beer

PHILLIPS LONGBOAT CHOCOLATE PORTER—Chocolate art

Dan Lacey—Male Nude with Madchen

Today this Dan Lacey painting’s ebay price exceeded the funds in my PayPal account, at which point my dad said, “Why that one?”

I said I like the way the cat is staring directly out from the painting, the way cats do—sort of accusingly. I wouldn’t mind having a cat like that, except the whole household would be wheezing with allergies.

Despite my dad’s obvious discomfort about having a nude self-portrait of the artist with his cat on our wall, he’s made some progress toward appreciating Dan Lacey. Out of the blue one day he said something backhanded, like “He actually captures a good likeness,” or “I actually like some of Dan Lacey’s paintings.” He always qualifies with the word “actually,” as if to say the majority of Lacey art is not his thing.

But why?

Take this painting of Mitt Romney, the bidding on which has climbed to $76.00 following a plug by Jimmy Fallon.

Dan Lacey—Mitt Romney and Jimmy Fallon Engaged In A Game Of Nude Beer Pong: The Painting

Even though Mitt Romney’s not Canada’s problem, I like to keep an eye on him, so this painting could grow on me—but not my dad! My dad says it’s all wrong.

Luckily for him, I have less than $5 in my PayPal account.

My dad recoiled from this one too.

Dan Lacey—Mitt Romney in the Nude

Again it’s just my dad’s luck I have so little money—the bidding’s at $122 and climbing. The eyes are creepy, as though Romney’s considering who the biggest possible whackjob might be for a running mate. The way he stares out like that cat, he’s almost asking, Are you crazy enough? Because I need your vote.

My dad may be unwilling to invest in my art collection, but he did spring for a few onesies in the beer aisle a while back, including the almost unmentionable FRÜLI and—fortunately—several other better choices. Slightly on the weird side but not unacceptably so, PHILLIPS LONGBOAT CHOCOLATE PORTER caught his attention. In fact, he’d been looking for it since he tasted it (without me) on tap at a restaurant.

Chocolate porters are springing up everywhere these days and even being drunk by people who don’t usually like beer. Much the way people who avoid James Bond’s idea of a martini will down a chocolate one, those who dislike hoppy beers are sometimes amenable to rich, chocolatey beers that almost bridge the gap between flavored mixed drinks and straight beer. Almost.

If you are a fan of hops and malt, tastes like chocolate and espresso can be unwelcome. As a beer fan, you’re part of a choir that doesn’t need preaching to—you enjoy the standard spectrum of beer flavors and, while you might also enjoy a morning latte, you don’t necessarily feel compelled to combine the two drinks. I always thought my parents fell into this camp, but lately my dad’s been getting more open-minded.

We split the 650mL bottle between two Reidel glasses (egregious but true: I don’t ever get my own glass; I have to sip from one or both of my parents’). Lovely dark cola brown with an opaque white head, LONGBOAT CHOCOLATE PORTER makes no bones about being chocolatey—dark chocolate notes predominate overwhelmingly on both the nose and the palate. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy without being cloying and ends with just a hint of bitterness.

I see why my dad sought LONGBOAT CHOCOLATE PORTER out after trying it on tap. It’s nicely balanced and offers some unusual but still harmonious flavors. My mum (because she is boring) wasn’t taken with it, which was great, because I found myself with my own glass after she abandoned it. This is how things should be at LBHQ—me and my dad sitting around knocking back beers, heedless of his wife’s criticisms about chocolate having no place in beer. Yeah! I got my own glass and it was awesome.

LONGBOAT CHOCOLATE PORTER is only 5.2% alcohol, but when a small bear consumes 300mL of it, that small bear passes out. I got annihilated. And that’s why I ended up looking at paintings of Mitt Romney this morning—I thought it would help me throw up.

But as is usual with Dan Lacey’s art, his mastery overcomes the subject matter. Rather than yakking all over the floor, I found myself online trying to acquire another painting. Sadly for me, these ones are out of my financial reach, people, so you might have to get on ebay yourselves if you want any of them.

5 reasons it’s okay the Canucks lost


The L.A. Kings after their winning goal

Hockey ended for the Canucks in 2011 with rioting, world-class ignominy for participating fans, and a legacy of heightened surveillance throughout Vancouver. Braced as the city has been for repeat hooliganism this year, the Canucks themselves solved the problem Sunday night by fizzling out in the first playoffs round.

I wouldn’t care so much if it weren’t for the beer flow inspired by NHL playoffs. You don’t have to follow hockey to know when the Canucks are getting successfully through April. The weather’s picking up; windows and doors are open; and you can hear cheers erupting through the neighborhood with each goal. Wander into a nearby yard and you can probably score a beer. (At least that’s what I tell my antisocial parents.) Sure, it’ll be a Canadian or a Labatt Blue, but chances are it’ll come out of an ice chest, half-frozen to that forgiving temperature necessary to really enjoy a macro brew from the Great White North.

Hitting the end of the road this early after reaching the finals last year is a real bummer. We’ll have to find other excuses to break out the beer, but at least there are a few bright spots:

  • Cars won’t be decked out with Canucks flags, which means the kids won’t demand why our car doesn’t sport unaerodynamic little rags whipping along in the wind until the Canucks lose.
  • Logging into Facebook I won’t see dozens of dorky status updates from fair-weather fans who become rabid every April, embarrassing themselves in their desperation to embrace hockey. They know the players’ middle names, for crying out loud. Last week they didn’t know what “offside” meant.
  • The kids won’t badger constantly for Canucks jerseys (and if they do, they’ll probably be on clearance).
  • There wasn’t a riot.

  • Last year's riot
    Photo: ctv.ca

    There won’t be calls for any additional Big Brother surveillance in Vancouver. Last year’s riot spawned a precedent-setting departure from traditional police investigations into crowd-sourcing—with Facebook and other social media being used as tools to identify rioters. This is the sort of surveillance-society development that isn’t reversed out of easily. Not only should it scare the crap out anyone who might have set a car on fire last year; it should worry anyone with a social media presence. There’s no question last year’s rioters were douchebags, and while they should be prosecuted, it’s alarming to think of investigators poring over people’s FB status updates looking for clues to their general whereabouts. Why? For starters, because so much of what people (bears included) say and post on FB is tongue-in-cheek or even just bullshit. Straining it for meaningful evidence seems like a colossal waste of time at the expense of people’s privacy.

So it’s great that there wasn’t a riot. But I still feel sad about all that hockey beer that will go unpoured.

ASTROLIQUOR for April 20-26—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

Listen carefully to those around you this week, Aries. Someone is going to share the secret of an easy life. So keep your ears open…who knows, somebody might advise you to drop your entire paycheque on lottery tickets, and this is your week. Do it! Your best days for reckless investing are Monday and Tuesday. Pick the right numbers and you could be awash in vodka and champagne.

Taurus, life has been rough lately but this week brings a small reprieve. Not only do you feel calm; you feel strengthened by past challenges. Your new confidence will in turn attract people, ending your recent loneliness. What does this mean? You got it—you should start showering again. Don’t forget, because even though vodka is fairly odorless, the cranberry vodka vomit on your greasy old sweatpants isn’t.

Emotions ramp up at work, Gemini, as your colleagues prove what you’ve always suspected: they are dicks. You’ll find one ally among them, however—a Scorpio who shares your best interests but isn’t very smart. Does that mean your own interests aren’t very smart? That depends. Do they involve drinking a lot of rum on the job?

The usual advice is not to spread yourself too thin, Cancer. But this week is different. Try to be in as many places as possible so you always have one or even several alibis. This is an excellent time to ask people for money, as long as you get them drunk first. Try vodka and creme de bananes.

Leo, your brain is on fire with ideas this week. You find yourself at the pub nightly, talking a mile a minute, bothering other people for  money, then blowing the borrowed money on buying rounds. This is going to get you beat up.  The only ingredient that could make things more dangerous for you is Red Bull. Do not under any circumstances combine it with equal portions of Frangelico and Malibu.

It’s time to cut costs, Virgo, which means making your own booze. You’re hesitant, though, because of the well-known Virgo penchant for expensive liquor. Okay, so no dandelion wine or moonshine for you. But don’t you have a neighbor with a plum tree? Steal those plums and age them with some vodka, brandy, and sugar. While you’re waiting two months for your plum liqueur, you can drink Bud. You’re welcome.

Libra, this week features a happy ending of some sort. Make sure you enjoy it thoroughly before embarking on something new. You’ll be basking in the quiet admiration of others while you navigate your work life like a star. That’s the power of vodka in a flask. Just don’t take that confidence to the casino or you’ll get flattened.

A recent infatuation has dissolved, Scorpio, leaving you with the dry heaves. Try not to forget that this person did have some positive qualities, even if his/her best quality right now is absence from your life. Just as well; that person was all wrong. You need someone who won’t be fazed by the bedside bucket full of gin, vodka, triple sec, tequila, and limoncello.

Sagittarius, communication is your strong suit this week. You can tell anyone anything without fearing a bar fight. Your clear vision of the big picture allows you to disregard small details and accomplish projects that have been on the back burner. It’s a power week! Get all your shit done and congratulate yourself with some champagne.

There’s a shady Taurus in your immediate circle this week, Capricorn, so avoid spilling your dirty laundry;  it could come back to bite you. This might mean easing off on the beer consumption—at least around the questionable Taurus. Around anyone of any other star sign, you can get totally pissed.

Aquarius, you’re being provoked by other people, especially Cancers and Virgos. Just ignore them; they are total douchebags. Instead keep your eyes open for a Leo. This Leo wants to mate, but your stars are much better lined up for friendship. Share a 46er of rum and see what happens.

Pisces, you’ve got everything working on autopilot at work, which leaves you free to hang out with friends. It’s been a while since you’ve felt competent at work. Carry the momentum into the dating sphere, but take it super-casual, at least until June, when you’ll meet someone interesting. Vanilla vodka will be involved. And the good news? No one will have to call the police.