Boston Beer and Cheese Festival

This Saturday we decided to take part in some local libations at the Boston Beer and Cheese Festival. Sponsored by Drink Craft Beer, this excursion has been a recent addition to the Boston festival circuit. The festival centers around the support of local craft breweries and creameries. In total, there were 20 beer and cider brewers ranging in location from right here in Massachusetts to Portland, Maine, as well as 8 creameries based throughout New England. After making our way through the cold streets of Boston, we were definitely ready for a few samplings to warm ourselves up!

Our tasting began with Bantam Cider, a hyper-local brewery that started only three years ago in Somerville, MA. We sampled their original cider, Wunderkind, which is made from a variety of apples grown in Massachusetts, champagne yeast, and local flower blossom honey. The Wunderkind was followed by their newer blend, Rojo, which is a tart cider flavoured with sour cherries and black peppercorns.

Following Bantam was a sampling of aged soft cheeses from the Vermont Creamery. The cheeses are all sustainably produced from goat's milk, and we sampled such varieties as the coupole, bouche, and cremont.

 We proceeded to make our way around the perimeter of the festival, where there was a plethora of local brews and cheeses for us to indulge in. Halfway into our exploration, we happened upon Mayflower Brewing Company. Mayflower is a microbrewery, founded in historic Plymouth, MA by the tenth great grandson of John Alden. Alden was a beer barrel cooper aboard the original Mayflower, thus the namesake for the brewing company. We sampled their red Spring Hop Ale, Porter, and Golden Ale, all of which are made using water from the brooks surrounding Plymouth, where the original pilgrims landed.

Following Mayflower Brewing Company, we made our way to Cellars at Jasper Hill, a Vermont creamery specializing in cow's milk based cheeses. Jasper Hill utilizes Ayrshire cows for their cheeses, resulting in high-solids cheese with an exceptionally creamy texture. The cheeses we sampled were mostly made from raw cow's milk, meaning that the milk was not pasteurized before being turned into cheese. Though there is much debate over the effects of bacteria on cheese flavor, and how pasteurizing can remove that bacteria, our group was quite enamored with the variety of cheeses we sampled, which included bleu, brie, and alpine cheeses.

The end of our festival samplings took us to the Wormtown Brewery. This brewery, based in Worcester, MA, is listed as the only brewery that uses Massachusetts-grown ingredients in every one of their beers. This company is known for their Hop Back and Double Dry Hop brewing proccesses, which give their beers extra hoppy flavor. Wormtown was voted the 2014 Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Beer Championships, and won this year's Boston Beer & Cheese Festival award for the King of Hops. Even with these accolades, the bitter taste of this hoppy beer was not a favorite amongst our group.

The final cheese tasting we enjoyed was with Crystal Brook Farm, a creamery based in Sterling, MA, specializing in cheese made from goat's milk. The soft cheeses they provided were both decadent and unique in their flavors. Crystal Brook sampled their Australian Ginger, Chive, and Lemon-Lavender cheeses. The favorite amongst our group, and seemingly the majority of the festival attendees, was the Australian Ginger Cheese. This particular cheese was brimming with the typical flavors you find in cheesecake, making it a sweet ending to our samplings.

In the end, the festival was an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night, and provided some much-needed exposure for local businesses. Sampling the many craft brews, ciders, and cheeses allowed us to try products that we would not normally know of, and sample brews that we wouldn't typically be inclined to purchase. I would recommend this festival to anyone wishing to experience a taste of New England in a fun, casual setting.

Cheers!

Task 30 - No Name Restaurant

In a city which made a name for itself as the birthplace of the American Revolution is an institution with no name. Located in the revitalized seaport district of Boston is the oldest restaurant in Boston known only as the No Name Restaurant. 

Opened in 1917 as a diner catering to the local fishermen working on the pier it now caters to tourists more than locals. It has become a must see for visitors to our city and its rustic well-worn interior and lobster eating instructional placemats add to an experience they won’t forget. 

Its dining room spans the width of the building and has limited premium water view seats overlooking Boston harbor. While the view is spectacular the food is really the winner here. While reviewing the menu we snacked on some homemade garlic bread. Having been before I know their famous Fish Chowda is worth every bite and decided it was a must have.

When their famous fish chowda arrived at the table I knew I made a good choice. The broth was creamy but not heavy. The fish was abundant and tender. It was as I had remembered it, Perfect!

For my entrée I picked the broiled scallops. The seafood is prepared minimally, with most items offered broiled, baked or fried. My scallops were garnished with just a lemon and came with a side of French fries. They were perfectly cooked and very flavorful. I’ll admit that I maybe got more food then I should have and struggled to down it all. 

As a whole the meal was excellent but if I had to pick a favorite it would have been the chowda and if I needed to pick something that could be improved it would be the French fries. 

You pay as you leave at the front desk and the gentleman on duty was polite and interested in our experience. It is the kind of place you go back to knowing you’ll never have a bad experience 

Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA)

This past weekend during our mid-winter heat wave (the temps were above freezing) I decided to emerge from hibernation just long enough to enjoy all the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA) had to offer.

Designed by award winning architects Diller Scofidio and Renfro the 65,000 sqft building housing the ICA is a masterpiece of its own. The building was designed to echo the appearance of the nearby gantry cranes. It is 4 floors designed for galleries, education, theatre and dining/shopping. Its appearance has attracted both awards and criticism but either way it has definitely made a splash in the revitalized seaport district.

There were four exhibitions on display at the ICA Boston during my last visit.

When the Stars Begin to Fall: Featured 35 artists who share an interest in the American South, this exhibition explores the relationship between contemporary art, black life, and “outsider” art. Some of the pieces really caught my eye like Je Minter’s work titled “Housewife”. Made from vintage Kirby vacuum cleaner heads and a mannequin it spoke volumes of about the gender fight amongst southerners.

I also enjoyed the geometric work titled “The Eyes of the Universe” by Henry Ray Clark that made you feel watched no matter where in the room you might be. I think it is symbolic of the lack of privacy people have today even in places they call their own.

While there we got to listen to and interact with guest speaker and assistant professor of African and Afro-American & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University Jasmin E Johnson. Her interactive gallery talk discussed many topics from black life, slavery, and the black rights movement and how the south has shaped black history. It was an informative and educational conversation.

The next exhibit was not only a visual delight but a full immersion of sight and sound. Titled Sonic Arboretum we were immersed into an environment where the sounds of Andrew Bird added another layer to the beauty of the colorful horn speaker’s collection by artist Ian Schneller. The music makes you want to close your eyes and imagine the world where the symphony might exist but to do so would rob you of the visual delight of the hardware producing it.

The hardware is a unique thing of its own. Ian Schneller’s creations are sold and branded under the Specimen Products name and the horns are made from recycled newspaper print, dryer lint, baking soda and shellac before being mounted to the also handmade tube amplifiers. The quality of the sound and the visual appeal make them both a sight and sound to be remembered.

Before taking in the next exhibition we took a few minutes to enjoy the beauty that is the view of Boston Harbor from the panoramic windows of the Founders Gallery. This breathtaking room measures 80feet long and 33ft wide and has floor to ceiling windows.

The next more unusual exhibition was that of Adriana Varejão one of Brazil’s leading artists. This exhibition is her first solo museum show in the United States and embodies a macabre artistry. It is her interpretation of cultural cannibalism. Some of her works like “Corner Jerked-Beef Ruin” mix the simplicity of a while tiled wall and the gruesomeness of a marbled meat interior.  

Other works like her “Wall with incisions a la Fontana” reflects to me an anger and frustration with the purity that a clean white tiled wall represents. The incisions are not clean and crisp but jagged and made as if by a passion gone awry.

Another piece that at first I thought was a tattoo map turned out to be the skin fileted and laid flat called “Exploratory Laparotomy II” for me it was too much of a visceral image to be appreciated. All I could think of was an autopsy.

The last gallery on current exhibition was ICA Collections: In Context which featured works that explore social and political issues while transforming the genre of landscape by the expansion of the medium to include drawing, photography, sculpture, and video.

With the impressive architecture of the facility, the educated and thought provoking gallery talk by Asst Prof Jasmin E Johnson and impressive collection of contemporary art the ICA lived up to expectation in causing the mind to broaden its vision and see past the normalcy of our lives. The sounds and sights of the Sonic Arboretum took you to a place of peace and tranquility while Adriana Varejão’s work elicited the anger feel anger and violence everyone sometimes feels. The vistas of the Founders Gallery eased the mind and allowed you to quietly contemplate the questions in your mind. All in all you left feeling more enlightened then when you arrived.

Home Decorating: Beetle Art

Anyone who has ever been to my home knows that I have an eclectic sense of décor. While most items have been accumulated while traveling and represent some memory of a fantastic vacation to some far away place some items just strike my fancy. Today I added three new pieces to my eccentric collection. Their names are Chip, Chaz, and Charlie and they are three ceramic and metal beetles.

I first saw these unusual beetles hanging in a grid-like pattern at Arhaus Furniture in the spring. While I admired their quirky appearance their $49 a piece price tag left me less eager to have them join my collection. On an off chance I visited recently with a friend and found that they were marking down floor samples and clearance items in preparation for their annual warehouse sale. As luck would have it these ceramic and metal beetles were included in that sale and marked down to a more modest and reasonable $12 each. 

At that price it was worth a gamble to see if they might fit a spot on my wall I have long found challenging to fill. I hung them vertically and am happy with how they fill the space. It also added another unusual element in keeping with my eclectic personality. 

While I am enjoying the new pieces I have to stop purchasing things since I am out of room both on the walls or packed away in storage for a later date when I have more walls to hang things in a bigger home.

First Aid, CPR & AED Re-Certification

A few years back I was asked to become a First Responder at work. That meant that I would need to be Occupational First Aid, CPR and AED Trained. Certification only last 2 years and so it was time to re-certify.

Rick, our friendly safety trainer returned and again we learned the importance of proper training and re-certification.  He follows the guidelines as directed by the National Safety Council (NSC) which meets ECC Guidelines and OSHA standards.

Our training took place  3 hours a day for 2 days. Day one was more instructional with videos, discussions & quizzes. Day 2 was more fun with hands on activities such as learning CPR with the use of dummies and practicing proper glove use and removal. We also learned how to position a victim in the Recovery Position should we find them unconscious.

Once the re-certification course was completed I will admit I did feel a renewed sense of preparedness to act in an emergency and more confident in my abilities to really assist and provide life saving care until a professional arrives. It is important to remember that while trained in First Aid and CPR it is vital and can save lives that you can only help and provide assistance if you have been trained and never provide assistance outside of the scope of your training.