You know, why should bourgeois TV shows and movies have drinking games when books are left out in the cold? Why must we hate highbrow literature so much? Highbrow literature, like... The Hunger Games!
Here's a small game to make the books even more entertaining:
Take a shot everytime Katniss plays with Peeta and Gale's oh-so-fragile hearts.
Imbibe when a decadent meal is described in detail. Take a second drink if you actually go eat something after reading it.
Drink every time Haymitch drinks. Then be plastered midway through the chapter in which he is introduced.
Take a sip of something whenever you think "Peeta" is the dumbest name you have ever heard.
Drink whenever you think Woody Harrelson really will be pretty awesome as Haymitch in the movie.
Throw one back anytime a tribute dies.
Tale a shot whenever you try justifying liking the book because it's so much deeper than Harry Potter; this has politics in it!
Finish the bottle with each book. Hey, there are three of them.
So here is a good porter from our friends in Montana, although one could argue Bobo's is not necessarily robust. But more about that in a bit.
The beer pours a deep dark brown color with a slightly tan head. There's a bit of lacing and retention going on, though all fairly average.
The nose is pungent. You can pick up on a slightly coffee-y nuttiness right off the bat with a tickle of sweetness flanking it. It's a nice smell, one indicating a beer you'd want to hang out with, just to chill out.
The flavor lives up to the nose's promise, and Bobo's is a kicking flavorful beer. The roasty flavor of coffee dominates -- think last year's Cowboy Coffee, but better -- closely followed by notes of semi-sweet chocolate. A smoky aftertaste rounds it out. Flavorwise I found this to be quite refreshing as far as a porter goes.
Which brings us to the "robust" part. The flavor could probably be called robust, but Bobo's one real issue is a strangely thin mouthfeel. For a limited edition porter I had expected something heavier, something... robust... but that promise was sadly not delivered on.
That aside, we found Bobo's to be a winner. Run out and pick one up if you're in the mood for a refreshing porter.
Ole World Oils is a Ritzville outfit that produces camelina oil. We can't say we knew a whole lot about the camelina seed -- frankly, we still don't know that much about it -- but when the producer was pimping its Camelina Gold at Main Market we decided to sample it. And it is good, and we think you should try it to.
While it might look like olive oil, camelina oil is quite a bit different. Its flavor is earthy with hints of Brussels sprout. That probably doesn't sound too appetizing, and a shot out of the bottle might not be the most pleasant thing in the world. The oil is, however, extremely versatile, and the fresh taste lends itself particularly well to dressings. Simply mix it with some mustard and shallots, and possibly some balsamic vinegar, and you have a good healthy dressing going.
"Healthy" is actually an important keyword here: The camelina oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which, of course, is good for the heart, and you also get a good dose of vitamin Es.
As the oil has a high smoke point it is a lot better for, say, sauteing than olive oil is.
Pick up a bottle at Main Market of Camelina Gold and try it yourself. We think you'll enjoy it; we're definitely fans.
The official Camelina Gold site has a good dip recipe that we recommend. It's pretty tasty.
Kona is one of those breweries steadily making good beer without getting much credit for it. Not often great beer, perhaps, but good, solid, six pack style stuff.
Their Koko Brown falls straight in line with the brewery's previous outings, and I'd say this one might even be a bit better than your baseline brown ale. It's a session beer at 5.5% ABV and, as the name suggests, has coconut playing a significant part of the flavor profile.
It pours a fairly standard brown with an average off-white head. Lacing is so-so. At first glance there's nothing too exciting here.
Give it a sniff, and things look up. A toasty, malty scent hits the tip, flanked by a gentle sweetness. It's enough to get the excitement level rumbling just a bit.
A quick sip in and the Koko Brown first feels like any baseline brown, with a slightly toasty aftertaste. Let it warm up, and you'll soon pick up the nuances that, at least to some degree, puts it apart. The coconut is quite a bit more pronounced than initial impressions would suggest, and there are hints of both chocolate and caramel here. All the flavors harmonize well with the brown maltiness, and the gentle sweetness is rather pleasant.
I'm sure a lot of people who usually don't love beer could find something to like here, and in that sense the Koko Brown is somewhat of a winner as far as drinkability goes.
It might not be the most exciting ale on the planet, but the Koko Brown a good serviceable beer none the less. We'd recommend it as a late winter session taster.
