Happy Friday One and All

Portland, Oregon is in the midst of a remarkable run of sunny weather.  When the rains come on Monday, they will have been preceded by 15 days of Rose City sunshine.  Our weather depends in part on the sea, which remains cool until July, keeping the western part of the state shrouded in a batting of fine silvery clouds.  The fourth of July is the traditional start of summer--that moment when you can be assured the day won't bring a high of 58 and drizzling skies.  (By the same pattern, Mother Earth has given us September, air warmed and dried by summer seas, in recompense.) 

Anyway, yesterday I continued perfecting my perfect pale ale in the back yard, and today I head north for a weekend of fun.  In lieu of real content, I leave you with a fine article in Slate, wherein Brian Palmer does a fantastic job of describing the differences between the cultures of beer and wine appreciation.  This is a particularly sharp observation, but the whole article's worth a read:

Ordinary beer lovers actually believe that their opinions matter, and they’re pretty much right. Professional brewers show up at home brew competitions to learn new ideas and techniques, and they read Internet reviews to learn what people are saying about their latest release. (I assure you the good folks at Château Latour do not care what some guy in Kansas thinks about the 2010 vintage.) 

Who sez the MSM can't get beer right?  See you Monday--