T.S. Eliot is full of shit. April is not that cruel—at least occasionally it stops raining and I don’t have to wear gloves and goddammit I need new wiper blades and…so yeah, I’m saying January is far, far worse.
In fact, I only have two things going for me right now: coffee and beer. Bridgeport, the local brewing behemoth I like to ride my bike by to smell the hops and malts when it isn’t so goddamn miserable outside, understands this; they’re combining my two lifelines to showcase Café Negro, a new coffee-infused porter. Friday from 5:00-8:00, stop by World Cup Coffee (from whom Bridgeport sourced the beans) to try out the beer and tour the facilities (light appetizers will also be on hand).
I recently had the opportunity to try both of Bridgeport’s new releases (the other is a double-red ale called Kingpin). I’ve always thought of the brewery as a reliable standby—their IPA and pale ale are consistently good, but nothing particularly new or exciting. It’s cool to see them expanding their range a bit—Hop Czar is a pretty interesting beer, and I was terribly disappointed to only sample the Nightcap right as it was going out of season. If you need a quick reminder that life is worth living, go check out their new offerings…or buy a six pack and stare out the window of your sad little apartment to the cold, wet, depressing world outside.
Dear Tony,
Don’t you think it’s ridiculous when people use the word “source” as a verb? “[F]rom whom Bridgeport sourced the beans” is just a $10 way of saying “got the beans,” right?
Also, isn’t the use of “plate” as a verb really irritating? And misleading? If I say “Now I’m going to plate the pasta,” what I’m describing is me putting something on a plate. The plate is just passive; the pasta is what’s moving. It’s like Thomas Kincade saying that he’s going to “canvass his paints” when he starts working on a new masterpiece.
Shouldn’t people say “Now I’m to pasta the plate” or “Now I’m going to Brandade de Morue the plate”?
So you’re supposed to say “I’ll have a Negro Porter”? Is this supposed to evoke signless basement bars near 1940s train stations? Perhaps it’s taking retro chic just a bit too far…
BTW, Obama’s our Hope Czar…I think you meant “Hop Czar,” Tony.
@Zed Verbing pizzazzes the English language!
@Zed I might have irked me once, but no, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The more you hear jargon, the more it becomes part of your lexicon. My friends are winemakers, and I hear about “sourcing fruit” constantly. I’m not sure why you think it’s a passive use of language, or how you assess the price of a given word, but $10 seems reasonable to me. I DO like the notion of Thomas Kincaide canvassing his light. You should suggest that to him.
@Todd Well played…Hop Czar it is.
I’m pretty sure that Malcom X was a Negro porter for the Pullman Company before he became a theif and dope peddler on the strets of Harlem.