Beer Break

Thought I would pop in a brief post about a dynamite beer. My brother-in-law Jim, who looked after our place while we were in Alaska and Canada, left me some beers in the refrigerator. And we aren't talking Bud Lite or whatever, We are talking:

Brekle's Brown

Brewed by the Anchor Steam Brewery, brewers of many fine beers including quite possibly the best micro-brewery produced beer in the United States, Anchor Steam. Brekle's is named after Gottlieb Brekle who, in 1871, bought an old beer-and-billiards saloon in San Francisco on Pacific Street near Russian Hill for $3,500, and transformed it into the brewery that, twenty-five years later, would be renamed Anchor. 

Damned good beer too. Quite dark and most flavorful but not all that heavy. And it has a nice bit of bitterness from hops that come through but isn't overpowering. The malt overrides whatever hops flavor that might reside on the back of your tongue as a finish. A nice hearty, but fairly light, beer and you could easily drink several. Somehow refreshing but not refreshingly so. At some point the bitterness may build to the point where you just want a nice lager to reset the palate.

 Speaking of beer, I just bought tickets for a home brewery tour here in Brooklyn. You get to visit several well-known and well-regarded home brewers and sample their products. Should be a lot of fun and I will be sure to post about it. It isn't until September 22nd, though. 

See more about the Third Anniversary Homebrew Hullabaloo here:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/267985

A Day In Fairbanks

We did a bit of strolling around Fairbanks and there were a few things to see and do. They have some nice parks and a pretty river walk.

The Wrong Way


I had misread the map and we were on the wrong side of the river. I am not sure where this path originally went, but maybe there was an older river walk here at one time. There was obviously some major construction about to take place.

The Walk Is On That Side


Of course that meant we had to walk over the bridge and resist the temptation to jump off.

Helping With Our Resolve


It was a pleasant walk and we decided to stop into their nature center, dedicated to protecting Alaska's environment and wildlife.

Except For The Moose


Unfortunately, in the harsh Alaskan climate those antlers don't last very long so they have to be replaced every couple of weeks or so. This means rounding up all of the local moose and then harvesting those with the biggest antlers. Over the years this has meant that the moose with the smallest antlers have a better chance of surviving and the average antler size has dropped considerably. Soon you will be able to make necklaces out of them.

The displays in the nature center were quite interesting.

A Salmon Smoke House


Harsh Living


They had some nice dioramas depicting the wild life that you are likely to encounter and the habitats that they occupy.

Our Friend The Beaver


Mr. Bear


There were a number of monuments on display both along the river walk and in a memorial park. Most had to do with World War II.

Memorial Park


You will notice the ravens. Ravens are everywhere here in Alaska. The are almost as numerous as the pigeons in most cities. A lot bigger, though, and much more ominous looking. None of them talked to me though, which is probably a good thing.

The Alaska Territorial Guard Memorial


The next two statues were along the river walk.

Commemoration To  Alaskan And Siberian Soldiers In WWII


Yes, I know, people sometimes forget that Russia was our ally in WWII and also suffered many more casualties than we did. To say nothing of the almost total destruction of many of their cities, including much  Moscow.

Statue Of A Native Alaskan Family Group


So Fairbanks had some attractions, but if I lived there I would start suffering from terminal boredom in about a week. Unless I could partake in those bi-weekly moose harvests. That would keep me going.

And then it was time to catch our train and head up to Denali Park.

Catching Our Train


A Happy Traveler


All Comfortably Tucked In


The train was very comfortable and there was a bartender in each car. Beer and Bloody Mary's during the four-hour trip along with the scenery made it a very enjoyable trip indeed.

And The Views Were Great


Next stop, Denali.

Alaska Arrival

We arrived in the lovely, not really, town of Fairbanks, Alaska, way back on July 22nd. We got there a day before our tour officially started to see the town. But, quite frankly, there isn't really much of a town to see. Of course the first thing I did find was the local hangout.

A Real Mecca


It had the ambiance of a dive bar but it was really just a place where the locals hang out. I should have taken a couple of pictures of the interior but somehow it didn't feel right. Talked to the woman next to me a bit and the bartender was friendly enough. There were a few seedy looking people wandering in and out and it has been a long time since I have been in a bar where most of the people were smoking. I am sure there were other bars in town, but aside from the one in the Iris and shared by the Golden Nugget Hotel I couldn't find any.

I mentioned before that for a small town there seemed to be a lot of Thai restaurants. I thought there were more, but when I went looking for them to take pictures I could only find these three.

Tiparos


Thai House Restaurant


Bahn Thai Restaurant


We ate at the last one and the food was quite good. I just had a vegetable soup but it was very flavorful and plenty hot. I asked our waitress, who happened to be the owner (I think) why there were so many Thai restaurants in such a small town. She said she didn't know but she came down with her mother from Anchorage. Her mother left Anchorage because it was too big for her and opened this place. Then she thought Fairbanks was too big and move to a smaller town about three hours away. Apparently her daughter thought Fairbanks was quite small enough and stayed behind. It was a very nice restaurant.

The other place we ate was the Iris.

The Iris
 

I got the mussels and they weren't half bad. But the garlic bread was dynamite. Not that you can really have bad garlic bread, but this was really good. Particularly when the bread the initially brought out was like Wonder Bread that had been left out for a week.

Right next door was the Golden Nugget Hotel

Golden Nugget Hotel


I asked if they had gambling upstairs and this got a big laugh, like they had never heard that before. Needless to say they are not affiliated with Landry's, the parent company of the Golden Nugget casinos. They did share a bar with the Iris, though.

The Shared Bar
 

The bar had a nice, if limited, selection of draft beers. Can't remember exactly what I had, but maybe an Alaskan Amber, one of my favorites. And a couple of shots of tequila.

Although there wasn't a lot to see in Fairbanks, I passed on the ice museum where you could stand in a room that was -40 (and that is the same in Fahrenheit and Centigrade) because I am from Minnesota and know what cold feels like, there was kind of an interesting little craft store that had an amazing selection of, well, stuff.

Craft Market And Alaska Museum Room




And when I say the place was packed with stuff, I mean packed. These pictures really do not do the place justice.

See Anything You Want?






I did learn that whale bones have to dry out for years before you can carve them. They have a honey-comb interior that is filled with a viscous fluid that is quite evil smelling. Apparently the owner bought a few large bones and didn't realize this, at first. After they have been sufficiently dried they are quite valuable, however.

Well, that is enough Fairbanks for one post. I will add some more stuff tomorrow. We did go on a little river walk and popped into the local museum so I do have a few more pictures I took before we caught the train to head up to Denali.

Up North To Alaska

I figured I better post about the rest of the boat trips before I head off to Alaska for a combination land/rail/boat tour. Depending upon time and internet connections I will certainly post about it.

Our next trip was just a ten minute hop from my neighborhood over to Governor's Island. I will be going there on September 1st for Pig Island, a beer and barbecue fest. This time we just went over for the heck of it. Hey, the ferry is free.

The Free Ferry


All Aboard




It was way too hot to do much walking around so we headed to an air-conditioned Graphic Arts exhibition. I like that stuff, bright colors and flashing lights, some film clips, lot's of neat stuff.

I thought this picture of Africa was interesting. It really is interesting how most people totally underestimate the size. I have asked many people how big they think Africa is and the most common answer is "About the same size as the United States.

Not Quite


Part of the display had to do with magazine layouts and covers and book covers. This guy is one of my favorite authors but I haven't read either of these books. Usually I read his articles in the papers or magazines. I will have to try to get around to them.

Chuck Klosterman


Just a couple of more pictures of stuff that I thought was interesting.

Maybe Or Maybe Not Interesting Stuff




We decided to stop at the Taxi Beach Bar or something like that for a beer before heading home and getting out of the heat.

The Taxi Beach Bar


And What A Lovely View


It always amuses me when I see the tour buses in my neighborhood. It wasn't that many years ago that tourists would never think of coming to Brooklyn, and certainly not whole bus loads of them. For some reason they remind me of the people who go on camera safaris in Africa, observing the wild life and natives from a safe perch.

Don't Shoot

Until next time, which might be in a few days and will be from somewhere in Alaska.

Island Hopping In The City

Sometimes it is easy to forget that New York is mostly islands. Not tropical islands, although today we are having tropical heat, but not the cooling sea breezes. Over the last couple of days I did do a bit of island hopping, though.


The first expedition was to Staten Island to see the Staten Island Yankees play at a baseball game. So I started off from the island that I live on, took a subway to Manhattan, another island, and then took the ferry to Staten Island.

Here is one good reason to always carry a camera, you never know what you might see.

Snakes Alive


That big guy was a granite python and his markings did indeed resemble granite. This picture gives you more of an idea of his size.

He Is Indeed A Big Guy


Of course this guy wasn't just hanging out on his own, he had some buddies with him.

It Was An Infestation


I didn't get the whole story of why these snakes were here, but the gentlemen who were displaying them were associated with a zoo or a serpentarium so they knew what they were doing. They may have been from Staten Island because they have a zoo there with a fairly extensive collection of snakes. There were a bunch of kids who seemed pretty fascinated by them and one of the guys was telling them about the snakes and letting them touch the one he had draped around his neck.

Nothing To Be Afraid Of


I would have stuck around longer but we had a ferry to catch.

More Like A Cattle Car


Actually there was plenty of room and after grabbing a beer the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I made our way to the front where we could catch the breeze and a view. It always amazes me that there is so much traffic. But then a lot of freight still comes in by ship.

All Kinds Of Boats


And even when you are at the ball park, which is just a short walk from the ferry terminal, you are reminded that New York and New Jersey still have active ports.

A Ball Park With A View


And The Ferry We Came In On, Maybe


We had decent seats and I got to lord it over my niece who is big Yankees fan because my Coney Island Cyclones gave them a good whooping.

The Enemy At Bat


And, of course, you have the between innings entertainment, which is why these games last longer than most major league games.

The Real Entertainment


And nothing caps off a night of baseball like fireworks.

Bombs Bursting In Air, Rockets Red Glare


It is always a fun time and quite inexpensive, especially when compared to most sporting events. My brother-in-law buys an eight-game package that includes free hot dogs, hamburgers and surprisingly good chicken sandwiches. Plus potato chips, soda and bottled water. No beer, though, but they sell some decent stuff. They had an IPA and an Ale from Goose Island Brewery that were quite good.

Although it is fun, it can make for a late night. The ferries run every half hour and then there is a subway ride at the end. Never quite as much fun going home as it is going to the game. Maybe that is because I don't get a beer on the way back. The bar on the boat is closed at night. And the subway doesn't have bar cars even though everyone I know thinks they would be a wonderful idea.

Well, this post ran a bit longer than I expected so I will save the next session of island hopping for tomorrow. Until then, bon voyage.