Beer Review: Mighty Squirrel Original

Beer:  Original
Brewer: Mighty Squirrel Brewing
Source: 22 oz bottle
Rating: **  (6.7 of 10)
Comments: I’ve never seen a beer with the protein content listed on the label before.  Does beer even have protein?  Mighty Squirrel’s gimmick is that it is a beer one might enjoy after exercising, offering some nutrition with the buzz. It pours out a reddish gold with low carbonation (also low carbs) and a thing head. The smell is of fresh grains and the taste is smooth and malty, rather bready with caramel. It has a light mouthfeel.  There’s nothing heavy at all with this beer and the flavor is not bold, but I can see it having it’s place after a run or a game.

 

Beer Review: Pretty Things Our Finest Regards

Beer:  Our Finest Regards
Brewer: Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project
Source: 22 oz bottle
Rating: **  (6.9 of 10)
Comments:

I was heartbroken to learn that the creators of Pretty Things are calling it quits.  So I picked this bottle of a Pretty Things beer I’d never tried before. It pours out a ruby brown, effervescent with a thin head. The aroma is a cherry brandy, and the flavor is sweet, vanilla and creamy.  It has a light mouthfeel, and an overly sweet aftertaste.  Flavors mature as you work your way down the warming glass.  Check it out while you still can!

From the same brewery:

 

• 8.0 – Pretty Thing’s Lovely St. Winefride
• 7.8 Pretty Things Babayaga
• 7.6 – Pretty Things Baby Tree
• 7.5 – Pretty Things / Yeastie Boys Our Turn, Your Turn
• 7.0 – Pretty Thing’s Field Mouses Farewell

Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Author: Ron Chernow
Title: Alexander Hamilton
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publication Info: New York, N.Y. : Penguin Audio, p2004.
Summary/Review:

A straight-forward biography of General Washington’s right-hand man, Constitutional crusader, and founder of American finance as first secretary of treasury. It does not shy away from Hamilton’s failings such as an ill-tempered tongue and poor decisions, but mostly presents him as an honorable person who set the United States on the course to greatness before his own fall from grace (followed by his being felled by a dueling pistol).  Chernow relies on the unnuanced history that presents Aaron Burr as pure villain, but Burr did kill the book’s protagonist, so I suppose it’s only fair.  If you’re looking for an introduction to one of the United States’ overlooked but fascinating founders, this is it.

Recommended books:Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America by Thomas Fleming, Ordeal of Ambition: Jefferson, Hamilton and Burr by Jonathan Daniels,  Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg, American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis, Jefferson and Civil Liberties: The Darker Side by Leonard W. Levy, Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis and John Adams by David McCullough
Rating: ***