MARCH SUCCESS

Today concludes the first month of this little project. Lets call the first month a success. I managed to run/bike at least 1 mile per day, listened to 1 CD, and tried 1 new beer daily.

As i stated, each month i succeed I will donate $50 to a charity/organization. For March that $50 is going to the Lakes Area Humane Society. Also, a shout out to Kevin Farley who matched my donation this month. If you would like to help also, visit www.lakesareahumanesociety.org or if you have any suggestions for the months ahead, feel free to let me know.

Thanks for all the people following along, its been fun and i appreciate the comments. I have accumulated some nice beers to try in the months ahead and the stack of music to pick from seems endless. Here's to April!

March 31, 2013

THE REFRESHMENTS - FIZZY FUZZY BIG & BUZZY  Where to begin? Perhaps my favorite band of all time and quite possibly my favorite album of all time. With that said, this one is always in my regular rotation, it never grows old to me. From start to finish, every song is a classic in my mind. While they only put out 2 albums under The Refreshments, they morphed into Roger Clyne And The Peacemakers who are still around today. I am lucky enough to see these guys live usually 3-4 times a year and they kill it every time and they still play alot from this classic. I highly reccomend any of their albums or catching them live, if you dont get it, too bad.

FOUR PEAKS BREWING COMPANY - KILTLIFTER  A scottish style ale, smell and taste is malty with a hint of caramel. I like to frequent this brewery whenever i am in Arizona and usually enjoy most of what they have to offer. They only offer a couple styles in can/bottle though. This is a simple and very easy drinking beer, although not overly special, it is usually my go to when in the Tempe area.

3 miles on treadmill.

March 30, 2013

PRINCE - 20TEN  This CD from Prince was originally released as a freebie in the London Daily Mirror newspaper in 2010 and then a few other European publications after that. It never saw an official release here. I am guessing it never got released here as it got kind of a cool reception in Europe. But, as a big Prince fan, i enjoy anything he puts out. The only tracks that stand out to me here though are Act Of God and Everbody Loves Me. The latter has a little funk feel like it could be from the Purple Rain era. Anyways, not many people here have it, so at least its a little unique.

ABITA - CHRISTMAS ALE 2012  This is an interesting take on a Christmas winter brew. I cant really pin down the smell or flavor. All that really comes to mind is "piney". Its a decent beer, but it doesnt really say Christmas to me at all, or stand out. The label says they change the recipe on this seasonal beer yearly, heres to a change next year to make it more memorable.

3.5 miles on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 29, 2013

METALLICA - MASTER OF PUPPETS  Some classic early Metallica, this and Ride The Lightning are my favorites of theirs. Really heavy and aggressive. Only 8 tracks, but their all good. If i have to pick a favorite i would go with Welcome Home (Saniutarium) or the title track. Incidentally, my neck hurts a little after listening ro this.

SPOETZL BREWERY - SHINER BOCK  I remember drinking lots of this one weekend in San Antonio many years ago. Now, i am wondering why.  Its just a average attempt at a classic style but seems very light and a little watery. Taste is just average, but it goes down easy, so its a nice beer if you want to pound down a few of them.

2 miles on treadmill, 45 minutes on bike

March 28, 2013

AC/DC - POWERAGE  There's not much better than Bon Scott era AC/DC. This one has a little more blues feeling to it than any of their other albums.Down Payment Blues, Riff Raff, Sin City, and Up To My Neck In You are my favorites, followed by Rock N Roll Damnation and Gimme A Bullet. Not bad i guess when i list 6 of the 10 songs as favorites. Probably their most underrated album but anything with Bon Scott is a must in my book.

AUGUST SCHELL BREWING CO - FIREBRICK  A nice lager from Schells, kind of like a Sam Adams, but maybe a little better. A nice choice if you dont like the darker more hoppy beers, very drinkable.

2 miles on treadmill

March 27, 2013

BIG HEAD BLUES CLUB - 100 YEARS OF ROBERT JOHNSON  After listening to BHTM yesterday, i decided to pull out some more today. This is basically BHTM and some special guests (including BB King) paying tribute to the  blues legend Robert Johnson. Some good toe tapping blues music here. If your into that style i highly reccomend this one.

LAKEFRONT BREWERY - WHITE BEER This has a little orange peel and citrusy aroma with a little wheat in the background. Tastes kind of like it smells with a little spice to it. It kind of surprised me, i wasnt expecting much, but its a nice easy drinking beer. A little above average.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March, 26, 2013

BIG HEAD TODD AND THE MONSTERS - ROCKSTEADY  The latest album from these Colorado rockers is as solid as any of their other releases. Every album they put out is a consistant rocking effort. Check out Rocksteady, Muhammad Ali, and Smokestack Lightnin' on this one.They have been at it for 20 plus years and are probably one of my favorite artists. I have been lucky enough to see them live a few times too and they kill it live every time too.

SUMMIT BREWING COMPANY- SUMMIT PILSENER    Pretty straight forward aroma, nice malt with a hint of lemon. Pretty good pilsener with decent flavor. Worth a try, but nothing real special.

1 mile on treadmill

March 25, 2013

GUNS N ROSES - APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION  What really needs to be said about this one? Classic, i can listen to this one at any time and always enjoy it. My favorites are actually It's So Easy, Nightrain, and Mr. Brownstone and not the huge hits you would expect, although i enjoy all those too. Just a great album that never gets old.

ABITA - STRAWBERRY HARVEST LAGER  I first tried this one at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans last year and would have to say it was one of the best fruit beers i had ever tried. It has a nice strawberry smell but is not overly sweet and doesnt taste syrupy. This is a great smooth easy to drink beer. Perfect for a warm summer day. They only make this with Louisiana strawberries, so it has a limited release every year. I was happy to see its available here in MN and have stocked up whenever i see it. Well worth the try.

2 miles on treadmill

March 24, 2013

PARLIAMENT - MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION  A little funk to get my day started this morning while on the treadmill. George Clinton and the boys rip it up this one. P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up), Mothership Connection and Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) are the top tracks here. Hard to believe this is from 1976, it still sounds fresh today. Even more unbelievable is these guys are still touring and usually put on a 3 hour show most nights. Definately want to see them some day.

FULTON BEER - SWEET CHILD OF VINE  A locally brewed English style IPA. A hint of floral hops and a touch of citrus. Nice balance, but less hoppy than most IPAs. As an English IPA its passable, but there is nothing special about it. I guess my favorite part is the name.

2.5 miles on treadmill and 30 minutes on bike.

March 23, 2013

PRINCE - CONTROVERSY Perhaps my favorite Prince album (1999 would be the other one). I am partial to the earlier more funky ones and this one is just killer. Tight funky jams and great songs. Short, with only 8 songs, but i couldnt pick a favorite, the whole album is just a solid R&B/rock jam.

NEW BELGIUM BREWING - 1554 ELIGHTENED BLACK ALE  No surprise, its looks really dark. It has a malty smell with a hint of chocolate. Not as rich as you would expect, but has a great flavor. I really liked this one, a nice beer from New Belgium.

3.5 miles on treadmill, 1 hour on bike

March 22, 2013

DOUG E FRESH AND THE GET FRESH CREW and MC RICKY D - THE SHOW single with B side LA-DI-DA-DI  This single came out in 1985 and the first time I heard it, i had to have it. I thought The Show was one of the best songs i had ever heard. It took my local record shop forever to track it down, then to my surprise, the B side blew me away. Still one of my favorite hip hop songs. "La-di-da-di, we like to party, we dont cause trouble, we dont bother nobody" I'll admit it, i listened to this song 5-6 times today.

MILLER - MILLER 64  Not sure this should even qualify as a beer, but.... Almost no taste, kind of like drinking water. It's very light, which i guess is the point of it. For what its trying to be, it does the job well, just not something i would seek out, but after a long week at work, i can say goodbye to the 12 pack i had. On to better things tomorrow.

2.5 miles on treadmill

Spring?

Any day now, i will be able to enjoy a few of these beers at my patio bar #sarcasm

March 21, 2013

VAN HALEN - VAN HALEN II  The mighty Van Halen's 2nd album. I like all the early VH stuff with Diamond Dave, but i also enjoyed the Sammy Hagar era as well. This whole CD is solid, with the 2 biggest hits being Dance The Night Away and Beautiful Girls. Glad I got to see them live last year, put on a great show. "Drink in my hand, i got my toes in the sand, all i need is a beautiful girl, yeah! Beautiful girls"

PHOENIX ALE BREWERY - WATERMELON ALE  Had a nice light watermelon smell, but the watermelon flavor was a little underwhelming. Not a bad beer, but i was a little disappointed as i think i had bigger hopes for it. Probably would be a nicer summer brew, will have to give it another try then.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 20, 2013

FRANK ZAPPA - HOT RATS  I feel FZ is one of the most under rated and under appreciated artists ever. The man was a musical genius and could play anything; rock, jazz, orchestral, the man could do it all. This was his 2nd solo album and was released in 1969 and is all instrumental except for Willie The Pimp. Great record, i reccomend anything FZ.

SAMUEL ADAMS - CHOCOLATE BOCK  The smell is super chocolately and the taste is more like drinking cocoa. A nice desert beer, but a little thin, kind of average to other similar beers, but i could drink it again pretty easily.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 19, 2013

JASON BOOTS - FROM THE EDGE OF DREAMTOWN  Here's one most of you probably have never heard of. Hailing from Hastings, Minnesota, Jason is the current horn player in Roger Clyne And The Peacemakers and has put out a few solo records too. This is his first full length CD. Its hard to categorize his music as he does a little of everything, mostly just straight up rock n roll i guess. I really like Roulette, Life 101, Drink and Crazy Girls. Check him out if you can, underrated in my opinion.

FORT COLLINS BREWERY - MAJOR TOM'S POMEGRANATE WHEAT  Smells fruity and has an interesting citrusy taste. Very light and easy to drink, would probably be better on a warm sunny day. Its an OK fruit beer, but not overly impressive.

1 mile on treadmill

March 18, 2013

KATY PERRY - ONE OF THE BOYS   How about a little top 40 candy pop for a Monday? Katy's debut major label album that blew up with the smash single I Kissed A Girl. It also has Hot  N Cold and Waking Up In Vegas. Like any album that gets major airplay these days, all the singles had hugely popular videos too. Not afraid to admit it, i really enjoy this album. A nice fun lightweight listen. Whenever I hear I Kissed A Girl I  think back to when it was popular and one of my friends young daughter would always ask him "why is she kissing another girl?" and him struggling to answer her. That always made me laugh.

LEINENKUGELS - SNOWDRIFT VANILLA PORTER   Taste is a little on the sweet side with hints of chocolate and lots of vanilla. A little thin for a porter, but a pretty decent beer overall. It is very smooth and quite drinkable with good flavor. More a kind of a beer where you have 1 or 2 and move on though.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 17, 2013

FLOGGING MOLLY - LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE  Punky Celtic-Irish pub rock pop music. They are a great live band and this show is no exception; it covers all their working class-drinking class anthems. The crowd is right there with them on Requim For A Dying Song, Drunken Lullabies, Seven Deadly Sins and others. Listening to Flogging Molly makes me want to head out on the town.

GUINNESS - HARP LAGER  This is usually my default Irish beer. Not too heavy and not too light. In all honesty though is just an average lager, easy to drink and goes down easy. The next question for today is 5 more or 11 more? Happy St. Patricks Day!

3.5 miles on treadmill and 45 minutes on bike

March 16. 2013

DROPKICK MURPHYS - LIVE ON LANSDOWNE BOSTON, MA MARCH 17, 2009  A great choice to start the St. Patricks Day weekend activities. A great live album of all their classics. They always put on a high energy performance and it actually comes through pretty well on this recording. I would have loved to have been there for the experience. Ends with the two classics; Kiss Me I'm S&!%faced and I'm Shipping Up To Boston.

GUINNESS - BLACK LAGER  Not sure what the point of this beer was. It is easy to drink, but not much to it, the beer itself is not bad, just not real memorable. I would drink again, but would always go with their stout if i had the choice.

3 miles on treadmill, 45 minutes on bike

March 15, 2013

DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE - ROCK THE HOUSE   Their debut album on vinyl! I'm actually quite a fan of early rap/hip hop and this is a good album. The big hits on this one was Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble and Rock The House. These guys put out some classic videos too over the years. If you don't remember, the Fresh Prince is actually Will Smith, who has gone on to a few bigger things.

SAMUEL ADAMS - WINTER LAGER  Their annual seasonal winter lager. Not much to the smell; lightly spiced with a hint of cinnamon. A solid beer, not too spicy or heavy, quite tasty actually, you could do worse.

2 miles on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 14, 2013

MOTLEY CRUE - GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS The first CD i ever owned; I didnt actually own a CD player for about 3 months later though. I was a huge Motley fan back in the day, but its been along time since i have taken a hard listen to them. This cd still holds up to me.  Girls Girls Girls and Wild Side are my favorites, but the whole album is solid, might have to dig out some of their other stuff now.

NEW BELGIUM BREWING - FRAMBOZEN RASPBERRY BROWN ALE  I really liked this one. Nice raspberry smell with a hint of caramel and chocolate but not too sweet. Its not overbearing which alot of fruit beers can be. Very drinkable and will be drinking more of it.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 13, 2013

BARENAKED LADIES - DISC ONE: ALL THEIR GREATEST HITS (1991-2001) Not a huge fan of these guys but they definately have some catchy songs and of course a greatest hits package puts them all together for us. One Week, Be My Yoko Ono, If I Had A $100000, and Pinch Me are the highlights for me. Entertaining record, fun listen, but not sure i would be up for any of their full albums though.

THIRD STREET BREWHOUSE - RISE TO THE TOP CREAM ALE  Light, pleasant and smooth, an easy drink. A good example of a cream ale, it would be a great summer beer on a hot day and its nice that its a Minnesota beer too.

2 miles on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 12, 2013

GEAR DADDIES - BILLYS LIVE BAIT  A great album from a local band. Never get tired of listening to this one, surprising they never made it bigger on a national level, they were very underrated. Their most popular song, I Wanna Drive The Zamboni, was a hidden track at the end of this CD. They only had 3 albums but still play a few times a year in the Midwest.

SAMUEL ADAMS - BLACK & BREW A coffee stout that leads with a coffee flavor with a little bit of chocolate and caramel. Not a bad beer, just not very memorable. I am not a coffee drinker and the coffee flavor was not overpowering, decent coffee stout.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 11, 2013

ZZ TOP - ELIMINATOR  The album that made them huge, thanks to some classic songs and videos. Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs were all big hits and had great videos on MTV (back when they actually showed videos). I love their bluesy brand of rock. I still love their older stuff more, but they had a new album in 2012 that went back to their roots and is really good too.

SAMUEL ADAMS - WHITE CHRISTMAS A limited release white ale blended with holiday spices. Smells like cinnamon and a little citrusy. Pretty straightforward beer, but very refreshing. Kind of reminds me of a Blue Moon

1 hour on bike

March 10, 2013

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE   What makes more sense than RATMs debut album to kickstart a quiet Sunday morning? Classic tracks: Bombtrack, Killing In The Name, Bullet In Your Head, etc that still shred to this day. Would love for these guys to come out with something new. Great, loud, aggressive music for a workout. Love it and all their albums.

BRISTOL BREWERY - WINTER WARLOCK OATMEAL STOUT  Very dark, almost black. Malty smell with a hint of chocolate and slightly bitter aftertaste. Overall a nice oatmeal stout thats not too sweet. Nice beer for a cold winter day.

1 1/2 miles on treadmill and 1hour on bike

March 9, 2013

GAELIC STORM - CABBAGE  In preperation for their live show at Fitzgerald Theater tonight I figured why not one of their CDs? This one from 2010 has 2 of my favorite songs: Raised On Black And Tans and Green Eyes, Red Hair. Perfect Irish drinking and partying music.

O'DELL BREWING COMPANY - RED ALE  This is a winter seasonal from Odell. A nice red american ale with a little more kick than most reds. A very enjoyable beer that is rich and flavorful, would definately drink this one again.

1 hour on bike

March 8, 2013

NINE INCH NAILS - THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL   i picked this album today as i heard this morning that today is the 19th anniversary of its release. Couple huge songs on this one: Closer and Hurt. Closer had a very popular video and the unforgettable chorus (if you dont know, look it up). Hurt was later covered by no other than Johnny Cash which made it a even bigger hit.

TOMMYKNOCKER BREWERY - COCOA PORTER  Pretty thin for a porter. A little chocolate aroma and maybe a some caramel too but not as flavorful as i was expecting. An average beer, but very drinkable, definatly could do worse in this category.

30 minutes on bike (not bad considering my back hurt so bad this morning i could barely get out of bed)

March 7, 2013

RUN DMC - RAISING HELL  'Its tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme thats right on time, its tricky. I met this little girly, her hair was kinda curly, went to her house to bust her out, i had to leave real early.' Just a classic album, i never get tired of listening to it. Pretty sure i can still recite about 80 percent of the lyrics still.

NEWCASTLE - FOUNDERS ALE  Typical English ale, but pretty thin and a little tasteless to me, would have enjoyed a little more flavor. Pretty basic and fairly standard. The least bitter of any Newcastle beers i have tried. A nice offering though overall, would drink it again.

1 mile on treadmill

March 6, 2013

COUNTING CROWS - AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER-LIVE AT TOWN HALL  Their great debut album played  live. The liner notes say some of these songs hadnt been played for years and some of the newer band members had never played them. A great album played in its entirety live, and sounds great. This seems to be a trend for alot of bands in their live shows the last few years, to play one of their albums in its entirety live.You can really tell the hardcore fans at these shows, as they know all the songs, just not the hits.

O'DELL BREWING - IPA  I reallly like this beer. Smells fresh, piney and citrusy, slight bitterness but really well balanced. I actually tried this one on tap at the brewery a few weeks ago and it was even better fresh. O'Dell has some really nice beers, and i have more i will be trying soon.

3 miles on treadmill

March 5, 2013

STORM LARGE - CRAZY ENOUGH Maybe you only remember Storm from Rockstar Supernova (or whatever it was called that season), but she has been around the music scene for quite a while and puts out some interesting music. The songs on this album were written for her one woman show and cover the full spectrum, from the rocking Eight Miles Wide to the quiet Lullaby Song. She has a great voice and should have definately been a bigger star. Live, she puts on a hell of a show.

FORT COLLINS BREWERY - CHOCOLATE STOUT  Above average stout, a little thin on flavor, with a slight chocolate/cocoa taste. I would have preferred a little more chocolate flavor, but overall it is an easy drinking stout and worth the try.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 4, 2013

BEASTIE BOYS - LICENSED TO ILL  Not a lot needs to be said about this one. A classic, still a great listen. 'rhymin' and stealin' in a drunken state..'

ABITA - PECAN HARVEST ALE  Brewed in Louisiana, i first tried their beers at the NCAA Final Four last year in New Orleans, and they have some interesting offerings, unfortunately this is not one of their better ones. I was hoping for nutty/sweet taste, but there was not much to it. Easy drinking, more pecan smell than flavor though, very drinkable, just not spectacular.

1 mile on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike

March 3, 2013

SCORPIONS - BLACKOUT   Back to a little 80s rock. Its weird as i was never a big Scorpions fan, in fact this is the ony record of theirs that i have, but always loved this CD for some reason. No real stand out tracks, but just a solid record all the way through.

GRAIN BELT - NORDEAST  Its an Ok beer, alot of people seem to really love it, but for me its just ok. Has a little caramel smell, goes down easily, and the best part is its relatively inexpensive.

1 hour on bike

March 2, 2013

ALABAMA SHAKES - BOYS & GIRLS   This is their debut album and is unbelievably good. Band is tight and Brittanys voice is amazing. I first heard of them back in 2011 when they opened a few shows for the Drive By Truckers and have been following them since. They were Grammy nominated in 2012 for thi album and i think are going to do great things. If you haven't heard of them, check them out!

GUINNESS - DRAUGHT  I heard Guinness sells over 10 million glasses of beer daily, enough said, great beer.

1 mile on treadmill

March 1, 2013

THE WHITE STRIPES - WHITE BLOOD CELLS   For me, anything that Jack White touches is gold. This was the White Stripes 3rd album. I  have no real favorite songs, the whole album is great, but always loved Fell In Love With A Girl. Dissapointed i never got to see them live, but maybe i will get to see Jack White solo one day. Check out any if their 6 albums, their all great.

THIRD STREET BREWHOUSE - SUGAR SHACK MAPLE STOUT   This beer is brewed in Cold Spring, MN and they use maple syrup made by the monks of St. John. Its a dark stout, syrupy but i didnt think it was too sweet. Nice beer, fairly inexpensive, i would reccomend giving it a try.

1 mile on treadmill