Oh, now this is bad news.

Hurricanes? I can deal with that.

Rising seas? Okay, not good, but we can handle that.

Climate change? Definitely not good, but it could be worse.

This is truly bad.

An Associated Press report details the findings from climate scientist Jim Salinger, who presented his research at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling's annual convention in Wellington, New Zealand. The grim results? Climate change may affect the production of malting barley, an ingredient crucial to the tasty beers we all know and love.

Tippling Tuesday, done early

I won't have time for my weekly beer post tomorrow - Red's got her business meeting, and I shall go as the dutiful carrier-of-things, so I'm a day early.

Today's brew is Henry Weinhard's Classic Dark. This beer is a very dark American lager beer - the website says it's available mostly in the winter (October thru March), but I've been able to find it year-round locally, so I suspect they're brewing it year round.

Classic Dark is a really deep chocolatey beer - those of you following my beer posts have no doubt noted a distinct preference for dark beers, and with good reason. I'm not a big fan of hops, really - even Northwestern hops tend to give a beer enough bitterness that the brew they're in is really harsh. This beer has three distinct malts, and a finish I can only describe as kind of sweet.

Weekly beer post

Well.

I was going to do a post this week about one of my favorites, the classic Guinness Draught. I was going to talk about how unique the nitro system is, the smooth chocolatey malted taste of it, etc etc etc. Now I'm not going to. Wanna know why?

I enjoy beer, and Guinness has been one of my favorites for years. About a year ago, they changed the formula, for reasons I can only guess at. Remember New Coke? Yeah, same thing - essentially, as I understand it, they changed the mix of the malts from using 100% really dark to about 75% really dark and about 25% caramel or lighter. The result is not unpleasant, per se, but it's definitely no longer the taste I'm used to. I've found a new love....or several, actually, and I've moved on.

The second thing is this. Look, I'm all for responsible drinking, and ensuring that kids aren't looking at inappropriate material. That's a good thing....but why in the name of all that's holy should I give my date of birth just to look at a site talking about their product??????

I suppose it could be a defense that they talk about actual brewing processes, how to make Guinness, etc, but come on. That stuff's not secret even in the most liberal sense of the word.

Anyway...goodbye Guinness. It was good while it lasted. I'll see you next St. Paddy's Day (can't drink anything but Irish beer on that day).

Weekly beer post

This week's review is Full Sail Brewing's seasonal fall entry, called simply Wassail.

I have somewhat more mixed feelings about this entry - for one thing I'm not so into hops, and while this winter ale isn't bitter by any stretch, it's definitely not a sweeter ale. There's a sharp spicy taste from the hops and from the four different malts used in brewing.

Wassail, traditionally, is a hot and spicy punch, cider, or mulled beer served around the Yule season. Without being hot, this ale does a creditable job. It's spicy, and is exactly the sort of thing one would be drinking around a fire after a long day skiing. It isn't a dessert ale or beer at all....more of an accompaniment to dinner or something just to be enjoyed on its own merits.