscript is the most detailed picture he could find. He is sure to tell everyone he meets that his garb does not quite match his persona.
• A weekend tourist wears the same t-tunic for three days straight, even though it got a mead stain the first night. It is long enough to cover most of his jeans and you barely notice the sneakers.

• A crazy kook got an Award of Arms (AoA) his first year in the SCA. Now he is Master so-and-so, and squired to Duke so-and-so. This year he has a good chance of ascending to the Throne. Until then, however, he has sworn to serve His Majesty. However, in "mundane" life, he lost his job as a 7-Eleven night clerk four months ago, but borrowed enough money from mom to go to Estrella.
• A weekend tourist was able to get time off from his white-collar job to go to Estrella for the weekend. He actually met a King once, and he was kind of a jerk. His personally knows someone with an AoA, though.

• A crazy kook enjoys "freaking the mundanes," a term he uses to describe going out in public wearing SCA garb. In fact, it is not uncommon for him to use a cloak as everyday winter clothing.
• A weekend tourist got caught once wearing SCA garb at a grocery store buying ice near an SCA event. When asked if he was in a play, he turned beet-red and said yes.

• A crazy kook has actually quit jobs in the past to go to war. He does not want the man keeping him down.
• A weekend tourist secretly tells a few of his co-workers at the job that he has been at for the past seven years, on a need-to-know basis, that he is going to a "medieval re-enactment convention."

• A crazy kook only drinks mead and certain homemade ales at events, because those are the only things he finds that are truly period.
• A weekend tourist swears that he is going to drink only mead and beer, but some asshole keeps bringing Jägermeister.

• A crazy kook's apartment is entirely covered in half completed garb projects -- well, those and the unfinished Star Fleet captain's uniform. The walls are decorated with scrolls representing all the awards he has gotten. There are dozens of historical books everywhere piled on top of each other, open to various pages, with bookmarks in them. Half built armor and rattan weapons litter the back porch.
• A weekend tourist's house has pictures of the kids or dogs on the walls. The backyard is full of some much neglected yard work. In fact, the only evidence of the SCA is the one picture of he and his wife on the fridge, posing in funny clothes, from 12 years ago, when he still had facial hair. Well okay, there is that and a couple of boxes in the garage labeled "SCA."

• It is not uncommon to hear the following words come out of a crazy kook's mouth: "The SCA is so much more real than 'mundane' life. I think that I want to travel to all the events I can, and live in my pavilion in the woods in-between."
• The weekend tourist often talks about juggling a career, a mortgage, 401K, little league practice, a marriage, and car repairs. It is not uncommon to hear the following words: "There is an SCA event about a six months away that I might make it to, if I can get the time off from work."

• A crazy kook has a brown 1982 Toyota Corolla station-wagon that jets black smoke and has a bad muffler. Plastered all over the back are bumper stickers that read, "Crossbows don't kill people; quarrels kill people," "Got mead?" "I don't go postal; I get medieval," and "My other car's a broom." The tires are bald and the tags are expired. If you peer through the window, you can make out a nine-foot rattan spear, which barely fits from end to end.
• A weekend tourist has a three year old Volvo and a car payment. If you peer through the window you can just make out a baby seat.

• A crazy kook only answers to his SCA name, even in non-SCA settings.
• People call a weekend tourist by his "mundane" name, even in SCA settings.

• A crazy kook wants to wear SCA garb to the Jethro Tull concert next month. He is positive that if he does that, he will be invited back stage by Ian Anderson, who he simply refers to as "God."
• A weekend tourist saw Jethro Tull once at the state fair 14 years ago. He only saw half the show because his crazy redheaded girlfriend at the time threw up in the parking lot. He always precedes that story with the words, "That was a long time ago."

• A crazy kook swears that he's going to go to England, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Kenya, India, and Mongolia one day. He also is going to go on safari in South Africa and also eventually travel by boat down the Nile river when he makes it to Egypt. In fact, his cousin's girlfriend's brother used to be an archaeologist and if he goes to Greece, then he might be able to go with him.
• A weekend tourist and his wife actually took a dream vacation to Ireland a few years ago on their honeymoon. He got the chance to kiss the Blarney Stone and drink a pint of Guinness in a Irish pub.

• A crazy kook will be 40 in a year or two.
• A weekend tourist will be 40 in a year or two.

That is pretty much it. As for me, I am going to take my mead stained t-tunics from Estrella, and place them in a box, tucked away in the corner of my garage, next to the Volvo. The "play" is over and I've got to get back to work. Perhaps I'll pull out my funny clothes again for Highland's War, this summer, or Estrella War, next year, if I can get the time off from work. Until then, I will simply be a white-collar professional.

Well okay, Ian Anderson really is pretty cool.

Disclaimer: This post is meant to be lighthearted and funny. If you are offended...um...sorry. :)

"Sword Carrying Alcoholics"

The term SCA is short for "Society for Creative Anachronism." There is a joke, however, that says that it really stands for "Sword Carrying Alcoholics." Like any good joke there is an element of truth in it and that truth is particularly evident in the nightlife at Estrella.

In preparation for that nightlife, I brought three corny kegs of homebrew, pictured below:


At night, people wander from camp to camp, tankards in hand. Many camps have open bars and the alcohol flows freely. Often times, there are drummers and belly dancers surrounding huge bonfires at these camps as well.

The big wandering night for us was Saturday night. A group of us got together headed out for the nighttime festivities. The picture below is of us standing by the gate exiting our camp, before wandering.


Our wanders took us to half a dozen camps with large parties going on. Several of them served nothing but homebrew. In fact, I heard this several times as people shoved brews in my face: "You're a brew judge. Tell me what this is."

Several encampments had wooden castle like facades, with people on top. In fact, the grainy picture below is a picture of one such camp. I apologize for the quality of the picture.


The nice thing about the nightlife at these events is that nobody has to drive anywhere. People can drink to their hearts content and stumble back to camp. Particularly for single people, they often wander back with a newly met Lady or Lord in tow.

To be continued ...

Playing the Tanbur

Here is a picture of me at Estrella playing the Tanbur, a Middle Eastern stringed instrument.

Salvatore's Historical Yellow Pages

Estrella is very much like an odd reoccurring dream. It happens every year at exactly the same time. When you show up, all the same people are in exactly the same places, almost like they never left, many of whom you only see at the event. While there, everyone is dressed in silly clothes and talks funny. They all have odd names. In fact, you often do not know their real names. Finally, when it is over, it is over, and the people get safely tucked away in memory until next year.

One such person that I have known only in a SCA context is Randal Salvatore. I have known Randal for close to 17 years. I have to say that in all the times I've known him, he has been involved in crazy hair-brained schemes.

To give some examples, I remember when he held an event called "Salvatore's Pit Fight" or something to that effect, where people would fight while others would bet on the outcome. Of course they would bet using coins with Randal's face stamped on them.

I also remember when he got into boxing.

I remember going to Mexico one day and he just happened to be there, drunk, hitting on waitresses (and I do not go to Mexico very often). Apparently he had been there every day for like a week, and we just happened to run into him.

I remember one recent Estrella, he was visiting our encampment when out of the blue, a group of a dozen pirate women came in and kidnapped him. We never saw him again, the entire event.

Like a bad penny, he always turns up, crazy things happen to him, and he has the craziest stories to tell. Last Estrella, when we found Randal, he was very excited about his newest project. He had this idea of making a phone book.

"A phone book?" we all questioned. "How about a website?"

"No, no, a printed phone book: the historical yellow pages," Randal responded in his nasally enunciated voice, with a big huge smirk framing his prominent Roman Emperor-esque nose. He had a crazed look in his eyes that we'd all seen before.

He went on to describe not just any phone book; it was to be a phone book dedicated to re-enactment: medieval, civil war, and anything else that comes to mind. Crazy Randal Salvatore was up to it again.

Well, this Estrella when we found him he was passing out -- you guessed it -- phone books. I looked at one, and you know what? It rocked. I guess that not only are they eating it up in re-enactment groups, but he has them in all the major movie studios. Congratulations, Randal.

Oh yes, he does have a website too. In fact, it is right here.



To be continued ...