the 2011 hell or high watermelon wheat bear is out and as tasty as i remembered! it’s the summer seasonal by 21st amendment brewery out of san francisco. the packaging and cans have a new design this year and it’s just as impressive as last years. i appreciate beer companies that take the extra effort with great design! red hook brewery also had a recent revamp of their package design.

check out our write-up on the 2010 hell or high watermelon from last summer!

– ryan

21st amendment brewery

563 2nd street
san francisco, ca 94107
415-369-0900

i turned 31 today, which is quite crazy! unfortunately i had to work all day, so i didn’t do much celebrating. we are going to do something this weekend though, i can’t wait!

isn’t the card awesome? gub made it for my mom’s birthday and i tweaked it for my birthday!

– ryan

talk about a classic show! i just got back from seeing archers of loaf on their reunion tour at the earl!! what’s even better, the opening act birdsmell and freinds, turned out to be band of horses!!! how amazing is that? i guess ben bridwell has played under that name before, but seeing these two bands in such a small sweaty venue was quite the memorable concert!

archers were amazing! they were super loud and sounded great, it was as if they hadn’t take a thirteen year hiatus. the setlist was pulled from their entire catalogue; including all four albums and various eps & singles. my highlights were web in front, wrong, plumb line, might, harnessed in slums, dead red eyes, well, they were all pretty awesome. screaming along to web in front with a bunch of sweaty people made me feel like i was in high school again!

birdsmell and friends, aka band of horses, were also great! they played as a stripped down three-piece but still sounded awesome, i think ben bridwell’s brother might have even been on bass. the setlist was a mix of songs from their three albums and a few covers. i know ben bridwell is a fan of the loaf, archers bassist matt gentling has even toured as a member of band of horses, but it’s still awesome he played a secret show just to share the stage with them!

on a side note, i’m glad archers opted to play a few nights in a small venue rather than playing a larger venue for one night. such a small setting was perfect for them. the show i saw was the third of three sold out shows at the earl and it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun in a big venue.

– ryan

ps…it’s funny, the last time i saw archers of loaf was also a pretty epic show for me. it was on their farewell tour in 1998 and they played with built to spill, creeper lagoon and 764-hero at the metro in chicago. classic!

i saw a nice sunset on east lake golf course recently!

– ryan

i’ve been enjoying my first father’s day with clementine!

– ryan

in memory of macho man randy savage passing away, i wanted to link to one of my favorite videos of his. you might have to watch it a few times to understand half of what he’s saying, but it’s hilarious.

no freak out! no confetti! no nothing!

– ryan

have you noticed the coca-cola building near georgia tech is completely covered in some sort of white fabric? what’s the deal?

– ryan

sometimes you can find great views by just looking straight up!

-ryan

red hook brewery recently revamped their graphic and bottle design and i’m digging it! the bottles are now more rounded and look like stretched out red stripe bottles. the graphic design is also greatly improved and features a screenprinted look with a much simpler, yet catchy design. take a look for yourself, but to me these bottles stand out way more than they used to on the beer aisle.

in case you were worried, long hammer is still the same ipa you know and love, it just has a new look. it’s a light bodied, full tasting ipa, brewed with cascade and willamette hops for that great floral aroma and flavor. it’s not my favorite ipa out there, but it is a tasty one!

– ryan

red hook brewery

14300 northeast 145th street
woodinville, wa 98072
425-483-3232

i found myself on another work project at the hyatt regency in downtown atlanta and was once again impressed with the architecture of john portman. the open design of this hotels interior and its elevator system is quite amazing, especially knowing it’s open for over 44 years. the hotel also offers some great views of the downtown skyline.

if you’ve never explored any of john portman’s buildings in atlanta, you really should; they are all truly breathtaking! we are fortunate to have so many of his designs in our downtown. be sure to check out our previous posts on his suntrust building, americasmart and connecting hallways.

atlanta is often overlooked for its architecture, but it really does have a ton of beautiful buildings!

– ryan