Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Hard Rock Hard Gauge Beer

Beer score: 4.0

The Hard Rock Cafe folks have made a few beers over the years, none of which have lasted long. But that's not a surprise as this one was a pretty bitter, cheap lager-style beer that would have been familiar to anyone who has tasted any American mass-produced beers. This one was maybe a touch better than the usual stuff that comes out of a can from the grocery store, but not by much. At least it was wet.

Books read in 2022: No. 13 -- The Song of Solomon

published by Zondervan

Started: April 18
Finished: April 18

Notes: I never read this book of the Bible in its entirety, so this will be a first.

Mini review: Being a text of love and to some extent sex, this is a book unlike any other in the Bible. There's not really a story here, mainly poetry speaking from one lover to another. Interesting, unusual, but not eye opening.

Beer of the Week: Is This Thing Cursed?

Beer score: 6.4

Company: Petty Thieves Brewing Co.
ABV: 4.2
IBU: NA

The Petty Thieves brewing folks in Charlotte, North Carolina, are always putting out different beers, often only temporarily. Seems they like to experiment a lot, but I've had good results from them.

This one is a very light gold in color with a touch of cloudiness. It's brewed with alfalfa and lemon grass, and I have to admit there is a hint of that in the smell but not so much as to be annoying. If you like those scents, you'll enjoy this beer.

Has a nice foamy head and you can feel the froth in your mouth. Has a solid grassy taste with a medium bitterness. Not much sweetness here that I could detect, but the bitter isn't so strong as to ruin the drinking.

If you enjoy lighter but bitter beers that aren't dark in texture or flavor, you'll probably like this beer. I can't claim it as a favorite, but I did enjoy it and would drink it again. I predict this would make a quality beer for bar food, wings and mini-burgers and the like.

Books read in 2022: No. 12 -- Familiar Spirits

by Leonard Tourney

Started: April 12

Finished: April 18

Notes: It's another historic mystery novel, which is what I've been in the mood for of late. This one is set during the Elizabethan era.

Mini review: The year is 1602 and in a small town in England a teen girl is accused of witchcraft and then hanged. Soon thereafter her visage is seen about town and it follows that a pair of women are accused of having raised the witch's spirit, leading to the two women being accused of witchcraft and put on trial. Yet not all is as it seems and the local constable and his wife put themselves to the task of unraveling the mystery behind it all. In truth, I didn't care much for this one until the ending. The plot is strong enough and the writing fair, but until the very last 30 pages or so I really didn't care about any of the characters. The ending made up for a lot, but I'm still not sure I'll give this writer another read in the future. Not caring for the characters left me with something of a slog of a read.

Books read in 2022: No. 11 -- The Sticklepath Strangler

by Michael Jecks

Started: April 4

Finished: April 11

Notes: A serial killer loose in 14th-Century England? That sounds like an interesting tale to me!

Mini review: This one wasn't bad. Not a lot of action throughout until the end, but I was never bored. The village around which the murders take place remind me somewhat of a Stephen King small town in Maine, except here it's England in 1322, meaning everybody in the village has all kinds of dark secrets. As can be expected from a mystery novel, all is revealed in the end, but I have to say I was truly surprised by the ending here because of all the possible suspects, I never guessed at the actual killer. I'd be willing to give this author another read at some point.

Beer of the Week: St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor

Beer score: 1.9

Company: Pabst
ABV: 8,2
IBU: NA

Yes, malt liquor is a form of beer, sort of, kind of.

This noxious stuff goes down smooth but it smells like gasoline and has a haunting aftertaste mix of sour, bitter, and sweet. It looks like urine.

Don't drink this. Instead, use it to fire up your grill.

Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Pyramid Sun Fest

Beer score: 5.3

Pyramid Breweries has put out a lot of quality beers over the years, but unfortunately this is one that's not longer with us.

A light pilsner, it had the barest hint of bitterness on your tongue. It went down easy with a touch of light foam. Wet, nice and net, but nothing overly spectacular, though still a decent beer.

Books read in 2022: No. 10 -- A Bottle of Rum

by Steve Goble

Started: March 30

Finished: April 4

Notes: A mystery involving pirates? And written by a friend? Yeah, think I'll read this one. Actually, I read the first novel in this series a while back, so that's another reason I'm looking forward to this one.

Mini review: Those who love mysteries, especially historical mysteries, should love this novel. It doesn't take place on the high seas, but near an English town, though there are plenty of pirates about. There's also a dilapidated mansion, mysterious killings, something of a mad scientist, and a fair amount of action. This one is not to miss.