Despite what you may have heard, being a starving artist is less than glamorous. I actually like to be able to afford dinner on certain occasions, but I also need feed my half dozen cup a day coffee habit, which becomes very expensive when you’re buying multiple cups from your favorite coffee shop. Even if you don’t consume as much coffee as I do, brewing your own is still financially beneficial. The average American consumes 3.4 cups of coffee a day. Buying just one $3 cup every day adds up to around $1,1oo a year. Even more if you prefer the espresso drinks that places like Starbucks offer at around $5 a cup. With a few inexpensive and simple devices you’ll be able to brew your own coffee house coffee (or better) at a fraction of the price. And you can use that money you’ve saved on dinner… or booze….
Crasstalk Staff
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Looking to serve your guests something a bit more special than beer from a bottle this holiday season? Well, read on. But first, a few pointers. When serving warm punches, keep them an a slow cooker and keep serving glasses warm by placing them in a hot water bath, and make sure you have enough cups that can handle warm liquids. For cold punch promise me that you won’t use ice cubes. Seriously. I want you to promise me. Okay? All right. Instead of those evil taste weakening ice cubes how about thinking ahead and freezing some juice, or ever better, use frozen fruit. At the end of your drink you’ll have some delicious booze infused fruit. If using any carbonated beverages in your punch, make sure to add them last, you can mix the rest of your ingredients and top individual glasses with your fizzy beverage. Lastly, don’t cheap out on the liquor just because it’s going to be mixed with other ingredients, your guests will notice. Trust. Continue reading
You know what the best thing about the winter holiday season is? Of course you do, it’s holiday themed alcohol. Wondering what kind of sweet boozy nectar is the best to get trashed on this holiday season? You’re in the right place.
Gingerbread ale. I was browsing the aisles at Whole Foods one day when I stumbled on this gem. It’s dark, spicy, and tastes likes Christmas (just like me). Sadly, it’s only sold in four-packs, and doesn’t have a wide availability, but if you see it around, it’s definitely worth picking some up.
Pumpkin ale. Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale is pure deliciousness. It’s the orangey/brown color you expect out of a ‘punkin’ ale, and tastes moderately sweet while being heavy on the spice, but low on the pumpkin. Honorable mention to Blue Moon’s Harvest Moon since it’s more widely available.
Celebration ale. Sierra Nevada’s celebration ale is an amber-ish IPA with extremely bitter after notes. It’s pine-y, earthy, not very sweet, and the bitter lingers for ages. It doesn’t really taste like the holidays, but that doesn’t stop me from consuming mass amounts of this stuff once it’s on the shelves.
Sam Adam’s Winter Classics pack is my go-to party beer during the colder months since there’s a beer in here for even the pickiest drinkers. While I enjoy all of the beers included, the stand-out is really the Holiday Porter. It’s dark, and slightly creamy with a much lighter mouthfeel thank you would expect. But oh-so-good. My runner-up in this pack is the Winter Brew. An amber colored, pumpkin pie-spicy bock
Since the days are getting shorter, as the nights grow longer, I thought it would be an appropriate time to focus on some of my favorite night photographers. First up is Troy Paiva, a San Francisco photographer who makes his amazing photos in junkyards and various locations in the abandoned West. Photographing only during full moons Paiva uses a combination of long exposures and a variety of colored flashes to paint his beautiful pictures. In addition to his personal photography, Paiva teaches workshops and has a well-reviewed book out.