Tag Archives: brew

Coffeehouse observation No. 172

Want to know about the origins of the phrase “cup of joe”? Yahoo! Answers asked the question and someone pointed them in the direction of a U.S. Navy website on naval traditions. We use “cup of joe” because:

“Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862-January 15, 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers’ wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as ‘a cup of Joe.’”

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/traditions/html/navyterm.html#joe

Now we all know where it comes from.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 171

Lovey-dovey couples in the coffeehouse are annoying to a guy who hasn’t had a date in a while. I’m just saying.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 170

People are escaping the triple-digit heat of the San Joaquin Valley by coming into empresso for a cold drink. I’ve been here all day doing the very same thing.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 168

The playlist at the coffeehouse included Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft.” I nearly hared the lyrics with my Facebook friends, but realized that some of the words might be words and phrases have a different meaning today. Ah, well, it is all about context.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 167

A guy who looks exactly like David Crosby just came into empresso. … Or maybe it IS David Crosby.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 165

The hot temperatures mean I’ve switched to iced green tea. Doesn’t have the same punch as coffee. Ah, well. …

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Maine Stuff in My California Apartment No. 7: Maine crafted beers

 

Shipyard Brewing Company is based in Portland. This evening I went with the IPA, which I do not find as tasty as the brewer’s regular Export Ale. But it was not bad, either. The Shipyard glasses were purchased a year or two ago at BevMo in Stockton. Yes, that is a lobster bottle opener in the foreground. It is also Maine stuff.

A Maine native living “away” is required by his or her nature to have around him or her things that conjure up images of Maine.

And from time to time that comes in the form of chilled adult beverages. Fortunately, BevMo, the beverage warehouse store, carries several Maine brews, including Allagash, Shipyard, and Sea Dog products.

Today’s photo of “Maine Stuff in My California Apartment” includes glasses and brew from Maine. Be assured that no beer was wasted in the making of this blog entry.

Oh, and, yes, that is a lobster bottle opener. That also falls under the category of Maine stuff.

I also included a photo of a couple of Fenway American Pale Ale pint glasses. I don’t recall ever enjoying a Fenway American Pale Ale, but I figured I’d include it because it is a New England beer and I am a Boston Red Sox fan.

Recently had a bit of the Allagash Dubbel Reserve poured in an Allagash glass. Nice beverage. Allagash is based in Portland, Maine, nowhere near the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The glasses were purchased a couple of years ago.

Nice head on the Allagash Dubbel Reserve. I have tried several of the Allagash offerings and have liked each of them.

Gotta love a beer that is corked.

OK, so this is a photo of beer pint glasses for a beer made in Boston. But I am a Red Sox fan so I thought I would add this photo of Fenway American Pale Ale glasses along with Maine stuff related to beer.

This is an occasional multipart series of photos of things related to Maine that can be found in Keith Michaud’s California apartment. All photos in this series are shot by and are the property of Keith Michaud.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 164

Stockton, you never fail to dazzle and amaze. … A man in his 60s or 70s just walked into the coffeehouse wearing a very short skirt. And, no, it in no way resembled a kilt. … He looks a little bit like Walter Matthau.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 163

A teen girl at the coffeehouse has on shiny silver sneakers with silver wings. Seriously. I would not lie about silvery winged sneakers.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 162

Free WiFi at the coffeehouse does you little good if you have a short in your power cord. Thanks HP.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 161

The infant daughter of the empresso owners is quite vocal today. One of the baristas thinks the red-haired child is trying to talk Mom into getting moving because she’s bouncing in her chair.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 160

I’m at the coffeehouse and outside on the patio is a young woman – she has to be in her very late teens or early 20s. She must be a student-athlete at one of the local colleges because she appears very fit and she is wearing a T-shirt with writing on the back about teammates and how they have your back. The T-shirt sleeves are tied back like woman athletes do occasionally. Her hair is tied back, her fingernails are polished with a wild bluish color, and her lips move as she’s reading a book, almost as if it is in a foreign language and she wants to hear it as much as read it. Her right leg is pumping up and down as if she’s nervous or anxious. I know this isn’t PC, but she is a cutie.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 159

A slight bit of weirdness in the coffeehouse the past two days. Yesterday, on my semi-regular fitness walk, I tripped slightly on a cracked sidewalk and a fellow walking out of the park shared a laugh about it and said something such as “Well, I’m not the only one who is not perfect.”

He then proceeded to tell me – for at least five minutes – about the recent surge in crime in the neighborhood surrounding American Legion Park in central Stockton, Calif.

I had never seen the guy before, but I saw him again later at the coffeehouse, which is a pretty healthy walk from American Legion Park.

And then today I went to the bank to deposit a check and spotted a guy in line. I envied him for the nice green tropical shirt he was wearing.

Later in the morning he happened to come into espresso for a beverage.

Just weird that sort of thing happened two days running. I wonder who I might see for the first – and second – time tomorrow.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 158

Three different people in the span of an hour have brought their dogs into the coffeehouse, including a Chihuahua with the heart of a Rottweiler. I love dogs, yes, I do. But not with my coffee.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 157

“Burn, burn, burn, that ring of fire, that ring of fire. …” The baristas at empresso are playing a little Johnny Cash for background music. Cool.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 156

You gotta love it when the barista starts your drink even  before you’ve made it across the parking lot and into the coffeehouse. Thank you Exotic Java!

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Coffeehouse observation No. 155

A youth in the coffeehouse earlier today dressed in a fine suit, shirt, tie, and polished shoes. Handsome kid who seemed to be very respectful of the adult he was with and willing to engage in conversation with the man I suspect was some sort of mentor. We need more kids willing to wear suits and more mentors willing to take them to the coffeehouse for hot chocolate.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 154

I was sitting in Exotic Java and a guy came in wearing shoes with Velcro and he wasn’t a toddler or 65 or older. Is that legal in California?!

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Coffeehouse observation No. 153

I have no intentions of messing with the barista who just served me a Red Eye. She has a tattoo of Dirty Harry on one bicep and a skull in tophat on the other. She may be the toughest 90-lb. woman I have seen in quite a while.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 152

Is there an upper age limit for pieced lips? There is a woman at the next table – she’s wearing fashionable glasses that make her look like a teacher or HR specialist – and she has a loop in her pierced lower lip. I’m terrible at guessing ages, but she has to be in her late 20s to mid-30s. Should she be thinking of getting rid of that thing? And would the hole heal?

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