Spectre’s Sayings

This beer pours a dark golden or light amber color. The bottle I had produced almost no head. I wonder whether that is typical of the brand, or if this bottle had sat on the shelves too long. In any event, there was a sticky, sweet aroma that carried over into the taste. The beer felt thick - almost syrupy - in my mouth, and the taste was rather sweet. It was heavy on the malts, with not enough hops to balance the taste. It didn’t have the usual citrus-like yeast smell which I’ve come to associate with hefeweizens. All in all, I had had high hopes for this beer, but was disappointed.

Also from the Michelob Ales & Lagers collection is the Michelob Porter. This beer pours a dark color with a generous head. It has a very nice soda aroma with hints of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. The taste is pleasant, but doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the aroma. It wasn’t very complex tasting, but it was still a pretty good beer.

A new sunspot appeared on January 4th, marking the beginning of Solar Cycle 24. The sun has an 11-year cycle of solar activity which is driven by the twisting of the sun’s magnetic lines of force. The twisting is due to the fact that the sun rotates faster at the equator than at other latitudes. The sunspot which appeared is the first of many expected, and it is expected that these sunspots will be associated with solar flares and solar storms. These solar phenomena are expected to peak in 2011 or 2012, and then subside again.

Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day referred to this Catalog Page for PIA10102. Click on the picture thumbnail for the full-sized version. It’s a stunning picture.