Dear Microbrewers,
I know we're all excited to get winter behind us (though it was pretty mild here in my neck of the woods), but we just had the Spring Equinox. Why is summer beer already in the stores and on tap?
Don't get me wrong. Summer beer season is my favorite, but I was pretty shocked to not be able to get the Sam Adams Alpine Spring Seasonal at the beginning of April (beginning of April). I had to settle for the Sam Summer, which I like, but I like to look forward to it in April and May, not drink it.
I might blame you for global warming. Releasing seasonal beers too early causes global warming.
Sounds good, no?
Your pal,
Jill
Showing posts with label Booze. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Booze. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Brewery Service Update
Dear Readers,
I got a nice little e-mail back from the GM at Cambridge Brewing Company. The Boy had also written in and had heard back pretty promptly. The GM apologized and said that they'd made mistakes that night and it ended up in customers getting lousy service, which was totally unacceptable.
Here's what he told me:
I got a nice little e-mail back from the GM at Cambridge Brewing Company. The Boy had also written in and had heard back pretty promptly. The GM apologized and said that they'd made mistakes that night and it ended up in customers getting lousy service, which was totally unacceptable.
Here's what he told me:
Thanks for understanding. We do genuinely care about our customers here. But, alas we do screw up from time to time:-) I’m so glad you’ve decided to give us another chance. We certainly owe you at least a beer on the house! Next time you’re in just ask for me or Laura (The AGM) and we’ll definitely get you one on the house.
Cheers,
Chris
Very nice reply that made me feel really good. I realize we all make mistakes, but it's nice when you run into a person that owns up to them and makes amends.
Chalk this up to good management 101!
Your pal,
Jill
Monday, July 4, 2011
Brewing up a Lousy Experience
Dear Chris Punis, General Manager of Cambridge Brewing Company,
Tonight was my second visit to CBC. As my four friends, husband, and I stood in the courtyard of 1 Kendall Square, a man hurried his child out of one of the restaurants and on to the square, where she promptly threw up.
That's pretty much how I felt about my experience at CBC on Sunday evening.
About a year ago, I was at CBC and felt fairly underwhelmed about my experience then. I mean, it wasn't awful -- if I remember correctly, we had a good, friendly server, but the food and the beer were just all right. I didn't feel the need to go back, and I figured you wouldn't miss me.
Then a friend suggested going to CBC tonight. At first our visit seemed normal. Met 5 friends at the bar; my husband got a beer; the hostess was really nice and seated us right away. Our server got our drink orders in a fair amount of time. She took our food order in a fair amount of time.
And then we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And we cursed our friend for ordering a "very well done" steak.
And we waited some more.
And we wondered just how the medium rare burger was timed to match the very well done steak and just how long it took to bake a couple of pizzas. I mean, I know you're going to have a "slow food" event next month, but is your current service an indicator of what that event will be like?
And then the food finally came. Great food is worth the wait, but was this worth it? Well, I had the pizza of the day, and it was pretty tasty, but nothing that I would remember--except for breakfast the next day, since I had some leftovers (and speaking of leftovers, does your kitchen not have any aluminum foil in it? I asked for tin foil instead of a container because I only had two slices of pizza, and I wanted to wrap them flat and slide them into my purse. I didn't want to deal with a container. I had to deal with a container because the server said the kitchen didn't have anything smaller).
While we were eating, we got the standard check-in from our server, and I managed to get another beer ordered. No one else did -- and we had some empty glasses at the table. Any other checking in was done on the move. If we really needed something, I'm not sure we could've stopped her because she was busy.
In fact, everyone looked busy, and looking around the half-full back dining area where we were, I couldn't understand it. Where was everyone going? Why was the hostess busing glasses?
Eventually the server came back to see if we wanted dessert, and we opted to split a strawberry whoopie pie. This whoopie pie took a good 10-15 minutes to show up. It's not like it was fresh-baked or required some sort of special preparation. This was a huge whoopie pie that was refrigerated, wrapped in paper, and put on a board with a carton of milk on the side. Why did it take so long?
Perhaps the wait wouldn't have been as bad if we didn't have empty glasses. No beer, no water, no hope of getting anything because our server was too busy elsewhere. My husband had to ask the bartender for a pitcher of water. Our server didn't even notice the pitcher on the table when she brought the dessert. Needless to say, we asked for our check right away, and our server was lucky she got a 15% tip.
I don't expect or want anything from this letter, but I want you to know that I won't be back, and it's not because the beer and food aren't acceptable. It's because the service is so bad that it brings down any quality that's in the product you offer. Not that it matters -- CBC has plenty of fans who don't mind being ignored.
Your pal,
Jill
Tonight was my second visit to CBC. As my four friends, husband, and I stood in the courtyard of 1 Kendall Square, a man hurried his child out of one of the restaurants and on to the square, where she promptly threw up.
That's pretty much how I felt about my experience at CBC on Sunday evening.
About a year ago, I was at CBC and felt fairly underwhelmed about my experience then. I mean, it wasn't awful -- if I remember correctly, we had a good, friendly server, but the food and the beer were just all right. I didn't feel the need to go back, and I figured you wouldn't miss me.
Then a friend suggested going to CBC tonight. At first our visit seemed normal. Met 5 friends at the bar; my husband got a beer; the hostess was really nice and seated us right away. Our server got our drink orders in a fair amount of time. She took our food order in a fair amount of time.
And then we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And we cursed our friend for ordering a "very well done" steak.
And we waited some more.
And we wondered just how the medium rare burger was timed to match the very well done steak and just how long it took to bake a couple of pizzas. I mean, I know you're going to have a "slow food" event next month, but is your current service an indicator of what that event will be like?
And then the food finally came. Great food is worth the wait, but was this worth it? Well, I had the pizza of the day, and it was pretty tasty, but nothing that I would remember--except for breakfast the next day, since I had some leftovers (and speaking of leftovers, does your kitchen not have any aluminum foil in it? I asked for tin foil instead of a container because I only had two slices of pizza, and I wanted to wrap them flat and slide them into my purse. I didn't want to deal with a container. I had to deal with a container because the server said the kitchen didn't have anything smaller).
While we were eating, we got the standard check-in from our server, and I managed to get another beer ordered. No one else did -- and we had some empty glasses at the table. Any other checking in was done on the move. If we really needed something, I'm not sure we could've stopped her because she was busy.
In fact, everyone looked busy, and looking around the half-full back dining area where we were, I couldn't understand it. Where was everyone going? Why was the hostess busing glasses?
Eventually the server came back to see if we wanted dessert, and we opted to split a strawberry whoopie pie. This whoopie pie took a good 10-15 minutes to show up. It's not like it was fresh-baked or required some sort of special preparation. This was a huge whoopie pie that was refrigerated, wrapped in paper, and put on a board with a carton of milk on the side. Why did it take so long?
Perhaps the wait wouldn't have been as bad if we didn't have empty glasses. No beer, no water, no hope of getting anything because our server was too busy elsewhere. My husband had to ask the bartender for a pitcher of water. Our server didn't even notice the pitcher on the table when she brought the dessert. Needless to say, we asked for our check right away, and our server was lucky she got a 15% tip.
I don't expect or want anything from this letter, but I want you to know that I won't be back, and it's not because the beer and food aren't acceptable. It's because the service is so bad that it brings down any quality that's in the product you offer. Not that it matters -- CBC has plenty of fans who don't mind being ignored.
Your pal,
Jill
Monday, April 25, 2011
Cheers!
Dear Readers,
Think I'm posting in the afternoon because I'm hung over? Well, you'd be wrong!
I did enjoy a decent of amount of prosecco yesterday during my Easter celebrations. Lent's now over, and I kept up my end of the bargain to not have booze during it (save the one day in Maine at the beginning of April that God and I discussed when we made our agreement).
I have to say that the last couple of weeks weren't so bad. Sure, I wouldn't have minded a beer here and there. Passing up a mimosa at brunch this past Saturday was also tough, but during the second half of Lent, I seemed to have turned the corner of "this is not so difficult." That was pretty nice. I even dropped a couple of pounds--though I don't know if that was due to not drinking, or it was due to the Boy's starting a food diary, which made me a little more conscientious about what I was putting into my mouth.
Still, I'm glad it's over. I'm a little comforted by the fact that I now know I'm able to give up drinking if I had to, but it's much nicer to say, "Oh, I don't feel like a drink tonight," than, "I can't drink at all." Besides, I have a list of cocktail places to hit up, so it's time to get a move on that!
Your pal,
Jill
Think I'm posting in the afternoon because I'm hung over? Well, you'd be wrong!
I did enjoy a decent of amount of prosecco yesterday during my Easter celebrations. Lent's now over, and I kept up my end of the bargain to not have booze during it (save the one day in Maine at the beginning of April that God and I discussed when we made our agreement).
I have to say that the last couple of weeks weren't so bad. Sure, I wouldn't have minded a beer here and there. Passing up a mimosa at brunch this past Saturday was also tough, but during the second half of Lent, I seemed to have turned the corner of "this is not so difficult." That was pretty nice. I even dropped a couple of pounds--though I don't know if that was due to not drinking, or it was due to the Boy's starting a food diary, which made me a little more conscientious about what I was putting into my mouth.
Still, I'm glad it's over. I'm a little comforted by the fact that I now know I'm able to give up drinking if I had to, but it's much nicer to say, "Oh, I don't feel like a drink tonight," than, "I can't drink at all." Besides, I have a list of cocktail places to hit up, so it's time to get a move on that!
Your pal,
Jill
Monday, April 4, 2011
Raising My Glass
Dear Readers,
As you may recall, I gave up booze for Lent. Not the most brilliant decision, but I'm managing. It helps that in what the Boy refers to as "my contract with Jesus," I gave myself an exception for April 2. Before Lent, we'd made arrangements to see some friends in Portland, ME (where I'd be officiating a little roller derby action), and we planned to go to a brewpub or two while we were there.
It was a small fact I remembered as I made my Lenten resolution. Hence, the exception.
Let me tell you, the drinking was fantastic.
Well, backing up a minute. We went to two beer joints: Sea Dog Brew Pub, and the Lion's Pride, which is a big Belgian beer place. At Sea Dog I had two beers, a blonde and a blueberry wheat. Both were tasty. Both were <5% ABV. Both went straight to my head.
Food helped a little bit, and I managed to finish a Stillwater Of Love and Regret, this really tasty herby beer that I'd love to drink again.
However, by the end of the evening, I was fairly crocked over a small amount of beer, and I didn't really like that feeling. I enjoy a beverage at the end of the day, should I feel like one. I don't like seeing my tolerance slim down to nothing. I don't like getting silly over nothing. It's not fun--I feel like less of an adult when I can't manage a couple of drinks.
The good news is that I only have a few weeks left in my Lenten adventure. Then I can resume enjoying beverages the way they should be enjoyed. Do I think this experiment is silly? No. If anything, it's taught me that everything in moderation is good. Drink too much, and you'll have to stop drinking for life. Enjoy a little bit, and you can savor it forever.
Your pal,
Jill
As you may recall, I gave up booze for Lent. Not the most brilliant decision, but I'm managing. It helps that in what the Boy refers to as "my contract with Jesus," I gave myself an exception for April 2. Before Lent, we'd made arrangements to see some friends in Portland, ME (where I'd be officiating a little roller derby action), and we planned to go to a brewpub or two while we were there.
It was a small fact I remembered as I made my Lenten resolution. Hence, the exception.
Let me tell you, the drinking was fantastic.
Well, backing up a minute. We went to two beer joints: Sea Dog Brew Pub, and the Lion's Pride, which is a big Belgian beer place. At Sea Dog I had two beers, a blonde and a blueberry wheat. Both were tasty. Both were <5% ABV. Both went straight to my head.
Food helped a little bit, and I managed to finish a Stillwater Of Love and Regret, this really tasty herby beer that I'd love to drink again.
However, by the end of the evening, I was fairly crocked over a small amount of beer, and I didn't really like that feeling. I enjoy a beverage at the end of the day, should I feel like one. I don't like seeing my tolerance slim down to nothing. I don't like getting silly over nothing. It's not fun--I feel like less of an adult when I can't manage a couple of drinks.
The good news is that I only have a few weeks left in my Lenten adventure. Then I can resume enjoying beverages the way they should be enjoyed. Do I think this experiment is silly? No. If anything, it's taught me that everything in moderation is good. Drink too much, and you'll have to stop drinking for life. Enjoy a little bit, and you can savor it forever.
Your pal,
Jill
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Counting Down
Dear Readers,
I don't often give up something for Lent, but this year I decided to participate--to see if I could jump start some healthier behavior and see if I could stick with a short-term project.
I've given up booze. All of it--beer, wine, liquor.
It's not fun.
At first it wasn't too bad, but after a week,the Boy and I had a hard workout day. Last week was the first time the Boy could really walk to and from the train station without wading through somebody's unshoveled walk, and in an attempt to get some exercise, I walk with him to the train station and then I meet him there at the end of the day. This means I went from almost no movement to a minimum of 4 miles walking a day (it's a mile to the train station). On Thursday I also walked to and from my volunteer gig at the library, which is another 20 minute walk that involves a pretty steep hill on the way home. Plus, the Boy and I did a run at the track near our field (which involves running home up that steep hill).
Needless to say, I was wiped out and really wanted a recovery beer. Since then I've thought way more about booze than I normally do. I'm not going through massive withdrawals or anything (thank goodness), but man, do I enjoy a good adult beverage!
The Boy is doing his best to help me out and is systematically drinking all the beer that's currently in our fridge. You know, so I don't get tempted. We're not cooking with wine, since that would mean opening a bottle and having to dump 2/3 of it because he won't drink the rest. Thank goodness liquor is easily measured, which means I'll let myself cook with it (hello, bourbon pecan pie!).
Still, it's not an easy task, and I hope I'll manage to stay on track. Should I succeed, there's a bottle of bubbly with my name on it, chilling in the fridge.
Do you give up anything--or do anything special for Lent? Let me know!
Your pal,
Jill
I don't often give up something for Lent, but this year I decided to participate--to see if I could jump start some healthier behavior and see if I could stick with a short-term project.
I've given up booze. All of it--beer, wine, liquor.
It's not fun.
At first it wasn't too bad, but after a week,
Needless to say, I was wiped out and really wanted a recovery beer. Since then I've thought way more about booze than I normally do. I'm not going through massive withdrawals or anything (thank goodness), but man, do I enjoy a good adult beverage!
The Boy is doing his best to help me out and is systematically drinking all the beer that's currently in our fridge. You know, so I don't get tempted. We're not cooking with wine, since that would mean opening a bottle and having to dump 2/3 of it because he won't drink the rest. Thank goodness liquor is easily measured, which means I'll let myself cook with it (hello, bourbon pecan pie!).
Still, it's not an easy task, and I hope I'll manage to stay on track. Should I succeed, there's a bottle of bubbly with my name on it, chilling in the fridge.
Do you give up anything--or do anything special for Lent? Let me know!
Your pal,
Jill
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A Sure Repeal?
Dear Massachusetts Liquor Store Owners,
Congratulations! The ballot question to repeal the state alcohol tax passed! Now comes the interesting part--the part where we voters have to be diligent about making sure this measure benefits us too.
The repeal goes into effect on January 1, 2011. What I hope to see--and I think all of us who voted for the repeal want to see--is that the final receipt is lower than what I've been paying. I don't want to walk into a liquor store in January and suddenly see that all of the alcohol is priced a little higher than what it's priced at now. Then it doesn't matter if the tax is gone--I'm still paying the same amount.
I'm actually worried that you'll pull the whole bait and switch move, so I'll be watching the prices and seeing if the repeal actually makes the difference I voted for. Look, you know I was on your side. Now let's hope that you're on mine. If not, fine. I'll keep taking my money to New Hampshire.
Your pal,
Jill
Congratulations! The ballot question to repeal the state alcohol tax passed! Now comes the interesting part--the part where we voters have to be diligent about making sure this measure benefits us too.
The repeal goes into effect on January 1, 2011. What I hope to see--and I think all of us who voted for the repeal want to see--is that the final receipt is lower than what I've been paying. I don't want to walk into a liquor store in January and suddenly see that all of the alcohol is priced a little higher than what it's priced at now. Then it doesn't matter if the tax is gone--I'm still paying the same amount.
I'm actually worried that you'll pull the whole bait and switch move, so I'll be watching the prices and seeing if the repeal actually makes the difference I voted for. Look, you know I was on your side. Now let's hope that you're on mine. If not, fine. I'll keep taking my money to New Hampshire.
Your pal,
Jill
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Defining Necessity
Dear Vic DiGravio, Treasurer - Committee Against Repeal of the Alcohol Tax,
I got my Massachusetts Information for Voters pamphlet yesterday, and I saw your position on the statewide ballot question that will be on this November's election ballot here in Massachusetts: Should there be a law to remove the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol, where the sale of such beverages and alcohol or their importation into the state is already subject to a separate excise tax under state law?
I have to say, even though I'm pretty much for eliminating the tax because I'd like my beer, wine, and liquor to be a little cheaper, I don't exactly buy the whole "double tax" argument presented by the Frank Anzalotti from the Committee To Repeal the Alcohol Sales Tax. See, I'm a recent transplant from Chicago, and even though the locals like to call this state "Taxachusetts," I laugh at them. Sales tax?! You don't know what sales tax is until it hits 10.25%! And then for booze, let's add more on for liquor taxes! 6.25%?! I laugh at how cheap that is!
However, Mr. DiGravio, your argument does less to convince me to vote no:
Now let's take a look at what you claim are necessities:
I got my Massachusetts Information for Voters pamphlet yesterday, and I saw your position on the statewide ballot question that will be on this November's election ballot here in Massachusetts: Should there be a law to remove the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol, where the sale of such beverages and alcohol or their importation into the state is already subject to a separate excise tax under state law?
I have to say, even though I'm pretty much for eliminating the tax because I'd like my beer, wine, and liquor to be a little cheaper, I don't exactly buy the whole "double tax" argument presented by the Frank Anzalotti from the Committee To Repeal the Alcohol Sales Tax. See, I'm a recent transplant from Chicago, and even though the locals like to call this state "Taxachusetts," I laugh at them. Sales tax?! You don't know what sales tax is until it hits 10.25%! And then for booze, let's add more on for liquor taxes! 6.25%?! I laugh at how cheap that is!
However, Mr. DiGravio, your argument does less to convince me to vote no:
Alcohol is not a necessity and does not deserve a special tax exemption. The only goods in Massachusetts exempt from the sales tax are necessities like food, clothing, and prescriptions. If anything should be taxed, products like cigarettes and alcohol should be.Let's stop right there. Not a necessity? Have you seen the wine brand "Mommy's Time Out"? The people behind the wine didn't come up with that because moms never need to take the edge off every now and then. Those of us who aren't moms can vouch--life can be stressful, and a responsible drink every now and then is quite refreshing. Not all of us are boozehounds.....should we pay the price?
Now let's take a look at what you claim are necessities:
- food: Not necessary if you're anorexic! Or, if you think I'm being too harsh, let's look at the obesity rate. Maybe if we started taxing food, we wouldn't eat so much.
- clothing: Not necessary if you're a nudist!
- prescriptions: How many prescriptions are lifestyle drugs? Or drugs for conditions that could totally be prevented due to poor lifestyle? I've heard countless stories about people who've lost weight and are shocked and excited to discover that they no longer have to take their blood pressure medication. That prescription then is a lifestyle choice. You choose not to lose weight; you take a prescription. If alcohol is taxed because it's a lifestyle choice, shouldn't these prescriptions be taxed as well?
You claim that revenues from the alcohol tax provide funding for healthcare services for alcohol and drug abuse. And that Massachusetts has some of the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse in the country. And that this tax helps save lives by reducing teen drinking. Isn't teen drinking a parenting problem? I'm also against drug use--why does my alcohol tax have to pay for drug abuse treatment and prevention? Start taxing prescriptions (since I'd bet that a fair amount of drug abuse is prescription abuse)!
Then you end with the old, Everyone else does the sales + excise tax, so we should too. Massachusetts should dare to be different! The American Revolution started here, for crying out loud! Let's revolutionize how tax money is collected and spent!
In addition, you say, we've got a big budget deficit, so if you take away this tax, we'll be in worse shape. No worse than hurting small business owners by taking my money to New Hampshire to buy liquor and wine (tax-free), I'm sure.
You lost me, Vic. Question is, did you lose other Massachusetts voters too?
Your pal,
Jill
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Erin Go Drink
Dear People of Ireland,
Do you think St. Patrick would've celebrated his feast day by wearing green clothing and beads and getting so shitfaced hammered at his parade that he could hardly stumble home at four in the afternoon?
Just curious...not that I mind. It's just that here in America (or Chicago), that's what this day (and/or the Saturday closest to it) has become. Personally, I think it's God's way of telling me that I shouldn't frequent bars so often, since on this, another day of amateur drinking, I stay far, far away from the party scene.
Your pal,
Jill
Do you think St. Patrick would've celebrated his feast day by wearing green clothing and beads and getting so shitfaced hammered at his parade that he could hardly stumble home at four in the afternoon?
Just curious...not that I mind. It's just that here in America (or Chicago), that's what this day (and/or the Saturday closest to it) has become. Personally, I think it's God's way of telling me that I shouldn't frequent bars so often, since on this, another day of amateur drinking, I stay far, far away from the party scene.
Your pal,
Jill
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Line Between Wacky and Odd
Dear Southern Comfort,
Normally, I like me some offbeat advertising. The Robert Goulet (may he rest in peace) ads for Emerald Nuts? Brilliant! The Old Spice ads with Bruce Campbell, followed up by their new "Smell Like a Man, Man" campaign? Genius!
But your latest ad campaign? The "Ready, Set, Go Out" one? Well, frankly, it scares the shit out of me.
I don't know what it is--the freaky minor music or the random images that sometimes seem totally disconnected. I mean, will I turn into a scary monster if I drink SoCo? I'm kind of a bitch already--I'd hate to think I can drink a potion that would help enhance that.
On the other hand, if SoCo can turn me into the girl who can pull off a fun, flirty party dress, then pour me a round!
Your pal,
Jill
Normally, I like me some offbeat advertising. The Robert Goulet (may he rest in peace) ads for Emerald Nuts? Brilliant! The Old Spice ads with Bruce Campbell, followed up by their new "Smell Like a Man, Man" campaign? Genius!
But your latest ad campaign? The "Ready, Set, Go Out" one? Well, frankly, it scares the shit out of me.
I don't know what it is--the freaky minor music or the random images that sometimes seem totally disconnected. I mean, will I turn into a scary monster if I drink SoCo? I'm kind of a bitch already--I'd hate to think I can drink a potion that would help enhance that.
On the other hand, if SoCo can turn me into the girl who can pull off a fun, flirty party dress, then pour me a round!
Your pal,
Jill
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