Beer of the Week

The beer: Hotbox Coffee Porter

Brewed by: Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, Colorado

Description (from the website): "This roasty, wake-up-call of a porter (6.5% ABV, 30 IBUs) is based on a robust malt bill that highlights chocolate, fig, plum and espresso flavors; led by nutty, drum-roasted CaraAroma malt. Then, Hotbox Roasters crashes the party and infuses potent, cold brew coffee from a blend of South American beans, roasted to reflect notes of chocolate, tobacco, wood and earthiness."

Would I buy it again?: No. You would think that a coffee porter would be a memorable sort of beer, but this was surprisingly forgettable. It was heavy, I mean, duh, but not a whole lot of actual taste. The thickness was really all this beer had, making it pretty one-dimensional.

Another Post From My Actual Job

This one's about beer, which is always fun.

An OTC beer keeps the doctor away

There’s plenty of evidence that a beer or two every now and again is good for your health. But the owner of the Seery Athlone Brewing Company in Addison, Ill., may have taken things too far.

While the reason of its closure just a few months after its grand opening in December 2018 is technically still a mystery, we feel fairly safe in speculating that it had something to do with the fact that brewery owner James Stephen was making his beer at the same location as his main business – a pharmaceutical company engaging in testing of over-the-counter drugs.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration sent Mr. Stephen a letter in August 2018 warning him that, among numerous other transgressions, fermenting beer literally 10 feet away from where drugs were being tested is a health hazard, for both the beer and the drugs. The FDA ordered the brewery shut down, but the intrepid Mr. Stephen soldiered on, to obviously limited success.

Our advice to Mr. Stephen? Go all in with the pharmaceutical theme. Who wouldn’t want to drink an ibuprofen IPA, ranitidine red ale, loratadine lambic, pseudoephedrine porter, or diphenhydramine doppelbock? You’ll make millions!

Beer of the Week

The beer: Miner's Daughter Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by: Mountain State Brewing Company, Thomas, West Virginia

Description (from the website): "Coal black and creamy smooth, this oatmeal stout is brewed with chocolate malted barley, holds a light tan head and is surprisingly light in body."

Would I buy it again?: No, I don't think so. I felt like this particular beer had a fairly underwhelming initial taste and a surprisingly bitter aftertaste. Wasn't expecting it, and I didn't really care for it.

Review: Hickory Heights Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to see the back nine at Hickory Heights, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole starts things off on a tough note, which is unusual, considering the tenth is a par 5. At 550 yards, it's slightly shorter than the second, but while that hole was a slugfest, this hole demands precision. The tee shot is awkward, with the fairway wedged between O.B. left and a line of trees right. A driver hit well could easily end up either out of bounds or stymied behind trees. A high fade matches the shape of the dogleg, but be aware there's a steep dropoff right where that tee shot would end up. In wet conditions, you'll definitely have a hanging downhill lie. And that's a very bad thing if you want to be at all aggressive on the second shot. The green is theoretically reachable in two, but you'd have to hoist a shot over trees to get to it. In all likelihood, you'll be laying up to about a 100 yards, leaving a wedge to a small green guarded by a bunker front left and a small bunker behind.

The tee shot on 10 doesn't give away too much.

You'll almost certainly be laying up.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 3, but it definitely plays longer than the 145 yards it says on the scorecard. That's because the hole goes straight up a mountain. Not only that, but the hole is very narrow, with only a narrow corridor through a dense forest to work with. All things considered, I'm surprised the green was as healthy as it was, since most greens surrounded by trees like this one tend to not get enough sunlight. Anyway, other than the obvious, this hole isn't particularly interesting, just eye-catching. Also, it stopped raining at this point, which was nice.

The eleventh hole, with the green at the top of a mountain.

Looking back down the eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is the longest par 4 at Hickory Heights, but it's definitely not a very interesting 420 yards. The hole is basically flat and there are no fairway bunkers. Just get your tee shot in the fairway, and that's about it. The green is guarded by three bunkers.

The twelfth hole could really use some elevation change.

Approaching the twelfth green.

Looking back down the twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is the final par 5 at Hickory Heights and, at 485 yards, is by far the shortest. It's also incredibly easy; once again, there's no trouble off the tee. The two greenside bunkers suggest a drive down the right side, but other than that, this hole is wide open. This is a great birdie or even eagle opportunity.

The thirteenth hole.

It's better to approach the green from the right.

Those bushes are doing a very good job of obscuring the thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a short 320 yard par 4, and a welcome return to more interesting terrain. Seriously, a varied topography can lend even the most basic and rudimentary golf course some reasonable strategic interest. Here, the golfer can choose to lay well back, leaving a longer second shot but from flatter ground, or blast away into the valley, leaving a partially blind shot from a severely up or downhill lie. The hole is most certainly birdieable, but it's not brainless, and that's better than the last couple holes.

The fourteenth hole features more interesting topography.

The uphill approach to 14.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is also a short par 4, virtually the same length as the previous one. But it clearly plays a lot differently. The drive is kind of an awkward one through a narrow gap in the trees to a fairway that snaps to the left. There's really no need to go for a driver here, just get the ball in play. The second shot is a fairly simple pitch to a small green.

The drive on 15 is through a narrow chute of trees.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the final short par 4 in this little triplet. It's fairly impressive that all three holes manage to play significantly differently, especially considering that this is a fairly rudimentary golf course. When you stand on the tee, you are presented with... not much of anything. There's a field that drops down toward the little stream you just played across on the last hole. If you're smart, you'll lay up at the top of the hill, giving yourself a level stance to approach the green, which is small and tucked down at the bottom of the narrow valley, fronted by the stream. I was not smart. Let me tell you, it's awkward playing a three-quarter wedge when the ball is a foot above your feet.

You don't get much of the sixteenth hole while standing on the tee.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a medium-length par 3 with a tee tucked away up at the top of a hill. Other than the steeply downhill tee shot, this is a pretty straightforward hole. The green is small and flat, and there's a bunker short left. Nothing to write home about.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is anything but straightforward. In fact, it's not often that I'm this perplexed standing on a tee. I wasn't thinking up some crazy strategy, I was just wondering where the hole was. You really can't see much of it from all the way up on the back tee. A little sliver of fairway straight ahead, then a line of trees with the tenth hole behind it. The hole plummets downhill then quickly turns left alongside a narrow stream. You can use whatever club you like on the tee and bite off as much of the dogleg as you choose. The hole is 375 yards, but if you're particularly bold I don't see any reason you couldn't go for the green. I don't know how long that distance is, but I bet it isn't long. The straight line from tee to green definitely isn't 375 yards. Anyway, the second shot is much less interesting, although the further left on the fairway you are, the flatter your stance will be. That's balanced out by a bunker short-left. All in all, the eighteenth is a fairly unique hole. Is it good? I wouldn't go that far, but it is pretty memorable.

This is the view from the eighteenth tee. Yeah, I was confused too.

The slightly more normal approach to 18.

Looking back town the eighteenth.

When I got to Hickory Heights, I was hoping for something similar to Westminster National. That is, I was hoping for a golf course that wasn't necessarily spectacular from an architecture perspective, but a golf course filled with quirk and put a smile on my face. Well, considering the weather, not a whole lot of smiles were had, but I'm not going to blame the course for that. Overall, I'd say that Westminster National is the more goofy, offbeat course. The terrain is rougher, and Hickory Heights has no answer to the seventh hole at Westminster, which is a hole I don't think I'll ever forget.

That said, Hickory Heights certainly has its merits as a fun and cheap round of golf. The terrain is used fairly well, and only a few holes are devoid of any strategic interest. I wouldn't rush to go back, but I wouldn't say no if I'm ever in Hanover any time soon.

And with that, we've reached the end of the 2018 golf course backlog. I don't imagine the April review will be any place earth-shattering, but depending on the weather in the next couple weeks, it may be more interesting than you'd think. We'll see.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Gypsy Lager

Brewed by: Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company, Dover, Delaware

Description (from the website): "This Munich-Style Helles Lager is brewed in the tradition of great German Lagers. Munich and Vienna malts provide a honeyed backbone that is contrasted with the clean bitterness of Perle Hops. The result is a crisp and refreshing beer."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I would. This was a fairly interesting lager, there was definitely a bit of bitterness, but it was a good sort of bitterness. I enjoyed drinking it, and better yet, I didn't think it tasted like a more common sort of lager. It felt distinctive. So if I ever stumble across it again (which is probably the bigger issue), I'd be willing to give it another go.

Review: Hickory Heights Golf Club (Part 1)

Honestly, the things I do sometimes to keep these reviews going. When I go to a golf course with the intent of photographing it, I usually like the weather to be at least a little bit nice. When it's completely cloudy, that's annoying, but when a golf course is good, a monotone gray sky isn't the end of the world. If the course isn't good, well... the less said about Cumberland Golf Club, the better.

Really, the weather forecasters are to blame for what happened at Hickory Heights Golf Club, which is about halfway between Hanover and York, Pennsylvania. I made a tee time on a Saturday night for around noon on Sunday. When I made this tee time, I was assured that the weather would be partly to mostly cloudy, with a high around 60. A bit cool for mid October in this part of the country, but otherwise, perfectly reasonable golf weather. As you can probably guess, this is not the weather I received. The temperature never got past 50 and it rained for half the round, sometimes quite hard. On the bright side, I pretty much had the course to myself and I got around in under 3 hours.

Anyway, now that I've complained about the weather, let's look at the golf course. The first hole is a sub 300 yard par 4, but this is far from an easy start. In fact, this is quite an interesting proposition. The hole is wedged between a stream and pond left and a steep hillside right. From the tee, the green is blind, but between trees, the hill, and the pond, there isn't much margin for error if you want to go for the green, especially since this is the first drive of the day. A lay-up is probably the smarter play, but if that lay-up is steered away from the water, the second shot will be completely blind. In addition, the fairway all but disappears around 75 yards from the green, pinched between the pond and the hill. There's a lot to think about on this hole, and it's quite possibly the best hole at Hickory Heights. At the very least, it's the best on the front nine.

The first hole from the tee. Not a great picture, but there was someone right behind and I was kind of rushing.

The first green, with the pond left.

The second hole is a bit of a backbreaker, weighing in at 580 yards. It's amazing how a golf course that barely tops 6,000 yards can have a hole so long. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly interesting hole. Other than a blind drive, there's no interesting feature for the first 570 yards. It's dead straight and pretty wide. The green is small, narrow, and guarded by three bunkers. A lay-up to the right side of the fairway will leave a simple pitch.

The drive on the second hole is blind.

The second shot isn't particularly interesting.

The second green. This course won't win any maintenance awards

The third hole is, at 410 yards, the longest par 4 on the front nine and one of only two par 4s at Hickory Heights longer than 400 yards. The tee shot is extremely wide open and there is absolutely no trouble to speak of. However, mindlessly bashing a tee shot as far as you can may not be the best strategy. The fairway drops significantly below the level of the green and there is quite a bit of slope. End up at the bottom of the hill and you'll have to go right back up. So, if you can keep your tee shot right, you'll have a better and probably flatter look at the green.

The third fairway drops down a lot.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 3 at Hickory Heights, and it definitely isn't easy. Missing right is a very bad idea, with a steep dropoff and a pair of bunkers waiting. Obviously, a miss short left will receive a friendly bounce, even when the course is completely soaked. So that's probably where you want to aim your tee shot.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is the sort of hole you expect to see at a short little golf course crammed onto a piece of land that barely tops 100 acres. The tee shot is blind and I honestly had absolutely no idea what to do. The scorecard indicated a dogleg right, but I didn't know how far the treeline was or where exactly the green was. So I guessed, and I got away with it. You could honestly try driving this green if you know where you're going, it's only 315 yards, and I'm sure the green is closer than that. If not, you're better off laying up well left, otherwise you'll have a three-quarter wedge off a hanging lie to a small green with a pond in front. It's kind of a silly hole, but I'll take silly over boring any day.

This isn't an empty field, I swear.

The fifth green from the top of the hill. It was about this point that it really started to rain.

The fifth green from creek level.

The sixth hole is the shortest hole at Hickory Heights, measuring only 130 yards.

The sixth hole.

Looking back down the sixth hole, with the fifth green in the background.

The seventh hole is only 330 yards, but as you can probably guess from the pictures, it plays noticeably longer than that. Interestingly, this hole possesses the only fairway bunker at Hickory heights, but it honestly doesn't seem to accomplish very much. I mean, other than the fact that I hit a wormburner off the tee right into it. I guess it was actually exceedingly well placed. Anyway, other than the constant climb, this hole isn't too exciting.

The seventh hole.

Still a lot of hill to climb.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole plays parallel to the seventh, so it drops right back down the hill you just climbed back up. As a result, even though it's 35 yards longer on the scorecard, it plays shorter. The only hazard of note off the tee is the O.B. left, which is also the better side to approach the green. The second shot is a wedge over a narrow stream to a narrow green.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is yet another short par 4, but this one plays over pretty level ground. If you hit a 200 yard iron, you'll have plenty of room to work with. However,  the trees left and stream right pinch in past that point, giving you less room to work with. And the trees also keep the green from being easily drivable. There's no significant advantage for hitting it very far, so my recommendation is to lay up and go at the green with a full wedge. The green is small and guarded by three bunkers, but all three are either to the side or behind. Not a bad hole to close out the front nine.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

That's it for now, next week we'll check out the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Vienna Lager

Brewed by: Devil's Backbone Brewing Company, Lexington, Virginia

Description (from the website): "This is our Ol’ Faithful. No, it’s not a geothermal phenomenon. It’s the beer everybody, including professional beer judges, just seems to dig. Maybe they like how it’s smooth, medium-bodied, and semi-sweet, while not too heavy or bitter. Maybe it’s the amber color, or the blend of four imported malts balanced by two Germanic hops, or the fact that it takes five weeks to get right. Or maybe it’s all the above."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, but I'm going to offer a caveat. This isn't the first time I've bought this particular beer, and it probably won't be the last. However, this beer does have an issue. It's basically a Yuengling but it costs almost twice as much. Now, I won't deny it's better than a Yuengling, but is it twice as good? No. It's a standard lager, it's good but I don't think a regular lager can be particularly earth-shattering. So if value is important, stick with Yuengling. If it isn't or you can only drink beer from a real microbrewery, then this is a good alternative lager. I'll usually go for the Yuengling myself, but I'm not opposed to this.

In Case You're Ever Bored

I'm rather proud of stumbling across this particular bit of news. Lexus (the car manufacturer) has produced a 60,000-hour documentary about four different Japanese craftsmen. This includes a chef, a paper-cutting artist, an automotive craftsman, and a carpenter. If you're a normal human being who's interested in this particular subject, there's a 54-minute version coming to Amazon Prime. But that's no fun. If you start the full documentary right now and literally never stop it, you might be finished before the end of 2025. Good luck!

Beer of the Week

The beer: Blood Red Sky

Brewed by: Innis & Gunn Brewing Company, Edinburgh, Scotland

Description (from the website): "Blood Red Sky sets a scene. Warm Caribbean sand, flickering candles, cold beer and anticipation of the night to come. From this place came the inspiration for this brew. Jamaican rum barrels meet Scottish red beer in an explosion of cool, spicy rum notes, vanilla and rich fruit. We brew Blood Red Sky using our unique barrel into beer method, turning the traditional beer into barrel process on its head without losing any of the wonderful flavours and aromas from the barrel."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I would. I got this as a birthday present a few days ago, and the idea of a rum barrel-aged beer was so intriguing I had to drink a bottle of it right away. I've seen plenty of bourbon barrel-aged beer, but not rum barrel. I'm not a huge drinker of rum, but this beer was very good. I could definitely taste the rum, and it mixed very well with the beer. I think I actually like it better than the bourbon barrel beers I've had in the past.