Yea, I used this photo of me and Brian Nadeau the other day, you gotta problem with that?
Things started off sane enough. . .
It’s not too late, come to the Battle of the Brews, tho u need to sign up upon arrival.
11:02 26 Aug
What better way to start the Battle of the Brews than with a Paddock Bar Bloody Mary?
11:46 26 Aug
Then we start getting into some standard beer review type tweets:
Switchback Ale a winner, unfiltered amber w a nice hop edge #battleofthebrews
12:02 26 Aug
Wolavers IPA an excellent example of the style, not too sweet, nice hop character #battleofthebrews
12:05 26 Aug
Then I noticed Brooklyn Beer’s selections of choice and noted their seasonal inappropriateness. As I noted (not on twitter) to @selectortbm, “Man, they are harshing on my mellow”:
Brooklyn Beer selections bummin’ me out, octoberfest and pumpkin. C’mon guys, it’s August, don’t end my summer yet 😉 #battleofthebrews
12:08 26 Aug
Anchor Summer a pleasing palate cleanser – and the word Summer makes me feel good #battleofthebrews
12:10 26 Aug
Then back to simple reviews:
Ithaca Cascazilla – a hoppy red – reminds me of Stone Arrogant Bastard but based on a red instead of a brown #battleofthebrews
12:16 26 Aug
Brown’s Pilsner is clean and light, as promised #battleofthebrews
12:26 26 Aug
Then my friend @AlanLATG started to worry about me:
@AlanLATG: Dude! It’s barely past noon! Hope you don’t have any plans tonight.
To which I replied:
@alanLATG Have you ever met me before? #thatshowiroll #battleofthebrews
12:31 26 Aug
Nature was starting to call, so I noted that and made reference to the famous comments made by Bob Hite, Canned Heat’s lead singer, on stage at Woodstock. Two years back, my Dad and I published a book about Woodstock called Back to the Garden:
Ithaca IPA tasting earthy and hoppy. There’s only one thing I wish, I sure gotta pee #battleofthebrews #cannedheat #woodstock
12:37 26 Aug
Back to business after that:
Southern Tier Double IPA: malty sweetness balanced with some big hops. #battleofthebrews
12:51 26 Aug
@Blankemon asked if the Ithaca Flower Power was being poured, a pleasing, floral, aptly named IPA, but alas, it was not:
@blankemon no flower power but I agree that’s a good one! #battleofthebrews
12:52 26 Aug
I think I was started to feel the effects when I sent this next one:
Lenny Bruce Rye IPA is spicy, strong and delicious. And drink too much and you’ll get arrested. #battleofthebrews*
1:14 26 Aug
Lenny Bruce is not afraid
(The joke there being, for the younger readers among you, that Lenny Bruce was arrested several times for public profanity, something that 40 years later I can do on twitter (as you’re about to see) with no repercussions other than a few “Unfollows” by really square people. Thanks, Lenny.)
At that point, @BombsawayBob tweeted a link to the video for REM’s “It’s The End of the World as We Know it,” which contains the line, “Lenny Bruce is not afraid. . .” I was still a little miffed about the DQ in the first race so I replied:
@BombsawayBob when a jock claims foul on one and they dq another it is the end of the world as we know it #battleofthebrews
1:26 26 Aug
Sierra Nevada Brown is a pleasing, baseline Brown Ale #battleofthebrews
1:28 26 Aug
When Mark Hennig won the second race with Page by Page, I had to acknowledge it. @HennigRacing is a great guy and has been a great addition to the Twitter racing community:
@Hennigracing CLAPS!!!!!!!! #battleofthebrews
1:35 26 Aug
@Blankemon, who is coming up Labor Day and has been known to enjoy a beer or two with me, asked me for some details about the location of the Battle. Feeling full of myself at this point, I answered:
@Blankemon Right here at a beautiful Saratoga racecourse! Tho this is a mere appetizer to nxt weekend’s piss up! #battleofthebrews
1:46 26 Aug
Adirondack Bare Naked Ale, a balanced, hoppy amber #battleofthebrews
1:58 Aug
I think I was slowing down just a little at this point, as I took a little time to scan around other people’s twitter posts. I saw this one from @Winenshine:
@Winenshine Just found out I have tix to Sebadoh in November! Lou Barlow. Swoon.
I, too, am a fan of Mr. Barlow and the Massachusetts-based Indie rock band Sebadoh, and while I am hardly a connoisseur of male beauty, I felt compelled to reply:
@winenshine Even I’ll admit he’s dreamy 🙂 we traded glasses once at rhino records in new paltz. Did u see my hand melon smash piece?
2:03 26 Aug
(The glasses thing is absolutely true. Barlow played a solo gig at the Rhino Records in New Paltz in the early 90s, and we chatted a while afterwards, noticed we were wearing similar glasses, and exchanged for a while. Actually, in truth, Tara Simon probably *made* us exchange for a while. . .I did a cocktail post earlier in the meet based on at @Winenshine tweet, that’s what the hand melon smash line was about, later I sent her the link as well. You can click the link if you are interested.)
Next tweet was a simple Friday Follow for Mark Hennig:
If you like racing and you’re not following @Hennigracing, you’re doing something wrong #FF #battleofthebrews
2:04 26 Aug
Switchback Red, unfiltered, malty but not sweet, pleasing hop edge #battleofthebrews
2:08 26 Aug
Next, @Mellosarah chimed in with a nice line, which led to a little convo. I guess I begged her to follow me on twitter at some point:
@loomsboldly I followed last Friday because you said so and I’m not sorry I did! Have a good weekend!
@Mellosarah Tx for the kind words. That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me on twitter. I enjoy your feed as well. . .
2:10 26 Aug
Later on, we continued (but for sense sake I’ll put it here):
@loomsboldly You’re welcome! Racing and Music are my main interests. I’ve been tweeting a lot lately; home recovering from injury.
@Mellosarah Other than beer and good company, what else is there besides music and racing? #battleofthebrews
26 Aug
Apparently, I took an unsuccessful shot on Sea Gaze in the third:
Otter Creek Black IPA helps me forget the pain of backing Sea Gaze there. A hoppy porter. #battleofthebrews
It was starting to hit me pretty hard by the time I typed:
Let me put it this way: if you plan on drinking with me this evening, you have some catching up to do #battleofthebrews
2:22 26 Aug
The Hurrican Irene panic chatter on twitter was reaching a frenzy. All I could think of was the underrated professional wrestler Shane Helms, and his “Hurricane” gimmick, “Stand back! There’s a hurricane coming through. . .”:
The only Hurricane I’m scared of is Shane Helms.
2:26 26 Aug
Feeling loose, I couldn’t resist a comment on the name of the 4th race, but I didn’t have a punchline:
The 4th race today is carded as the Easy N Dirty, sounds like. . .ah, nevermind #battleofthebrews
@BHMaidenWatch picked up on the gag and added:
@loomsboldy Seems like Six Flings should take it
(Six Flings being one of the contestants in the Easy N Dirty). I replied:
@BH_MaidenWatch Yes, if there were any justice in the world, which, of course, there’s not. #easyndirty
All the Easy N Dirty stuff caused Mark Hennig to worry about me, in jest anyway:
@loomsboldly You better turn off your twitter soon! Before you get in trouble. HaHa.
To which I replied:
@Hennigracing oh, mark, it’s way too late for that 😉
2:32 26 Aug
Right at 2:30, Adirondack busted out a gravity keg that I liked quite a bit, it was the lone beer of the day where I went back for seconds, the second sentence is a reference to the Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh:
Adirondack Cask Conditioned IPA (w chinook hops) is the beer of the day. Endy flippin story. #battleofthebrews #getitwhileucan
2:38 26 Aug
I have to be honest, the next tweet I don’t really know what I was talking/complaining about. The entry ran 1-2 in the Easy N Dirty, maybe I thought they were betting the other half and got lucky? I got nothing.
The mugs sucked out on that one #ihateentries #battleofthebrews
2:50 26 Aug
Then I got one of those email notifications that I had a new follower, indeed he seems to live a healthier lifestyle than me.
My latest tweep, @drbrauanchiro, is a wellness advocate. I may need hiss services before long. . .saranac imperial is deep and earthy
3:01 26 Aug
This next tweet wasn’t mean as a criticism as much as a commentary on the ruined state of my palate:
After what I’ve been drinking, the Saratoga IPA tastes like grapefruit juice. #battleofthebrews
3:11 26 Aug
DVP had gotten up early – as is his wont – to procure us an amazing picnic table for the Battle. Unfortunately, a VERY, VERY drunk man decided to crash out little party. He sounded like his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth and he kept looking over at my ipad with a larcenous glint in his eye. I humored him a while, but needed to take a shot on twitter:
The guy I’m sitting across from makes me look sober #scarythought #battleofthebrews
3:16 26 Aug
Several people commented on this one but my favorite came from @Blankemon:
@loomsboldly What if he’s thinking the same thing?
(Note the typo in my answer)
@blankemon Hard to him thinking much more than binary code at this stage. Fortunately he has effed off for the moment! #battleofthebrews
@Mellosarah @BH_MaidenWatch Indeed, the man was speaking Swahili at 3pm. Desperate scenes. #battleofthebrews
In addition to grabbing the table, DVP also brought some delicious food, which, in a good decision, I began to eat. The quesadillas were made with chicken and cheese and was served with a pepper sauce, which I believe contained some goodies from his garden.
DVP’s quesadillas are the bomb #peppersauce #battleofthebrews
3:12 26 Aug
Of course, I needed something to wash down the quesadillas with:
Sierra Pale is the pleasing pale ale pause that refreshes #battleofthebrews
3:18 26 Aug
Nature called once again, and I could not resist a shot at the typical asshole on line in front of me:
Salmon shorts, open belt, cigar going in the men’s room. #whatadouche #battleofthebrews
3:26 26 Aug
There were still 30 minutes of drinking to do, but I was fading fast:
Ubu ale from lake placid remains a favorite example of the style. And not just cos I love family ties
3:31 26 Aug
(Joke here that one of the production companies associated with Family Ties was called Ubu Films and they had this funny little clip, wait, what am I talking about, this is the internet, watch it yourself:
I’ve gotten a lot of guff for this next tweet, let me just explain that I was merely commenting on the irony of ordering a macro beer at a micro beer festival, and I wish no harm to the makers of Blue Moon or the folks who happily consume their product (this graph was vetted by my lawyer).
Can’t believe I just ordered a blue moon. Long story.
3:45 26 Aug
(The other part of the long story is that I, having had near my fill of beer at this point [I’m as shocked as you], graciously washed my glass and offered a beer to a female friend who stopped by. I asked what type of beer she liked, she mentioned Blue Moon, I looked over and saw them there, and decided it was fate).
Closing up shop here. One more Wolaver IPA for the road. I am going to go ahead and declare victory in the Battle of the Brews
3:55 26 Aug
I wasn’t gonna leave the picnic table without some more snacks though:
DVP’s corn risotto is among the best things I’ve eaten all Summer and I’m not just saying that because I’m drunk #battleofthebrews
4:01 26 Aug
”
(It was REALLY good, reminiscent of the one Dan Spitz made for my birthday, just served at room temp).
I don’t know about you but a sign for me that I’ve had way to much to drink is that I start bragging about how drunk I am. Embarrassing behavior for a near 40-year old man, but hey, it is what it is:
It’s official: I am the Dean Martin of the horsey set. #battleofthebrews #volare
4:03 26 Aug
(Actor/singer/rat packer Dean Martin was famous for greatly exaggerating his alcoholic tendencies in creating a character who often became confused with who he really was – I can’t relate to this at all – “Volare” was one of his. . .wait, I did it again)
My friend @BklynBckstretch chimed in that she was sorry she missed the festivities, but I reassured her the day was still young:
@BklynBckstretch Don’t worry about a thing! The paddock bar is our next stop! #battleofthebrews #boom #thepartyneverstops #thatshowiroll
4:12 26 Aug
This next one was just me stealing the old joke, but it’s true there really was a fly in my vodka soda. Why was I drinking vodka soda at this point? It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I better not complain abt the fruit fly in my vodka soda. Eveyone will want one. #battleofthebrews #paddockbar #afterparty
4:30 26 Aug
The joke here in this next tweet was that jockey @FreddieLenclud (we are engaged in an extended twitter “war,” played for laughs) was giving me a hard time about overusing the #battleofthebews hashtag. I believe the Frenchman’s exact quote was, “I am sick of hearing about the Battle of the Brews.”
@FreddieLenclud @clairenovak don’t worry Freddie, battle is over now, battle of the Bordeaux is nxt week, I’ll buy your ticket.
4:44 26 Aug
Get a few in me and ask what I really thought abt the turf writers result.
5:15 26 Aug
(I really don’t want to open this particular can of worms. Again, on advice of my lawyer, let’s just say I found the Turf Writers’ result to be displeasing based on a number of factors not the least of which was that it cost me a lot of money. How’s that for diplomacy? Future in politics?)
I went dark on twitter for a while, scared of what I’d say next. I played a couple of races, somehow letting Vee – who should have been 8/5 – go off at 3-1 and beat me in the nightcap. But apparently, another vodka soda (might have been two) eased the pain:
Holy crow, I am dreeeeeeeeeezunk.
6:10 26 Aug
They play Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” after the last goes at Saratoga, our version of Del Mar’s Bing Crosby tune, “Where the Turf Meets the Surf.” Thus:
Billy Jo-EL at Siro’s. Port Mafia in da house mufakkas!!!!!!!!
6:20 26 Aug
(A couple of references here. On WKRP in Cincinnati, square newsman Les Nessman pronounced Billy Joel’s name, Jo-EL. The Port Mafia is an ironic nickname my friends from Port Washington have for one another. You’re on your own with Mufakkas. But I do believe there was once a horse with an Arabic name similar to that. Eventually, his name was changed to the Arabic word for “Censored.”)
We’ve sent it in. Back at the little house on the east side, waiting for our one sober friend (Flynny) to take us to the airport to get Suz.
8:04 23 hours ago
(Susan is my wife, as most of you know. She gallantly moved up her travel plans and somehow got the last flight out before Hurricane Irene)
At this point I got into a strange side conversation about pain pills and various pharmaceutical drugs, somehow involving a cookout. Several years ago up here (and again briefly at the start of this meet) I was dealing with some wretched disc problems in my lower back that made me somewhat of an expert in this topic. @AlexKoll started it:
@Mellosarah Soaking some steaks in NyQuil for the BBQ later. Gonna make my famous “Sleepy Meat”
I couldn’t resist:
@alexkoll @Mellosarah I’ll bring my famous adderall laced mashed potatoes. #boom
(For those who’ve asked, BOOM or BANG, is just a positive explanation when something good happens, like your 6/1 gets up right on the line or you get to Winslow’s at 6:15 and they still have turkey. And if you don’t get that last reference you’re going to have to wait for the annotated version of the annotated tweets piece, or I suppose, you can just google)
8:15 Aug 26
Around this time, Twitter was going overboard with various hysterical comments about the Hurricane, which led to clever folks like Jonathan Coulton mocking said people. In fact, many moons ago, before Mr. Coulton and Mr. Hodgman were famous, they joined us at the house on White Street for Mint Juleps. Now, they still talk to me, but I am not permitted to look them directly in the eyes.
@hodgman @jonathancoulton Mint juleps await you in Saratoga if you can get that far. #bklynevac #irene #boom
9:52 Aug 26
@GateToWire chimed in with a complimentary tweet about the days’ events:
@loomsboldly You are a distance specialist for sure!! BC Marathon of beer tasting.
My response was less gracious, more drunken braggadocio:
@GateToWire I will CRUSH them dilletantes.
11:01 Aug 26
My last tweet puts a wrap on it all:
Susan and I back from Albany airport, safe and sound. Thank God for our designated driver. Water and advil next, then #travers
12:34 Aug 27
And a final song for the road:
The Unbearable Lightness of Betting 