#groovy goodness

[brotherlyloveproductions]

Get sudsy with Lather Up's smooth jazz licks tonight atGuanabanas Island Restaurant and Bar. Here's a taste of their newest work, a tune called Strawberry Mansion by the rager on the low end, Tony D'Amato.

[allthesamesong]

In which beer, a shy cat, Miles Davis, and Dogfish Head all coexist in groovy goodness

I thought I would write about my trip to the local beer store today, where I picked up some new brews to try for my reviews here on this website. Some might know about a special series of music-related beers that Dogfish Head has been doing for about a year and a half. Last year, they released a beer to honor the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ album, Bitches Brew. Earlier this year, they put out Hellhound On My Ale, marking the 100th birthday of bluesman Robert Johnson. And the third collaboration, Faithfull Ale, this time with Pearl Jam, should be hitting shelves everywhere very soon. I wrote about the third collaboration here, which is a story unto itself given my love of all things Pearl Jam. Along with the latest release, Dogfish are re-releasing Bitches Brew and Hellhound.

In 2008, a smaller version of the cat pictured above wandered into my life. I decided to name him Miles Davis to honor the jazz musician, a tribute to the enjoyment the tunes of Mr. Davis have afforded me over the years. And in the picture above, he's hugging his very own dogfish toy. Yep, he has a crinkly toy shaped like a dogfish. You can see why I might be more than excited that Bitches Brew is being released again. Bitches Brew isn’t my favorite Miles Davis album; that honor goes to Sketches of Spain, but what are the odds that my favorite beer company releases a beer to honor one of my favorite musicians, of whom I named my lovable best feline friend after? I’m down to only one bottle of the original Bitches Brew, an ageable Imperial Stout brewed with honey and gesho root. This beer was extremely hard to find in the first place -- I only got three bottles, because that’s all there was to go around. To say this beer is good is the understatement of the century. This beer is FANTASTIC. I would love to review it, but I can’t find it in me to crack the last bottle right now, without having more in my possession. But with this re-release, the beer gods have answered. At my local store today, I inquired about this beer. I was given the standard line “Oh, that’s long gone!” I informed them, “NO!, it’s being released again. It shipped earlier this week.” Much to my surprise, the store offered to place a hold on some Bitches Brew for me, which they reckon will either make it in this coming Tuesday or the next. (Fingers crossed.) Joy! Dogfish is limiting people to two bottles of this beer. I hope I’m not jinxing myself by announcing this -- and I hope the store does indeed call me back when it arrives -- but I reserved more than two bottles. I know: I will be robbing people out of Bitches Brew. For that, I’m sorry. Not really. Me and Dogfish, we’re a match made in beer heaven. They speak to me on all levels: creatively, philanthropically, musically, and tastefully. I really hope to visit the brewery sometime soon. Just a little story of the great beer adventure of today. A few reviews coming up sometime soon: Dale’s Pale Ale (in a can), two brown ales and the brand spankin’ new Left Hand Fade to Black Part 3: Pepper Porter! (I reviewed FTB Part 2, a Smoked Baltic Porter, earlier this year. 89 points.)