Welcome back to another edition of Craft Beer Friday. The beer this week is from one of my all-time favorite breweries, Sierra Nevada, out of Choco, California. Other than their summer offering (I dislike almost all summer beers anyway), this is an outstanding brewery with a great heritage and the unique ability to constantly crank out great beer.
The selection this week is Sierra Nevada's Flipside Red IPA. You might be wondering how a red IPA differs from a regular IPA, and I will tell you. A red IPA is a normal American red ale, brewed with a stronger alcohol content, then hopped up like a pale ale, or in this case, an IPA. And Sierra Nevada does it quite well.
Right away you get the bitterness of the hops and the dry mouth-feel, followed by the malty richness of the red ale. This was purchased in a 12-pack and quaffed from a pint glass. It is a beautiful beer.
Flipside pours a crisp copper red, with a hearty head that retains and leaves some lacing on the glass. Because of the color of the beer, you immediatley think of a malty, bready richness, typical of American red ales. But this is no 5% ABV beer. Flipside is 6.2% ABV and has a depth of flavor unique to the style. The maltiness is like a shadow for the powerful hop notes--in the background, yet always there.
The bitter, grapefruity smell is slightly cut by the sweetness of the malts. This is a very drinkable beer that could forge the way for other brewers to start making red IPAs (at least I hope so).
Another great beer for a Craft Beer Friday. Go and grab yourself a 6 or 12 pack, or even a case of Sierra Nevada's Flipside. You won't be disappointed. If you are, send me the unused portion.
I will see that it is disposed of properly--one bottle at a time.
Cheers.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Craft Beer Friday
I decided I would combine two of my favorite things--writing and beer. I love beer. Cheap domestic in cans (if that's all that is available) to expensive single bottles of limited release beers, I dig all of them. Do I prefer Michelob Ultra over Anchor Steam Liberty Ale? Never. But when in Rome...
So every Friday (forgot to post this last night), I will choose a fine craft beer and give an honest review. I am not by any means a beer expert, but I know a lot more than most. Through my review, I hope to convert one non-craft beer drinker over to the dark side--and that dark side is full of wonderful beers, like porters and stouts, the trendy black IPAs, and all of the other wonderful shades of beer in the world.
Today's beer is from Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, CA). The selection is Sculpin IPA. To not muddle the review, a quick word or two about the name of the beer.
Ballast Point names many of their beers after fish--a sculpin is a fish. An IPA, or India pale ale, is a style of beer often brewed with pale malts and has a higher alcohol content (the earliest of these beers were shipped from England to their colonists in India and had to survive the long trip at sea).
Anyway, enough history, back to Sculpin IPA. The beer was from a 12oz. bottle and the ABV (alcohol by volume) was 7%, high by the average beer standard, but right on par with most IPAs.
Simply stated, it is a wonderful beer. The beer pours a mostly clear amber, with a generous head. The beer was sampled out of a 16oz. pilsner glass. As the beer level lowered, beautiful lacing rimmed the inside of the glass.
As for the smell of this fantastic elixir--imagine the aromatics a freshly peeled grapefruit would give off. Strong scents of grapefruit and hops are easily noted. The taste, magnificent. Big, bold hop notes with the bitterness and boldness of grapefruit make for a great IPA.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA could be my new favorite IPA. I still love the beers that Stone, Lancaster, and Dogfish Head are making, but Sculpin certainly ranks among the top.
That's all for now. After all, the beer did come in a six pack.
So every Friday (forgot to post this last night), I will choose a fine craft beer and give an honest review. I am not by any means a beer expert, but I know a lot more than most. Through my review, I hope to convert one non-craft beer drinker over to the dark side--and that dark side is full of wonderful beers, like porters and stouts, the trendy black IPAs, and all of the other wonderful shades of beer in the world.
Today's beer is from Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, CA). The selection is Sculpin IPA. To not muddle the review, a quick word or two about the name of the beer.
Ballast Point names many of their beers after fish--a sculpin is a fish. An IPA, or India pale ale, is a style of beer often brewed with pale malts and has a higher alcohol content (the earliest of these beers were shipped from England to their colonists in India and had to survive the long trip at sea).
Anyway, enough history, back to Sculpin IPA. The beer was from a 12oz. bottle and the ABV (alcohol by volume) was 7%, high by the average beer standard, but right on par with most IPAs.
Simply stated, it is a wonderful beer. The beer pours a mostly clear amber, with a generous head. The beer was sampled out of a 16oz. pilsner glass. As the beer level lowered, beautiful lacing rimmed the inside of the glass.
As for the smell of this fantastic elixir--imagine the aromatics a freshly peeled grapefruit would give off. Strong scents of grapefruit and hops are easily noted. The taste, magnificent. Big, bold hop notes with the bitterness and boldness of grapefruit make for a great IPA.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA could be my new favorite IPA. I still love the beers that Stone, Lancaster, and Dogfish Head are making, but Sculpin certainly ranks among the top.
That's all for now. After all, the beer did come in a six pack.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Where Did the Year Go???
Opened up my blog and was shocked to see that I hadn't posted anything since August 3rd. So I ask, where did the summer go? It seems as though it was just Memorial Day, as opposed to Labor Day. Hell, now Halloween is just around the corner.
What about all of those summer projects that I had planned to tackle this year? What about playing several rounds of golf, outside with buddies, drinking beer and hanging out? Damn.
It was a weird summer. We had a few streaks of weather that felt almost like autumn, and very few hot and humid days (thankfully). A mild summer makes me hope for a mild winter. Snow is for kids, and getting out of school, and snowball battles with friends. As an adult, snow is just not my favoirite weather.
Snow is pretty to look at, initially before it is marred by dirt, exhaust and general grime. But it sucks when you have to shovel it, dig a car out from under it, or worry about getting anywhere. You don't have to shovel heat or humidity. So I try not to complain about any summer weather.
Anyway, the Steelers are currently 0-4. I'm a realist, so I know any chance for a playoff run is extremely slim, if not impossible. I'm still hopeful.
Coming later this week, I will finally post a blog updating my (at best) fledgling writing career and what plans I have between now and the end of the year.
What about all of those summer projects that I had planned to tackle this year? What about playing several rounds of golf, outside with buddies, drinking beer and hanging out? Damn.
It was a weird summer. We had a few streaks of weather that felt almost like autumn, and very few hot and humid days (thankfully). A mild summer makes me hope for a mild winter. Snow is for kids, and getting out of school, and snowball battles with friends. As an adult, snow is just not my favoirite weather.
Snow is pretty to look at, initially before it is marred by dirt, exhaust and general grime. But it sucks when you have to shovel it, dig a car out from under it, or worry about getting anywhere. You don't have to shovel heat or humidity. So I try not to complain about any summer weather.
Anyway, the Steelers are currently 0-4. I'm a realist, so I know any chance for a playoff run is extremely slim, if not impossible. I'm still hopeful.
Coming later this week, I will finally post a blog updating my (at best) fledgling writing career and what plans I have between now and the end of the year.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
A Super Bowl High...in July?
I meant to post this sooner, but shit happens. Before I start, this is not a rant, nor the ravings of a bitter fan. These are simply facts as I have experienced them.
As a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I have nothing against the Ravens, their players, their quality organization or their fans. First and foremost I am a football fan. I will watch the worst two teams play even during preseason. I love football that much.
But it's baseball season now. And a few years ago, for one summer, I was an Orioles season ticket holder. I have always been an Orioles fan. Last season was a treat for O's fans as the team finally showed some real promise. This season is no different. I occasionally wear an Orioles hat in public, whether it be at a grocery store or out getting gas. But since the Super Bowl on February 3rd of this year, something odd has taken place.
The Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 in an exciting game. I was happy for all. It would not have broken my heart had the 49ers rallied at the end, but that may be a topic for another entry.
Anyway, since the Super Bowl, no matter where I go, someone is always decked out in Ravens gear as if it was December and the team had already locked up the AFC North.
I guess some folks are still high off their Super Bowl victory. Look, I rooted for the Ravens when they beat the Giants like a drum in Super Bowl XXXV. I rationalized that if not the Steelers, at least someone in our division.
I knew a lot of Ravens fans who felt the same way. They ALL have changed. They hate the Steelers and want to see them do poorly forever. Oh well. I also find that people who are new to me and seemingly think I'm a decent guy, soon change their opinion when they find out that I support the Steelers.
It's just a kid's game, played by rich men, who are not nearly as fanatical as you or me or any other crazy fan that bleeds Purple, Black and Gold, or Philly Green.
In a nutshell, I will continue to support the Black and Orange, rooting for Mr. Jones, Crush, my all-time favorite Greek player, and Manny the Kid. But when the Steelers play their first regular season game on Sunday, September 8th against the Tennessee Titans, I will be cheering my Black and Gold to victory.
But I'll also continue rooting for the Black and Orange. Go O's.
As a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I have nothing against the Ravens, their players, their quality organization or their fans. First and foremost I am a football fan. I will watch the worst two teams play even during preseason. I love football that much.
But it's baseball season now. And a few years ago, for one summer, I was an Orioles season ticket holder. I have always been an Orioles fan. Last season was a treat for O's fans as the team finally showed some real promise. This season is no different. I occasionally wear an Orioles hat in public, whether it be at a grocery store or out getting gas. But since the Super Bowl on February 3rd of this year, something odd has taken place.
The Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 in an exciting game. I was happy for all. It would not have broken my heart had the 49ers rallied at the end, but that may be a topic for another entry.
Anyway, since the Super Bowl, no matter where I go, someone is always decked out in Ravens gear as if it was December and the team had already locked up the AFC North.
I guess some folks are still high off their Super Bowl victory. Look, I rooted for the Ravens when they beat the Giants like a drum in Super Bowl XXXV. I rationalized that if not the Steelers, at least someone in our division.
I knew a lot of Ravens fans who felt the same way. They ALL have changed. They hate the Steelers and want to see them do poorly forever. Oh well. I also find that people who are new to me and seemingly think I'm a decent guy, soon change their opinion when they find out that I support the Steelers.
It's just a kid's game, played by rich men, who are not nearly as fanatical as you or me or any other crazy fan that bleeds Purple, Black and Gold, or Philly Green.
In a nutshell, I will continue to support the Black and Orange, rooting for Mr. Jones, Crush, my all-time favorite Greek player, and Manny the Kid. But when the Steelers play their first regular season game on Sunday, September 8th against the Tennessee Titans, I will be cheering my Black and Gold to victory.
But I'll also continue rooting for the Black and Orange. Go O's.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Moby Dick, the Masterpiece
Moby Dick is a big book, full of deep images and stark characters set against one of the harshest jobs ever undertaken by man--whaling. Herman Melville, a writer of great vision and views that were decades ahead of their time, poured his soul into Moby Dick. Sadly, he died broke, and several years after his death, critics finally realized the power and scope of his novel.
For the first-timer picking up Moby Dick, it is quite the task. The novel is dense with allegory and references to Shakespeare and the Bible, to name just a few. If you decide to read the book, I have a few simple suggestions. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I have read the novel almost a dozen times.
First, skim or skip all of the sections about whaling. More specifically, where the descriptions of the rendering of the blubber and other whale harvesting chapters are concerned, skip them. They show Melville's knowledge of whaling, but do little to further the momentum of the story.
Now, when the men are on the whale boats, chasing, harpooning, and killing whales, these pages give great insight into the main characters. Read these and enjoy the high adventure.
Second, think man vs. nature. After all, it is the crux of the novel. Moby Dick took Ahab's leg and the maniacal captain wants revenge on the white whale. By the time you finish the book, you will also see a mythical side of Melville as evidenced by this enigmatic white whale called Moby Dick.
And Melville, having been on whalers and traveled a great deal to faraway islands with different races and cultures, made a statement that is just as true today as it was a century and a half ago.
Ishmael, the narrator of the story, thinks about sharing his bed with Queequeg, a South Sea islander, headhunter, and possible cannibal. At minimum, he is most assuredly a savage. Ishmael rationalizes the situation simply.
"What's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself--the man's a human being as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him. Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."
A beautiful passage. Very thought provoking. A novel idea for 1851.
For the first-timer picking up Moby Dick, it is quite the task. The novel is dense with allegory and references to Shakespeare and the Bible, to name just a few. If you decide to read the book, I have a few simple suggestions. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I have read the novel almost a dozen times.
First, skim or skip all of the sections about whaling. More specifically, where the descriptions of the rendering of the blubber and other whale harvesting chapters are concerned, skip them. They show Melville's knowledge of whaling, but do little to further the momentum of the story.
Now, when the men are on the whale boats, chasing, harpooning, and killing whales, these pages give great insight into the main characters. Read these and enjoy the high adventure.
Second, think man vs. nature. After all, it is the crux of the novel. Moby Dick took Ahab's leg and the maniacal captain wants revenge on the white whale. By the time you finish the book, you will also see a mythical side of Melville as evidenced by this enigmatic white whale called Moby Dick.
And Melville, having been on whalers and traveled a great deal to faraway islands with different races and cultures, made a statement that is just as true today as it was a century and a half ago.
Ishmael, the narrator of the story, thinks about sharing his bed with Queequeg, a South Sea islander, headhunter, and possible cannibal. At minimum, he is most assuredly a savage. Ishmael rationalizes the situation simply.
"What's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself--the man's a human being as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him. Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."
A beautiful passage. Very thought provoking. A novel idea for 1851.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Catching up on movies...
Well, summer has arrived and the Missus and I have started to catch up on some movies that we missed. Finally, we have seen the Avengers (after being ridiculed by tons of friends, and you know who you are). Excellent movie. Hulk smashing Loki back and forth like a rag doll was epic. Best part of the movie.
From there, we saw the new Bond movie, Skyfall. Another great movie with an opening chase sequence to rival any other Bond chase scene. Great fun, great film. I really enjoy Daniel Craig as Bond--very suave.
Next, we tackled (lame football reference), Silver Linings Playbook. Another fine movie, and in case you just climbed out from under a rock, check out Jennifer Lawrence. Phenomenal actress, and not too shabby on the eyes. Also, check out Winter's Bone; Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as a tough girl under tough circumstances in the Ozark Mountains.
Monday, I watched Brave (by myself), the Pixar movie about a Scottish tomboy named Merida. The movie won Best Animated Film of the Year. I rarely do animated films (the Missus, never), but this was fantastic. Funny, heart-warming, and profoundly original, I am not ashamed to admit, that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Well, it was inevitable. Because Moby Dick is my all time favorite book, not to mention the greatest American novel of all time, I will post a blog soon about lessons from Moby Dick, that still apply today.
If you haven't read Moby Dick, go buy a copy today.
From there, we saw the new Bond movie, Skyfall. Another great movie with an opening chase sequence to rival any other Bond chase scene. Great fun, great film. I really enjoy Daniel Craig as Bond--very suave.
Next, we tackled (lame football reference), Silver Linings Playbook. Another fine movie, and in case you just climbed out from under a rock, check out Jennifer Lawrence. Phenomenal actress, and not too shabby on the eyes. Also, check out Winter's Bone; Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as a tough girl under tough circumstances in the Ozark Mountains.
Monday, I watched Brave (by myself), the Pixar movie about a Scottish tomboy named Merida. The movie won Best Animated Film of the Year. I rarely do animated films (the Missus, never), but this was fantastic. Funny, heart-warming, and profoundly original, I am not ashamed to admit, that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Well, it was inevitable. Because Moby Dick is my all time favorite book, not to mention the greatest American novel of all time, I will post a blog soon about lessons from Moby Dick, that still apply today.
If you haven't read Moby Dick, go buy a copy today.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Perils of Writing...
Where to begin? Imagine that, a blog about writing, by a writer who can't find a place to start a story. Let's cut the shit. I have too many ideas in my head and not enough time to write. And I'm not bitching. Just stating facts.
I am currently editing 9 stories, editing a novel-length piece of 478 pages, and trying to work on five new stories, 2 of which will probably end up at 200 pages or so. I am having a hell of a time organizing myself.
Hope to have a book of short stories for e-book sale on Amazon and B&N (and the other outlets) by the end of the month. Waiting for some artwork and for a few beta readers to get through the stories.
I have a tentative title in mind for the stories, but not written in stone just yet.
I made a list this morning, a very detailed list, of how I am going to approach this conundrum. Everything has to be worked on based on how important they are--in other words, the novella that is bouncing around in my head shall take no precedence before the nine stories that should be for sale by June 30th.
Organize, yourself, man. Keep writing you bum...
By the way, if you happen to stop by and check out my musings, feel free to leave a comment. Good or bad, they will be appreciated.
I am currently editing 9 stories, editing a novel-length piece of 478 pages, and trying to work on five new stories, 2 of which will probably end up at 200 pages or so. I am having a hell of a time organizing myself.
Hope to have a book of short stories for e-book sale on Amazon and B&N (and the other outlets) by the end of the month. Waiting for some artwork and for a few beta readers to get through the stories.
I have a tentative title in mind for the stories, but not written in stone just yet.
I made a list this morning, a very detailed list, of how I am going to approach this conundrum. Everything has to be worked on based on how important they are--in other words, the novella that is bouncing around in my head shall take no precedence before the nine stories that should be for sale by June 30th.
Organize, yourself, man. Keep writing you bum...
By the way, if you happen to stop by and check out my musings, feel free to leave a comment. Good or bad, they will be appreciated.
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