Beer Lover’s Choice

Samuel Adams is currently having their Beer Lover’s Choice Contest where beer drinkers get to decide the next beer they brew.

The beers going head-to-head are:

Blackberry Witbier -

“We brewed a traditional witbier with orange peel and coriander, then added a hint of blackberry. The aroma has distinct blackberry notes with a subtle spice character. The flavor is very complex with malt and cereal notes, intense spice and citrus flavors and a smooth, sweet/tart berry finish.”

vs.

Coffee Stout -

“This stout is ‘dry beaned’ with coffee beans from Rwanda. Known as the ‘land of a thousand hiss’, Rwanda produces some of the world’s finest coffee due to its volcanic soil, high altitiude and plentiful rain. We start witha  clean dry stout, brewed with a bit of smoked malt and dark roasted barley, and then age it for one week on whole boffee beans – 3/4 of a pound per barrell. The result is rich and roasty with obvious coffee flavor and underlying notes of chocolate, toast and smoke. It finishes intense but smooth.”

I sampled both beers (click the link to find a tasting event near you) and both were extremely good. It was a tough decision. Ultimately, the Coffee Stout achieved victory in the late rounds, but it was a great battle!

Review: The Faith of Barack Obama

This is a non paid review.

The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield is excellently written, and provides a great insight into the life and faith of the “rock star” presidential hopeful.

Mansfield takes a journey through Obama’s childhood, family, controversial church environment, enlightening voting record, and his foundation, “If a man’s faith is sincere, it is the most important thing about him, and it is impossible to understand who he is and how he will lead without first understanding the religious vision that informs his life.” He explores the evolution of American religion, seeming change of Republican and Democratic views, and apparent patriotism of Obama.

With an abundance of information on Barack Obama available for our consumption, Mansfield sifted through the myths and worked closely with the Obama campaign staff saying, “Their dream of meaningful change is certainly evident in the way they received us, and we are grateful beyond words” to find the truth beyond the fiction. He visited Trinity United Church of Christ and witnessed firsthand the spiritual guidance Obama received for over two decades.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama is steadily maneuvering the course to the White House. I encourage anyone, Christian or otherwise to read The Faith of Barack Obama. It is relatively a short examination (164 pages), it is very well-written and easy-to-read. We owe it to ourselves and our nation to be informed about the decision we will make for America’s future and for that of her people.

Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale

Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale brewed by Barons. Black Wattle is an Australian spiced ale, flavored with native Wattle seed.

Alcohol by Volume – 5.8%

Aroma – Initially, Black Wattle offers a fantastic combination of the hops, hazelnut and chocolate. The hops are detectable, but not over-powering. When it warms slightly the phenolic qualities make the hazelnut and chocolate easily detectable, with very slight diacetyl.

Appearance - The stellar clarity allows for a wonderful view of the rich amber color. A creamy lasting head tops it off perfectly.

Flavor – A beginning creamy taste reveals the hazelnut and chocolate taste, with a hint of toffee and caramel. Then a very slight hop bitter experience leads you to a great finish, leaving you wanting more.

Mouthfeel - Black Wattle has a medium to full body, and carbonation. The alcohol warmth is restrained. No astringency, but you can feel the hop bitter on the back of the tongue.

Overall Impression – Well done, Barons. This is a fantastic brew. The Head Brewer, Richard Adamson recommends pairing it with a butterflied leg of lamb, or something a little more gamey like kangaroo. Although, I haven’t tried the match, I don’t think I would disagree. A big sandwich made drinking this beer an enjoyable experience as well!

5 Mugs up from the Christian Beer Connoisseur! I highly recommend this beer. If you try it, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Thank You

by Tim Dempsey

I would like to send out a thank you to Tim Dempsey for allowing me to use his image in the header.

Tim has a lot of amazing photos on his website, please jump over and check it out!

Turnout has been great so far, thank you everyone for coming by. I will try and get a review up today. I have a nice selection of beers to start out with. Pull up a chair and join me. Drop in and comment to say hello or cheers.. I think we are going to have a fun community!

Prost!

Is Drinking Alcohol A Sin?

What is Sin?

The Greek word in The New Testament that is translated into English as “sin” is hamartia. It is an archery term that literally means missing the target. The target, of course, would be perfection. I know I have not only missed the target, but sometimes I miss so badly I wonder if I was ever aiming in the right direction to begin with.

We could spend days or months covering the topic of sin itself. However, for our purpose here, I am just going to focus on the drinking aspect.

Intoxicants – Or Not?

First, I think it would be significant to note what people in history (Old Testament) drank. Was it truly an intoxicant, grape juice or something similar, but without alcoholic properties? It is a common argument their beverages did not include alcohol, or that their wine was grape juice.

The Hebrew term shekhar; sikera; from shakhar means to become drunk. Originally shekhar seems to have been a general term for intoxicating drinks of all kinds, without reference to the material out of which they were made; and in that sense, it would include wine. Before the Hebrews settled in Canaan they had not heard of wine from grapes, and did not need a special word to describe it. After arriving in Canaan, they cultivated wine, and borrowed the word “yayin” to separate it from shekhar. At that point, shekhar changed to mean all intoxicating beverages, other than wine. ¹

There are many instances in the Bible of drunkenness: Noah, Lot, Nabal, Uriah, Amnon, Elah, king of Israel, Benhadad, king of Syria, etc. Its prevalence is also found in the New Testament: Matthew 24:49, Luke 21:34, Acts 2:13-15, Ephesians 5:18 and 1 Thessalonians 5:7. ²

“There can be no doubt that shekhar was intoxicating. This is proved.” – D. Miall Edwards¹

What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol? (The scripture references are hot linked, it will take you to bible.com to read them)

The Old Testament says:

†   Genesis 43:34 – festive atmosphere

†   Isaiah 5:11 – talks about excessive drinking

†   Isaiah 28:1-8 – over indulgence

†   Proverbs 23:29-33 -over indulgence

†   Leviticus 10:8,9 – Instructions for Priests

†   Ezekiel 44:21 -Instructions for Priests

†   Numbers 6:3 -Instructions for Priests

†   Amos 2:12 – Vows

†   Jeremiah 35:6, 8, 14 – Rechabites living a Nomadic life

†   Daniel 1:8-16 – Voluntary abstinence

†   Judges 9:13 – Wine cheers God and people

†   Psalms 104:15 – Cheers

†   Proverbs 31:6,7 – Cheers/helps sick

The New Testament says:

†   Luke 21:34 – Excessive

†   Matthew 24:49 – Excessive

†   Luke 12:45 – Excessive

†   Galatians 5:21 – Excessive

†   Ephesians 5:18 – Excessive

†   Acts 24:25 – Self-control

†   Galatians 5:23 – Self-control

†   2 Peter 1:6 – Self-control

†   1 Timothy 3:2 – Instructions for Elders

†   Titus 1:7; 2:2 – Self-control

†   Luke 1:15 – Instructions for Zechariah for his son John the Baptist

†   Matthew 11:19 – Jesus called a “wine bibber” by his enemies

†   John 2:10 – Jesus turning water in the best wine at the party

†   Luke 5:38; 17:8 – Enjoyment

†   Matthew 16:24 – If you put alcohol before Jesus there is a definite issue

†   Mark 9:42 – Leading someone to sin

†   Romans 14:13-21 – If someone believes it is wrong for them, it is

†   1 Corinthians 8:8-13 – Leading someone to sin

So, is drinking alcohol a sin?

I would say that this is between you and God. If you believe it is a sin, then I would treat it like that, and abstain. However, my interpretation, based on Scripture, is that it is completely fine to enjoy alcohol in moderation. There is obviously a lot of reference to excessive drinking, and being drunk. I believe that the reason for that is when we are drunk, we lose our inhibitions and it could easily lead to other sins. Alcohol does have some nice qualities according to the Bible. It cheers people up, helps people that are ill feel better, and promotes fellowship.

Have any thoughts? Leave them in the comments.

Update – The source links did not get included in the original post.

¹ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Drink, Strong

² The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Drunkenness

Cheers and God Bless!

Welcome to the Christian Beer Connoisseur

Thanks for coming by the Christian Beer Connoisseur. The intent of this site is to share information about beer with those who like to enjoy great beers in moderation, and share the message of Jesus Christ.

If you are under the legal drinking age, I would like to invite you back when you reach the appropriate age, I do not condone underage drinking.

I realize that some of the content here will be controversial. The comment section will be open, and I would encourage community involvement. I do ask that you keep the language clean, and be respectful.

Biblical references in this site will be from the New Living Translation (NLT) you can find the scripture at www.bible.com.

I believe that drinking in moderation is fine. If you are struggling with alcoholism, I sincerely encourage you to seek help. I do not want to tempt you to drink, and despite how much I would like to have you here, I would ask that you not visit the site. Romans 14:13 says, “So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”

I will cover a variety of topics on:

† Christianity

† What the Bible says about beer/drinking

† History of beer

† The brewing process

† Beer reviews

And more! So, if you are ready, pull up a stool and grab a pint.

Cheers!