Jumpin' At The Woodside

Hope you're warm and cozy on these chilly winter eves approaching the New Year, enjoying the bowl games as well as some fine libations. I was in ol' Willy Penn's Commonwealth for the Christmas holiday. It was the night before Christmas Eve (or Christmas Eve Eve) and we decided to venture downtown following a hearty evening meal. My niece Mac and her husband Justin were in town from coastal Carolina, having only moved there from California this past summer. I thought Porter's Pub would be a nice destination for its excellent beer menu and east-coast charm -- a small space with an exposed rock wall. Porter's is famous for its pewter mugs hanging from the ceiling. " Experience every one of our 60 imported and micro craft brews and you will earn a pewter mug with your own personalized engraving! " It wasn't that crowded, but all the spots were taken at the bar and tables are reserved for eaters. We decided to have a drink there, and see if some spo...

Happy Friday! Tonight's brew is the last of the Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary series finally available here... Our Brewers Reserve: Oak-Aged Ale . "... a marriage of our three most acclaimed ales, Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry hopped." Ahhh, a very nice beer to enjoy in front of the ol' yule log! OK, so it's not a real fire, but I like it. We had our company Christmas party this week at Strike City for the second year in a row. Had a good time bowling and hanging with friends, we need to add this spot to our "Team Building" itinerary. Only thing I didn't like was it seems I remember back in the day having more slide on the floor, so that you slid to a stop as you finished rolling the ball down the lane. Not that I'm a big bowler, and last time I bowled was at last year's Christmas party, but it was hard to get used to the sudden stop when you're expecting to slide. Ah, didn...

I made chili again this past weekend, and think I finally have my recipe ready to share with all -- and just in time for the holidays! As I mentioned before, this was a Rachael Ray recipe that I modified so I can't take all the credit. I'm very pleased with the changes I made, and hopefully you will be too. Printable Recipe Ingredients • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 1 pound ground turkey and 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage Note: the original recipe called for 2 pounds ground sirloin. Feel free to substitute meat as long as it totals roughly 2 pounds. • 1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms - chopped, quartered or sliced. Note: I prefer a mix of quartered and sliced, but whatever you find esthetically pleasing is fine. • 1 large Vidalia skinned onion, chopped Note: feel free to substitute yellow or white onions. • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped • 1 - 3 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped Note: p...

Happy Friday, hope y'all staying warm! This evening's brew is Great Divide's Hibernation Ale , an English-style old ale with malty hoppy goodness! "Hibernation Ale has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character. 8.7%ABV" If you click on the image ( larger view ) you can see a few of the outside Christmas lights that I put up last weekend. It's been cold here all week with lows in the 20s, and next week they're calling for lows in the teens - what up with that, this is the south! We had "Team Building" last night at Duckworth's Grill and Taphouse . Not bad... had a half-rack of ribs, a skewer of grilled shrimp, sweet potato fries and a couple Foothills Hoppyum IPAs from Winston-Salem, NC. This was the first place I've found that's had quite an extensive beer list of local NC brews. The Hoppyum was good, but would ha...

Happy Friday and a Hoppy Birthday to the Monkey! Hope he's enjoying a nice hoppy ale in celebration of his birthday this evening. As for me I'm enjoying a hoppy good ale that's finally available in Carolina... Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary - Black Barleywine Ale! Perfect for a chilly evening. They're even calling for snow flurries here tomorrow night! That's Vita V. popping up in the background of the photo to see what's doing. She's a great cat and very happy, she loves to run around and play. It seems like when I take a photo of her, that "happy cat" side of her doesn't seem to come through. I guess Vita V. must truly be experienced in person - that is if she comes out of hiding when new people are afoot. By now you may be wondering about the title of this post. I've been experiencing some pain in my lower back and glute, off and on for a few months now. I could tell the pain would come if I sat for too long without a break to str...

I was in Florida to visit with my Mom and Walter for Turkey Day. A huge tradition in our hometown is watching the Phillipsburg vs. Easton high school football game - the oldest continuing rivalry in football! I found a link where we could watch the game in sunny Florida and not only did we watch it, but it was via the WiFi network I set up outside on the patio in the warm Florida air! They have Total Wine stores down there same as the Carolinas and Virginia, but wow the Total Wine down there is really a beer lover's paradise. I got a bunch of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, and found the 3rd and 4th beers in the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary series - beers that as of that time were not available in the Carolinas. That's the "Grand Cru" above, 4th and final in the 30th Anniversary Series and a combination of their Bigfoot Barleywine, Celebration Fresh Hop Ale and Pale Ale. Sunset cocktails... I also found the Avery Old Jubilation Ale... it's malty goodness! Had a g...

Happy Friday! Tonight's brew is too good to wait until Christmas to open... Rogue Santa's Private Reserve ! My rule of thumb is if it's on the shelf it's not too early. Besides, these beers are only around for a short period of time each year so why not grab them while you can. Last weekend I made beef stew as planned. It was my second time ever making it, and came out great. This was an Emeril beef stew recipe that I modified slightly as I replaced a portion of the beef stock with some Columbia Crest - Grand Estates Cabernet . This wine was under $7 at the Total Wine, but tasted like it should cost 5x more! I also traded out two yellow onions for one large Vidalia, and I did the small red potatoes with the skin vs. the called for russet. And of course, had to add some dill weed too! - Salud!

It's a chilly, damp evening here, but Happy Friday all the same! Maybe a little early, but with the temps tonight expected to dip into the 30s it's perfect for a Sierra Nevada - Celebration Fresh Hop Ale ! We had "Team Building" this week at Hawthorne's Pizza . I pass it nearly everyday, but have never been. Well now I know I've been missing out on some really great NY-style pizza. I had the "Elizabeth Special" with Pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers, white onions and mozzarella cheese - momma mia, was it good! I also tried a beer I haven't had literally in ages, Newcastle Brown Ale . Last time I had a Newcastle Brown Ale was at this place in Somerville, Mass., which is just on the other side of Cambridge coming from Boston. This had to be some time around 1997-98. I'll tell you what, the Newcastle Brown tasted amazingly good. I say that because I've noticed how my tastes have changed over the years. There are some beers ...

Happy Friday and welcome to Halloween Weekend! Tonight's brew is Sierra Nevada's Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale and as you can see it also pairs well with pumpkin carving! Wow, have you ever tasted a hopped ale so smooth, mama mia ! Timmay's Halloween Mix 1. Autumn Leaves (Harry Potter Mix) – Morbid Miles Davis (4:45) 2. Moondance – Van The Invisible Man Morrison (4:35) 3. Witchcraft – Frightening Frank Sinatra (2:58) 4. Hell – Shrieking Squirrel Nut Zippers (3:04) 5. Blue Light, Red Light (Someone's There) – Harry the Horror Connick Jr. (3:40) 6. You Do Something to Me – Evil Ella Fitzgerald (2:41) 7. Old Devil Moon – Frightening Frank Sinatra (3:46) 8. Bad Moon Rising – Creepy Credence Clearwater Revival (2:34) 9. Werewolves of London – Warren the Warlock Zevon (3:18) 10. Spirit in the Night – Bloody Bruce Springsteen (4:56) 11. Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing (Dark Forest Mix) – Chris Hell Isaak (2:41) 12. Superstition – Stevie the Stake Wonder (4:42)...

Good evening and Happy Friday! On tap tonight is Stone's Ruination IPA . It's known as " a liquid poem to the glory of the hop ." It's definitely for hop lovers only. I think many people would find the taste excruciatingly bitter, but I love it! Last night I was ready to see JJ Grey and Mofro at The Visulite Theatre , but upon arrival we found out JJ had food poisoning and the show was cancelled. They'll either reschedule or I'll get a refund. The venue had another group playing. We stayed for a beer and then decided to call it an early night. Not worth staying up late on a "school night" for a band I never heard of. They actually weren't bad at all, but not sure if I got their name. Here's JJ Grey and Mofro playing one of my favorites when he wasn't illin'... I did get home in time to see the Phillies win last night! Hope they can get two more wins back home in Philly. - Salud!

A spooky night at The Woodside, you never know who's going to drop in for a visit. - Salud!

Good evening, Happy Friday and welcome October! What better way to wind down on a Friday, the first day of October than with a Rogue Dead Guy Ale of course - in its very own glass. Lots of rain this week finally, but I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone of that. Although we got a bunch here in the Queen City, we didn't get anywhere near the amount folks got to the north and east. It's getting to be that time of year to break out the Halloween Mix. I recently expanded the mix to fit on 3 CDs. Every year I find a few more songs to add. This year one addition is the classic track "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet - could there be a 4th CD soon? Timmay's Halloween Mix 1. Autumn Leaves ( Harry Potter Mix ) – Morbid Miles Davis (4:45) 2. Moondance – Van The Invisible Man Morrison (4:35) 3. Witchcraft – Frightening Frank Sinatra (2:58) 4. Hell – Shrieking Squirrel Nut Zippers (3:04) 5. Blue Light, Red Light (Someone's There) – Harry the Horror Connick Jr. (3:40) 6...

Happy Friday greetings and welcome to Autumn! While it's been in the 90s here all week, with the arrival of Fall, tonight's brew is The Bruery's Autumn Maple . "Brewed with 17 lbs. of yams per barrel (in other words, a lot of yams!), this autumn seasonal is a different take on the "pumpkin" beer style. Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and fermented with our traditional Belgian yeast strain, this bold and spicy beer is perfect on a cold autumn evening." It tastes like an "autumny" dark Belgian ale and lives up to its description. Definitely an excellent brew for a "cool autumn evening." Last weekend I got to see The Black Crowes on their latest tour and what could be their last as they've decided to take an indefinite leave following the tour's completion at the end of the year. It was a great show and broken into two parts. They opened with an acoustic set ( photo above ) followed by ...

Happy Labor Day Weekend! After spending the last couple holidays out of town it's good to have a three-day weekend to catch up on things around The Woodside. The weather has been great this weekend - no humidity, highs in the mid-80s and overnight lows below 60. First time I had the windows open and the air conditioning off in months! I had my 9 mile run on Saturday and it went well. Not to say it was easy, but I felt like my conditioning has started to payoff. My previous longest run was 7 miles so this was a big step for me. I also marked another milestone yesterday, I now have over 800 total miles on the Nike+iPod! To celebrate, I enjoyed the Stone 14th Anniversary "Emperial" IPA last night. It was very good, full of "citrusy" hop goodness. I'm also "celebrating" a new desk chair at home. I was having some on and off again back and glute issues that I finally narrowed down to my desk chair here at The Woodside. Seemed like whenever I spent more...

Evening and Happy Friday! Tonight I'm listening to JJ Grey & Mofro's latest album "Georgia Warhorse" which was released this week, and enjoying a Smuttynose Imperial IPA - Big A IPA . Actually, I've been listening to a cut from JJ's new album and then a few tracks shuffling from The Woodside playlist, and then going back to the next JJ Grey track. After JJ's moving "King Hummingbird" the shuffle brought up two Ben Folds' classics ("One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" and "Battle of Who Could Care Less") followed by the theme from The Magnificent Seven and then Michael Franti & Spearhead with "High Low." I'm almost done with my 3rd week of marathon training. I ran three times this week for a total of 10 miles, and next up is a 5 mile run tomorrow. This is a "down" week, and then next week it's back "up" with a 9 mile run next Saturday. This week I decided to try a new running...

Yesterday while searching online for upcoming events at McAlpine Creek Park that could possibly inhibit my runs there, I stumbled across a few sites with ghost stories about the park and other North Carolina locales. The stories claim that the skeletons of a man and a woman were found near an Old Mill House. People have reported seeing the young couple or sometimes the woman alone, only to see them vanish upon approach. I've never seen the Old Mill House on countless runs in the park, nor ghosts for that matter. Although after more searching online I found that the Old Mill House is allegedly located where the park extends on the other side of the highway. There are reasons for not venturing to that area of the park that have nothing to do with ghosts! Every city and town have their bad neighborhoods, and let's just say that the zip code in question has a bad reputation. Ready or not ghosts, I'll be back among you this week with a 3 mile run on Tuesday, a 4 mile run on We...

Good evening, happy Saturday! I closed out my 2nd week of marathon training with a 7 mile run today! I decided to fore go running it entirely in the park. I left from the house and ran down to the park instead of driving down. I completed a couple miles there then made a long loop back to the house. The neighborhood I ran through was nice and had very little traffic, but of course had to be mostly hills coming back. The final mile had a nasty couple of hills right up to my finish. My iPod locked up about 5 miles into the run. In the past it's done this when I miss hit a button. This time it just stopped working. I managed to reset it while still running, but my run data up to that point was lost. Time for a new iPod I think! Part of me wanted to toss the iPod into the woods, while the other part was happy for the distraction. I think it actually helped me rally toward the finish. My reward for closing out my 2nd week of marathon training was Great Divide's - 16th Anniversary W...

I got my 6 mile run in yesterday. It wasn't easy, but I got it done. Now I just have some cross training today -- rowing on the Bowflex and some yard work -- to close out the week. Monday is another rest day and then 3 miles each day Tuesday - Thursday. Friday rest and then 7 miles on Saturday. With the longer runs, I had to extend the run playlist on my iPod. Here's a new addition to the playlist, and yes that's Dave Matthews leaving the stage before the The Stones go into " Saint of Me ." - Salud!

Happy Friday the 13th! What better way to celebrate this so-called "unlucky" day than with a Lagunitas - Lucky 13 . It's rich, malty and hoppy all at once, similar to a Rogue 2X Dead Guy . The Lucky 13 has slightly more malty flavor, but still very good. I managed to stay with my marathon training so far. Granted I'm only in the first week, but it's a long process and I'll take small wins where I can get them. Tuesday through Thursday I ran 3 miles each day. Today is a rest day and then tomorrow is a 6 mile run followed by cross training on Sunday. I've been having some tightness the last couple months in my right glute even before I started Hal Higdon's training schedule . I think it's due to my changed seated posture at work, and I made an effort this week to sit upright and not lean back in my chair. That and some stretching has made a big difference. Actually my run on Wednesday night was so painful that I didn't think I was going to make ...

I haven't made a commitment yet, but I'm going to start training this week for running the Las Vegas Marathon or Half Marathon on December 5. I'll see how my training progresses, and then determine if I'm going to commit to the race and at what distance. I'll be following Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Schedule . I'm actually a week behind, but I'll either make up a week later, or only do the half marathon, or who knows? I'll be the first to know if my body is up to the test as I go through the schedule. To get a head start, I ran three miles today and will do some cross training tomorrow - probably some rowing on the Bowflex. Then Tuesday - Thursday I'll run three miles each day, rest on Friday, and then run six miles on Saturday. Each week progressively adds more miles to the schedule. If anything, at least I'll be on a more regular running schedule and will help increase my distance. - Salud!

Good evening and Happy Friday! Some storms brewing out there even after we had buckets of rain last night, but so far they're staying to the south and only getting some rumbles of thunder now and again. I'll get back to my backlog of blog posts hopefully this weekend, but in the meantime I wanted to get my regular Friday post in. What day is this? Tonight's brew is a brand spanking new fall seasonal from Sierra Nevada. The Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale , as you might have guessed named for the falling leaves, was out early and I couldn't resist. A little more malty than I usually like, but it has that great autumn/Octoberfest flavor you've come to expect from these seasonal offerings. Team Building Last night was a "Team Building" event with the guys from work. We had dinner at The Liberty in the bar where Josh Daniels, from the New Familiars , was playing an acoustic set of cool covers from the likes of Tom Petty, Van Morrison and John Mayer. The Liberty has ...