Holiday Cool Down

What a weekend! I got to celebrate my wife’s birthday with our family of four, and then with all of Jenn’s side of the family. We breakfasted at the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, NH (the Sklarmageddon was awesome), and got take out from The Rosa for dinner (loved their eggplant parmesan) for the whole family.  Jacob and I even got to walk across the downtown bridge one last time, and stop by the Portsmouth Brewery for their Saison L’Hiver on draft.  The next day we celebrated Christmas with the in-laws, and extra special event to be thankful that we were all still together after this past year.  It was great, spending the time together.  However, I had to work the following week so I had to head back to NY, leaving my family for some quite rest and recuperation.  Jenn knows me well, and knew that I needed it.   And I had plans for the return journey, starting with a stop for lunch at the Armsby Abbey in Worcester, MA.

Jenn and I had stopped by for brunch before, and we loved it, so I thought I would see what they had on draft and get a bite to eat.  Boy am I glad I did.  Lets start with the food.  I got a bowl of beef chili that was delicious, with large chunks of beef and side of bread.  Next was their cheese slate, a take off of the classic ploughman’s lunch.  I ordered the Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze, a hybrid-style Alpine cheddar, which came with apple slices, bread, and bourbon soaked cherries.  For the beer, I got to sample some rare holiday drafts, including a Nogne O’s God Jul, Port’s Santa’s Little Helper, Stillwater’s collaboration with Mikkeller called Rauchstar, and then Ballast Point’s Tongue Buckler.  The selection, the food, and the conversation were excellent, and very relaxing.

I had to get home, so I headed west and enjoyed an audio book on my way to Mahar’s.  Jim hosted a limited version of the Advent Shebeen, 12 beers after Christmas instead of 24 beers leading up to Christmas.  The selection was good, and the price was right.  The highlights included Innis and Gunn’s Highland Cask, Pretty Thing’s Our Finest Regards, and Courage’s Russian Imperial Stout.  It was a nice attempt, but I had to reflect that I missed running down to Albany every other today to see what was going to be offered next. 

Finally, my friend Christopher stopped by to watch MNF.  He congratulated me on winning our Fantasy Football league, and we celebrated by splitting a Stone Vertical Epic 11-11-11, a hoppy ale brewed with Anaheim chilis and cinnamon.  It was great to kick back and watch some football, reflecting on a wonderful holiday season.  Merry Christmas everyone! - 5948/11747

"The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully." – Anonymous (Old Russian Proverb)