Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout Review

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is simply an outstanding beer. The beer is pitch black in color, and has a malty aroma. The beer has a long lasting creamy head, is low in carbonation, and has moderate lacing. Due to the oatmeal, the beer is unbelievably smooth for a stout, and is thick and full-bodied. The taste is bittersweet, and is of roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate. I not to prefer bitter beers, and this beer only has the slightest bitterness, which is well balanced by the beer's sweetness. The only negative thing I can say about the stout is that there isn't an expiration date printed on the bottle. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is truly a great beer and is highly recommended.

Rating: **** ½

Here's an excerpt from Samuel Smith's website.

Brewed with well water (the original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground); fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ to create an almost opaque, wonderfully silky and smooth textured ale with a complex medium dry palate and bittersweet finish.

Best served at about 55°F (13°C).

Ingredients • Water, malted barley, cane sugar, roasted malt, yeast, hops, oatmeal, seaweed finings, carbon dioxide.

And here's another excerpt from the importer's website (Merchant du Vin).

At one time promoted as a drink for lactating mothers, oatmeal stout was described as nutritional on early labels. Oats are in the same family as barley, and a small addition yields great flavor and adds smooth body. Popular in the late 1800's, the last oatmeal stout was brewed before the First World War until Samuel Smith reintroduced this style in 1980.

Almost opaque, with an unusually silky texture and complex, medium-dry velvet palate. Bittersweet finish.

ABV: 5.0% - OG: 1.050 - IBU: 32

Twinings Green Tea Review

Twinings Green Tea is a sencha style tea. I was able to try a single tea bag, and I wasn't impressed. The tea had a slightly vegetal, astringent, and bitter flavor. Perhaps I just prefer Chinese green teas to Japanese sencha, but I won't be purchasing this tea in the future.

Rating: **

Here's an excerpt from the Twinings website.

Pure and Natural green tea; smooth in flavor and refreshing taste.

Green tea is known for its smooth flavor and refreshing taste. Green teas are made from leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, the same leaves as black tea. Green teas go through a process where the leaves are heated to prevent oxidation while black teas are oxidized for additional color and flavor. The result is a delicious tea that brews to a light golden color and unique flavor. Twinings Green Tea is a style called "Sencha", known for its smooth, mild characteristics.

Light Flavour Strength

Twinings China Oolong Tea Review

Twinings China Oolong Tea is a tea that I purchased after enjoying Twinings' black teas. I do love oolong teas, and I thought I'd give Twinings' oolong tea bags a try. Twinings China Oolong Tea is a completely unremarkable tea, with only the faintest hint that it is an oolong tea at all. I was very disappointed, and will be sticking to premium loose leaf oolong teas in the future.

Rating: * ½

Here's an excerpt from the Twinings website.

Oolong teas, hybrid between black and green tea. A slightly sweet and delicate tea with a reddish color.

Oolong teas are principally sourced from China and mainly from the Fujian Province. It is said that Oolong tea first began to be produced at Mount Wu Yi Shan in Fujian Province at the end of the Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago. Oolong teas are partially oxidized or semi fermented which occurs when the leaves are gently shaken. It is this process which gives Oolong teas their reddish appearance and slightly sweet flavor. Great to drink with lunch or in the afternoon, this tea is best served with milk and sweetened to taste.

Light Flavour Strength

Clipdraw Review

 

Over the years I've bought a number of IWB holsters, but I've never been satisfied with them and they're all sitting in storage unused. The chief complaint I had with them is that they are just too thick and uncomfortable to wear. I've tried nylon, Kydex, and leather holsters to no avail. I prefer concealed carry over open carry so I tried the Clipdraw, and it's my preferred mode of concealed carry along with the Thunderwear.

I first tried the 1911 Clipdraw (#1911-B) with my Les Baer SRP. Installation was simply a matter of removing the right side grip panel, placing the Clipdraw on the grip, and then screwing the grip panel on top of the Clipdraw. Unfortunately, the 1911 Clipdraw does not work with some ambidextrous safeties, so I had to cut a notch in the Clipdraw with a Dremel tool in order to clear the ambi safety. Not having the width of a holster made carrying very comfortable. I only carry with the Clipdraw with an untucked shirt or sweater, and carry on my strong side hip slightly to the rear. When I'm not wearing a sweater or need to tuck my shirt in, I use the Thunderwear instead. Using the Clipdraw conceals the gun very well, and is comfortable to use.

 

The Universal Clipdaw model for semi-automatics sticks on the slide with a special tape, and works perfectly as advertised. I have the nickle plated model (#SA-S) on my Kahr TP9. The clip can be removed while leaving the leaving the tape and mounting plate in place if you want to temporarily put the gun in a holster. I like the Universal model because it's small, versatile (you can choose how high or low to mount the gun on your waist), and has a lot of clip tension for better retention. I would even use it for a 1911 instead of the dedicated 1911 Clipdraw due to the Universal model having more clip tension as well as being able to be used with any ambidextrous safety without modification (although you can always increase or decrease clip tension by manually bending the clip).

Pro

• Conceals very well under an untucked shirt or sweater
• Comfortable to use due to no added thickness from a holster
• Can be quickly drawn by pulling up untucked shirt first
• Can switch to using a holster with little effort
• Remove the clip on the Universal model
• Undo the right grip panel and remove the Clipdraw for the 1911 model

Con

• Must wear an untucked shirt or sweater, or a jacket that you do not plan on taking off
• Retention is a potential problem depending on how a number of factors
• The Semi-Auto Universal Clipdraw has more tension in the clip than the 1911 model (though you can increase tension on the 1911 model by bending the clip)
• Clipping over a belt helps by creating more clip tension if too loose, but also works well clipped under a belt
• Loose pants at the waistband coupled with insufficient clip tension is detrimental to retention
• I like my guns canted forward a bit and the Clipdraw will allow this, but after a long day the gun sometimes end up vertical as depicted in the pictures above
• Depends on clip tension and/or tightness of pants waistband
• Trigger is theoretically not as well protected as having tougher holster material covering trigger
• I would only use on guns with a manual safety or a with a long or heavy trigger pull just to be on the safe side



Saf-T-Blok

• The manufacturer does not recommend using the Clipdraw with a Glock that has a round in the chamber due to its light short trigger pull with no manual safety, though they do have a safe workaround with their Saf-T-Blok trigger safety for Glocks
• Because the Clipdraw puts the gun right up against your body, wide protuberance like a wide safety/decocker or slidestop may dig into or abrade your skin

The Clipdraw, particularly the Semi-Auto Universal model, is a great product for concealed carry while wearing a jacket or untucked shirt. I recommend it highly. Although I listed more Cons than Pros, none of the potential downsides significantly affect or bother me except that the Clipdraw doesn't allow for a tucked in shirt without a jacket (I use a Thunderwear when I need a tucked in shirt with no jacket). I haven't tried these, but there's also dedicated Clipdraw models for the Glock and J-frame S&W revolvers, as well as a Universal revolver model. There's many more details to note about this product, and Clipdraw has a great and comprehensive review from Combat Handguns posted on their website. Average Joe also has a good review.

Rating: **** ½

Twinings Lady Grey Tea Review

Twinings Lady Grey Tea is a nice light tea that I bought as part of the Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack. Twinings Lady Grey takes the classic taste of Earl Grey and tweaks it by augmenting the bergamot flavoring with the taste of oranges and a hint of lemon. The tea is smooth, light, and has a refreshingly bright orange citrus flavor.

Rating: *** ½

Here's an excerpt from the Twinings website.

A refreshing, light black tea with the distinctive citrus fruit flavor of bergamot to deliver an uplifting tea with vibrant aroma and zesty flavors of orange and lemon.

Lady Grey Tea is a unique blend from Twinings. This delicious black tea has a light and gentle citrus flavour that is both relaxing and refreshing. Lady Grey is perfect in the morning with breakfast or for afternoon tea. Enjoy it with a little milk, or with sweetener, or to your liking.

Ingredients: Black Tea, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Citrus Flavouring

Light Flavour Strength

Twinings Earl Grey Tea Review

Twinings Earl Grey Tea is a terrific tea that I bought as part of the Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack, and I'd expect no less from the inventors of Earl Grey tea. The flavor can best be described as being balanced, with the perfect mix of quality black tea and bergamot flavoring. Other Earl Greys I've tried were either lacking in bergamot flavor, or were too tart. Twinings' tea seems to have the blend just right. The tea is smooth and mild, and is great any time of day.

Rating: ****

Here's an except from the Twinings website.

Fine black tea expertly blended with the citrus fruit flavor of bergamot, to deliver an uplifting tea with a unique floral aroma and refreshing taste.

Twinings has been blending my family tea for years. Today, I am proud to continue this tradition with the tea celebrated throughout the world known as Twinings Earl Grey. Legend has it, that my ancestor, the second Earl Grey, was presented with this exquisite recipe by an envoy on his return from China.

Light Flavour Strength

Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea Review

Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea is a nice tea that I bought as part of the Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack. The Irish Breakfast tea is quite smooth, not at all bitter, and has a nice black tea flavor. I've only had it black without milk or sugar, as I prefer my tea unsweetened and without milk. I was expecting the tea to be quite strong, but found it to be smooth and mellow. All in all a good, solid tea.

Rating: *** ½

Here's an except from the Twinings website.

A strong, full-bodied black tea from the regions of Ceylon and Assam expertly blended with a hearty flavor and delightful aroma.

The Irish really love their tea and are amongst the most frequent drinkers of tea around the world. In celebration of this tea drinking tradition, Twinings blended a special Irish Breakfast Blend. This tea is best taken with milk and sweetened to taste to bring out the best flavour.

Robust Flavour Strength

Twinings English Breakfast Tea Review

Twinings English Breakfast Tea is a decent tea that I bought as part of the Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack. The tea is smooth, and has a bit of an astringent characteristic. It's got a prominent black tea flavor and aftertaste, which to me is a bit stronger than Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea, although Twinings lists the English Breakfast Tea as Medium and the Irish Breakfast Tea as Robust in flavor. I also tried the tea sweetened and with half and half, but much prefer the tea black.

Rating: ***

Here's an except from the Twinings website.

A rich & satisfying robust black tea. The robust, malty character of this tea comes from pure Assam and Kenyan tea leaves grown in India.

Twinings English Breakfast Tea was originally blended to complement the traditional, hearty English Breakfast, from which its name derives. The refreshing and invigorating flavour makes English Breakfast one of the of the most popular black teas to drink at any time or occasion - not just for breakfast. English Breakfast can be enjoyed with or without milk, sweetened or unsweetened - the choice is yours.

Medium Flavour Strength

Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack Review

Twinings Black Tea Variety Pack has a good mix of Twinings' popular black teas.

Here are links to my individual reviews of the teas in the pack.

English Breakfast
Earl Grey
Lady Grey
Irish Breakfast

Rating: *** ½


Here's an excerpt from the Twinings website.

A selection of our finest four black teas: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Irish Breakfast

I Like Guns

Kennebunkport Brewing Company Wheat Beer Review

Kennebunkport Brewing Company Wheat Beer is a beer I picked up at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's allows you to make your own six pack by selecting individual beers out of their stocked six pack packages and making your own combination. Not knowing anything about Kennebunkport Brewing Company (associated with Federal Jack's Brewpub), I was pleased to see a freshness date printed on the bottle and I selected a bottle of their wheat beer to give it a try. The beer poured clear, without any of the cloudiness one would typically see in a wheat beer. The first thing I noticed was the smell, which was harsh and acrid. It smelled like vinegar mixed with industrial solvents. The beer was overly carbonated, and there was no wheat taste that I could detect. The beer was thin, a bit bitter, and without any appealing flavor or redeeming attributes. I could not finish it.

Rating: *

Amazing Fishing Video

I once caught around seventy fish (croaker and white trout) in less than two hours off of a pier at midnight in Grand Isle, Louisiana. I used shrimp and squid as bait. Instead of casting the bait away from me, I just dropped it directly into the water underneath me where the pier lights were shining, and I would immediately catch a fish. I think they were attracted to the pier lights at night, and as soon as I dropped in the bait I'd get a bite. I was pretty impressed with my accomplishment then, but this fishing video is amazing.

Academia Barilla Pecorino Gran Cru Review

Academia Barilla's Pecorino Gran Cru is the best cheese I have ever tasted. Granted, I have very limited experience tasting fine cheeses, but the taste of Pecorino Gran Cru is a heavenly experience to me. This pecorino sardo tastes salty, strong, sharp, aged, rich, extremely savory, and is swimming in glutamates. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I like to eat small chunks of the cheese with a beer, or grated on pasta or a salad. Other pecorino cheeses I have tried (which are aged for far less time) pale in comparison. I had bought some at Costco, but they no longer seem to stock it anymore. It isn't cheap online ($15 - $20 a pound plus shipping), but it's worth it. Di Bruni Bros. has a review.

Rating: *****

Here's an excerpt from the Academia Barilla website.

Pecorino Gran Cru

Produced in Sassari, an area of Sardinia famous for its pecorino, our Pecorino Gran Cru is made with 100% sheep’s milk. The cheese is aged 20 months using techniques normally applied to Parmigiano Reggiano, which makes this an innovative product that can be found exclusively at Academia Barilla.

Characteristics

Aroma: an incredible balance of the sophisticated notes from the long agiging and the sweetness of fresh milk.
Flavor: sweet and well balances, with a intense bouquet of flavors, including long lasting milk aromas – rarely found in aged cheeses.
Texture: medium-firm. Melts nicely in your mouth.

Serving Suggestions

Great eaten alone, or with a drop of honey, marmalade or mostarda. To bring out the flavor even more, we suggest pairing the cheese with a full bodied red wine like Sardinian Cannonau.

Government Witticisms

Here are some great quotes about the government provided by Mr. Completely, who has the full list.

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. - George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man ....which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. - G Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. - James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. - Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. - Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. - Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. - Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! - P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. - Voltaire (1764)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. - Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. - Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. - Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. - Winston Churchill

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. - Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. - Thomas Jefferson

Trader Joe's Savory Thin Mini Crackers Review

I first tried a Trader Joe's Savory Thin Mini Cracker during a church communion service. The cracker was so savory and delicious that I was thrilled to find out they were available at Trader Joe's. Major ingredients in the crackers are rice and sesame flour, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic powder. The crackers are very savory from the soy sauce powder, and the sesame flavor is also prominent. Trader Joe's tends to keep the crackers in frozen section above the frozen food. These thin, crispy, round crackers are absolutely delicious, and are great just by themselves. It's almost impossible to eat just one and not gobble a bunch up, except when you're compelled to do so such as during the Lord's Supper.

Rating: ****

Here's a closeup of the crackers

10 Reasons Why I Am a Calvinist

Here's another humorous, tongue in cheek e-mail I dug up. It's also posted all over the web, but I thought I'd post it here for posterity.

10 REASONS WHY I AM A CALVINIST

1. Calvinists tend to wear wool and cotton. Dispensationalists tend to wear lime-green polyester leisure suits.

2. John Calvin was French...being French is very chic.

3. Calvin sounds like Calvin Klein...and his clothes are very chic.

4. Calvinists can drink.

5. Calvinists can smoke.

6. Dispensationalists are into prophecy conferences where they talk about Star-Trek eschatology and the mark of the Beast. Calvinists have conferences on "life and culture", art, social justice, and other high- brow things like that. Afterwards, we go to the local pub and talk about philosophy over a pint of Bass ale.

7. Calvinists have close ties with Scotland and Scotland is very cool: you know --Sean Connery, the movie Highlander, Bagpipes, the Loch Ness Monster, Glenlivet 18 year old Scotch, the movie Train Spotting, Brave Heart, etc.

8. Calvinists think we are smarter than anybody else.

9. It is more socially acceptable to say, "I go to Grace Presbyterian Church" than to say, "I go to Washed In The Blood Worship Center", "I go to Sonlife Charismatic Believers Assembly", or to say "I go to Boston Berean Bible Believing Baptist Bethel", or to say "I go to the Latter-Day- Rain Deliverance Tabernacle Prophecy Center, Inc.", or to say "I go to the Philadelphia Church of the Majority Text", or to say "I go to the Lithuanian Apostolic Orthodox Autocephalic Church of the Baltic union of 1838".

10. Ultimately, I am a Calvinist because I had no choice in the matter.

I Know How Reformed I Am, But How Reformed Are YOU?

Here's a facetious e-mail posted to a reformed mailing list many moons ago. Unfortunately I don't have the original e-mail so I can't credit the author. For a variation on this theme, check out You Might Be a Presbyterian If . . .

You might be a TR (Truly Reformed) if...

1. You first quote the Westminster Confession and then say, "Oh yeah, the Bible says this somewhere, too."
2. You refuse to vote for Jesus as Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" because you don't want an image of Christ on the front cover.
3. You secretly believe that you have to believe in election to be saved.
4. You think Puritans are really, really, really, REALLY cool.
5. While not being a theonomist, you completely understand them.
6. While officially affirming the "priesthood of all believers," the only people you really trust to interpret Scripture are Calvin and yourself, and you only trust yourself on Thursdays before noon.
7. For you, a Baptist and stupid are the same word.
8. A "Reformed Baptist" and a "square circle" are equally as difficult for you to imagine.
9. You wonder what the Holy Spirit was up to between the times of Paul and Calvin.
10. You think women belong in the home and not in any pulpit, much less a staff position in large churches.
11. At some point in your life, you honestly believed that the only people who are saved are you and your buddy who thinks just like you, and then you kind of have to wonder about him because he DOES think just like you.
12. You think any church that has more than 200 people is probably apostate.
13. You are personally repulsed by Campus Crusade for Christ.
14. It is harder for you to keep the Sabbath than it is to fill out your taxes.
15. You keep telling yourself that Willow Creek has to be a really bad dream.
16. You've considered stoning someone.
17. You've seriously thought about lighting up a cigarette in church.
18. You think "that Pope as the Antichrist thing" should never have been taken out of the Confession.
19. Saying a blessing before the first round of drinks doesn't seem strange to you at all.
20. Your favorite Bible is your "Authorized Bahnsen Version."
21. You're convinced that everyone in your Presbytery is secretly a 33rd degree Mason.
22. You know that the Apocrypha doesn't belong in the canon, but you wonder sometimes whether we should add Van Til's, "The Defense of the Faith."
23. You pray daily for God to release His judgement on para-church ministries.
24. You think no true evangelism has been done without at least 3 lengthy quotes from the Confession.
25. You can't figure out why God didn't take Van Til like He did Enoch.
26. For you, tobacco is its own major food group.
27. You like Sproul Jr. a whole lot better than his father.
28. You think John Gerstner was an Arminian who knows better now.
29. You think the "Concerned Presbyterians" are way too moderate.
30. The only reason you haven't condemned Covenant Seminary is because you went there and you don't want to invalidate your entire theological training.
31. You have no idea what personality type you are, which explains why you are a TR.

You might be a BR (Barely Reformed) if...

1. You changed the name of your church from "Knox Reformed Presbyterian" to "Grace Community Fellowship."
2. You've ever seriously considered going to Pensacola or Toronto to bring back the fire.
3. You think what the church needs is another revival, not another reformation.
4. You've ever done an "infant dedication" service.
5. You own more than one book by C. Peter Wagner, David Wilkerson, James Dobson, or Gary Smalley
6. You don't own anything by Charles Hodge, Archibald Alexander, or B.B. Warfield.
7. You think it's a good thing that many of your members don't know the church is Presbyterian.
8. The words "relevant, contemporary, and cutting edge" cause you to salivate excessively.
9. You don't trust anyone who doesn't have exceptions to the Confession.
10. You consider it to be in bad taste to ask theological questions of a candidate on the floor of Presbytery.
11. You've ever cut a service short because of "Super Bowl Sunday."
12. You constantly use the word "just" while praying (i.e. We "just" really want to thank you).
13. You switched to using overheads so people would have their hands free to "just really worship God."
14. You believe the greatest work on Apologetics ever written was "More than a Carpenter."
15. You wish there was some way of incorporating an altar call into your service.
16. You have a "worship team."
17. You believe that Republican and Christian are synonyms.
18. The most common logo on your casual clothing is "PK."
19. You nod your head when someone says, "Doctrine divides."
20. You could sell your copy of the Confession in "like new" condition.
21. You think that the PCUSA went Liberal because people just really stopped loving Jesus.

The Perfect Tax Funded Diet

New conscripts do sit-ups at a Nonsan recruitment center on Monday. They are members of so-called "health platoon" consisting of volunteers trying to slim down. Previous members of the platoon on average lost over 7.5 kg on duty./Yonhap

This South Korean training platoon is just what I need... except for the beatings, bad food, and the threat of nuclear annihilation. What this platoon needs is R. Lee Ermey!

Humorous Exegesis

From Xavier Thoughts.

Set Phasers to ROCK!

Star Trek and Wayne's World fans unite (from 45-Caliber Justice)!