Kingsquared

JBB: Deschutes Brewery Inversion IPA

John — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:25:36 +0000

This is a fairly decent beer. The caramel flavor from the malt overpowers most of the other flavors in the beer. The hops are apparent but are overpowered. It feels a little “darker” than most other IPA’s due to the type of malt. It doesn’t finish as clean as I’d like and it leaves a strange aftertaste in your mouth.

It is appropriately bitter but this isn’t strong enough in the hops department for my preferences.

As such, I’m giving it a 6/10

Why do some people care so much about hurting other people?

John — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:07:12 +0000

The state of North Carolina passed a law banning marriage between people of the same sex. The President made a statement this week supporting the prospect of marriage between people of the same sex. Last year the military allowed gays and lesbians to acknowledge their sexual orientation.

Why do we have a problem with these people finding love and wanting to make a commitment to each other?

I know that my little note about gay marriage will be one of millions scattered on the internet. This is my opinion. This is based upon the way I see the world. This is based upon me believing that you can’t change who you are.

I’m not gay and so I don’t pretend to know anything more than what I’ve seen in other people. These people love each one another. They want to make a bond between them that transcends words. To make their bond legal means something to them that is very important. It’s not just a tax break. It’s not just life insurance. It’s not just legal rights. They want to say to the world – I love this person and I want to me married to them. Marriage – I’m not going to bother to look up the definition but I think joined, attached, coupled, welded. I think of a strong bond.

There are people out there that are opposed to their concept of marriage and even their existence. They think that they’re going to destroy the sanctity of marriage. Really? What is the divorce rate in the United States? Some people throw away marriages like old shoes. Sanctity? Give me a break! Others think that they’re doing this just for a tax break. I know that I’m attracted to women and I always have been. What if I was attracted to men? Wouldn’t it make sense for me to find a partner and commit? There isn’t anything unnatural about these people. Some people are born with blond hair, some with disabilities, and some are gay. We are the way god intended. Why should we stop that? Why do some of us think it’s our right to stop these people? If I can get a tax break for sharing a household why can’t people of the same sex? Is there anything different about the economic output between families of mixed gender and the same gender? Tax should be blind. It shouldn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. It shouldn’t matter if you’re gay or straight.

What about gods plan? It’s not your responsibility. Maybe his plan changed and he failed to fill you in. Maybe, long ago, the men who wrote it changed what god said. Maybe, through years of translations, it doesn’t mean what it once did.

Let them be happy together. It surely doesn’t hurt you.

JBB: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

John — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:42:22 +0000

Something truly magical happens when you mix Belgian Tripel and with the hops normally associated with an IPA. You find Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel. Golden and clear with a massive head this beer looks great in a glass. The good news is that it tastes better than it looks. It has the traditional Belgian spice aroma, yeast profile (banana), and flavor mixed with a decent amount of hops. It won’t bowl you over with hops flavor and aroma like American IPA’s but it’s something out of the ordinary. It finishes smooth and leaves almost no bitter aftertaste. This is an incredibly drinkable beer.

Most beers I’ll drink direct from the bottle but this one (and almost all other Belgians) do better when poured. I don’t have the proper glassware so I made do with a plastic cup. It’s not even red. Somewhere the beer gods are shaking their heads in disdain for my actions.

It is a bit heavy at 9% and can be hard to find. 99 Bottles carries it and occasionally has it in stock. I purchased this particular bottle in Colorado Springs. I’ve got the full 1 Liter version but I have seen it in a smaller size.

If you like Belgian beer and want to try something other than Chimay or Hefe, try this beer.

I’m going to give it a 10/10

I’m a lucky guy

John — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:20:28 +0000

Every night, after school, I wait until Jessica gets to the house. Once there, she takes a minute for her self and the boy and then she opens up her computer and calls me via Skype. I get to share some time with my son and watch him go crazy when he sees me. He starts beating on the keyboard and yelling at me while trying to grab my face. It is, without a doubt, one of the most awesome things on the planet. Jessica has said that he looks at the computer before she makes the call and has no interest in it. The second I show up his attention is diverted and he can’t stop babbling at the screen. There is nothing else in the world that he is interested in (until he gets tired and his attention span goes to crap).

Why am I lucky? Despite the fact that I’m gone, I get to see the monster grow. I get the opportunity to make him laugh. I get to see him get really tired (as it’s near his bed time) and start to rub his eyes and ears before his mom makes him his last bottle of the night. I get to see him play with his toys and try to stand. In the last 24 hours, he has figured out how to go from a crawling position to a sitting position. His crawling is getting much faster and sometimes he gets his belly all the way off the floor. If he is in front of the ottoman with the computer, he can almost stand unaided. He is growing so fast and I get to be a part of it. I’m lucky.

Previous generations of military members wouldn’t get this opportunity. As recent as the Gulf War, the only communication most had while TDY was a twice weekly fifteen minute phone call. I get live video from across the country and from across the planet. I’m lucky.

Of course, I’d rather be home. I can’t wait to see him in person – I think he is going to loose his damned mind.

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

John — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:08:38 +0000

This beer is awesome. The flavors are dry, crisp, and there is a minimal aftertaste. As you can tell, this comes from a can, not a bottle. Some people complain that there is a definite taste difference with the packaging. Since I don’t have the appropriate glassware, everything that I have tried recently has been consumed direct from it’s packaging. I didn’t notice any strong off flavors. In fact, the can breathes a little better does than the bottle. There is enough hops flavor and odor to make this beer balance extremely well. This beer isn’t over malted and doesn’t have any thick cloying flavors hanging around your tongue. This is an extremely good beer and I’ll continue to buy it.

I’ll give this a 9.5/10

JBB: Odell Brewing Co. 5 Barrel Pale Ale

John — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:02:05 +0000

Another week here, another trip to the shoppette, and another six pack in my hand later I’m back in my room trying a new beer. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really excited about the selection tonight, mostly because it isn’t as good as what I can find at home, but I think I found a pretty decent pale ale.

The aroma is exactly what you’d expect from a pale ale – lot’s of hops, low on malt, and not as overpowering as an IPA. It finishes smooth and is incredibly drinkable and is dry on the back end. It’s one of the better pale ales that I’ve had recently. Good drinking and worth finding if they carry it in your area.

I’ll give it a 7.8/10

JBB: Fort Collins Brewery The Incredible Hop (Imperial Black IPA)

John — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:16:00 +0000

This is the last random beer I picked up the other day. It’s an Imperial Black IPA – it’s a strong dark IPA for those that don’t know the marketing lingo. It’s pretty darn good. The only other Imperial Black IPA that I’ve had that I could compare it against comes from Uintas. This one isn’t as good as the other (you’ll notice that I don’t have a review for the other) but it’s a tasty beer. The hops are present in aroma and in taste throughout and the dark roasted malt flavor is pleasant and there are no caramel or sticky sweet malt notes. I’d prefer to have a little stronger hop profile in an IPA but I’ll accept what they’ve got going on – this is a well balanced beer.

There is a bitterness that hangs out in your mouth that reminds you of how dark of a beer it actually is – I’d choose this beer over some stouts.

I love this quote from the label on the bottle “Strapping, black, and highly hopped. Just like Carl Weathers as Dillon In Predator”.

I’ll give it a 7.5/10

JBB: Firestone Walker Brewing Double Jack Double IPA

John — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:09:22 +0000

Well, this is the third beer on the docket for the evening and my taste buds are taking a walloping from this beer. I expected to be assaulted by hops but what I found was lots and lots of malt flavor. The beer packs quite a punch @ 9.5% but all I can feel on my tongue is that sticky cloying malt flavor. It completely overpowers the hops present in the ale. The odor doesn’t even remind me of an IPA because all I can smell are malt and the sharp tinge of alcohol. The beer is OK but it’s not something that I’m going to seek out in the future.

Simply put, if you like bourbon you might like this beer. If you’re a barley wine drinker you might like this beer. Most of us would finish it because it’s not cheap and you only pour a beer on the ground when it’s in the 40oz variety and you’ve got some lost home boys to remember. I don’t have home boys and this comes in 1 pint, 6 oz. (22oz) so it doesn’t really fit the bill for pouring on the ground. Oh well, I’m sure there is a plant somewhere that could really use a drink.

I’ll give it a 4/10

JBB: Breckenridge Brewery 471 Small Batch Double IPA

John — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:13:13 +0000

This is pretty darn good stuff. The smell doesn’t give way to the taste as one might think. There is quite a bit of hop aroma in this beer but it doesn’t translate to the flavor as one might expect. Sure, it’s an IPA and there is a little bit of the bite but in the back end it tastes of roasted malt. I’d rather have my IPAs lead with a stronger hop flavor with very little malt.

This beer comes in a four pack and packs a decent punch at 9.2% If you have more than one of these in a setting be prepared for the alcohol to catch up to you faster than you might expect it. Will I buy this again? Not if there is another IPA on the shelf that I haven’t tried. It’s good – but I think there are quite a few beers out there that are better. Just sayin’

I’ll give this a 7/10

JBB: Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA

John — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:53:59 +0000

I’m not at home. I have no glass in which to pour the beer. This is going to be a little different from normal.

My favorite canned beer, without a doubt, comes from Oskar Blues Brewing. All of the beers that I’ve tried are higher in alcohol content than normal and they’re exclusively canned. I don’t think they even have a bottled version – at least, none that I’ve seen. I drink it just as they intended – direct from the can.

The beer does give a decent hop aroma when you take a whiff and smells a little floral. This particular beer is 10.0% by volume and it smells slightly boozy. All things considered, it’s not distractedly boozy or otherwise terrible. The first swig is a little harsh due to the alcohol content but it does mellow out as you drink it. The can does say “Disestablishmentarian” right on the top so you should expect something different from the norm.

I like the beer but it’s not the best Imperial IPA out there. For those of you out of the know – Imperial simply means more alcohol. I’ll drink it again, and again, until the four pack is empty. Yes, it’s a four pack.

I’ll give it an 8/10