Magnifisyncopathological

Largely the result of a new relationship growing into something fresh and important, this year has so far been quite nice. Other things are also well. I had a good Christmas and a special New Year's. Hopefully I can wrap up my final requirements for graduation this year and finally earn my bachelor's degree. The half-assed job I did in my classes last semester didn't taint my GPA. My half-brother lit a fire under my ass and I'm now finally brewing my own beer for the first time. More acquaintances than ever are gaming with me on Xbox Live. The last time I owned a bike was in '98 and a friend will help bankroll a replacement for me, opening up another way to exercise and new things in Austin to explore. My family's stable. Most of my friends are alive and kicking.

There are many things over which I could be gritting my teeth:

• The property tax "receipt" sent to me by Nelda Wells Spears, the professional thief of Travis County's government.
  
• The sudden death of my car stereo.
  
• Obama.
  
• Palestine.
  
• The pack of dangerous fools attempting to rule Austin and Texas.

And all the disintegrated nonsense blaring from the news, occasionally featured on this blog.

Since September 2002, 99% of my blogging revolved around me reacting to politics and the news. I have probably written three or four "doing things differently from here on" posts over the years. None amounted to much. I'm not about to curse myself with another such promise. I cannot help the need to vent when I read about some prick threatening others with police violence for non-compliance.

However, as I cleaned up my house in anticipation of the aforementioned relationship coming over, I finally realized just how many books I've picked up over the years and - even worse - how few of them I bothered to read.

This. Will. Not. Do.

So, in conjunction with what will almost certainly be a dense year of collegiate reading, I want to own up to my book collection. I will begin by finishing issue #107 of The New Quarterly, a Canadian journal of writing. Next is a gift from my new lady friend, What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time. Browsing through the back cover, the table of contents, and the intro tells me I'll find lots of grist for disagreement. And next? Well, I never did finish Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago...then maybe on to the Akira graphic novels, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - An Inquiry into Values, perhaps Reform and Revolution in China - The 1911 Revolution in Hunan and Hubei, all interspersed with readings from Rothbard's Libertarian Forum.

Onward!

Posted by drizzten at 12:24 PM | Permalink

I don't have much exposure to barley wines. I've had Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, Anchor Brewing Company's Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale, Draught House Pub & Brewery's Marley's Gnarley Barley Wine, and Young's Brewery's Old Nick Barley Wine Ale. I may have tasted more, but with one of the highest alcohol-by-volume (ABV) averages of any beer style, you'll have to excuse me if I've forgotten. It's also been some time since I sipped a barley wine and I can only vaguely remember how the above tasted. I will say, however, that every Draught House Marley's Gnarley I've had has been a very potent and satisfying reddish brew.

click for larger size

1pint & 6oz.
9.2% ABV
100 IBUs
I can't be certain, but I think I bought it from Grapevine Market.

Initial hit: tastes incredibly hoppy for a barleywine

The head's larger bubbles disappear quickly but it remains thick overall and lingers a medium-length of time.

click for larger size

After 2-3 sips the hoppy hit declines and it becomes surprisingly smooth on the tongue.

The aftertaste is very light, hard to pinpoint.

Malts take over and become the primary note I detect.

This is a very easy to drink barley wine. I'd recommend it to anyone trying the style for the first time.

After ~30 minutes of sipping, I can feel the buzz. Around this time, the head collapses and strings out.

The general aroma is slightly acerbic 50/50 malt/hop mix, again, hard to nail down.

I tasted semi-sweet chocolate, just bitter enough to make me want a glass of water afterwards.

Overall, this is a real easy beer to like. There's no hard taste hitting you over the head and it's fairly sweet. If you can get over the initial smack of hops (perhaps related to inadequate aging?), this makes a great after dinner brew.

Posted by drizzten at 07:46 AM | Permalink