It was nacho night at our place, a late night with some friends over. While we were shopping earlier for the nacho staples, i told the guys we need to have a special l'chaim. So I picked out Brother Thelonious. When I picked up the bottle instantly I had a soundtrack for this moment in time, I could hear Dennis Coffey (definatly not Jazz) jammin out with Scorpio. I started pop lockin down the beer isle, the grocery clerk looked at me and said "Cool it son!". Then I raised Brother Thelonious to him and the horn section kicked in on Scorpio, BAH BAH BAH BAH BADIBA BA!. Then I snapped out of it. We rolled back to the crib, cracked open this ale and BOOM! Awesome beer, it was very dark, robust, extremely smooth, i don't know much more to say exept its probably my favorite beer as of now! I know i still have a lot to try, but as of now, its the top dog. I will assure you at first sip the music in my soundtrack of life changed to Mr Monks - Straight, No Chaser. I highly recommend everybody and their mom try this ale, its my favorite. 10 out of 10, but may have to create a better rating system with higher standards cause numbers are not doing it justice! As Mr Monk said "Ain't that a B*%ch!"
ALSO! Something very awesome: Every time you buy Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale you also help to support the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz whose mission is to offer the world's most promising young musicians college level training by America's jazz masters and to present public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the world. All of these programs are offered free of charge to the students and schools.
It was a late night, me and wife missed dinner so as we squandered throughout the grocery store looking for a kosher pizza, i fell upon this pleasant looking label. It was Brewery Ommengang 2009 Three Philosophers, Belgian style quadruple. I know very little about Belgian beers, this ale was lofty. Its a warm bronze brown color. I noticed the yeast settlement at the bottom, the label said not to let it mix, so i left it. It was a very mellow malty aroma with a hint of cherry. This is definatetly something you should drink in a group of 3, preferably lofty and deep minded sage like folk. Its got a lil kick to it, 9.8% to be exact. I absolutely enjoyed drinking this ale, but emotionally suffered severely not drinking it with some buddies, its a beer that should have some kind of ritual before served, i wish i had one of the traditional Belgian ale glass goblets, Im excepting gifts as of the moment (*wink wink*). Please try it but not alone! I give it a 9.DOPE out of 10.
So me and the guys from work have been hearing about this beer on the radio a whole lot. There have been stories of people who have been saying "Bro I put this on my mom, grandma, and ncle Dick its the best beer ever, I mean ever, I'm serious like Mr T bro!". Its pretty intense the response it is getting. Well last Thursday my buddy Ze'ev called me and said "Hey Rome we gotta see what all this noise is about and try this beer". So, Friday it was me, Brad and Ze'ev, we hopped in the whip and mashed out like Dukes of Hazard up to Capital Hill a few hours before Shabbos to check this beer out. We went to the brewery instead of Elysian fields, it was a mad house due to the game that day and the grand unveiling of The Men's Room Red finally being bottled. We got a pitcher of the beer and its core was pulsing red, like it was the heart of the earth...I'm joking, it was a nice amber/red color. The smell was toasty. The taste was amazing, it was medium bodied, with a smooth bitterness. This is a real deal good beer. For being on Tap is a good beer, but in a bottle, I imagine its gonna be top dog for a while. Rumor is they cant even bottle enough to meet the demand, so its there is some outsourcing of brewing. My biggest disapointment is all the clowns who hyped this beer up as if it was the dawn of a new age and the fore runner of the final beer redemption. Overall I will say find it and drink it, its a real good beer, but first tell the hype guys to stop talking and have another Men's Room Red. I give it a 7 out of 10.
Some facts from Elysian on The Mens Room Red.
Men's Room Ale "Because we think it’s yummy!"
Style Original red
Body Medium
TASTING NOTES Amber in color with a light hop aroma and toasty malt finish.
HOPS Bittered with Chinook and finished with Cascade
ABV: 5.6%
AVAILABILITY Available Year — round 1/2 bbls (22 oz bottles coming soon)
A portion of the net proceeds from every Mens Room Original Red sold goes to helping support the families of our military vets through the VA Puget Sound Fisher House and Ft. Lewis Fisher House.
The Mens Room Original Red is brewed for The Mens Room Radio Show on 99.9 KISW The Rock of Seattle.
So Yesterday the wife and I walked into Choco Canyon Organic Cafe, a vegan/raw vegetable cafe in the U-District of Seattle. I heard about organic beers on tap. So I tried one that a couple of friends raged on about to me. It was the Elliot Bay Organic IPA. Overall is was a real deal quality beer. As the waitress brought the cold glass out to me, it was like a glass shaped amber inclusion, you know the prehistoric kind with the bug all sealed up like on the top of John Hammond's dino pimp cane in Jurassic Park. The color on this IPA was beautiful, if it could dangle from my chain I would flex it. The beer had a caramel taste at start and then perfectly boldly bitter for like 15 seconds. Then it rolled away clean off the tongue like it was never there. The smell was purdy, yup i said and spelled it purdy, "pretty" doesn't have the emphasis i need to describe to you its smell. Its smell was like honey on a chamomile flower, but like i said don't let that be the judge, drink it. An amazing beer. I give it a 7.5 out of 10. Drink one!
Hers some info from our friends at Elliott Bay on this IPA.
My wife told me some time back that she was planning to take me on a special date. Sunday morning came, and she was up early packing a picnic lunch. I tried to guess where we were heading, but she insisted that it be a surprise.
We drove about 40 minutes south of Nashville, out into the beautiful countryside of Tennessee. When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a guard which was posted in front of two large rode iron gates. The guard welcomed us to Arrington Vineyard, and directed us into the parking area. As we drove up the hill park, we were surrounded by rolling hills, growing grapes, picnic benches scattered around the property, and large southern style tree swings.
At Noon the vineyard opens to the public and folks from all over town come to Arrington to enjoy an outdoor lunch, listen to live music, and more notably sign up for the free wine tasting! My wife and I picked our spot on the large hill above the vineyard and then signed up for the tasting, leaving our phone number for the hostess to call us when our time came. We took the opportunity to walk around the vineyard before the hostess called us to join the next tasting. The tasting was conducted in a large log Cabin, where we heard a live three piece jazz band grooving to some old jazz standards on the outdoor deck.
As we tasted the different wines Arrington produces, we were given the history on the vineyard, and the process the grapes go through. My wife and I love to try new wines, but we had never tried a Tennessee wine before. I can tell you that Jack Daniels is not the only great drink to come out of Tennessee!
Not only is the wine at Arrington delicious, but their prices are very reasonable. We bought a bottle of Muscat Love 2006 to go along with our picnic lunch, and kicked back under a tree to listen to live jazz and take in the scenery of the vineyard. You could say I enjoyed this date! If you live in Tennessee or plan to visit, be sure to visit Arrington Vineyard.
Arrington is located at 6211 Patton Rd Arrington, TN 37014-9116 (615) 395-0102 arringtonvineyards.com
Awhile back, I was reading Parashat Mishpatim along with some commentaries from Rashi and Rambam. On the verse, "And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them,” Rashi in Tanchuma 3 comments on ‘before them.’ "'Before them': But not before the Gentiles. Even if you know that they (The Gentiles) judge a certain law similarly to the laws of Israel, do not bring it to their courts, for one who brings Jewish lawsuits before The Gentiles profanes the (Divine) Name and honors the name of idols to praise them (to give them importance), as it is said: “For not like our Rock (G-d) is their rock, but (yet) our enemies judge (us)” (Deut. 32:31). When (we let) our enemies judge (us), this is testimony to (our) esteem of their deity.”
Next, I came across what Rambam had to say on the same verse: "Whoever submits a suit for adjudication to Gentile judges in their courts, even if the judgment rendered by them is in accord with Jewish law, is a wicked man. It is as though he reviled, blasphemed and rebelled against the Law of Moses, our teacher, for it is said; 'Now these are the ordinances which thou shall set before them.' (Exod. 21:1) - 'before them', not before heathens, and not before laymen." (Rambam in Hilchos Sanhedrin, 26, 7)
The strong words of these two sages should be brought into serious consideration when it comes to court. I started to think about the prayer in the Amidah, Restoration of Judges, and how serious we really need to pray for this. How I wish our communities could be so much closer and united; brother accountable for brother, sister for sister. Over lookers would be appointed; our elders would be councilors to us, and a beit din would be established in every congregation. We would all strive to be a warm, welcoming, and holy community in Yeshua; each person seeking to be a vessel for His love.
I wondered how Rashi and Rambam’s commentaries could be applied to our own community of both Jews and non-Jews, then I read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and realized that Paul was saying the same thing as the sages! There was a common law to all believers. The early messianic community began to crumble before Paul’s very eyes, and Meshikhim somehow found themselves going to secular courts instead of going to the righteous in their own community. Paul in Corinthians 6:1-12 writes: "Dare any one of you, having a matter against another, prosecute his suit before the unjust, and not before the righteous? Do you not then know that the righteous shall judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy of [the] smallest judgments? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? And not then matters of this life? If you then have judgments as to things of this life, set those [to judge] who are little esteemed in the assembly. I speak to you [to put you] to shame. Thus there is not a wise person among you, not even one, who shall be able to decide between his brethren! But brother prosecutes his suit with brother and that before unbelievers. Already indeed then it is altogether a fault in you that you have suits between yourselves. Why don't you rather suffer wrong? Why aren't you rather defrauded? But instead *you* do wrong, and defraud, and this [your] brethren. Don't you know that unrighteous [persons] shall not inherit [the] kingdom of G-d? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who make women of themselves, nor who abuse themselves with men, thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor abusive persons, nor [the] rapacious, shall inherit [the] kingdom of God. And these things were some of you; but you have been washed, but you have been sanctified, but you have been justified in the name of the Lord Yeshua, and by the Spirit of our G-d."
Today we are a product of the broken communities, and we seem to be a far cry from how Paul wants us to be. The good news is that there seems to be a deep desire to walk in the footsteps of Yeshua; and to strive for unity, structure, and for accountability among our community. There is a hunger for Torah, tradition, and a fiery simchah for Yeshua! No matter how shy or non charismatic some of us may seem to be (definitely including myself) deep down, we want to go into wild mode for Mashiach. We all have a part in this restoration, and we each have unique giftings from Hashem to use in bringing about a beautiful unity and maturity to our movement and to all Israel.
As a tikkun for the broken communities of the past, let’s seek council and advice from the righteous in our communities, and steer clear of secular council. Practice mussar with a few close friends, and focus on the teachings of Yeshua and our sages. Seek peace always, love unconditionally, and don’t let anger overcome in trials. Most importantly…Daven! Everything starts with prayer. Prayer is the best defense against following our yetzer hara which leads to all that drama Paul was so busy and burdened with.
How many of us have ever said, "I wish I was a kid again,” "I wish I could start all over again," or "I don’t want to grow up"? It’s a desire deep within the human soul, but we never seem to know how to reconcile it. Adults and children flock to the theatre to see this dream lived out on the big screen. Movies such as "BIG" with Tom Hanks or "Freaky Friday" with Lindsay Lohan are examples of Hollywood’s portrayal of this soul desire that hits home to us all. The younger generations watch these comedies and see adults act like children, giving a distorted view of adulthood. At the same time, Adults watch the same movies and come to the conclusion that they can’t be a kid again; they have responsibilities to tend to. The outcome of this deep soulful desire leaves us all in disappointment. So must it be a dead end desire? Is it foolish to have such yearnings?
Far be the thought! This desire is not a problem, it’s a blessing! When adults dream about being a child again, it is not the opportunity to be immature with no cares or responsibilities; that is not the thing that our souls love so much about children. What we love is their pure innocent unadulterated essence.
Torah is something that is of corporeal substance yet its essence is G-d who is infinite and pure. G-d humbles himself to corporeal matter in order to give us a way to return to him. This concept is explained in the forth chapter of The Tanya. We study Torah in order to shed off the layers of sins and reconnect with G-d whom will restore to us clean hands and heart. As King David said“Hashem’s Torah is perfect, restoring the soul. - Tehillim 19:8
During a Torah service the Torah makes a procession around the room and as it passes the congregantsthey touch the cover with their tzitzit, or siddurim and then kiss whatever they touched the Torah with. Some kiss the Torah itself, all of these actions are a way of saying; May the essence of G-d be bestowed upon me. During Simcha Torah it is common to have children on the shoulders of adults while dancing around the room, it’s done not only because it is a joyful time, but because Children are often compared to a sefer Torah; pure in essence and fresh from Heaven. In the same way that one would reach out to have the essence of the sefer Torah bestowed upon them, one would reach out to a child for the same reason.
The purity of the soul is expressed beautifully in the Morning Prayer; “Elokai neshama”
My G-d, the soul You placed within me is pure. You created it, You fashioned it, You breathed it into me, You safeguard it within me, and eventually You will take it from me, and restore it to me in the Time to Come. As long as the soul is within me, I gratefully thank You, HASHEM, my G-d and the G-d of my forefathers, Master of all works, L-rd of all souls. Blessed are You, HASHEM, Who restores souls to dead bodies. – Siddur, Shacharit prayers.
In Judaism, the foundational understanding of our souls is that they are pure, straight from Heaven. The soul is referred to in Chasidut as “a spark” which originated from G-d and descended down through many levels, each becoming darker until finding a resting place on the lowest level in corporeal matter, our body. The Soul is the life of the body, but as we grow up though the years our soul becomes covered up in husk or sins that separate us more and more from our source, The Creator. Our sins are learned behaviors from our broken world, and through the years our sins can become completely buried and conceal our G-dly spark from shining in the world of darkness. Our soul becomes trapped and always yearns to someday to be free. Its only desire is to shine in the world, and to reconnect back to its source in Heaven, G-d. This process of getting back to our pure essence is called Teshuva. Teshuva is often translated as repentance. Yet repentance is the act of feeling remorseful and in Hebrew this would be called Charatah. The more accurate translation of the word Teshuva would be To Return.
So when your soul has the desire to be a child again, remember it’s not the immature character you crave, but it is your soul desiring to return to a pure and innocent state. The King Mashiach, Yeshua HaNotzri taught his students this:
In that hour the students came to Yeshua, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Yeshua called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea. - Mat 18:1-6
Count it a miraculous blessing that G-d has placed this desire to return to our pure essence in us. May we all be granted that our sins be removed from our souls and we return and reconnect to our maker. Remember! You don’t have to grow up you can be a Teshuva kid! May it be His will that we all become His lighthouses to those seeking to return.
