Porter Sampling No. 7 [5/26/2010]

Brewery	Name	Location	Short Description	Rating
Samuel Adams	Holiday Porter	Boston, MA	ok, decent	89
Lagunitas Brewing Co	Cappucinno Stout	Petaluma, CA	ok, but not exciting	90
Moylan's Brewing Co	Dragoons Dry Irish Stout	Novato, CA	thin, dry, a bit hoppy	88
Brew Dog	Rip Tide twisted merciless stout	England	hoppy	88
Green Flash Brewing Co	Double Stout	San Diego, CA	unmemorable	88
Anderson Valley Brewing Co	Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout	Boonville, CA	decent	89
Bell's Brewery	Kalamazoo Stout	Comstock, MI	bitter	87
Boulder Beer Company	Obovoid Oak-Aged Oatmeal Stout	Boulder, CO	I didn't like the aged in oak flavor	87
Jedrzejow Brewery	Strzelec Porter	Jedrzejow, Poland	thick, molasses like	94
Samuel Adams	Cream Stout	Boston, MA	toasty	93
Deschutes Brewery	Obsidian Stout	Bend, OR	nice body, toasty	92
Odell Brewing Co	Cutthroat Porter	Fort Collins, CO	malty, dry, clean	94
Prescott Brewing Co	Achocolypse Porter	Prescott, AZ	rich, very chocolatey	92

See Also:
Porter Sampling No. 6
Porter Sampling No. 5
Porter Sampling No. 4
Porter Sampling No. 3
Porter Sampling No. 2
Porter Sampling No. 1
Ale Sampling No. 1
Wheat Sampling No. 2
Wheat Sampling No. 1

Finished Here Comes Everybody [5/18/2010]

The first part of the book is mostly anecdotes that are individually pretty interesting. But, I was left wondering about their relevance and whether or not anything could be extrapolated from them. In the last few chapters Shirky really puts it all together and makes several large scale conclusions about the role of the internet and social networking in our society and our future.

Finished Patternmaster [5/08/2010]

I have mixed feelings on this conclusion to Butler's Patternist series. I found it to be a fun read, but, it was also kind of difficult for me to care one way or another about Teray's fate. As a whole, the series is worthwhile. But, I don't think Patternmaster could stand up well on it's own. At least the characters weren't annoying like those in Mind of My Mind were.

Finished Clay's Ark [5/05/2010]

This is another book in Butler's four part Patternist series. I found this one much more to my liking than Mind of My Mind. It's got a lot of action and the characters are interesting. It's gritty but still accessible. I would have liked the story to be even longer and cover more of what happened after the clayark disease spread.

2nd Annual PBS Craft Brewing Festival [5/01/2010]

Unfortunately, Oran was sick for the 2nd PBS craft brew fest. So, we didn't get to stay very long or try everything. This time they had more food options and the venue was pretty nice. I was somewhat disappointed because most of the local AZ breweries brought only their usual stuff. I had already tried almost of all of the beers. I was hoping to see their seasonals and special small batch brews. Oh well. A shout out to Prescott Brewing Company for bringing a seasonal their Achocolypse Porter - it was thick, rich and delicious. Now I am wanting to visit Prescott again.

Finished Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medecine [4/30/2010]

This book is really interesting. Topics covered include infection, aging, allergies, and cancer. I found it an easy and enjoyable read compared to a lot of non-fiction out there. The only flaw is that it is a bit out-dated having been written in 1994. I'd love a follow up sequel.

Ale Sampling No. 1 [4/26/2010]

Brewery	Name	Location	Short Description	Rating
Fischer Biere d' Alsace	Fischer Tradition Amber	Schiltigheim, France	fruity	94
Anderson Valley Brewing Co	Boont Amber Ale	Boonville, CA	good	92
Samuel Adams	Cranberry Lambic	Boston, MA	doesn't taste like a lambic	89
Four Peaks	Kiltlifter	Tempe, AZ	like spice cake	94
St Peters	Organic English Ale	Bungay, England	light, refreshing (seriously)	94
Spoetzl Brewery	Shiner Bock	Shiner, TX	dry, good taste	90
Oak Creek Brewing Co	Nut Brown Ale	Sedona, AZ	malty, creamy, sweet, nutty	95
Big Sky Brewing Co	Moose Drool Brown Ale	Missoula, Montana	toasty, nutty	94
Full Sail Brewing Co	Keelhauler Scottish Ale	Hood River, OR	hoppy	89
Batemans Brewery	Combined Harvest	Wainfleet, England	toasty, delicious	96
Dundee Brewing Co	Honey Brown	Rochester, NY	sweet	92

See Also:
Wheat Sampling No. 2
Wheat Sampling No. 1
Porter Sampling No. 7
Porter Sampling No. 6
Porter Sampling No. 5
Porter Sampling No. 4
Porter Sampling No. 3
Porter Sampling No. 2
Porter Sampling No. 1

Wheat Sampling No. 2 [4/26/2010]

Brewery	Name	Location	Short Description	Rating
Moab Brewery	Rocket Bike Wit Ale	Moab, UT	orange, coriander	92
Papago Brewing Co	Orange Blossom Mandarin Wheat Ale	Scottsdale, AZ	like an orange creamsicle	89
Pyramid Breweries	Haywire Hefeweizen	Seattle, WA	nice orange flavor	94
Avery Brewing Co	White Rascal Belgian-Style Wheat Ale	Boulder, CO	hoppy, bitter	86
Ballast Point Brewing Co	Wahoo Wheat	San Diego, CA	interesting	92
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company	Sunset Wheat	Chippewa Falls, WI	I like the lemon a lot	94
Paulaner Brewery	Hefe-Weizen	Munich, Germany	too much banana	88
Left Hand Brewing Co.	Haystack Wheat	Longmont, CO	too much banana	89
Gordon Biersch Brewing Company	Hefeweizen	San Jose, CA	banana, bitter, but ok	89
Widmer Brothers Brewing Co	Hefeweizen	Portland, OR	bitter, mild yeast flavor	89
New Belgium Brewing Company	Sunshine Wheat	Fort Collins, CO	too much banana	88
Franziskaner	Weissbier	Munich, Germany	ok, not my favorite	89
New Belgium Brewing Company	Mothership Wit	Fort Collins, CO	too much banana	88

See Also:
Wheat Sampling No. 1
Ale Sampling No. 1
Porter Sampling No. 7
Porter Sampling No. 6
Porter Sampling No. 5
Porter Sampling No. 4
Porter Sampling No. 3
Porter Sampling No. 2
Porter Sampling No. 1

Finished Iorich [4/24/2010]

The latest installment in Steven Brust's Vlad series was one of my favorites of all of them. I really liked the character of Perisil. I hope he returns again. I was also happy to have Kragar play a part in this one. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to wait a year or more for another Vlad story.

Finished The Crying of Lot 49 [4/21/2010]

This book is very strange in that I liked it as a whole even though I didn't like any of the characters in any way, or the action, or the descriptions. It was annoying that I still wanted to keep reading despite everything being so un-likeable. The best way I can explain it is that there is a sort of messiness to the mystery that is appealing. It's like a dream in that it doesn't make sense and there are no answers.