Have a good Sunday. I woke up around 10PM, my neighbors are being loud and obnoxious and driving me and my wife to the edge of sanity as usual, probably won't be done until 4AM like every weekend. So that means Bose QC35 and audiobooks. Earlier tonight finished the 33 hour Rasputin by Douglas Smith: 4/5 Slow and detailed narrative mostly being about him and the Romanovs from 1905 to 1916. Includes the aftermath and epilogue being the start of the Bolshevik Revolution and the Red Terror in 1918. The book dispels a lot of interesting myths about him that lasted for a century, including someone preserving his dick in a jar But it is actually a sea cucumber. Now up: Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester: 4/5 First one from him for me, He has a lot of interesting sounding history books on my TBR list now. The book explores how humanity has gathered, stored, and passed down information over millennia. It traces this evolution from the earliest oral traditions and cave paintings, through the invention of the printing press, to the digital age of Google and Wikipedia. Narrated by the author, 14 hours audiobook, so I'll probably finish it today, I listen at 2.25x speed. We got a person interested in Stormy in my wife's email today, so hopefully we will have one less crazy crook in the house soon. North Coast Old Rasputin, grabbed a single at total wine yesterday. Canned 1/13/2026. World class as always. Fresh or aged is just as impressive. Rich charred and biscuity malts balanced with resinous woody/piney hops. Always a classic RIS. Cheers Ihsahn has unlimited head banging heavy ass riffs.
I don’t usually have a beer at 10 am, but time doesn’t exist in the airport. Sandels, the local cheap lager in Finland. Kippis!
I haven't had a Honkers in a while, but I rated it a 3.9. English Bitters are underrated as heck. As they always say: It's 5PM somewhere. Your trip sounds like a lot of fun. The breakfast looking killer. Boat is forever my favorite, Nebelungs are the best cats. Calm and loves to kiss and head boop. I still need to go buy a new bookshelf, might do it this week and get my books organized. Still need to add my owned books list on Goodreads and Storygraph. Much like updating my place and beer review backlogs from untappd. New brewery from Canada for me. Sober Carpenter DDH Hazy IPA. BB 02/27/2027. Nice fluffy head retention and spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, red apple, mango, melon, vanilla, citrus zest, light pepper/pine, wheat, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and light yeast earthiness. Mild pine, herbal, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; balanced grainy malt and sticky hop mouthfeel, light lingering resins and dryness with no hop astringency. Very smooth, soft, a bit crisp; very impressive for an NA beer. Feels thin for a hazy, but still has a great mouthfeel. Has the standard wheat/oats. The hops have a very mild stale/vegetal note, likely from the NA process, but I really liked the Lotus and Citra hop profile. Nicely vibrant, juicy, and lightly dank. 4/4/4/4/3.5: 3.9/5 Cheers
Was pretty stoked to see this one. Last time I had it was out of a bomber over ten years ago. Nothing amazing, but just a solid offering:
The end of a trip is always a little sad but I’m very happy to be getting home soon(ish). Maku Chinook IPA, and that’s Sweden down there somewhere. Kippis!
Brasserie La Roque (France) ‘La Blonde Qui Rougit’ - blonde ale infused with saffron. Stellar! Cheers!
Chuck in a box. Wicked Weed Vicious Nectar Watermelon. First review on BA. Canned 02/13/2026. Foamy head with solid head retention and lacing for the ABV. Aromas of big tart/tangy watermelon jolly ranchers, fruit juice, candy sugar sweetness, light booze. Taste follows with big tart/tangy watermelon jolly ranchers, fruit juice, candy sugar, cracker, toasted bread, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and light ethanol. Light-medium pine, herbal, spicy bitterness and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; balanced slick/grainy/lightly syrupy malt and sticky hop in the mouthfeel. Light resins and spicy alcohol dryness, no cloying/astringent flavors. A bit rough on mouthfeel from 9.1% and spice, but a smooth sipper. Lingering warmth and booze in the gut. Very intense watermelon flavors and balanced hop/spice bitterness against sweetness. 4/4/4/3.75/3.5: 3.88/5 Cheers
I did get doze of for a bit. Time to really start the day with this new beer. I am going to enjoy this beautiful day. New Beer Weekend #307
Good day BAs! Thanks @superspak for opening the bar! No new breakfast beer yet again, but sucking down this oldie from Beer Reefer #1: Actually better than I remember - I'd probably rate it about a 4+ now - back in 2022, I rated it 3.84.
G'day all! After a hot +90°F day yesterday, it should only reach the 80s today. I'm sipping on this Imperial Coffee/Coconut/Vanilla Stout from Mortalis out of Avon New York. 10%abv so this will take a while. Prost!
Happy Sunday BA's! Thanks @superspak for #4979. Switching between F1 Monaco and French Open Men's Final with a Duchesse Red. Cheers!
Enjoyed your trip report @flagmantho , thanks for sharing! New Beer Sunday #1111 brings me to this selection on the cusp of being out of date seasonally. Maine Beer Company Spring (Kolsch) (Bottled 3/20/26 @ 11:10:18 AM) 3.83/5 rDev -7% look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75 Full review linked above, full New Beer Sunday #1111 take linked here. Bottom line, cold or something deadening my normal taste and aroma experience, but enjoying what I have and tweaked the two scores upward accordingly. Per the BA entries, MBC also has a Spring IPA that I will be looking out for next year.
We finally got Allagash in our local market this past week. Actually getting this beer into work was a nightmare. I am still not happy. Sadly, I am also not happy with this beer. It is totally lacking in flavor. New Beer Weekend #307