Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time

    Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time is an Action/Adventure Platformer developed by Insomniac Games and released in 2009. It is the sixth main entry in the Ratchet and Clank series, though only the second to be released on the Playstation 3.

    I have been a fan of the almost cartoon-like Ratchet and Clank series ever since I put the first game's DVD into my Playstation 2. Rich, vibrant levels filled with interesting creatures fill the game worlds. Highly amusing dialogue keeps you laughing through the games and keeps the story light-hearted.  And of course, there's the multitude of upgradable weapons and gadgets, each with its own personality. A Crack in Time is another example of what makes these games great.

Blackheart - Three Floyds Brewing Co.

    Blackheart is an English Style India Pale Ale created by Three Floyds which is located in Munster, Indiana. The ale is brewed using all English ingredients, and is aged on toasted oak. The label artwork is a collaboration with the Black Heart Tattoo shop in San Francisco.

    Blackheart pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a thick, off-white head. The foam leaves a thick lacing on the glass as well as creates a thin layer between the ale and the air.

    Pouring the English IPA releases an aroma of sweet orange peel and piney hops. Once in the cup, one can note the sweet, bready notes of the English malts.

    Blackheart has a medium body which is heightened by a moderate level of carbonation. The ale has an extremely nice creaminess to it which makes it go down easy. The dangers of being fooled by the ale's drinkability are forewarned by a nice alcohol warmth. At 8.5% ABV, one wouldn't want to drink too much of this too quickly!

Blackheart and artwork by Tim Lehi of Black Heart Tattoo. For some reason
this is how I imagine Charlie Sheen will die.

    The English IPA's flavor starts out with a nice bouquet of hops flavors, mainly orange and piney resin. These bitter flavors are quickly balanced by sweet malts which bring to mind brown sugar and caramel. Bringing up the rear is the subtle flavor of toasted oak, really making this beer unique and interesting.

    I find the collaboration between Three Floyds and Black Heart Tattoo interesting as alcohol and tattoos have an long history together. In fact, it's become a common joke whenever someone has a new tattoo to ask if the wearer remembers getting it. As I looked around Tim Lehi's website, I noticed that he has done two other labels for Three Floyds beers. I guess I know who to go to if I ever decide to get some ink!

    Blackheart is a very interesting IPA as the English malts make for a much sweeter experience than some. I have to say that the aging on toasted oak is what really makes this beer special. It's so interesting to me how such an subtle, almost imperceptible flavor can make such a huge difference in a beer. Definitely pick up this May release if you spot it on the shelf!

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD Edition - Xbox 360

    Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2) was released on the Playstation 2 way back in 2001. The game was highly anticipated as it was directed by Hideo Kojima, a game writer and director who brings a cinematic quality to his games which had not previously been seen in the field. Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, and produced by Konami, MGS2 had such a hype about it that another game, Zone of the Enders, owes its huge sales numbers almost solely to the fact that a demo of MGS2 was included with the game. In 2011, Sons of Liberty was re-released  as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection after being remastered for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PS Vita and upgraded to HD.

Zonker Stout - Snake River Brewing Company

    Zonker Stout is a Foreign Style Stout brewed by Jackson, Wyoming's Snake Rider Brewing Company. The can explains that the Stout gets its name from a particularly effective fishing fly. It also touts that the beer has medaled multiple times at the Great American Beer Festival.

    Zonker pours a deep, chocolatey black with a creamy, two-finger head that is just darker than khaki.

    Snake River's Stout smells lightly of chocolate and coffee, as well as some roasty notes. Hops can be slightly detected at the end of the beer's aroma.

    The Stout has a moderate body with a medium level of carbonation. The beer has an extremely creamy texture and finishes a bit sticky.

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    Zonker's flavor comes mainly from the malts used in brewing it. Up front you can taste the light roasted malts. The slight bitterness of the hops as well as a slight coffee flavor follow up the roastyness. Finally, rounding everything out, sweet, sticky caramel and chocolate malts finish off the flavor and leave a pleasant candy-like taste in the mouth.

    After trying this beer, I was glad that I poured it into a cup, rather than drinking it from the can. There are a lot of reasons that you can hear people give for why you should always pour beer into a glass, but this time, none of those come into play. My reasoning? I wouldn't be surprised if Snake River Brewing Company was run by fish, and that they have created the cans as a way to capture humans. It's classic trapping really, offer something that tastes good to the prey so that in partaking of the treat the prey unknowingly falls into the hunter's trap and is captured. If the Zonker fishing fly really is such an effective lure, perhaps the fish got tired of falling for it and have created Zonker Stout as revenge. I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of hook or net comes out of the can while you're drinking the beer and then fish appear with little S.C.O.B.A (Self-contained out-of-water breathing apparatus) suits and carry you off. Another narrow escape!

    I was pleasantly surprised with Snake River's Stout. I can see why the beer has won many awards at the Great American Beer Festival. I would completely recommend anyone who is a fan of Guinness Stouts give Zonker a try as I feel that it is a much better Stout overall!

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LowRYEder IPA - SweetWater Brewing Company

    LowRYEder IPA is SweetWater Brewing Company's (Atlanta, Georgia) take on a Rye India Pale Ale. The SweetWater website proclaims that their beer is made with a massive 25% shot of rye malts in addition to the normal malts found in beers.

    The Rye IPA pours a hazy orange color and creates a thin off-white head with low retention, though high lacing.

    The beer smells mainly of citrus hops with other fruits more subtly present. There is an earthy, grassy smell to the beer as well as a slight spice, presumably from the rye.

    LowRyeder is slightly thicker than medium bodied and has a medium level of carbonation. The carbonation seems to quickly fade \to a lower lever, however. At 6.2% ABV, LowRyeder has only the slightest bit of alcohol character, mainly just a slight warmth.

LowRYEder mobile! Is is still illegal if alcohol itself drives?

    SweetWater's Rye IPA is bitter right up front, though it quickly mellows out thanks to sweet caramel malts. The rye flavors come in towards the end with a bit of a peppery spice. Pine and grapefruit flavors from the hops accompany the beer's bitterness, as do slight tropical fruit flavors.

    I've never really understood low riders. To me, they look a bit like someone blew up a child's toy car to full size. I can't image that the vehicles are very practical. I mean, can you drive over railroad tracks, or any bumps at all really, without ripping off your bumper? Regardless, LowRYEder is much less silly of a beer than lowriders are vehicles. I do find myself wishing that SweetWater's Rye IPA had a bit more of a rye flavor, but overall everything is quite balanced. LowRYEder falls on the much sweeter side of American IPAs though, so don't go in expecting a classic IPA.

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Forsaken - Evil Genius Beer Company

    Forsaken is a limited release Amber Ale created by the Evil Genius Beer Company which is located in West Grove, Pennsylvania. The bottle explains that Forsaken is a hoppy Amber Ale which is brewed with Simcoe and Zythos hops.

    The Amber Ale pours a dark amber color with around a finger of khaki head. While the head quickly disappears, a hearty white ring remains around the inside of the glass which leaves some nice lacing behind.

    The beer smells mainly of floral hops. I get a scent like that of tropical fruits as well as the normal piney hops scent. There is also a bit of a caramel malt sweetness to the beer's nose.

    Forsaken is light to medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. The beer's mouthfeel is somewhat disappointing. I detect only the slightest bit of alcohol warmth. The beer has an alcohol content of 6.5%.

    Evil Genius's Amber Ale tastes of piney hops right up front, followed by sweeter caramel and roasted malt flavors. I didn't get any roasted scents from the beer, so these were a surprise to taste. The smell of tropical fruits was also misleading, as none can be tasted in the beer. The ale is definitely hoppier than other Ambers, but nothing really stands out as special.

    I can only guess that this beer is called Forsaken because it has been abandoned by its beer friends due to being "different". Hoppy Amber Ales aren't extremely common, so it's likely that the other Amber Ales refuse to play with Forsaken. Unfortunately, the other hoppy style beers refuse to hang out with Forsaken as well, since Forsaken is much too sweet to hang out with the bitter crowd. I kind of feel bad for the beer now, I better drink it out of its misery.

    Whether or not I feel sorry for Forsaken, I can't say that I particularly like the beer. I wish that the beer had a thicker mouthfeel and a flavor profile which stood out more. The beer is quite easy drinking, though its taste is only average.

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Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide Brewing Company

    Hercules, the mythological Greek half-god hero was known for his massive strength and heroic deeds. In naming their Double India Pale Ale after Hercules, Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado) is suggesting that their beer embodies some of the traits which made this hero a legend.

    Hercules pours a hazy orange color with a long-lasting two finger head which leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass. The beer's color could perhaps be likened to the sun-kissed skin of a Greek demi-god, though I think that this simile might be a bit of a stretch for Great Divide.

    The Double IPA's aroma is actually much maltier than I would have expected. Hops scents are present, though subdued. A piney, resinous scent mingles with citrus against the sweet malts. The ale's aroma reminds me of being in a pine forest after a summer rain.

    Great Divide's Imperial IPA is medium bodied with a light level of carbonation. With a name like Hercules, I was expecting the ale to have a massive body, not that the beer's smoothness is a bad thing. The ale's mouthfeel is a bit syrupy, though with the low level of carbonation it comes off as creamy. At 10% ABV, this beer's strength warrants the name Hercules all in itself.

Hercules Vs. The Hyrda, as recorded on ancient Greek pottery.

     Just as in the aroma, I am surprised by the huge malts in the Double IPA's flavor. Sweet, almost Barleywine-like malts give the ale its main flavors as well as those of candied fruits. Almost in the background are the citrus and pine notes of the ale's hops. For an ale with such a huge alcohol content there is no harshness whatsoever, just a slight warmth on the tongue. The balance of the hops and malts is amazing in an ale like this with so much going on inside it. The ale's massive flavors seem to play out subtly, against all reasoning.

    My comparison with the hero Hercules and the Double IPA Hercules has obviously fallen through. All I can imagine is that Great Divide named their beer after the legend due to the strength of the two. I have to say that I rather enjoy the idea of a bottle of Hercules going around in ancient Greece, beating up Cyclopes and rescuing fair maidens. It would be a dangerous job for a glass bottle however, so I guess I'll just leave it to Kevin Sorbo.

    Hercules Double IPA shows an amazing balance between sweet and bitter that confuses the palette into thinking that the huge flavors of the beer are actually subtle. Even if you are not a fan of IPAs, I would highly recommend that you give Double IPAs a try as they tend to be much sweeter and better balanced than singles. I will warn you, however, that Hercules's 10% ABV will sneak up on you and hit you with a stick as though you were a Manticore if you aren't careful, so drink responsibly!

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