Monthly Archives: August 2017

Flanked by pallets, kegs and towering, shiny stainless steel tanks, Jim Sharp walked me through the Evolution Craft Brewing Co. brewhouse located in Salisbury on the road to Ocean City.

Sharp is one of three head brewers.

Mike, hes an analytical guy, he said as we make our way through the equipment. His brain is just, all the time, firing on everything. Then youve got Tim, who is more laid back. If something goes terribly wrong, hes the one saying, Hey, take it easy. Everythings going to be fine. I think Im a little bit of an in between of both of them.

When he tells me that, and the fact that he doesnt stress out easily, Im not surprised. Within minutes of meeting the affable engineer-turned-brewer, it became clear Sharp is a relaxed guy.

Hes a seasoned pro, thanks to years in the industry including a stint as the brewer for Tall Tales in Parsonsburg but isnt phased by much.

Once, my pump went up in the middle of night, he continues. It was midnight, and it started spraying beer. I just shut everything down and spent another three hours on my hands and knees in three-inch-deep hot water, trying to fix it without tools. But during moments like that, I always tell myself, I have my dream job, and I dont have to sit behind a desk for nine hours a day.

Even though Sharps comfort in his own skin is emblematic of Evolutions welcoming, community-focused culture as a whole, the company whose owners are the first to admit they hasnt always done a good job of telling their own story.

Its a challenge that only amplifies itself the farther you travel from their brewery and cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into Annapolis, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and beyond.

John and Tom Knorr are brothers, as well as the founders of Evolution. The former brought with him a love of food, and the latter came to the proverbial table with a love of beer. It was the marriage of those two elements that would later serve as the foundation for the brewery but before that, their story began with restaurants.

It started with The Red Roost Crabhouse and Restaurant in Whitehaven. They needed the best pale ale they could possibly get their hands on. Why? Well, its what pairs well with crabs.

But instead of seeking one out, they brewed their own the Primal pale ale, the first-ever Evolution beer.

Now, in addition to The Red Roost, their family of restaurants includes Boonies Burgers, Beer and Bait; SoBos Wine Beerstro; Specific Gravity Pizzeria and Beer Joint; Birroteca; The Nickel Taphouse; and Encantada.

Evolutions restaurant-forward approach is why youll find food pairing recommendations on virtually all of their beers sold including their newest seasonal IPA, Hops Limn.

Built on the success of their Pine-hop-le pineapple IPA (first released in 2016), this complement to fish tacos, hot summer days and sunshine has already sadly come and almost gone. But, if you see Hops Limn out in the wild on draft or in six packs, its worth the pickup.

There are beer drinkers who side-eye fruit-infused IPAs with the same angst they reserve for pumpkin beers. While I try to see the good in all of Beer Gods children, Ill admit I was also apprehensive, given my dislike of shandies, a blend of beer and some sort of carbonated drink, like fizzy lemonade.

Ick. Shandies are liquid, tart-fueled nightmares.

Lucky for my taste buds, Hops Limn hits the spot with a subtle kiss of citrus against the backdrop of a more traditional IPA recipe. (In fact, Id wager this beer may even prove inviting to those who have been skeptical of IPAs in the past.)

Additionally, as much as I love my tall boys of limited hazy hop bombs, Evolution demonstrates with this new release that you dont need to produce a beer that should be poured through a strainer before you drink it, for it to be considered delightfully juicy and crushable.

But the fact that Evolution has chalked up another win in their beer column should come as no surprise.

Evolutions Lot No. 6 double IPA is a classic, beloved by many a beer nerd far and wide. Nouveau Rouge is a phenomenal Flanders-style sour ale project found on our table every Thanksgiving. Though less popular, their Exile red ale also has a special place in my heart and it holds its own when placed alongside a generously-seasoned lamb shank.

And dont even get me started on their Rise Up imperial stout, made with local Rise Up brand coffee.

But at a time when the industry is changing rapidly, whats next for Evolution?

Even though their beach-side accounts are clamoring to have their product available in cans, and they recently started distributing to Tokyo (really!), their next investment will be in their own backyard.

Where some might look outward after years of success and forward momentum, the Evolution team announced in July theyre getting back to their roots through an expansion. They realized when people visit, many only remember the experience of their Public House, a restaurant attached to the brewing facility.

The renovations will include a family-friendly gathering area the kind has become synonymous with the modern brewery with plenty of green space, a fire pit and a little cornhole for good measure. Inside, they will be putting in a smaller brew house and pilot system that visitors will be able to see as theyre sipping from pints in the taproom.

Though these plans are made possible by the growth theyve seen since opening their doors in 2009, their choice to pivot backward is by design. Because, no matter what lays along the road ahead for Evolution, they want to ensure their connection to their community and their roots the foundation of who they are never gets left behind.

Liz Murphy lives in Annapolis with her husband, Patrick, and their two lazy dogs, Horatio and Nugget. She runs her own Annapolis-based beer blog, Naptown Pint. You can reach her at liz@naptownpint.com.

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Naptown Pint: Evolution Craft Brewing's road ahead starts at home - CapitalGazette.com

Christopher Nolan has a thing for widowers.

I like to think there are two main classes of Nolan film: high concept and Dark Knight. (And a smattering of others that now includeDunkirk). The former are the films that play with time and perception, that make you question what youve seen and studied it later. These films areMemento, The Prestige, Inception,andInterstellar.

And they all star widowers.

Each of these films protagonists loses his wife, and his character is shaped by it. How much hes shaped varies, however, because with each successive film you can see a very clear progression. The protagonists grow and evolve, becoming less defined by and obsessed with their wives deaths, more focused forward. They find solace and meaning in the future, in their children. Its as if each is a new moment in the grieving process, working toward acceptance and catharsis over the course of the 14 years in which the films come out.

Does this mean Nolans widowers are all the same person? Maybe. They certainly all share a tragedy, and the ways in which they cope with it follows a clear progression that Ill study below.

But firstthe deaths of these characters wives arent particular spoilers since they come early or even before the start of the film. Im going to talk about their deaths in the context of the rest of the films, however, and that will be spoiler heavy. So tread carefully if you havent seen these films. Or dont tread at all. Its up to you.

If youre still here, lets get started.

Newmarket

Memento(2000) is about Leonard (Guy Pearce), a man obsessed with revenge. Leonards wife was raped and murdered in front of him, and hes devoted his life to tracking down and killing the person who did it. As avengers go, Leonard is more obsessive than mosthe cant form new memories, and the last thing hecan remember is his wifes death. Hes innately defined by his loss.

Of course, the big reveal at the end of the film is that Leonards wife actually survived the night she was raped. And the implication is that he accidentally killed her himself, giving her too much insulin when she tried to call his bluff on his memory problem.

Leonard has conditioned himself to believe his wife was murdered, altering his final memory of her and devoting his life to tracking down the person he thinks killed her. Whats worse is that he does find and kill the man who raped her, but he decides to expunge the evidence of it. This way he can devote the rest of his life to revenge, the only thing that matters.

Leonards existence is informed exclusively by his wifes deathhe literally cant form any new reasons to live. His entire life takes place in his distant past, and his only plan for the future is a vengeance he doesnt know hes already achieved.

Warner Bros.

The Prestige(2006) could be argued to have two (or three) protagonists, but since far fewer of his secrets are kept from the audience, I would argue that the main character is Robert (Hugh Jackman). Early in their careers, Robert and Alfred (Christian Bale) are friends. The friendship ends when Roberts wife drowns during a magic trick because she cant undo the knot Alfred has tied around her hands. This sparks a desperate, lifelong feud.

Just like Leonard inMemento, Robert becomes obsessed with his wifes killer. But unlike Leonard, he knows exactly who his target is. And instead of killing him, he devotes his life to besting him, to being a better magician. Healthy it is not, but this obsession is at least focused more outwardRobert lives his life, and he excels at what he loves. His revenge is productive, rather than destructive.

And most importantly, he has an eye to the future. When Robert sees Alfred with a wife and baby, it kills himhe begrudges Alfred for having everything that hes lost, everything hell never have. Near the end of the film, he actually adopts Alfreds daughter. Its meant to be one more insult for Alfred, of course, but it also gives Robert a portion of the future he lost. Unlike Leonard, he has something new to live for.

Its the first appearance of children in these widowers lives, and its an important introduction that will get more and more prominent.

Warner Bros.

Inception(2010) is a big step forward for our widowers. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) has turned his anger inwardhe considers himself wholly responsible for his wifes death, and his grief and guilt make it almost impossible for him to work. Cobb may not be set on revenge, but his subconscious is.

Importantly, though, Cobb has children. Unlike his predecessors, he has the future to look to. He has people to live for.

And he does live for them. The entire plot of the film hinges on Cobbs desperation to see his children again. He exposes himself and his team to all kinds of danger so he can get back to them. And, against all odds, it works. (I wont get into it here, but the prevailing theory of many interpretations is that the final sequence of the film does take place in reality).

This success of Cobbs plan is important because hes the first of Nolans widowers to get a happy ending. And that happy ending is contingent upon both the past and the futurethe plan can only succeed if Cobb finally lets go of his wife. By accepting Mals death and voicing the guilt he feels, Cobb can rescue Saito and return to reality. By rescuing Saito and returning to reality, he can be reunited with his kids.

Cobb gets past defining himself by his wifes death, and he moves into the future with his children.

Warner Bros.

Interstellar(2014) is the continuation of Cobbs happy family life. Coop (MatthewMcConaughey) has lost his wife to cancer. He resents his post-science world for not having the technology to save her, but thats all it isresentment. Theres no guilt, no thirst for revenge.

In fact, this explanation of Coops wifes absence is one of her only mentions. Another comes when Coop quotes her, trying to convince Murph that he has to leave:

After you kids came along, your mom said something to me I never quite understood. She said, Now were just here to be memories for our kids. And I think now I understand what she meant. Once youre a parent, youre the ghost of you childrens future.

This is some obvious ghost foreshadowing, of course, but its also a strong message about the secondary nature of parents and, by extension, of spouses. The moment his children were born, they became the most important thing in Coops life. His wifes death has been hard on him, of course, but by the start of the film hes already achieved the acceptance it took Cobb almost all ofInception to get. He lives entirely for his children, and for the future.

Because thats what the entire film is for: the future. Coops world is dying, and he devotes himself to finding a better one for his children. In the end, Coop succeeds, getting the human race off of Earth and pointing them toward a new home. Just as importantly, however, he gets to see his own future generations. When he visits Murph on her deathbed, shes surrounded by her children and their children and on and on. Its the ultimate continuation of living for your children.

Coop doesnt just let go of his pasthe sees his future.

Warner Bros.

The widowers of Christopher Nolans concept films follow a clear trajectory toward healing and redemption. Little by little, each lets go more of the past and defines himself less by grief, focusing instead on his children and the future. They go from living completely in the past and bent on revenge, to living for a present revenge with half an eye to the future, to letting go of the past in favor of the future, to abandoning a lifetimes worth of the past and working exclusively for the future.

Is this the mark of a filmmaker whos aging, both refining his craft and shifting his priorities as he has children of his own?

Probably.

But its also possible to think of these widowers as a single character of sorts, gradually dealing with the same tragedy over the years, healing and coping more with each iteration.

Nolans asked us to accept stranger things, after all.

Christopher NolanHugh JackmanLeonardo DiCaprio

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The Evolution of Christopher Nolan's Widowers - Film School Rejects

Finland isin the top five of the most digitally advancedcountries in the world, according to the Digital Evolution Index.

The world is rapidly moving towards digitalisation and automation in all areas of society. Yet some of the most digitally advanced economies in the world are struggling to sustain digital growth and innovation Finland being one of them. This years Digital Evolution Indexplaces Finland in the Stall Out Zone; a category for digitally advanced countries that have reached so-called digital plateaus of slowing momentum in terms of digital growth.

Moving past these digital plateaus will require a conscious effort by these countries to reinvent themselves, to bet on a rising digital technology in which it has leadership, and to eliminate impediments to innovation, the researchers behind the Digital Evolution Index suggest. The states in the Stall Out category among them all Nordic nations seem to suffer from issues on both the supply and demand sides of digital growth; past digitalisation is not translating into future innovation because of market saturation and a lacking start-up culture.

Nevertheless, compared to its Nordic neighbours, Finland has fared quite well in adding fresh fuel to its digital innovation engine to keep it running. The past years have been a turbulent time for Finnish business, with a long economic recession following the decline of Nokias mobile phone production, yet Finlands digital sector is now evolving faster than those in any other Nordic countries. In fact, Finland is not far away from being included in the Stand Out zone for digitally advanced countries with a fast-paced digital evolution.

Nevertheless, the road from the stall out category to the stand out zone is a slippery one, and as noted in the Harvard Business Review, all countries need to continuously generate new demand to avoid stalling out. Countries in the Break Out zone, with China in the forefront, are evolving rapidly and have the potential to become the leaders of digital business and technology in a matter of years. China has gone from almost no digital innovation at the turn of the century to having a population of 730 million Internet users today. This rapid development has made China the country with the largest number of Internet users in the entire world, and thus a lucrative market for e-commerce.

If Finland wants to remain at the vanguard of digitalisation, it should look to countries with a similar population size but with a faster digital evolution. Examples of such countries are Estonia, Singapore and New Zealand. Estonia is, of course, a particularly interesting example not only because of its geographical proximity to Finland, but also because of its leading position in e-government.

As the data used to measure each countrys pace of digital evolution in this years Digital Evolution Index was gathered between 2008 and 2015, it is worth keeping in mind that Finland only declared its recessionary era to be over as recently as last year. Digital evolution in Finland is thus likely to pick up speed in the coming few years, if it has not already done so. A promising example for Finlands digital future is Slush a phenomenally successful start-up event that brings together the global tech scene in the winter darkness of Helsinki.

Nicole Berglund Helsinki Times

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Finland in the Stall Out zone for digital evolution? - Helsinki Times