Pandora, Elvis, and IPA

So, as I might have mentioned, I've been rocking pandora.com lately. Especially at work, now that I have this geektastic headset thingy which handles all the sounds on my compy (and also acts as my phone). Anyway, a band that keeps coming up, The Decemberists, has been on my mind all day. When I first started hearing about these guys last year I kind of just tossed them on "the pile" of whiney, fake-angsty, midwest, tortured, white middle-class guy-kind of bands, but now I'm not so sure. Like, I'm listening to this track called "The Engine Driver" and it's nearly making me cry...which could appear odd, seeing as how I'm supposed to be investigating commercial claims right now. Anyway, I just can't tell if they are actually really good, or just another one of these cliche "alternative" bands that really have nothing to say....I mean, you might as well be Coldplay for christsakes. Someone once told me that they thought "Yellow" was a great love song - I nearly puked on my lap! You want to hear a love song by a guy who is actually in love? Check out "Still" by Elvis Costello. But, I digest...

(yea, he's serious)

So - the last week was slow. I don't think I've discussed this here yet, but I'm in Brew School now. It's pretty freakin' splendid.* I tend to spend a good amount of time on schoolwork every night now, so these posts may get even MORE infrequent (if that's even possible), so I apologize. But don't worry, there will still be ample opportunities for me to further embarrass myself on the interwebs, I'm sure.

As far as the adult beverage production goes, we are very active at 46 Tremont this summer. There has been a lot of consumption and subsequently a crap-load of brewing as well. I pulled off that Rochefortesque beer a few weeks ago, and this weekend I'll be cooking another Belgian, probably more hoppy, almost IPA-ish, but lower gravity. The goal there is to have a nice, late-summer session brew but have it still be interesting. I'll post the recipes for both later tonight; I'm heading to the brewstore after work for grains & yeast. I know the suspense must be unbearable, but please just try to go about the rest of your day as if everything is normal!

-'Wrence
* this is the first time I have ever used "splendid" in such a sense. please tell me if it should also be the last