What's it Like Brewing Ancient Beer?

Turns out, sometimes it involves chewing and spitting out corn for hours on end. And yes, people do drink the end product of that less-than-pleasant process. That's the goal anyway, but according to this article, sometimes the brewing process went less than swimmingly. But hey, beer archeology (that's a great job title, by the way, I kind of want to do that now) is a less than exact science. The brewers are working with nonexact recipes that are hundreds or thousands of years old. Not only that, the microorganisms used to ferment the beer will probably never be known. So we have to take a guess.

A couple other things stood out to me. One, I'm fairly certain I've had the Mida Touch from Dogfish Head once before. I'll have to keep a lookout for their Ancient Ale series next time I go do some serious beer shopping. It could be interesting.

Two, I like how apparently ancient civilizations liked trash each other's beer. The Romans were very harsh on Egyptian beer, and I think that's pretty funny. Even in ancient times, beer snobs still existed.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Tropical Bitch Belgian IPA

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "For years, she's gone walking. When she passes, she lures you in. And time after glorious time, she never disappoints. Tall and tan and young and lovely. You smile. With a swing so cool and a sway so gentle, you'll give your heart gladly." Not the most informative description.

Would I buy it again?: This was a bit of a weird choice for me, this is not the sort of beer I'd normally get. But I was at a place with not a huge selection and I wanted something different. So I got a Belgian IPA. And you know what? It was honestly pretty good. A bit hoppy for my taste, but everything else about it was to my liking. I wouldn't go rushing out for more, but considering how easy it is for me to get, I could definitely see myself buying another six-pack of the stuff.

Review: Brigantine Golf Links (Part 2)

It's time for the review of the back nine at Brigantine, go here to see the front nine.

The tenth hole is the longest par 5 on the course, playing 540 yards right into the prevailing wind. The wind brings the left fairway bunker solidly into play, and you definitely don't want to be hitting your second shot from there. Assuming you're in a good position, your best bet on the second is to lay up at around the 100 yard marker. There's a pond lurking a little past that, and since I sincerely doubt too many people will be able to go for the green outright, it's just more trouble than it's worth to try and get as close to the green as possible. From there, it's a wedge to a relatively small green flanked by sand.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

I honestly forgot about the pond to the right until I was writing the review.

Looking back at the tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 4, and the best hole on the golf course. It's only 330 yards, but it gives you many options. The big bunker to the right is obviously quite intimidating, but bailing out to the left is a bad idea. There's another bunker left, unseen, and the angle to the green is very bad. So it's over the right bunker, and you'd think that you'd want to get as far over it as possible. But a water hazard left, a native area right, and a narrowing fairway means the further you drive it, the more risk involved. I hit a long iron to the right side of the fairway, leaving a fairly simple wedge to the green, and I think that's probably the best strategy. The green itself is quite large and significantly sloped in the back. Definitely don't want to be putting down that hill.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 3 at 190 yards. There's water short and right, but you'd have to hit a pretty big slice to find it. The bunkers right and short left are more concerning. The green is pretty big and has plenty of slope within it, so two putts aren't the easiest. I'd say this is probably the best of the par 3s at Brigantine.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a not quite short par 4 with a significant dogleg to the right. There is water along much of the right side of the fairway, but if you bail out left, you'll be left with an awfully long approach, considering the length of the hole. The calculus may change depending on the hole location, but when I played it, the flag was in a very accessible location, making my decision to use driver on the tee a no-brainer. It left me with just a little half-wedge to a completely open hole location. If the flag is on the right, I think going at the green from the left side of the hole and from further back would make more sense, rather than risking the awkward half shot over the corner of the bunker.

The thirteenth hole

I got this picture while playing 11. The two holes are very close together.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a fairly long (for this course) par 4 at 415 yards. The drive is pretty wide open, with no hazards to speak of. It is a bit on the narrow side, so if you're not feeling too good about the accuracy of your driver, a 3 wood wouldn't be the worst idea. The second shot is more interesting, playing to an undulating green guarded by three bunkers. This hole definitely requires precise iron play if you want to make a birdie.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the final par 3 at Brigantine. At 180 yards, it isn't too long, but the water lurks both short and left, and is close enough to the green that it's always going to be on your mind. I imagine many end up right of the green (that's what I did), which is technically safe, but the green is narrow and getting up and down is difficult.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that starts off in a completely nondescript fashion. No bunkers, no trouble, just a wide-open fairway. However, things change once you're standing over your second shot. I've seen some pretty interesting greens in my time, but this one is definitely up there. It's a long, thin green that climbs several feet from the front up to the back. Putts up the slope are ridiculously slow, and I can only imagine how fast they are going down. I didn't find out because the hole was in the back, and I was very careful to leave my second in the middle of the green. If you go over the green here and the hole is in the back, I honestly don't see any chance of getting up and down for par.

The sixteenth hole.

The yardage book said the green was pretty extreme. This is when I realized that wasn't an exaggeration.

The sixteenth green.

If you face this shot for your third ... good luck.

The seventeenth hole is the longest par 4 on the golf course, but it plays longer than the 420 yards might suggest. A pond cuts across the fairway a bit more than 250 yards from the tee, meaning that you have to lay up with a wood or long iron. That leaves the golfer with a mid-iron into the green, which is small and well guarded with sand.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is an extremely short par 5, playing only 450 yards. As such, it's a fantastic opportunity to close out with a birdie, or even an eagle. However, there is water running down the right side of the hole. It's pretty far right though, if you're taking an aggressive line you shouldn't have to worry about it. The green is just as wide open, with the two bunkers significantly separated from the green. They'll only catch out really badly hit second shots. Once again the green has a noticeable back-to-front tilt, though nothing like what the golfer saw on the sixteenth.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching 18.

The eighteenth green.

Clearly, considering the location of the course, Brigantine isn't as good as it could have been. If the architects had free reign over the section of the island, there could have been half a dozen holes on the bay, maybe more. But that's not the course they built. They built a housing development course, and you know what? It's honestly pretty good. The front nine is a bit underwhelming and pretty easy, but the back nine has some pretty decent holes. The eleventh and sixteenth were particularly memorable and definitely stand up well.

More importantly, the course managed to maintain a sense of flow. Because it was built in the pre-golf cart era, the distances between greens and tees were kept to a minimum. You could easily walk Brigantine if you wanted. And it felt like a cohesive unit; sure, there were pretty much always houses on both sides of the hole, but I never felt too isolated from the rest of the course. Overall, I'd say the 40 dollars I paid was maybe a little much, but not by a lot. The value wasn't bad. I would consider playing here again, should I ever end up in the area.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pahoehoe Coconut Ale

Brewed by: Two Brothers Brewing, Warrenville, Illinois

Description (from the can): "Sometimes life calls for a day to put your feet up on a chair, some music in the air, the sun on your face, and a beer in your hand. Pahoehoe Coconut Ale was created for those moments. A refreshing, drinkable beer with a twist. Pahoehoe features the uniquely sweet taste of coconut. Smooth and creamy with notes of coconut, vanilla, and a dry, crisp finish, it will be sure to make you go nuts for coconuts"

Would I buy it again?: No. I thought I'd like this a bit more than I did, I definitely recall enjoying the one coconut beer I've had before (Maui Brewing's Coconut Porter), but this wasn't so enjoyable. I think that beer was the exception, because I generally don't like coconut-flavored things very much. I think this was a well-made beer, and if you do like coconut, I'd recommend it on a warm summer evening.

Review: Brigantine Golf Links (Part 1)

Sometimes, you have to acknowledge reality. Sometimes your golf game isn't where you want it to be, but you're going on a trip soon and you know you'll have some time to play a round. Do you pay a hundred dollars to play the good course, then get super angry the whole time because you're struggling to break 100? Or do you go to the cheap, less difficult place where you know you won't care so much? That's the situation I found myself in as I headed to Atlantic City in early April for a bachelor party. I knew I'd have time to play, but my round at the Woods not even a week earlier had gone so badly, it just felt silly to spend upward of 75 dollars to play one of the multitude of good courses in the vicinity. I wanted golf, but I didn't want to break the wallet doing so.

And that brings us to Brigantine Golf Links. This is a housing development course, full stop. There is no hole where the playing corridor isn't lined with houses. Interestingly, this is one of the first housing development courses ever made, dating back to the 1920s, though the course was closed during the Great Depression and reopened in the 1950s. Maybe not quite as historic as Atlantic City Country Club over on the mainland, but it's something, right? Just be prepared to see lots of houses in the pictures.

The first hole is a short and gentle par 5, doglegging gently around a pond that never really comes into play. A gully cuts across the fairway about 150 yards from the green, but unless you're stupendously long or very short, it won't come into play. The green isn't exactly big, but it's not small either, and there are no bunkers around it, only gentle mounding. I imagine quite a few people walk off this hole under par, it's really quite easy.

The first hole. I told you there would be lots of houses.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The short little flags were one of my favorite things about Brigantine.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4 that is significantly less wide open than the previous hole, though you can't quite tell that from the picture. There's a native area just left of the fairway, and the long pond that crosses in front of the tee reaches much of the way down the right side. If you can, a drive down the left side is preferable, as the green -- guarded by bunkers long left and short right -- is angled to more easily accept shots from the left.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is, at 210 yards, the first and longest par 3 at Brigantine. Water fronts the green, but it's far enough short that only a really chunked shot would go in. The two bunkers right and short left are more of a concern. The green is once again of a reasonable generous size, not too small but not overly large. Not a hole you'd expect to make birdie on, but not one you'd see too many doubles or triples.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 that is pretty simple. The one bunker on the hole is barely even in play, well short of the typical landing area. The green is average sized and has no trouble around it. Brigantine gets off to a pretty gentle start, with two decent birdie opportunities in the first four holes.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

Looking back down the fourth hole.

The fifth hole isn't a tremendously long par 4 at 405 yards, but it is the most difficult hole the golfer has encountered up to this point. The doglegs right between one fairway bunker right and two left, and it does so pretty close to the tee. A ditch crosses the fairway at around 300 yards, so that eliminates driver for the longer hitters. Even so, the ability to hit a fade is very helpful off the tee, as there are pine trees right that prevent the golfer from cutting the corner. If you hit a draw, you won't be able to hit much more than a long iron off the tee. The green also has one bunker right and two left. This is easily the toughest hole on the front nine.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a 510 yard par 5, and is also the best hole on the front nine. The hole is reachable if you take a direct line, but that means cutting the corner of the dogleg, bringing bunkers and water into play. If you lay well back with the drive, it brings a series of crossbunkers about 100 yards from the green into play. Of course, the green is best approached from the left side, which is where the crossbunkers are. If you can go for the green in two, a faded wood or long iron will suit you well.

The sixth hole.

The group in front of me was letting me play through, so this is the only picture of the sixth I got from the fairway.

The seventh hole is, at 150 yards, the shortest hole at Brigantine. There are three bunkers around the green, but otherwise it's a pretty simple hole. The green isn't especially undulating and it's decently sized. Definitely a decent birdie opportunity.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is another mid-length par 4 that looks very simple. However, the direct line may not be the best option, as the bunker short right of the green makes shots hit from the middle of the fairway more difficult. To open up the best approach, the tee shot should be hit down the left side.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is yet another mid-length par 4, but this one plays ever so slightly uphill. There's a pond right, but a decently hit drive should easily get past it. The green is guarded by two bunkers left and one right, and has a fairly significant back-to-front slope. When you get to the green, you'll notice that this is the one spot on the golf course, other than maybe looking back from the first tee, that you can see the ocean.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

Despite being on a small island, this is the only ocean view.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bullseye Red Ale

Brewed by: Ithaca Beer Company, Ithaca, New York

Description (from the website): "Brilliant garnet red in color with clean but complex malt character. Hops take the stage with dynamic pine and spicy, woody notes supported by light citrus.

Would I buy it again?: Probably not. I'm not entirely sure why I keep thinking that I'm going to enjoy red ales, because I never really do, and this particular example was no different. It just didn't have that much taste, and the taste that was there wasn't all that great. It's easy to drink, but I can think of a lot of beers that fall under that criterion that I'd rather have.

Most of Earth's Heavy Elements Come From One Place

All of the matter in the universe heavier than hydrogen or helium was made after the Big Bang in stars. However, standard nuclear fusion can only produce elements as heavy as iron; once a star tries to start fusing iron, the fusion reaction requires more energy than it puts out, causing said star to go supernova. It's during the supernova that all the heavier elements are made, however, supernovae are not the only way heavy elements come into being. The collision of two neutron stars also produces heavy elements, and according to new research, such a collision was responsible for seeding our solar with a vast quantity (something like 1 quintillion tons) of heavy elements such as gold and uranium.

According to the scientists, the specific collision happened about 1,000 light years away from the stellar nebula that our solar system formed out of, and occurred about 80 million years before the sun was born. This conclusion was reached through analysis of ancient meteorites, and the elements leftover from radioactive decay within those meteorites. Those elements were consistent with what a neutron star collision would have produced, not a supernova.

While we should be grateful for that collision all those eons ago (specifically, the iodine produced is essential for life), if such an event happened at that proximity today, it would create a gamma ray burst that would essentially torch our atmosphere, causing a mass extinction. Well, if we were unlucky enough to be on the business end of one of the poles of the black hole that would be formed in the process. Fortunately, these things don't happen very often, so no need to worry.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Feed The Monkey Hefeweizen

Brewed by: Jailbreak Brewing Company, Laurel, Maryland

Description (from the website): "A German style hefeweizen that combines traditional notes of clove and banana with subtle citrus aromas and flavors to provide balance and complexity. With this hefeweizen, there’s no fruit required — we’ve got that covered."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I would. I mean, it's a pretty standard hefeweizen, and I like those. It's very easy to drink, and it's great after a long day on the golf course. It's kind of strange that I've never seen it before, considering the brewery is close and this is a year-round beer. You'd think with a name like Feed The Monkey, I'd remember it.

Scientists Unravel the Mystery of STEVE

From NASA

When you see a news story about scientists conducting research into what powers STEVE, you have to read it. You have to. And yes, STEVE is an acronym, though it was surprisingly difficult to find that out. Seriously, Wikipedia doesn't even mention it on their entry.

Anyway, STEVE stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and basically, it's a type of aurora except it isn't. It's found further south than auroras typically are, and are much thinner. Essentially, instead of being powered by charged solar particles that excite electrons in the upper atmosphere, STEVE is caused by particles in the ionosphere rubbing against each other and heating up. It's similar to how an incandescent light bulb works.

Again, I just want to emphasize the name. STEVE. I think my younger brother named it.