Wine and Beer Enthusiasts

[it wasnt me]

Oh! Which book is worth your undiluted attention?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Oh! Which book is worth your undiluted attention?

"The Black Death: A Global History" by Thomas Asbridge; something that might be considered a little light reading for the week-end which I collected from the library yesterday, having had it on reserve for a number of months ever since I read a very positive review in the Financial Times.

Actually, while it is not the era I specialised in as an academic (that is modern European history), I did teach (journeyman teaching, for these courses featured on the first year syllabus) courses on medieval European history, as well as courses on Renaissance, Reformation and Counter-Reformation history for a number of years.

Anyway, this beautifully produced book was published in 2026, and I am already more than 140 pages in......

 

[it wasnt me]

That sounds, indeed, rather interesting. Enjoy!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

That sounds, indeed, rather interesting. Enjoy!

Yes, it is.

In fact, it is a beautifully produced book - an illustrated hard-back, published as recently as 2026 (thus, availing of the most recent scholarship across a wide range of sources).

I collected it yesterday from the library, having reserved it for a number of months, ever since I read a very positive review in the Financial Times a few months ago.

Anyway, it is excellent, extraordinarily interesting, well-written and meticulously researched.

 

[it wasnt me]

I have preordered the paperback version now, to be delivered in May. I might have completed my Karl Popper stack until then.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a glass (or three) of Albarino (a Spanish white wine) last night.

And yes, I was reading.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a glass (or two) of Viognier, a lovely white wine from France.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Last night, I met my brother for a few beers and lovely chat.

He enjoyed two Morettis, whereas I sipped and savoured two Weissbiers, this time Erdinger, rather than Weihenstephaner, as that is what the pub stocked.

 

[it wasnt me]

Erdinger Pikantus is a rather good Weizenbock though. Highly recommendable.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Erdinger Pikantus is a rather good Weizenbock though. Highly recommendable.

Ah, that does sound exceedingly interesting.

In any case, I simply had the standard Weissbier (which I greatly enjoyed) but I am more than partial to a good Weizenbock.

 

[it wasnt me]

I thought so!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a glass (or two) of Pouilly-Fuissé (a white wine from Burgundy, France) last night.

 

[it wasnt me]

I admit that this one is still on my TODO list. It won’t be easier now that “my” shop is gone. But I’ll keep looking.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

And last night also bore witness to the consumption of another glass (or two) of Pouilly-Fuissé (an elegant white wine from Burgundy), while reading a book.

 

[it wasnt me]

I suffer from a severe number of people around me. It’s that time of the year, when my city has the annual Wine Summer event, with a dozen of regional wine vendors in the city centre. The most awesome wine I’ve had today was a Gewürztraminer from Auslese grapes. Imagine eating a bouquet of roses with a touch of nutmeg. Awesome.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I suffer from a severe number of people around me. It’s that time of the year, when my city has the annual Wine Summer event, with a dozen of regional wine vendors in the city centre. The most awesome wine I’ve had today was a Gewürztraminer from Auslese grapes. Imagine eating a bouquet of roses with a touch of nutmeg. Awesome.

That sounds absolutely amazing. Yum.

 

[it wasnt me]

It was! I shall try more white wines while it’s still warm outside.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I suffer from a severe number of people around me. It’s that time of the year, when my city has the annual Wine Summer event, with a dozen of regional wine vendors in the city centre. The most awesome wine I’ve had today was a Gewürztraminer from Auslese grapes. Imagine eating a bouquet of roses with a touch of nutmeg. Awesome.

Your post reminded me to retrieve some of my wines from Alsace; thus, last night, I sipped and savoured a few glasses of a rather splendid Pinot Gris from Alsace.

The night before witnessed the consumption of my very last bottle of Helles from Weihenstaphaner from Bavaria.

 

[it wasnt me]

Glad to have been an inspiration for once!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

As I am almost out of my Weihenstephaner beers (apart from a few Korbinians) - a deficiency that must be remedied fairlt soon - a wine from Alsace (a Riesling that I haven't had before) may well keep me company tonight.

 

[it wasnt me]

Enjoy!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoy!

Thank you.

I did enjoy a few glasses of a rather lovely Riesling from Alsace last night.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have in mind to purchase a bottle (or two) or Riesling, or, perhaps, a nice Chablis to see me through the coming days.

 

[it wasnt me]

Tonight I feel like trying another Trappist beer. This one is not really an easy drink, with obvious alcohol and a warm note of banana and orange. Well, I can’t always win.

 

[it wasnt me]

Time for a barley wine. The Lervig brewery says:

We often leave a few exceptional barrels from previous batches to use in our Off The Rack series. This year, we have selected a few ripe barrels from 2022 and 2023. Tasting great, we decided to create an OTR blend of vintages for this year’s version. We took our best barrels with the higher ABV due to the angels’ share that has evaporated over the year in Jim Beam barrels and infused them with the almost 3-year-old Heaven Hill-aged Paragon 22. There are a lot more deep notes of caramel and toffee, dried fruit, and even a subtle liquorice note, finished with a seriously nice mouthfeel that fills your palate with oaky, bourbony warmth. Cheers!

Cheers!