from the twisted minds of snm
Happy to report snow situation looking good. Vancouver city is even getting a good dump. Whistler is likewise! Checked into unit at Eagle Lodge and amazingly unit is right by elevator. Usually we get stuck way in the boonies, you know how the boys like to party!
In YVR a little late, but our bus is three hours away anyway. Snowing at airport, plane has to pause a bit before pulling into gate because can’t see the lane markings on ground!
So here we are having gone around the airport one lap. Apparently they overloaded the plane and some people and their stuff need to get off.
Just swell. At least the seats don’t totally suck.
So we are back at gate. Someone goofed & plane is overloaded. This may take a while, dammit!
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Just noticed this – the material used for IR glint patches cracks when flexed in cold weather. I’m not sure what the threshold temperature is, but so far they’ve been exposed to a couple degrees below zero Celsius at most (least?) so far. Run your embroidered patches in cold temperatures if the cracks bother you.
Well, I guess since I have no means of getting to the snow during this early part of the season, I’ll be downing brews when I’m not out hiking. Enjoy the beer reviews! For Hawaii readers, many of these JDM production beers and jibiiru are available at Marukai, Liquor Collection, or Don Quijote – check it out.
At least Root and Fabio will be ripping fresh lines in Whistler this American Thanksgiving!
This Yebisu varietal is available year round, unlike the Kohaku and Silk seasonals, along with the standard Yebisu Premium lager and “The Hop” Pilsener. A dark lager, The Black pours slightly thicker than standard Yebisu or the Kohaku amber. The decoction seems to be slightly heavier, and as a result, the attenuation is lower which lends a slight sweetness – not quite a molasses sweetness as found in some darks, but more of a hint of kuromitsu or brown sugar. The color is very dark, even darker than coffee. The initial flavor is dominated by the smoky overtones of the dark roasted malt and the bitter of the hops, but the malt flavor comes forth in the middle followed by an even finish. There is no significant sweetness or floweryness from the hopping. The head comes on strong at the outset, but disappears quickly. The carbonation didn’t seem particularly strong. Although I wouldn’t say this is my “go to beer” in the Yebisu lineup (that honor would go th the Kohaku and Silk in that order), it makes for a good change from the norm. Give one a try if you encounter the choice. Continue reading ‘Beer is Good – Yebisu Premium “The Black” Dark Lager’
Kuso! Just noticed on the revised bus schedule for the 10/11 season that the early season buses from Sapporo to Sapporo Kokusai are running only on Saturdays, Sundays, and National holidays. That means I’m screwed for tomorrow and Friday. I heard that buses to Teine Highland also only run on weekends and National days, although their website only shows the bus schedules for high season. My only recourse may be Onze, but considering the one run of man-made snow they have intermittently open, I may just cut my losses, take the bindings back off the board, pack it back up, and just go hiking instead…
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Wow! This mass-produced beer encroaches on the flavor territory of many good Japanese jibiiru. As the name “Kohaku” implies, this amber lager is distinct from its pale lager forbear. Released on 10 November 2010, this limited seasonal variety from Sapporo Beer’s more upscale division brings a warmer, richer malt flavor to the table. The pour, head, and mouthfeel is in line with what you get from the standard Yebisu, but there is a deeper flavor and less of the ethanol bite common to JDM production beers. This easily makes me twice as happy as regular Yebisu. If I can’t find any interesting jibiiru to bring back with me this time around, I’m seriously bringing some of this back! Continue reading ‘Beer is Good – Yebisu Premium Kohaku Amber Lager’
I guess I’ll fill in the fourth offering from Saitama’s Coedo Brewery – the Shikkoku dark lager. The name uses the kanji for “laquer” and “black”, forming the compound “jet black”, and as is fitting to this name, this dunkel pours an almost opaque dark brown with a moderate but transient head. Although the head becomes filmy, the carbonation remains constant throughout the beer’s existence in the glass. This carbonation, along with the almost completely attenuated decoction gives this dark beer a dry bitterness with little detectable sweetness. The initial flavor is bitter from the noble hops combined with the smokiness from the darkly roasted malt. The two flavors dominate throughout, masking any cereal-malt flavor that may be there. The aroma is actually rich and warm, belying the almost two-dimentional quality of the flavor. Don’t get me wrong here – I like this beer – it’s just not a very complex mouth experience. Continue reading ‘Beer is Good – Coedo Shikkoku’