Paul McMorrow - Snappy Title TK TK

Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione gets his star turn in this week’s New Yorker. Burkhard Bilger’s sizable treatment is dubbed “The rise of extreme beer,” but Southern Tier, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Short’s, Stone, Clipper City, and like a hundred other worthy craft breweries are nowhere to be seen.

Instead, it’s a straight, if sudsy, profile. Nothing wrong with that. The uninitiated will be floored by the stuff Sam’s doing.

And for the rest of us, there’s some killer one-liners. [Read more →]

A couple days ago, Mayor Menino declined to give Michael Flaherty a free shot at him over City Hall. The Southie pol responded by investing in a roll of dimes - and putting them to good use.

Yesterday, he whacked Hizzoner over Boston’s not-quite-frosty hiring freeze. And today, it’s free tax breaks for anybody who wants them.

This is what some people would refer to as “not going away quietly.” Far from it. And neither mayoral wannabe has even announced yet.

State House News throws mention of my newfound employment into this week’s Personnel File. They’re even kind enough to note the word count of that monster of a story I wrote back in February. Good thing they never got their hands on the 9000-word first draft, I suppose.

Spotted yesterday morning, nestled in a South Boston stoop.

Finally got November’s Beer Advocate magazine clip online. It’s an interview with Hutch Kugeman, brewmaster at Lake Placid’s Great Adirondack Brewing.

In between the time when we talked and the time when this fine-ass piece of journalism hit the streets several weeks ago, Hutch took Gold at the GABF for his Whiteface Black Diamond Stout. Even more reason to read it here.

A few quick, beery notes to liven up this suddenly (though necessarily so) moribund internets.

Went to Cambridge Brewing the other night and had a few of Will Meyers’s recent creations. The Audacity of Hops, an Obama-inspired Belgian IPA, was the night’s big winner. Every damn person in the place was swilling the stuff. (Responsibly, of course.) Nice golden color, and huge - like, wicked huge - hop flavors and aromas up front. A different take on the un-style than something like Houblon. The Belgian characteristics are there, but they’re muted - to nice effect, I think. This stuff is dangerously easy to drink. Though I can vouch that the 8.5% abv tag does not lie. Not one bit. [Read more →]

Kevin Paul Dupont gets results.

A week ago, he was begging the Black and Gold to drop the gloves more. The boys listened, and last night, Milan Lucic absolutely flattened Michael Komisarek.

And Dupont couldn’t be happier. [Read more →]

Governor Deval Patrick formally established his task force on public integrity today. There’s a bunch of good names on the list - Pam Wilmot, Scott Harshbarger, Charlie Baker, Peter Sturgis, Andrew Tarsy, among others.

Patrick also tapped four current lawmakers. The panel’s apparent enforcer is Taunton Rep. James Fagan, who’s famous around these parts for being the DUI lawyer who tried to lower the threshold for drunk driving to 0.02. The Herald criticized the bill, a fact that drove Fagan to deliver a bizarre anti-newspaper rant at a Judiciary Committee hearing. The Rep’s tact also earned him instant internet fame earlier this year.

Sal DiMasi should take caution: Hand over those documents, or risk being ripped apaaaaht!

Via Wonkette, here’s a funny video that David Rees made to scare white people. I’m white. And now, I’m terrified of “change.” Absolutely terrified.

Overheard today on Boylston Street: A 13-year old girl explaining to some squeaky little guy how to properly insult the fairer sex.

“It’s not butter face,” she said. “It’s but her face. Buttaface!”

“Ahhh!” he squealed. “Now I get it!”