Month: July 2016

Zero Gravity Brewing Cone Head American IPA

My wife and I were in Vermont last weekend dropping our daughter off to a summer retreat. The drive to Greensboro was almost 7 hours. We decided that doing the trip in one day would be too tiring so booked a room in Winooski and drove up the day before. Since check-in was at 3PM we took the opportunity to visit downtown, Burlington. But not before I dropped in at a Winooski beer retailer and picked up beer from local brewers including the famous Heady Topper. We were only allowed to purchase one four-pack.

We had dinner at Pascolo Ristorante in Burlington and then dropped in at Zero Gravity to try a flight. Why Zero Gravity? I wanted to try the Summer Gruit Ale which I found by looking at the nearby tab in Untappd. A long time ago before the discovery of hops and German beer purity laws, beer was made with an herbal mixture as a flavouring.

After sampling Cone Head, Little Wolf, C.S.A. IPA, Bernie Weisse and Choice Make Good -- we met a wonderful couple from New Hampshire who were originally from New Jersey --- I have to say I don't get the enthusiasm for Heady Topper.

Yes, Heady Topper is great. We enjoyed the can we had at Pascolo Ristorante. But from my perspective, Zero Gravity Cone Head is better. And it also more available. No need to line up outside some package store waiting in the heat for the “hope” of buying a single case.

We bought a six pack of Cone Head to bring back with us to New Jersey. We would have bought more but we did not have any more space in the cooler.

Vermont has excellent breweries and excellent beer. Try them all.

So there I said it. I think Heady Topper is all hype.

Opie's Grist Mill at Night, Belle Mead, New Jersey

The first grist mill, built in 1721, was destroyed by fire about the end of the 18th century.

Since I moved with my family to the Skillman section of Montgomery Township in 2001 I have been interested in the history of the area. What are all these names I see repeated on street names and buildings even in Princeton? Names like Harlingen, van Zandt, and Skillman.

Belle Mead was part of the Western Precinct of Somerset County before the creation of Mercer County. Until 1838, the Montgomery Township border went as far south as Nassau Street. Portions of the town and Somerset County were later ceded to Mercer County and Princeton Township. The township was settled by land speculators from the former New Amsterdam (Long Island) after the land area was ceded to the British.

The first grist mill, built in 1721, was destroyed by fire at about the end of the 18th century. The second grist mill was built in the early 1800s.

Bhavana and I showed up at the Grist Mill site about one hour before sunset. We chatted while I walked around looking for the "right" composition. She wanted to know why we got there so early so I explained to her that sunset to blue hours occurs in a very short time and rushing around while the light faded was not what I wanted. I think she was annoyed by the bugs that were buzzing around. She walked back to sit in the car.

I had some challenges with cars driving over the bridge in the middle of my exposures and soon I grew tired of being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects. After about two exposures I packed up and joined her in the car to head back home.

I think I'll come back another time, perhaps in the early morning, to shoot some long exposures of water flowing over the small dam. It's at an odd angle but I may be able to set up the tripod near the foot of the water.

Finding Good Coffee

This morning I was reviewing the recent coffees from my MistoBox coffee subscription. My current subscription includes a mix of African and South American coffees which arrive on a weekly basis . After reviewing my coffees I clicked over to the MistoBox blog where I read a recent article by MistoBox co-founder, Sam Meis, about the different ways she tries for find good coffee while travelling.

For me, good coffee starts with high-quality beans sourced intentionally, it is well roasted in small batches and, finally, is prepared with care ….I also like to look for shops who offer coffees with lots of transparent information about where the coffee was grown.Sam Meis

I agree. I have lived in the Princeton, New Jersey area for over 20 years and over time I have discovered the TWO (and only two) cafés in the Princeton area that meet this criterion. Small World and Rojo’s.

Small World opened in 1993 just two years before I moved to the Princeton area from Ann Arbor, MI where coffee houses are almost as common as squirrels. Small World is located a stone's throw from the gates of Princeton University. The café opens early and there is almost always a line to get in.

Rojo's opened in Palmer Square in Princeton in 2013, after establishing a reputation for small batch coffee roasting eight years earlier in Lambertville, New Jersey, an artsy community near the Pennsylvania border.

But just for giggles, to see how well Sam's research methods work, I decided to try each one to see what I would find for my area.

Without a doubt, anytime I need to find good coffee, the first place I look is Sprudge.com … If there is a notable cafe worth going to, no matter if it’s in a small suburb or a major metropolitan city, there’s a good chance you’re going to find it on Sprudge.Sam Meis

I was sceptical. Princeton is a small suburb with a big name. After all, Princeton University is located here. Students drink coffee. But most online publications don’t usually cover the suburbs of New Jersey. The front page of Sprudge had a small search box over on the right. I typed in New Jersey and got me one page of pertinent results but by the second pages, the articles were about either New York or places in Europe. So, I entered “Princeton” in the search box. Sprudge returned two search results. One about a coffee house in Princeton, Massachusetts, the other about a reporter drinking coffee in Princeton. Number of Princeton, New Jersey coffee shops reviewed on Sprudge? Zero.

I then tried method number two. I typed in “Princeton New Jersey + speciality coffee” in a Google search box. The results were better. The first item on the first page was for Small World. The second link was to a Yelp ranking of shops in Princeton. Rojo’s and Small World were both on the list but so were a number of other cafe’s that are local equivalents of either Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts.

The third Google link is for Rojo’s Coffe. The fourth link is from an article in New Jersey Monthly magazine that mentions Rojo’s and Small World. The remaining links on the first page reveal nothing useful.

So the Google search method worked.

The next method “Ask around among the residents to see how they enjoy their coffee.” would most likely lead you to either Rojo’s or Small World Coffee. However, Princeton also has a Star Bucks and a Panera.

So …

Sometimes you can’t find good or even palatable coffee, but hell you need your caffeine fix. This can – and does – happen. I say bring on the sugar and milk, and call it a day.Sam Meis

There are enough coffee houses in the Princeton area where that is the only way to drink a caffeinated beverage.

I'll try using these methods for my next vacation trip. But I will also make sure to continue doing what I have done in the past. Pack my coffee brewing kit and a fresh bag of beans in my suitcase.