a tear drop for our new president.***Sorry to post this a bit late. I’m still exhausted from what was a long, arctic, exhilarating and profoundly historic day. I can’t really put it all into words just yet. I was one of millions drifting in that great …

It’s January 20, 2009, Presidential Inauguration Day; the day Americans welcome a new President into office and bid the former farewell.Many others have already commented on virtually all aspects of former President Bush’s term in office and the expect…

Even at the height of the coldest morning I can ever remember in Virginia in the nine years I have lived here (it was 1 degree when I awoke, 6 degrees when I left for work) the mood of downtown was festive….almost giddy with excitement over the upcoming inauguration. By 4’oclock, I had nearly a dozen customers ask me “So….what are you doing in the Wine Bar for the inauguration? What time do you open? Are you going to have it on the big screen?”

Well, we heard your requests and we have taken it to heart….we are happy to announce that the Wine Bar will open at 11am on Tuesday, January 20th. And yes, we will have it on the big screen!

So if you’re not planning a big trip up to DC, why not join us for wine, beer, tapas and share one of the greatest historical moments of our lifetimes.

Peace….

Let’s start by pointing out the bleeding obvious: Miller High Life is not the Champagne of Beers. There is, however, a type of beer that does qualify for that title, and that is Gueuze beer from Belgium. Gueuze is a type of Lambic beer. You may already be familiar with Lambic beers because they are often blended with fruit juice and in this form sell very well. Lambic beers are not necessarily always mixed with fruit juice though. They are a type of ale brewed with a mixture of barley and wheat and undergo spontaneous fermentation, which is what sets them apart from other beer. Most beers are brewed using cultures. Spontaneous fermentation is when you expose the beer to the elements and wild yeast ferments the beer for you. This technique is used sometimes in winemaking with what are known as natural wines. If you saw a Lambic brewery you would probably find it pretty dirty. This is intentional, because if you keep your brewery spic and span you kill off all those wild yeasts. You in effect have to create your own ecosystem in your brewery. This makes it a delicate process. Several American brewers have tried and failed to replicate the style.

Which brings us back to Gueuze. Geuze is a special type of Lambic. It is a blend of older Lambic beers which are rounder with high acid, tart young lambic. Like Champagne, it is refermented in the bottle to create the carbonation. In fact, it often comes in Champange-like bottles. These beers are amazingly complex. They are higher in acidity than most beers making them excellent with food. The flavors are somewhat wine-like with a tart fruitiness, a long finish and even some minerality. In other words, my kind of beer. If you are a beer lover and you have not tried these you are really missing out. Gueuze, in my opinion, is probably the most interesting and sophisticated of all beers. And at a fraction of the price of Champagne, you can have a Champagne-like experience (almost) without spending so much money. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of truly great Champagne, I will say without qualification that a bottle of Geuze (usually around $12-$20 for 750ml) is better than nearly any wine you could get for the same price.

Yes, they are available at kybecca. You can buy the beauty in that picture for $11.99.

Stop by kybecca wine bar & shop at 6pm today to check out an art show by local photographer Christopher Rok. Chrisopher has many great photographs of the Fredericksburg area on show and for sale. They are all fantastic. One of my favorites is a picture of a bulldog sitting in front of kybecca looking like he’s guarding the place. My other favorite is a rooftop picture of downtown that really shows off the charm of the city. It makes Fredericksburg look almost like a pretty European village. Sample photograph below.

Uh-oh. Two technology related posts in a row. I hope that this is not a trend, although I could not help myself.Don’t let the title of this post fool you, it’s really kind of interesting if you are into new consumer technology. It’s all about a proble…

Religous Freedom Day Parade. Fredericksburg, VA

I received an update on the intramural field from Rick Hurley at the University yesterday.By his account, the field was used a total of 90 times last semester, 41 times with the lights on.Of those 41 times, 14 times the lights were on past nine and of …