A lone goblin carries with it a fuzzy ball of fluff. After setting it down on a chair in an empty space, the goblin exits out a nearby door. His little shoulders droop as he goes, and with him, the door fades away.
Out of the darkness and silence, I arrive. I measure my steps carefully in my mind as I take each one. In spaces such as these, one must tread with caution. I approach the chair and nod. The last one did well, but the task remains undone. I place my hand on the head of what you now recognize as a stuffed bear.
"Welcome to my Teddy talk."
I'm looking back at this blog now, and I wonder how I let it be so thematically hijacked by beer. It seems so... un-me. It was like watching a small train fueled by my passions forced to chug along. This was to be a testing grounds so that I could learn to make something and just let it go. It didn't work though. It became a production. I planned. I wrote in advance. I came up with a script. I gathered data. I fussed over format and details. Then I gathered more data. Eventually, I finalized something and posted it. It was all safe and controlled.
What it was, was wrong. It should be buried deep, but I refuse to delete it and start afresh. That would be the easy way out, like seeking amnestic bliss.
Instead, I leave it as a scar carved of words in a digital landscape, a reminder of the character built through the experience or at the very least a derelict to act as a warning.
The porpoise(sic) had been thwarted at the moat. The castle remained beyond, but I forgot so quickly to even look in its direction. I'm endeavoring to change that, again. And I think a manifesto of fragmented chaos and un-planning is in order.
I'm choosing to sketch a baseline in the sand as a vague jumble of rules:
The goal will be to post at least once a week something, on some topic, in which the content was written up in less than an hour and barely(read: not) edited. I don't have the luxury of time to not practice.
Too much was on the line in the past, and artificially so. I had aspirations of grandeur. I had hopes so high they were sucking in their own smog. Past me thought it was all clearly rational, like the square sides of a glass cube. I see it now for what it really was: a safe room of leaded crystal where everything played nicely and the wildness of the heart had no place.
We'll see where this leads this time. The foolishness of this momentary hopefulness may decide to fizzle out. Only time will tell.
"Thank you for coming to my Teddy talk."
I take the bear and place it on my shoulder. I hunch forward slightly and a series of clicks accompany the restructuring of my physical machinations. With a grin, the bear climbs into a seat that now juts from my back. A series of levers rise to reach his paws. The hiss of steam signals me to start, and like a humanoid chicken walker, I strut off into the night.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Friday, May 12, 2017
100 Weeks Final Entry
The gnomes have left. It's my fault though, because I sent them away.
Yes, I never completed 100 weeks of beer/cider. My emotions slumber on this. No pains of regret lance at me nor will I lose any sleep over its incomplete status. Other factors bother me more.
No, I didn't stop enjoying beer or cider. I have my own personal approach to alcohol which, apparently, runs contrary to the typical. I suppose never having explained that makes my indifference seem hollow. I do eventually plan to write it up, but putting one's personal philosophy out in the open is to place it naked before wolves. I'll hesitate a little longer.
Here are my reasons for stopping the 100 weeks of beer/cider:
I) A poor outlet for imagination. I became disillusioned with the need for a blog of this variety. I write six word shorts on Twitter and Facebook, submit -occasionally- flash fiction for publication, and in between school and work, I hammer away at my longer, not-likely-to-ever-be-completed tales. This blog was supposed to be engineered by fairies. Each one plucking and posting the best glimpses from an idle imagination's fantasy fragments. Instead, the greedy little gnomes took over.
The fairies need to reclaim their territory, but they are fickle.
II) Not feeling the need. When I want to know about a beer, I find out what my friends have thought about it, especially if they have similar taste. If they haven't had it, then I check Untappd, Beeradvocate, or Ratebeer.com for what the general populace thinks. I don't check some random blog that has only a couple dozen reviews(like mine!), and sorry Youtubers, I don't watch someone else enjoy the beer. In short, even I don't look at blogs for this kind of information. I'm a big hypocrite for writing this stuff because I rely on the Internet's data focal points for relevant beer information.
With regards to the fantasy genre though, the unique realms of each person's other worlds don't exist in the general. They exist, by default, as outliers.
III) It lacked a personal touch. I thought of turning this more locally minded. I could focus on reviewing local events, bringing my lens onto nearby breweries, and/or talking about what my little beer circle tried each week. However, I just couldn't get fired up about being a little reporter nor could I muster the brashness necessary to flaunt.
Instead, I simply stopped. Well, also, school made me very busy. Anyway...
What's next? Not sure, but I think while the goblins are away, the faeries will play. They've recently discovered fractals and keep trying to merge them with crystal snowflakes. I'll encourage them the best I can, but for now, they are still experimenting.
Yes, I never completed 100 weeks of beer/cider. My emotions slumber on this. No pains of regret lance at me nor will I lose any sleep over its incomplete status. Other factors bother me more.
No, I didn't stop enjoying beer or cider. I have my own personal approach to alcohol which, apparently, runs contrary to the typical. I suppose never having explained that makes my indifference seem hollow. I do eventually plan to write it up, but putting one's personal philosophy out in the open is to place it naked before wolves. I'll hesitate a little longer.
Here are my reasons for stopping the 100 weeks of beer/cider:
I) A poor outlet for imagination. I became disillusioned with the need for a blog of this variety. I write six word shorts on Twitter and Facebook, submit -occasionally- flash fiction for publication, and in between school and work, I hammer away at my longer, not-likely-to-ever-be-completed tales. This blog was supposed to be engineered by fairies. Each one plucking and posting the best glimpses from an idle imagination's fantasy fragments. Instead, the greedy little gnomes took over.
The fairies need to reclaim their territory, but they are fickle.
II) Not feeling the need. When I want to know about a beer, I find out what my friends have thought about it, especially if they have similar taste. If they haven't had it, then I check Untappd, Beeradvocate, or Ratebeer.com for what the general populace thinks. I don't check some random blog that has only a couple dozen reviews(like mine!), and sorry Youtubers, I don't watch someone else enjoy the beer. In short, even I don't look at blogs for this kind of information. I'm a big hypocrite for writing this stuff because I rely on the Internet's data focal points for relevant beer information.
With regards to the fantasy genre though, the unique realms of each person's other worlds don't exist in the general. They exist, by default, as outliers.
III) It lacked a personal touch. I thought of turning this more locally minded. I could focus on reviewing local events, bringing my lens onto nearby breweries, and/or talking about what my little beer circle tried each week. However, I just couldn't get fired up about being a little reporter nor could I muster the brashness necessary to flaunt.
Instead, I simply stopped. Well, also, school made me very busy. Anyway...
What's next? Not sure, but I think while the goblins are away, the faeries will play. They've recently discovered fractals and keep trying to merge them with crystal snowflakes. I'll encourage them the best I can, but for now, they are still experimenting.
Friday, February 26, 2016
90/100) Toppling Goliath Five
I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.
I have to praise Toppling Goliath for their bottle art. The colors are bright and vivid. Parts of each bottle glimmer and reflect while the designs just pop out at you. In addition, the labels can be removed easily and placed on other things like stickers. And that is just the outside of the bottle...
Dorothy's New World Lager) Okay... Okay... I really don't like lagers. I know some people that do, but if a lager from even Toppling Goliath can't get my attention, I should probably throw in the towel. But wait, my rant may be for nothing. This beer is a California common lager which means that it undergoes a warmer brewing process than the typical lager. It still doesn't mean that I loved it, but for its style, it is pretty good. ☆☆☆
pseudoSue) or "tropical jungle dinosaur sweat" is amazing. Sweet and full of tropical hop flavors.
That all said, I've recently been told by a friend that these 12oz pseudoSue bottles are brewed in Florida and not actually at Toppling Goliath Brewing in Decorah, IA. I am not sure even to go about confirming this, but the bomber (750ml) bottles of pseudoSue come from the brewery. Which at the very least, might explain why the bombers sell out as soon as they arrive somewhere. They plan to switch to cans here soon. ☆☆☆☆
Golden Nugget) I hate to criticize a Toppling Goliath beer, but I really don't understand the lack of gold luster on the bottle. I understand, of course, that the name is taken from the nugget hops used, but I just want some of that to come through in the art. Regardless, this is a solid IPA. Pine. Evergreen. All those deciduous tree sap flavors come through on a slippery sliding slope of smooth washing green hops. I don't love IPAs because I prefer the malty punch of a DIPA or TrIPA, but I still rather like this one. ☆☆☆☆
1492) In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, or in this case 100% Columbus hops make the 1492. Consider this beer a way for you to experience that hop variety at is epitome. Initially, I didn't like this beer, but it grew on me. The dank almost medicinal touch to this IPA floats soft on the palate. As with all of these TGB brews, the finish was smooth and the beer just plain easy, good drinking. ☆☆☆☆
Rover Truck) The dark one in this bunch. This Rover Truck bleeds oil black dark beer goodness. A rather straightforward oatmeal stout, if you ask me, but I love the rough, roasted feel to the finish. ☆☆☆
 |
| Dorothy's. pseudoSue, Golden Nugget, 1492, Rover Truck |
Dorothy's New World Lager) Okay... Okay... I really don't like lagers. I know some people that do, but if a lager from even Toppling Goliath can't get my attention, I should probably throw in the towel. But wait, my rant may be for nothing. This beer is a California common lager which means that it undergoes a warmer brewing process than the typical lager. It still doesn't mean that I loved it, but for its style, it is pretty good. ☆☆☆
pseudoSue) or "tropical jungle dinosaur sweat" is amazing. Sweet and full of tropical hop flavors.
That all said, I've recently been told by a friend that these 12oz pseudoSue bottles are brewed in Florida and not actually at Toppling Goliath Brewing in Decorah, IA. I am not sure even to go about confirming this, but the bomber (750ml) bottles of pseudoSue come from the brewery. Which at the very least, might explain why the bombers sell out as soon as they arrive somewhere. They plan to switch to cans here soon. ☆☆☆☆
Golden Nugget) I hate to criticize a Toppling Goliath beer, but I really don't understand the lack of gold luster on the bottle. I understand, of course, that the name is taken from the nugget hops used, but I just want some of that to come through in the art. Regardless, this is a solid IPA. Pine. Evergreen. All those deciduous tree sap flavors come through on a slippery sliding slope of smooth washing green hops. I don't love IPAs because I prefer the malty punch of a DIPA or TrIPA, but I still rather like this one. ☆☆☆☆
1492) In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, or in this case 100% Columbus hops make the 1492. Consider this beer a way for you to experience that hop variety at is epitome. Initially, I didn't like this beer, but it grew on me. The dank almost medicinal touch to this IPA floats soft on the palate. As with all of these TGB brews, the finish was smooth and the beer just plain easy, good drinking. ☆☆☆☆
Rover Truck) The dark one in this bunch. This Rover Truck bleeds oil black dark beer goodness. A rather straightforward oatmeal stout, if you ask me, but I love the rough, roasted feel to the finish. ☆☆☆
Friday, February 19, 2016
89/100) Crooked Stave
I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.
Crooked Stave has been placed on my list of must visit breweries. They excel at sours. The ones I have showcased here are largely hop-emphasizing sours. Crooked Stave shines even brighter when fruit has entered the fray though. So, be on the look out for those as well!
Progenitor) Bubbly and grapefruity with a lot of raw sour. I love this. It's so crystal smooth at refrigerator temp. I get a little lemongrass mixed with a touch of lemon heads. Also, true to it's description, this progenitor had a hoppy buzz just on the fringes of its finish and linger. The kind of zest that makes it lively. ☆☆☆☆☆
Colorado Wild Sage) This was amazing. I think I have a new favorite beer. It was exactly what it says. The initial impacts with the lemony liquid sunshine from the runaway Brett. Then as you approach the finish, the sage blossoms spice up the finish with a sharp astringency. The combination of the sour and sage is a double punch for your taste buds. I highly recommend this one. ☆☆☆☆☆
Hop Savant - Centennial) A brett pale ale that was dry-hopped with Centennial hops. For contrast, I also tried the galaxy hops version alongside this. They kept the Brett straightforward and clean so that the hops could play. The centennial version has that good citrus punch and the galaxy version kept its distinct fruity, passionfruit like overtones. Yum! ☆☆☆☆
2017 update: Crooked Stave no longer identifies the hop variety used on their Hop Savant near as I can tell.
 |
| Progenitor, Wild Sage, Hop Savant |
Progenitor) Bubbly and grapefruity with a lot of raw sour. I love this. It's so crystal smooth at refrigerator temp. I get a little lemongrass mixed with a touch of lemon heads. Also, true to it's description, this progenitor had a hoppy buzz just on the fringes of its finish and linger. The kind of zest that makes it lively. ☆☆☆☆☆
Colorado Wild Sage) This was amazing. I think I have a new favorite beer. It was exactly what it says. The initial impacts with the lemony liquid sunshine from the runaway Brett. Then as you approach the finish, the sage blossoms spice up the finish with a sharp astringency. The combination of the sour and sage is a double punch for your taste buds. I highly recommend this one. ☆☆☆☆☆
Hop Savant - Centennial) A brett pale ale that was dry-hopped with Centennial hops. For contrast, I also tried the galaxy hops version alongside this. They kept the Brett straightforward and clean so that the hops could play. The centennial version has that good citrus punch and the galaxy version kept its distinct fruity, passionfruit like overtones. Yum! ☆☆☆☆
2017 update: Crooked Stave no longer identifies the hop variety used on their Hop Savant near as I can tell.
Friday, February 12, 2016
88/100) Dragon's Milk Reserve
I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.
New Holland has a penchant for fantasy. They've got their Mad Hatter IPAs and references all over the place from Journey to the West all the way to Ichibod Crane. I am particularly fond of their variations on Dragon's Milk. They use a milk stout as the base for these barrel-aged beers. As you will see though, that base gives them a lot of play, especially with - as one might expect - the high potency of these beers.
With Coffee & Chocolate) Exactly what it claims. Rich with coffee and thick with chocolate, this beer is a tough one to quaff. There's just a touch too much coffee for me on the nose, but the chocolate hangs out on the finish making this one a pleasant one to sip. ☆☆☆☆
With Raspberries) Too syrupy and sweet for me, but I can't deny that the raspberry makes its presence known. Not much else to say about it. ☆☆☆
With Toasted Chiles) Slightly smoked, very sweet, and subtly warming on the finish. This beer was great for taking away the nip of a cold day. Since I don't usually go for spicy beers, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one very enjoyable. Aging it will likely cut away the heat so best to drink it soon, if it is already at the right burn level for you. ☆☆☆☆
Triple Mash) What does Triple mash mean? Well, it means they tripled the grain content of the mash. The end result is a potent 14% Abv. Sip this one. For the love of all that is good, sip this amazing beer. It's super sweet, super dense, and super smooth. Also, it will likely only get better with age, so I've socked some away for later years. ☆☆☆☆☆
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| Coffee & Chocolate, Raspberries, Toasted Chiles, Triple Mash |
With Coffee & Chocolate) Exactly what it claims. Rich with coffee and thick with chocolate, this beer is a tough one to quaff. There's just a touch too much coffee for me on the nose, but the chocolate hangs out on the finish making this one a pleasant one to sip. ☆☆☆☆
With Raspberries) Too syrupy and sweet for me, but I can't deny that the raspberry makes its presence known. Not much else to say about it. ☆☆☆
With Toasted Chiles) Slightly smoked, very sweet, and subtly warming on the finish. This beer was great for taking away the nip of a cold day. Since I don't usually go for spicy beers, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one very enjoyable. Aging it will likely cut away the heat so best to drink it soon, if it is already at the right burn level for you. ☆☆☆☆
Triple Mash) What does Triple mash mean? Well, it means they tripled the grain content of the mash. The end result is a potent 14% Abv. Sip this one. For the love of all that is good, sip this amazing beer. It's super sweet, super dense, and super smooth. Also, it will likely only get better with age, so I've socked some away for later years. ☆☆☆☆☆
Friday, February 5, 2016
87/100) Confluence Virtuous Endeavor
I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.
Confluence out of Des Moines Iowa has dropped this set of Belgian classics. The Virtuous Endeavor Series embodies the tradition of Trappist brewing with some robust old world methods touched up by a very modern brewery.
Dubbel) Not as thick as I would have liked, but definitely thicker than a typical beer. The sugar really plays in this one making it a far sweeter Dubbel than usual. ☆☆☆☆
Tripel) This one had a much more grainy mouth feel, which was very appropriate for the style. Sweet and soft, I liked this one a lot, except for the finish. A booziness dominated the finish. Perhaps with time, it could have been aged out, but for now, this Tripel was just too "hot." ☆☆☆
Quadrupel) Amazingly sweet. I thought the Dubbel was sweet, but this one was even more so. Unfortunately, my group pretty much decided this one didn't live up to its style, coming across more as a Strong Dark Ale instead of a Quad. The distinction is hard to make, but when you compare it with a Rochefort 10 or a Gulden Draak Quadrupel, maybe you too can see the difference. Still, regardless of that possibly pedantic or at least quibbling matter, this beer was very enjoyable. ☆☆☆☆
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| Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel |
Dubbel) Not as thick as I would have liked, but definitely thicker than a typical beer. The sugar really plays in this one making it a far sweeter Dubbel than usual. ☆☆☆☆
Tripel) This one had a much more grainy mouth feel, which was very appropriate for the style. Sweet and soft, I liked this one a lot, except for the finish. A booziness dominated the finish. Perhaps with time, it could have been aged out, but for now, this Tripel was just too "hot." ☆☆☆
Quadrupel) Amazingly sweet. I thought the Dubbel was sweet, but this one was even more so. Unfortunately, my group pretty much decided this one didn't live up to its style, coming across more as a Strong Dark Ale instead of a Quad. The distinction is hard to make, but when you compare it with a Rochefort 10 or a Gulden Draak Quadrupel, maybe you too can see the difference. Still, regardless of that possibly pedantic or at least quibbling matter, this beer was very enjoyable. ☆☆☆☆
Friday, January 29, 2016
86/100) Unusual "German" Sours
I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.
I didn't know Germany had sour beers, I thought at was more of a Belgian thing, so I grabbed these three thinking they were all from Germany. Clearly I knew nothing about them before trying them, because the third one on the right is actually a collaboration beer between Belgium and Canada.
Methusalem Johannisburger) Musty black currant juice. I really don't need to say much more than that. It's okay. Extremely light for a sour, not that I am a good litmus test for that. ☆☆☆
Methusalem Holunderheimer) Elderberry with a mysterious smoked touch. Smells like an alt, and is also rather light for a sour. I can barely get any sort of tartness on it, but I guess it is still there. Not a huge fan of this one, though I can say that finish grew on me. ☆☆☆
Shieve Tabarnak #2) An odd-ball Belgian beer. Smells fuzzy and farmhouse like, and the taste is similar to licking an herb garden. Flavors of mint, oregano, parsley, and dandelion all blossom on the taste buds. Perhaps we could call it a saison? Also, unbeknownest to me at the time of purchase, the name is a cuss word. The word "Shieve" means crooked and is a an allusion to a famous architect that I've never heard of. The "Tabarnak," as you might expect, is a bastardization of the word "Tabernacle," and together the words mean something naughty. I'd rather not have supported such juvenile naming practices. Oh well. Decent beer despite that. ☆☆☆
Methusalem Johannisburger) Musty black currant juice. I really don't need to say much more than that. It's okay. Extremely light for a sour, not that I am a good litmus test for that. ☆☆☆
Methusalem Holunderheimer) Elderberry with a mysterious smoked touch. Smells like an alt, and is also rather light for a sour. I can barely get any sort of tartness on it, but I guess it is still there. Not a huge fan of this one, though I can say that finish grew on me. ☆☆☆
Shieve Tabarnak #2) An odd-ball Belgian beer. Smells fuzzy and farmhouse like, and the taste is similar to licking an herb garden. Flavors of mint, oregano, parsley, and dandelion all blossom on the taste buds. Perhaps we could call it a saison? Also, unbeknownest to me at the time of purchase, the name is a cuss word. The word "Shieve" means crooked and is a an allusion to a famous architect that I've never heard of. The "Tabarnak," as you might expect, is a bastardization of the word "Tabernacle," and together the words mean something naughty. I'd rather not have supported such juvenile naming practices. Oh well. Decent beer despite that. ☆☆☆
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