Monday, May 13, 2024
Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Michael Shea's Irish Amber
Monday, May 06, 2024
Beer of the Week: Orval Trappist Ale
Beer score: 7.4
Company: Orval
ABV: 6.9
IBU: 32
This Belgian brew has a lot of carbonation and a strong alcohol flavor, almost as if you're drinking a weaker Scotch whiskey instead of an ale. The smell is slightly spicey, just barely, and a touch of citrus with perhaps some hints of grass.
Some sweetness here and very unique flavoring. Leaves a bitter flavor in the back of the throat. Quite wet despite all the carbonation. The flavor is like the smell, with an addition of some dried fruit taste and a metallic hint that's there but not annoying.
Not something I'd want to drink often, but worth tasting from time to time.
Quite pricey. Hard liquor drinkers should like this. One of the most unique beers I've ever tasted.
Monday, April 29, 2024
Beer of the Week: Michelob Ultra
Beer score: 3.0
Company: Anheuser-Busch
ABV: 4.2
IBU: 10
This is a low-carbohydrate light beer for that market.
As with most light beers, there's lots of carbonation here.
It's a light golden color when poured into a clear glass while giving off scents of corn.
Going down it's vaguely sweet with more of that light sweet of corn.
Really, this is a fairly bland beer. "Boring" might be the right word to use. There are worse light beers available, but there are also better.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Beer of the Week: Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
Beer score: 9.0
Company: Samuel Smith Brewery
ABV: 5.0
IBU: 32
Monday, April 15, 2024
Beer of the Week: UFO Hefewizen
Beer score: 7.0
Company: Harpoon Brewery
ABV: 4.8
IBU: 18
Kind of a cloudy mustard color when poured. Definitely has some citrus and perhaps clove on the nose.
Has a great, smooth taste and texture, and light enough you could drink this regularly. The taste has more hints of that citrus, definitely some orange and maybe a little lemon, and there's a soft sweetness that's never overpowering. There's a bit of a bready taste, and there's a little creamy texture.
Goes well with lemon or lime, in my opinion.
A pretty solid beer, all around, especially if you prefer or are in the mood for something lighter.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 20 -- The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy
Started: April 10
Finished: April 10
Notes: Having just finished Paul's first letter to Timothy, I thought I should go ahead and read this second letter.
Mini review: Here Paul talks a little about what to expect at the end of times, but for the most part he advises Timothy to remain strong in the Christian faith. Unusual for most of Paul's letters, Paul here also provides a short list of people to whom he has had disagreements or whom have done him evil, in his opinion, yet he does not curse these folks.
Books read in 2024: No. 19 -- The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy
Started: April 10
Finished: April 10
Notes: Now we get to the first of Paul's letters written to an individual instead of to a church, so it'll be interesting to note if there are any differences.
Mini review: In this letter to Timothy, Paul outlines some basic leadership for the church and the type of men who should be such leaders. Paul also provides some notions of what Christians should try to be in this world while looking ahead to the next world.
Books read in 2024: No. 18 --The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians
Started: April 10
Finished: April 10
Notes: Since I just finished reading Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, I thought I should read this second one.
Mini review: This book I found intriguing because Paul talks somewhat about the "man of sin" and how Jesus will deal with him in the end times, basically a warning about the individual commonly referred to today as the anti-Christ.
Books read in 2024: No. 17 -- The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians
Started: April 9
Finished: April 10
Notes: It might seem silly for me to count each of these books from the Bible as a book read, especially these shorter letters toward the latter part of the New Testament, but it helps me in keeping track of my reading. Plus, not to sound snobby about it, but this little blog is for me, not so much for others. Not that I'm not glad when others read this blog, but that's not my main occupation here, at least not at this time.
Mini review: This one I found interesting because Paul goes into some detail about what Protestants refer to as the Rapture. Now whether or not Paul meant his words literally, I cannot be sure, but from the text he seemed to mean it quite literally that Jesus will return from the heavens and Christians will float up from the ground to meet him.
Tuesday, April 09, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 16 -- The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
Started: April 9
Finished: April 9
Notes: I'm working my way through Paul's letters in the New Testament, and I'll be thankful when I'm done with them. Not that I don't appreciate Paul's importance and influence, but I'm looking forward to getting to the letters written by other than Paul, to see their writings, opinions, thoughts, etc. Over the years I've read nearly all this material before, but it's almost always been in piecemeal fashion with a verse here, a verse there, and so on. So I'm glad to be reading this books as a whole, and the whole Bible, for that matter.
Mini review: Here Paul is mainly laying out some basic doctrines for a church while mentioning names of other Christian leaders who might be visiting or writing.
Books read in 2024: No. 15 -- How to Talk Dirty and Influence People
Monday, April 08, 2024
Beer of the Week: Michelob Golden Draft
Beer score: 3.6
Company: Anheuser-Busch
ABV: 4.6
IBU: NA
You would think Anheuser-Busch wouldn't need to add one more watery, tasteless drink they call beer to their lineup, but here it is. Then again, Michelob sales have been dropping the last couple of decades, and this beer is one reason why.
As one could expect from the name, this one pours a light golden color. It gives off very little smell, and what there is basically consists of a cheap beer scent, corn, rice, etc.
The taste is slightly sweet, slightly bitter, but nothing special at all. This beer is so weak it makes Coronoa look strong. Still, it is smooth enough and wet enough that it makes a good thirst quencher for days when you're out working in the yard.
The smoothness and wetness raise this beer's score for me, because there sure isn't enough taste to do it.
Tuesday, April 02, 2024
Beer of the Week: Grolsch Premium Lager
Beer score: 3.8
Company: Grolsch
ABV: 5.0
IBU: 28
This one pours a light brown color, almost golden, while giving off smells of corn and a little sweetness.
On the tongue it's weak but wet, with a slight bitterness but less sweet than is in the smell.
Over all, this seems more like a pilsner than a lager for me, and I hate to say it, but this is basically a Heineken-wannabe beer, a mass produced product for mass produced tastes. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, just that it's nothing special for the beer connoisseur.
It'll get you tipsy and it's probably quite refreshing on a hot day, and it's not the worst beer on the market, but there are better options available for the price.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 14 -- The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians
Started: March 30
Finished: March 31
Notes: I just finished Ephesians, a rather short book of the Bible, so I thought I'd go ahead and read another.
Mini review: In this letter, Paul briefly goes into possible future plans concerning the church of the Philippians, but more than anything he expounds upon that church his own example of being faithful to God and he sets forth some notions of what it takes to be good Christian.
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 13 -- The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
Started: March 30
Finished: March 30
Notes: After a break, it's to get back to my Bible readings.
Mini review: I found this book to be somewhat strange for Paul. Usually in his letters he is quite clear about why he is writing to a specific church, but in this one he is rather vague. Mostly he lays out what he believes should be some tenants of the Christian faith, with quite a bit of focus upon grace. This letter was so different that I have to wonder if Paul even wrote it, and there have been questions over the centuries about whether or not Paul actually wrote some of the epistles that are allegedly from him.
Friday, March 29, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 12 -- Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane
Monday, March 25, 2024
Beer of the Week: Famosa Lager Beer
Beer score: 3.0
Company: Cerveceria Centro Americana
ABV: 5.0
IBU: NA
Pours a very pale golden color, almost like one of the lighter champagnes. Really, this is one of the lightest in color beers I've ever seen.
Gives off a slightly sweet but skunky smell that's not overly appealing.
On the tongue, this one is sweet but not too sweet, though sweeter than the smell would indicate. It gave me a lot of corn taste, but a little bit of breadiness and bitterness that grows stronger in the aftertaste.
Not a great beer, pretty weak over all, but I've had worse. Is it worth trying? No, not really, not unless you want to be a completest and taste every beer you can. There are plenty of better beers available, but there are also some that are worse.
If this one is served cold, I suppose it could be a nice thirst quencher on a hot day.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Beer of the Week: Bud Light
Beer score: 3.0
Company: Anheuser-Busch
ABV: 4.2
IBU: 6
Lots of carbonation here, but that seems to be common among light beers.
Smells like premium beer, tastes like premium beer.
There isn't much taste here, but there is more fizz than in Budweiser.
If you're wanting a light beer because you are on a diet, you can't get much weaker or lighter than this one, though there are some with less carbonation.
Monday, March 11, 2024
Beer of the Week: 7 Clans Blonde Ale
Beer score: 4.2
Company: 7 Clans Brewing
ABV: 5.0
IBU: 31
Poured a light golden color with a little cloudiness while giving off smells of corn.
The taste is slightly bitter, though that bitterness grows the more one drinks of this. There's a little sweetness to be found here, along with suggestions of bread and maybe citrus or flowers.
To be honest, this was a disappointment to me, especially as blonde ales tend to be one of my favorite types of beer. It wasn't so much that this was an awful beer, but it didn't seem like a blond ale but more like a lager. Still, I'd be willing to try one again.
Thursday, March 07, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 11 -- The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians
Started: March 7
Finished: March 7
Notes: I thought I'd stick another short Bible reading in between longer biographies.
Mini review: There are some interesting points Paul makes in this letter to the Galatians. Of course he writes the usual upbraidings, telling the church to remain true, but he also lays out quite plainly the differing traits between the "works of the flesh" and the "works of the Spirit." Also, he does write a fair amount about the disagreement in the early church about whether or not circumcision is necessary, with Paul coming down on the side that it is not.
Books read in 2024: No. 10 -- John Gardner: Literary Outlaw
Monday, March 04, 2024
Beer of the Week: Paycheck Pilsner
Beer score: 3.9
Company: Fullsteam Brewery
ABV: 4.5
IBU: 26
This one pours a hazy golden color that's light while giving off aromas of slight, sweet breadiness.
The taste and texture I found nothing special. It's relatively light in the mouth, but the carbonation grows the more you drink, the not to the point of being obnoxious.
The flavors I found rather mundane. Not an awful beer, but reminds me more of a regional beer that's been bought out by a big-name beer and then dumbed down for a mass audience.
Would I drink this again? Yeah, if I was at a party and someone handed me one, I wouldn't turn it down, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to purchase one of these.
Monday, February 26, 2024
Beer of the Week: Black Stilleto Stout
Beer score: 5.7
Company: Gizmo Brew Works
ABV: 6.1
IBU: 31
Pours a dark chocolate color with a brown, foamy head. Not the darkest looking stout I've ever seen, but still pretty dark.
Gives off smells of coffee and dark chocolate.
Kind of light in the mouth for a stout, but also has a smoothness to it that borders on creamy.
The taste is mostly of burnt coffee with a touch of chocolate and a fair amount of bitterness, but there's also a hint of sweetness that lingers on the tongue.
Not a bad stout. Not the best I've had, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at this one.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 9 - The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Started: Feb. 25
Finished: Feb. 25
Notes: Since I just finished Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, I thought I should read this second letter.
Mini review: To my surprise, Paul is actually somewhat apologetic here for the harshness of his first letter to the Corinthians. However, he does go on to expound in Christian belief and to give warnings against false teachers while also presenting his own ministry.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 8 - The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Started: Feb. 22
Finished: Feb. 24
Notes: I've gotten behind somewhat in my Bible readings while I was into other books, so now I get back to it.
Mini review: In this letter, Paul is mostly lambasting the church in Corinth for reported wrongdoings. Paul also outlines somewhat his itinerary for travel.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 7 -- On Becoming a Novelist
Monday, February 19, 2024
Beer of the Week: Lagunitas IPA
Beer score: 4.5
Company: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 6.2
IBU: 51
In a glass, this beer appears a light golden color with hints of amber. It's not an overly carbonated beer, but it will form a decent head when poured.
Upon smelling, this beer gives off hints of bread and a little of sweet flowers.
I'm not a big fan of IPAs, mainly because too often when I've tried one there has been a sourness of which I'm not a fan. This one doesn't have much of that sourness, but there is a little of it the more you drink.
The smell and the taste mostly consist of "beer." That means it smells and tastes mainly like a mass-produced, premium beer common to the United States.
This isn't an awful beer, not by any means, but I can't call it a favorite. Is it worth drinking? Yeah, sure, if you're not on the prowl for anything unusual but just want a beer.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 6 -- The Bell Jar
Monday, February 12, 2024
Beer of the Week: Moravian Rhapsody Czech Pilsener
Beer score: 7.8
Company: Raleigh Brewing Company
ABV: 5.2
IBU: 37
Pours a light golden color with the barest hint of cloudiness while giving off little scent other than some floral touches.
Quite sweet on the first sip, but a cool bitterness grows upon further drinking. There's a bit of citrus in the flavor, though I didn't find it overly strong. There's also a bit of grassiness and floral notes in the taste.
Goes down very smooth at first, and though it remains fairly smooth throughout, some carbonation does show through the more you drink. It also gains in strength and bitterness the more you drink.
Yeah, I enjoyed this one. I could see spending an evening with a six-pack of this beer.
Thursday, February 08, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 5 -- The King's Indian: Stories & Tales
Monday, February 05, 2024
Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Brewery Hill Centennial Lager
Monday, January 29, 2024
Beer of the Week: Wurzburger Hofbrau Premium Pilsner
Beer score: 4.2
Company: Wurzburger Hofbrau
ABV: 4.9
IBU: 25
Sometimes when tasting a beer for the first time, I have high hopes. Sometimes not. This time I was in the middle of the road, so I wasn't disappointed, but I also didn't come away excited.
This wasn't a bad beer, it was just nothing real special.
Pours a golden color while giving off a slightly sweet and grassy smell.
Light and wet on the tongue with a gentle honey sweetness.
And that's about it. Not much to say about this one. If you're in the mood for a lighter beer that's not actually a "light" beer, then this could be just the thing for you.
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 4 - The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans
Started: Jan. 26
Finished: Jan. 28
Notes: I'm finally getting to the "letters" portion of the New Testament.
Mini review: As often as I've read this book of the Bible, I'm still always surprised and not only how much Paul preaches the message of Christ but expounds upon it to a length that Paul brings into Christianity notions that Jesus himself did not mention, or at least not in the Gospels as we have them. I'm not saying Paul was necessarily wrong or misleading, but it does make one wonder whether these notions were Paul's own or if the Holy Spirit were speaking through him.
Friday, January 26, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 3 -- October Light
Monday, January 22, 2024
Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Kara-bu Ale
Monday, January 15, 2024
Beer of the Week: Samuel Smith India Ale
Beer score: 8.6
Company: Samuel Smith Brewery
ABV: 5.0
IBU: 46
Monday, January 08, 2024
Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Crooked River Beers
Beer score: 6.4
Beer score: 6.2
Beer score: 6.6
Saturday, January 06, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 2 - The Acts of the Apostles
Started: Jan. 5
Finished: Jan. 6
Notes: I'm nearing my ending of reading the KJV all the way through, but I'm not going to get there if I don't persevere.
Mini review: Roughly the first half of this book consists of events and actions taken by the apostles after the ascension of Christ, while the second half of this book covers Paul's conversion and his preaching before finally arriving at Rome. I had forgotten, and found it interesting, the number of minor events that are sprinkled throughout this book, events that usually involved one miracle or another concerning named individuals who are never again mentioned in the Bible.
Friday, January 05, 2024
Marketing just isn't my thing
Anyway, marketing, branding, whatever you want to call it ... I simply don't care.
I want to write, edit, publish, do some graphic design, that's it. I have no interest whatsoever in reaching out to my readers, to fans or possible fans.
So, I'll keep writing, even if it's a slow process for me nowadays.
Thursday, January 04, 2024
Books read in 2024: No. 1 -- The King's Daughters
Tuesday, January 02, 2024
Beer of the Week: Guinness Extra Stout
Beer score: 9.6
Company: Guinness
ABV: 5.6
IBU: 40