Beer of the Week

The beer: Thru Hiker Summer Wheat

Brewed by: Long Trail Brewing Company, Bridgewater, Vermont

Description (from the website): "Continue down the trail with this refreshing wheat ale.Thru Hiker Summer Wheat is slightly sweet with a hazy body and notes of citrus, spice and fruity hops.

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I would. It had a very pleasant taste that I enjoyed a lot. And I do generally like wheat beers.

Germany Is Running Out Of Beer Bottles

Talk about a strange problem.

It's been a hot summer in Europe this year. Well, hot for them. A 90 degree day there is like a 100 degree day here in Maryland. Those Europeans are just less tolerant of the heat, so they've been fighting against it by drinking lots of beer. I can think of worse reasons to drink. But there's a problem in Germany with the heavy drinking: They're running out of beer bottles.

There is a good explanation for this issue. Well, there is an explanation. Germans don't do canned beer (I don't care much for cans either, so I can sympathize). They prefer bottled beer (again I can sympathize, I even prefer bottled to beer from a glass). Germans also like recycling their beer, but they have a very specific system to handling beer bottle recycling, which I won't describe. The point is, there are a limited number of bottles in the country, and most of them are sitting in people's homes. Smaller breweries are starting to beg people to return their bottles so they can be reused.

Now, I don't want to criticize the German commitment to recycling, there is certainly a very good argument for being environmentally friendly. But, guys, this is a really dumb problem to be having.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Dead Rise was brewed to highlight the indelible, bold character of OLD BAY with citrus hop notes and a crisp, tart finish. Pair it with tables piled high with shrimp, corn, and Maryland Blue Crab."

Would I buy it again?: Someone's gonna have to take away my Maryland license, because I did not really care for this at all. Old Bay has its place, but beer is not one of those places. However, seeing as Flying Dog is in Frederick, and I'm also in Frederick, I can't completely discount the notion of buying this beer again. It may happen. But it wouldn't be my first choice.

Battlebots is Returning

Yes, you read that correctly. Battlebots is apparently making a comeback this summer. I remember watching Battlebots when I was young, it was great. Who doesn't like robots fighting each other in an arena filled with saws and sledgehammers? Sounds like a great formula to me. Really hope it works out, I'd love to have Battlebots back.

To celebrate, here's a video of Ziggo destroying some poor robot that decided a bit of wood was a good weapon against a bunch of rapidly spinning metal.

Or if you prefer non-wanton destruction...

Enjoying Summer

I don't know what the weather's like everywhere, but here where I live, it's been absolutely wonderful for the past few days.  Highs in the upper 70's, plenty of sun, and no thunderstorms, a pleasant change from this time last month.  In short, it's been the perfect weather to get out and enjoy the outdoors, something that I really do relish.  I'm an outdoors person, I love being outside, and I personally think that spending plenty of time out in the sun is a very good thing.  Too often we become complacent and sit inside unless we have to go out.  I know I'm often guilty of this.  But I know after a good long walk I feel much better, so my advice to people everywhere: get outside and do something.  I walk, and I play golf, both are wonderful activities, but by no means are they the only things I could be doing.  There's literally an entire world out there, go out and enjoy it.