A Soldier's Silent Night

Merry Christmas to all who have served our Nation, protecting the freedoms we often take for granted. Thank you and may God bless you always.

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May the joys and blessings of the season be with you today and all year. Despite the commercialization and secularizing of the holiday, the true reason we celebrate this joyful time is eternal.

Birthplace of Jesus, Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
Photo by Colleen, Family Pilgrimage, August 2010

But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,  because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”  --Matthew 1:20-23

A Christmas Eve Range Trip & Errant Bullets

I was one of the few folks in the office on Christmas Eve, so I decided to take a lunchtime excursion to the indoor range. Arriving at the range, just a few of the lanes were occupied, but I ended up near a lane being shared by three "youths."

It's not that I'm anti-social, or maybe I am, but I prefer shooting alone, or at least with people I know. Controlled competitions being an exception. We've been known to leave the outdoor range when other folks have arrived and asked to share the bay. Since their skills, and intents, are unknown, I'd rather skip shooting than deal with any negligence. However, by design an indoor range is a shared range. I'm always alert to who else is there, especially when the dividers make it impossible to see the goings on nearby.

Well, this afternoon I was having a good time, just relaxing and enjoying time away from the office, when suddenly there were ceiling tile bits and fluorescent bulbs crashing to the floor in front of me. The girl two lanes over had put a round into the ceiling, just 7 yards or so from the line. Laughs and giggles ensued. 

Of course, that commotion was immediately followed by me packing up and making a hasty exit. It's too close to Christmas for a trip to the ER. Or maybe I'm just a Grinch.

 A seasonal target. 

A Dark Beer Evening

We went down to Capital Ale House for dinner and a beer or two last Friday. Due to the crowds, we were seated in the dining area instead of taking our preferred bar seats. The table servers are generally clueless about what's on tap, especially with regard to anything not listed on the (often outdated) beer menu. The dining table servers are well-versed in the food specials, but that's not really why we're there, is it? But, this is not an insurmountable problem, I simply make a point to review the tap handles myself whenever we end up at a table.

During my walk of the tap lineup, I spied a handle for Great Divide Yeti. It's been a while since I had this Russian Imperial Stout from one of my old favorite breweries. My first beer of the evening was an easy choice. This pitch black beer smells of dark roasted malt, espresso, dark chocolate, and a hint of smoke. The flavor is slightly sweet, with espresso and bitter chocolate notes. At 9.5% ABV it's a sipper, and was as enjoyable as I remember. Great Divide produces a number of versions of Yeti, including barrel-aged versions. Sipping my glass of Yeti the other night put me in the mood for tracking down a few of them once again.

My next beer choice was a bit more daunting. Do I repeat a beer I've enjoyed recently, while it's available, or try something new? I noticed on the menu that Sierra Nevada Narwhal was listed as an "upcoming" beer. Since the list was a couple of weeks old, and some of the other upcoming beers were already on, I took a shot and ordered the Narwhal. Unfortunately, our server returned with the news that it wasn't available. But for bonus points, he did return with samples of two other Stouts he suggested I might want to try; Blue Mountain Dark Hollow and Bell's Expedition Stout. Having had the Dark Hollow frequently, and recently, I opted for Expedition Stout. (Although I enjoyed the taster of the Blue Mountain beer as well.)

Bell's Expedition Stout is another dark Russian Stout, but one that takes "dark and bitter" to the next level. The aroma has roasted malt, and dark chocolate, with boozy underpinnings. To no surprise, the flavor profile continues with the same theme. The roasted malt, dark chocolate and espresso flavors are strong. The alcohol level makes its presence known in the flavor as well. A thick mouthfeel and a long-lingering bitter finish completes the picture. It's no secret that I like bold-flavored beers, and Expedition Stout met that preference quite well.

As an added beer bonus, Colleen was enjoying a flight of St. Bernardus beers; Witbier, Pater 6, Prior 8, Tripel, and Abt 12.  She graciously shared the flight with the rest of the table. It was a treat, and very interesting to sample most of the St. Bernardus lineup at one time. The Christmas Ale was listed as part of the flight as well, but was unavailable. Capital Ale House substituted N'Ice Chouffe, the Christmas Ale from Brasserie d'Achouffe, adding to the evening's beer variety. Not be daunted, we picked up a bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale over the weekend for our upcoming Christmas celebrations at home.

As with most evenings at Capital Ale House, we left with full bellies and with memories of great beers.

Family Range Time

So the first weekend of Winter turns out to be more like Spring; warm and raining. Most of the weekend was filled with Christmas preparations. Sunday was especially filled; Mass, last minute gift buying, shopping for beer, hauling in the tree, stringing up a few more outside lights... By the afternoon, there was bit of a break in the chores, and the rain, so I said to the family, "Anyone want to take a chance on hitting the range? The rain might keep folks away." The reply was an immediate and resounding "Yes." So we loaded up the new family rifle and set out for some fun family time.

Lo and behold, the park was empty. If it wasn't going to be dark soon, we could have spent uninterrupted time on the shotgun and pistol ranges too. Our son enjoys shooting the AR much more than the shotgun or handguns, and I am excited that he'll be joining us more often. I'm happy to skip shooting the other weapons, for that reason alone!

We had a great hour or so taking turns shooting and experimenting with stance and sight alignment. It's really fun when we're all learning at the same time. It even came up in conversation that one AR-15 isn't enough for a family. (Do I have a great family or what?)

As we were loading up the car at the end of the day, Colleen noted that the sight of the red range flag was a much more welcome sight than that red flags we experienced for so many days during our vacation in the Outer Banks. Those red flags meant no swimming. This day's red flag meant we were actually engaging in the activity we set out to do!

It was a fun-filled afternoon. Monday morning as I headed off the work and saw the muddy remnants left by our boots on the car floor mats, I had a smile remembering the good family time the day before.

Jingle Bells at the Range

This looks like fun.

With enough "tuned" steel, and enough ammo, one could have a whole concert!

Conference Diversion 2: The Big Hunt

After my final evening working the conference, a coworker and I walked over to one of DC's oldest beer bars, The Big Hunt, for an early dinner. By this time in my week, I was on the verge of exhaustion, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to visit this infamous pub. Stepping into the dark room, our IDs were checked, and we made our way to one of the few open tables. I had some trouble reading the beer list (did I mention it was dark?) but I had looked up the menu online, so had some idea of my choices. Despite the crowd, and just one server working the tables, service during our stay was prompt and efficient.

I started out with the featured cask selection, The Movement, from DC's 3 Stars Brewing. Served in a highball glass, this Pale Ale exhibited fresh hopped citrus aromas. The flavor had a "green" edge to it, with a citrus rind bitterness. A bit of syrup-like sweetness came through in the end. The serving was the proper temperature and carbonation expected from a casked beer, and my glass was quickly emptied.

I had previously seen the tapping of William's Winter Warmer from Baltimore's Pratt Street Ale House announced on the pub's Twitter feed, and that was my next selection. The aroma of this Strong Ale was full of dark fruit; plums and raisons, along with dark malts. The taste continued along those same lines. Dark fruit, licorice, vanilla, with roasted malts and a bit of alcohol in the finish. I wasn't disappointed.

The food menu is somewhat limited at The Big Hunt. I was reminded that this was a "bar." In Virginia, there are no bars, only restaurants that serve alcohol. (Okay, I give DC a win in that one category.) I didn't feel like waiting until the pizza happy hour started, so I ordered a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich. The pairing with the William's Winter Warmer may not have been the best choice, but both the food and the beer were tasty.

The long week catching up with both of us, we called it an early evening, opting to not stay around for the free burlesque show advertised for later that evening. Although I had just a short visit, I enjoyed Big Hunt, and it definitely lived up to its reputation.

I was glad I got to visit a couple of good beer stops, in spite of a busy week. I suspect I'll be returning to the same DC hotel in the future. The Big Hunt, and The Black Squirrel, are both on my "do again" list.

A water main break the morning of my departure caused me to be stuck in traffic right in front of The Big Hunt.

Conference Diversion: The Black Squirrel

I spent the past week ensconced in a Washington, DC hotel for a conference, with little time to get out and about. I was however, within walking distance of two "infamous" DC beer bars, and I did manage to squeeze in trip to both. The first of the stops was The Black Squirrel in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. According to their website, they have three distinct pubs within. I peeked into the basement window and spied a long bar, that was unoccupied at the time. Climbing the stars, I entered another pub area with a few folks sitting at the bar. I was greeting promptly by the barkeep Rhyd, who let me know that "Snakes on a Plane" was on the TV. "Well, that's different," I thought. It turned out to be quite entertaining and the subject of much fun conversation and joking.

I started off with Carrack Imperial Red Ale from Mission Brewery. The beer was full of juicy, resinous pine and earthy hops. Roasted caramel and a sticky sweetness was matched with a notable alcohol presence. It was a bold beer that tempted me to have a second glass, which I resisted in order to try a variety of beers.

The Carrack was followed by another West Coast beer,  The Immortal IPA from Elysian Brewing Company. This IPA had a rich citrus aroma. The flavor was a mix of pine and citrusy hops, with a bit of honey-sweet malt to round it out. Immortal IPA is a big smack on the tastebuds, and was a worthy foil to my very spicy Jalapeño Burger. The tasty burger was topped with guacamole, roasted jalapeños, and goat cheese. It was delightfully messy, and left behind a burn that could only be matched by an equally bold beer.

Dinner finished, my West Coast beer exploration continued when Rhyd treated me to a taste of Big Bear Black Stout from Bear Republic Brewing. The aroma of this Imperial Stout was strong with molasses, dark roasted malt, and more than a little alcohol. I would have sworn this was a barrel-aged beer, but there's no mention of that on the Bear Republic website. Nonetheless, the flavor was reminiscent of bourbon barrel aging, with dark chocolate, molasses, roasted coffee. The mouthfeel was thick, with low carbonation. After finishing the taster, I was contemplating ordering a pint. Alas, it was getting late, and I did have a late-night walk through the city ahead of me. I made a note to look for this one again.

I was about to ask for my check when Rhyd suggested I try Jai Alai IPA. He certainly had picked up on my preference for "big" beers. I gave in and ordered just one more beer. Jai Alai was more on the citrus and fruit side of the spectrum than the evening's previous beers. Bitter grapefruit and orange citrus notes, along with the "green" feel of a fresh hopped beer. By this point in my evening I was feeling full and satiated from good food and beer, still I was happy to enjoy another tasty beer.

Four excellent beers, and a spicy, sweat-inducing burger made for an enjoyable evening. Although I don't get into DC very often (nor have much desire to do so) I look forward to the opportunity to return to The Black Squirrel and visit the basement bar, which I understand, has an even more extensive beer list.

And then the evening almost took a turn for the worse...

Halfway into my walk back to the hotel a voice in my head said, "Hey dummy, you left your credit card at the bar." (Yes, my guardian angel uses such terms of endearment frequently.) Within a few minutes of that thought, I noticed I had both voicemail and a text messages from Rhyd about my forgotten property. Kudos to Rhyd! I was reminded of a time a few years ago when I had left my card at a Falls Church pub, with a different outcome. I was never contacted, and had to spend a lot of time on hold when I called them to find out if it was there. I ended up canceling the card, since I couldn't get back to Northern Virginia to retrieve it in a timely manner. I was glad I didn't have to go through that exercise again.

My credit card retrieved, the walk back to the hotel was uneventful. On the bright side, maybe the extra walking burned off a few calories from all the beers.