Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Firestone Walker’s Union Jack

I am going to veer away from local breweries and brewpubs this week to review one of my favorite California Beers, Firestone Walker’s Union Jack. I decided to review this beer because it is available at most grocery stores and on tap at many watering holes so you should be able to find it easily in Ventura County.

Before my move to California just over year ago I had very little experience with any beer from the Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Other than a few samples at GABF (Great American Beer Festival) 4 or 5 years ago my only knowledge of Firestone Walker was from listening to an interview with Matt Brynildson (head brewer) on The Brewing Network’s “The Jamil Show”. I won’t use up space here to talk about the grain bill or hops used in these beers because you can search their site to listen to a podcast where Matt talks about his beers. It is a little on the beer geek side and certainly uses big boy language but you will truly understand Firestone’s beers when you are finished listening. After listening to those podcasts I knew that I wanted and needed to try those beers again as soon as I could.

(flashback to July 2009) Watching those moving guys really made me thirsty so I walked down to the corner market and picked myself up a sixer of Double Barrel Ale (will be reviewed soon) and Union Jack. Twelve beers? Yes, but I was really thirsty! I started with DBA and then followed up with Union Jack. It was on that day that I discovered my new “go-to beer”. A “go-to beer” is one that is easily found, one that will always be refreshing, one that I can count on if I am out of homebrew. The sixer of Union Jack was gone in two days. Turns out unpacking boxes makes you even more thirsty!(/flashback)

Now back to the review, with a name like Union Jack you may think that it is an English IPA like Fullers or Samuel Smiths. Don’t be fooled by the name, Union Jack is much more aggressive than its English cousins and it packs a good ABV punch so enjoy in moderation. Union Jack hangs just over the edge with hops (look at the style guideline) but it also has just enough malt backbone keep it from being a one dimensional beer. The other thing you will want to enjoy with this beer is the aroma. It is dry hopped (hops put in the finished beer for aroma) with several grapefruit, citrus, and piney aroma hop varieties that blend together to make a great West Coast IPA. If you don’t enjoy beers like Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale or Redhook’s Long Hammer then you may want to pass on Union Jack. However, the next time you get a chance (you are around someone pouring one or you can ask for a sample) take the time to stick your nose up close and give it a good whiff. Close your eyes and enjoy the ride. You won’t regret it.

http://www.firestonewalker.com/

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: 2010 Indie Music Award Winner Nathan Morris!

Independent musicians have a hard gig! They write, play, sing, market and promote their music all themselves. It’s inspiringly hard work, and when it’s successful, it brings a tear to my eye! Nathan Morris is successful!

Nathan Morris was awarded the 2010 INDIE CHARTS MUSIC AWARD! Nathan has received this award for maintaining the #1 spot on www.IndieCharts.com for over 6 months!

Exciting stuff for a 25 year old from Kentucky. Let’s see what happens when we exchanged Q & A’s over the interwebs this week:

DDM: Congrats on your win on the 2010 Indie Charts Award. This is a big accomplishment for an indie musician! How do you feel about it?

Thank you so much for that! It truly is an amazing accomplishment. I remember getting the call from my manager about winning the award. I was at a cookout with some friends. We all had a moment to celebrate and it was so cool to share it with them and Jody. I’m thrilled, to say the least. We’ve been really working hard over the past few years, releasing music, meeting people, learning new things. It’s refreshing to see something like this happen, you know? The award has most certainly given me a little more of a push to up my game with writing and recording. All that to say, I’m honored, excited and proud of everyone on my team that works hard day in and day out to make sure all the pieces are in place for me.

DDM: What keeps you indie? Do you WANT to be indie? Why?

Being an independent artist allows for the ball to stay in your court. I am the owner of a company in a sense, and decisions need to be made every day in order to continue to move forward. I have a group of people that are always on the same page with me with decision making. Being indie allows for me and my team to have the control necessary to continue to move in the direction we have always intended.

DDM: Had you ever considered any of the competitions (American Idol, America’s Got Talent, etc) or is there something about those that you don’t like/don’t want to be a part of?

I actually had purchased a plane ticket to Kansas City, MO a few years ago to try out for American Idol, but didn’t end up going. I think it’s a pretty cool competition, but I just feel that right now, it’s not for me. It’s launched a lot of successful careers though.

DDM: It looks like you started producing albums at the tender age of 18…so tell us about where you learned to sing/write? Schooling/etc…

I learned to sing when I was about 8 years old. I initially loved the idea of entertaining people, but soon in to vocal lessons I developed a large passion for it. I would always write in my teens. I’d write stories and fill pages of notebooks in my room. When I met my dear friends Brent and Justin, who were fellow songwriters, they taught me about structuring and it’s purpose and how to guide a listener through the song. I always hope that my songs stay true and I always continue to personally progress in my efforts as a songwriter.

DDM: So…Owensboro, KY…a suburb (or what we like to call an “exurb”)? of…I’m not sure…St Louis? What is the biggest city near Owensboro?

Owensboro, KY is an hour and a half away from Louisville, KY, two hours from Lexington and two hours from Nashville, TN. It’s a great hub for me to be in. I can be in any of those cities in such a short period of time. Owensboro just feels good. It’s where my family is. It’s where my dearest friends are. It’s home!

DDM: Let’s talk about fashion! How have you been inspired by fashion? Buckaroo jeans is your exclusive outfitter? Tell us about that relationship…do you design too?

Fashion inspires me when what I’m wearing feels good. If I personally think I look great, then I tend to write, perform and so forth. There’s just something about that additional bit of confidence that brings your best out. Buckaroo was and has been a great relationship. My manager, a friend and myself were out in LA, walking down Sunset Blvd. and simply happened to stumble upon this nice store. I had never heard the name Buckaroo before, but upon entering, I saw all these really cool jeans and jackets that I really liked. They had a very unique look about them and it wasn’t something you saw every day. We spent a good 2 hours in there shopping. My manager got in contact with Buckaroo and the rest is really history.

DDM: I’ve been reading your blog. You are very introspective, especially for a young guy. Is it your introspect that makes you a great songwriter, or your love for songwriting that makes you and introspect (sort of like the “chicken or the egg” theory I suppose.

I really appreciate the compliment, thank you. I think with songwriting, it’s about living. And the life that you live creates memories and stories that you share with people. Some tell them at a cook out or family get together. I write mine down and share them with everyone. It’s about being honest. It’s about not questioning yourself or your feelings and hopes and desires. The life I have lived is throughout each song I’ve written. There’s a lesson learned in each track too. It’s cool to kind of go back and hear something you wrote a while back and remember what was going on and how you dealt with and got through the situation. That’s a big hope of mine for the listener. I want them to be able to relate in a special way, that every time they hear that particular song of mine, they’re taken back to a particular moment.

DDM: What’s next for you?

-I guess what’s next is taking what I’ve recently learned about myself and my music and just going full speed with it. I will continue to record songs that I believe whole-heartedly in and releasing them to the people who continue to show their full support, all while hopefully gaining the attention and appreciation of new fans.

DDM: The new song is out now! Tell us about “A Minute More” Inspiration?

“A Minute More” was written in the basement of a friend’s house. My friend Brent was getting married that week and we were reflecting on our lives and the fact that in a week, he was going to be sharing his with the woman he loved forever; how she was going to walk in to their home for the first time and how amazing and beautiful it was. We wrote the song in about 10 minutes. I feel that the best songs in my catalogue are ones that came together quickly. It’s an extremely honest song. I am such a romantic. If you want to know me on a personal level, away from the music and videos and photos, this is the song. I believe in fighting for the one you love. I think about my future wife all the time and all the fun things we’ll do together, as well as all the trials we will face together. It’s a song reflecting on my past, but realizing the promise of that day when I meet her. I want people, when they hear it, to know they’re worth the wait and important.

DDM: The video is coming out next week. How exciting! How was it making your video? Any good stories with the process you can share?

Shooting the video was such an amazing experience. We went with Neil McCormack, who I have worked with previously on another music video. He just has a great eye and ability to make me feel comfortable. So many people came together and worked so hard to make the video look the way it does. It couldn’t have gone any better really. A big shout out to all of them.

We shot the video over a 2 day period. At one point, some of the crew were lifting a heavy upright piano out of a truck for one of the shots and I felt so bad just sitting and watching, but they didn’t want me helping. Also, the last few shots with me at the piano, I was falling asleep in between takes. I never knew I could fall asleep sitting up.

Nathan’s latest single has been released and is available on I-Tunes. The video will be out in about a minute more (or next week) …we are anxiously awaiting it! Check out “A Minute More” and tell us what you think!

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Love My Presents

You remember when your parents would go on vacation as a kid and the best part about them coming home was when they unpacked their suitcases and gave you your presents from wherever they had been?

My parents have always been great traveling gift givers, I have cool stuff from all over the world....and totally not your run of the mill key chains, snow globes or I *heart* "whatever" tee shirts. I get stuff like Murano glass bottle openers and cheese knives from Italy, possum fur & merino wool and peacock feather scarves from New Zealand, earrings in the shape of halibut from Alaska (lucky fishing earrings!) and so many other cool and unusual gifts I can't even begin to list. But when it comes to goodies from vacation and my Dad....I always love the edibles he brings home because he is the ultimate hunter gatherer.

We get caribou, halibut & salmon from Alaska, venison, duck & rabbit from California, elk from Colorado, crawfish from June Lake and all manner of fish from Mexico. God love the man, he knows how to hunt and fish and brings home the proverbial bacon on a regular basis. If I had the ability to take time off during hunting season, I'd be with him in a shot, but I generally have to work and therefore only get to enjoy the fruits of his labors.

So at the beginning of September when hunting/fishing/vacation season opened for my Pop's, Mom and I just asked that he bring home goodies for us.

And because my Dad kicks ass, he did.

He went to Washington and brought home salmon and rock fish, turned around and went to Colorado and brought home elk, stayed for all of 4 days and drove to Baja and brought home tuna, dorado & triggerfish and is leaving in four days to go deer hunting in the sierras. He also promised to get crawdads in June Lake if he had a chance to dive.....

Have I mentioned that I love the man?????

Tonight I joined him for fish tacos where it was the battle of Washington versus Baja....or rockfish versus dorado.

Really a simple dinner, but Dad wanted to taste the fish side by side to see which he preferred fried. Me? I just wanted it wrapped up in a tortilla with cabbage, salsa, guacamole, cotija cheese & white sauce. Perfection.

Of the two fish, we both agreed the rockfish won hands down. The dorado, while perfectly tasty and wonderful, was drier-similar to halibut when fried. The rockfish stayed juicy and flaky but still held it's shape beautifully.

Cheers, here's to gifts from the sea, thanks Dad!

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Like Jason DeRulo, I’m goin’ solo.

Next week, I will be employed after many years as an unemployed student. I decided I should take advantage of my last week of sorta-freedom, so I ventured off into Ojai for a night of camping. Alone.

I’ve never camped alone–

Rod Steele said, “Yeah, have fun out there. You know who camps? Dudes. Dudes who like to drink and screw. They’re going to see you and say, ‘yeah, this chick likes to party,’ then they’re going to come to your site, invite you over for a drink, and you’re going to have some crazy threesome-story for your next blog.”

Rod’s a screenwriter with a vivid imagination.

In my trunk was a tent, a sleeping bag, and water. Also, a sandwich and some brownies that were on Special at Vons.

I drove up the winding 33 North into the Los Padres to Wheeler Gorge Campgrounds. When I got there, I coasted around, and I must admit I saw some pretty ghetto set ups–the kind of stuff Hollywood loves to put in horror movies so we shit our pants and choose never to go into the wilderness again–an old chevy, a beat-up camper trailer, an old man with a dirty ball cap and red solo cup who stared as my car passed him; however, I didn’t let anything scare me. Really. How often do we hear of campers getting mutilated at their camp sites? Most people who get in trouble either provoke it, or they’re asking for it (i.e. just generally being a dumbass).

I came to the last few camp spaces and, as the fates would have it, settled on spot number 69. If you’re ever there, you will agree it’s probably one of the nicer spots.

When I was a kid, we went camping at Salton Sea and my sister had to use the restrooms which were, at the time, port-o-potties. I didn’t go inside with her, but I watched her go in, heard her scream, and watched her run out with her pants down and a small group of bees following her. Unfortunately, that has scarred me and now I must do what everyone hates to do: look inside the pit of disgust before I can relieve myself.

The restrooms here looked like average public restrooms, but the toilet was nothing more than a Kia made to look like a Mercedes Benz–it looked like a real toilet, but but was just a glorified port-o-pot. When I looked into the rim I saw a bottomless black pit.

Great. Probably weren’t any bees down there, but the hand of the devil might reach up from the bowels of darkness and try to snatch at my butt when I bent over.

I took care of my business quickly and returned to my campsite.

My mom bought my tent for me a few years ago when I was apartment hunting, because I said I wanted to camp at the beach while I hunted, but I found a place immediately so I had now opened it till now.

When it was all set up, I realized it was a junior sized tent.

I lay my sleeping bag diagonally and crawled inside to see how I would fit. My head was crunched into one corner and my feet were smooshed into the opposite corner.

As I was messing with the sleeping bag, the same old man with the dirty-red ball cap and solo cup came up from the creek. What the hell was he doing down there? I shook my mind free of ditched bodies and stacked skulls. He said hello and tipped his ball cap at me, then he asked how long I was staying, and I told him one night. I wanted to be friendly enough to not seem like a stuck-up bitch, but I didn’t want to be stripper-trying-to-sell-a-lap dance friendly. He told me he was staying for two nights, and that the grounds were beautiful at night, and there is no other place he would rather be.

He tipped his hat again and departed. I went back to my car and sat there for a short time, wondering whether I should just tear the tent down, pack it all up, and drive home. Thanks for letting me watch Unsolved Mysteries and FBI’s most wanted when I was a kid, Mom. Appreciate that.

Truth was, the old man made me feel safer. It was my vivid imagination that needed to be bitch slapped.

I decided to try and enjoy the daylight while it lasted, so I got out of the car and went to the picnic table with my books. I sat and listened to the peaceful brook, the wind blowing through, the birds chirping, and the many, many, many flies buzzing around my ears, trying to land on my eyeballs. Biting and/or shitting on my arms and legs.

Within a few minutes, I had an Civil Law test rolled up like a bat and was ready to kill the next little-winged son of a bitch that landed on my body. I put my legs up on the bench as bait.

“Come on you little bastards,” I mumbled.

Eventually, the flies won.

I gathered my books and hurried into my tent. Thankfully, only five of the 57 flies managed to follow me inside before I pulled the zipper down. I stared through the single-net portal at the trees, there was about 1/2 foot of space between the top of my head and the tent’s ceiling. I looked with my eyes and my ears–the leaves, the buzz of the gnats, and the rough slap of my Civil Law test coming down to kill each fly.

When it was dark, the camp site manager came to collect my money for the night’s stay, then a van pulled in beside my campsite and a couple of young, cute guys crawled out. They looked at me, I looked at them, we all looked away.

Date night. Solo. Away from the city lights and the boom-boom-boom of Main Street. The glorified port-o-potty wasn’t too bad, the campers around me were respectful and went quiet at a reasonable hour, and I fell asleep listening to the bugs and owls shoot the shit.

I woke up at sunrise and the flies were already out, so I packed up and drove home.

It’s always nice to be reminded that being alone can be lovely. I mean, if you can’t be by yourself without getting bored, who the hell else will want to be with you?

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: BJ's Brewhouse Blonde

BJ’s Brewhouse Blonde®

Let me start straight off this review by saying that Kolsch is not even close to my beer favorite style. I will almost always skip over these beers (generally at the top of a beer list) for the bolder tasting ones further down the list and so it was challenging for me to even pick this beer for a review.

I tried to clear my head of my previous prejudices towards this style and sat down with the beer and began my review routine:

1. my notebook and pen to my right
2. a clean glass, bottle of beer and opener to the left
3. pop the top, enjoy the CO2 cloud escaping the bottle and start the pour down the side of the glass until about half full then straight down the middle to raise the head.

It had a wonderful pour and a thick white head that did not die down releasing subtle hop aromas throughout the beer. There is a slight hop bite making it a crisp drinkable beer and pushed the bitterness scale to the right. Even though the IBU’s are quite low in beer the hop bitterness stands out more because there isn’t a lot of malt in this beer to balance them.

This beer is just outside of the IBU guidelines of a Kolsch. It is much closer to its name (Brewhouse Blonde) which is 15-28. In addition to the base grain, the grain bill included wheat malt and Vienna. Wheat malt can be added to increase head retention and add a light straw color. Vienna malt is used to add a little extra body and add a little extra malt flavor.

If you are familiar with Kolsch or if it is one of your favorite styles this beer may be a bit disappointing. It is much closer to the blonde ale style guidelines as its name implies rather than a Kolsch which is how BJ’s categorizes this beer. If you are a bumiloors (Bud/Miller/Coors) drinker then this is a great “gateway beer” (a beer that seduces you to try other craft beers) for you. Before you know it you will be skipping the top of the list just like me!

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: BJ's Brewhouse Jeremiah Red

There will soon be over 100 BJ’s, all scattered across the country, with 50 locations in California. I visited the Oxnard location @ 461 Esplanade Drive/805.485.1124.

With at least 15 beers in their lineup you can bet that you will find a beer to enjoy. If you don’t want to taste ‘em all I will do my best to taste all their beers so you don’t have to. It is a big project and it will take awhile but then again I am really thirsty and I am sure you are, too! So let’s get started…

I only had time to stop in at the restaurant and picked up two six packs. Usually I would sit down with my samplers and notepad but I just didn’t have the time to do so. Also, I wanted to get this blog up and running. Unfortunately they do not mix their six packs and you cannot at your local grocery or liquor store. So if you want to sample a few different brews be prepared to sit and taste at the restaurant (which has great brewpub ambiance) or purchase a couple six packs to go.

My first review is BJ’s Jeremiah Red®

The crystal malt used in this recipe imparts a rich gold to copper-red color and caramel flavor and increases foam stability. The Munich malt contributes an intense malt flavor and some color while the chocolate malt used in small quantities gave the beer a deep red/brown and just a hint of roasted flavor. The Northern Brewer hops used added bitterness but not a lot of flavor and gave the beer an earthy aroma.

http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/bj-beers

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: Fun-do-mental Music in Thousand Oaks

Ya’ll saw the Harvest Moon the other night, right? It was big and beautiful. The specialty of the harvest moon was that it rose in direct correlation with the sun setting. this was because of the fall equinox. It actually hasn’t happened since 1991, and is known as the Super Harvest Moon this year.

This was cause for celebration. And in Thousand Oaks, David DePalo, owner of the new Fun-do-mental Music studio, decided to celebrate with a free-form aleatoric jam (for us simple folk, it was a music jam).

DePalo, holds a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of John’s Hopkins University.He’s worked in the film industry for the past fifteen years as a composer and orchestrator. “I’ve played classical guitar since I was eight. I jammed in my basement all through high-school and that’s how I knew such a concept [as Fun-do-mental Music] was possible.” says DePalo. ” You don’t need to be a trained musician to make music. It’s a simple as howling at the moon.” Which is what it felt like Wednesday night.

After taking pictures and warming up to the participants, a participated by banging on the bongos like a good music lover! My kids keep reminding me that Debbie Does NOT, in fact DO music…I just write about it. But here is proof, to everyone, that even I, a writer more than a player, can get down and howl with the best of them.

There aren’t just drums at Fun-do-mental. There are all kinds of interesting instruments. Some that make you go hmmmmm. I had to ask David about some of them. “The concert bass drum and 34″ Han Chi Chau Symphonic Tam-tam are favorites with the kids. As is the Water Phone, which is a bowed percussion instrument the emits eery sounds like whale song. I personally love the Khamak, an exciting drum that has a string attached to the head which you strum with a plectrum to create frantic, thrilling rhythms. The harmoniums and pixie harps are fun, too. And everyone loves our double bass.”

Not only can you come to one of David’s jam sessions (he updates his website frequently with dates of upcoming events), you can also have parties and take lessons there. “For a while I kept the studio completely acoustic. But we score a short film for kids’ parties, and one day I cut some old sci-fi scenes of a space ship landing and taking off into that movie. So then, of course, I had to get a Theramin!”

The studio is clean, modern and comfortable. It’s a wonderful place to create music, or take a class. Check out everything Fun-do-mental Music has to offer our community.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/