I mentioned in an earlier post that Leah and I have visited a few bars on Broad Street in downtown Rome lately, which is a new thing for us. One we visited is the Dark Side of the Moon, which is associated with a cafe called Harvest Moon. They have a regular Tuesday night jazz session. Last Tuesday was our third visit to that bar.
This shows a little of Broad Street, plus the bar.
The people at the right of the image in a sidewalk seating area are facing the jazz band.
This is the band.
The saxophonist is good, but then so are the rest. This band is known as Pollard Greens. Here’s a YouTube video of the group. We think they sound better in person; we are certain that they are louder in person.
One of the bar tenders said the same group performs every Tuesday, but not necessarily all of them show up every time.
On our first visit we sat at the end of the bar near the band. This time we were near the opposite end, but the sound was still so loud we couldn’t hear each other talk. This is a shot down the bar towards the band.
Can you see the band? Neither could we.
The bar swaps a set of 12 regional beers every week. Leah’s beer is the dark one, Burnt Hickory Big Shanty. (The brewery is in the town of Kennesaw, which at one time was known as Big Shanty. It is probably best known for two things. The first was the Great Locomotive Chase during the Southern War to Preserve Slavery. The second was when the town passed an ordinance requiring every resident to have a firearm.)
My beer is the closer one, but I can’t remember the name. On our first visit, I got a mild beer that suited my taste reasonably well. That experience has not been repeated.
This is a bar, so, of course, they offer a variety of drinks.
One thing I have learned, or at least have had reinforced, is that there really aren’t too many beers that I actually like. Maybe there’s someone else who feels kind of like me at XKCD:
Of course there are a few beers that I do like, but I just can’t get into bitter.
You didn’t tell us how Leah liked her beer, the Burnt History Big Shanty. I’d be tempted to try it just for its name, but I’m very partial to dark, full-bodied beers. I love mild, creamy stouts and porters, but I agree with you, Mark, about extreme bitterness; Guinness is too bitter for me.
I recently accompanied a group of colleagues to a local brew house following an all-day meeting. Everything on the board was light, so I ordered a beer whose verbal description sounded interesting. It was extremely bitter and not much else. In my opinion, this is the kind of stuff that gives beer a bad rep and makes me agree with the second stick figure. (Kali doesn’t like beer; she says that she dislikes the carbonation, but I think she just doesn’t like the taste.)
Also, Kali and I are not very forgiving about overly loud live music. I don’t know if the performers don’t realize how loud they are, don’t care, or are doing it on purpose, but we just don’t put up with it. Once, at a fund-raiser affair, I told the host that the band was so loud that we couldn’t talk to one another. The host replied, “I don’t think they’re that loud.” (She was dead wrong about that.) The next year, the band was moved to an adjoining room but, guess what, it was still too loud!
Sorry…that was Burnt HICKORY Big Shanty.
I haven’t had a beer in years. Roger and I used to ride our bikes to a brewery in Santa Cruz and have something dark, maybe a Porter, and then bike ride home. I prefer wines, and especially those that are low in alcoholic content. The trend in wine is going to 15+ percent alcohol. That’s crazy, and interestingly, it’s true of beers as well. Check the alcohol content and see what they’re offering these days, 8% or 9%! I used to like loud music, years and years ago, but not anymore. Gives me a headache.
Scott — Leah liked the Burnt Hickory Big Shanty. Unfortunately, they switch out the 12 beers on tap, so she couldn’t get one the last time. We went back last Tuesday. I tried a couple of their draft beers, but didn’t really like either.
Robin — I have noticed the trend towards high-alcohol beers, too. I like certain beers, but high alcohol doesn’t do anything for me but make me sleepy and make my head feel like it’s full of some thick liquid.