tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89933442011-08-01T14:17:46.956-05:00Beer, food, travel, design, biking, and life in Milwaukee. Get Crusty!<br>CrustyJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694521560842359377noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-24677158490530276412011-03-17T12:48:00.005-05:002011-03-17T13:09:05.031-05:002011-03-17T13:09:05.031-05:00

The Topeak Bar n Mirror is an important staple on both of my bikes. I generally use my bikes for urban riding and don't like any dangly parts jutting out from my bike, so I naturally dislike the usual mirrors found on bikes. I also like things that do double duty if possible so I don't have to mount as many things to get the job done. The mirrors are much improved over a previous model I had,

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-63399065490235002812010-03-16T12:01:00.008-05:002010-03-17T08:51:37.548-05:002010-03-17T08:51:37.548-05:00

Been a while, so thought I would try to do a quick update rundown....Indiana Microbrewers WinterfestQuick trip toIndianapolis. Great people, good food, some great beers. Still going through growing pains, they really need to get a handle on the bathroom situation! Had one of the best beers ever from Schlafly and one of the worst from a place ever that will remain nameless. If you ever go to Indy,

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-91155528412313763782009-12-28T08:39:00.006-06:002010-03-17T09:06:55.439-05:002010-03-17T09:06:55.439-05:00

As some may or may not know I had the fortune to have a quite adventurous month back in November. What for some was another day on the job , I got elected to climb almost 300 feet in the air. I honestly didn't think I would make it, thankfully the experienced people had some good advice going up. Thankfully, there were multiple platforms on the tower going up to stop on to rest, which were needed

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-74991936264990457272009-12-01T08:53:00.002-06:002009-12-01T10:54:00.264-06:002009-12-01T10:54:00.264-06:00

Open letter to the ****heads that stole my bike. Thanks a lot. Luckily I can ride my creaky, awkward 20 year bike until I get a replacement. Thanks for taking all the mounts for accessories that I might have used on that replacement. Oh, and thank for leaving me with a number of items that are now useless without their respective parts. Thanks for needlessly inconveniencing me. But on that note.

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-60211744768501300002009-07-18T17:57:00.006-05:002009-07-18T18:31:19.280-05:002009-07-18T18:31:19.280-05:00

We've been working on the interior front door since Memorial Day weekend. It's done! Bill did most of the work and it looks great. It was a lot work with lots of layers of paint to remove. He replaced the glass, added trim over it instead of the glazing that was on it previously. It has a new lock too. Also this weekend...Hall's Jewel Autumn Leaf Pattern.I found this at an estate sale. $60 for

Marciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06491420951478210821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-92163076988551300342009-07-12T00:04:00.003-05:002009-07-12T00:22:11.190-05:002009-07-12T00:22:11.190-05:00

Well, here it is July 11th, summer is almost 1/2 over and what do I have to show for it?We've done a ton of good stuff this summer. We've ridden our bikes and the bus a ton more than in the past. We've tried several new restaurants and bars (one with beer tastings, don't tell Comet). There's the Brewers, of course, more games to come, hopefully the playoffs, too. Our yard looks pretty good, it

Marciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06491420951478210821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-11200913953469461352009-06-26T17:01:00.002-05:002009-06-29T11:35:36.986-05:002009-06-29T11:35:36.986-05:00

This last week, Marcia and I worked on the the Blitz Build for Habitat for Humanity here in Milwaukee. Our group started with the foundation on the job site and took it all the way up to a full house. It was an amazing experience with a great group of people. Our usual leader Mike, was of course, great and we gained the expertise of a second leader in Bob, a trained carpenter. Learned a lot from

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-90986213138643829202009-05-16T11:31:00.006-05:002009-06-16T00:30:31.966-05:002009-06-16T00:30:31.966-05:00

So the geniuses behind our favorite hangout have opened another place down the 15 line in Bayview. Honeypie is it's name and the food is terrific! An excellent beer list, of course, is provided by the infamous Drew and Sam... but only in bottles at this place. The food of course it's more of the slow-food Comet is famous for, but differs from the Comet in that it has a more meal-like feeling to

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-85479717286230669482009-05-13T15:00:00.002-05:002009-05-13T15:12:32.735-05:002009-05-13T15:12:32.735-05:00

Pretty photo to comeRecently stopped by two new bars in the last month... Dogs Bullocks and The Black Rose. Dogs Bullock is and English bar, very open and airy with all the usual English suspects on tap. Good selection, but nothing too adventurous. They are supposedly going to offer food, so it should be interesting what they interpret English style food to be, so definitely will be stopping by

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-81087083581744854952009-04-18T14:42:00.003-05:002009-04-18T14:45:37.993-05:002009-04-18T14:45:37.993-05:00

The Comet "celebrated" 14 years of business last night... turns out it was actually a celebration of 10 years of everyones favorite barkeep... "Doc". A talent show was provided as well as a roast of the guest of honor. We missed the pie and cake, but it was a fun evening!

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-56285985315688320632009-04-11T11:59:00.013-05:002009-04-18T14:50:52.909-05:002009-04-18T14:50:52.909-05:00

photo from GlennNuijen.beWhew! So today I test drove my second Porsche. Admittedly, I am much closer to being able to afford it than the last time, tho that's not really saying much and  I won't be buying one very soon. The first Porsche test drive was the large and in-charge Cayenne. I seem to continuing the Cajun theme this time with a short test drive of the Cayman. And like the Cayenne, this

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-81119202421462090132009-04-10T21:14:00.003-05:002009-04-10T21:26:04.905-05:002009-04-10T21:26:04.905-05:00

Didn't get tickets to the game, but that didn't stop us from having a great time tailgating with friends. The wind was cold, but it was a great day otherwise! We watched the dramatic Brewers win against the Cubbies down the block at the Comet! 

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-3677955755032392132009-04-05T15:00:00.003-05:002009-04-10T21:27:00.260-05:002009-04-10T21:27:00.260-05:00

Spring in the air... that means only one thing... the MINIs come out! The Milwaukee Minis club met up with people from Chicago for a relaxing spring drive in Southern Wisconsin. I took along my friend Joe who enjoyed the ride... it was a fairly leisure ride thru the country, at least for the MINIs!

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-47311890354513184532009-04-02T07:12:00.002-05:002009-04-11T21:24:15.399-05:002009-04-11T21:24:15.399-05:00

In our continuing effort to stimulate the economy, we had a lovely dinner at Bacchus downtown. I had eaten there for a seminar, but never for dinner, so we thought we would give it a try since we didn't do our B&B this year. I had the Roasted Chicken marinated in garlic and herbs with Brown Butter Polenta (even though I wanted the Red Wine Braised Shortrib with sweet potato puree, parsnips and

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-52898801664879751412009-03-25T22:15:00.004-05:002009-05-13T14:59:53.823-05:002009-05-13T14:59:53.823-05:00

Had a good trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago. Of course, we visited a few breweries:Sonora *** Good german beer styles, nothing over the top or incredibly memorable, but good!Four Peaks **** Some nice tasty brews, such as their Kiltlifter, Hop Knot IPA and Kölsh. Food was good, but the brewery location is the place with the atmosphere. Gotta try the Edamame appetizer!Oak Creek Brewing *** Excellent

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-60186839818784365202009-02-25T08:18:00.002-06:002009-02-25T08:21:08.942-06:002009-02-25T08:21:08.942-06:00

Just wanted to share this great video I ran across... use tilt-shift photography of a Milwaukee winter day. Enjoy!Fire (Jimmy Edgar Remix) from Erik West on Vimeo.

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-74922222345365383192009-01-19T07:35:00.005-06:002009-01-19T21:01:00.625-06:002009-01-19T21:01:00.625-06:00

Finally got some great skiing in the last two weekends, this last with my sister Cheryl. Both times were at Lapham Peak State Park... en excelelnt place for skiing. Great people, great trails and a great workout (if you choose).

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-52607880890829624302008-12-29T20:25:00.005-06:002009-04-10T21:32:35.809-05:002009-04-10T21:32:35.809-05:00

Just finished an excellent birthday dinner of New Zealand Elk, washed down with Unibroue La Fin du Monde and a desert of mocha cake. Yum! Thanks for all the well wishes!

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-67846144371304508002008-12-29T17:06:00.002-06:002008-12-29T17:09:49.835-06:002008-12-29T17:09:49.835-06:00

While in Madison for the holidays, a few of us went to the ice rink... and a few of those people actually went skating. It was a little damp and wet, but it was a fun time on the empty hockey rink.

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-35278061247022325722008-12-25T12:31:00.001-06:002008-12-25T12:33:15.347-06:002008-12-25T12:33:15.347-06:00

Have a great holiday everyone!

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-43728410855373248822008-12-09T14:11:00.007-06:002008-12-30T13:16:40.429-06:002008-12-30T13:16:40.429-06:00

Hey! I noticed a few alums heading over here since I posted on the brand new EFHS website, so I thought I would plop a post on here to say "hi". This is just a place to post interesting stuff in my life going on for friends and family to see, and any new designs I post to sell. The Crusty Joe site is a work in progress, hopefully you didn't get frustrated by all the broken links. Please leave a

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-57813601037267568932008-11-21T15:09:00.011-06:002008-11-21T15:27:00.529-06:002008-11-21T15:27:00.529-06:00

Something tasty and toasty for you at the Mr. Toasty store! The Return of Toast poster! He back and he's p.o.'d! A fine addition to any art collection.The fun doesn't stop there as a new store opens for Lick Bob's Ice Cream Parlor products. A sweet treat you can't resist, now in a variety of colors! A perfect holiday gift.Finally, for you motoring fans, MKE Motoring store opens up with tons of

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-62809029370236043552008-11-06T13:17:00.009-06:002008-11-09T11:04:31.876-06:002008-11-09T11:04:31.876-06:00

Election night was spent at the Comet for the November beer tasting with Stone Brewing Company. After a great sandwich special (Meet the Press, ham and turkey in a pressed hoagie) Aaron from Stone Brewery walked through their line of beers. The special beers of the night was the Double Bastard and the 11th Anniversary. Both were excellent. All of the beers skewed towards the hoppy side, but many

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-4324381046061192702008-11-04T09:56:00.000-06:002008-10-27T14:26:37.834-05:002008-10-27T14:26:37.834-05:00

CrustyBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15712072238919788736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993344.post-43666733716422116772008-11-03T20:11:00.005-06:002008-11-06T13:14:17.483-06:002008-11-06T13:14:17.483-06:00

We attended the small and intimate wedding of Bryan Volstorf and Carol Kelly on Saturday, November 1, 2008. Hosted at Carol's daughter's house, it was simple, elegant and attended by family and close friends of the bride and groom.This was the first time we had met some of Carol's family. They were all so friendly and welcoming to us, it was easy to feel comfortable. I can understand why Dad has

Marciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06491420951478210821noreply@blogger.com1