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Thursday, December 16, 2010
Best E-mail Of The Day
I really want to go to whatever school Amazon has dreamed up:
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(Click to embiggen)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Beer Review Round-up 5/1/2010
My friend Nicholas pointed out the amusing fact that if I were to write a note on Facebook, more people would see it than read this blog by a fairly large factor. This makes me want to put things on this blog more. So starting today, a hopefully regular feature that I used to do on Facebook: Beer Reviews.
Michelob Ginger Wheat
I understand that it says "Ginger" in the name, but I must admit I wasn't exactly prepared for the flavor profile of this beer. A very mild wheat beer completely drowned out by sharp pangs of raw ginger. The description insists it's notes of ginger, but those notes are akin to the cannon fire in the 1812 Overture. While I'm glad I tried it (and could actually see it pairing well with some things; an overproduced maki roll for instance) I don't think I'm upset that it's exclusive to the Michelob Wheat Beer Sampler case. I am happy to see a company besides Dogfish Head pushing the envelope, though.
Pyramid Curve Ball Blonde Ale
Pleasant but forgettable, Pyramid's Curve Ball would be an ideal substitute for Budweiser if you were just knocking back beers mindlessly. Ice cold and on the beach, it's not something to savor, but a good route to getting drunk quickly.
Michelob Hop Hound
It's rare to find a hoppy wheat beer, and this one is pretty good. I stand by my assertion that Michelob would be considered a decent craft brewer if it wasn't owned by Anheuser-Busch, causing it to be unfairly maligned. See the Ginger Beer above for the kind of risks you don't expect a multi-national corporation to take (and people that badmouth Amber Bock around me usually get an earful). Hop Hound isn't overly hoppy, so if you're turned off by IPAs, you may still enjoy this, and it's underlying wheat-flavor rounds it out rather nicely.
Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale
I think I'm doomed to not like fruit beers. Well, Lambics earn a free pass, but other than that, I just can't get behind it. All fruit beers taste kind of artificial to me, even when they're not. Sorry. If you love apricots, you might enjoy this, because it plays fast and loose on the nose and first bit of each sip, but there's nothing to recommend it after that.
Pyramid Haywire Hefewizen
A medium-body wheat that's perhaps a bit too thick to treat as a Corona replacement on the beach (and I am a firm believer that a wheat beer can be a great cooler-offer - see Erdinger with an orange for a great example) this is a passable wheat that's better on draft than in bottle. Get it with a lemon, or better yet, get something different. This isn't bad, but it won't wow you.
BJ's Tonta Imperial Stout
Like almost everything about BJ's, this screams mediocrity. Yes, it isn't bad. Is it worth ordering? Maybe this is my review of the restaurant in its entirety - it's a falsehood. These aren't craft beers anymore than RC Cola is craft soda. You're copying something "great" and doing the most baseline job possible. Is it dark? Sure. Is it thick? You betcha. Is there anything about it that makes me say, "Wow, to think, I can only get this here at BJ's"? No, and there never will be. Places like this and Gordon Biersch make me cry inside, not because they're bad, but because they refuse to be better. They're limited by a demand for homogeneity between locations that a real brewpub wouldn't have, and as a giant sportsbar, they're really more interested in selling a boatload of average beers than they are making sure someone really enjoys a pint.
Michelob Ginger Wheat
I understand that it says "Ginger" in the name, but I must admit I wasn't exactly prepared for the flavor profile of this beer. A very mild wheat beer completely drowned out by sharp pangs of raw ginger. The description insists it's notes of ginger, but those notes are akin to the cannon fire in the 1812 Overture. While I'm glad I tried it (and could actually see it pairing well with some things; an overproduced maki roll for instance) I don't think I'm upset that it's exclusive to the Michelob Wheat Beer Sampler case. I am happy to see a company besides Dogfish Head pushing the envelope, though.
Pyramid Curve Ball Blonde Ale
Pleasant but forgettable, Pyramid's Curve Ball would be an ideal substitute for Budweiser if you were just knocking back beers mindlessly. Ice cold and on the beach, it's not something to savor, but a good route to getting drunk quickly.
Michelob Hop Hound
It's rare to find a hoppy wheat beer, and this one is pretty good. I stand by my assertion that Michelob would be considered a decent craft brewer if it wasn't owned by Anheuser-Busch, causing it to be unfairly maligned. See the Ginger Beer above for the kind of risks you don't expect a multi-national corporation to take (and people that badmouth Amber Bock around me usually get an earful). Hop Hound isn't overly hoppy, so if you're turned off by IPAs, you may still enjoy this, and it's underlying wheat-flavor rounds it out rather nicely.
Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale
I think I'm doomed to not like fruit beers. Well, Lambics earn a free pass, but other than that, I just can't get behind it. All fruit beers taste kind of artificial to me, even when they're not. Sorry. If you love apricots, you might enjoy this, because it plays fast and loose on the nose and first bit of each sip, but there's nothing to recommend it after that.
Pyramid Haywire Hefewizen
A medium-body wheat that's perhaps a bit too thick to treat as a Corona replacement on the beach (and I am a firm believer that a wheat beer can be a great cooler-offer - see Erdinger with an orange for a great example) this is a passable wheat that's better on draft than in bottle. Get it with a lemon, or better yet, get something different. This isn't bad, but it won't wow you.
BJ's Tonta Imperial Stout
Like almost everything about BJ's, this screams mediocrity. Yes, it isn't bad. Is it worth ordering? Maybe this is my review of the restaurant in its entirety - it's a falsehood. These aren't craft beers anymore than RC Cola is craft soda. You're copying something "great" and doing the most baseline job possible. Is it dark? Sure. Is it thick? You betcha. Is there anything about it that makes me say, "Wow, to think, I can only get this here at BJ's"? No, and there never will be. Places like this and Gordon Biersch make me cry inside, not because they're bad, but because they refuse to be better. They're limited by a demand for homogeneity between locations that a real brewpub wouldn't have, and as a giant sportsbar, they're really more interested in selling a boatload of average beers than they are making sure someone really enjoys a pint.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
I haven't been around for awhile
I got robbed back in February, and so a lot of things went on hold, such as this blog. For those of you about to delete the icon in your Google Reader, I promise numbers will start appearing next to it soon.
Comics reviews and beer reviews are going to be making a comeback, and I want to discuss movies that two of my friends and myself screen and discuss. There will be a post tomorrow.
Comics reviews and beer reviews are going to be making a comeback, and I want to discuss movies that two of my friends and myself screen and discuss. There will be a post tomorrow.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Xmas Updates
Brent and I bought each other co-operative videogames for Christmas.
I think that's really adorable.
I think that's really adorable.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Updates
We've got a hard drive failure, and I've currently got it slaved and copying to an external to reboot a new internal arriving from Western Digital (hopefully) by the end of the week.
After that, some restructuring. I'm getting rid of most of my things. DVDs and books and comics are all on the chopping block as I weed the clutter out of my life. So many things, comics especially, I purchase only to read or view once, and then they sit on a shelf or in a box taking up space. The stack grows by the day and contains tons of trade paperbacks and DVDs right now. If there's something of mine you want, let me know. I'll probably let it go.
The reason for all of this is because I simply own too much. I want to reduce my possessions to two cardboard boxes for easy storage. This will make travel a lot easier, and will, more importantly, make the idea of buying more things seem abhorrent. In turn, I'll theoretically be saving more money, and have a much more minimalistic living space.
To clarify:
The previous comic I posted was a Rainbow Six Vegas reference, by the way. Wherein a Mexican paramilitary group invades Vegas and you're part of an international terrorist-hunting taskforce that has to take them out. But we decided it would be more fun to think of what Bill O'Reilly's fantasies would be playing that game. That, combined with a lack of context make it seem like the main character is racist. I would propose that isn't so. He's merely a warhawk. Which may be equally sad.
After that, some restructuring. I'm getting rid of most of my things. DVDs and books and comics are all on the chopping block as I weed the clutter out of my life. So many things, comics especially, I purchase only to read or view once, and then they sit on a shelf or in a box taking up space. The stack grows by the day and contains tons of trade paperbacks and DVDs right now. If there's something of mine you want, let me know. I'll probably let it go.
The reason for all of this is because I simply own too much. I want to reduce my possessions to two cardboard boxes for easy storage. This will make travel a lot easier, and will, more importantly, make the idea of buying more things seem abhorrent. In turn, I'll theoretically be saving more money, and have a much more minimalistic living space.
To clarify:
The previous comic I posted was a Rainbow Six Vegas reference, by the way. Wherein a Mexican paramilitary group invades Vegas and you're part of an international terrorist-hunting taskforce that has to take them out. But we decided it would be more fun to think of what Bill O'Reilly's fantasies would be playing that game. That, combined with a lack of context make it seem like the main character is racist. I would propose that isn't so. He's merely a warhawk. Which may be equally sad.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Uncomfortable Conversatons Vol. 2,173
He's not really racist folks, honest. He thinks some Sith are just as nice as white folks, granted they keep to themselves and don't use their Force powers in public, where decent God-fearing Americans could see them.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday News Day
All comics are cross-posted on the website www.poorlydrawnshark.com, just launched by my friend Dave Moss. I'm not sure when they go live, as I'm alternating weeks, but this is going to be my new regularly updated project for awhile - a comic every other week. You'll notice that most of them star Corey Hudson and myself.
I hope you enjoy them - I'll be posting a round-up of comics already released (most of them already on this blog) and a round-up of my favorite Elephant Words pieces I finished. I wrote on the site for a year, and have over 52 short stories, some of which I'm really proud of.
I hope you enjoy them - I'll be posting a round-up of comics already released (most of them already on this blog) and a round-up of my favorite Elephant Words pieces I finished. I wrote on the site for a year, and have over 52 short stories, some of which I'm really proud of.
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