Chowder, Catwalks, Coffee, and Cans

I hate cliches. They're almost as bad as thumbs-ups. Almost. And one of the worst cliches is the one about fridays. About thanking some form of a deity for them. And how we live for them.

Don't get me wrong. I love a friday as much, if not more, than anyone who has to work a nine to five on a Monday through a Friday. But it's ubiquitous. Everyone loves a friday. You don't need to tell me. Especially if I'm standing in front of a urinal.

Man at adjacent urinal: "Oh, man. Thank god it's Friday. Am I right?"

Me: "You realize you're looking at me and trying to talk to me while we are both micturating, yes?"

Man at adjacent urinal: "What?"

Me: "Eyes on the prize, pal."

Man at adjacent urinal: "You're weird."

Me: "We have a bingo."

Our Friday night begins at the Manito Tap House, a local gastropub which also happens to be our favorite place for food and drink. You'll be hearing a lot about this place if you keep reading this blog. The place kicks major ass. 50 taps. Excellent food. And the chef is a yo-yo master. I was planning on taking a photo of the delicious entrees we had, but I was enjoying it so much I forgot to snap a photo. I did manage, however, to snap a pic of my soup and my beer. The soup: roasted vegetable chowder. The beer: North Coast's Old Rasputin. On nitro. There's really no better way to start a weekend.

Following dinner, we returned home for what's becoming a Friday night ritual: Watching Project Runway. You might remember me mentioning the show in my introduction post, so let me put all your doubts to rest. I. Effing. Love. Project. Runway. I really couldn't tell you why, either. I just love the show. I have to say though, this season has been rather complex. Normally I've latched on to a contestent within the first couple of episodes and hope for that person to take it all the way to New York Fashion Week, but even after six episodes I haven't really locked in with anyone. I do know who I dislike (Ahem. Ven? Seriously? A little tact, perhaps? You should have a real women in mind when you design, and not a goddamn barbie doll.), but I'm not sure yet who I'd like to see win the show.

We paired the viewing with the Anubis Imperial Coffee Porter from Laughing Dog. There's something about watching Runway that makes me think of gossip in a coffee shop, so this beer seems especially appropriate. I can just hear Tim Gunn's voice in my head right now, applauding my beer selection for the show. "You made it work!" he'd say. And I'd blush and swoon and fall into the genuine and sweet embrace of fashion's finest gentlemen.

Er. Ahem. I'm divulging too much right now, aren't I. Let's just forget that last part. Moving on.

Anyway, Laughing Dog Brewery is up in Sandpoint, ID, so many still consider it a local brew. I was first introduced to this coffee porter at a Laughing Dog beer pairing dinner at the Manito Tap House (We've come full circle!) and fell in love with it. It's pretty big. 9.2% ABV. Perfect for breakfast. The coffee flavor is strong, which suits me fine but might turn off others. I'm not normally a porter guy, so the strong coffee flavor is the primary appeal for me.

We finished up the night with some more New Super Mario Bros. Wii and some cans of Back In Black by 21st Amendment Brewery. It's a black IPA, which, as it states on the can, is an "American IPA brewed with rich dark malts." I've had a few black IPA's (which can also be called Cascadian Dark Ales or American Dark Ales or even India Black Ales depending on the region the beer is brewed as well as the level of beer snobbery of the person talking about it.), and I'm a big fan. I've been slow to embrace the canned craft beer trend, however, but this one definitely seems to make it work. We pour it into a glass anyway, and I imagine that negates any tangible differences in taste between a can and a bottle. In any case, it makes for easier transport, for sure. It's just hard to get away from the canned beer stigma, that nothing quality can come in a can. But this brewery, as well as others like Oskar Blues, are really changing the game. This one comes in at 6.8% ABV and 65 IBU's. Well balanced. Dark, yet bright. Easy to drink. And drink again. And again. Pretty sure it takes a few before you can find the super secret path to the super secret cannon that lets you skip ahead two or three worlds.

But don't take my word for it.

Shoot. That's LeVar Burton's tag line, isn't it? Reading Rainbow? Damn.

Eh. Kunta Kinte wouldn't mind. Then again, I've never seen Roots, so I really don't know. I do know, however, that Geordi La Forge wouldn't mind. Or LeVar for that matter. I hope, anyway. Wouldn't want to get on LeVar's bad side. Whatever that means.

The next one's on me, LeVar.

Now that's not a bad tag line. Oh, forget it. I give up. Just tap that glass.