![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Pencible
Feb. 23rd, 2009
02:24 pm
2009 md states:
carly and i didn't make it to any major foosball tournaments last year, and we hardly even made it to any local (weekly dyp) tournaments. so needless to say, our competitive edge in foosball has gotten pretty rusty. nevertheless, we decided to attend the 2009 maryland state championships this past weekend.
by the numbers - i played 25 matches this past weekend, and won 13 of them (52%). out of 7 events that i played, carly and i won 1 of them, and i had unimpressive results in the other 6.
here's what i'm proud of - carly and i won FIRST PLACE in amateur doubles. we had to beat some pretty solid teams for this, and now we've earned jackets, trophies, and some cash. woo hoo!
here's what i'm disappointed in - my singles game is bad. i had really made some decent results in the 2006 and 2007 tournaments (at both maryland and virginia). but this year, i lost a lot of "gimme" matches. i'll have to hone my skills to climb back up that ladder!
otherwise - carly and i lost a few matches in doubles that we "should" have won, but our games just weren't as polished as they were a year ago. i think we had a decent shot at semi-pro doubles and open mixed, but it just didn't happen for us.
summary - it was a great tournament, well run, and lots of fun. it was great to get back to playing competitively, and now i'm motivated to attend the local tournaments more often (especially the byp at 999's). i'm not sure if virginia is going to have a state tournament this year (they did in 2006 and 2007, but not in 2008). but if they don't, carly and i will have to find another mid-atlantic state tournament for us to kick some butt in.
Feb. 12th, 2009
11:10 am
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? Carly
3. Your hair? uncombed
4. Your mother? kind
5. Your father? hurried
6. Your favorite? secret
7. Your dream last night? math
8. Your favorite drink? beer
9. Your dream/goal? family
10. What room you are in? cube
11. Your hobby? foosball
12. Your fear? cholesterol
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? NoVa
14. Where were you last night? home
15. Something that you aren't? extroverted
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. Wish list item? windows
18. Where you grew up? Herndon
19. Last thing you did? formatting
20. What are you wearing? suit
21. Your TV? free!
22. Your pets? orange
23. Friends? funny
24. Your life? good
25. Your mood? quiet
26. Missing someone? nope
27. Car? RX-8
28. Something you're not wearing? tie
29. Your favorite store? WholeFoods
30. Your favorite color? none
31. When is the last time you laughed? Demetri
32. Last time you cried? Lance
33. Who will do this? nobody
34. One place that I go to over and over? sleep
35. One person who emails me regularly? John
36. My favorite place to eat? home
Jan. 4th, 2009
06:39 pm - 2008 year in review
So I've basically stopped posting on LiveJournal. It just doesn't have the same allure that it once did. However, for my own sake, I'm posting this end of year list:
(I really thought that I filled this out every year, but I can't find any record of it for 2007 or 2006. I guess I'm just remembering reading other people's?)
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? snowboarding
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't think I had any resolutions last year, but I'm making a few for this year. Let's hope they stick.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Jeremy and Ashley
4. Did anyone close to you die? Carly's godfather Larry
5. What countries did you visit? I actually traveled less in 2008 than in other recent years. Nothing outside America.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A coffee table set that Carly and I both like.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 11th was Aubrey's birthday. Nothing else is sticking out right now.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Tiling the laundry room, and generally improving our entire house.
9. What was your biggest failure? Not reading the Bible enough (hence it's one of my New Year's resolutions).
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? not really
11. What was the best thing you bought? No real major spending this year, but a bunch of "small" things to fix up the house. I also really started investing in beers to age. (Although if you ask Carly, that's probably the worst thing I bought.)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Carly, for making it through calculus (and so much more)
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? certain people getting separated
14. Where did most of your money go? home
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Donkeys! Also Busch Gardens, and I'm sure some other stuff.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? None, really. But I have a fond memory including Scarborough Fair from this past year.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? I feel about the same.
ii. thinner or fatter? Roughly the same, although perhaps a bit heavier.
iii. richer or poorer? With the stock market down, my total net worth has probably dropped. But I don't know if that counts as poorer, since those are long term investments.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? exercise
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? work on weekends
20. How will you be spending Christmas? locally with family
21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? locally with family
22. Did you fall in love in 2008? stayed in love
23. How many one-night stands? lame
24. What was your favorite TV program? Heroes, followed by The Office, followed by misc sports. That’s about all I really watch.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don’t hate
26. What was the best book you read? Out of the Silent Planet
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? singing in parts for my church’s Concert of Carols
28. What did you want and get? a new washer/dryer, and new floors for the laundry room
30. What was your favorite film of this year? probably I Am Legend, but Wall-e was really good too
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I don’t remember, but probably just had some friends over for a small party. 27.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I can measure any realistic level of satisfaction.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? keep wearing the same clothes
34. What kept you sane? limiting extra-curricular activities so stress didn’t get the best of me
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? nobody in particular
36. What political issue stirred you the most? economic bailouts applied unevenly
37. Who did you miss? nobody in particular
38. Who were the best new people you met? I like some new coworkers
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: I learned a lot about parenting, through spending time around my nieces.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: no
Jun. 6th, 2008
01:37 pm - here we go again
federer will face nadal in the french open finals, again. nadal has looked better than ever leading up to this, so i'm guessing this won't finally be the year that federer finishes out his grand slam.
congrats to the redwings for winning the stanley cup for the 4th time in 11 years. they play great hockey. but congrats to the penguins for proving that playing an empty net for the last few minutes of a game actually CAN help.
hiking tomorrow. hopefully i won't die of heat stroke.
the a/c wasn't working at home, so we had a guy come over to check it out. the circuit had tripped, so the guy flipped it back on. that was it. i felt pretty stupid for not checking that myself before calling the pros. but at least he didn't charge us anything. and at least my house is nice and cool now.
i can't wait for the annual nathan's hotdog eating contest.
May. 12th, 2008
02:31 pm
as it the cyclone in burma wasn't enough, more devastation just hit southern asia, with a huge earthquake killing thousands in china. craziness.
on a lighter note, congrats to cary and josh and everyone else who just graduated. and happy mothers day to all the moms out there. also, i finally got footage of the local news report they did on foosball. carly and i are only in a couple quick scenes (and i'm on defense, of course). but it's still pretty cool. also, i beat mario kart (gold in 150cc special cup, yes, for snes of course). never thought i could have done it, but luck was on my side. now i'm ready to try the new wii mario kart. also, carly and i recently put up the dart board in our basement, so i'm learning how to do that. carly's much better than me so far. oh, and carly and i are going to see rem in concert in june. should be a good time. it's been a while since we've been to any concerts, and rem is one of carly's favorite banks, so.
i wish it would stop raining.
May. 10th, 2008
10:56 pm
wondering what to do with your economic stimulus check? how about giving some of it toward relief for the myanmar cyclone.
oh, and in case you haven't heard about it yet, this is one of the worst natural disasters ever. over 20,000 people are confirmed dead with up to 100,000 presumed dead. over 2 million people have been effected.
the really frustrating part is that american news is retarded. no wonder they're not broadcasting anything about this catastrophe, if they only think 350 people died. instead of focusing on this terrible disaster, let's find out who was voted off american idol last night, and then see what obama had to say about hilary since 2 hours ago.
May. 8th, 2008
11:28 am
i have decided to not post beer reviews here anymore. instead, i'm putting them all on on beer advocate. that should leave me with less to post here, but at least they'll be meaningful posts (to a degree).
and for those of you that were wondering, no i didn't sign up for facebook. carly signed me up. and then it started sending me emails, so then i had to add more and more friends. i've been duped! i still think it's a fad that'll die in a year or two. i was hoping to avoid it altogether, but i guess now i'm just another sheep.
how far can your car go?
the music makes this great
now that i'm only working one project at a time instead of two, hopefully i'll have time time to not work.
Mar. 29th, 2008
02:06 pm
**Carolina Cottonwood Almond Stout – The last of the beers from the membership Carly got me for my birthday last year. This poured pitch black with dark tan head, looking more ominous than I expected. It had a bold smell of coffee with striking almonds, and some earthy malt. It tasted like sweet almonds and milk mixed with mocha with slight bitterness. It was thick with no carbonation and a mild aftertaste. Overall this had a very well executed flavor, and was a great change of pace. My only complaint is that it could have used a bit more bite in the finish.
**Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale – This poured a clear bright copper with light tan head. It smelled like copper and floral hops with some refined yeast and a slight bit of alcohol. It tasted like semi-bitter orange hops and dry persimmons, with some floral hops and a light malt for some balance. It was oily with no carbonation and had a smooth, somewhat bitter aftertaste. Overall this was definitely a double pale ale, and not a double IPA. It was more bland and generic than I’m used to from a “double” style. Nothing was necessarily bad, but nothing made it memorable either.
**Sierra Nevada ESB – This poured a slightly hazy golden color with off-white head. It smelled like refined yeast and light malt mixed with fairly potent floral hops. It tasted very bitter, partly due to the floral hops and partly due to a weak earthy malt that provided little sweetness to balance the hops. There was also some refined yeast noticeable in the flavor. It was oily with almost no carbonation and had a dry and bitter aftertaste. Overall this was an interesting beer with a sharp and clean flavor, but it wasn’t all that tasty.
**Troegs Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber Ale – This poured a clear bronze with tan head. It smelled sweet like peach hops and nectar (not quite honey), mixed with a sort of cornmeal malt. It tasted like bitter copper hops and semi-sweet burnt honey. It was oily with slight carbonation and a bittersweet aftertaste. Overall it was very clean and smooth, with an interesting flavor that improved as it warmed. In the end this was quite a tasty and drinkable imperial.
**Troegs Troegenator Doublebock – This poured a hazy mahogany with tan head. It smelled like caramel malt with brown sugar and a bit of yeast. It tasted like a mix of semi-sweet earthy malts and caramel malts with some hay, but no real hops bitterness. It was watery with a bit of carbonation and slight alcohol warming in the aftertaste. Overall this had a definite lager character, but it was still decent.
**Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oak-aged Imperial IPA – A brand new limited brew from Dogfish, this poured a clear auburn color with light tan head. It smelled like a mix of copper and floral hops with noticeable oak and burnt caramel malt, along with a hint of alcohol. Its flavor came in waves, first of brown sugar and molasses, then of copper and floral hops, then of oak and roasted malts, then of brown sugar again for a smooth and sweet aftertaste. It was oily with very slight carbonation and a bit of alcohol warming. Overall this was a very unique and enjoyable beer that was well balanced and had great, creamy flavor. Hooray!
**Clipper City Holy Sheet Über Abbey Ale – This poured a dark and clear reddish brown with white head. It had a very sweet but earth smell like wild wheat, caramel malt, and floral hops. It tasted almost like a dry chardonnay grapes mixed with sour cherries, along with floral hops and some yeast. It was watery with some carbonation and had a moderately bitter aftertaste. Overall this had nice flavor for an abbey ale: very clean and drinkable.
**Morland Hen’s Tooth English Ale – This poured a clear copper color with light tan head. Although it was bottle conditioned, it came in a clear glass bottle, and I believe it was improperly stored, causing it to be “skunked”. Therefore, the scent was very sour, like soy sauce and limestone, with undertones of wheat, cultured yeast, and caramel malt. It tasted mostly acidic and chalky like vitamin C, although there was noticeable earthy and caramel malts with copper hops. It was watery with some carbonation and a slightly bitter aftertaste. As it warmed, the true rich malty flavor became a little more noticeable. It’s a shame it was ruined, because I think this would have otherwise been a very delicate and enjoyable beer.
**Hitachino Nest Beer Weizen – This poured a pale straw color with fluffy white head. It smelled like potent yeast with a bit of rice and floral hops. It had a light and watery flavor of sweet and sour lemon grass, but it lacked any further tastes for balance. It was watery with tons of carbonation that actually made it more difficult to taste the flavor, but it had a crisp and bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a little more enjoyable (to me) than most weizens, mostly because its bland flavor made it more drinkable. But as a beer in general, it simply wasn’t good.
**Arcadia Big Dick’s Olde Ale – 2006 vintage. This poured a dark, hazy brown with orange accents and tan head. It smelled like a blend of delicious malts including caramel, barley, and rye, as well as mild orange and copper hops. It had a very complex and well balanced flavor, tasting first like sweet caramel and milk chocolate malts, then like bitter floral hops, then like earthy and leathery malts. It was somewhat thick with no carbonation and a very smooth and sweet aftertaste, and it had a bit of alcohol warming. Overall this was a fine example of one of my favorite styles of beer. Delicious.
**Allagash Musette Oak-aged Ale – This poured a hazy, dull copper color with light tan head. It smelled like a perfectly balanced blend of wild Belgian yeast, caramel malt, and floral and pine hops. It immediately had a watered-down oaky flavor, along with the semi-sweet/semi-bitter taste of burnt honey, caramel, salt, and lemon hops. It was slightly thick with some carbonation, and had a clean and sweet aftertaste. Overall this was an interesting drink with many good elements, but could have been further refined with a bolder flavor and body.
**Smuttynose Imperial Stout – This poured pitch black with a tiny bit of dark tan head. It smelled strongly of alcohol, along with mocha and some hints of cherry. It tasted like bitter dark chocolate, burnt coffee and leathery malts, and even lemon and pine hops. It was thick with no carbonation, had a bitter aftertaste, and had significant alcohol warming. Overall this was a very powerful beer that was good for sipping, but had a really hard bite. It would be interesting to see if the flavor mellows some with aging, which could make this an exceptional beer.
**Lost Coast Eight Ball Stout – This poured opaque black with only a bit of light tan head. It smelled like sweet molasses and dark bitter chocolate malts with some toasted oatmeal sweetness. It tasted like a good mix of dark chocolate and robust roasted coffee, although the flavor faded some as I drank it. It was watery with a bit of carbonation and a bitter but short aftertaste. Overall this was a solid stout that was very clean and easy to drink. I would love to try a thicker and more powerfully flavored imperial big brother to this beer.
**Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout – I thought I had tried this a while ago, but didn’t have any records of it, so I tried it again last night. It poured opaque black with tan head. It smelled like caramel and coffee malts, citrus hops, and a bit of alcohol…sweet but without the typical chocolate. It tasted like caramel and oatmeal malts mixed with mild coffee and milk chocolate, creating a surprisingly delicate and subtle flavor for an imperial. It was slightly thick with a bit of carbonation and had a lasting, bitter aftertaste with some slight alcohol warming. Overall this had an interesting balance of flavors that shifted from sweet to bitter. It was very clean and drinkable, but they could have cranked it up one more notch to reach its full potential.
Mar. 25th, 2008
Mar. 23rd, 2008
07:47 pm
so i went 24-32 in my picks for the first round, and 10-16 for the second round. six of my elite eight are still alive, and three of my final four. could be better but not bad, right? the problem is that one other guy in my pool has very similar picks, but got a couple more right in the first round. so best case scenario (if all of my remaining picks are fulfilled), i'll tie him for first. but unless davidson makes the final four, there's no other way i can win at all. oh well. at this point, i think that means i should root for nothing but crazy upsets just to screw up everyone else's brackets.
oh, and happy easter!
Mar. 21st, 2008
Mar. 20th, 2008
11:01 am
kick butt! No. 1 Virginia Tech 94, No. 8 Morgan State 62
this sort of stuff always fascinates me.
and this would be an incredible deal. of course, they're probably just toying with my emotions.
ncaa tournament kicks off today. i'm feeling pretty good about my picks. i made them on monday, but just checked them against the national average (on yahoo). i only have a small handful of differences. let's hope the masses aren't wrong!
oh, and i finally won a few foosball matches at bwb's on tuesday. i'm definitely back into the competitive swing of things. unfortunately, the news crew couldn't make it out due to local teams making the ncaa tournament and gaining press coverage. maybe they'll come to the story in april.
Mar. 17th, 2008
10:41 am
happy pi day (friday) and happy st patrick's day (today, but observed on saturday)
not so happy selection sunday. the hokies got the shaft, so we're a #1 seed in the nit instead of being in the ncaa tournament. i would almost be ok with that, given how we went 1-7 against top 50 ranked opponents, and we failed to get 20 wins. but my problem is that they let in teams like miami (fl), villanova, arizona, etc. oh well, we'll just have to do really well in the nit to prove something. also, we should be really good next year, since we have so many freshman. we just need to actually win some of those big games!
indian wells is underway on csn, since espn is tied up with basketball. on the plus side, at least tennis is on tv at all. on the downside, csn is wretched with their coverage. poor camera work, and even worse commentating. jerks.
mystery men is a fantastic movie. i could watch it over and over.
i can't wait for heroes and the office to come back. i miss new tv.
carly and i actually went to a foosball tournament last week, for the first time in over 4 months, so i no longer miss that. i lost straight out, but it was still good to be back and competing. and i had fun with pick-up games after i was out. we're going to the tournament tomorrow also, getting back into the weekly swing of things. plus, there's supposed to be a local news crew there, so that should be interesting (i.e. ronnie's big break!).
that's all i've got off the top of my head. so many stray thoughts don't get posted these days because i just don't take the effort or have the time to capture it all. perhaps it's just a part of growing up?
Mar. 13th, 2008
Mar. 12th, 2008
Mar. 1st, 2008
01:01 pm
**Allagash Black – This Belgian-style stout poured opaque, pitch black with tan head. It had that typical Belgian wild yeast smell mixed with burnt dark chocolate. It tasted like dark chocolate and creamy coffee hops, along with wild yeast. As the beer warmed, the yeast flavor faded, and the coffee flavor really came out. It was watery with slight carbonation and a mildly bitter chocolate aftertaste. Overall this is probably my favorite Belgian style, great to drink by fireside, but this particular beer missed some of it potential. It was quite tasty, but lacked the refinement that could have made me more passionate about it.
**Unibroue 16 – This annually brewed Belgian dark ale poured a hazy blood orange with off-white head. It smelled like typical Belgian wild yeast with a very earth malt and some apricot hops. It tasted like orange marmalade with wild yeast and dirty malt. As it warmed, the malt tasted creamier, more like sweet caramel. It was oily and quite carbonated, with a fairly mellow aftertaste of citric hops bitterness mixed with the malt sweetness. Overall this was a pretty solid beer, which I enjoyed better than most Belgians. However, its flavor wasn’t very clean, so it still could have been better.
**Clipper City Balto Marzhon Lager – This poured a clear copper color with no head. It smelled very faint and clean like hazelnut malt and refined yeast. It tasted like watery caramel malt with rich hazelnut and barley flavors, and no real hops or bitterness. It was slightly thick with a bit of carbonation and a clean aftertaste. Overall this was one of the more enjoyable lagers I’ve had. It was very clean and refreshing, like a better quality Killians.
**Bell’s Consecrator Doppelbock – This poured a clear, dark ruby red with tan head. It smelled like earthy malt, muddy caramel, refined yeast, and some floral hops. It tasted like bitter cherries mixed with a blend of caramel and milk chocolate malts. It was oily with slight carbonation and a lasting sweet caramel aftertaste. Overall this was a very tasty, sweet and smooth beer. It was almost too drinkable for its high alcohol content, a dangerous combination!
**Weyerbacher Heresy Oak Aged Imperial Stout – This poured pitch black with tan head. It smelled like milk chocolate, bourbon, and burnt coffee. It tasted like creamy chocolate milk and coffee, with delicate bourbon flavors and a slight alcohol taste. It was super thick with no carbonation and a very mild and sweet chocolate aftertaste. Overall this was a very creamy and sweet stout, with a complex but very easy to enjoy flavor that made the beer great to sip or gulp.
**Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout – This imperial stout poured pitch black with a little bit of dark tan head. It smelled like burnt chocolate malt mixed with robust coffee. It tasted like milk chocolate and bitter coffee blended with earthy malt and a slight alcohol taste. It was very thick with no carbonation and a bitter coffee aftertaste. Overall this was a very powerful but balanced beer, so it was strong but very drinkable, just the way an imperial stout should be.
**Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout – This poured pitch black with a little bit of dark tan head. It smelled like a cappuccino, with dominant milk and coffee scents, and a bit of licorice that it was brewed with. It tasted stronger than expected, like bitter coffee and burnt chocolate mixed with the surprising presence of floral hops. It was slightly thick with no carbonation and a bitter coffee aftertaste. Overall this was a pretty good stout with some unique characteristics, but it wasn’t the best of Bell’s brews.
**Saranac Imperial Stout – This poured pitch black (just like the 4 stouts in a row before it) with dark tan head. It smelled like milk chocolate, caramel malts and sweet coffee with a hint of almond. It tasted like rich and heavily creamed coffee with subtle caramel malt and chocolate flavors. It was watery with no carbonation and had a mild, smooth aftertaste. Overall this smelled exceptional, had great flavor, and was very easy to drink.
**North Coast Old Stock Ale – 2008 vintage. This poured a fairly clear reddish brown with tan head. It smelled like honey wheat and alcohol with some caramel malt. It tasted like sweet brown sugar and honey wheat, with some bitter pine hops for balance, and a little alcohol warming. It was thick with slight carbonation and had a lasting sweet and bitter aftertaste. Overall this vintage was bolder but less delicate or complex than I remember the 2007. This was still very tasty, but it will clearly get better with age.
**Williamsburg AleWorks Grand Illumination Barleywine – 2008 vintage. Part of a very limited edition brew, this poured a dark and hazy auburn with tan head. It smelled like a mild but complex mix of prunes, floral hops, and some wheat. It tasted much stronger than it smelled, with a blend of floral and citrus hops mixed with fresh grapes and molasses, and slight alcohol warming. It was thick with no carbonation and had a strong and lasting bitter aftertaste. Overall this had a very interesting flavor, better for sipping, but thoroughly enjoyable. Can’t wait to see how this ages!
**Stone Old Guardian Barleywine – 2008 vintage. This poured a hazy bright copper color with fluffy tan head. It smelled like freshly harvested wheat and refined sugar, with some citrus hops. It tasted mostly like orange hops, but also had some floral hops, light caramel malt, wheat, and some waxy flavor. It was watery with almost no carbonation and had a bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a complex sipping beer, but wasn’t as bold or delicious as I was hoping. A very good brew, but could have been better.
Feb. 22nd, 2008
Feb. 2nd, 2008
01:04 pm
**Sam Adams Utopias – 2007 vintage. One of the rarest and most expensive beers ever (roughly $200 per bottle), this was quite an exceptional treat to sample. It’s technically a beer, although its characteristics are more like a scotch or cognac. It poured a clear, dark copper with no head. It had an extremely strong and complex scent of brown sugar malt, cinnamon sugar, wheat, and alcohol. Its flavor was even stronger, blending super sweet honey, maple syrup, hazel nut, refined wheat, and delicate malt. It was oily and very smooth with no carbonation, and a very strong and lasting aftertaste of bitterness and alcohol warming. Overall this was just about perfect – one of the best alcoholic beverages of any sort that I’ve tried. It was very simple at first, but the more you thought about it, the more complex it became. It had chameleon-like characteristics, in that you could discern hints of practically any flavor you thought about. Despite the ridiculous price tag, this is worth it.
**O’Hanlon’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale – 2006 vintage. This is another limited-run annual brew, although not nearly as rare as the Utopias. It poured a dark, hazy crimson with no head. It smelled distinctly of rye and crackers with molasses and slight alcohol notes. It tasted like succulent sour cherry, rye, some citrus hops, and slight molasses flavoring. It was thick with no carbonation and had a dry, short aftertaste. The flavor became more sour as I drank, making it less palatable. Overall this was a very interesting and delicate beer. It was really great at first, but needs aging.
** O’Hanlon’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale – 2005 vintage. This was aged a year more than the 2006 vintage (drunk in the same evening). It poured a hazy brown with slight tan head. It smelled similar, mostly of rye, but with citrus hops mixed with the alcohol scent. It tasted fairly different, like sweet molasses and peach, along with sugary lemon hops. It was thick with no carbonation and a very smooth, slightly bitter aftertaste. Overall this had a much more balanced and refined flavor than the newer vintage. It had a great flavor, texture, and finish.
**North Coast Old Stock Ale – 2007 vintage. This poured a clear, medium brown with no head. It smelled like rich caramel malt with some hops and alcohol scent. It tasted like caramel and walnut malts with pine hops and slight alcohol warming. It was watery with some carbonation and had a sweet, clean, lasting aftertaste. Overall this had great flavor, although it could have been a bit more refined (aged another couple of years). With time, this would be the perfect beer to drink by fireside.
**Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale – 2007 vintage. This poured a hazy brown with thin tan head. It smelled incredibly delicious, like brown sugar, toffee fudge, and roast malt. It tasted delicious too, like roast caramel malt with cashews and some floral hops. It was thick with no carbonation and had a slightly bitter, clean aftertaste. Overall this could have stood to be slightly more bitter (perhaps aging would help), but it was still very rich and delicious.
**Duck-Rabbit Porter – This poured a very dark ruby color with very little tan head. It smelled like bitter coffee mixed with chocolate and a hint of cherry. It tasted delicious, like sweet chocolate covered cherries and rich coffee. It was thin with slight carbonation, with a mild aftertaste of coffee bitterness. Overall this started out a very tasty and distinctive beer. But unfortunately, the flavor became fairly bland after the first few sips, turning what would have been an excellent beer sipping into a boring gulper.
**Svea Lilja’s Pulling Boat Pale Ale – This poured a muddy straw color with pale yellow head. It had a pretty earthy smell of wheat, pine hops, and a bit of malt. It tasted like burnt honey, mellow pine and lemon hops, and slight malt for balance. It had a slight thickness with some carbonation, and a slightly dirty bitter aftertaste. Overall this wasn’t bad, but it could have been cleaner, and it didn’t have anything unique about it.
**Clay Pipe Hop-Acolypse IPA – This poured a clear light copper with thin white head. It smelled like a mix of floral and grapefruit hops. Its flavor was dominant hops with delicious flavor, balanced slightly with some mild malt. It was watery with no carbonation and had a good bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a simple, but clean and enjoyable IPA.
**Clay Pipe Pursuit of Happiness Winter Warmer – This poured a dark clear copper with thin off-white head. It smelled like strong orange hops and cinnamon. It tasted more bitter than orange, more like grapefruit hops mixed with mulled spices. It was watery with no carbonation with a smooth and bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a very tasty beer, more balanced than their IPA.
**Mackeson Triple Stout – This poured pitch black with dark tan head. It smelled like a mix of licorice, chocolate, and barley. It tasted more like a regular stout, with sweet coffee flavors blended with mild earthy chocolate. It was watery with no carbonation and had a bittersweet aftertaste. Overall this beer had a delicate and interesting flavor, which was good, but I don’t understand why they called this a “triple”. Most double stouts are more potent.
**Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown Ale – This poured a hazy medium brown with a little tan head. It smelled almost exactly like hard apple cider with a bit of hops. It tasted mostly like apple cider, with some citrus hops added in, but there was no noticeable maple or nut. It was watery with some carbonation and had a mildly bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a good clean drink, but not at all what I expected.
**Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale – This poured a dark crimson brown with almost no head. It smelled like muted earthy hops mixed with sweet cotton candy. It had a unique flavor of bitter coffee malt balanced with sweet maple syrup. It was oily with no carbonation and had a moderately bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a very good beer, much more rich and balanced than the maple nut brown.
**Avery The Reverend Belgian-style Quadruple Ale – This poured a slightly hazy, bright bronze with almost no head. It smelled like copper hops mixed with banana and wild yeast. It tasted halfway between a dubble and tripel, rather than a quadruple, with light flavors of sweet apricot and wheat. The taste wasn’t exceptionally clean, and had some alcohol warming. It was slightly thick with moderate carbonation and a lasting tart aftertaste. Overall this wasn’t bad, but it really wasn’t deep or rich enough for me, to be a really good quad.
**North Coast ACME Pale Ale – This poured a slightly hazy, light honey color with white head. It had a weak scent of orange hops and honey wheat mixed with cultured malt. It tasted very mild and sweet, like watered-down honey. It was oily with moderate carbonation and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a very clean and mellow beer; not bad.
**North Coast ACME IPA – This poured a hazy honey color with white head. It smelled like a blend of strong floral and lemon hops with some malt. It tasted very dominantly of citrus and floral hops, with some honey malt for a bit of balance. It was watery with no carbonation and had a lasting bitter aftertaste. Overall this was a very clean and bitter beer that was good but not great, as it gave a sense of being more watery than it really was.
**Ommegang Abbey Ale – This Belgian dubbel-style beer poured a dark crimson with tan head. It smelled like earthy malt mixed with slight floral hops. It tasted like chalky dark chocolate and bitter floral hops mixed with some wild yeast. It was watery with surprisingly no carbonation, and had a bitter chocolate aftertaste. Overall this didn’t have too bad of a Belgian taste, but it wasn’t very clean either.
**Anderson Valley Brother David’s Double – This Abbey-style ale poured a clear burgundy with thing light tan head. It smelled like wild yeast and floral hops with some prunes and dark chocolate. It tasted strongly of wild yeast, mixed with a blend of floral hops and bitter chocolate. It was watery with some carbonation, and had a bitter aftertaste. Overall this was very clean, but had that typical Belgian taste that I don’t particularly care for. Not so great for a dark ale.
**Bell’s HopSlam Ale – This double IPA poured a clear copper color with no head. It smelled like a mix of floral and grapefruit hops with some honey malt. It tasted like orange and bitter floral hops perfectly balanced with honey malt sweetness, and had some slight alcohol warming. It was thick with no carbonation and had a very smooth bitter aftertaste. Overall this was not a slam at all, but rather an extremely drinkable and well balanced beer with delicious flavor and super clean taste. This is what beer should be!
Jan. 23rd, 2008
09:40 am
the other night, carly and i made a list of things we still need to do to our house. it's long. some of the things are long-term, but the majority are things that can be done more immediately. ah, the joy of home-ownership.
i'm enjoying the australian open. i think djokovic has a shot at federer this time. that would really be something. i'm also hoping for a sharapova/ivanovic women's championship. who's your favorite? i actually think i prefer ivanovic.
beautiful (which is better - this or the last concept i linked?)
resumes are somehow both boring and interesting. or maybe it's recruiting that's boring, despite the resumes being interesting. or maybe it's that resumes are boring, despite recruiting being interesting. the world may never know. (and by world, i mean me.)
i wish heroes would come back on tv.
Jan. 14th, 2008
11:00 am
got the new house, got the new floors put in, got most of it painted, got the new tv, got a new toilet, got the lights/wiring fixed, got pretty much everything unpacked. what else is left? quite a bit, including getting a new washer/dryer, getting a microwave, getting a set of bedroom furniture, getting tiles put in the laundry room and basement entrance, painting the rest of the house, stabilizing the garage doors, trimming the trees in the back, re-grading the back lawn away from the house, planting new smaller bushes in the front lawn, and a dozen smaller items. these projects will be done as soon as funding and/or spare time becomes available.
that all aside, i love the new house. we're probably 90% moved in, if not more. we're getting much more comfortable there, and gearing up for our housewarming party on jan 26.
beautiful
awesome
funny
australian open is underway, and espn-hd is covering it basically 24/7, even from the first round. i'm so happy. hokies beat umd in basketball by 1 point, which i also got to watch in hd. oh, and the nfl playoffs, of course. (jeremy and i are doing a post-season version of fantasy football, just the two of us, so i actually still care about the nfl.)
that's it for now. must consume calories.
Navigate: (Previous 20 Entries)