Message In A Bottle

Long Hammer IPA**

A log of enjoyable brews, dedicated lovingly to Saint Brigid of Kildare*

Long Hammer IPA**
---> by Redhook Ale Brewery

Hoppy, dry, slight citrus tang.
Only lightly bitter. Very drinkable.
IPA's are often quaffed from a snifter-like glass, which provides maximum liquid surface and a space for the nose to draw in the aromatic subtleties. I prefer it from the bottle, however, because i am not overly fond of the hoppy bouquet, which, for me, often overpowers the taste.

Beer Bunny gives it 1.5 ears up.

7.5 on a scale of 1-10.

APV - 6.51%
IBU - 38.5
Calories -186
Carb - 12.23 g

* (Naomh Bhríde, 451 – 525 CE), a joyful, generous, beer-loving woman, an Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several convents. Also known variously as Saint Brigid of Ireland, Brigit, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríd or Bride.

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It is said that she would change her dirty bathwater to beer for thirsty masses and visiting clerics. She is also credited with penning a poem that begins with the following lines: "I should like a great lake of ale, for the King of the Kings. I should like the family of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal." This one's for you, Dear Bridget. Cheers. :)

** IPA ~ India Pale Ale

Known more colloquially as IPA's, these distinct brews trace their origins back to the 1700's and the days of sailing ships and long voyages. When shipping standard beer into hot ports, it almost invariably arrived as a sour, flat, and undrinkable ale. This was especially true when shipping from the United Kingdom into India. After a very rough six month voyage at sea, marked by huge temperature fluctuation, the product upon arrival was always a disappointment. As a result, the brewers resorted to the only tools at their disposal at the time to guard against spoilage: hops and alcohol. By increasing both, the beer could survive transit quite well. The result was a very bitter pale ale with a high alcohol content.

Variations of IPA's are now commonly available from many micro-breweries, and provide an interesting and often unique taste experience. Two important scales of measurement for IPA's are IBU (International Bitterness Unit) and % ABV (Alcohol By Volume). A modern benchmark for this style of beer is considered by many to be 75+ IBU's and 7.5% ABV.

The Greatest of These

If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels,
but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.

And if I dole out all my goods, and
if I deliver my body that I may boast
but have not love, nothing I am profited.

Love is long suffering,
love is kind,
it is not jealous,
love does not boast,
it is not inflated.

It is not discourteous,
it is not selfish,
it is not irritable,
it does not enumerate the evil.
It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth

It covers all things,
it has faith for all things,
it hopes in all things,
it endures in all things.

Love never falls in ruins;
but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or
tongues, they will cease; or
knowledge, it will be superseded.

For we know in part and we prophecy in part.

But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.

When I was an infant,
I spoke as an infant,
I reckoned as an infant;

when I became [an adult],
I abolished the things of the infant.

For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I
know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.

But now remains
faith, hope, love,
these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

SUPPORT OUR GOOFS

I cannot count the nummer of SUV’s I have seen with little ribbon decals on them bearing the inscription: “Support Our Troops”. Each time I see them I think, ‘I do, but this does not mean that I support an unjust war, and even more sadly, one ill conceived, poorly planned, and ineptly executed.’ Absolutely none of this is the fault of our troops.

]]> Our nation’s warriors are the proud instruments of those who compose and orchestrate political policy. Like well tempered hammers, which can be used to build or to destroy, they are the tools of a purpose they did not design. They are our nation’s human weapons. And I personally mourn the misuse of each and every one of them.

I support out troops.
But I can never support our goofs.

Especially when our goofs
are killing our troops.

Daily Thread

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.

~John Wesley

Word Smatter : Strike the Word 'Terrorist' from our Vocabulary

We have made a grave error. We have given validation and power to a group of individuals by allowing their very name to speak for the emotion they wish to elicit.

Even if we take great pains to disagree with the approach of a terrorist, we are acknowledging their process each and every time we speak their name. Terrorist. What an Artist is to Art, a Terrorist is to Terror. The creator of Fear and Terror.

We give terrorists free advertising and product placement every time we speak their name.

Words have power. Words make a difference. Words matter.
I will not live in fear. I will not grant a person the power to terrorize me.
I will not honor their deeds
by naming them
with the very fear they seek to instill.

You have the power to take away the fear.
You have the power to take away the word.

Professional Driver, Closed Course - Commercial Vehicles

I am so tired of seeing automobile commercials showing cars doing things that you will NEVER EVER do.
Many of the maneuvers are even illegal.
And they always have the footnote:

Professional Driver, Closed Course

Just once i would like to see a chunk of real life,
with the vehicle cutting in front of another, and then slamming on its brakes:

Complete Idiot, Your Neighborhood

An Age Ago

I just finished watching The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. I have probably seen it four times, but none of those times were anywhere within the last two decades (jeepers, just saying that sentence is an age check). What brought the movie to our DVD player was the extended re-mastered version. It was beautifully done. But I was also amazed by several other things. 1) This movie is 40 years old; 2) The scenery is awesome; 3) The story is moved forward more by character and dramatic effect than by dialogue or action; 4) They actually censor the word “bitch” at the end by covering it beneath a scream (and the subtitle reads ‘b---‘). 1966 is an age away.

\_/ ..||.. __

Five years later, and our entire nation is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
All the signs are there. Re-experiencing the trauma, anxiety, depression, irritability, outbursts of anger, inability to focus on important matters, dysfunction of normal defense systems, increased vigilance, inappropriate placement of blame, aggressive behavior, and an exaggerated startle response.

That’s the diagnosis.
The question is… what is our treatment?

The Sins of Wages

TIME tackles a stirring topic in this week's issue: "Does God Want You to be Rich?" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1532999,00.html

It's a compelling question, particularly in a wealthy capitalist nation currently debating its theological center.