Beer of the Week: Curmudgeon

Beer score: 7.4

Company: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 9.8
IBU: 50

This one had been retired in the past, but I found it back on the market recently, which is awesome.

And it's definitely something different after I've been sipping pale ales and amber ales the last few days.

The bitterness hits you right up front, but it's not too much to handle. The strong, burnt molasses smell quickly translates into a strong, burnt molasses flavor that takes a sip or two to become familiar with, but it's quite enjoyable once you know what to expect.

A touch of caramel is in the flavoring, with lots of malty sweetness.

Yes, I can recommend this beer, but it's not for novices, and I'm not sure it's something I'd want to drink regularly. Still, it's different, and it would be great for special occasions or when you want to serve something unusual to a beer-snob friend.

Books read in 2024: No. 41 -- Flavius Josephus: Eyewitness to Rome's First-Century Conquest of Judea

by Mireille Hadas-Lebel

Started: August 29

Finished: Sept. 10

Notes: Earlier this year I was reading biographies, and I've got the bug again. Here, I've read some of the works of the first-century Josephus, but I don't know much about him personally other than a bare sketch of an idea. So, I felt it time I learned more.

Mini review: Josephus turns out to be an interesting, and somewhat controversial, character of history. A Jewish priest and general in the generation after that of Jesus, Josephus had firsthand views of the Jewish war with the Romans and even the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Second Temple. Eventually captured by the Romans, he remained in chains for a few years but eventually became a favorite of a general who soon became emperor. Josephus then spent the rest of his life in Rome sort of as a guest of one emperor or another while working as a writer and historian. Unfortunately not all his works have survived, and we do not even know when or how he died, though he would have been an older man.

Beer of the Week: Leinenkugel's Original Beer

Beer score: 5.9

Company: Leinenkugel's
ABV: 4.7
IBU: 17

In the past I've seen this beer marketed as "Leinenkugel's Original Lager," but it's the same beer.

Over the years (okay, okay ... decades ... yeah, I'm old), I've found Leinenkugel's to have some of the better mass-marketed beers in the U.S.

This one is a good drinking brew for snobs and non-snobs alike.

Pours a nice golden color with hints of orange in the coloring. Gives off faint scents of honey and caramel.

Not sweet, but the bitterness isn't overpowering. Just a tad too much carbonation for my liking, but not enough to hurt the overall quality. There's maybe a little corn or honey in the flavoring.

Beer of the Week Blast From the Past: Coopers Black Crow

Beer score: 7.7

The Coopers Brewery from South Australia is still around, but they stopped making this beer a couple of decades ago. Too bad, because I remember liking it, as my few notes remind me.

Anyway, this one was very wet and drinkable, but it left a little of a soapy texture on my lips but not a soapy flavor (if that makes sense). It did have too much carbonation for me, but was a pretty decent beer.

Not awful. They should bring this one back. Or maybe they have but under a different name ... I shall have to investigate with my taste buds.

Books read in 2024: No. 40 -- The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

published by Zondervan

Started: August 25
Finished: August 29

Notes: I was traveling recently and didn't have with me the novel I had been reading, but I did have access to a Holy Bible. So, at a point where I was seeking something to read, I decided it was time I got to this last book of the Bible, one of the most interesting books but also one that is probably often misunderstood (not that I'm claiming to understand it myself).

Mini review: As interesting as I've always found this book, and I do enjoy studying it, I have to admit I feel the words here are so cryptic and steeped in imagery that there's little to truth to be found for most individuals. Oh, of course there are those who will say they know the truth, and I suppose it's not impossible some few do, but I'll admit to being a skeptic towards anyone who proclaims they understand the word of God while the rest of us are simply left out in the cold. For instance, while I realize there are people today who will say we are living in the last days, the truth is people have been saying that for thousands of years. What is the truth? I don't have an answer, not a good one. Yes, I have my own thoughts, but they change from time to time. Anyway, I'm glad to have read this book again, and I'm glad to finally have read every word of the Bible and not just portions I've studied over the years.

Books read in 2024: No. 39 -- The City & The City

by China Mieville

Started: August 20

Finished: August 27

Notes: I've heard good things about this speculative author for some years now and I've been meaning to check out his work. I've also had this novel recommended to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Mini review: This was an interesting one. In another version of our world, two cities exist in the exact same place and time, separated by a sort of invisible dimensional wall. Unfortunately for the citizens of each city, to look into or hear into the other city is something of a crime punishable by a sort-of overpolice known as the Breach. Yet each city also has its local cops to deal with more mundane crimes. In this novel, a detective in one of the cities finds himself pulled into a conspiracy that involves both cities, Breach, and ... well, to tell the truth, it gets complicated. It's complicated further by no small part of the words used here (especially for locales) are quite fantastic and foreign. That doesn't mean this is a difficult read, but that most readers will have to pause every so often to get their bearings. Is this a good book? Yes. Is it a great book? Not quite, but it's also not far from being one. Readers who enjoy detective fiction with a speculative twist will find much here to enjoy.

Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Brewery Hill Caramel Porter

Beer score: 8.1

I've not had much of a chance this summer to drink many good beers, but at least I have my memories and some old notes.

Such as for this beer from Pennsylvania. No longer with us, but it was a fine drink.

For those who wanted to taste the classic flavor of a burnt, caramel porter, you couldn't have done much better. This porter was strong without crossing over into a stout.