Minden Outers Club

News 2015

Nov 20/16
Real Rock Band

We are challenging MOCers to play 10 songs with "real" (loosely defined) instruments, not plastic ones plugged into a gaming console. So put your hands on your favourite instrument and get practicing!

The song list
In the style of Rockband start by learning Set 1:

SET 1 - The Dominion Hotel (link to the songs)

SET 2 - The Rockcliffe Tavern (link to the songs)

There is no room!
Agreed, there is no room to do this in the main lodge, and we do not want to interfere with the Euchre game, so we will take it "up top" to the Castle. The Castle is like the Abbey Road studios of the Highlands - the "Haliburton Sweaters" cut their best albums there, and now they strut around in gold plated diapers. We will fill ourselves with the spirit of music weekends past that echos off those log walls.

Jan 18/16
Cinquante!

7 of 13 MOCers could not identify
Eric's high school photo from
this lineup!

The onslaught of 50 is upon us. At MOC 2017 all of us will be over 50. It just seems like yesterday that...yaddayaddayadda...

Our own Benjamin Button!
Eric is the first to turn 50 today - and who would know it?! Suffice it to say, this gentleman has aged extremely well. Known around the MOC lodge as "the Kid" or "Champ", sometimes "Chief" and occasionally "Sporto" or "Shirley" - he is timeless. In fact, some have quipped - "It's like he gets younger every year; or maybe, just shorter."

Like a fountain of youth!
And Eric is not entirely alone. None at MOC has gained much weight, suffers any health issues, lost or greyed any hairs, or is in need of assistive devices; not enough not notice, anyway. Transition to middle age - check! Some say it is the dank. And though you may hear the refrain often at MOC, "Let's stop at 50 years, okay guys?" we all know deep down, we will all push through right to 100 (whether we like it or not). MOC, you have moved from juvenile straight on to "interesting", no point in stopping now.

Jan 5/16
First sanctioned MOC beer "tasting"

Indeed, check for clarity against
the clear winter sky.

It is time to settle it - Which beer do MOCers like best? Welcome to a new year MOCers - and with each new year comes ideas for new activities! Though there are several websites out there claiming to identify the "worlds best beer" - it seems we misplaced the memo, because we must assume they want the opinion of the Minden Outer's Club. So get your pinkie finger and saltines ready, because we are having a "tasting"!

"Everyone eats and drinks, but few appreciate taste." (Confucius)

Sites claiming to declare best beers:

Didn't MOC ban uppiddy stuff like this?
Yes, we did - this does not signal a licence to wear ascots and smoking jackets - we have a reputation to uphold. But this is kinda like charity work, to simplify life for "bonding weekend"ers - giving back to the community. Less time staring at the wall-o-brews at the Beer Store or the increasingly diverse racks of beer at the LCBO and more time rekindling friendships back at the "lodge". It is probably not an overstatement that people will covet our ratings. We are in discussions with "Haliburton Tourism"

Fair enough, what do I do?
Find beer. Specifically, find beer you feel MOCers would like. Then purchase a minimum of 3 bottles/cans for the tasting. That is a minimum, of course if gets high praise, more is probably better.

How is a "tasting" run?
We spend most of Thursday night and Friday debating how best way to run a tasting. Shot glasses, palette cleansers, a pot of hot water, mechanisms for "single blinding" or "double blinding", James distributing curiously warm samples, trash talk, and Neil dressed in a dirndl are all possibilities. As you might expect there are websites with instructions on how to run a tasting, but suffice it to say, they are likely wrong - not much point in reading them really. Will the Hank Tankard make an appearance for us to all quaff the winning brew in a culimating celebration? That is the great thing about MOC - endless possibilities.