Sleeping Dogs - Xbox 360

    Sleeping Dogs is an open-world, or Sandbox, style game that focuses on Action. The game was developed by United Front Games with development assistance and publishing by Square Enix. The game was originally slated to see release back in 2009 as the third entry in the True Crime video game series, but after many delays and budget problems, the game didn't hit shelves until 2012. The game is available on PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3.

312 Urban Wheat - Goose Island Beer Co.

    312 Urban Wheat is a Pale Wheat Ale brewed by Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois. I'm pretty torn when it comes to Goose Island beers as a lot of their distributed beers seem to mirror the low quality of Goose Island's owner, Anheuser-Busch's products. Their in-pub only brews, however, are on par with those of the best craft breweries in the country. We'll see what side of the coin 312 sits on in just a minute, though I already have my guess.

    312 Urban Wheat pours a pale straw color with vivacious bubbles swarming inside the glass. A two finger head forms at pouring, but quickly subsides into a thin layer of bubbles which lace the glass as the beer is enjoyed.

    Aromas of wheat malt and a bit of sour corn predominate the beer's smell. Very light, hoppy, citrus scents give the beer a bit of a grassy quality.

    312 has a light body and a high level of carbonation. There is a slight bit of wateryness to the beer that I could do without, though it finishes dry. The beer is sessionable at 4.2% ABV.

Goose Island's next Headquarters?

    Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat beer tastes of light wheat malts with a slight aftertaste of corn. Very light citrus hops give the brew a hint of lemon zest.

    I remember having this beer soon after it was first released and thinking that it was a pretty decent wheat beer. Now, at this tasting, I'm shocked at how much the flavor has chanegd. I wonder if production was changed to make for being able to sell the product to a larger market, and in the process the recipe was reformulated to reduce the wheat malt used in brewing.

    Whatever the change was, it's definitely for the worse. I would definitely look elsewhere for a beer with great, clean wheat malt flavor. If you want something light, 312 still wouldn't be a horrible choice, but you could find better...

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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Pabst Blue Ribbon - Pabst Brewing Company

    Just like ironic facial hair, fixed-gear bikes, and bands that don't even exist yet, Pabst Blue Ribbon has been a mainstay of hipsters for years. Now that I live in Chicago's most hipster neighborhood, it was only a matter of time before this review happened. I debated not even reviewing the beer, seeing as it's so popular nowadays..

    PBR is brewed by the Pabst Brewing Company, located in Los Angeles, California. The beer is an Adjunct Lager, using large amounts of corn in the brewing process rather than all barley.

    The beer pours a golden straw color with a thin foam capping it. This brew is super-clear with lots of bubbles rushing to the top of the cup. A thin film of bubbles on top of the beer stays around for a surprisingly long time for a macro brew. These bubbles clearly don't realize foam isn't cool anymore.

    PBR's aroma is very faint, but light malts and sour corn make up what odors can be smelled. To it's credit, the beer actually smells more like beer than other macros which tend to just smell like soda water.

Hipsters only drink warm beer, they grab it before it's cool.

    The Adjunct Lager is medium-light bodied with a medium level of carbonation. There is a bit of a wateriness to the beer, but it is also strangely syrupy. Even more confusing, the beer finishes extremely dry, just like the hipster sense of humor. There is an alcohol content of 4.74% ABV in the brew.

     Pabst Blue Ribbon's flavor has plenty of sweet grain flavor. I'm surprised the beer finishes so dry with how sweet the flavor starts. There really isn't any hops flavor worth mentioning here. The large amount of corn used in the brewing of this Adjunct Lager becomes obvious with the pronounced, roasted corn flavor of the beer. In fact, this is the corniest tasting beer I've ever had. Don't hipsters know that the use of corn hasn't been "underground" since the early 2500's BC?

    Overall, PBR is actually a bit better than some American macro brews. The corn flavor can be a bit off-putting at first as it's so strong, but you eventually settle on it just like most other things in life. I suppose if you're looking for a cheap, ok-tasting beer (or if you're a hipster), PBR isn't a terrible choice. I can only hope that hipsters eventually move on to local craft beer instead of this, but until then I'll keep blaming Frank Booth from Blue Velvet for causing my neighborhood to be inundated with PBR cans...

Amulets and Ale Rating:

(I would have rated it higher if it weren't so mainstream..)

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Max Payne 3 - Xbox 360

    Max Payne 3 is a Third-Person Shooter released in 2012 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and OS X. The game was created by Rockstar games and picks up nine years after the events of 2003's Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.

Tatra - Zywiec Breweries PLC

    Tatra is a Pale Euro Lager brewed by Zywiec Breweries PLC located in Zywiec, Poland. I honestly have never had a Polish beer before, and after seeing this at the store I had to try it out! As far as beer goes, I know next to nothing about Poland's traditions and styles, so I'm interested to explore the country's brewing.

    The beer pours a straw color that is darker than most Lagers. Thousands of bubbles froth up a white head that stands about an inch tall and shows surprising retention. There really isn't any lacing to speak of.

    Similar to other Lagers, Tatra's aroma is pretty light. Sweet, grainy malts are really all there is to smell here. At least there isn't an overabundance of sour corn malt like in some beers...

    The beer sports a light body and a medium level of carbonation. Tatra somehow just barely avoids the common watery beer character that macro Lagers so often have. Proving it isn't your normal Lager, Tatra contains an alcohol level of 6% ABV.

    Tatra's flavor starts out nice, sweet, and grainy. From there things start to get weird as the hops flavor comes in and confuses my mouth for a few seconds. The grain and hops flavors don't seem to mix well together. The beer's aftertaste is of clean grains, though you likely won't notice it with the weirdness of the hops/grain combo lingering in your mouth. The can advertises that Tatra is full flavored, but I would disagree to a certain extent. It's definitely more flavorful than a lot of American Lagers, but it still falls short of its "full bodied taste" slogan.

    After looking into Zywiec Brewery, I was surprised to learn that the company actually has quite a bit of history. Founded in 1852, Zywiec Brewery has been making beer for Poland longer than many of our American breweries have existed. Surviving through both world wars, Zywiec continues to brew under the Polish flag, even if they are currently owned by the Dutch company Heineken.

    With all the history behind the brewery, I still can't believe they haven't changed their recipe to include hops which jive a bit better with the sweet grain malts. Even though the beer's flavor wasn't exactly pleasant, I'm still glad to have tried the beer. If Tatra is an accurate example of Polish beers, they definitely have a unique flavor that I look forward to trying more of.

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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Warface - Xbox Live Arcade

    I'm just going to start out by saying that Warface is one of the weirdest choices for a game's title that I have ever seen. I mean, are we talking about some strange entity that actually has war for a face? Are we talking about soldiers showing their "war faces" kind of like athletes have a "game face"? I have no idea.
   Anyway, Warface is a Free To Play, military themed, multiplayer First Person Shooter that is available on both PC and Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released in 2013 on PC and 2014 on Xbox 360, and was created by Crytek. Interestingly enough, Crytek is actually changing their focus from full-release retail games (such as their Crysis series) to Free To Play games. From what I've seen in video game news lately, this decision has come back to bite the company pretty harshly, causing layoffs and other peril. So is Warface good enough to bring Crytek back from the brink of bankruptcy, or is Crytek going to show us their "out of business face"?

ApriHop - Dogfish Head Brewery

    ApriHop is an American IPA that is brewed with apricot juice. This fruity and hoppy beer is brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware as their Spring seasonal. It also seems to be craved by psychotic, albino rabbits, so that's something.

    The apricot IPA pours a clear, brass color with a half-finger head with great retention.

    ApriHop's aroma is strongly fruity as the hops and apricot juice form their own unique smell. Citrus notes as well as the stonefruit scents can be picked out, as can an earthy undertone. Light malt sweetness lies underneath the fruit and hop scents.

    The fruity IPA is medium bodied and sports a medium level of carbonation. Overall, the beer feels nicely creamy on the tongue. Dogfish Head's love of higher-than-normal alcohol levels makes the beer's alcohol content of 7% ABV unsurprising.

Stay away from my beer, or I'll devour the little one's soul!

    ApriHop's flavor is actually kind of disappointing. I was expecting a nice, lightly fruity, hoppy beer. Instead the flavors I'm getting are mostly earthy and herbal hops notes with a strong ale flavor at the end. There really isn't much apricot OR hops flavor in the beer, especially when you consider that the beer's label describes it "massively hopped". The label goes on to describe that the majority of the "massive hopping" was dry hopping after fermentation, which explains why there is lots of great hops scents and not so much flavor.

    This beer's label has me really concerned that there is a population of apricot-crazy albino rabbits somewhere out there. Just looking at that thing's eyes tells me that it would stop at nothing to enjoy its sweet, sweet apricot nectar of the gods. Plus, it's a widely accepted fact that albinos actually consume the souls of their victims. All I know is that if I run into one of these things on the street, I'm outta there.

    I was very interested in Aprihop at first. I could easily see how apricot juice would go well with hops and was excited to give it a try. As previously stated though, I ended up being disappointed in it. The beer was still decent, but not at all as advertised..

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Xbox 360

    Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a Third-Person Shooter created by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. The game was released in 2011 on the PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Space Marine comes directly out of Games Workshop's hugely popular Warhammer 40,000 series, most known for the table-top miniatures game of the same name. It may come as some surprise that Space Marine manages to make the transition between table-top to video game quite well. In fact, playing the game actually stoked my curiosity into the rest of the Warhammer 40,000 world.

Pumking - Southern Tier Brewing Company

    The Fall season is upon us, and you know what that means! It won't be too long until we start seeing pumpkin flavored everything. Every year adding pumpkin flavoring to things seems to get more and more out of control, and for the most part, it's not even real pumpkin. To me, that's the worst part of the pumpkin craze; that so much of it is just adding chemicals which taste similar to pumpkin pie spice, not like the fruit itself! Beer also suffers from the "pumpkin season", but it's not always a bad thing!

    Pumking is, as you may have guessed, a pumpkin ale. This festive brew is created by the Southern Tier Brewing Company that is located in Lakewood, New York. While I lump Pumking in with the myriad of other pumpkin flavored items, it's actually released in mid-August and is usually out of stock by the time November, and a lot of the other pumpkin items come around. Honestly though, I can't think of a better way to kick off the season!

    Pumking pours a light amber color with an orange tint. A small one-inch head forms at pouring but quickly subsides into nothing.

    Right away the smell of sweet pumpkin pie hits your nose, and I mean real pumpkin pie, not that artificial chemically smelling/tasting stuff used in other seasonal items. The ale also gives off scents of vanilla and toasted sugars.

    The beer is pleasant on the tongue with a medium body and a low carbonation level. There is a nice creaminess to this ale that makes it a pleasure to drink. I really don't get any alcohol warmth, which is surprising to me as the beer has an alcohol content of 8.6%!

Bow before your king!

    Pumking features flavors such as caramel malts, nutmeg, a hint of vanilla, and, oh yeah, PUMPKIN! I cannot express how happy I am that Southern Tier uses actual pureed pumpkin in this beer, rather than something artificial. And, honestly, this choice is what makes Pumking one of the absolute best pumpkin ales I have ever tried! Southern Tier manages to blend that pumpkin pie flavor perfectly with ale flavors so that you don't just feel like you're drinking a dessert, but rather enjoying something completely different while still reminding you of comfort food.

    The only bad thing I can say about Pumking is that, in both scent and flavor, the ale has a slight...candle-ness to it. By that I mean that the beer smells and tastes kind of how a Fall-themed, super-expensive jar candle would smell, the idea of which isn't exactly pleasant. This is easily overcome thanks to the balance of flavors in the brew. Plus, if you let this beer age for a few months, the unpleasant flavor diminishes and the nice, sweet flavors become more intense.

    Obviously if you're not a fan of pumpkin flavor, you most likely won't enjoy this beer. Pumpkin pie happens to be my favorite pie, so I love pumpkin flavor when it is done well. Pumking blew me away the first time I tried it and I had to track down another bottle to review. Definitely seek this one out, especially since it's one of the earliest (and best) pumpkin flavored foods of the season!

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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Apex Predator - Off Color Brewing

    Apex Predator is a Saison (AKA Farmhouse Ale) brewed by Off Color Brewing in Chicago, Illinois. In the past few months of living in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, I've become quite proud to call Off Color a local brewery. To me, Off Color seems to be just two guys who love making beer, and make it however the heck they feel like at the time. What results is usually a dang fine brew!

    Off Color's Saison is a hazy, pale orange with a thick, off-white head of foam. Much of this foam slides down the glass as the cup empties, though it leaves a nice bit of lacing on the sides of the glass.

    The Saison smells of the spicy Belgian yeast used in brewing it. Additionally, there is a slight bit of a bubblegum scent to the ale, a result of the brewing processes and yeast. Hops lend a slight grassy scent to the ale, as well as some interesting juicy, tropical fruit scents.

    Apex Predator is light to medium bodied, but is enhanced by the high level of carbonation. This carbonation is likely the reason that so many scents were perceptible, since the bubbles were propelling them out of the beer. An alcohol content of 6.5% ABV keeps things at what I would call an average level of booziness for a craft ale.

Don't trust his stories, especially when he's drinking. He's always lion.

    The Saison tastes very much like it smells with the exception that those juicy tropical flavors are much less pronounced, though definitely still there. The main event here is definitely the Belgian yeast. White pepper, cloves, and yes, even bubblegum flavors are all present, and somehow work quite well together. Even with all the different flavors, the beer still manages to be thirst quenching, which definitely a plus in a Saison.

    Many wise people have stated that history repeats itself. It's been a common theme throughout time that once a civilization reaches its Apex it quickly declines into nothingness. Take the lion. Top of his game, king of the jungle. Before long he's too lazy to get up and hunt and makes the women do his work for him. Next thing you know, he develops a drinking habit. Lazy, half-drunk, and slow in the afternoon sun, the lion sits just waiting for the younger, stronger generation to take his place. Just remember, it takes a lot of work to reach your apex, but if you relax and let your guard down, even at the top, you could soon find yourself at the bottom once more, or, you know, in a zoo.

    Apex Predator is a great take on the Saison. Time and time again, Off Color seems to take a classic beer style, put a slight spin on it, and make it great. I can't wait to try more!

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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'Splosion Man - Xbox 360 Arcade

    'Splosion Man is a Platforming game developed by Twisted Pixel and released in 2009 on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. The game was one of the first highly regarded Xbox Live Arcade releases, and really set the standard for the Xbox Live Arcade games to come.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas - Xbox 360

    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas is a Tactical, First-Person Shooter developed by Ubisoft. The game was released in 2006 on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Rainbow Six: Vegas is the sixth main title in the now 16 year-old Rainbow Six video game series based on the books by author Tom Clancy. The series has come a long way from its first game released on the Nintendo 64. As this is a much older game than others I review, I will be reviewing it as though I were writing this at its time of release.

Ommegang BPA - Brewery Ommegang

    Ommegang BPA is a Belgian Pale Ale created by Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York. Ommegang has a penchant for mixing traditional Belgian flavors and styles with American ingredients, creating a unique marriage between the two.

    BPA pours an orange-brass color with a massive off-white head. The head leaves some of the biggest bubbles I've ever seen as lacing on the glass. There is a lot of sediment floating around the glass, constantly being bounced around by the bubbly carbonation.

    Aromas of citrus, flowers, and astringent pine resin make up the majority of beer's hop profile. Spicy Belgian yeast and sweet malts round out the beer's scent.

    The Belgian Pale feels almost...fluffy in the mouth. The liquid itself is medium bodied, but the medium-high carbonation level really turns the beer into more of a light fluff on the tongue, not to be confused with an unpleasant foaminess. A slight bit of  the beer's hops oils coat the mouth and an alcohol content of 6.2% ABV slightly warms it.

Picking hops is apparently a joyful profession!

    Ommegang BPA actually tastes much less Belgian than I had expected. Hops are the main focus here, with ripe fruits, pine, and citrus flavors. The Belgian yeast is definitely there, but it is subtle and just adds a small bit of spice to the brew which is very nice against the sweet malts. The yeast flavors almost acts as a transition between the hops and malts, impressing me with the balance struck.

    I've had a few "Belgian" Pale Ales lately and I have to say that I'm becoming a real fan. I absolutely am a fan of brewers mixing old and new styles and ingredients. America's brewing seems to be more "what can we make that's fresh and new" rather than sticking to the tried and true which other breweries follow as law. Ommegang definitely gets a lot of my respect for their experimentation with combining the two ideas.

    I can't describe Ommegang BPA as just a Belgian, nor can I say that it's just a Pale Ale. The mix of these two styles of beer really creates its own genre. Anyone looking to try something new should definitely look for this beer. Its light body and fresh flavor really make for an enjoyable quaff.

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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DOA IPA - Cervecera Mexicana S.A. De C.V.

    DOA IPA is an India Pale Ale brewed by Cervecera Mexicana S.A. De C.V. located in Pénjamo, Mexico. This beer's vibrant colors and Día de los Muertos themed label attracted my eye as soon as I arrived in the beer aisle. The only other beers I've had from Mexico don't exactly fall under the "craft beer" label, so I was excited to give this one a try.

    DOA is a clear, amber color with tons of carbonation bubbles rushing to the beer's surface. A half-finger, off-white head forms at pouring and remains for an amazingly long time. The head leaves a thick layer of foam on the glass as the beer is enjoyed.

    The beer smells of sweet caramel malts behind a mix of hops scents such as orange peel, pine, and a tiny bit of a smell that reminds me of kitchen cleaner. I'm surprised at the lack of hops strength in the smell as this is an IPA.

    DOA IPA is medium bodied with a medium-high level of carbonation. The beer has a slight syrupy feel to it. DOA has an alcohol content of 6.8% ABV.

Poor guy's waitress took forever!

    The IPA is surprisingly sweet. Bready malts and what I swear is agave nectar make up the sweet background for the hops. For an IPA, DOA is not very hoppy. Citrus and pine flavors are definitely there, but not as pronounced as you might expect. The almost honey-like sweetness of the beer takes away from any hop bitterness that might have been present otherwise.

    I'm excited to see that there is a craft beer movement in Mexico. I can't wait to see what new plays on old styles, and even new styles, are created by Mexican brewers! I can see a lot of promise in beers created with traditional Mexican flavors and look forward to trying as many as I can find! On a similarly related note, have you ever noticed that all Mexican breweries have extremely long names, even with the abbreviations in them?

    DOA IPA is a relatively average India Pale Ale with an apparently dead-on-arrival hops bouquet. I have to say that I am intrigued by the almost tequila-like flavor in the beer, which I suspect is from agave nectar. I would definitely like to see more ales like this one become available in the USA!

Amulets and Ale Rating:

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Alien Amber Ale - Sierra Blanca Brewing Company

    Alien is an Amber Ale brewed by the Sierra Blanca Brewing Company in Moriarty, New Mexico. Ever since the Roswell UFO incident in 1947, New Mexico has been a hotbed of supposed alien activity. The state attracts hundreds of UFO hunters per year, each one hoping to have even a "far-away encounter with the Third Kind". Is Alien Amber Ale a novelty that visitors are suckered into just like that plastic UFO on your desk, or will it turn out to be an out of this world beer drinking experience?

    The ale pours a brown-copper color with little to no head forming. A slight ring of bubbles forms where the glass and liquid meet. So far, there's nothing stellar about this beer.

    Alien has a light aroma of sweet caramel and lightly roasted malts. There's something sharp, almost sour about the scent that I find unpleasant.

    The Amber Ale is medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. The beer has a much better mouthfeel than I had expected. It is actually nice and creamy rather than watery like I was afraid of. The ale has an alcohol content of 5.2% ABV, so it's not really going to make the alien's work any easier when it comes to abductions.

Friends don't let friends drink and fly.

    Alien Amber Ale tastes mainly of sweet caramel malts with just a bit of dark, roasted malt flavor. Similar to the nose, there is an almost sour flavor to the beer that is very off-putting. There is only a slight bit of hops bitterness to balance the beer's sweetness, and not enough to keep the brew from the too-sweet side of things.

    I don't know if this beer was brewed to lure UFO fanatics into buying it, or if it was introduced to humans by aliens as a means of subduing them long enough to experiment on their bodies and return them home with a new tattoo and text messages describing everything they did while they were "asleep". Either way, the beer's off-flavors aren't going to keep either intended target occupied long enough to get anything out of them.

    Now that my Alien autopsy is complete, you know to avoid this beer and it's possible creators' intentions! The beer's sweetness and strange flavors really don't make this an ale I'm looking forward to trying again. Pass this along to keep your friends from being probed!

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Mirror's Edge - Xbox 360

    Mirror's Edge is a First-Person perspective Action Platformer developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (Dice), and released in 2008 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and in 2009 for PC. The game is incredibly unique in that it focuses mainly on running from enemies and traversing the world in unique ways, than fighting. Add in a shiny, futuristic look, and Mirror's Edge has some major potential to be a memorable experience.

Krankshaft Kölsch - Metropolitan Brewing

    Krankshaft is a Kölsch created by Metropolitan Brewing which is located in Chicago, Illinois. I went looking for a Kölsch the other day and this was the only one I could find in the store. Looks like I lucked out that it is a local beer...Oh yeah, It wasn't too bad tasting either!

    Krankshaft pours a light straw color with a huge foamy head. The foam leaves light, soapy lacing on the inside of the glass. Lots of bubbles dance throughout the yellow brew.

    Metropolitan's Kölsch smells sweetly of hay, grass, and musty wheat. Just the slightest bit of hops aroma gives the beer an almost grassy scent.

    The beer is medium bodied with a light to medium level of carbonation. With the beer's appearance I had expected a light body and for the beer to be watery. I'm pleasantly surprised that it isn't! After drinking for a while the beer starts to cloy the mouth with a sourness, however, which isn't something you want in a Kölsch. The beer's alcohol content comes in at 5% ABV.

Beer power is the future!

    Krankshaft Kölsch tastes of sweet grains, mainly barley and some wheat. There is a sourness to the beer that reminds me of the flavor of corn when it's used during brewing as an adjunct grain. Some light citrus hops attempt to round out the sweetness with a bit of zest, but the grains are definitely the main flavor in the beer. The malt flavors don't come off as clean as other Kölschs I have had, which is sad.

    It's a little known (non)fact that the recent trend of using ethanol to power engines was not the first attempt at such alternative power. Back in the early 1900's, Winston McMaidemup invented an engine which ran entirely on beer. Winston, or as his friends called him, Loseton (those cheeky bastards), quickly lost the chance to trademark his idea when the local kids found out that they could siphon the fuel from the tank and get drunk. Winston's invention clearly would have changed the way we see beer today, though frankly I'm glad that beer's production is solely for drinking in the present time.

    Krankshaft Kölsch is definitely not my favorite Kölsch. That said, it's a very good American version of the German style. The main difference between the two is the cleanliness of grain flavor, which was definitely lacking in Krankshaft. Still, Metropolitan's Kölsch is a great beer to enjoy on the hottest of summer days!

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Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - Xbox 360

    Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an Action/Platforming game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game launched in 2010 on multiple platforms, though all other versions than the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360's follow their own independent story lines. While the game follows up the storyline that was begun in the Playstation 2, and first modern Prince of Persia game: The Sands of Time, it makes a departure from the canon that was set by that trilogy. Still relying on the Prince's acrobatics and parkour style of getting around town, The Forgotten Sands makes for a much more fitting continuation of the series than 2008's Prince of Persia's deviation from the norm.

Trois Pistoles - Unibroue

    Trois Pistoles is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale that comes from Unibroue in Quebec, Canada. In my experience, Unibroue makes some of the best Belgian-style beers that aren't made in Belgium. As far as beer labels go, Unibroue always tends to catch my eye with their labels depicting epic scenes. I can only hope the beer will be as epic!

    I don't usually talk about the labels of my beers much, but this one has a story that's just too good to ignore. Basically, Trois Pistoles (Three Coins, though I would have sworn it meant guns!) was a small town in Quebec which needed to build a church. I'm not sure if there wasn't enough man-power or what, but for some reason they weren't able to build. Eventually a priest somehow gets a magical bridle from God, which then uses to hold a devil captive after summoning it. This devil apparently took the form of a giant black horse. Anyway, the horse hauls stones for the church and everything it going great until someone accidentally drinks too much Unibroue and thinks it would be a good idea to let the horse take a rest out of its bridle. Well, sure enough, the devil takes off back to hell just as he was hauling the final stone to the church. Supposedly if you go to this town there is actually one stone missing to this day.

"Come on, you know you want to let me go!"

    Trois Pistoles pours a dark brown with ruby hues that become visible when the glass is held up to the light. A frothy, half-finger of head tops the beer and stays around for quite a long time.

    When smelled, this Belgian Strong Dark Ale gives off aromas of sweet, dark, caramel malts. A hint of dark fruits such as raisins and figs is also perceptible. There is definitely some spicy yeast scent to the beer, though it gets confused with the light scent of alcohol that is also present.

    Unibroue's beer features a medium body as well as a medium-high level of carbonation. There is an almost spicy sharpness to the beer, and only a slight alcohol warmth. The ale has a high alcohol content at 9% ABV.

    Trois Pistoles hides many flavors within its darkness. Caramel malts alongside vanilla notes provide a sweetness for spices such as cinnamon and clove to balance. The flavors of dried fruits like cherries, raisins, and plums add a pleasant lightness to the beer's flavor.

    A note if you happen to try Trois Pistoles yourself: this beer is bottled on lees for bottle refermentation. Basically, lees is just yeast which has either died or entered a hibernation-like sleep. This sediment builds up in the bottom of the bottle and, while it won't hurt you to drink, isn't the most pleasant tasting, so special care should be taken when pouring. It's usually best to make sure the bottle has been upright in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before opening, and then to pour slowly, leaving the last bit of beer which holds the majority of the lees in the bottle. Interestingly enough, Tartaric Acid is mainly made from the lees left behind by breweries. Think of that next time you randomly find your never-used container of cream of tartar in your cabinet!

    I really feel as though this beer drinks more like a wine than an ale. I would not want to drink this quickly, but rather enjoy it slowly and savor every little bit of interesting flavor. Its the same for every Unibroue beer I have had in the past. I would definitely recommend this beer to anyone interested in trying a nice representation of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale that isn't as boozy as some breweries tend to make them.

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Brütal Legend - Xbox 360

    Brütal Legend is an Action game with Real-time Strategy elements created by video game legend Tim Schafer and his studio, Double Fine Productions. With an all-star metal cast, a soundtrack featuring over one hundred classic metal songs, and Schafer's amazing imagination, Brütal Legend offers a very unique and enjoyable experience!

Fistful of Hops (Autumn) - Sun King Brewing Company

    Fistful of Hops is an American style India Pale Ale brewed by Sun King Brewing Company located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Fistful of Hops changes seasonally based on what combination of hops are available throughout the year. The malt base stays the same, but Sun King balances different hops on top of that base for each release. This particular release is the Autumn 2013 brew.

    The beer pours a hazy orange color with a half-finger head with amazingly good retention. Thousands of bubbles roil within the beer, even long after pouring. The lacing left on the glass by the foam is just as amazing as its retention.

    Fistful of Hops smells strongly of hops (surprising, I know). The hops scents include fruits such as cherries, oranges, and grapefruit, as well as some more floral and piney notes. There is a slight unpleasant acidic smell due to all the hops, though it's not too noticeable. Underneath all the hops smells lies a subtle, sweet malt scent.

    Sun King's IPA is medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Even with all of the bubbles, the beer comes off as very creamy. The ale finishes very dry, and leaves a small bit of acidy bitterness in the mouth. The beer has an alcohol content of 6.4% ABV.

I don't get how pure hops turn into beer, but ok.

    The malt base of Fistful of Hops is definitely present, though it doesn't stand out as more than a backdrop for the hops to play against. There were definitely more variations in the hops scents than there are in the flavor. Piney, resinous flavors dominate with a bit of grapefruit and cherry.

    For some reason this beer reminds me of the advertising campaign for Raisin Bran. You know, "two scoops of raisins in every box!". Instead, I'm thinking, "A fistful of hops in every can!" If this were the case, this would likely be the most bitter, disgusting beer on earth, but I would probably still try it...

    It's no secret, I'm not a huge fan of Sun King Brewing Company. I can admit though, that this is my favorite of their beers I have tried. I wish the beer's flavor had as much hops character as its scent did, though the beer is still not at all bad. I would rate this as a good IPA, but when it comes to IPAs which attempt to highlight hops it is only decent.

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Dragon's Lair - Xbox Live Arcade

    Dragon's Lair was originally created by Don Bluth way back in 1983. Bluth, an ex-Disney animator, worked together with publisher Cinematronics to create an interactive animated movie that could be enjoyed in the form of an arcade cabinet. Flash forward to 2012, and Dragon's Lair, after multiple ports and entries in the series finds itself on the Xbox Live Arcade in a new, high definition version which players can enjoy using either the classic Xbox 360 controller, or with Kinect's motion capture capabilities. Now a whole new generation can enjoy this arcade classic!

Rosa Hibiscus Ale - Revolution Brewing Company

    Rosa Hibiscus Ale is a Herbed/Spiced Beer brewed especially for summer by Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois. The brewers brag that 12 pounds of hibiscus flowers are added to the brew as well as orange peel. This is one of the more unique brews I have ever seen.

    Rosa pours a beautiful pink-hued bronze, thanks to the flowers no doubt. A slightly pink head forms with good retention, though it settles down to a film after a while. There is some major lacing going on with this one!

    The beer's aroma is that of sweet, but light, bready malts. There is definitely a flowery scent to the ale, and an almost wine-like tartness. This is already seeming like a great summertime ale!

    The beer is light to medium bodied, though a high level of carbonation fills out the mouthfeel to keep the ale away from the watery side. The carbonation feel like much smaller bubbles than usual, and what results is a light and refreshing drink. Revolution's summer ale has an alcohol content of 5.8% ABV, so it won't slow you down too much out there in the heat!

Lucky bees!

    Rosa Hibiscus Ale's flavor is light and sweet. In the beer's aroma, the malt was in front of the flowers. The opposite is true for the beer's flavor. The flowers give a mix of fruit (grape, raspberry) and vegetable flavors to the beer, while the sweet malts keep things bright and summery. Just as it smelled, the beer tastes somewhat tart. There is just a slight bit of orange peel flavor at the very end of each drink.

    Ok, I think Revolution is up to something with this beer. I've never had a beer that tastes so much like a summertime flower garden. In fact, the beer kind of reminds me of nectar. So much so that I'm slightly curious if Revolution Brewery is secretly growing Beer Hibiscups in some hidden field somewhere and harvesting the plants' sweet, sweet nectar and canning it. That would explain why Rosa only comes out in late spring every year. I say we find this field, and take a few..."transplants" for ourselves!

    Rosa Hibiscus Ale is a summery flower garden in a glass. The only thing keeping this ale from being my favorite summer drinking beer is the tartness, as it gets cloying after a while and I don't really want to follow one Rosa up with another. Still, this brew is truly one of the most unique beers I have tried, and is definitely worth sipping if you can find it in your area!

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El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron - Xbox 360

    El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an Action game with heavy Platforming elements developed by Ignition Entertainment. The game was released in 2011 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game met with mixed reactions due to being steeped deeply in religious lore.