Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category

The Creation of the Beer Fridge

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 13th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
It begins here.


And finishes in the basement or garage. That's where the majority of its existence will be.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

The Creation of the Beer Fridge

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 13th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
It begins here.


And finishes in the basement or garage. That's where the majority of its existence will be.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Sunday Wine, Hors d’Oeuvres, and a Cigar

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 12th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Aah. . . Sunday afternoon. Even in retirement, Sunday's remain special. Mass in the morning, then a nice breakfast/lunch, followed by reading, and piddling around the house or yard. There was a time when Sunday afternoon also included a visit to one of our favorite local pubs for drinks and light food before dinner. Now it we are more likely to spend the late afternoon on the deck, with of course, drinks and light food, with the added bonus that I can also enjoy a cigar.

This past Sunday afternoon I had an urge for wine instead of beer or bourbon. It just seemed right for the sunny afternoon. I selected a bottle of Rebellion "Commonwealth" red wine. The local wine is from the Rebellion Bourbon Bar in Fredericksburg. Rebellion offers a house stave pick of Maker's Mark bourbon. When they receive the bourbon, they also receive the barrel it was aged in. Rebellion work with a local vintner to produce a red wine aged for 8 months in the barrels.


My wine knowledge is generally limited to liking a wine, or not. I do favor full bodied reds. The bourbon barrel aged wine is semi-dry with sweet dark berry fruit notes. It is low in tannins with no bitterness. I didn't find any distinctive or different notes, outside of a very pleasantly drinking wine.  And, one that happened to pair quite nicely with the La Paline Black Label cigar I chose to enjoy.


The La Palina Black Label is a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigar has not spent much time in my humidor as I just picked it up last week when visiting the cigar lounge. However I was most interested in trying it out, and it just looked like it would pair well. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

The cigar uses a Brazilian Bahiano wrapper, which encases a double binder of Dominican and Nicaraguan leaves, as well as filler tobaccos from those two countries as well. The Black Label kicks off black pepper spice, along with hints of cocoa and roasted nuts. As the smoke progressed the cocoa shifted to more of a sweet dark chocolate. The cigar provides a full bodied smoke, although it is not harsh at all and should be approachable by most smokers. I enjoyed a 90 minute smoke with no burn issues.


I had high hopes for the pairing, and I was not disappointed. The two flavor profiles were complimentary, like a classic red wine and chocolate pairing.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Sunday Wine, Hors d’Oeuvres, and a Cigar

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 12th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Aah. . . Sunday afternoon. Even in retirement, Sunday's remain special. Mass in the morning, then a nice breakfast/lunch, followed by reading, and piddling around the house or yard. There was a time when Sunday afternoon also included a visit to one of our favorite local pubs for drinks and light food before dinner. Now it we are more likely to spend the late afternoon on the deck, with of course, drinks and light food, with the added bonus that I can also enjoy a cigar.

This past Sunday afternoon I had an urge for wine instead of beer or bourbon. It just seemed right for the sunny afternoon. I selected a bottle of Rebellion "Commonwealth" red wine. The local wine is from the Rebellion Bourbon Bar in Fredericksburg. Rebellion offers a house stave pick of Maker's Mark bourbon. When they receive the bourbon, they also receive the barrel it was aged in. Rebellion work with a local vintner to produce a red wine aged for 8 months in the barrels.


My wine knowledge is generally limited to liking a wine, or not. I do favor full bodied reds. The bourbon barrel aged wine is semi-dry with sweet dark berry fruit notes. It is low in tannins with no bitterness. I didn't find any distinctive or different notes, outside of a very pleasantly drinking wine.  And, one that happened to pair quite nicely with the La Paline Black Label cigar I chose to enjoy.


The La Palina Black Label is a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigar has not spent much time in my humidor as I just picked it up last week when visiting the cigar lounge. However I was most interested in trying it out, and it just looked like it would pair well. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

The cigar uses a Brazilian Bahiano wrapper, which encases a double binder of Dominican and Nicaraguan leaves, as well as filler tobaccos from those two countries as well. The Black Label kicks off black pepper spice, along with hints of cocoa and roasted nuts. As the smoke progressed the cocoa shifted to more of a sweet dark chocolate. The cigar provides a full bodied smoke, although it is not harsh at all and should be approachable by most smokers. I enjoyed a 90 minute smoke with no burn issues.


I had high hopes for the pairing, and I was not disappointed. The two flavor profiles were complimentary, like a classic red wine and chocolate pairing.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Black Rock Mountain Meerkat Rally

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Jun 10th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Trip:43
Nights: 144-147

Back in 2020, I met somebody in a Meerkat camper at a campground and we became friends. And now I get invited to her annual Meerkat camper rally, which is always a lot of fun. This year, they met at Black Rock Mountain State Park in North Georgia, which is also about 2 hours from my mother. So of course we went this year, camping with 13 or 14 Meerkat campers, and my mother. It was a good time.

We left Wednesday after work, driving about ½ way and overnighting in somebody’s backyard, courtesy of Hipcamp. It worked out great, he had a 50 amp connection and it was nice and quiet, for about ? the price of the nearest KOA. On Thursday we only had about 3.5 hours to the campground, so we took our time, making several stops along the way.

Lunch was at Cafe Rel, in Franklin NC. Cafe Rel appears to be a gas station diner, which technically, it is. But it is one hell of a gas station diner, opened by a classically trained french chef, and featuring a variety of sandwiches and entrees. A+++, would eat there again. Just down the road from the cafe is Ruby City Gems, a jewelry store that also houses an interesting small museum of gemstones and various artifacts collected by the proprietor’s father. The museum is free, although Michelle did find a couple of pairs of earrings she wanted in the jewelry store, so it wasn’t free for me. And finally, just a few minutes from the campground is 3 Legge Art Gallery, the studio of noted folk artist Eric Legge. Eric was hanging around so we got to chat with him a bit too.

collage 1

Black Rock Mountain is a GA State Park in the NE corner of the state, about 3600 feet above sea level. So even in a hot humid GA summer, the campground is comfortable. Our campsite was secluded and private, although that came at a price as I had to back the camper up a narrow and steep driveway for about 40 yards. We didn’t leave the park once we arrived, spending all 3 days hiking, exploring, birding, and lounging around the campfire with my mom, all within the park. There were also several social events with the Meerkat rally, including two happy hours and a pancake breakfast. It was one of those camping trips where I did little reading, as we were always busy right up until bedtime.

collage 2

The most notable event of the weekend was bird related. Our last several birding outings we have heard but not seen the Northern Parula, a colorful warbler. My wife had declared the bird her white whale. She managed to get a good look at one in a cemetery across the street from a lake we were hiking around. I still have never seen an owl in the wild. That is my white whale.

The drive home was uneventful, which is the best drive home. We’ll be home for 10 days then we are off to PA for the NE Aliner Ascape Rally, where we are expecting about 30 people.


Friday Evening – A Cigar, A Rye, and New Music

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 10th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I'd been looking forward to revisiting the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye, and finally did pull it down from the shelf on Friday evening. I also grabbed a Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary to smoke along with the rye on a pleasantly warm and low humidity evening. This sort of weather doesn't last long in Virginia.

Batch 2 of Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye was released in the fall of 2022. The mash bill is 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley and bottled at moderate 105 proof. The #1 char barrels used for the cigar blend were smoked over tobacco leaves.


The aroma is light in the rocks glass, but a rye spice and a hint smoke come through. The rye spiciness is forward in the sip. Tobacco and citrus notes come through after the initial spice. A caramel and tobacco smoke presence coats the palate in a lingering finish. Taking a sip of water clears the spice and helps the tobacco smoke come through. I enjoyed the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye. It's not the typical cognac - port - wine finish of other "cigar blends" but makes a quite pleasant pairing for the cigar.


The Rocky Patel Edge 20th Anniversary is a smoke I've enjoyed often. This particular 5 1/2" X 50 Robusto has been resting in the humidor for a year. The 20th Anniversary was introduced by Rocky Patel in 2022 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Edge series. The stick has a 10 year aged Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a Honduran Broadleaf binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Panama. The chocolate brown, silky wrapper gives evokes a classic HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bar. The medium bodied smoke delights with rich notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and nuts. The flavor was consistent throughout the smoke, which was just fine with me as it was pairing with the rye most beautifully.


The Friday evening was made even more enjoyable with some new music from a favorite artist. I'd been looking forward to Joanne Shaw Taylor's new blues album to be released. As Friday was the release date, it got a couple play throughs in the course of this evening.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Friday Evening – A Cigar, A Rye, and New Music

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 10th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I'd been looking forward to revisiting the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye, and finally did pull it down from the shelf on Friday evening. I also grabbed a Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary to smoke along with the rye on a pleasantly warm and low humidity evening. This sort of weather doesn't last long in Virginia.

Batch 2 of Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye was released in the fall of 2022. The mash bill is 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley and bottled at moderate 105 proof. The #1 char barrels used for the cigar blend were smoked over tobacco leaves.


The aroma is light in the rocks glass, but a rye spice and a hint smoke come through. The rye spiciness is forward in the sip. Tobacco and citrus notes come through after the initial spice. A caramel and tobacco smoke presence coats the palate in a lingering finish. Taking a sip of water clears the spice and helps the tobacco smoke come through. I enjoyed the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye. It's not the typical cognac - port - wine finish of other "cigar blends" but makes a quite pleasant pairing for the cigar.


The Rocky Patel Edge 20th Anniversary is a smoke I've enjoyed often. This particular 5 1/2" X 50 Robusto has been resting in the humidor for a year. The 20th Anniversary was introduced by Rocky Patel in 2022 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Edge series. The stick has a 10 year aged Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a Honduran Broadleaf binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Panama. The chocolate brown, silky wrapper gives evokes a classic HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bar. The medium bodied smoke delights with rich notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and nuts. The flavor was consistent throughout the smoke, which was just fine with me as it was pairing with the rye most beautifully.


The Friday evening was made even more enjoyable with some new music from a favorite artist. I'd been looking forward to Joanne Shaw Taylor's new blues album to be released. As Friday was the release date, it got a couple play throughs in the course of this evening.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Sunday Humor

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 9th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
A laugh for your Sunday morning.

A preacher was delivering a temperance sermon one hot Sunday afternoon. With great exposition, he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

With greater conviction, he banged his fist on the pulpit; “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

Finally, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

Sensing he delivered a powerful sermon, he whipped his brow and sat down.

The choirmaster, with shock on his face, looked over the congregation, stood very cautiously, and announced with a wry smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: “Shall We Gather at the River?”


This laugh courtesy of OldNFO. 

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Sunday Humor

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 9th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
A laugh for your Sunday morning.

A preacher was delivering a temperance sermon one hot Sunday afternoon. With great exposition, he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

With greater conviction, he banged his fist on the pulpit; “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

Finally, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

Sensing he delivered a powerful sermon, he whipped his brow and sat down.

The choirmaster, with shock on his face, looked over the congregation, stood very cautiously, and announced with a wry smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: “Shall We Gather at the River?”


This laugh courtesy of OldNFO. 

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Relaxing at the Cigar Lounge

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Jun 7th, 2024
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I decided to go over to the cigar lounge to enjoy an afternoon of smoking inside for a change. Feeling free from any interruptions from my (former) employer, I sat down with a Aganorsa Leaf La Validación Habano. 


The lounge was pretty empty in the early weekday afternoon. Instead of conversation, I spent the time reading. (Kindle app on my phone for the win.) The Aganorsa Leaf La Validación Habano is a cigar I've not tried previously. This 6 1/4 x 52 Toro is smoothly wrapped in an Ecuador Habano leaf, with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The double gold-accented, colorful bands make for a showy presentation. 

The first few puffs are a robust black pepper wake up. The smoke quickly gets slightly more balanced with the addition of leather and some sweet chocolate. As I smoked I occasionally detected nuts and a dry earthiness. The cigar kept its full bodied and spicy personality throughout. The burn was even and slow, giving a full two hours of enjoyment.


In a bit of irony, I received a text message from my old boss. It was not unwelcome though, as we had also developed a non-work related friendship. He also recently left the company and was just checking in to chat. That was certainly more preferred than a work interruption. 

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

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