Yeti Imperial Stout by Great Divide Brewing Co.

Yeti Imperial Stout is hoppy and toffee all in one.  Pouring it is kind of like watching a yeti make syrup. It poured thick and very, very dark.  Nice roasty malts with a little bit of caramel.  Better than the Samual Adams Imperial Stout.  Kind of like an explosion of hoppy sweetness.  75 IBU's and a high 9.5% abv it is quite an impressive beverage.  I insist on any Onions in the area to come over and partake.  Brother Red gives this one a clean 5 monks.

Lamentations, & Wogh

Brother Red is missing his old monastery friends.  3 remain,  two have moved to greener pastures.  Hopefully we will unite here on this plain of existence, but if we don't see each other here I'm sure we will share a Stout Drought together in the here after.  Hopefully we'll get together before that.

Black Chocolate Stout 10% ABV

Simply the best High Content Beer I have had yet!

Sam Adams Old Ben Ale 9%ABV

The Best of the Sam Adams Homebrew winners.

Sam Adams Lemon Pepper Saison 6.something% ABV

Another of the Sam Adams Homebrew Winners. This one sucks though!

Sam Adams Mile High Barley Wine 9.8% ABV

One of the Homebrew contest winners from Sam Adams. Just came out yesterday!

Old Stock Ale

 Wow, I feel like I'm drinking Brandy or something.  This feels more like hard liquor than a beer.  I know that the Beer Advocate has given this an A- but I'm just not feeling it.  I read where one guy let one sit up for like 3 years and then drank it and it was awesome.  Maybe I need to forget about it for the next few years and leave it in my cupboard.  It is 11.5% ABV and way sweet.  I guess that all this double fermentation to get the ABV up so high really pushes these "beers" into a whole other category.  Like Bine, or Weer.  It seems that the more natural way to brew a beer is the best way.  The caramel is way over the top.  Not a big fan of the North Coast Brewery Co.  I think I liked Old Rasputin better than this.
Leaving it with a small 2 monks.

Brother Red has Spoken

End of Winter

Well guys it's finally the end of winter. Not because I just got done mowing the yard for the second time this year, or the fact that all the trees and flowers are in bloom. The real reason for my saying that it is finally the end of winter is because I just cracked open my last Sam Adams Winter Lager. Sorry to see winter go with it's nice dark, flavorful beers. Not looking forward to a spring and summers worth of lemon this, and summer ale that......Yak in a bottle if you ask me. Give me a heavy fall or winter beer all year long and I would be happy! On a sadder note, it is the end of an era here at the brotherhood. The Wrenster is leaving us for the land of the Fins! To be honest, I was really hoping his house wouldn't sell so he would never have to leave us. Just a bit selfish on my part, I going to miss you brother. You have been an awesome friend, mentor and brother. May god bless you and your family over there, I hope you are abuntantly rewarded over there for the time you have put into all of us over here.

Haven't been around much lately

With the new job and all, trying to get all of my ducks in a row. Well the dust is finally starting to settle so I should be able to blog again. Added the google voice widget at the bottom of the page. So if your feeling up to it, give me a holler. If it gets out of control, I will take it off, but it's an easy way for everyone to get in touch with me.

Athanasius Contra Mundum

Athanasius is one of my favorite heroes.  I know it's kind of strange in our day and age to say that someone as "boring" as a saint of old could possible be anybodies hero.   But being the old fashioned Christian that I am, I see something that we should emulate in Athanasius of Alexandria.  He was the first person that we know of to name all 52 books of the bible in a letter ( He also rejected the popular "Apocryphal" books of the time).  He was banished 5 times and eventually died in exile.  Part of the original "Council of Nicaea" he is largely considered the father of orthodox Christianity.  After Emperor Constantine died two of his sons split up the kingdom and the one that had Arian sympathies banished Athanasius and it began to look bleak for the Orthodox Christians of the day.  He never gave up, even against insurmountable odds.  Contra Mundum means "against the World" in latin and i think that this title fits him very well.  There is one story of him evading assassins (no doubt Arian heretics) in a boat.  As he was traveling in secret, two men came up and asked him if they had seen Athanasius from Alexandria.  Without missing a beat he said "He is not very far away. You may catch him if you hurry" and presumably pointed down river in the opposite direction he was heading.  As I said he was subsequently accepted back to Alexandria only to be banished later by several other Emperors, Julian the Apostate to name only one.  Yet this pillar of faith never lost sight of the true calling in Jesus Christ and continued to uphold and defend a long tradition of orthodox Christianity.  One thing I love about him is how everyone tries to claim him as there own.  Eastern Orthodox, Catholics, Reformed and the like all want to claim him as their own.  Since he lived way before the reformation I guess we can all lay claim to him.  That is the Orthodox Christians who stand along side of the great and rich tradition of Apostolic teaching dating back to Jesus of Nazareth, who is called the Christ.