Show Notes - Week of August 9, 2021

Greetings. The week that was was fairly mundane. As a result, there is not much to report, just a few beers and a bunch of words. My cycling distance has plummeted since the frame broke two weeks ago so nothing new to report there unfortunately. In addition, summer vacation is over, so it is back to work next week. 

New Beers:
Four new beers this week, and a 50/50 split between them. My total is now 796 unique check-ins in my personal quest to drink one of every beer in the world. 

The first two beers were from Grain Bin Brewing in Grande Prairie. We were in Grande Prairie for the first visit with grandparents since before COVID and they welcomed me with some local beers, which I thought was super nice of them. Grain Bin is an interesting brewery with a definite push toward variety in their beers. 

The first one from Grain Bin, Beer #793, was on the positive side of the ledger. It was the Twigs and Berries Haskap Stout. This tasted like a forest in a beer, in a good way. It had a really nice flavor and aroma, with a good stout booziness and a rich foam. I had to look up what haskap is. It is a berry high in antioxidants that was introduced to Canada from Japan in the 1950s, with the first cultivation in Beaverlodge which is just west of Grande Prairie. A beer that is local, international, and unique all at once. (3.75 / 5)

The second one from Grain Bin, Beer #794, was on the negative side of the ledger. I am not really a seltzer fan and not a gin fan. As a result, I had trouble getting over those biases bias to enjoy this. (2.75 / 5)

Beer #795 was in fact a cider, specifically the Blue Tractor Modern Dry Cider from Woodward Cider in Kamloops. This was put together really well and was tasty. As the name suggests, this was quite dry. My sweet tooth extends to ciders however, and so it was the second entry this week to hit the negative side of the ledger. To be fair, it was close to being on the positive side and was a personal preference and not a failing of the cider that put it there. (3.0 / 5)

Last up and coming in as Beer #796 was another from Narrow Gauge out of Missouri. The first two came in at 4.0 and 3.75, and this one was even better than the first two. Their Emperor Fallen Flag is a take on their Double IPA King Fallen Flag. I suppose you would call this a Triple IPA as a result. I really like this one and it is my favorite of the three beers I have tried from Narrow Gauge. The multiple hops treatments gave this beer a ton of flavor and a real kick at 10% ABV but zero booze burn. Fantastic stuff. (4.25 / 5)

New Words:
There are quite a few new words this week, but to be honest, most of them are from "Nemesis Games" that I reviewed a couple weeks ago. 

polity
[ˈpälədē]
NOUN

1. a form or process of civil government or constitution.
   
2. an organized society; a state as a political entity.

scourge
[skərj]
NOUN

1. (historical) a whip used as an instrument of punishment.
   
2. a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering.
   

VERB

1. (historical) whip (someone) as a punishment.
   
2. cause great suffering to.

acidulous
[əˈsijələs]
ADJECTIVE

1. sharp-tasting; sour.

colloid
[ˈkäloid]
NOUN

1. a homogeneous noncrystalline substance consisting of large molecules or ultramicroscopic particles of one substance dispersed through a second substance. Colloids include gels, sols, and emulsions; the particles do not settle, and cannot be separated out by ordinary filtering or centrifuging like those in a suspension.

anoxia
[aˈnäksēə]
NOUN
technical

1. an absence of oxygen.

arcology 
[ärˈkäləjē]
Save Word
NOUN

1. a city intended to be contained in a single structure

spall
[spôl]
VERB

1. break (ore, rock, stone, or concrete) into smaller pieces, especially in preparation for sorting.

atavistic
[ˌadəˈvistik]
ADJECTIVE

1. relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.

mordant
[ˈmôrdnt]
ADJECTIVE

1. (especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.

pinnace
[ˈpinis]
NOUN

1. (historical) a small boat, with sails or oars, forming part of the equipment of a warship or other large vessel.

hove
[hōv]
VERB

1. past of heave.

sclera
[ˈsklirə]
NOUN

1. (anatomy) the white outer layer of the eyeball.