Thirteenth step A perfect circle

This is my second attempt to blog from my phone. For give the dust and rust. If you have never heard of Maynard James Keenan, look him up. He helped shape art rock since the 90s. He is on the same level as Trent Reznor, another name you should know. You probably know him as the creator of the social network movie soundtrack. He has done so much more.

Back to the Thirteenth step. A perfect circle was a softer side project of Maynard compared to his main hard rock band Tool. You can hear every word clearly and easily unlike Tool.

To be honest a friend got me into Tool back in college and depending on what you are looking for Tool takes the cake. A perfect circle is an interesting experiment from Maynard. Some memorable songs are The Noose, The Outsider, and Pet but the whole album is worth a listen.

Check out the album on Youtube or spotify. Enjoy.

How it was consumed: warm delicious vinyl .

Rating: 8/10 great

The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man on Earth

The Tallest Man on Earth is Kristian Matsson a singer-songwriter from Dalarna, Sweden. With such great songs like The Wild Hunt and King of Spain starting each side of the vinyl it is hard not to like this album. His voice is a distinct as Bob Dylan and I would say there style is similar as well. This one man show will entertain you more than some 4 piece bands I have seen. You owe it to yourself the opportunity to listen to this almost folk music. It will stay with you like a scar but unlike some scars you will brag about this experience or at least be content with the time you spent with it.Sadly I received a scratchy record. It isn't terrible but I would say pops and hisses happen more than 30% of the record.

How it was consumed: Technics SL-Q300

Rating: 8/10 Great. 

Bridgeport Hop Czar Imperial IPA

I have been a fan of Indian Pale Ales for many years now. I have tried many and have liked or loved most. If you mess up a IPA you are in a world of distaste but I have been fairly lucky.

I picked up Hop Czar at Kroger and tried it out. It's slogan is "A Robust Ruler of IPA is Here, All Hail The King". This is too cocky a statement for the IPA you get but it is still pretty good. I have only had two beers from Portland, Oregon; this beer and Dead Guy Ale which is also a pretty good beer. My good friend Molly L. is studying in Oregon now and if I had some free time I would love to visit her... and some of the brewery's. I had no idea that Portland had so many good beers.

If you are a fan of IPA's then this beer is for you. It is less hoppy than Dogfish head but it is worth a try.

How it was tasted: From a mug.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Heineken Draught Keg

Heineken has a light taste which makes it a great summer beer. This can also be very refreshing after a days worth of skiing. Though I am more of a dark beer drinker, Heineken is always a good back up beer since most places that sell import beers have it. The Dutch beer is smooth and can be bought as a mini keg. One of my friends ended up giving me this for my birthday and I have been enjoying it ever since. If there is nothing wrong with the keg, I usually enjoy draught beers. You have probably already have been exposed to this beer from the Netherlands but if not it is definitely worth a try.

How it was consumed: in a mug from a draught keg.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Dillon Dam Brewery: Extra Pale Ale

Like I said before Dillon Dam Brewery is a quality find out  in Colorado.

This attempts to go after great pale ales as Dogfish Head's 60, and 90 Minute. I must say that they do a good job if you compare it to the 60 Minute India Pale Ale.

Of course IPAs have a distinct taste since they are highly hopped. This is not a beer for beginners but is quite enjoyable by fans of IPAs. If you ever get the chance try out any of the Dillon Dam beers you will not be disappointed. I have yet to find one I didn't like, though I didn't get a chance to try them all.

It is a beer truly worth the medal it won at the Great American Beer Festival 2004.

 Again here are where you can find the beer.

Denver, Colorado Springs


Front Range: Ft. Collins


Summit County: Keystone, Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain


Buena Vista, Salida, Poncha Springs, Fairplay, and Leadville.

How it was tasted: out of the Dam bottle.

Rating: 8/10 Great.

Dillon Dam Brewery: Sweet George's Brown

Dillon Dam Brewery is a quality find out here in Colorado. This reminds me of a Newcastle Honey Brown Ale. Sweet and tasty. If you ever get the chance try out Dillon Dam Brewery beers if you are ever in the area.

Denver, Colorado Springs


Front Range: Ft. Collins


Summit County: Keystone, Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain


Buena Vista, Salida, Poncha Springs, Fairplay, and Leadville.

How it was tasted: out of the Dam bottle.

Rating: 8/10 Great.

Dillon Dam Brewery: Dam Straight Lager

http://www.dambrewery.com/beer/index.html

We picked up a six pack from a local liqueur store since we visited the restaurant / brewery named Dillon Dam Brewery. Since I am still on vacation I am going to make this short and sweet. Specking of sweet, this beer is just sweet enough to be enjoyable but not sweet enough to be annoying. The taste is smooth and I would have this one again.


How it was tasted: from the Dam bottle.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Chocolate-Nana Recovery Treats

Molly Langteau at SuperFood Me posted a super delicious recipe for Chocolate-Nana Recovery Treats. I have known Molly ever since the Langteaus moved to Dallas so it was a delight to have the opportunity to review a Taste of Molly. 

After running in the Dallas Turkey Trot, I had the pleasure to enjoy some Chocolate-Nana Recovery Treats. The majority of the Langteau's (including Molly) participated in the run so this was a satisfying victory snack.

Molly wanted us to have a treat for after the race so she made an impromptu recipe that turned out really well. You will have to go to the blog to get the official recipe but I did help write down some of the items.

I know; I write like a doctor. 

The end result gave us a tasty and healthy treat. Sadly I only had a chance to try one since they were eaten so quickly.

I highly recommend you go the the FoodMe blog and check out this reciepe and others by Molly Langteau, health chief extraordinaire.

Rating: 8/10

SuperFood Me is a wonderful blog that posts health conscience food recipes.

Dead Guy Ale, Rouge Brewery

This beer makes me proud to be an American and makes me want to visit Portland, Oregon even more.

This darker colored beer is brewered in the style of a German Maibock. Dead Guy Ale has a bit of spice as well as a sweet malty taste that makes you want more.

It has won many awards for more than two decades but here are some of the ones in the last 5 years.

2010 Australian International Beer Awards—Silver
2010 Asia Beer Awards—Silver
2010 BrewNZ - Bronze
2010 Northwest Conference (Thirsty Beagle)—2nd
2009 World Beer Championships—Gold (Best of 2009)
2009 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze
2008 Great International Beer Festival—2nd
2008 International Beer Challenge—Top 50
2008 World Beer Championships—Gold (Best of 2008)
2007 NWBN Reader's Choice Award—Best Bock
2007 Great International Beer Festival—2nd
2007 World Beer Championships—Silver
2006 World Beer Championships—Silver
2005 World Beer Championships—Silver
2005 21st Beverage Dynamics Pkg Awards—2nd Wearables

Can the world be wrong?

I saw this at Costco a while back but you might be able to find it at Kroger.

How it was tasted: From the bottle.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

This Amber-colored ale is one of the better beers I have had from Blue Moon. I think the original isn't that great but this beer makes me more interested in visiting their brewery.

Harvest Pumpkin Ale doesn't taste like a pumpkin nor does it have a strong spicy taste. According to the bottle it has both plus a sweet taste. Flavor beers are never easy to make. If it taste too much like the ingredient you put in the beer you start to lose some of the other qualities that can make a beer great. Shiner Holiday Cheer is a little to fruity for me but just fruity enough for some people (fruitcakes?). The same thing can be said about Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat.

Blue Moon was able to mix up all the spices, cloves, nutmeg, pumpkin, and sweetness to make a fine fall beer. Harvest is only around from September to November so pick up a 6-pack today and tell me what you think.

How it was tasted: from the bottle.

Rating: 8/10 Great

The Binding of Isaac game

From the creator of Super Meat Boy and Braid comes an odd interpretation of an old bible story and a Zelda dungeon crawler.

You are Isaac a child who runs away from his mother since she is trying to kill him, because you know, God told her so.

Isaac has to explore his basement in order to find items to help him fight off bosses, enemies and finally his own mother. Now this sounds like it can get boring fast but the amount of items that you can get combined with the fact that each level is randomly generated makes this game infinitely playable. After going through it a few times new items are unlocked as well as new characters which makes you come back for more.

The game does slow down if there are too many enemies on the screen at once but the over all game play is solid. Over all, for $5 this game is a steal and everyone who has ever played a Zelda game should give it a shot.

How it was taste: On my gaming PC.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Super Meat Boy Super Meat Boy is a tough as nails platformer where you play as an animated cube of meat who's trying to save his girlfriend (who happens to be made of bandages) from an evil fetus in a jar wearing a tux.

Braid Braid treats your time and attention as precious; there is no filler in this game. Every puzzle shows you something new and interesting about the game world.

Hoegaarden

This unfiltered wheat beer is the first beer I really liked in the USA. Sol was the first beer I loved but our summer fling was propagated in Cancun. My good friend Andy's fiancé introduced it to me in the states while chilling at her place.

During this time I didn't like dark beers like I crave now. This was a simpler time before I realized how good Guinness was. Hoegaarden is a light tasting beer(not in the bad low calories way) and has a hint of orange peel and coriander. I think this beer would be a good way to ease in any novice beer drinker into the world of great tasting beers. This white wheat beer has a crisp taste as well as a natural cloudy presentation.

I recommend that you try this unique white beer with a friend who doesn't like beer to see if this will sway them. If it doesn't get some better friends.

Rating: 8/10 Great

Austin City Limits Friday

These next few posts will be all about Austin City Limits and the odyssey I had. I encourage you to take the time and listen to all the music videos. Enjoy!

Friday: With my sunscreen and my flask of Jameson, me, Andy, and Lindsay headed for ACL. Luckily we got to the concert early enough to get some good spots. In fact we arrived in time to see some of Big Boi at the Bud Light stage.

It is hard to describe the size and the amount of people at ACL. Zilker Park is 365 acres of music, food, and people. Over 70,000 fans attend the festival each day and it was quite the sight to see that many people in one place. People brought their own flags which reminded me of South Padre. Some of the "flags" we saw there included a skeleton Stewie Griffin, A blow up doll, and an "OU Sucks" flag. There must have been at least 50 or more flags per stage.

After this we headed to the Google + stage to see Foster the People. Needless to say they put on a great show. When I started hearing "Pumped Up Kicks" on the radio 24/7 I thought maybe Foster the People was some one hit wonders that made it big fast. They easily proved me wrong.

Right after that we headed to the AMD stage for Bright Eyes, another great band to see live.

After Bright Eyes said their farewells we grabbed a bratwurst and headed back to Google+ to catch the last half of Pretty Lights.

Now if you can't tell from the above videos, Pretty Lights is a killer band. Sadly there is only some many hours in a day so we didn't get to hear a bunch of their songs. 

Lindsay wanted to see Kanye West so we headed to the Bud Light stage to prepare. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised and entertained. He had most of his songs choreographed by  professional dancers dressed up in "artsy" attire (it was hard to describe).Also the fact that he split up his show into 3 acts which was pretty pimp as well.

After that we went back to Andy's place and crashed.

Bands that I wish I could have seen as well: 
Santigold

Cold War Kids

ColdPlay

Rating for Friday: 8/10 I wasn't there the whole day so it could have been better but I would do it again in a heart beat. 

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

This seasonal brew is a nice wheat ale brewed with lemon peels. It is truly refreshing on a hot summers day. The lemon does not over power the drink but adds a nice slight citrus taste. This is also not a heavy beer, like the original Samuel Adams, nor is it a light beer (like a Corona) but I think it is a marriage of the two.

How it was tasted: Out of the bottle.

Rating: 8/10
1-2= Disgusting
3-4= Not worth the calories
5-6= Average
7-8= Good
9-10= One of my favorite beers

Cheeky Monkey

 I discovered this mixed drink at the Flying Saucer this Saturday. I have to say it was not at all what I was hoping for. Golden Monkey beer by Victory Brewing company is on of my favorite beers (though I have not yet reviewed it), so I was excited to see it on the mix drink list at the Flying Saucer. I have never had Framboise before so I had no idea how much it would sweeten this mix drink. I dare say it was close to being as sweet as a Smirnoff ice *shivers*. Though that is a slight exaggeration, Framboise did not add anything the beer. I dare say it just tainted the Golden Monkey. I believe that people who like their drinks/ beers a little more on the sweet side will enjoy this concoction since it isn't too bad. I do ask that you try Golden Monkey by itself before you judge it based on this Cheeky Monkey.


How it was tasted: at the flying saucer in a glass.

Rating: 8/10
1-2= Disgusting
3-4= Not worth the calories
5-6= Average
7-8= Good
9-10= One of my favorite beers

Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale

This beer has a light taste of the bitterness that pale ales are known for. Most of the people who know pale ales think about Dogfish Head 60/90 Minute Pale Ale which gives you a strong punch of that pale ale taste. This is no where near that potent but this is an interesting take on a pale ale with a dash of the bitterness. Perhaps this is a way to work a friend into liking Dogfish head.

How it was tasted: at the flying saucer in a glass.

Rating: 8/10
1-2= Disgusting
3-4= Not worth the calories
5-6= Average
7-8= Good
9-10= One of my favorite beers

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Blink is Malcolm Gladwell's second book. Gladwell is know for bringing to light certain phenomena that he discovers while looking into different peoples research. This book talked about the idea of thin slicing, the idea that a lot of decisions and knowledge comes from the first few seconds of encountering an object or situation. Gladwell goes into details about how this 6th sense can help us and how it can be fooled.

The first examples he gives is of a researcher who studied couples and could read the slightest details of a 3 minute conversation with them and with that data could know with a 95% certainty if they would get a divorce or not.

There are many interesting findings that Gladwell shows us in this book but a few of them are a bit of a stretch. The ones that are a bit more out there are still interesting to read so I would recommend this book to a friend. 

I was given a copy of this book from a friend who gave me a few audiobooks. I am discovering some of them are incomplete and some mp3s don't work so this book may be better or worse than an official copy. I am having to re-read parts of The Tipping Point (the Malcolm Gladwell book I am on now) because of this.

Consumed: 3rd party audio mp3s

Rating: 8/10


1-2 = Painful
3-4 = Waste of time
5-6 = Average
7-8 = A good time
9-10 = One my favorites

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is not your average game. In fact I implore Capcom to continually releasing innovative games. Also they did a great job using the DS touch features to really pull the gamer into the action. The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep the player interested til the very end. Also the characters themselves are intriguing as well as the high quality motions they make.

This was close to being a 9 but still a good game for anyone who still has a DS or a 3DS.

1-2 = Don't waste your time
3-4 = below average
5-6 = Average
7-8 = a good game
9-10 = Everyone should play it

Rating: 8