Oh, Pioneer! Levi's & Old Chub

A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain. Photo from Oh, Pioneer!

I've been wanting to write about this for a long time now. Back at Pitt, well before this blog existed I was watching tv at a friend's house when this came on:

At first, I was angry. How could Uncle Walt be used so blatantly to sell jeans? It should be said that my only relationship with Walt Whitman's work was from his reputation of visiting troops during the civil war, O Captain My Captain, and Dead Poets Society. I'm not exactly a disciple of Leaves of Grass. It was an editorial on Slate made me think being offended on his behalf is a little ridiculous. And now, years later when it's time to get new jeans, what do I do? Get 2 pairs of Levi 501's from Dillards, of course. Damn marketing.

I should be more clear about using the Oh Pioneer! tumblr. There are not-insignificant qualms about giving credit to tumblr curators who do not produce any of the photos they display. But I use Pinterest in a somewhat fashion, so I feel obligated to give credit to tumblr curators I enjoy. Here it is: "Josh Abe, I like the stuff you post on your Tumblr. Keep it up."

Old Chub Scottish Style Ale

Photo from musingsonbeer.com

"It's like Sputnik" the can proclaims. Oh yes, this is a high end craft beer than comes in good old aluminum cans. This is a bit of retro-review because all I had saved was "8% ABV MALT." Let me begin by saying I like it a lot and I've had it several times. My guys at the wedding reception party had some during our rehearsal (except for Sean) and it was the primary inspiration for my to try a Scotch ale with maple syrup for my second batch. Beeradvocate says very good things about it, but I'll temper this enthusiasm by saying it's not for every occasion. Malt flavors dominate (hence the capitalization in my notes) and the flavor and sweetness they carry limit the drinkability. I don't have the urge to put down a bunch of these, but I savor the ones I do. To me, this is the perfect camping beer. No glass to worry about, higher alcohol-to-pack-weight ratio for hiking, pairs well with the campfire foods, and can be drunk at warmer temperatures.