This is My Wife

If somebody tells you that 36 hours from now Angelina Jolie is going to temporarily flip your world upside down would you believe them? I wouldn't but that's what happened to my family. Yesterday morning the world awoke to find that Ms. Jolie underwent a double mastectomy. As sometimes happens the local media jumped to find ways of bringing a national story home.

Not everybody knows this but approximately six weeks ago my wife, Madeleine, underwent a double mastectomy at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Somebody from Roswell got a hold of my wife's story and she spent the better part of yesterday and this morning making the rounds on local media. It's worth noting because women are making this same decision every day. This is her story.

My wife broke the news to me in the summer of 2012 while we were still living in Washington, DC. It was, in a word, stressful but her OB's recommendation was clear. Double mastectomy and, for kicks, removal of both ovaries. There was a lot going on at the time so we put off the inevitable while contemplating the next phase of our life, which include relocating to Western New York. It was a little abstract but it was always there lurking in the shadows. I'm fairly certain it was attached to the U-Haul trailer.

Jump ahead to February 2013. We're sitting at Roswell meeting with the various surgeons. Shit just got real. I quickly learn how courageous my wife is to go through this for her family. It's important to note that if you have a strong family history you have options and you should investigate them all. For the few, including my wife, with the BRCA1 mutation it means statistically the best option is a double mastectomy. We (meaning my wife) reviewed all the research, considered all the options and then we consulted with the surgeons; who confirmed what we already knew. We made the decision to have the surgery primarily for the twins. Kids need their mother. I think Madeleine explains it best to the listeners of WBEN (here) and viewers of WIVB (here). What the hell - here too.

The surgery was Tuesday, March 26th. We arrived at 9:00a. Madeleine went under the knife shortly before 1:00p. I saw her next at 8:00p. Over the next two weeks, including three days in the hospital, I really understood Madeleine's strength. She took a short walk less than 24 hours after going under, was eating and sitting up shortly after, and off her pain medicine less than a week after the surgery. Then it was just clearing drains regularly, rebuilding strength, a few weeks of physical therapy and visiting nurses and we are done...with Part I.

Then it was regular filling of the expanders (you can Google it). At the end of July Madeleine begins the reconstruction process. The entire show should be over by the end of the calendar year. The twins, at the ripe old age of 3, have been remarkable through this process. The support of friends and family is immeasurable.

I am telling this story to brag. Not about my connection to Angeline Jolie or about Madeleine's 15 minutes. I am, however, bragging about my wife - her strength, her courage, her love and sacrifice for others. We are telling this story so others have a better understanding while making this important decision. Hopefully many other women are telling their stories as well. Also, F-You Cancer.

Us       - 1

Cancer - 0

An Open Letter to Would-be Terrorists and Bombers

Dear would-be terrorist:

I’m not angry. I don’t have any sense of revenge. I do have a sense of guilt for admitting this but I feel no anger or rage about the events in Boston. I’m not angry because today I have this enormous understanding that you can’t win. Despite Lord Helmet’s famous quote evil cannot triumph over good. I’m not gloating or bragging I’m merely stating fact. The events at the Boston Marathon proved it.

Nobody knows yet about motive or who did this terrible deed. My heart does ache for the people of Boston and all those enjoying one of the best local traditions this country offers (second only to Dyngus Day). Squirrel at G:TB could not have said it better - about both the marathon and the people of Boston. 

In the immediate aftermath I, like many others, was almost overwhelmed with emotion. I went through the usual process but this time was different. Yes, I did experience extreme sadness and my heart does still ache for Boston and the victims. Rage and revenge though were but a fleeting thought. What I have been feeling for the last 36 hours is a sense of calm knowing that it’s going to be alright.

You can’t win. I’m not sure what you were trying to accomplish but if the motive was reassuring the public that in times of crisis we come together to help our fellow man, then well played. Any other motive or message is being drowned out by random acts of kindness that is having a much wider impact than any bombs you can throw.

I suppose it started on September 11, 2001. In the face of death, destruction, and mayhem folks chose to help whether in NYC, Virginia or in the skies over Pennsylvania. It really crystalized for me at the Boston Marathon. Story after story across the media outlets highlighting examples shrugging off fear and horror to offer assistance and comfort. I’ve seen video footage of folks running into danger. Stories of Boston area residents offering places to stay. Restaurants offering “pay what you can”. NPR even reported a man getting his tax return at a local Jackson Hewitt offering a portion of his tax refund to the victims. That local office is in Mississippi. There are countless other stories I’m sure.

The perpetrator of Monday’s terrorist attack will be found and will pay the appropriate penalty. I’m hoping this open letter helps you understand you can’t win so you stop the senseless violence. There are countless ways of accomplishing your mission through nonviolence and kindness. I’m hoping somebody somewhere understands this country has too much resilience, too much strength, too much love. I don’t know about your motive but I know I feel much better about the human condition today. So, why not put down the bomb and pick up a craft beer and go about your business in a different way? Because you can’t win with terror and bombs.

Sincerely,
Dumbarton's Beer

I Deserve This Beer Too

In April 2012, we posited that while we prefer to think we deserve a beer most times we simply want it. For the second time in less than a full calendar year I can safely say that I deserve this beer too. Since moving the corporate headquarters to upstate New York we have purchased a home, started new day jobs, criss-crossed the state for said jobs, and survived a Buffalo winter. None of that is why I deserve this beer.

Five days prior to the start of spring classes I interviewed for, and accepted, a teaching position with the local community college. I was looking very forward to joining the faculty as a part-time Assistant Professor in late August 2013. Despite a complete lack of educational experience (read: never taught a real class) I very much looked forward to shaping the minds of tomorrow's best and brightest. In my mind's eye were intense debates on the hottest public policy issues and in depth conversations on the various forms of federalism and their impacts on the states. Me, a modern day Charlie Moore, enlightening an emerging Generation Y on the importance of the role of government.

Then it all came crashing down. The Department needed somebody to teach a class for the spring semester. Thinking "sure, I can pull this off" I foolishly accepted the challenge of pulling together a full semester class in less than a week's time with no real teaching experience to speak of. What could go wrong?

How I see myself

The night before classes started I barely slept - my subconscious already knowing this was a mistake. By the alarm clock's warning the rest of me knew this was a mistake. I had no copy of the text book (it arrived later that afternoon). A pre-arranged meeting with the Department Chair focused primarily on Scantron forms and office keys; which did nothing for my nerves. Yes, they still use Scantron forms. After locating some chalk and my mail slot it was off to the lions den where things got worse. I don't fear public speaking but this was every cliched nightmare come true. Picturing everybody in their underwear wouldn't help because I couldn't remember to picture everybody in their underwear. Hell, I couldn't remember the course title or my name. I probably wet myself a little.

Things are better today (because we are in the middle of spring break). Using a different text book than students were purchasing at the college bookstore I managed to pull together a pseudo-syllabus. I've settled into a semi-stuttering groove with the lectures. The class did have a good policy debate on gun control.

How the students see me

I deserve this beer because teaching is fucking hard. I know several teachers and never suspected it to be an easy task but it's much harder than I expected. I literally spend all of my free time preparing for class - reading, researching, pulling together lecture notes, grading tests and papers, etc. Any minimal contribution I previously made to household chores is no more. I missed the Super Bowl and rarely catch any other sporting event. I'm up late every night and I'm a terrible educator. I can't believe people do this for a living.

Frankly, I'm supposed to be pulling together the next exam right now. Instead, I'm borrowing from the private collection a New Glarus Laughing Fox. It's a good beer gifted to me by a good friend. Any educator stumbling upon this blog will surely snicker at my whining and deservedly so. I'm going to enjoy this beer and in six weeks I'll have time for another post.

Brewery Row on the Historic Buffalo River

Yep, that too.

Yesterday, a local group announced plans for a beer district along the Buffalo River. Actually, when reading the Buffalo News it may be more of a real estate redevelopment deal with a beer district option.  Yes, it's "a bit premature" but that will not prevent us from speculating. I'm imagining Brewery Row along the river. The big fish teaching the small, economic revitalization, and beer drinkers having access to a local beer selection that hasn't been seen in these parts in almost 100 years. These folks could single-handedly plant Buffalo's flag on the craft beer map. Sure, we can get there without this but it will take more time.

This is the type of clever economic development that can do wonders for a local economy. Cleveland has the Flats, Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, and Pittsburgh has the Warehouse District. Two out of three isn't bad. Regardless, if you're going to do something like this you should do it proper.

If we were creating a Beer District it would be modeled after various art space programs typically formed by nonprofit organizations looking to jump start some economic development. In that vein, below are recommendations we offer for the Buffalo Beer District:

1. Discount space. The big fish in this small(ish) town from development and brewing are backing this effort. In true beer camaraderie rental space should be offered to startups at a discount. We all know startups come up with the craziest - and best - ideas for beer and that will be a big attraction for beer drinkers. 
2. Shared costs. The good folks that run Pearl Street have been at brewing for awhile. They have connections in the industry for tools, parts, systems, and equipment. Working together with enough smaller brewers in this district can increase buying power and reduce costs. This goes beyond hardware to include ingredients.
3. Education. This is a two-pronged effort. The experienced brewers need to share knowledge with the newbies. All the brewers need to educate the common man (folks like me). Craft beer is booming nationwide and expanding locally. However, this town is still dominated by Molson, Labatt and terrible light beer.
4. Marketing. This is a no brainer and surely something folks are already thinking about (of course, the same can be said about items 1-3). Joint marketing is a key feature of any good district whether it be an arts district, theatre district, entertainment district or beer district.
5. Free Beer. Free beer for me.

The New Kid in Town

Every once in awhile we bring you actual news - not your "Brotherhood of Man" news but real news. The kind of news and information you find on A Good Beer Blog or Seen Through a Glass. So, finally...some real news.

We would like to introduce you to The New Buffalo Brewing Company. Bill Campbell is Founder/Owner and he was kind enough to sit down and answer some of our questions - from Afghanistan.* Bill and his fiancé (spoiler alert) are both currently in the US Air Force.  Bill is serving in Afghanistan and still found time to answer our questions.

Bill, thanks for starting a brewery in Buffalo. More importantly, thanks for serving.

Background

DB: How did you get into brewing and how did it become a business idea?

BC: After I was commissioned I ended up at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo,Texas, and started to move up the drinking ladder. I made the jump from Keystone Light to Shiner. When I started class I began drinking with Capt Dan Curry and Lt Leon Hontz. Capt Curry was one of the guys in the ‘finer things’ club, and he was also a Captain so he was making twice as much as me and Hontz and could afford good booze. His home bar must have had 500+ bottles in it, with all sorts of fine liquors, bitters, cordials for cocktails, and when it came to beer he was at the same level. I don’t know what the first one he gave me was, but it was honestly the worst thing I have ever had… a pitch black, overwhelmingly bitter beer. I was going to head right back to Shiner but he ended up pushing a Mothership Wit, and it was a revelation.

Over the next seven months I tried craft brews, Belgium Wits, Wheats, Hefewizens, and Sweet Stouts. Shortly thereafter I moved to Manhattan, Kansas. Once I got there I started home brewing some easy beers; Cream Ales (hail to Genny), Kölschs, and then headlong into English styles, milds, browns and stouts. A lot of guys in the military are home brewers. Ben Gartner was an avid and extremely skilled home brewer, and invited me to the local Home Brewing club where I met more guys who taught me allot about home brewing. Someone had to drink all that beer, so another friend, Doug Bunch, ended up consuming many, many gallons of hit and miss batches and providing feedback on what he felt would make the cut commercially. He’s a pretty seasoned drinker of craft brews so it really guided a lot of my brewing.

One of the biggest influences on my decision to start a brewery was going to Tallgrass Brewery right outside of Manhattan. Here I got a chance to start talking to owner Jeff Gill, and he shared huge information about the transition from home brewing to commercial brewing. It went from a ‘this would be cool’ to an ‘I can do this’. Shortly thereafter we started building the business plan, meeting with the city, working with realtors, and buying equipment. This was really the point where I decided to leave active duty and move back to Buffalo to open a brewery.

DB: Sounds like you guys are international travelers. Care to tell us what you’re doing when you are NOT brewing beer in Buffalo?

BC: My fiancé and I are both Active Duty Air Force (I’ll be reserve come the New Year), so we’ve been sent all over the world. Between us I think we have been to 18 countries, from Korea and China to Argentina and Colombia to the Germany and the Czech Republic. Jimmy, our brewer, has also seen such exotic places as Iraq with his time in the USMC.

DB: Why brew beer in Buffalo?

BC: Buffalo is a really interesting town, on paper you would think the place would be booming. Buffalo is one of the businesses gateways into the United States. Toronto is hardly a two hour drive to the north, and Pittsburgh is only a bit farther. Yet, as we all know, the city has struggled for years. There is a certainly a sense the city is going in the right direction, but we still need some grass roots movement to really get on top again. Brewing can be a big part of that, because Buffalo drinks a lot of beer. It’s a beer town. We also have the Niagara Brewing school and Criveller right across the river, so it ends up being a great place to set up shop.

The Brewery

DB: Will you offer beer in cans, bottles, bombers, growlers, all of the above?

BC: At first, we will be focusing on production for bars. We’ll start with 32, 64 and 128 ounce growlers, but we don’t expect to start canning until year 2.

DB: Can you tell us about the brewery system you will use (number of barrels, who designed and manufactured it, etc)?

BC: We have decided to stay local and go with Criveller. They have been a great company to work with. We have equipment designed for a 15 bbl or 30 bbl if we can find a space to fit it. Since we are still searching for a location, we haven’t committed to either system yet.

DB: How are the other local breweries helping in your endeavor? Do you peacefully co-exist or consider them friends and colleagues or bitter archrivals?

BC: I’m sure Tim at Flying Bison doesn’t remember me, as I must be one of the hundreds of people who go on his tour and tell him ‘Hey I’m going to open a brewery in a couple of years.’ He was friendly and entertained my questions. His brewer taught us a lot about physically setting up and the issues breweries have to get though with the TTB and State to get open for business. I also have spoken with Ethan over at Community Beer Works several times. He’s a real standup guy who I think is setting the right tone for brewing in Buffalo. Pearl Street breweries spoke to me several times about their beers and the amazing draft system they have over there. Flying Bison is King of the lagers, and Community Brew Works is doing some really great beers. New Buffalo is looking decidedly English/Irish. (I need to update the website to reflect this). There is so much room in Buffalo that we can all work and grow together.

The Brew

DB: Looks like you have a steady rotation of beers. Will you offer seasonals or one-off, limited brews?

BC: We like to brew (shocking right?), so we brew allot of small batches (15 gallons) of pretty much anything we think would be fun to brew, fun to drink or just want to monkey around with. (Again… I’ve fallen way behind on the website.) We are going to keep up this trend at New Buffalo and put our experiments out in our tap room. However, one of our first goals is to produce 2-4 beers perfectly and make sure they are always available at bars and restaurants.

DB: When and where can we get your beer?

BC: As I’m sure you know, the approval process is a bear for breweries and with an extension in Afghanistan I was pushed back a bit. We are still on track to have our first beers for sale in bars this summer. We are working with another brewery to see if we can get some space on their system and get started sooner. Watch for a Kickstarter campaign in the near future about just that!

Activism

DB: Brewers are pretty good at activism.  How does New Buffalo give back?

BC: Our first public tasting was at a charity event for Roswell. There are so many worthy causes it’s going to be a challenge to pick which ones we will work with. For obvious reasons we would like to work with Veterans in our community.

DB: Many micro-brewers have a bit of a green bent. Will New Buffalo be an environmentally-conscious brewer?

BC: Micro-brewing in allot of ways is almost inherently a green business. When your beer is produced locally you are using less fuel to move it around, less energy keeping it cool, as well as the spent grains we’ll give away to farmers. We have been looking into a C02 capturing system as well for our tanks after speaking with some Alaskan Brewers and about the real benefits.

Last Thoughts

DB: What three things do people need to know about your beer?

BC: Great Beer is the point for us. When everything is said and done we will make high quality, delicious beer. That’s our bottom line.

We are already growing some ‘test’ hops back at the farm, and have spoken with some farmers about getting our own runs of barley grown locally. We are looking forward to working on not just the brewing side, but the growing as well.

We are starting with distinctively English and Irish styles of beers. It’s great that a lot of breweries are pushing out some really big beers. Beers over seven percent are becoming pretty normal, but we want to put out beers that are not only delicious, but can be enjoyed in bulk or with a nice dinner. We just enjoyed some Rochefort 10 last night, and it’s an amazing beer, but you can’t really drink a couple with a meal, and it’s almost 12% alcohol (not to mention its seven bucks a bottle). We want to make sure we are putting out beers most people can enjoy as our main lines. We’ll have a lot of special beers, but those will likely only be in our brewery for short periods of time.

DB: Community Beer Works likes to “Embeer Buffalo”. They say “Our goal is not only to succeed as a brewery, but to better the beer culture of Buffalo. Our city loves beer, and has the potential to be one of the premiere beer destinations in the country. Help make that happen. Embeer Buffalo.” How will you “Embeer Buffalo”?

BC: ‘A Toast to Progress’ is on all of our work and it’s in the same vein. Buffalo truly is set up to become a Beer Destination. We have all the right ‘stuff,’ we are in a central location in the northeast, and we are seeing hops farms and craft malt houses starting to get up and running. Buffalo is still one of the cheapest cities to visit, and very convenient to the Falls and an amazing wine trail just to east of us. We also have a great philharmonic and theater selection. We have to rebuild what it means to be a Buffalonian, and a big part of that is going to be at home drinking Buffalo Brews.

DB: What else should we know about you guys?

BC: We are working on a Kickstarter video to raise some money for New Buffalo Brewing. Watch for it in the near future along with a series of tasting events.

*Bill Campbell did serve in Afghanistan but he informed me after this interview was posted that he provided responses while stateside. 

Marketing is for Chumps

Sometimes beauty really is on the outside.

Three Floyds Brewing Company - Munster, IN

Community Beer Works - Buffalo, NY

Adirondack Brewery - Lake George, NY

Because We Can

We don’t do a lot of automobile reviews here on Dumbarton’s Beer. We tend to leave things like this to the experts. Besides, I always assumed my first review would cover the 1968 Mustang I just purchased. However, relocating to Buffalo means I’ve traded enhanced revenue for quality of life so the Mustang is on hold indefinitely.

There are a couple of reasons for expanding Dumbarton’s Beer into the auto world. First, if you’re not innovating your dying (I think I read that in Forbes). Second, I am eminently qualified to do this because I watch a lot of auto-related shows. Third, it’s a natural fit having grown up in and around the auto industry. Fourth, the trusty assistant was "on holiday" at press time and I’m home with sick kids. Two sleepless nights means that if I have a beer I will fall asleep before any attempt at writing about it. Finally, suck an egg.

While those are all perfectly legitimate reasons for an auto review the primary driver (pun intended) is my love-hate relationship with new cars. 

Case Study: the 2012 Ford Fusion SEL I4.

This really is the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you want a real, quality review search through Jalopnik. If you want test track data and comparisons against other mid-size sedans search through Motor Trend. Either of which will prove infinitely more informative.

The Good

As far as I can tell, SEL is code for “loaded”. This particular model is really only missing AWD and two cylinders (more on that below). Here is the list of options: six colors of ambient lighting, automatic headlights, fog lights, leather, AM/FM/CD/Sirius, Sync, Sony sound, 12v plugs, power seats driver and passenger, power windows including one-touch for driver and passenger, sunroof, blind side warning, variable windshield wipers that automatically determine speed based on rain, rearview camera for reverse, chrome stuff, and floor mats. Can anybody tell me why floor mats are an “option”?

The Bad

I4 is the engine code and the four represents the number of cylinders. By far the worst thing about this car is the four cylinders. Yes, they upped the HP for the 2012 but it’s still sluggish off the start. Once you are cruising you have no trouble. Still, get the six cylinder engine. I don’t notice the missing AWD though I might change my opinion after driving through my first Buffalo winter in a decade.

The Ugly

The Fusion is made in Mexico. Every day I drive to work and pass a Ford plant that makes parts of the Escape, Edge and Flex. Some 2013s will be made in the US so that helps.

My biggest complaint applies not just to this Fusion but to all of today’s cars. Like smartphones today’s cars are making us dumb. In this case, cars are making us dumb at driving. I once drove a stick shift Focus and to this day it was one of the most fun cars to drive. The driving experience is so much better because you are part of the car. Thanks to the Focus, I will never again be able to drive in reverse without the rearview camera. I expect that 6 months from now I will forget how to operate windshield wipers. All this means I can never own that '68 Mustang without being a complete menace on the roads.