Beer of the Week

The beer: Cinnamon Roll Imperial Ale

Brewed by: Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, New York

Description (from Taphunter): "The scent of our brewery on brew days is irresistible. Akin to the morning’s first brewed batch of perfectly roasted coffee, the aromas envelope you and cause the corners of your lips to curl into the slightest unconscious smile. In this brew, lightly toasted malts with subtly spicy hops blend into cinnamon flavors and creamy lactose sugar. Their coalescence is so uncannily close to fresh baked cinnamon rolls that it was impossible to name this beer anything other than Cinnamon Roll Imperial Ale! Pairs perfectly with eggs benedict at brunch, after dinner, or next to the fire for an unforgettable nightcap."

Would I buy it again?: I love cinnamon rolls. Like, a lot. So I thought: Hey, cinnamon roll in beer form, what could go wrong? And to be fair, it does taste a lot like a cinnamon roll. There's certainly plenty of cinnamon flavor. And that's fine for about a third of the beer. Then the sheer density of the beer starts to set in, and you realize that you're not even halfway through it yet. I'm not necessarily saying I wouldn't buy it again, but it's such a heavy, thick beer that you really need to give yourself plenty of time to drink it. The flavor is very strong as well. I'm sure there's someone out there who could drink this beer quickly, but I'm not one of them.

When You Forget About The Blog Until The Last Minute

You end up with this: NASA Data Shows Something Leaking Out of Uranus

Beer of the Week

The beer: On The Wings of Armageddon Imperial IPA

Brewed by: DC Brau Brewing Company, Washington, D.C.

Description (from the website): "The Mayan calendar predicted the 'transition from one world age to another' on December 21, 2012, and DC Brau fulfilled this prophecy by introducing On the Wings of Armageddon, an Imperial IPA unlike any other. The recipe includes Pale Malt, Cara-60, Carapils, and Malted Wheat with Falconer’s Flight hops."

Would I buy it again?: I had a certain expectation when I took my first sip of this beer. An imperial IPA with that name with a skull on the label? Surely I was in for a rough time. But no, despite all evidence to the contrary, this beer is surprisingly docile. Fairly hoppy, yes, but not unreasonably so. Actually, I thought it was quite drinkable. I'm not sure I'd get it again, but I wouldn't be completely opposed to the idea. It's a better Imperial IPA than Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA, and much cheaper too.

Review: Whitetail Golf Resort (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole, for my money, is the toughest hole at Whitetail. At least, it's the hole I've always had the most trouble with. Time for a bit of a story. As someone who typically shoots in the 80s, I'm supposedly a pretty decent golfer, but man, I am probably the worst decent golfer out there. I've hit so many bad shots that I very rarely feel embarrassed when I do something particularly egregious. They've happened before, and they've happened again. But this hole ... I have very bad memories. The first tournament I played here, I was maybe 14, and I had to start on this hole. I could see right away how narrow the hole was, and that I'd have a terrible time getting the ball in play. To make matters worse, there were 30 or 40 people standing around, watching each group tee off. I was paired with kids who were older and way better than me, and who I really didn't know. I got up on the tee, did my routine, stepped up to the ball, swung, and ... topped it into the brush in front of the tee. In front of a crowd, no less. Needless to say, I made an 8, and I shot a 54 on the back nine. I redeemed myself a bit on the front by shooting a 39, but still, standing on the tee back in 2019, I couldn't help thinking about that really fun and not at all humiliating incident.

The tenth hole. Boy, even the pictures fill me with dread.

Anyway, the tenth hole. It's the longest par 4 on the course at 424 yards from the blue tees (and 450 from the back), though mercifully the tees were up when I played and I was able to get away with a clunky 4 iron bunted out about 200 yards. There's long grass right and bunkers (plus more brush) left, and not a lot of fairway in between. The second shot is a bit easier, with only one greenside bunker left, but if you miss right, you'll probably end up in a collection area mowed as fairway, which leaves a tricky chip off of short grass. If you can make par here, you've done well.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is not my least favorite hole at Whitetail because the previous hole exists, but it comes closer than it should. It's only 360 yards from the blue tees, but it's a 360 yard tightrope walk. To the left only a few yards from the fairway is a woodcock migration area, which is clearly unplayable. To the right is a steep dropoff into, you guessed it, more unplayable native area. Oh and there's a few fairway bunkers as well. Use the driver at your own peril; I certainly would never use anything more than a long iron. There's slightly more space to breathe on the second shot, but still, this is a very claustrophobic hole.

The exceedingly narrow eleventh hole.

If you can your tee shot here, you've done well.

The eleventh green.

After an exceedingly long journey from the eleventh green, the twelfth hole is the start of a five-hole stretch that is, for all intents and purposes, on the side of a mountain. And yes, it is about as disjointed as it sounds. But anyway, we start off this wooded stretch with a downhill par 3 protected by a single bunker short and left and many slopes. Clearly, missing long or left is bad, and shots hit right will occasionally bounce down into more favorable positions. Not a good hole, but nothing terrible.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is yet another hole I have less than fond memories of. I'm pretty sure I always ended up pushing my drive way right, having to pitch back out, and ending up with a double bogey or something. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the abrupt nature of the terrain, a lay-up is called for off the tee on this mid-length par 4. A 3 wood should be safe enough, but a long iron would be safer. The fairway is pretty wide, but clearly left is bad, and right isn't much better. You'll almost certainly have to pitch out sideways because of the encroaching trees. The second shot is over a big valley with brush at the bottom, and while I suppose it's technically possible to hit from down there (the brush isn't too thick), you'd be going basically 50 feet straight uphill. Don't leave your second shot short is the best advice I can give you. Funny enough, after all the trouble this hole's given me in the past, I made a very casual birdie during this round. Any hole is easy when you hit a good drive and then stick a wedge to 8 feet.

The thirteenth hole.

Don't miss the thirteenth green short.

The thirteenth green is at least in a nice spot.

The fourteenth hole is your classic do-or-die short par 3. The green is fairly generous, if rather undulating, but there's basically no bailout. Short, dead. Right, dead. Long, dead. Left, there's a chance of finding your golf ball among the roots of the forest, but you won't have much of a shot, so basically dead. It's not an island green, but it's basically an island green, so play it accordingly.

The fourteenth hole is short but there's nowhere to hide.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole has quite a few things going on. The playing corridor on the 500 yard par 5 is extremely wide, but the fairway manages to be a less-than-inviting target thanks to a pair of true fairway bunkers sitting right in the line of play. You can go left of them, turning the hole into a likely three-shot affair, or play aggressively over them, giving you a good shot at going for the green in two. Oh, except there's a ravine cutting the fairway off so you probably won't want to use a driver. Like I said, many things going on here. But wait, there's more, because once you clear the ravine, there's a tree sitting in the middle of the fairway as well. It's not quite in the way unless you've gone right, but it's close enough to be concerning. Especially seeing as the green is best approached with a draw around the bunker front left. I don't think this is a bad hole, it's just very busy, and some streamlining would benefit it a lot.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a straightaway mid-length par 4, and unsurprisingly, a driver is really not the best play. The fairway cuts off about 100 yards from the green, so shorter hitters could get away with it, but this is a very claustrophobic tee shot. I don't even think it's the narrowest playing corridor on the course, but because of the trees, it feels incredibly narrow. One of my brothers made an 11 here during a tournament, so clearly, this is a hole to play cautiously. Assuming you lay up with a long iron or fairway wood, you'll be left with a short iron down the hill to a small green that does actually slope away from the line of play. This is the last hole in the forest; like I said earlier, this stretch feels very disjointed, but it's not the worst five holes in the world.

The blind tee shot on the sixteenth.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

Looking back down the sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is the last par 5 at Whitetail, and finally, for the first time on the back nine, you can comfortably use a driver off of the tee. There is jungle left, but it's not particularly close to the fairway, and right is fairly wide open, save for some bunkers. Just don't be surprised when your driver is a bit lackluster because you haven't used it in a while. If you hit a good drive, the green is reachable in two, if not, there's a pond that splits the fairway about 150 yards from the green. It shouldn't be a problem to clear it unless you've done something truly catastrophic, but it is something to think about. The approach, either on the second or third, will be uphill; if you're going for it, a bunker about 30 yards short will definitely be a concern for run-up shots. The green is long and narrow, and again, missing left is not a great idea.

The seventeenth hole.

From the fairway (well, right of it anyway).

Oh yeah, there's a pond splitting the seventeenth in two.

The seventeenth green.

Interestingly, Whitetail both starts and ends with mellow mid-length par 4s lacking in forced carries. That makes two holes in a row where you can use a driver! If you hit a good drive, all you should have into the green is a wedge, but the green is small and protected by a pair of bunkers. Even so, this is a pretty easy hole and it's entirely possible to finish your round with two birdies in a row.

The eighteenth hole. Finally, no forced carries!

The semiblind approach to the final green.

The eighteenth green.

As it does with so many other things, time has somewhat tempered my opinion of Whitetail. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly not my favorite course in the world, far from it. But it's not nearly as difficult as I once thought it was. Actually, with a few exceptions, the course isn't that tough, so long as you're, say, breaking 90 on a regular basis. A forced carry of 50-100 yards isn't an issue for someone like that, and in most cases, the playing corridor for each hole is pretty wide.

Those forced carries are a much greater issue if you're not such a good golfer. I can't imagine someone who struggles to break 100 having a very fun time here. And while better golfers won't get tripped up by the endless hazards crossing the fairways, it does make for a very stilted and dull round when you're forced to lay up again and again and again. Seriously, I think I was only comfortable hitting driver on 5 of the 14 non-par 3s, and on one of those (the fourth hole), I chose to hit a 3 wood. Whitetail rarely gives you the opportunity to be aggressive, and that makes all the trouble it does possess mildly useless. It doesn't punish good players nearly as much as it does bad players, and that's just not good design.

Another negative for Whitetail: It's decidedly not walker-friendly. Oh, you could theoretically walk, and back in the junior tournament days we did walk it, but there were carts to shuttle us along on the longer trips between greens and tees. In reality, no one paying to play would walk. It's hilly, there are big gaps between greens and tees, and there's very little shade on the two-thirds of the golf course that isn't up on the mountainside. The price isn't terrible, but it's nothing to brag about either. All in all, it's not a golf course I'd jump up and down to return to, and I think I'd be just fine never playing there again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Chocolate Hazelnut S'mores Imperial Dessert Stout

Brewed by: True Respite Brewing Company, Derwood, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "A sweet, rich, creamy imperial dessert stout brewed with lactose. Inspired by one of the all-time classic desserts with a hazelnut twist."

Would I buy it again?: The last time I had a s'mores beer, I really liked it. This one wasn't nearly as good. And I'm not sure what exactly the hazelnut adds. So, not bad, but not something I'd considering getting again.

Review: Whitetail Golf Resort (Part 1)

I've been playing golf for a long time, and obviously there's a lot of golf courses that I've played but haven't reviewed. I've done that very thing a few times, going back to review someplace I already know. But this is a review I didn't think I'd ever do.

To put it mildly, the course at Whitetail Golf Resort, located just south of the bustling metropolis of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, is not really my cup of tea. In fact, it's pretty far away from the sort of golf course that I usually enjoy. It is thoroughly modern in design and there are places to lose golf balls virtually everywhere. I played here several times during my junior golf tournament, and I piled up some rather gruesome scores and memories during that rounds.

Fast forward almost 10 years to September 2019. I had a day off of work, was sort of in the vicinity, and the course I originally had my eye on was annoyingly busy at the time I was looking, so I made my way to good old Whitetail for a round. How would a decade change my opinion of the course? Let's find out.

The first hole is a classic opener: the mild par 4. At 380 from the blue tees, the hole doglegs left as it falls gently downhill. (Note: all distances during the review will be from the blues, not the blacks. I highly doubt many people play the full 7,000 yard course.) While it can be tempting to cut the dogleg, doing so will leave a worse angle, as you'll be left with a second shot directly over the bunker in front of a very shallow green. You're better off going out to the right, which gives a slightly longer shot but with less bunker to worry about.

The first hole.

Not a terrible place to be on the second shot.

The first green.

The second hole concludes the warm-up portion of the round in an abrupt manner. On paper, it's only 15 yards longer than the first hole, but practically speaking, it punches well above the 395 on the scorecard. That's because this hole features the first of what will be a bit of a theme at Whitetail: the forced lay-up. The hole is bisected by a pond and native area at the bottom of a valley, so drives have to be out to the left, and at most you can advance around 275 yards. Practically though, you'll be shorter than that, and that will leave you with a mid iron for the second. The green is pretty generous, but left is dead. This is the sort of hole you're happy to make par on.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a pretty standard mid-length par 3. It's just under 180 yards, and the green is angled left to right behind a pair of bunkers, so a fade will be the better shot to hit here. Not a bad hole, but nothing outstanding.

The third hole.

The third green.

The third hole loops back to the clubhouse, and it takes a long cart ride (not the only example at Whitetail, to be sure) to reach the fourth hole. The hole is 320 yards, but it's downhill the whole way, so when the wind is at your back, it's certainly tempting to pull out the driver and get as close to the green as you can. But if you do that, be aware of the cluster of bunkers that narrow the fairway considerably out past 275 or so. For my money, the better play is to lay up short of the bunkers into the wide portion of the fairway, then hit a 100 yard wedge into a fairly undulating green. This green has a lot of slopes, and it's very easy to three putt if you're not on the correct section.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 4 at 374 yards, but much like the second, it plays a lot longer than that. For one, it's uphill, but it's mostly because the fairway stops something like 240 yards from the tee. That mean's you'll be hitting a long iron or 3 wood if you're feeling dangerous. The result of this is that the second shot is a significantly longer iron than you probably expected up the hill to a semiblind green that falls away into jungle on the left and long. Shots that come up short are at risk of rolling back if it's dry, and shots right have to contend with a shallow target that slopes away, with a bunker in between you and the hole. Getting up and down if you miss the green is not an easy proposition.

The fifth hole.

Not the easiest approach into the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is about as pleasant as a golf hole can get. 160 yards, downhill, reasonably generous green, little trouble save for a single bunker set curiously far away from the green itself, this is a great opportunity to relax, swing easy, get a shot in close, and make a birdie.

The short sixth hole.

The sixth green.

At just over 500 yards, the seventh hole is the first par 5 at Whitetail, and the whole "hazard cutting across the fairway" thing makes a quick return. This time though, the cross hazard starts about 290 from the blue tee (the blacks are the furthest set back) and is fairly short, so many golfers won't be able to reach it, and if you're feeling bold, you can clear it. I know because I did precisely that many years ago. Definitely not something I can do anymore. However, the hole is still reachable in two even if you do go down the left side. The shot is 200 plus and up the hill to a fairly well defended green with plenty of slope. It's almost better to go for it, as it eliminates the pond left of the fairway in the lay-up zone.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

Looking back down the seventh. Look, I took 180 something pictures of the place, I want to use some of them.

The eighth hole is just under 400 yards, and once again, a hazard crosses the fairway at the range where a good driver would end up. That means, to be safe, you'll probably want to use a 3 wood. That's especially true seeing as there's less room on the right side of the fairway, which is the better side to approach the green. Go further down the left side and you'll have a shorter shot, but the approach will be over a bunker to a shallow green.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the longest par 5 at Whitetail, playing 510 yards over rolling, sidehill terrain. No matter where you hit, the ball will be above your feet (unless you're left handed, of course). A low draw hit up the right side of the fairway will run out a lot, making this hole completely reachable. If the drive isn't so great, a series of cross bunkers run across the fairway about 75 yards from the green, so if you want to lay up, you'll have to leave yourself a full wedge. The green is undulating, and putts from the wrong level will be tricky. Overall, definitely one of the better holes at Whitetail.

The ninth hole favors a big draw off the tee.

The ninth from a different tee.

I did not hit the mower.

The ninth green.

That's all from scenic Whitetail for now, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.