Beer Journal

1. Rye hopper - French Broad Brewing Company Asheville, NC - 5.9%

The strong Rye gives this brew a nice dimension of spice. The Rye is so strong that it almost overshadows the bittering hops but they manage to shine through. Don't let that scare you away though. This is not a heavy beer. It is refreshing but it has a strong bite that you have to be ready for. If you are a lover of red wine with a nice tannin bite then I'm guessing you will like this brew.

2. Ranger IPA - New Belgium Brewing

This IPA is surprising. It is not as strong on the hop as many IPAs that I have had. That makes for an interesting drinking experience. I find myself taking larger than normal mouthfuls of this brew and pushing it to the back of my tongue where the sour/bitter taste buds are. My instinct is to really "chew" on this beer. As IPAs go I wouldn't rank this one highly. My reflex to work for a strong flavor from this beer makes for an interesting drinking experience but the fact that I have to work for it brings it down a bit in my mind. If I was going on straight drinkability I would rate this one higher. The work for the flavor in this brew means that I could throw a few of these back without any trouble. If you are really into IPAs then choose something else but if you are not then this is a good IPA to pick as it probably won't overwhelm your palate as some other IPAs might.

I find myself compelled to blog...

I find myself compelled to blog lately. Is it a newfound need to write bubbling up from the right side of my brain? Sadly I don't think my inspiration is that pure. I think it is simply my desire to find new ways to use my iPad.

For instance, The previous three sentences were the most I could bring myself to write in a single sitting. At this moment I find myself awake at the week hours with a baby that won't sleep and again I write. You may see this as a self defeating thought process. It may sound to you as if I have no intention of keeping this up. You may be wrong but you may be right. Ah well, I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain from capturing my thoughts. I will try to do it in a cohesive manner with proper sentence structure and thoughtfully constructed ideas. Will anyone be compelled to read it? Perhaps not and perhaps I don't even care or perhaps my writing is simply more for myself and less for any potential reader. Then again if that were the case would I post it online for the world to see?

Well here it is, one simple blog entry that is nothing more that a commentary on my intent to do more or lack thereof. If my goal is an engaging narrative then I think I have failed this time. Sorry. Perhaps next time. If you are a reader of this entry on my blog then you know more about my state of mind than I do upon writing this. I'm not even sure I feel compelled to post it.