Samuel Adams Norse Legend

Samuel Adams Norse Legend - Ale Brewed With and Aged On Juniper Berries (2012)

Limited Release (First Batch)

22 fl. oz. / $5.99 USD / 7% ABV

About: "Legend has it that barrels of sahti were found on sunken Viking ships off the coast of Norway.  This ancient Nordic ale took root in Finland becoming one of the oldest continuously brewed styles. For us, the legend of this sahti goes way beyond its Nordic roots.  It’s been a labor of love, or at one time some may have said hopeless pursuit, among a few of our brewers.  For almost 8 years we’ve been tinkering with it, from experimenting with its traditional, if rudimentary, technique of brewing with full juniper branches to trying variations of berries, malts, and rye.  We kept searching for just the right combination of ingredients and process to capture this brew’s distinctive character of woodsy earthiness, citrus, and spice.  After all of those trials, we’re excited to finally get to share this unique brew outside of our brewery. Malts: Samuel Adams 2-Row Pale Malt Blend, Rye, Special B, and Aromatic Malt / Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops / Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams Ale Yeast / Special Ingredients: Juniper berries."

Thoughts: Norse Legend poured a ruby like red color and had a dark yellowish creamy head. The beer is pretty transparent, though not completely, and isn't cloudy at all.

Scent is sweet and spicy. I'm mostly getting the rye. Juniper berry scent is laying real low in this one, which is a damn shame. While I'm not really a gin drinker, and haven't had the stuff in over ten years and even then didn't enjoy the stuff, I would have liked this beer to have more of a scent to it than what it does. Overall the smell is good, but it's pretty light and hard to get.

One big gulp to start off the night. First sensation is that Sam Adams yeast and malt which is very recognizable, followed by a calm tartness from those juniper berries and the end of it is a crisp citrus hop blend. My initial thought is that doesn't hold a candle to the greatness that is Dogfish Head's Sahti... but my second thought is that this beer is actually probably one of Samuel Adams' better brews out there. As I start to drink it faster, the merging of the senses build and a cloudy lingering of this brew's true essence remains behind. It definitely tastes of a Sam Adams brew, but the addition this time around of these special ingredients actually works out quite well. It's more woodsy tasting than it is herbal, and the mild citrus at the end is on the sweet side and doesn't get grassy at all which is nice. It's not sour, but sweet and tart... and when I said mild before, the beer as a whole is pretty mild really.

Mouth feel is a cold, watery medium with a gentle building fizz around the back.

This sweet, malty, tangy and somewhat spicy brew is an above average release from Sam Adams. It could be better yes, if these flavors were amplified (Isn't that always the case?). With this brewery though, I'll be pleased with what I get, if in the rare case I actually enjoy the beer. Their track record is pretty rough stuff with me, but they've got some gems hidden around here and there. This is my second ever Sahti Ale, and while I don't know how this would rank amongst the style, be it mediocre or not, to me it's one of Sam Adams' better tasting- if still rather unremarkable - products.

Samuel Adams Verloren

Samuel Adams Verloren - Ale Brewed with Coriander and Salt (2012)

Limited Release (First Batch)

22 fl. oz. / $ 5.69 USD / 6% ABV

About: "This unfiltered brew begins with a base of 50-60% malted and unmalted wheat for a crisp cereal note that’s light and refreshing.  The addition of lactic acid gives the beer a soft almost creamy taste and just a hint of acidity.  The addition of salt rounds out these flavors, providing a slight mineral quality while ground coriander gives the beer a peppery spice and citric notes. Malts: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Munich, malted and unmalted wheat / Hops: Saaz Noble Hops / Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams Ale Yeast / Special Ingredients: Coriander and Salt."

Thoughts: Verloren poured a pretty standard light-amber golden beer hue that turned out to be pretty hazy. The white head was fairly robust and showed a lot of staying power at a half-inch of small bubbles and lacy foam around the top of the glass.

The smell is very nice on this one. Very fragrant with a touch of spice... there's a lot of heavy malt in this one. Not really caramel, but very candy like.

First sip and I'll admit I'm a bit impressed. It's flavorful and fun, and those are the first thoughts that came to mind. Coriander and Salt are definitely the shining stars here, adding that touch of unexpected surprise and enjoyment to a wheat ale base. There's a zing to it, a little bit of a flavor blast that hits you, and then as it dies down it does so tremendously well. Not too much of a tang, but it's there and just the right amount. If I had to describe the fruity notes, I'd say tangerine. It's not sour at all, but there's a sweet and strange citrus quality to it. The saltiness really starts to come through around the last end of the bottle. I can feel it in the back of my tongue and throat. It's got a creeping mineral feel about it that blends perfectly well with the citrus and light spice. No complaints here, aside from it's got me licking my lips like a crackhead.

I went into this beer expecting nothing aside from the cool Owl artwork and the mention of salt. From the taste you can tell that this is a Sam Adams brew. Standard ingredients are all there and if you're used to it, it shows and it's not terribly exhilarating. The aftertaste doesn't fare as well as the first sip, gulps and initial taste, but it's not unpleasant by any means. Taking another gulp however, simply refreshes everything and even burping it up is a little exciting experience in itself. I'd say that this is one of their better one-offs falling third under Griffin's Bow and Tasman Red. While I had qualms with the other brews in this series aside from those two, this one seems to be pleasing to all of my senses. Something about this one really makes me miss those pumpkin ales. Maybe that's why I liked it so much? I taste a bit of Halloween in it.

Kate Beckinsale steps Through the Looking Glass...

If there were never a more perfect combination in my spankish fantasies, it would be Kate Beckinsale dressed and starring in Alice In Wonderland! I'm freaky like that on a SAH level. And it just so happens that Kate Beckinsale starred in the 1998 UK TV film event named "Alice Through the Looking Glass", and I've got it in my collection. Long before Tim Burton's remake with ol' dark-spot puffy eyed Mia Wasikowska, the lovely and always totally bangin' Kate Beckinsale played an adult version of Alice. While the film may be rather odd, Channel 4, and not exactly the most technically sound in terms of special effects, it's still got a major advantage over the newest rendition: the lovely Kate herself.

While reading this bedtime story to her daughter, Alice begins to drift off and ponder the notion of this fantasy world actually existing. As she looks into the mirror, something strange begins to happen...

As she touches her hand to her strange reflection's, Kate wakes up as Alice...

...looking sexy as all hell in that classic dress!

Noticing that she's now entered a mysteriously peculiar world, AliceKate sets off on an adventure to experience the strange and unusual.

And looks so hot with her hair in her face like that, by the way.

When I originally saw this I thought it was weird to see an adult Alice, but Kate pulls it off in this quirky little picture. Also, I've now become more comfortable with adult Alice after expanding beyond the original novel. Unfortunately the picture quality on this Lion's Gate disc is pure shit... interlaced all to hell, soft and blurry. The softness perhaps was due to the filming materials, but the interlacing truly ruins the picture here, especially as Alice is always moving around so quickly.

Kate Beckinsale Ads for Absolut Vodka

I love vodka. It's in my blood!

No, seriously... it's literally flowing through my bloodstream as I type this... and also, drinking is in my family history. But that's besides the point. What point you ask? Don't think I've got one this time around. But I do! And it has something to do with one of the sexiest women on the fuckin' planet, playing dress-up while doing photo shoots, for Absolut Vodka. It's been a few years and you've probably seen these in magazines, but that's no reason not to put it here to enjoy once more.

Is that above image enough to make you a loyal Absolut drinker? Or are they getting desperate!?
If I were desperate to sell Vodka... I'd do the same thing.

I don't know what it is, but all three of these Ads get me going. I like the first one for the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman factor, and the second because it's obviously Vampyric... but the third, the strange psychedelic one ...why do I for some reason like it the most!? The thought fascinates me. Though I'm really into spirals (I know it's not technically a spiral), the lime green spandex and blonde wig send shivers down my penis. Maybe it's the angle of Dat Ass shot. And while she's spinning records, it looks as if she's cleaning the floor. That's hot too. Some Cinderella type shit. No matter, as all three of these tap right into my braincells with a fury like a flesh-eating infection!

Kate Beckinsale Wrapped in Plastic.

Behind the scenes of Contraband (2012). Here, Kate Beckinsale talks about her first day on the job, where she's welcomed to the set, covered in fake blood, wrapped in plastic and nearly buried alive! And not only is she totally cool with it, she has one hell of a time playing dead. Oddly hot?

You bet your burrito!

Too cute to bury? Is that even possible!!?

  She sure is cheerful about it all... like I said, that's oddly hot!
Don't give me any ideas Katie.

Another of the behind the scenes featurettes shows her doing Stunt Work with co-star Giovanni Ribisi as he manhandles her, and they share a few laughs between the violent altercations. 

That looks painful. But wait until she watches this movie... then she'll know what true pain is.

Kate Beckinsale gets her ass beat in Contraband!

"Kate Beckinsale gets the shit kicked out of her in Contraband!" would work just as well. Pretty Kate has it pretty rough in this movie. Her former criminal husband is out of town, forced to run a job to save her little brother's sorry ass, and the local high-up thug who wants his money yesterday just keeps showing up to torment and abuse her. The poor thing. 

Here's a shot of her not getting her ass kicked.

Such a beauty! I'd prefer it if she had a little bit more smeared black mascara running down her face and more of a disheveled look to her through. Hang on...

 Now that's more like it!

Now she's looking really hot.

...and I'd say she looks absolutely smashing in this picture!

She's actually one tough chick in this movie, always fighting back and never giving in... but it's hard to feel sympathy for it based on those two attributes and the fact that she married a (self-reformed) criminal. Meh.

I mean, it's probably only a matter of time before she's wrapped in plastic and covered in cement, right?

Thought so.

I would have liked to see more of Kate in this film though. If you know what I mean! And also, the director on this one needs to focus his damn camera once in a while... or at least when it's on KB. I want to look at her, not look at blur. And with that cast this movie should have been a hell of a lot better too.

 Such a pity.