the finest kiss

What is St. Patrick’s day, but an excuse to tie one on? Being that we are repressed, puritanical Americans we need an excuse to drink, because if you just drink because it makes you feel good, well then you have a problem. Me, I don’t save up my drinking for Erin Go Bragh, I prefer to spread it out all year. As for these songs, I have been saving them up for just this occasion! You may notice the absence of any Pogues songs, it just seemed way too obvious.

Salad - Drink the Elixir - I’m not sure what exactly the elixir is that Marijne van der Vlugt is refering to, but I like to think it’s some kind of blue kamikaze concoction that you’ll be regretting the next morning. (from Drink Me)

Lucksmiths - Beer Nut - Out drinking with your friends, getting booted out of the pub, and then trying to get home. A typical night out put to music by the incomparable Lucksmiths. (from Happy Secret)

Los Lobos - I Got Loaded - Only if it were always like this, getting loaded and then the next morning feeling all right. Yeah, right. (from How Will the Wolf Survive?)

60ft Dolls - No. 1 Pure Alcohol - That would be grain, though not pure it’s the closest you can get without killing yourself. (from The Big Three)

Rosco Gordon - Let’s Get High - Getting drunk with your significant other, this may or may not be a good idea, but back in the 50’s I guess it was de rigueur. (from Sun Records Collection)

Camper Van Beethoven - Wasted - Punks, Surfers, Skaters, Hippies, etc. everyone does it. The Camper’s take on this Black Flag song is classic funny from Lowery’s dude-like vocals to the Jonathon Segal drunk violin. (from Telephone Free Landslide Victory

Gene - Sick Sober and Sorry - Don’t you hate it when someone tells you that you’ve had enough? Poor Gene got a raw deal because they sounded like the Smiths a little too much. Who cares when you write good songs like this, one of my favorite Gene songs and one of my favorite drinking songs for that matter. (from To See the Lights)

Jack - I was Drunk in the Underworld - This songs gives me the feeling of wondering the streets after I’ve had a few too many, when everything feels just a little weird. (from Wintercomesummer)

The Triffids - Once a Day - This cover of the Bill Anderson classic is the highlight of the Triffids’ In the Pines. I guess you don’t have a problem if you only drink once a day. (from In the Pines)

Jazz Butcher - D.R.I.N.K. -Aahhhh, Max Eider can really play the guitar, and he’s a pretty darn good singer as well. This cocktail jazzy number makes you want to umm…. drink. (from Draining the Glass)

Divine Comedy - a Drinking Song - Neil Hannon’s early records were minimalist baroque bliss. This song is perfect for any drinking occasion, and will give it a little class. (from Promenade)

Mathew Sweet - The Alcohol Talking - With excellent guitar from Richard Lloyd, this song is about the ugly drunk. I didn’t want to give you the impression that getting loaded is always fun and glam. (from Earth)

Frank Sinatra - Drinking Again - There are so many reasons to drink, and of course the best reason is when you’re feeling sorry for yourself because some dame has left you. (from The Reprise Collection)

Tom Waits - The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) - When you’re drunk it’s always someone else’s fault, and there’s always someone that’s had more than you. I always thought it was a bit odd that this song was played at the end of the Jennifer Jason Leigh film Georgia. (from Small Change)

The Fall - White Lightning - This Big Bopper classic needs no introduction. I can totally see Mark E Smith runnin’ moonshine. (from Shift-Work)

After having such a great time at this past summer’s Phinney Beer Taste, I decided to check out the fall/winter version of the same event. I have to say how impressed I am with the way the Phinney Neighborhood Association puts this event together. They only sell a finite amount of tickets, have some really great sponsors (74th Street Ale House for this one), put together a great selection of beers and breweries, and hold the event at the historic 1904 John B. Allen Elementary School (Live music and food was also provided).

Quite a few more people showed up for this one compared to the summer tasting, but to compensate there were about 8 more breweries. A lot of the breweries were sporting their winter brews. Winter brews are usually Strong Ales with a bunch of nuts, berries, spices, and you name it thrown in to celebrate the season. To me, many of the winter brews taste like I’m the liquid version of a fruitcake. That said, I did try my fair share of winter ales last night and I actually like a couple of them.

Hands down, the best beer of the night went to Diamond Knot’s Industrial Ho Ho Ale. They were serving it on cask, so they had a leg up on everyone already. But this beer didn’t over do it with any one thing, it was just a solid strong ale with good hops and a bit of malt to smooth it out. I went back for seconds for this one, because finding any Diamond Knot on tap around town can be a difficult endeavor.

First Runner Up was the Anacortes ESB. This was a very nice beer that went down very easy, had a good complex taste and not too much alcohol.

Second Runner up for me was Fish’s Winterfish Seasonal Ale. If I had to compare it, I think Sierra Nevada’s Celebration ale would be a good reference. Good, but not outstanding.

Best costumes for the night went to Baron for their Leiderhosen, their doppelbock was well liked too.

Award for beer that tastes like a port wine went to Harmon’s Strong Seasonal Ale. A little of this went a long way. In fact I challenge anyone to actually sit down a drink a full pint of this stuff. It had strong (and I do mean strong!) undertones of cherries and currants. Good stuff, but I’d call it a desert beer.

One disappointment was Lazy Boy’s Mistletoe Bliss. I was really impressed with their IPA earlier this summer, but their winter brew just didn’t have that much of a bang, in fact it was down right dull. Maybe it was a bad batch, I’ll give ‘em the benefit of the doubt on this one.

A good time seemed to be had by all. Especially since we could walk home from the conveniently located Phinney Center!

Parting Shot: Why can’t any of the live music venues in town serve some decent beer? Seriously, I think only the Tractor in Ballard has a decent selection on tap. Is it really that hard to have a good local IPA, ESP, Porter, etc. from say a Boundary Bay, Diamond Knot, Bottleworks, or Harmon on tap? I for one am tired of having to choose from either the Euro green bottles or the generic pale ale that most places serve. Do they not make a big enough profit from good beer, or do is it not available from their distributor, or do they just have boring taste in beer? It certainly isn’t because Seattle doesn’t have any good beers!