Tag Archives: George R.R. Martin

Reading Material

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In order to live up to the name of this blog, here is a post that is almost completely unrelated to beer. As I am finally done with graduate school, I have had more (still not enough, there is never enough) free time to read non-historical things. Here is my current/recent reading list!

Currently Reading

Brewing Up a Businessby Sam Calagione (owner of Dogfish Head): This book is great so far. It is filled with interesting and humorous stories as well as advice and encouragement. It is an easy read. Brewing Up a Business has a lot of wisdom relevant to life and business in general that goes far beyond the brewing industry. I highly recommend this book.

To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild: Ok, so I have not completely given up on reading historical works. A coworker gave me this book to read and so far I am impressed. This is a very well written, but lighter (compared to other works on the subject) read on the first world war. Adam Hochschild also wrote “King Leopold’s Ghost” which I read for an undergraduate class, years ago and was very interesting concerning the Belgian Congo.

Currently Waiting On (Via Mail)

Memories of Ice by Steve Erikson: I am a sucker for sword and sorcery books. Memories of Ice is the third installment in the Malazan Empire of the Fallen series. This series is intense. Erikson is an anthropologist and archeologist and this academic background shows in his work. While this series is entirely fiction, it is very, very detailed reading. Honestly, Erikson’s books remind me of some of the more information packed historical writings I have been forced to read during graduate study (Saul Friedlander’s “The Years of Extermination” comes to mind as it was one of the last books I read for school). Dispite its occasional confusion, this series is excellent. Erikson’s world is huge, diverse, filled with epic conflict, unique characters and power everywhere! I get an HP Lovecraft feeling from these books, in that the universe is gigantic, ancient, hostile or at least by and large indifferent and humans are not always terribly important…

Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels: Ray Daniels is the head of the cicerone program therefore his credentials are unquestioned. I have heard many good things about this book and after reading Palmer’s “How To Brew” it seems like a logical step in my quest to become an excellent brewer.

Recently Read

The Gateway by Glenn G. Thater: I discovered this book when the author followed me on Twitter and I noticed the Kindle version of this book was free (yes, I said Free!) on Amazon.com. So I grabbed it. It was a very quick and action packed read. There is not a great deal of explanation of the world or the characters, just instant action. I thought the book was pretty interesting and plan on reading the rest of the series soon.

Deadhouse Gates by Steve Erikson: As I mentioned above, the Malazan series is great. I was not thrilled with how this book ended, but am still sold on the series.

How to Brew by John J. Palmer: I found this book to be extremely useful in learning the basics of homebrewing. It is very well written and not too complicated but it does touch on more advanced subjects. It is an excellent book to read on the subject and handy to have laying around while brewing. I believe it can be found online in ebook form for free.

Currently Waiting On (to be written)

A Memory of Light (WOT book 14) by Brandon Sanderson: Brandon Sanderson has been charged with finishing Robert Jordon’s Wheel of Time series. So far, he has done an excellent job and AMOL will end it all. I cannot wait!

The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller Chronicle #3) by Patrick Rothfuss: The Kingkiller Chronicles are quite simply some of the best written books I have ever read. I look forward to more from Patrick Rothfuss.

The Winds of Winter (A Song of Ice and Fire book 6) by George R.R. Martin: If you have not heard of the Game of Thrones series by now, you have probably been living under a rock somewhere. Check the series out, it is worth it.

The Stormlight Archive book 2 by Brandon Sanderson: I do not even believe Sanderson has given us a name for this book yet. I absolutely loved “The Way of Kings” and can not wait for the next installment.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the What to Drink While Playing

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I have spent a good deal of the last few days (when I was not at work) playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. So, far it has that great, open-ended epic feeling common to all of the Elder Scrolls games. The graphics are sharp, though, not flawless. The mood is dark and cataclysmic. And the storyline is, well, there are a lot of story lines, but many involve epic conflicts and dragons so far. From what I have played, the game easily stands up to its predecessors and in terms of darkness and open game play may even surpass them. I personally like the Nordic feel. This game is definitely worth checking out.

And now for the real question, what to drink while you are playing? A game like Skyrim requires something big that fits the theme. I suggest a Scandinavian beer like a Haandbryggeriet Odin’s Tipple or anything this Norwegian brewery makes. You might also try something from Nøgne ø, which is another great Norwegian Brewery. Both producers are world class. Furthermore, you cannot go wrong with anything the Danish gypsy brewer Mikkeller or his brother (who brews under the name Evil Twin) produces. The Orkney Skull Splitter also fits the theme really well. If you insist on drinking American, New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk is a tasty, barrel aged beer that blends nicely with the game’s theme. And if you really want to go all out while you play Skyrim, you should try Viking Blood Mead, the very bottle this mead comes in screams Skyrim!

On an unrelated note, I am now about halfway through Patrick Rothfuss’s “The Name of the Wind”. This book is amazing. If you are into the George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan genre of literature, I highly recommend this book. It is detailed, interesting and extremely well written. Honestly, it is difficult to describe and one simply needs to order it from Amazon and start reading.

After writing this original post and working all day, I narrowed down the above suggestions to a list of 5 beers you should drink while playing Elder Scrolls Skyrim.
1) Orkney Skull Splitter
This scotch ale/wee heavy fits with the Nordic theme perfectly, in flavor profile, name and picture on the bottle.
2) Haandbryggeriet Odin’s Tipple
This imperial stout is big, bad and at 11% alcohol might cut playing time a little short, but sometimes it is just the right thing to do.
3) Unibrique Maudite (or anything from Unibrique)
This Belgian strong ale is sturdy, good for cold nights and takes its name from Norse mythology.
4) Kulmbacher Eisbock
This is the original eisbock, its very potent and good for the cold nights, plus, I just could not leave the Germans out of this discussion.
5) New Holland Dragon’s Milk
This imperial stout has the perfect name for Skyrim and it is a pretty solid whiskey barrel aged beer that should be available year round.

Non Beer Post

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It is Sunday and I have already posted something about beer (early in the morning). So, before I go to work I thought I would quickly mention the books I have on the way. In the past month, I have not read anything that was not related to the Holocaust (studying for my board examinations for an MA in history) therefore, I am very excited to finally start reading “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss. The book comes highly recommended from multiple people and its online reviews are very impressive as well. I got into the genre after reading Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series, from there I was hopelessly lost. After that, I was pretty much forced into reading George R.R. Martin’s “The Song of Ice and Fire” series. Then, A few months ago, I foolishly, read “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson. I say foolishly, because it is the first book of a planned ten book series, and of course, the only one currently written. Anyway, I just thought I would mix it up a little today. Enjoy your off topic nerdization. And if you are looking for a good book, check out any of the books I just mentioned were fantastic and I really cannot wait to start reading “The Way of the Wind”. Also, if you are interested in a good beer book, check out “Tasting Beer” by Randy Mosher, so far it is one of the best books written on the subject. You could and should always check out something written by the master Michael Jackson on beer as well.

Also, if you are in Springfield the 22nd annual, Springfield Wine and Food and Beer Celebration is going on at the University Plaza Convention Center from 2-5. This even is always a lot of fun and raises money for Ozarks Public Television. Unfortunately, it is also not cheap, while it is worth it, you should be watching the Chiefs game anyway! I will probably put a local section onto this website where the viewers in Springfield can see local updates and not clog up the main board, any thoughts?