The other day, I finished L.E. Modesitt’s Natural Ordermage, a book in the “Recluse” series. It was good, as expected.
Update: I noticed that the picture above has red text. The dust jacket on my hardback copy has blue text. Odd, that.
According to wikipedia, the only effective treatment for sufferers of Celiac disease is a life-long gluten-free diet. Gluten is naturally found in grains such as wheat and barley. As such, one would assume that Celiac sufferers (who are ineligible for priesthood in the Catholic Church, because of the nature of their disease, by the way) would be unable to enjoy a beer. One would be wrong.
Introducing Bard’s Tale Beer. The Bard’s Tale Beer Company was created to market gluten-free beer to the 1.5 million adult Americans who have Celiac’s. A brilliant idea, not just from the point-of-view of tapping a new market, but also from the point-of-view of introducing people to beers made from grains other than barley.
Last night, I tried their first beer, Dragon’s Gold. I was extremely impressed with this blonde ale lager, which was made with sorghum, a grain native to Oceania and Australasia. The beer was a bit darker than appears in the photo to the left (a rich, copper color), but it had a light, refreshing taste. It was low in bitterness (sorry hops lovers!), but smooth-drinking. When I had finished the bottle, I wanted more.
Update: Here is a better review than I can write.
I was going to write a review of Samuel Adams’ Octoberfest, but then I realized I already did.
Dragon’s Milk Ale, from the New Holland Brewing Company is an experience. Since I won’t be able to do it justice, I won’t even try. It’s a dark beer with a slightly smokey aroma. It came in a 1-pint, 6-ounce bottle, and it was a meal. I was still full when I got up the next morning. When I began to drink it, it was refrigerator-cold, but was room temperature by the time I completed the bottle. In that time, the taste of the beer changed by temperature, with different flavors coming to the fore at different temperatures.
An adventure, but a happy one. Everyone should taste this beer.
