12 Horse

A buddy gave me a bottle of Genesee 12 Horse after I saw him post about it on Facebook. I mentioned 12 Horse in a previous post when discussing Cream Ale. Production began in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition and continued production until 2003. Due to consumer interest the beer was brought back into production in October 2011.

This is the more accurate representation historically of a post-prohibition cream ale. I actually thought it might be more bitter, but it was easy drinking and smooth, much like the standard cream ale. I should have tried them both side-by-side to get a better sense of the difference between the two variants, but alas in my drinking pleasure I consumed the 12 Horse with gusto and didn’t even think about what I might have provided to the people out in beerdom. Shame on me.  😉

BJCP Help Wanted

I noticed on the BJCP site the organization is looking for volunteers. If you can help out, please volunteer. Here are the current needs:

Help Wanted

Interested in volunteering to help with BJCP projects? We could use help in the following areas:

• Cider Exam Committee — Subject matter experts needed to devise the exam format and questions for a Cider Judge Exam, similar to the existing Mead Judge Exam, and to prepare a study guide. Cider-making and judging experience required. Contact Dave Houseman if interested.
• Web Software Administrator — Technical experts needed install, configure, and maintain web software applications for the BJCP web site, including migrating and rehosting of data. Administration of content not required; this is a technical job. Specific expertise in MediaWiki, phpBB, mySQL and PHP required. Contact Gordon Strong if interested.
• BJCP Exam Graders — National- or higher-ranking judges are needed to help grade the increased volume of BJCP exams. Experienced lead graders are encouraged to volunteer. Contact the Exam Directors if interested.

Excessive!

Recently a news story came out of the midwest where a homeowner shot two intruders in his home. I am not going to link to the story, but I do want to talk about just how wrong this individual was in what they did. The man in question was in his home when someone broke in and according to news reports he took a rifle and shot the person who broke in and then the rifle jammed so he then used a pistol and continued to shoot the intruder until he was dead. Then he got a tarp and placed the body on a tarp and moved the dead person across the floor and sat waiting for the intruder’s accomplice. That person came into the doorway of the basement and the homeowner shot as soon as he saw the torso. The second intruder fell down the stairs and when they came to rest he placed the pistol under their chin and executed them. Next he waited until the next day to have a neighbor call the police. He has been charged with two counts of second degree murder.

I find this behavior to be reprehensible. In NC the Castle Doctrine allows you to stop a threat coming into your home with the assumption being the intruder meant to  do you harm. However in the case above there was no mention of a weapon on the intruder, nor any threat made against the homeowner. So using NC law the homeowner could legally shoot the intruder to stop the threat, but once he became a killer he was guilty of murder.

I don’t know what they will prove in court and it will be interesting to see how it plays out, but someone on a forum suggested the first intruder was looking to steal and broke in. The second was waiting in the car and when the first did not return they came looking for them. In the news article the homeowner had sat in a chair waiting in the basement for someone to come to the top of the stairs. So just looking at the situation that way the homeowner was justified in initially shooting the intruder. Then killing them was second degree murder. However if it can be proven he laid in wait for the second intruder that would indicate he planned the killing and that might be first degree murder which had it happened in NC could carry the death penalty.

Be sure to study!

I recently had a potential BJCP Tasting Exam candidate who was not able to take the exam because they had not yet passed the Web-based Beer Judge Entrance Exam. They waited until the last-minute and then decided to take it thinking it was not going to be challenging. While the entrance exam is not going to tax an experienced judge and homebrewer, it will prove problematic to those who are new to judging and brewing. One other examinee admitted they did not pass the first time they took the Entrance Exam and so they boned up and took it again.

My suggestion for anyone is to study. The BJCP has a study guide available online which will help in preparing for the entrance exam and the Written Proficiency Exam. Whatever you do, do not assume that because the topic is beer and homebrewing the exam will be a cake walk. It is not, even the Tasting Exam will tax your senses and abilities. So it you are one of those planning to take the exam in the near future, study and prepare and you will do well.

Ahh, I see, it’s made of gold!

Lately the trend seems to be when trying to sell something to price it at an absurd price and then let people make offers until an appropriate selling price is established. I guess on occasion some rube will take the bait and not ask for the discount. Now I am talking about private sales, but one particular classified really struck me wrong today. The person had a box of pistol cartridges, presumably 50, for $65. Now to me that says $1.30 per round. These were SJHP (semi-jacketed hollow point) and were defensive rounds with a heavy bullet weight for the caliber. It is somewhat rare to see them for sale, you can purchase the bullets for reloading. However when they are for sale they typically are only $40-45 a box or 90 cents per round. Now I don’t fault the guy from trying to make a buck, but you cannot expect to sell something for more than it goes for in the store unless it is rare or antique or has a particular provenance.

Anyway, my suggestion if you are selling something in a gun board classified would be to decide upon a selling price you would accept and to set your price slightly higher. But $20 on a box of bullets is ridiculous. I would think $25-50 per $300 of item value might be appropriate so long as the selling price did not exceed the new retail price. Let’s say I had a blued Bersa Thunder 380 which I had fired a box of cartridges through and then decided to sell. The gun retails for $275-300 and since it has been shot it will be less since most firearms do not increase in value. I’d probably set the price at $275 figuring to end up at $235-250. Actually I’d probably do $265 figuring most people see $275 as almost $300 and $265 as nearly $250.

So when you get ready to sell something, do a quick google search and price it fairly if you expect it to sell!

Ommegang Duvel Rustica

Delicious. That is how I would describe Duvel Rustica. If you have ever had a Duvel this beer is more rustic and somehow more delicious. Standard Duvel is a mighty tasty beverage, but the Cooperstown rendition brewed in the good old US of A has more depth and complexity. At 8.5% ABV the alcohol is the same as the Belgian counterpart, but the flavors with their earthy and lightly spicy characteristics seem to tantalize the palate with a myriad of flavor combinations. I don’t want to call the Belgian variant pedestrian, but the US version is complex and captivating. I can see it paired with a nice rustic cheese or any number of dishes. I drank it by itself and would have loved to have paired it with another Duvel Rustica.

If you spot this one on a shelf at your local bottle shop, grab a bottle and thank me later! 😉

Duvel Rustica Golden Ale is our long-anticipated collaboration with Duvel. It’s our first Belgian-style Golden Ale, a elegant ale noted for using simple ingredients to create complex flavors and aromas. We worked closely with Duvel on the recipe and processes, yet added our own signature notes. This Duvel collaboration created a fine ale, one with all the depth and breadth of Duvel’s classic Belgian Golden Ale, along with rustic notes, including fruity esters from our yeast.

In keeping with our rustic farmstead roots, Rustica pours a golden hue, the aroma and flavor mixes maltiness and citrus from hops while the yeast produces notable fruitiness. The body is lean and rounded, while the finish offers dry warmth & firm hop bitterness.

Black Friday 2012 Scores?

So how did you make out on Black Friday? Ready to pull the trigger on anything for Cyber Monday?

In truth I didn’t find much to go crazy over. There were two fantastic deals at one sporting goods store, but both were actually available the week before Thanksgiving. I had my eye on two items at a sporting goods store, but the issue was the closest location was an hour away and they did not have an online store for those items. One was worth the drive to get, the other the savings was $20 so I decided to pass. Oddly enough I located a coupon good until next year which is only $5 more than their doorbuster price on one item. I do have my eye on a Cyber Monday special for ammo and I’m hopeful I can snag it.

We’ve kept a keen eye to Amazon over the holiday and on Thanksgiving a Zombie Ammo Can went on sale for $4.99 each. The sale lasted less than a half hour and they only allowed you to purchase one so I got my wife to purchase a second using her account. Amazon prices fluctuate for some reason so the best thing to do with an items you are after is to put it into the Wish List and keep an eye on it. Once the price is where you want it, purchase it immediately. Keep in mind some items really do not change much, but others can swing wildly. That ammo can is typically $15 or more, but all of a sudden the price dropped to peanuts.

Here’s hoping you got the sale you were after or that you run into a great deal online. There’s nothing like sitting in your nice warm house saving money and having things shipped to you!

 

Ommegang Biere D’Hougoumont

Ran into Ommegang Biere D’Hougoumont at the store recently and a bottle followed me home. I noticed the bottle said brewed and bottled in the USA and so I was on the fence as to whether this puppy would hit style or not. I am happy to report this is an excellent Bière de Garde and is malty and very well crafted. The alcohol content is 7.3% ABV and the spice is restrained and very nice. I love it when a brewery actually makes a beer to style and does so with excellence and this is one of those beers. If you come across a bottle give it a whirl, the brewery description is below.

Our Limited Edition Biere d’ Hougoumont is brewed with traditional French ale yeast, eight malts, French Strisselspalt hops, and aged on white oak and hard maple wooden staves. A traditional Biere De Garde style, this malty French-style farmhouse ale is brewed to be aged. The name honors the Hougoumont farmstead at the pivotal center of the Waterloo battlefield. Napoleon repeatedly failed to take the fortification, he then lost the battle and “met his Waterloo.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks today for all you have and for all who made it possible!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and try not to overdose on Tryptophan!

Thoughts on Night Sights

Once upon a time I felt night sights on a pistol were a bit of a novelty. I really did not understand how they worked and in fact was quite naive. There are some out there which are cheap and basically you “charge” with light to get them to glow. Those are called photo luminescent and really should not be considered. When would you ever have time to charge the sights with light before going into a dark area. More likely you would pull the firearm from a dark drawer or concealed holster and then they would not function at all.

The best and only ones you should consider are self luminescent and contain a radioactive isotope of hydrogen called Tritium. The sights actually glow and that light will diminish over time with a useful life of about 12 years since by that time you would have reached the isotopes half-life. I have one pistol with night sights and they are pretty nifty when you can walk around in a dark room and see them glow.

Now the question really becomes do you need them? If I was in law enforcement I would say yes. Typically the LEO knows they are going into a situation and will have the firearm drawn or at least their hand on the pistol and will be prepared to be on target. For the average Joe I think they are nice, but certainly not required. I saw a post on a forum recently where someone said they could not imagine carrying without them. Really? How much time does this person believe they will have from the time they identify the threat to the time they must have the sights on the target? The answer is not long. I suggest if you are going to draw the firearm, you are going to pull the trigger and you probably will be point shooting since the threat will be imminent. There will not be any time to take an isosceles, Weaver or Modified Weaver stance and to bring those sights on target. Now if somehow you find yourself in a dark alley having a gunfight, sure the night sights will be awesome, but that will not happen unless you are already a criminal. The deadly force is not going to be a Hollywood shootout, it will be a random act which happens in an instant and when it is over you are not going to be thinking about how nice the night sights were for the situation.

So night sites are fun, they are great for shooting at night since it has been proven you can get back on target after muzzle flash faster with night sights (fodder for another post), but they certainly are not required.