#craig poblano

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[gargelyfloof118]

This morning's harvest!

Green beans, banana peppers, okra, cucumbers.

Spanish mammoth peppers, Anaheim peppers, poblano peppers, habanero peppers

Sweet bonnet peppers, my lonely Tabasco pepper (this was the only one ripe, there are plenty more)

Craig's grande jalapeños, pumpkin spice jalapeños, red Thai chili peppers

The only peppers I did not pick today were the bell peppers and ghost peppers. Bells need more time to ripen, and the ghost peppers lived up to their name.

[drinkhv]

Never mind the Super Bowl, Beer Advocate’s Extreme Beer Fest takes over the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston this weekend on Friday and Saturday, February 1st and 2nd, 2019. I first attended this amazing festival last year as a brewery rep, and over two days still wasn’t able to try everything I wanted to. This year, returning solely for fun, I knew I had to make a plan of attack. Over 400 different beers from 120+ breweries is too damn much for one regular 3 ½ hour session, and so this list was born, highlighting the beers I most want to try. Keep in mind I’m leaning towards big stouts, especially barrel aged, barleywines, breweries I’ve never tried before, generally not available in the NYC area, and beers that just seem downright insane that were brewed one time for this event.

Seeing as this took me a few hours, I figured why not share it, as I’m sure some other people might appreciate going in with a little bit of a plan.  Breweries are listed alphabetically for easy lookup on the fly. If I could offer a few other tips, go in with food in your stomach, drink water throughout, use the buddy system for waiting on line/getting beer and get the beers you MUST try as soon as possible. Enjoy the show and hopefully BA will add a combo ticket to get a Saturday session with Friday too at a small discount next year, I know I would buy one! Got a beer I shouldn’t miss? Hit me up at DrinkHV @ Gmail.com!

450 North These guys have a lot of hype coming in hot from Indiana, especially with their Slushy series, which will probably go quick. Sushy Peach Dessert- Berliner Weisse with peaches, vanilla, cinnamon, lactose, graham crackers and brown sugar Flap Jack Nuggets- Milk stout with maple syrup, cinnamon, brown sugar and lactose Slushy XXL triple berry-Berliner Weisse with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries Against The Grain Can’t wait to see what the subversive ATG crew does this year after pissing off a lot of people with their short order diner-style order taking system for samples last year. Meta Boost- 11% beer they claim is both stimulant and depressant with capsaicin (hot pepper) and adaptogens (de-stressing herbs) 1776- Dark Ale with molasses and herbs Aslin Enjoyed Aslin’s no-frills booth approach last year with literally a jockey box and that’s it.  The beers however are all-frills, get some early. Genius Kitchen- 15% imperial stout with Nutella, coffee, maple, cinnamon & strawberry Time for That- Barleywine with blueberry, brown sugar, cinnamon & vanilla Baxter Bourbon Barrel Wickid Dark- 10% stout with cinnamon, hazelnuts, cocao nibs, black and chipotle peppers. Rum Barrel Innuendo- 10.5% imperial white stout with cacao, coffee, vanilla beans and lactose aged in rum barrels. Beer Tree Love trying a new NY state brewery, these guys from Port Crane are bringing some interesting brews Double pineapple coconut Creamsicle- Double NEIPA milkshake style minus the lactose Fruita Con Tajin- sour conditioned on mango, cucumber, chipotle and lime Scoby Snacks- low abv ale brewed with raspberry, passion fruit, ginger, lemon and kombucha scoby Black Hog Leaves a Mark- peanut butter- 11.5% imperial stout with real jars of peanut butter Citra Seltzer IPA- 2% super session brut ipa as close to beer seltzer as they could make. No body, no haze just hops and bubbles. Brownie Inception- Wake up Leo this is a brown ale made with brownies made with the brown ale before it had brownies added. Best movie beer award. Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams) Utopias- this is traditionally a timed release, so check in to see when they start pouring. How could you not get a couple of ounces of Utopias poured for you from a pitcher? The value alone is worth about half your ticket. Brewery Vivant Another big buzz brewery from Michigan, bringing some nicely named unique beers Emergency PTA Meeting- Mezcal barrel aged smoke beer with ancho peppers Wizard Burial Ground- one of the few Belgian style quads at the show, aged in bourbon barrels Burley Oak Maryland’s new sour darlings, get those JREAMS early or you will have nightmares about missing them. Gnarly Waffles- imperial stout brewed with waffles Apple Pie JREAM- sour with flavors of apple pie Cambridge Brewing Company The local guys always get super crazy for EBF Burnt Weeny Sandwich- named after Frank Zappa’s favorite snack (and one of his albums), it’s a smoked cream ale with mustard, charred hot dogs and toasted buns!!! Best music reference award. Banryu Ichi- 15% beer-sake strong ale aged on sugi wood Civil Society Look for the huge line and you’ll find Civil Society from Florida Bulkshake- milkshake IPA with strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and vanilla BA Bella- rum barrel aged imperial stout with maple & cinnamon Crooked Hammock Banana Hammock- 15% belgian quad with bananas and roasted cacao nibs DC Brau Pickled Pils- pickle juice pilsner Third Eye- 2.25% kombucha pilsner radler Dewey’s Beer Co. Nashville Hot Fried Chicken and Waffles- 10% stout with waffles, fried chicken, spicy honey and maple syrup conditioned on piri piri peppers Secret Machine Tiramisu- Berliner Weisse conditioned on boysenberry, blueberry, coffee, ladyfingers, vanilla and organic cacao Dogfish Head Mother Tree- 11% barleywine aged in bourbon barrels and brewed with elderberry, maple syrup, cinnamon tree leaves and black walnuts Possibly The Next Top Rated Beer on Beer Advocate- EBF collab beer 9% Brewed with maple syrup, toasted coconut, lactose, vanilla beans, cocoa powder, & cold-pressed coffee. Served with an optional dose of hops-infused glitter whipped cream. Down the Road Pickle Man- spicy dill pickle sour collab that has a tremendous local Mass. cult following Due South Trench Toast- Imperial Stout with spices, crafted to taste like a couple of slices of french toast Breakfast Trench- Imperial Stout made with spices and coffee, to recreate an early morning breakfast of a coffee roll Epic Big Bad Bbaptista- 12% Whiskey Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with Coffee, Cacao, Vanilla & Cinnamon Quadrupel Barrel Big Bad Bbaptista- Imperial Stout aged in Whiskey and Rum barrels with roasted cacao, barrel-aged coffee, barrel-aged almonds, & barrel-aged coconut Exhibit A These guys have been getting a lot of accolades as the new kids in Mass. Testify- This imperial stout was aged in Elijah Craig bourbon barrels for one year Cake!- brewed with cinnamon coffee cake, cinnamon, vanilla and light roast coffee Finback 2018 Bourbon Barrel Aged BQE- Salty Caramel-  Chocolate, Coffee Stout with Sea Salt and Caramel Firestone Walker Firestone’s barrel aged beers are to die for, or in this case, to wait on line for, especially these rare variants. Mole Merkin- Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with chili, cinnamon, & cocoa nibs Old Man Hattan- a barrel-aged mashup of two classic drinks: the Old Fashioned & the Manhattan! The base beer is a blend of Velvet Merkin, Bravo & Stickee Monkee aged in whiskey barrels. The twist comes from select lots of Parabola & Helldorado that were aged in Woodford Reserve barrels previously used to mature cherry bitters, orange bitters & aromatic bitters. Four Quarters Pickleback- Heaven Hill aged table beer conditioned on honeydew, cucumbers, and fresh dill. Waffle Star- imperial stout with lactose, maple syrup, and coffee, conditioned on toasted waffles and bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup Great Divide Chocolate cherry Yeti- a new variant on the classic imperial stout with cacao and sweet and sour cherries Barrel aged Hibernation- 10.5% Old age aged 12 months in whiskey barrels Great Notion Portland, Oregon’s hype beasts bringing two of the most sought after beers in the trading scene with 4.5 BA ratings. Double Stack-11% imperial stout brewed with an irresponsible amount of maple syrup & aged on whole bean Sumatra coffee   Blueberry Muffin- Berliner Weisse meets blueberry muffin Gun Hill PB and Void- GABF award-winning export stout with what sounds like every legal sidestep of ‘Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups’ from the description Ft Ticonderoga Barrel Aged Barleywine- 11.5 % aged 10 months in rum barrels and fortified with molasses, toffee, almond croissants, macerated cherries, prunes, and rum balls Jack’s Abby Gingerbread Barrel Aged Framinghammer- 12% gingerbread variant of their solid baltic porter series aged in bourbon barrels Jackie O’s Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition - 12.8% imperial stout aged on Vanilla & Coffee Beans Port Dark Apparition- 10% imperial stout aged in port barrels for over a year Carrots and Sticks- 13.9 % strong ale brewed with walnuts, spices, lemon zest and raisins that was fermented with carrot puree, conditioned on vanilla beans and aged for 14 months in bourbon barrels   Kane This is a double liner with these two and also BB aged Sunday Brunch and Mexican Brunch. One of the first booths out of beer last year. A Night To End All Dawns- S’mores- Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with cocoa nibs, graham cracker and marshmallow   A Night To End All Dawns- Peanut Butter Cup- 12% Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with peanut butter and cocoa nibs

Lord Hobo Caviar Godmother- 12% imperial stout Godmother kissed with kilos of caviar Lost Abbey Dead Man’s Game- 15%  Blended Belgian strong dark ale aged in Rum and Bourbon barrels Mortalis Looking forward to trying these crazy concoctions from this NYS brewery I’ve not yet had Icarus w Golden Ggrahams- 10% golden imperial stout aged on Golden Grahams and cold steeped with coffee Milk of the Gods Strawberry Cheesecake IPA- milkshake style with Vanilla, Graham Crackers and Strawberries New England Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout Trooper- O.G. cease and desist imperial stout Fluffy Puppies-  Mixed Fermentation IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Mosaic hops debuting at the fest Night Shift El Lechador- 10.5% Horchata-style milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with poblano peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanilla beans with a hint of pepper and a splash of bourbon Marilyn- 11.9% Blonde barleywine-style ale aged in rye barrels The North Worked next to these guys from upstate NY last year and enjoyed their stuff Trap Klouds- 4.5% extremely thick stout brewed with lactose, vanilla, marshmallow & almond God Complex- 9.5% Hazelnut Mocha Chilli Stout RAR 10 Layer- Dessert Ale with coconut, macadamia nuts, lactose and vanilla Relic Caribbean Kettle- 11.5% barleywine aged on rum soaked oranges Kola- 10% imperial porter brewed with kola nuts and kola syrup Right Brain These guys are bringing 8 pretty extreme beers from Michigan, these are the three I’m zeroing in on Apple Pie Whole-  Amber ale fermented with real whole apple pies Johnny’s Lunchbox- Brown ale brewed with house-made peanut butter, grape jelly puree and donuts Thai Peanut- Pad Thai-inspired brown ale with house-made peanut butter including coconut, Thai chilis, dry-hopped cilantro, and a touch of lime. Spicy yet balanced Pist. Avocado- Milk stout with real avocados with a nutty aroma & finish from house-made pistachio butter

Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Maltiple Personalities- Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Brown Ale with Carolina Reaper peppers 3 Become 1- 10.5% Whiskey Barrel-aged Imperial Lager with ginger and cayenne Sixpoint Horchata Beans- 13% horchata inspired bourbon barrel aged imperial porter with tiger nut, cinnamon & coconut Master Blend- 13.8% imperial stout aged a year in first-use bourbon barrels Solemn Oath BBA Coconut Goldmund - Barrel-Aged Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout w/ Coconut Unholy Water- Tartshake IPA with mango, tamarind, lime zest, and coconut to create a sweet and sour refreshing encounter with many layers Somerville (Slumbrew) Saturday Morning- 9.2% tripel with Captain Crunch cereal, cherry puree, blueberry puree Springdale Grain Reaper- 12.7% American Barleywine-style ale aged seven months in ex-bourbon barrels Throwback Fat Alberta- 10% Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Stout made with cocoa husks and peanuts BBQ Campfire-  BBQ pork rub-infused smoked robust porter Transient Grainbro Connection- Rye barleywine. Muppets, yeah? Velvet Sea- 15%  Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels blended with whiskey Foeder aged imperial stout Trophy Monkey Way- Salted Caramel Sweet Stout fermented on an outrageous amount of bananas Weldwerks Looking forward to trying beers for the first time from this buzz brewery out of Colorado Mexican medianoche- 14% imperial stout aged in Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey barrels for 20 months, then aged on Papua New Guinea and Madagascar vanilla beans, Vietnamese cinnamon sticks and Ghanan cacao nibs Coffee Maple Aromatic- Imperial stout with tons of chocolate malt, huge additions of maple syrup, and Peruvian coffee DDH Juicy Bits- NEIPA with Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado

[thebluegrasstraveler-blog]

Louisville, a city with two competing sides and personalities. A city confused as to where it comes from, where it is and where it is going.  Louisville promotes it’s southern charm and culture while at the same time, ashamed of it’s own southern heritage. A city that tries to continually attempt to re-vitalize and promote its downtown area while experiencing a massive increase in drug use and violent crime there. A city who’s public education system is massively broken but refuses to change it. It’s a city that promotes originality and production but uses the identity of smaller cities as it’s own to promote it’s tourism.

Photo by Craig Davis

Because of this identity crisis this city has, I generally have steered clear of seeing what the city has to offer. This weekend, we decided to try the city in our own backyard for a change. We went to the Frazier History Museum and looked at an exhibit focused on Prohibition. Tiff and I live in bourbon country so I have pretty strong feelings when the big city tries to draw away from a smaller cities source of income as it’s own but in this case, it focuses on a single part of the story and history of whiskey and bourbon. It did have live performance actor telling the history of the time which made the exhibit more interesting.  We also saw an exhibit dedicated to the Lewis and Clark’s; Corps of Discovery. The museum was under a lot of construction for a new exhibit being opened soon so I honestly thought that the price tag for entrance was a little steep for what you got but it wasn’t a bad experience at all. The Prohibition exhibit was geared more for adults and the Lewis and Clark exhibit was geared for younger visitors.

Photo by Craig Davis

Once we left the exhibit we decided to take a walk up Main Street downtown. A big thing we noticed was that at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon, many shops that we thought we would have enjoyed looking in were closed. Even Hiene Bros. Coffee was closed tight! While we were walking we stumbled upon a pretty cool gem that neither of us had ever heard of, the 21c Hotel. Which according to their website, it is a 91-room boutique Louisville hotel, contemporary art museum with an award-winning restaurant and cultural civic center. Located at 700 West Main St, Louisville, KY 40202, The small art gallery inside was a very interesting find. I highly recommend checking this small art gallery out.

After the art gallery, we decided dinner was in the making and so we decided on the restaurant known as Game located at 2295 Lexington Rd. Louisville, KY 40206 which specializes in exotic meat that is sourced from local farmers. On the menu was kangaroo, bison & alpaca and Wagyu. Game was definitely different  and pleasantly not really what we expected. I was expecting a higher end type restaurant but not so. It’s just a rustic, come as you are restaurant. The Bone Marrow appetizer was the hit here. Twice baked with Parmesan, poblano, rosemary and breadcrumbs served with crusty bread and a good craft amber beer. Winner!! Tiffanie had the Alpaca burger and I had the Elk burger. Both were very good burgers. Couldn’t really distinguish the meat differently than beef though which for me was a shame. I have never had Alpaca but I have had Elk burgers before and they are delicious in their own right. Don’t really need to be made to taste like beefburgers. That being said though, it wasn’t bad by any means.

  Louisville is known for it’s big events such as Thunder Over Louisville and The Kentucky Derby but what we found in our own backyard on a day trip was a pretty cool eclectic downtown area and good food. If you have a little time to bounce around and see things downtown off the beaten path, our own backyard was a pretty cool place to go.

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Photo by Craig Davis

    In Our Own Backyard Louisville, a city with two competing sides and personalities. A city confused as to where it comes from, where it is and where it is going. 

[urbanroofgardener-blog]

Started peppers!

I’ve been anxious all winter to get my hands dirty again, and my calendar finally says it’s time to start growing! I live in downtown Kansas City, MO, where my growing space is mostly on my roof, so everything I do is in containers. My boyfriend Pete and I moved into this house in fall ‘15, but after rupturing my ACL, I only got around to planting flowers last year. I can finally start a container vegetable garden up there this year, and I can’t wait! I’ll be chronicling my urban gardening adventures here. I love advice and help, so if you have any for me (or see me making egregious errors), please let me know!

We spent Valentine’s Day evening at our favorite place: Home Depot--so romantic, I know! My stackable lights and heat mat arrived Tuesday, and I couldn’t wait to get digging. I’ve been using my old Keurig cups for seed starters, and they work really well. They even have a pre-cut hole and filter paper in the bottom for great drainage. I dump the used coffee grounds into whatever other plants are nearby, then fill the cup with potting soil, water thoroughly, let drain, then place the seeds. I write the variety right on the side in sharpie. If you use a Keurig, this is a great way to recycle those wasteful cups and save money on seed flats.

I love Baker’s Creek heirloom seeds (rareseeds.com), so all of my seeds come from their site. My favorite pepper to grow so far is the Chinese 5 Color. It’s small with cute peppers that start out purple, then turn to cream, yellow, orange, then red as they ripen and get hotter. This plant is a great ornamental for my container garden! I’ve also started Poblano, Craig’s Grande Jalapeno, and Filius Blue, another ornamental that promises to be productive. Bell peppers don’t agree with me, so I’ve chosen Corbaci and Habanada for ones without heat.

I also bought 2 cute little succulents to replace 2 that I killed. I have banana trees thriving in my house, but I can’t seem to keep succulents healthy! It’s probably Pete’s fault for always closing their blinds ;-)

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How Elon Musk describes himself without credit