My Take on Take The Black Stout

I have not hidden the fact that I am very much a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I even like the HBO version of it, now that I can say that I haven’t read (or reread as it were) the books in several years. I LOVE the books.

 It of course is natural that I would get all crazy when Ommegang announced the beer series they are making inspired by A Game of Thrones. I have now made my wonderful husband stand in line to purchase both the Iron Throne Ale and the Take the Black Stout  (did I mention how wonderful he is?). Of course, I am also a beer fanatic so I have been torn on whether or not to open the beer and drink it, or to cellar it and stare fondly at it imagining what it would taste like.

Eventually Blake had enough of my indecisiveness and grabbed a bottle of Take the Black Stout for us to crack open for International Stout Day, and to help celebrate some very positive news from my neurologist. I may have “over” documented the pouring of the beer, but like I said, it was a big deal to me.

The Take the Black Stout has an extremely rich coffee smell; Blake called it “Omigod good” smell (I think this should become a technical term). It was a gorgeous dark stout, which one would expect from a Take the Black Stout. The malt flavor is so strong, but there is also an even balance with the hops. This is not a weak beer in any flavor area.

 It was a wonderful dark stout, and I look forward to having our second bottle in the future.

A Rant- About Fitting into a Box

In the last week I have been called a feminist beer blogger, and a "forgetter"; so ignorant to the work of feminists the world over and the work they have done, all they have suffered... I certainly don't feel like either one of those names fits who I am. I work very hard in my life to promote equality of genders and embrace the differences between people. I want to believe that the strong role models I have who support me or inspire me to be a strong and successful person will also help inspire and support my daughter. I want my daughter to be strong and happy, but so secure in who she is the world of naysayers and categorizers will tremble at her glance. Maybe that makes me a feminist? Maybe the fact that I signed up for women and gender studies as my minor gives me some sort of ability to call myself a feminist? I really don't think that fits...

Of course on the other hand I do on occasion think of issues without considering the gender or minority aspect involved; I am able to separate those issues of equality from other issues on occasion. I am sure some of you have seen this article which has gone wild from the Daily Mail on "The History Girls", if not you should read it. I could pick apart all of the things which I find wrong with the article (and there are many) and you could all agree or disagree with what I say. I however want to discuss the fact that these women have PhD’s, should be addressed as Doctor, and all of them have extensive knowledge in their field. My issue is not how they dress, I don’t really think that the clothes you wear should decide how you are perceived by society, but I understand it does; I also don’t think that all of these women are dressed up like sexual objects.

 No, my issue is the lack of respect for their intellect, both on the blogs which I read that are condemning the stylized versions of historians (these doctors allowed themselves to be photographed like that), and within  the article itself. The questions which are being asked are AWFUL! But the interrogated makes the best of it that she can. Why is it okay for society to be up in arms over the way in which a magazine (a magazine guys, not a journal or a recognized media outlet, a magazine) portrays the physicality of these women? Shouldn’t the main issue be why are we focused on what they look like, and not the questions that were asked? Why is this magazine so sure that it’s audience wants to know a bunch of phony BS like who would you go back in time to see? Is it because we can’t focus on real issues? What about women who actually take bullets for their beliefs, like Malala Yousafzai? I am well aware of the fact that women the world over cannot get education, cannot get medical care, cannot vote, cannot drive, cannot earn enough money to support themselves or their children… to me THAT is what the issue of modern feminism should be, not what someone who is smart enough to make up her own mind decides to wear or say. I am not forgetting the past, I am only trying to look forward to the future because there are millions of women who still don’t have any sort of equality, and if a puff piece in a UK magazine brings a wider audience to a field where people can learn empathy and compassion for fellow humans, then is that so bad?

Here is a good link to a blog which I love where the writer picks apart the article: How Did We Get Into This Mess?

If you want to know more about women in the beer world, your first stop should be : Women Enjoying Beer

And if you want to learn more about helping women and girls around the world build a better future: Because I’m a Girl

This lady here has some fantastic ideas on raising strong and fierce girls: Dr Frankenbaby’s Monsters