Takako Minekawa: Telstar



A bit of a Martin Denny vibe here...

Cool Story : )


Beatles + Small Town America, U.S.A. = Great Success!

Gotta Have My Bowl


R.I.P. Cliff Robertson

This man made Uncle Ben, Charlie, and many other roles come to life. A real class act.

Bonus: Robertson could play real oddball characters as well, as evidenced by his work in the largely-forgotten Burt Reynolds classic "Malone"; Watch the trailer and you'll know why the film is largely-forgotten:

New Voltron toy?


But of course!

And don't forget the retro "Shogun Warriors" branded neo jumbo machinder.

Still Falling


Still Falling

Sixty-six years ago


The Formal Surrender of Japan.

And recently, some have used the event as a signpost of the post war period and been misunderstood -- go figure...

Yeah, Baby!


Look, folks! It's the "Austin Powers Edition" Gundam.

Ninja or Nutter?



Maybe both?

"James-Younger Rye Ale"


Quickie-review

Produced* to coincide with the annual "Defeat of Jesse James Days" celebration in Northfield, Minnesota. The locals still call it 'Jesse James Days' and it's quite the to-do in Northfield. While I can't make it to this year's event, I'm happy to have had the opportunity to sample this a little early.

"James-Younger 1876 Rye Ale" is basically a contemporary 'American Pale Ale' with the addition of chocolate rye as a specialty malt, and this grain in turn imparts a toasty "cocoa"-like character in addition to the traditional spiciness of rye. Likewise, there's some hop spiciness (and aromatics, and bitterness...) in this beer that place the beer more in line with a contemporary "American IPA" than a lower-strength (and "less-hoppy") pale ale, so in fact this beer is like a mash-up of three styles: Rye Ale, APA, and A-IPA. I've had my fair share of Rye ales in the past few years, and this one really holds its own: it's no Hop Rod Rye, but it is a nice change of pace for folks who've cut their teeth on the likes of Boulevard Pale Ale and Summit "EPA".

Kompai!

*Produced by Bank Beer Co.