More Madness Than Ever
The WaPo's Beer Madness craziness continues. The second round brought a whole new panel of judges to taste, and the upsets continued. Both Pilsner Urquell and Troegs Hopback lost this round, meaning I definitely have to find Nogne O Pale Ale. I currently have Ephemere (out, and from tasting it again, I see why: like mixing beer with green apple Jolly Rancher), St Louis Framboise (out also, not surprised since fruit beers are a tough sell), and Xingu Black Beer (still in it, could be the dark horse, get it, DARK horse?) in the house. Frankly, I have no idea how it will play out from here, but I'd love to see a non-lager win it.
As for the other Madness, there is no one more shocked than me to see my Spartans in the Final Four for the second year in a row. I picked them to lose to Maryland in my bracket. Then I thought they'd lose to Northern Iowa, and then Tennessee. And yet, they keep finding a way to give me heart attacks and pull out one more win. They are sure to be underdogs again against Butler, and then in the final whomever they play. But how can you count them out? I'm just glad that I will be able to watch any remaining games, rather than scrambling to try to find a pub or hotel in Ireland to watch the games.
March is a fun time of year.
The Big Short
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I'm not sure what else can be said about this book that you haven't already heard. A blistering critique of the very fabric that Wall Street is built on, The Big Short made me want to drive up to New York and start punching these Wall Street assholes in the nuts. It is amazing that this stuff is allowed to go on, and that, in essence, everyone involved got away not only scot-free, but got away ridiculously well compensated as well. And worse yet, there has been virtually no change to the culture up there that allows this stuff to go on. One can only hope that people in power read this book and start to demand changes, because we can't allow this to continue.
In other words, another great book by Michael Lewis.
Next up is The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi.
Manhood for Amateurs
Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by Michael Chabon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's kind of nice to have what amounts to an autobiography of one of my favorite authors while he is in his prime. In Manhood for Amateurs, Michael Chabon reveals that he is just like a lot of people: insecure, bad with people, and a huge geek. This series of essays offers an interesting look inside his life, with pretty much nothing off limits. Pretty cool, when you think about it.
Next up is The Big Short by Michael Lewis.
Beer Madness Bracket Busted already
Wow, I have to say I didn't see a couple of these upsets coming. My Final Four for the Beer Madness were Pilsner Urquell, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Troegs Hopback, and Ephemere and already Brooklyn Brown and Ephemere are out! I was most surprised that the judges picked raspberry St. Louis Framboise over the less extreme Ephemere apple, but I love the choice. Brooklyn Brown's upset was a bigger shock, coming to unknown Brazilian beer Xingu Black Ale. Even so, there are still many tough choices ahead, with strong contenders in every corner.
Founders Nemesis
Kind of a strange pour, not much head at all. Lovely hazy orange color to it though.
Oh wow, the bourbon really smacks you in the nose right away. Seriously, it smells like I'm about to sip some Pappy Van Winkle. (Look it up.) Some vanilla too.
About what you would expect from the flavor. Bourbon, a bit of bite from the alcohol, but also some bitterness. Still, there is a good amount of sweetness too, melted brown sugar toward a maple tendency.
Lovely feeling going down, but man, it is hitting me hard. Wish I could have more, but really can't handle it.
Overall rating: 4.55
Beer Madness 2010
The Madness begins anew, and alas, I am not a judge again this year. This year's competition goes global, featuring 32 beers from 22 countries. Previous competitions were more localized to beers that were at least readily available in the DC area. So, let's take a look at the contenders.
The Lager bracket features a diverse lineup of international stalwarts (Stella Artois and Heineken), Asian up and comers (Tsingtao and Singha) and last year's lager winner The Raven. The favorite would have to be Pilsner Urquell, one of the purest examples of lager brewing out there.
The Dark bracket at long last includes Guinness, but is extremely competitive. Kostrizer Schwarzbier, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Brooklyn Brown are strong contenders.
The Pale Ale side has some intriguing first round matchups. Newcomer Nogne O takes on stalwart Fuller's ESB and Chimay Red goes up against Smithwick's Irish Ale. Any one of them could win the region, but my favorite is still Troegs Hopback.
Finally we have the Freestyle bracket, with everything from fruit to funk. This is always the most interesting bracket to me, and it's unfortunate that two beers like Ephemere and St. Louis Framboise have to go up against each other in the first round. I think Ephemere takes the region, but watch out for wild card Hitachino Nest White Ale.
Final Four prediction: Pilsner Urquell, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Troegs Hopback, and Ephemere. Winner: Troegs Hopback.
Summerland
Summerland by Michael Chabon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After reading his Pulitzer Prize winning "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" a while back, I knew Michael Chabon was a talented author. Here, he has created at once an ode to baseball, a fantastic tale of fairies and giants, and a creation legend. Oh, and it's a "young adult" novel too, so it's extremely readable. This is the one I'll be giving to my kids to read when they think I'm crazy for going off on the designated hitter rule. Again.
Next up is Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs.
Scott Pilgrim (Volume 1)
Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What do you do when you've been slacking off with your reading due to the Olympics and other stuff? Graphic novels and young adult books!
I really wanted to run out and get the next volume of this series after reading the first one. This graphic novel sets up as almost normal (20-something slacker in a band obsessing over UPS delivery girl), but then blasts off into the bizarre (he has to defeat her 7 evil ex-boyfriends in battles, and there are also inter-dimensional portals involved). Too cool for words.
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