Jason Jason

next rounds on me. @usatoday #ryebeers #beeringredient

When someone says "rye" what is the first image that comes to your mind?

"Rye bread? I usually pass. But rye beer? Why not?" I guess not everybody likes rye bread, but I bet you'll like rye beer. I didn't realize just how many rye beers there really are until I started researching a little.

"You're probably seeing beers with rye used in the brewing process more frequently these days at your favorite watering hole and beer retailer. But rye beers aren't new." They are coming out of the woodwork as it were.

"Back in 2002, Terrapin Beer Co., of Athens, Ga., won a Gold Medal for American Pale Ale with its Rye Pale Ale. Other breweries that dabble in rye include Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and its Wookey Jack Black IPA, Sierra Nevada (Ruthless Rye), Dogfish Head (Ryehoboth) and Samuel Adams (Revolutionary Rye Ale)."

So what I have realized is that I have just barely scratched the surface of the rye beer offerings that are out there. I definitely plan on trying as many as is humanly possible, hope you will too. Oh, and if you are wondering what glass to use, its the one all the way to the left!

Referenced from USA Today.

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Jason Jason

one ton pig. @onetonpig #honkytonk #country #bluegrass #music #americana

I've been good friends with Michael Batdorf, One Ton Pig (OTP) primary singer/songwriter, for quite some time.  Having first met in Morgantown, WV nearly 13 years ago, we've been friends ever since.  We've featured a lot of Mike's work in our work thus far and Episode 4 featured three OTP songs.

"It’s hard to believe a band that’s released three acclaimed records, played hundreds of shows, appeared at festivals, and topped regional polls began as an accident.  But eight years ago, Americana visionaries OTP was just two guys with no band contracted to play a bluegrass night at a local watering hole.

'We started with no expectations,' says Michael Batdorf, 'we made a pact for it to be a fun project, and to stop when we weren’t having fun.'"

OTP primary singer/songwriter, Michael Batdorf

Every year my wife and I head back to Teton County, ID for a week of snow and escape.  Mike's typically at our side for the entire visit and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mike is just a piece of this band; each of the band members bring talent and a unique vision.  The bands unmatched sound brings people to Jackson, WY every year so they can catch the band at the Wort Hotel on Tuesday nights.

"'Songwriting is first and foremost,' Batdorf explains of the band’s chemistry. 'The guys all come from different backgrounds musically and geographically, but they know how to support a song and tie into a cohesive sound.'"

To learn more about the OTP's musicians, check out their website. To hear some OTP, check out "Episode 4 - overland appalachia" or tune in to OTP on iTunes.

Referenced from One Ton Pig and BHP Imaging.

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Jason Jason

Paddle meets water bliss @sanborncanoe

Living along the banks of the Greenbrier River here in Southeast, WV has always afforded us opportunities to gently slide our mad river canoe into water and paddle its pristine waters.  I prefer a big bladed paddle that just as gently slips into water and produces movement.  I stumbled upon the Sanborn Canoe Companies sticks and was instantly intrigued at their beauty and craftsmanship. 


The paddles they produce are a perfect blend of elegance and function.  I can almost feel the rounded wood T grip in my hand as i quietly move through the water with each paddle stroke.  

Sourced from Sanborn Canoe Company

 

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Jason Jason

new appalachian radio. @wvgazette @NewAppRadio #internetradio #appalachia

There's nothing better than sitting on your deck after work and listening to some good local music. That might be tough to do unless you know a local band personally or you and your friends are able strum a few chords.

Enter New Appalachian Radio, “For years, West Virginia has exported its natural resources. We’ve exported our coal, our gas...we’ve also exported our artists, our songwriters and musicians, who’ve left for Nashville or New York.” The aim of this project is to give local talent a place they can be heard as well as to spread that music further out.

"New Appalachian Radio aims to share West Virginia’s music with the world." I think this is a great idea, it is a way for us to share our culture and heritage with the rest of Appalachia. I know I plan on tuning in and listening to who's playing.

 

Referenced from The Charleston Gazette


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