I'm Ten Years Cancer Free!!!

( Me and my team in 2011 kicking some cancer ass! )

In the last week or so plenty of people have asked me what it felt like to turn 40. Well, it really didn't matter to me in the stereotypical way people think of it. Let me illustrate.

Then: I was diagnosed/treated for cancer and turned 30 in the midst of it. Yuck!

Now: I turned 40 on Monday and was given the good word just today that I am free of cancer for 10 years running. Hot damn!

Which one would you choose? See why turning 40 is so awesome for me? I'm better now than when I was 30 and so happy to be here to say that!

This is cause for celebration, and trust me I'll be doing plenty of that; so should you if only because celebrating a great story even when it isn't your own makes us human. But there is more to this than hoots, hollers and cheering.

The war on cancer has not been won. We've barely advanced our pieces on the board. My cause for celebration is a reminder of the battle we wage and why all of us need to get involved. It's a fight for life, and none of us are safe.

Fight back for Hannah, Bill, Pete, Rhonda and Noah who carry on their own personal battles. Celebrate all the survivors who remind us that hope is not lost. Fight back for your children, spouse, mother, father, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, co-workers and yourself. Remember those we've lost and whose presence at our side as we fight propels us forward to victory. Get involved for any reason you want, but get involved.

Click below to make a donation to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY13NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=52043

Thank you!

Jason

My Half Full Glass - Christmas Edition

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I'm sharing a special edition of My Half Full Glass this week. There was a fair bit of drinking at my house over the Christmas holiday. But I didn't do the majority of it. I know that is what some of you were thinking. 

By the time the day after Christmas came we had entertained at least forty people, and they all enjoyed something different. When I overheard guests talking up something from the bar I made a point to take a taste it and find out what the buzz was all about.

The Whiskey Bar

I put together a whiskey bar for the first day of our holiday open house. It was a smash hit! I selected several Bourbons, two Scotches, a Canadian, an Irish and a Rye whiskey as base liquors. Next to those bottles I placed sweet vermouth, simple syrup, Drambuie, ginger ale, bitter and garnish.

Above the bar I listed the recipes for popular whiskey cocktails, specifically the Manhattan, Sazerac, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy and Rusty Nail. As guests arrived I let them know to serve themselves. I had expected it to be a fun way to make the bar work during a busy party, and I was right. Other than refilling the ice I never had to make the drinks or help guests navigate the bar. I wholeheartedly suggest this trick for your next party. I repeated the same format with gin the next day, but with a smaller crowd I didn't see as much activity. The only regret is that I didn't take any pictures of either bar. I guess you had to be there!

Two Orange/Vanilla Meads Walk Into a Bar

The opportunity to try the recently released Moonlight Meadery Summer Love side by side with my own version (a new attempt using the recipe that Moonlight also riffed on) came during our Christmas celebrations. I didn't taste them blind so the feedback can be assumed to contain some bias. To be fair I don't care which one people like more, both are a source of pride for me and when someone smiles drinking one of them, I win!

The overwhelming feedback focused on two key differences between these meads. The first is that the Moonlight version is a bit spicier and that bite came across as a sharp edge to some. Having used Tupelo honey, and not Orange Blossom as I did, an element of spiciness is to be expected.

The second difference, and the one that got the most attention, is that my version was perceived to be creamier and smoother. I again recognize this difference, but in this case don't know why and furthermore how I might reproduce it in another iteration. Food for thought.

Everyone who tried both meads found the experience interesting. For my friends who have been with me along this nearly ten year journey the existence of a commercial product that I had influence on is not a surprise, although it feels like a long time coming for my most faithful fans.

Not Bud Light Lime

One of the Ancient Fire Top 10 Moments of 2012 was riffing on Bud Light Lime after finding refuge with one on the Kid Rock Cruise. This beer has officially exceeded any expectations I would ever have for homebrew. With just enough of a sour kick, this beer brings so much to tickle the palate. 

The base beer is a very simple wheat ale, and is ridiculously easy to make. I make can two of them in just over 3 hours. This is a great summer beer and will likely pop up on the late spring brewing schedule for just that season of enjoyment. Keep an eye for summer party invites, especially if I mention the lime ale.

Strawberry Riesling Wine

My niece Ashley gets a mention this week. She loves my homemade wine. She specifically likes my fruit wines and this is huge for me, because I always hope they come so good that smiles are assured. These wines tend to be the freshest and most interesting wines I make primarily because the fruit is fresh and the composition is more elaborate than a typical grape wine. Ashley, thank you for being such a huge fan, it really does mean a lot!

Over the Christmas holiday I opened no less than five bottles of my Strawberry Riesling wine made in 2011. This wine was a project hatched after talking to my mother about a similar wine she enjoyed on a vacation to I can't remember where. To make it I took half of a recipe for my flagship Strawberry wine and for the other half I used fresh Riesling juice. The result was a hugely drinkable, light, fruity wine that is medium to off-dry with moderate character.

As we sail into the New Year holiday I wish you all a happy and safe end to the year. It would be irresponsible not to mention that making arrangements for transportation, designated driver, cab, etc, is a must during those crazy New Year's celebrations. Have fun, be safe and get home to start the new year with maybe only a headache.

Cheers!

Jason

Top Ten Ancient Fire Moments in 2012

My friend Richard Auffrey has gotten me in the mood to offer something of a year in review. Each year in his blog entitled The Passionate Foodie Richard shares "top ten" lists in a number of different categories. I'm not prepared for that. And I'm not sure I'd just go and steal that idea, especially from someone who executes it so well. I'm a different guy which means I need to do something different.

As a beverage blogger I also stick my neck out on a weekly basis, offering my thoughts on drinks, food and occasionally the beverage business. I'm also the producer of award-winning home fermentations and do a fair bit of travel in search of new and interesting beverages. Taking all of this together it occurred to me that the highlights from those adventures in 2012 might make for interesting reading. If not, at least it will satisfy a sense of vanity having shared a bunch of "I did that" moments. Choosing what of my adventures should make the list and in which order they should go in was hard. Don't read too much into it. So here goes!

#10 - Kid Rock and Bud Light Lime

Margot and I went on the Kid Rock Chillin' The Most Cruise this year. Four days of music and partying. Of course that meant we saw, and to a lesser degree participated in, quite a bit of consumption. And not necessarily the good stuff. I'm not a Bud/Miller/Coors fan, but one of the nights I enjoyed a Bud Light Lime whilst sitting out on the deck watching the party rage on. Margot asked what I thought of it, it wasn't my first one but I think she was making some fun conversation, and I ultimately quipped that I could make a much better version of the beer at home. And in fact I did with an overwhelmingly positive response! The beer turned out to be one of our most well received brews of 2012. You might think it would be a warm-weather-only beer but it turns out that it is a very smooth drinker and is also good with food. We served it at our two-day Christmas party that wrapped up last night, proving that it even brings a smile in cold weather. Kid Rock is right, sometimes it is "the simple things in life, like when and where."

#9 - Award Winning Fruit Wine Making Tips

I was invited to speak at the WineMaker Magazine Conference again this year. The topic in 2012 was tips for making award winning fruit wines, something I am happy to say I have done five years in a row. I live in an area with lots of farms and farm markets so access to ripe and fresh fruit is something I am blessed to have. Fresh, ripe fruit is one of the most important requirements for making good fruit wine. On top of that you also need creativity, curiosity and a taste for fruit wines. During the 75 minute session the questions were rapid fire and I struggled to keep up with it all. Being able to share the breadth of experiences this occasion allowed was a real delight. The sharing from members of the audience was not lost on me and several projects later in the year were inspired by their participation.

#8 - Roses & Gold - A Man's Best Friend

In 2011, for the second time, I made a Rosé style wine from Concord grapes grown in a friend's yard. I didn't set out to make a sophisticated wine, rather I endeavored to use the fresh grapes to make a bright pink, slightly sweet wine that would put smiles on a lot of people's faces. The first attempt had come out OK, but the result in 2011 wowed everyone who tasted it. The grapes were more ripe and my basic process for making it resulted in a hugely pleasurable wine. Wanting to get feedback on my new wine I entered it into the WineMaker Magazine annual competition.

I was present at the award ceremony and as the first couple of categories were called none of the winners were present. When they got to the Concord wine category there were winners for Bronze and Silver, but again no winners were present. When the Gold medals were announced my name was called. What a great way to kick off my competition results, by both winning a Gold medal AND the first medal awarded in person that night. When I later reviewed the judging notes I found that I scored highly in color, aroma, flavor AND overall impression. I had scored big with a well made, balanced and delicious wine!

#7 - Tasting a Flight of Homemade Strawberry Wines

We can't move on from the WineMaker Magazine conference trip before sharing one more Ancient Fire Moment. In 2010 I attended my first WineMaker Magazine Conference and during that trip I shared my homemade strawberry wine. I went on to win gold medal for that wine. Once word had spread about the wine I also fielded a number of requests for the recipe and tips for making it, which I happily shared. In 2011 I didn't medal for my strawberry wine at this same competition, but was happy to see that I was back on track in 2012 with a Gold medal. This wine has been a special project for me since 2006, and the only one that I really feel like I "know" how to make from experience.

( Brother Mark, me, Amy and Brant comparing notes on homemade Strawberry wine. 

Thank you to Tim Vandergrift for this great photo with Daniel Pambianchi photo-bombing us! )

During the 2012 conference swap meet I was approached by two of the winemakers who had asked me about my recipe and process for the strawberry wine. And each of them was brandishing a bottle. With my own bottle in hand an impromptu comparative tasting was undertaken. What an amazing experience! All three of us made something a little bit different, due to both production choices and that we live in three different locations, each with access to different fruit. We each shared our production process and contrasted how what we knew about how the wines were made might have influenced the distinct outcomes. Some experiences make you realize you have found your people, and this one screamed it!

#6 - Staring at the Pacific Ocean from the Rocky Cliffs of the Oregon Coast

Living close the coastline we are a bit spoiled. With only a short drive we can walk along the New England shore and stare out at the Atlantic Ocean beyond. In 2012 my pursuit of new wine experiences took us to the Portland, Oregon area for the Wine Bloggers Conference. I had heard that the Oregon coastline was absolutely beautiful, very different in appearance to New England and not to be missed. On a day after the conference Margot and I planned a trip out to the coast. The drive itself was quite beautiful, first through the farmland of the upper Willamette Valley, then through the big pines of the Van Duzer Forest Scenic Area and finally the coast. Wow! The rocky cliffs and abrupt end to the land at the Western edge of Oregon is breathtaking. We stopped in many places along the way to take it all in.

#5 - Friendly Faces

In the last several years I've met a number of other area wine & food writers with whom I have forged stronger ties since. Being able to spend time exploring the world of food & drink with them this year certainly wasn't just one experience, but these moments would not be fairly exchanged for any object of value, they are the stuff life is made of.

So as I look back at another exciting year, I wish the happiest of times to Richard Auffrey (Passionate Foodie), Adam Japko (Wine Zag), Marie Payton (Life of Vines) and Todd Traskos (Vermont Wine Media). I can't wait to be out drinking and eating with all of my friends again in 2013!

#4 - Collaborating with Moonlight Meadery

Pro-am collaborations in the brewing world have been news-worthy in the last couple of years. I've always thought it was a pretty neat concept, but didn't believe I had ever made anything that might be of interest to a commercial producer. Then I made an orange and vanilla infused mead. And it took a top place in a regional competition. Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery asked if I was interested in commercializing the recipe. Really? Are you serious? I really did ask those questions. And the answer to both was yes.

A new mead named Summer Love recently went into the bottle and has been flying off the shelves from what I hear. The experience of making a mead based on a recipe of my own with Michael and the team at Moonlight was so much fun, something I would have never dreamed of.

#3 - Fighting Cancer with Wine

For a number of years now my Relay For Life team has hosted wine tastings to raise funds in the fight against cancer. In 2012 the team reached a new milestone in our efforts, having eclipsed $100,000 raised since 2003. (Not all of this was raised through wine tastings.)  In the context of larger fundraising efforts, $100K isn't a huge number, but when you consider it was raised by a group averaging 10 people each year, and in a very grass roots fashion you start to see why it is significant. When I first started making beer & wine I never imagined I would be able to combine it with a message of hope and do so much good in this world. I shared the history and current activities of my Relay For Life team in a series of posts this year, the most information I have shared about Relay and my fundraising efforts since the inception of my blog. My Relay thank you post, after the 2012 event, sums up the year we had and includes the link list to all the stories I shared. If you haven't read them I encourage you to spend the time. The people that stand with me in this fight are very dear to me, and sharing their stories was one of my fondest memories of the year.

I never set out to be recognized for my efforts fighting cancer, but awareness of my passion spread and recognition came nonetheless. In 2012 I was honored with a Mass General One Hundred Award. This award is given to individuals whose efforts in the battle against cancer have impacted lives and advanced the cause in a meaningful way. I was nominated by a friend (anonymously so this was a surprise) who felt my passion and energy deserved to be shared. Marie, thank you again for helping create a moment that made 2012 an incredible year for me!

#2 - Last Man Standing

There have been several competition moments in this top 10 list. All together it might seem like I am hugely competitive and getting recognition from competition is a primary motivator for me and my homemade creations. Not exactly. Competitions generate feedback and that feedback is hugely useful in determining what I am getting right and what I getting wrong. Adding the response from tastings to competition feedback gives me a more complete picture of how I am doing. I win in competition less than half the time I enter and the feedback is at least as useful when I don't win as when I do. I'm not actually as competitive as it might appear.

( Watching the Best in Show judging at the NERHBC was both exciting and nerve wracking. )

Winning Best in Show and Meadmaker of the year were highlights for me because they confirmed that the hard work and resources that I plugged into my projects in the last year were very well spent. I guess you could say I've learned a thing or two and I've used those lessons to get better. This type of recognition is motivating and that is why this was one of the top Ancient Fire moment in 2012.

#1 - Sharing My Creations

This isn't so much of a moment as it is the aspect of my mad science that brings me the most joy each year.

Trust me, all the hard work that goes into the beverages I make has to be followed with something fun or it really wouldn't be worth all the time! I love sharing the beverages that I make. Only a few of my friends recall family members who made their own beer or wine and most often the stories trend towards "it wasn't very good."  I think home brewing and wine-making has come a long way and while it still takes lots of hard work, I am always pleased to see these same people react so positively to my beverages. There is truly something special when you can hang out with friends drinking home brew, whether it be my own or someone else's. I make a lot of different beverages, and much more than I can drink. Sharing my beverages at tastings and as gifts brings me great joy and helps with my "inventory problem!"

( Margot and I brewing up another batch of beer to share with friends. Cheers! )

To my family, friends, co-workers and neighbors I wish you the very best during this holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jason

Finding My Pappy’s - Milo's City Cafe in Portland, OR

My parents, Helzie (Mom) and Jeano (Dad), had one of the most loving relationships that I have ever seen. They somehow managed to maintain that love through raising six kids, three foster kids and on a shoestring budget. There was never much money for extras and if there was it was spent on us kids.  My parents have both been gone for some time now (18 years for my Dad and 10 for my Mom) and as I grow older I think of their relationship in a new light. For example, there were two things that my Dad would always find the money for: roses (ALWAYS red) for Helzie on special occasions, and a weekly breakfast at Pappy’s, the pizza place up the street.

Pappy’s was (is) a small local place where the booths are plastic and the cold drinks are served in paper cups. My parents went there so regularly that for a few Christmases the waitresses gave them presents. They went there for their one-morning-a-week breakfasts before Jeano dropped Helzie off at work. He changed up his order from time to time while she always got two eggs over easy with bacon and home fries. When my sisters and I want to feel closer to them we do not head to the cemetery, we meet at Pappy’s for lunch or dinner (they sadly no longer offer breakfast). I never really understood their obsession with Pappy’s breakfast; it was good food but not anything really special.

Then I went to Portland, Oregon and walked into Milo’s City Cafe…..

Jay knows that one of my favorite things to do on vacation is to go out to breakfast, and it is an even bigger score if they have Eggs Benedict. He did some research and found Milo’s, it fit the criteria and was a few blocks from the hotel.  The moment that we walked in it felt like home, the interior was so bright and welcoming. There were booths and tables to select from and with the cheerful “Welcome, sit where ever you like” from someone behind the counter I knew we had found a gem. Our waitress, Redd, was as sassy as could be and you could tell she genuinely loved her job. Actually everyone who worked there seemed happy, not in a fake Disney-like way but really, truly, just in a good mood.

Of course I ordered one of the Eggs Benedict dishes, and wanting to try something different I got the vegetarian version (which we didn't get a picture of) with a tomato in place of the Canadian bacon. However, after some gentle ribbing from Redd, I also got a side of their house pepper bacon. (We would later be introduced to Redd’s Bacon bibles which are a sight to see, request to see them when you go!) Both Jay and I agreed that the bacon was amazing, as was the locally handmade and grilled sausage Jay ordered. The Eggs Benedict was delightful as expected, the tomato was so flavorful and fresh with the acidity cutting through the hollandaise. Writing this I can almost taste each item as I describe it (the tell of a great restaurant). The coffee was strong and dark, real coffee, not anything fancy with froth; just simple coffee brewed well. When we left Milo’s I made Jay promise we would be back before we left Portland.

It was on our second visit that it dawned on me, I had found my Pappy’s. I was thousands of miles away from home in a place my parents had never been, but I felt them all around me. Sitting there with my Jeano (Jay) I felt a sense of connectivity to the adult that I am and the people my parents were. I was seeing them as adults with their own story, not just as my parents. This is what they felt when they walked into that place each week, they felt like in this big universe they had found their spot to just…be. Sure, the food at Milo’s is really good, fresh and very well prepared (not to mention inexpensive) but it was the whole experience that made it special. (For the record they also serve lunch and dinner.)

We shared our thoughts with our server on the second visit (Redd was not in). After telling us he would share it with the higher ups he pointed to or check…with the server name Milo clearly filled out. Connecting with him about the experience and enjoyment of it made it even more special.

It makes me sad to think that my Pappy’s is so far way but I rejoice in having found it. Far too often when we blog about food and drink we put the emphasis on the technicalities. I hope that each of you can have a moment like I did, when for some inexplicable reason you feel connected through time and space to people you have lost or memories long gone. I am forever a fan of Milo’s City Cafe and will visit each and every time I am even CLOSE to Portland. To Milo, the owner and our server, I will say that I hope you take some joy out of creating, for me, the perfect place to help me to miss my parents a little bit less. I thank you.

Margot

A Magical and Mystical Wine Ride

I’ve been thinking a lot in the last couple of weeks about how drinking wine makes me feel. How does enjoying a glass of wine impact my mood and my emotions? What are the physiological effects and what mental images does it evoke? I’ve specifically gotten fixated on the transportative (not a word in the dictionary, but tell me you don’t get it) and transcendental aspects that follow from a sip of some wines. Where can a sip of wine take you?

I’ve concluded that based on my own reality there are two basic versions of this experience. The first is what happens when you are taken to back to a place where you previously enjoyed the same or similar wine, where the wine is made or any place from a prior experience with it. This feels somewhat like free word association to me, and isn’t at all surprising. There are so many connections made in our brains between different sensory stimuli. Our flavor and aroma memory is completely connected to our tactile, visual and auditory memories to form a composite picture (memory) that might be recalled by any of the different parts of the puzzle. These experiences are likely quite common and so much so that they are potentially easy to overlook. Pay attention people!

The second experience is when the taster is transported to a place defined by the harmony of the attributes of the wine, a place of pure fantasy, intense depth, color, passion, emotion, etc. I don’t think I’ve had this experience, but I will admit that without my attention properly focused at every occasion I’ve enjoyed a glass of wine I may have missed it. If this is the kind of experience I can expect to live the rest of my life searching for I am happier for it.

So how did a hitch a ride on this magic carpet? A book. More specifically, a graphic novel. I have to thank my friend Richard Auffrey (aka the Passionate Foodie) for his reviews of the Drops of God series. He’s a voracious reader and a very, very passionate wine & food lover creating a consistently winning combination. The Drops of God is a serial graphic novel about a wine journey, actually many wine journeys, from Japan. The first three volumes have been released and I have been fortunate enough (it really is that good) to have read through all three. Richard’s reviews of the first three segments (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3) contain spot on summaries and his own ponderings on the messages contained with the their pages. Here is my one sentence summary. The main character’s father passes away, wills him his prized wine collection on the condition that he can identify thirteen wines from only the descriptions provided in the will, and the ensuing journey of experience and education offers lots of twists and turns. Please read Richard’s summaries and reviews for the rest of the pertinents. I just don’t feel the need to cover that ground with such a solid resource just a click away.

As Richard points out in his reviews of volumes 2 & 3, there are quite a few words written about scores, ratings and critics. At each offering there is clear counterpoint though. What about personal tastes and the imagination of the consumer? It is possible that this is exactly what the author hoped to stir up for reflection and conversation. At first it was hard to get through these sections because of the tacit pretention, it made me wonder what we might have lost in translation, but ultimately I found other aspects to focus on. I would wholeheartedly recommend these books for any wine lover. They are a quick read, yet dense with imagery and points to consider over a glass of wine or two.

What I was most taken with was the metaphysical journeys that the characters, and especially the main character Shizuku Kanzaki, are taken on when they taste the different wines presented in the story. These journeys begin a mere twenty-five pages into the first volume and continue repeatedly. Presenting this type of imagery in a graphic novel is potent. The illustrations are detailed, nuanced and transportative for the reader as well.

Both types of journeys (recall and fantasy) are represented in the books, from visions of the vines of French chateaux visited in childhood, to the richly nuanced images of a primeval forest as part of the picture of the first of the thirteen wines; and finally, varying scenes representing the five great wines of Bordeaux at the end of volume 3.

As I got to thinking about the images from the book a few of my own experiences came to mind.

Any time I drink Riesling I think of my wife. It was the first kind of wine we mutually enjoyed. We both drank Boone’s Farm in college but not together, and thus the Riesling memory stuck. A certain flutter in my gut is typical when I get the chance to try a new Riesling. I rarely miss an opportunity. Maybe I now know why I like Riesling so much. I love my wife, so I why shouldn’t I love the first wine we enjoyed together?

I’ve also experienced a form of projection (a variation on the recall experience) where a wine from one region brought me back to somewhere else where I enjoyed wines made from the same grapes. I visited Provence in February 2011 and had the distinct pleasure of standing next to the vines at the ruins of the Pope’s summer house northeast of Avignon. The earth there is covered with smooth, rounded stones colored in various shades of tan and light brown. The vines are craggy and old. In February the vines are dormant and pruned back. They look like little trees with no leaves, the trunks of bonsai trees come to mind. Plots of land that look like this were visible in all directions from where I stood. During that trip I tasted wines from Cote du Rhone, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Beaumes-de-Venise, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and others that currently escape me. The red wines from those areas are made with from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan and several other grapes. On that trip I was visiting with friends (adopted family) for a wedding and the whole experience was rich and full of emotion. 

Later in 2011 I visited Santa Barbara and tasted several wines from the LaFond label. The wines were blends of Syrah and Grenache or 100% Syrah, with some bearing similarity to some of the wines from the Rhone. At the first sip of one of the Syrah/Grenache blends I had this weird feeling like I had been “somewhere” before. It was my first trip to Santa Barbara so the sensation made very little sense. My emotions were being tweaked in an odd way. Standing at the tasting bar in that urban winery I was feeling like I was surrounded by family. The feeling was pretty weird. I had a sense of being taken somewhere by the wines, but I didn’t give it enough thought then to work it out. Only now do I fully understand what was going on. I felt like I was back in Provence. The aromas and flavors of the wines had taken me back to that place and the wines and people. What a trip!

I love wine, I drink it often but don’t have a drinking problem perse, but I can see myself coming to love the experience of being taken somewhere even more. This could be addicting and cause all sorts of trouble I would guess. It is clear that I can’t expect these experiences to be frequent or conscious if I don’t pay attention to what I am drinking and slow my roll (Kid Rock is playing in the background) so that I can be fully receptive to my senses and not miss a moment of any potential journey. I doubt I will get this all sorted out today.

Does wine take you on a journey? Have you ever been transported somewhere by a sip of wine? Leave a comment about your experiences with wine imagery. I’d love to learn more about how others are experiencing wines they encounter.

Cheers!

Jason

What Is The Relay For Life?

( Yes we must believe and we must have hope. Friends of ours from our event. )

The Relay For Life is the flagship fundraising event for the American Cancer Society and the largest community driven fundraiser in the world. The Relay For Life is a celebration, a remembrance and a promise for the future. In the first two parts of this series about my cancer journey and how I’m fighting back (Part 1, Part 2) I shared the beginning of the story and the history of the team I helped form to volunteer and fundraise in our local communities. Through the Relay For Life I’ve learned so much and met so many great people that I couldn’t think of giving this experience back.That's why I'm sharing it with you!

The Relay For Life is a place where all of us who share in the cancer story can go to give support, get support, fight back and make a difference. Teams raise money for months leading up to the event, hosting fundraisers and soliciting family, friends and co-workers. I’ll get to where the money goes in a future post, but just to keep it simple, your money goes to fund programs and research that make you and a whole shitload of other people heroes to people with cancer. I’ve been, there and it sucks, and having caring, well trained people there to help makes a huge difference.  Be that hero.

( I was asked to be the survivor speaker at the kickoff in 2011. 

Shaved my head for it. Just because I could.)

Our local event is held at the track of Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH. We kick off the event with a survivor lap which is one of the most emotional events I’ve ever been party to. It’s hard to write about the survivor lap now because several people I loved and who also shared the pleasure of this most cruel of best things ever, are no longer here to walk it with me. So when I tell you this all sucks, don’t underestimate what I mean. But it is the people who you get in with at this event that make you realize its power. Caregivers join survivors for a second lap, and then all the team and event participants get into it from there. Survivors and caregivers are invited to a celebratory reception following the kickoff and initial laps. After that I always look forward to walking a few laps with my whole team making noise and letting people know we are there and fighting back.

The walking in circles will go on now for 17 more hours. Teams are obliged to have one member on the track at all times until the event loses at noon the next day.

In 2010 after being astonished at what our scrappy little team had accomplished I fashioned up the following slideshow/video as a tribute to what we had done. Here we are two years later with me thinking about needing a bigger sign to fit We raised $100,000.00!!!!! on.

Throughout the night there are games, activities, fundraisers, music, dancing and lots of laughing. We do turn off the lights at 9PM and use the glow from luminaria bags to walk in silence for an hour remembering those who can no longer be with us and honoring those on the front lines in this fight.

Then there is more walking, a bit more walking; what is it with all the walking? Man, I have never walked so much and not physically gotten anywhere like I do at Relay. Each lap has a theme, with the turning of each debuting new costumes, music and activities. A warm cup of coffee is a welcome friend at 2 AM when there are only 100 people on the track.

When morning finally comes we are all usually pretty happy, and more or less so based on the overnight weather. You aren’t technically camping, more like bivouacking or manning a field outpost. We’ve had thunderstorms come right across the field, pouring rain, steady but constant rain, fog, cold and wind. We’ve heard reports of other events seeing snow. You will want to be a bit hardcore to deal with it. And walk 30+ miles in any or all of it. Morning snacks are brought in by team relief that heads back to our house overnight. Boxes of donuts are made scarce in short order.

Cancer affects all of us sooner or later. Don’t believe me? The latest statistic from the American Cancer Society is that 1 in 2 people will be affected by cancer in our lifetime. None of us live alone forever, so it affects all of us sooner or later. I tell people that I feel that everyone should support a cause they can get behind, but truly support it. And for many people that means putting their support with someone else who is making just the difference they can be part of. I can’t thank you, my family, my friends and all the people who have continued to support me in this fight enough. We are ALL making a difference.

To be someone’s hero donate to the Relay For Life using the online form at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

Be an even bigger hero and send this post to your friends. Facebook it, Tweet it, send and email, make a call, write a letter, send a carrier pigeon with a blank money order, what ever it takes. We need to more fighters and more ammo in this fight!

Cheers!

Jason

The History of Team Survivors Rule!

( Survivors Rule! 2004 )

This is the second part in a series about what my experience with cancer has helped me find in my own life, and how it has given me an opportunity to fight back. You can read part 1 and the beginning of the story in Second Chances, Giving Back and How You Can Help.

In 2003 I took my first walk as a cancer survivor participating in the Boston Prostate Cancer walk. As my wife and I researched this and other events we noticed that many likeminded people formed teams with catchy names. Most of the teams raised money all year and participated in charity walks or runs in their local communities. Lets do that! We started team “Survivors Rule!”. I was a newly minted cancer survivor and to me this name had power, positivity and a no-nonsense appeal.

( Boston Prostate Cancer Walk 2003)

And we got right to work. Team Survivors Rule! finished 2003 with a homemade apple pie drive to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Margot and I also participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events in both Boston, MA and Manchester, NH.  We were off to a roaring start.

( Pies for Cancer 2003 )

At the Making Strides event in Manchester, NH I met the volunteer chairperson (Nicole Spaur) for the 2004 Manchester Relay For Life. I had heard of this event before, but never participated in one. During the long week of recovery from my initial surgery my mother had mentioned this event (thanks Mom!) and we talked about finding one to get involved in. With recovery ahead of me still, we decided 2004 would be a good year to organize a team and Relay for the first time. As I talked to Nicole about Relay I was energized. She asked if I was interested in joining the committee. Blinded by my desire to make my experience mean something more I said yes. I went home and proudly told Margot that she was talking to the new chairperson of the Survivorship Committee of the Manchester Relay For Life. Her initial reaction took the wind of out my fight-back sails, but she was right; I had likely gotten ahead of myself. As we headed into 2004 I tried my best to balance my time between work, home, chairperson duties and getting our team organized for the Relay. In the end it all came together, and despite all the hard work I felt good. As I said in part 1, my cancer diagnosis changed my life. When I walked in that first Relay For Life, my life changed again. I walked all night with my father, Margot, friends and all the new people I met walking around in those circles. To top that all off Survivors Rule! had raised just shy of $5000 in our first Relay. This was just the beginning.

( Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Boston. 2003. Rain & our walks seem to go hand in hand... )

Later in 2004 the team made apple pies again, and Margot and I helped with day-of logistics and walked in the Making Strides event in Manchester. After two years the team was able to proudly proclaim that we had helped raised just over $8000 in the fight against cancer. We were building and growing, getting stronger and arming ourselves. Cancer was in the bullseye.

In 2005 the team needed to make a change. Due to a family wedding we needed to participate in a different Relay, and the change brought us closer to home, to the Relay For Life of Great Derry & Londonderry. As 2005 wound up the team made chocolate treats to sell, and pounded the pavement for donations. We rocked our new Relay all night raised over $7,000 more in the fight against cancer. The team again came out for a pie drive in the fall and the annual participation in Making Strides, which is still strong as it ever was.

In the years of 2006 through 2009 the team put up remarkable efforts and raised over $10,000 in each of 3 out of 4 of those years. Our highest annual total was $12,500. Our success has always been bittersweet because we were fighting a disease that was taking our family and friends, but it is success and we enjoy it! My advocacy worked blossomed. I testified to the finance committee of the NH legislature on the importance of supporting cancer programs with tax dollars, helped with the event organization and marketing, and participated in several other advocacy events as a speaker. The team never made pies again after 2005, but continued to flirt with chocolate baskets, parties (on the right) and other treats. Spa days at a local spa were arranged with proceeds benefitting the Relay For Life. We also began using our homemade beverages to host socials to share the fight with others and solicit their support. Our team continued to grow and change. Unfortunately this was most often due to new cancer stories in our circle, but I’m always happy to go to war with these people, knowing them makes the effort worth it.

One of the other things I should just get out of the way is that I walk at Relay, and I walk a lot. My average mileage since 2004 is over 25 miles per event, and generally more if I help with day-of setup of both the greater event and for my own team. 

( And I track it. 37.85 miles from 6PM Friday to 6PM Saturday. 2005 or 2006)

During the first few years after my treatment I learned a lot about the emotional side to cancer's effects on people and families. So many stories were shared with me. I was the “cancer guy” for friends, co-workers and strangers. I had chosen to educate myself on what we were up against and use that knowledge to fight back. It was hard to hear so many heart breaking stories, especially early on. A large measure of mental toughness had to be developed. That toughness came with heightened emotions all around, especially to the particular issue of cancer. Most people don’t know that cancer kills 1500 American’s every day. No one other disease does that. How many families is that? How many friends? How many jobs in our economy? How many voters, volunteers and fundraisers is that? You’d get torn up over this like I do if you thought about it too long.

( I met a lot of fellow cancer survivors who I became friends with. Thank you for being my friend Gerry!)

To many people knowing the “cancer guy” was just the relationship they needed to have because they were dealing with cancer in their own circle. The most powerful thing I learned was that it isn’t understanding that we should seek, although between survivors and caregivers there is plenty of potential for that, it is celebrating the shared moment. It’s me being able to tell you my story in my own words. As the American Cancer Society so beautifully puts it, it’s about more birthdays. It’s about being seen and seeing others again. It’s about living with dignity and hope.  I can’t necessarily understand what someone else has been through, but anyone can understand the need to cherish what you have. Like any medical condition, cancer is nasty physically, emotionally and can take a huge toll on everyone involved. Fighting back in the way we do ensures people affected by cancer are given hope and the chance to live with dignity. With our collective support more people are living longer and suffering less.  I cherish my second chance and through my advocacy work with the American Cancer Society I have now become a shepherd for others who want to fight back.

In 2010 and 2011 the team again posted incredible fundraising numbers with an inception to date fundraising total of just over $87,000 in just 8 years! I can see $100,000 from here.

Wine tastings have become our flagship fundraising event and we are honored to have family and friends who volunteer top open their homes to host these events. Sharing my homemade wines, wine travel stories and wine enjoyment tips for an afternoon is a very enjoyable backdrop for some advocacy and fundraising work. And our guests love the tastings!

We two tastings planned this spring and one of them will be splitting its donations between two different Relay For Life events! The work of team Survivors Rule! has been infectious and led to family and friends participating in and working as organizers of Relay events in their own communities. That is making a difference! If you are interested in either event send email to jasonphelps (at) yahoo (dot) com for more information. I will be posting about fighting cancer with wine this year’s events in May after I have pictures to share from each.

( AM at Relay in 2008. Weary, cold and tired, but still fighting back! )

In the last couple of year’s team members have used a variety of methods to reach out into the circle of influence and solicit support. Personal stories are the best way to share the reality of the fight with others. The programs and services of the American Cancer Society are an excellent way to make a personal story stick, we tell people where their money goes. Look for details on the mission of the American Cancer Society and how Relay is part of that mission in an upcoming post.  Our goal now is to continue to grow our success and reach for that $100,000 mark. Funds of that size are comparable to the size of recent grants given to researchers at Dartmouth and other facilities in NH. Think about that, you can then understand the magnitude of how that money, your money, in the right hands could lead to big steps in this fight. We are all making a difference and we know it

I’ve personally taken to challenging donors with a matching donation. It’s no surprise that I put my money where my mouth is (actually, it is a surprise to some people) and donate several thousand dollars to Relay and Strides annually. Early in the fundraising year, which is right now, I offer to match all or a portion of donations in an attempt to further raise awareness and multiply the impact of people’s dollars.

Here’s the new challenge. I will match half of every $50 donation made between today (4/6/2012) and one week from now. The link to donate is below. You must leave a comment here letting me know you have taken my challenge and made your donation. That ensures I count it and allows me to recognize and thank everyone for sharing in my story and standing with me to fight back. A donation of $50 might be large for some, but there is a trick, ask your family and friends to pool donations. Get everyone involved. Maybe you get enough for two $50 donations which means I have to match it with $50! Your support will ensure programs and services are there for people who need them. You will be offering hope and dignity to others in a time of need. You will be someone’s hero.

Here is the link to make the donation online. Will you be someone’s hero today? The site is secure and run by the American Cancer Society who will issue each donor a receipt. Don’t forget the matching challenge and coming back here to tell me to open up my wallet and match your move!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

Cheers!

Jason

Second Chances, Giving Back and How You Can Help

( May 2003, only weeks out of treatment. That's me in the top center. )

This is the first in a multi-part series about what my experience with cancer has helped me find in my own life and how it has given me an opportunity to fight back.

In 2003 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and the experience changed my life. My cancer wasn’t urgently life threatening, but it could have been. I stand as a textbook example of early detection. I also add that my case demonstrates the value having a good relationship with a health care provider, someone who you aren’t afraid to call when something doesn’t feel right. That choice saved my life. Don’t overlook the lesson here.

The details of my cancer aside, ask me sometime and I’ll gladly share, I got a second chance. Life in the bonus round as I have become fond of saying. Letting that sink in was life changing. How had I been living my life? Well, I worked a lot. As a consultant I got paid for all the hours I worked and putting in long hours meant big returns. But, money doesn’t buy you happiness. My wife (Margot) and I had had recurring relationship issues and my long hours and bullheadedness in not attending to those issues kept them alive. Cancer changed all of that. Cancer showed me that I could change my life and focus on what was important, whatever that might be. The prospect of taking stock of everything and knowing I could rediscover and value interests differently than I had before was energizing. Family, friends, getting away for the weekend, walks with dog, music and reading all had newfound value to me. This was a damn good thing, with damn good timing! Thank you cancer. You still suck though.

Sidenote: The picture above is bittersweet for me, my wife and all of her family who are pictured there. Despite my returning health at the time the picture was taken, a storm was brewing. Margot's uncle Gerry, in front of the right-hand banister, was diagnosed with cancer a year or so later. He fought for over 6 years but ultimately lost his battle in 2011. After his diagnosis he and I walked the survivor lap in our Relay For Life together. It was a special bond with a man whose friendship will never be forgotten. When I walk the survivor lap in this year's Relay he will not be there, making the loss real for me in a way others in the family will not be able to relate to. Cancer, you suck, a lot!

My food & beverage adventures, and this blog, are a direct offshoot from my cancer experience. At Margot’s urging, we are happier than ever by the way, I took on a hobby; making my own beer at home. One thing led to another and I started making more beer, then wine, cider and mead; and then I began entering competitions and travelling to find new sips to experience. The joy I have been able to experience from all of this makes my cancer experience bittersweet. I wouldn’t trade it in for all the good it has done me. But, make no mistake, I despise cancer, am at war with it and with all the bravado I’ve got, am going to kick the living shit out of this disease if it is the very last thing I ever do.

Shortly after my treatment was completed I began searching for ways to get involved in the fight and give back so that others who follow me, and sadly too many people will follow my path, will have the resources to reduce their suffering and save their life that were available to me.

(That's me on the right clowning around with another cancer survivor. It's the coolest club you will never WANT to be a member of.)

This year is the tenth year that I along with a group of family and friends have rallied to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer. We participate in several events annually and our flagship event is the Relay For Life of Greater Derry & Londonderry. In an upcoming post in this series I will share more about Relay as a nationwide event (it's worldwide, but I’m not as knowledgeable there as I would like to be), what it is, how it works and how you can get involved in a Relay in your own community.

In closing I will make one point crystal clear, I can’t fight cancer alone. I need your help. My Relay For Life is coming up in June and I need as many people to support the event as possible. The fight against cancer needs resources, my resources, your resources and the resources of your friends and family. Will you help me?  Your tax-deductible donation directly to the American Cancer Society can be made from the link below. Thank you so much for your support.

( Team Survivors Rule! having finished the 2010 Relay. By 2010 we had raised over $60,000 in the fight.)

Please help me fight cancer with a donation to the Relay For Life using the online donation format at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

We are fighting, we will win, we MUST HAVE HOPE!

Cheers!

Jason

Ancient Fire Archeology – Finding Old Wines

Before we get into this, I must define old wine as it pertains to my homemade wines. My first batch of wine went into the bottle in 2004. For the first 2-3 years thereafter most of my wine was consumed by year’s end and the few bottles that were given away were returned to me, likewise empty. As my annual production increased wine got to see shelf time for longer, I started giving split batches as gifts and friends would scurry a bottle or two away as a novelty. That last part is despite telling them not to on most occasions, but we will revisit that later. So when I say an old wine, it will be magical if it is 3-4 years old when I uncover it. I should be able to try some 5 and 6 year old homemade wines in the next couple of years.

Over the 2011 holidays I spent several days in Connecticut with my parents. My parents are very vocal supporters of my wines, as well as the beers, ciders, meads and other projects, so they’ve been the recipients of them on many occasions. In 2007 my brother and I went in together on a batch of Vidal-based dessert wine made to be reminiscent of Ice Wine, although not produced in any such way. We gave the wine to our mother as a birthday gift that year. It was, and still is one of the finest batches of wine I’ve ever made. Mom was elated and has enjoyed it many times since. I knew she had several bottles left, and I also knew I could be gambling not saying anything about drinking them yet. I hadn’t considered the storage conditions at play, after all the wine was a gift and how it was used was out of my hands.

Mom expressed an interest in pouring the last two bottles at an upcoming dinner party. I took a look at one of the bottles and it clearly had experienced a protein degradation. This is a flaw of some older white wines and is likely when you see white fluffy stuff floating in the wine. In the first few years I made wine I focused on learning how to do it better, but there is a lot to learn and by 2007 I had yet to use cold stabilization and long clearing regimens to ensure my wines were clear and would stay that way. This is why I often told friends to open the wine I gave them as gifts soon, and why I purposely opened and shared it at many parties we attended. These wines were not fined and prepared for any long term life!

I was immediately suspect that Mom’s Ice Wine would be drinkable. I suggested she open one right before serving it and have a backup wine ready. She opted to open one right then and there, my mother rarely drank before I started making the stuff by the way, which of course peaked my interest. Ignoring the floating particles, the wine was still clear, had retained the caramel/orange hued color and smelled fantastic, if not a bit hot. In the mouth the wine reminded me of Madeira wine. It had flavors of nuts, dried fruits, it was oxidative and a bit reductive. The dried fruits I expected and found in the nose had masked the other elements, but they were easily found with each sip. The final vote was that the wine was quite drinkable, but would certainly not be best described based on its original making.

This was a very curious outcome for me because I had never experienced it in older wines of mine I had come across. Earlier in 2011 friends of our found a bottle of a 2006 Pinot Gris I had forgotten I had made. I don’t know how they stored it, but it was oxidized, brown and totally undrinkable. Younger homemade wines that have passed their peak have typically been completely dried out, slightly tan or brown and not pleasant to drink.

The room my mother had stored the wine in sees a lot of sunlight and during the warmer months gets quite warm. Effectively my mother had raised the wines up to the top of the hothouse and let them cook a bit. My mother was making Madeira in her office without even knowing it! Well done, is all I could say. It was remarkable to drink it and consider how unlikely it would be for what I was drinking to come from where it did.

I have one bottle of this wine left that has been stored in different conditions. I’m hesitant to crack it open without an occasion to enjoy it, because if it is has survived it will undoubtedly be one of the best homemade wine tasting experiences I will ever had.

In the last several years I have made enough wine that some of it will get to 5 or more years old allowing I and others to enjoy many more peak wines and continue to come across interesting twists with how some of the wines age. It is exciting to think that with age wines of mine that have been well cared for could reach heights I’ve never imagined.

Cheers!

Jason

p.s. Happy New Year! I shared some project ideas for the New Year at the WineMaker Magazine Blog this week.

Ten Imbibing Ideas for the Holiday Season

Looking for some inspiration for your holiday imbibing? Whoops, how did you end up here? I kid.

This is the season when nostalgia grabs everyone and the occasions to get together with family and friends fill the calendar. Entertaining family and friends can be a challenge any time of year, but with the expectations heaped on gatherings during the holidays it’s no wonder there are so many search hits for “holiday horror stories”! We all have them.

A few years ago Margot and I vacationed to Orlando with friends early in the month of November. The Disney Parks were already decorated for Christmas and after a bit of exposure to the music and decorations our conversations inevitably turned to the upcoming holidays and stories of celebrations past. Many laughs ensued! On one of the car rides to Universal Studios, also decked out for Christmas, we spotted a sign hanging above the door of a liquor store that read “Family gatherings go quicker with liquor!” The wisdom of the person who posted those words can’t be understated. Don’t believe me? Another example comes late in the move National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Clark’s father tells him that he got through the holidays with a lot of help from his friend Jack Daniels. Raise your hand if you can relate.

So get your family & friends together and drink up!

You are going to do it anyway and bringing fresh imbibing ideas to this year’s gatherings is a sure way to guarantee at least some of the conversation won’t be about whose back hurts worse or who gets the best parking spot in front of the house.

Ten Ideas for Holiday Imbibing

1. Serve punch. And I mean a classic punch from the era that birthed it. Recipes in David Wondrich’s book Punch and in his column at Esquire Magazine are the place to go. This cognac-based holiday punch recipe, The Fatal Bowl, from 2007 is a great example of what I mean. Classic punch is not a contemporary cocktail in a bowl, something many of us know all too well…
2. Make simple syrup for simplified cocktail construction. Straight up simple syrup is used in lots of drinks and flavored or spiced versions can help take your mixology in many exciting directions. Check out this NY Times article for cocktail ideas and a recipe for simple syrup.
3. Use sugar and spices to create fun flavors to rim glasses with. Crush up candy canes to rim hot chocolate and spiked coffee mugs. A brown sugar and spiced rim on a Sazerac or a Manhattan takes those drinks for a holiday spin.
4. For cocktail occasions use drink recipes that can be made ahead of time and served out of a pitcher. As the host you can end up spending so much time serving guests that you don’t have fun. Easy drinks mean more conversation! Food & Wine magazine has a slideshow and recipes for several different pitcher drinks, including several with holiday flavors.
5. Take a trip around the world. Assemble a collection of wines and beers from different places around the world. Curiosity about new products and where they come from always creates interesting conversation.
6. Make everything sparkle. Host a sparkling only party. Serve Champagne, sparkling wine, hard cider and beers known for considerable carbonation for an all sparkling affair. Some examples of the beers that would work in this way include Saisons, Sam Adams Infinium or the Weiss beers from Weihenstephaner.
7. Host a blind tasting. Entertainment experts often recommend having an activity at parties to help provide a little bit of structure. Hosting a blind tasting of wines can get everyone talking about what they are smelling and tasting, and the type and origin of the drinks. Wines, beers, meads and ciders can all be tasted blind to add even more fun
8. Drink local. The local small batch production of wines, beers, ciders, meads and spirits is increasing within communities in every region. Stock your holiday bar with products made nearby to celebrate the season. Better yet, make some of your own to share!
9. Give a toast. Pick a drink that you are particularly excited about this season and put a short pour into all the willing glasses. Assemble your guests and thank them for joining you to celebrate the shared traditions for yet another year. This is a moment everyone will remember after the rest of the holiday crush fades.
10. Play a holiday drinking game. This idea is for those less formal parties. Many holiday movies, especially the cartoons, are parables of good and evil. Split the assembled group up into two teams and the each team drinks when their side is mentioned by the narrator of the holiday classic you select. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is an excellent example. Are you rooting for the Whos or the Grinch?

( The holiday beer lineup from 2010. )

A few other thoughts must be stated as a public service. Don’t say I never gave you anything! 

These tips will enhance everyone’s holiday imbibing.

1. Drink more water. Citrus infused waters taste good and hydrate well.
2. Don’t drink and drive. It’s bad for you, bad for me and it sticks with you. Don’t do it.
3. Drink freely, and for whatever reason, but watch the words that come out of your mouth. That’s where the real trouble is.
4. Store leftover wine in rinsed out beer bottles with reusable stoppers. Keeping the air out will ensure you can serve the leftovers within a couple of days without a loss of drinkability.
5. Give wine & beer as gifts. Nothing says “I completely understand” better to a host than something to drink when you’ve annoyed the shit out of them!

With the season in full gear I hope I’ve helped stir some creativity for your holiday imbibing, hosting or whatever it is you plan to do to celebrate for another year. Try something new this year and watch how it makes your holiday gatherings much more than the usual.

Cheers!

Jason


Last year's holiday entertaining series

Holiday Wine Advice
Holiday Pies
Holiday Beer Talk
Holiday Entertaining