Beer of the Week

The beer: Vernal Genesis

The brewery: Nepenthe Brewing Company, Baltimore, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "This love letter to German malt will keep you warm as we make the transition into Spring. Made from Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich. Hopped for balance with just enough Hallertau Mittelfrüh and lovingly lagered for several weeks. A deep burnished gold with a rich, bready, subtly sweet maltiness and a toasty complexity that gives way to a crisp, easy finish. It’s almost time to emerge from our collective hibernation."

Would I buy it again? This is the first of a trilogy of beers that I drank on location at Nepenthe, and it's a good one. I'm a fan of bocks, and Maibocks are no exception to that rule. It's bready and malty, but still quite easy to drink since it's not as thick or alcoholic as a doppelbock. I would buy this again.

Review: Old Bridge Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Old Bridge, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a very short par 5 at just 465 yards, and it's bunkerless as well. However, there is plenty of trouble to worry about. Not so much on the tee shot, though there is native area lurking right, but beyond that, this is a tough hole. About 300 yards out, a pond eats into the fairway, significantly narrowing the playing corridor as it winds between the water and the high grass right. If you did not hit a good drive and are looking to lay up, you do not have a generous amount of space to work with, which I'm not a huge fan of. You're very much encouraged to go for this green in two if you have any capability to do so, which is fine if you hit a reasonable drive, but not everyone will manage that. This hole feels too trivial for good players and needlessly difficult for not-so-good players.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a fairly long par 3 at 220 yards where the difficulty can vary wildly depending on where the hole is cut. For our round, the task was pretty straightforward, as the flag was located right of the large bunker that takes up half of the front of the green. Not an easy shot, considering the length, but not a complicated one, and missing short or right leaves a very easy chip. But if that flag is tucked behind the bunker on the left side of the green, all of a sudden the tee shot becomes very tough indeed. A long iron over a bunker is not something to be treated lightly. Of course, you can play out safely right, but that will leave a long putt in prime three-putt range. 

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is the longest par 4 on the course, coming in at 440 yards (and it was into the wind for our round as well). The tee shot is very wide open if you use a 3 wood, but if you want to use driver, the fairway is narrowed by a bunker right and the pond from the tenth hole on the left. Of course, while laying back is safe, you'll be left with a long iron to an undulating green with a bunker left. We didn't get it for our round, but there's a shelf back right of the green that, if the flag was cut back there, would make this hole especially nasty. This is a tough hole, but seeing as Old Bridge is generally a pretty kind golf course, I think this works fine.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a par 4 of modest length, playing just 350 yards to a very wide fairway. However, a large bunker from the left pinches in at driver distance, forcing a decision. Do you lay back to the wide portion of the fairway, or do you challenge the bunker? Long hitters can carry it, which will leave a little 50-yard pitch to a wide-open green, as the single greenside bunker is right. Personally, I don't think the risk is worth it, as the hole is so short even using a 3 wood or long iron on the tee will leave a wedge on the second shot. But because the hole isn't very long, it can tease you into making a decision that isn't in your best interest. Honestly, it's a more interesting hole than it appears at first glance.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole, oddly enough, is an example of the utility of trees. At 555 yards, this is the longest hole on the course, and with scrub, trees, and tall grass right, your eye will naturally be drawn right. Which is fine, but where it becomes an issue is the second shot. The idea here is that, if you're out of position on the tee shot, you're supposed to lay up short of the cross-bunkers cutting across the fairway 125 yards short of the green, which will leave a long, semiblind third shot. But why would you do that when you can just go around the bunkers left? There's nothing over there, and actually, you get a better angle at the green from left of the fairway. A tree or two would block that route off, but for now, the neat cross-bunkers are utterly trivial and this hole is basically just an exercise in not missing right.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 200-yard par 3, and if the flag looks a little shorter than usual when you step onto the tee, there's a reason for that. This is a massive Biarritz-style green, where the center is 2-3 feet lower than the two sections at the front and back. It's not a pure Biarritz, I don't think, since the central swale is so large you can put the flag in it and of course bunkers don't flank both sides, but honestly, I'm not going to complain. This is a really fun hole, and an excellent interpretation of a classic template hole.

The fifteenth hole.

If you're playing the sixteenth hole from all the way back, it's a bit of a brute at 455 yards. For most people, it's a modest 375-yard par 4. Once again, this hole could use some trees, and not just because it shortens the hole. The next tee is almost literally on the direct line between the sixteenth tee and green, and placed quite close to where intrepid golfers like me, playing from the 375-yard tees, will have their driver end up. It's a little hazardous, not going to lie.

If you're playing from the back tees, it's not so much of an issue, and the hole plays much more as it's supposed to. There isn't any trouble on the tee shot, but the second shot is a different story, as there's a pond lurking left of the green. The slopes right do feed in toward the green, so a nice running draw is the ideal shot to hit on your second shot. The green itself is medium sized and typically undulating.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 4 where a fairway bunker pinches the fairway at about 260 yards. It can be carried by long hitters, who by aiming down the left side can avoid having to worry about the trees right. They're basically out of range, so you don't have to worry much about losing a golf ball, but they can still block out people who hit big slices from going at the green on their second shot. The green here is small for this course, though being surrounded by fairway does make it appear smaller. The green slopes from left to right and has two tiers, front and back, with a knob dominating the right-middle portion.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 415 yards, and while I wouldn't call this a difficult hole, per se, it's definitely not a birdie opportunity. There are two bunkers right of the landing area, but it's the second shot where things get difficult. The green is large, but it is incredibly rumpled and undulating, with knobs and hollows all over. There are no straight putts on this green, and the peril of three putting is always present. It's also the most well-bunkered green on the course, with the left side in particular guarded by three bunkers. A front-left hole location would be a nasty one. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Old Bridge is really a course that relies on its greens. From tee to green, I would call the layout above average but certainly nothing to write home about. But once you reach the green, the game is elevated significantly. They're not the best greens I've ever seen, but they're a lot of fun. I especially like the Biarritz green at the fifteenth, but some other noteworthy greens include the final hole, the seventh, and the third. 

Also, it's just nice to have a new golf course being built that isn't a $500 destination course, or just flat-out private. Particularly one even mildly close to my neck of the woods. The rates are a little pricy, but this is a new golf course in a state with pretty high cost of living. It's $70 to walk on weekdays and $90 on weekends. Old Bridge isn't going to win any value contests, but I don't think it's absolutely unreasonable. At the very least, there is a walking rate, and this course is quite walkable. 

All things considered, I would play Old Bridge again. Not on a weekend, but a weekday round sounds nice, and I do think the greens are worth seeing. It's a fun round, and I'm glad I played here.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Perception

The brewery: Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Don't let your perception of dark beers fool you. This Czech Dark Lager is crisp and easy drinking at 5% ABV. Clean and light roasted notes of baker's chocolate gives way to a dry, malty finish."

Would I buy it again? In a second. This beer looks black and thick, but it's very easy to drink, just like the description indicates. It's nice and malty too. I have no complaints about this beer, it's pretty much everything I hoped it would be.

Review: Old Bridge Golf Club (Part 1)

There were two golf courses I really wanted to see on my recent Garden State sojourn. I've already explained why Francis Byrne fell through, which made the round at Old Bridge Golf Club, located directly south of NYC across Raritan Bay, all the more urgent. I wasn't about to miss out on both golf courses I'd come for.

It's been 15 years since golf courses were being built at any reasonable rate in the United States, but the new developments have not been geographically well dispersed. Some states have seen lots of love, while others have seen very little. And unfortunately, the Northeast has, as a whole, been left behind. Plenty of restorations and renovations, to be sure, but very few genuinely new golf courses. Even Inness was previously a golf course, though it bears little, if any, resemblance to what came before.

Old Bridge is an exception. There was no golf course here before, it's brand new in every sense of the word, having opened in April 2024 to ... well, not much fanfare at all. It's not a golf course to capture attention; it's of modest length (just 6,500 yards) and was designed by a relative no-name. Stephen Kay is not exactly a household name in the golf course design business, though he is quite prolific in New Jersey. As a matter of fact, of the four New Jersey golf courses I've reviewed in the past few months, he had a hand in three of them (he designed Old Bridge and Architects, and oversaw the renovation of Hendricks Field). He also did McCullough's, which I reviewed way back in 2017. This is the first course of his where he was allowed a free hand, so let's find out how good Mr. Kay is when he's behind the wheel.

The first hole, a 360-yard par 4, is a distinctly mild and generous start to the round, at least on the tee shot. The fairway is wide, with two small bunkers left to threaten longer hitters. There's also a pond for the longest golfers, but that won't trouble most. A solid drive will leave a wedge second, and this is where things get a little trickier. While the green is large and guarded by just one small bunker, it is very undulating and separated into distinct sections. Find the wrong section of green and three putting becomes a very distinct possibility. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a short, if not quite drivable par 4 at 325 yards, but in sharp contrast to the previous hole, this fairway is narrow and staunchly defended by water, tall grass, and bunkers left along with more sand and forest right. Use driver and you have very little margin for error. Of course, laying up doesn't buy you more space, so I can't say driver is exactly the wrong play here, just unnecessary considering the hole's diminutive length. The green is medium sized and features far fewer rolls and section than the first, so if you do find the fairway with the tee shot, birdie is definitely achievable.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a short 150-yard par 3 playing to a large, undulating green separated into three distinct sections. Each one of those sections is protected by at least one of the three bunkers dotted around the green. Of course, you could play for the center of the green, but if you end up on the wrong section, two putting will be a tough task, just like on the first hole. Obviously, this is a pretty easy hole either way, but it's not a complete pushover and I will never complain about seeing short par 3s.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole marks the start of a six-hole stretch that weaves in and out of dense, freshly cut forest. This hole, a short 500-yard par 5 bends gently to the right between the tree lines and two fairway bunkers, one right to catch weak slices and one left to catch hooks. The fairway is pretty wide, which is nice because you do need to hit a solid driver in order to bring the green into view on the second shot. The next shot is gently downhill, with the green tucked into a little hollow about 30 yards behind a bunker. A long iron or fairway wood that just carries that third bunker will bound down nicely onto the green, which is again quite undulating.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays uphill to a fairway that's mostly blind, hidden away at the top of the hill out on the open section of the golf course. The hole is bunkerless, but with trees lurking close in driver may not be the automatic choice, though even a mediocre driver will reach the top of the hill, bringing the green into view on the second shot. The green itself is quite large, though there is a pond right to give some danger to the approach. Still, this is not a particularly complex hole.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole, on the surface, is quite similar to the fourth: Both are par 5s of roughly similar length (this one is 520 yards), both are bounded by trees, and both play gently downhill as they curve off to the right. However, the tee shot here is much trickier, thanks to the narrower gap between the trees and the right-to-left tilt of the fairway. Basically, if you want to hit driver here and bring the green into reach with your second shot, you have to either clip the right trees or hit a fade to hold the fairway.

For those few who can pull that off, the green is medium sized and tucked behind a pair of small bunkers as it projects out into the forest. The rest of us will have to be content with a lay-up that flirts with some mounding about 75 yards short; from there you'll have the best angle to approach the flag. A pitch shot from the right side of the fairway will have to go directly over the bunkers, and that's a tough shot to pull off, especially with unplayable dense forest lurking so close behind.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is Old Bridge's first par 3, coming in at 195 yards. The website claims it's a reverse Redan, which I suppose I can vaguely see after the fact, particularly with the mounding left to kick balls in toward the green, but that wasn't the impression I got while playing the hole. While the green does have a front-left to back-right slope to it, it's also got some impressive internal undulations, including but not limited to a trough running through the middle. This is a very tough green to putt. It's a solid par 3, just not a Redan.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 425 yards that plays to a wide fairway carved through the forest. There are two bunkers left and the fairway itself is tilted quite sharply from right to left, with the right side particularly canted. To avoid a steeply hanging lie on the second shot, you do need to skirt the two bunkers. A solid drive will leave a short iron into the green, which is large, undulating, and set within a series of mounds, forming a punchbowl of sorts. Slight misses will bounce in toward the green, while bigger misses will be repelled, bounding away into trouble.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is 170 yards and is one of those "hit the green or else" sort of holes. The green is generous and not hugely complicated, but with water in front, sand left, and dense woods long, there's no room to miss on this par 3. Since the other par 3s are generally pretty kind and easy to play, I don't mind this one being tough.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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

Beer of the Week

The beer: Midday Sway

Brewed by: RAK Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Brewed for easy afternoons and golden hours, Mid Day Sway is a Hazy Session IPA hopped exclusively with Citra. Lush waves of mango, citrus zest, and tropical fruit drift across a silky-soft body with just enough bitterness to keep things balanced. Light on ABV but big on flavor, Mid Day Sway brings the haze without the haze of high gravity."

Would I buy it again? I don't know if I've ever had a session IPA, but if this beer is anything to go by, it's a style I would enjoy. This was a very enjoyable beer to drink, featuring a lot of juicy hoppy flavor without excessive bitterness. It's just a light, easy beer to drink, making it great for those warm afternoons. Shame I didn't have one of those (don't let the picture fool you, it was actually 60 degrees and quite windy when I was sitting outside with this). Still, I'd buy this again.

Schistosoma mansoni’s Big Adventure

To most people, a bathroom is a purely practical thing. You go, you do your business, and you leave. It is not a place to be celebrated. But archaeologists aren’t most people. To them, discovering an old toilet buried in the earth is a window into the day-to-day life of a person who’s been dead for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Sure, that does mean digging through old poop, but the things that can be learned are so worth it.

Case in point, a study was recently published in Parasitology about a new discovery found in a 500-year-old latrine in Bruges, Belgium. Within that latrine, located inside what served as a meeting house and administrative seat for the Spanish merchant community in the city, the researchers found an egg belonging to Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic flatworm.

S. mansoni is not typically the sort of houseguest one wants in their bathroom. In fact, as the parasite responsible for causing schistosomiasis, a disease that infects 200 million people worldwide and is the second-most deadly parasitic disease — only topped by malaria — it’s kind of the exact opposite of a welcome visitor. Particularly if you’re a Spanish merchant living several hundred years before the advent of a cure for the disease infecting your gut.

For the researchers, though, finding the egg in Belgium helped solve a mystery involving S. mansoni while also demonstrating the connectedness of the world, even in an age before planes, trains, and automobiles.

Today, S. mansoni is endemic throughout the tropics, but it is not native to much of its current range. A thousand years ago, the worm only lived in Africa. Somehow, it managed to find its way across an ocean to South America, and the discovery of the egg in the droppings of a Spanish trader demonstrates how. The Spanish merchants of Bruges were instrumental in the import of commodities from Africa such as gold and ivory, as well as the slave trade. And if this one hapless Spaniard could carry S. mansoni to Belgium, others like him could certainly carry it to all corners of the world.

Not only do the study findings demonstrate the complexity and interconnectedness of urban life, even in medieval times, Maxime Poulain, an archaeologist at Ghent University, said in a press release, it shows how Bruges, an international trade and cultural hub, “inevitably also facilitated the spread of diseases through its strong maritime trade networks.”

Hopefully, as our unfortunate merchant sat upon the toilet in Bruges so many years ago, the foresight that his plight would provide a group of scientists with a fascinating insight into city life and the movement of a nasty tropical disease was enough to provide comfort as the flatworm ransacked his body. Totally worth the debilitating disease.

Beer of the Week

The beer: So Happens It's Tuesday (2021)

The brewery: The Bruery, Placentia, California

Description (from the can): "Namesake aside, this bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout is worthy of pouring every day of the week. Both elegant and complex, it exemplifies over 10 years of experience in barrel-aging technique. Notes of dark chocolate and vanilla are rounded out with hints of freshly picked cherries, dried figs, and molasses."

Would I buy it again? This isn't exactly a beer one would drink on the threshold of summer, being a thick stout, but since May has been a never-ending cavalcade of miserably rainy days, I figured there was no better time. 

My feelings on this beer are mixed. Obviously, it's very, very good. Despite being 15% alcohol and a bourbon barrel-aged stout, it's surprisingly easy to drink. On the other hand, there's more than a hint of cherry here. I won't say it tastes like cough medicine, but it's more on that end that I would like. I feel like the honey Troegs adds to Mad Elf does a lot to balance out the cherry, and I'm honestly missing that here. I know this is a good beer, but it isn't for me.