Books read in 2023: No. 5 -- The Book of Joel

published by Zondervan

Started: March 7
Finished: March 7

Notes: If I'm ever going to finish reading this Bible, I need to get to it. This being one of the shorter books, I thought I'd slip it in between my other readings.

Mini review: Early in this book are warnings of tragedies to come, but most of the rest of the book are warnings to nations other than Judah and Israel. There's not much context here, so it's difficult to pinpoint a period of when these prophecies and warnings would be important, but in my opinion the latter part of this book seemed to about the Second Temple Period or at least the post-exile, but there really isn't enough information to say for sure.

Books read in 2023: No. 4 -- Little Men

by Louis May Alcott

Started: Jan. 31

Finished: March 7

Notes: Nearly a decade ago I read Little Women for the first time and quite loved the book, so when I ran across a copy of the sequel in a used book store, I just knew I had to snag it and give it a read.

Mini review: I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as Little Women. I believe my main problem here was that there really wasn't a continual plot, but that this is really a collection of cute and quaint events that happen among children in a school during one summer. There's some mild humor here, and that I appreciated, and it was nice to return to some of the characters from Little Women, though they are adults here, but overall I felt this one was something of a slog.

Beer of the Week: The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel

Beer score: 5.0

Company: The Bruery
ABV: 8.1
IBU: 25

In all fairness, this is a quality brew. But I just didn't care for the flavor, thus the relatively low beer score on my part.

That being said, there are probably plenty of beer snobs who would love this beer.

I have to admit, this is one of the more unique tasting beers I've tried. It's a Belgian-style ale but it's brewed with Thai basil and rice, which is enough to make this an unusual beer and worth trying.

When I poured it into a glass, it had a nice, light blonde color and quite the foamy head.

The scent is quite strong, and I could really smell the basil along with some floral elements.

There's not a lot of alcohol flavor here, which isn't a bad thing, though there is an overabundance of bitterness which is where this drink went bad for me. There's also a wheat flavor, some citrus, notes, and you can taste the rice.

Again, this is actually a good quality beer, but it's just not my thing.

Beer of the Week: Tommyknocker Pick Axe Pale Ale

Beer score: 4.7

Company: Tommyknocker Brewery
ABV: 6.2
IBU: 55

Fairly strong with a bit of a nutty flavor and a touch of sourness more common with India Pale Ales.

Goes down wet and smooth.

Though not a really great beer, it's not bad, and is probably a little too complicated for non-connoisseur. Still, worth trying out if you get a chance.

Beer of the Week: Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Gold

Beer score: 7.1

Company: Wychwood Brewery
ABV: 4.2
IBU: NA

Pours a nice golden color while giving a fairly foamy head.

The smell is grainy with a touch of fruity, maybe some subtle citrus hints.

In taste there are more hints of that citrus, along with some sour. Pretty bitter for me. The bitterness was strong but mostly was gone by the time I swallowed.

A touch too harsh for folks who aren't beer tasters, but not a bad brew at all.

Beer of the Week: Rolling Rock Extra Pale

Beer score: 6.0

Company: Anheuser-Busch
ABV: 4.4
IBU: 5

Long brewed by the Latrobe Brewing Company, this one was bought out a few years ago by Anheuser-Busch.

This beer is very wet and a good thirst quencher. Pours a light golden color. It has a frothy taste that stays with you. This isn't a real exciting beer, but it is very agreeable.

Normally I wouldn't say this is a drink for a beer snob, but the taste is so smooth it just has to be tried.

Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Liberty Brewing Company Beers

Years ago the Liberty Brewing Company, a brewpub out of Akron, Ohio, produced some damn fine beers. As happens all too often, they eventually went out of the business, with the staff moving on to other brewing ventures.

Still, as I often do during a week in which I don't try a new beer, here are a few old notes I made about a brewing company that's no longer with us.

Liberty Brewing Company White Lace Wheat

Beer score: 5.2

Nice head. Fairly weak, even for a hefe-weiss. Non-beer tasters would probably like this, while real snobs can enjoy it for drinking.

Liberty Brewing Company Paul Bunyan

Beer score: 6.5

A little sugary and a little fizzy. A little strength here, too. Everything about this beer is little (except the mug it came in). Still, not a bad brew over all.

Liberty Brewing Company Sir Winston

Beer score: 6.5

This English pale ale tastes more like a medium lager than a pale ale, but it's still worth drinking. A good, strong bitterness as you swallow.

Liberty Brewing Company Mad Cow Milk Stout

Beer score: 7.1

A little weak for a stout, but not bad. Has a decent, burnt quality. Smooth.

Liberty Brewing Company Dragonslayer

Beer score: 5.2

Pretty wet and non-sweet for a Scottish ale, which isn't necessarily bad. Kind of tastes like a weak lager, but very drinkable.

Liberty Brewing Company Around the Horn

Beer score: 6.2

Tastes like a fairly weak India Pale Ale, but doesn't have the grapefruit-like sourness often associated with I.P.A.s. One thing I've noticed about the beers from this brewpub is they don't necessarily taste like what they're supposed to taste like; often, many of the brews tasted like a lager of one strength or another.