Still, we have to say we enjoyed Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe (TM) IPA. It's dark and full like an ale: full mouthfeel. Foamy ale head. But then, the head sticks around like a lager; it lasts and lasts. Does it have a mind of it's own?

And those hops on the back-palate: they are crisp and strong like a powerful IPA. And the alcohol content: 9%. Stay away from the heavy machinery.

The brewery started this one as a seasonal in 2005, but say they kept it all year round after good demand and reviews. And it comes from Easton, PA, home of Lafayette College, Crayola Crayons, and Dixie Cups. But what it really does? It hits hard enough in alcohol content and taste to make Easton native Larry Holmes proud.

And those trademarked hops? Straight out of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, a fairly new variety first released in 2000. IPA or ale? Who cares? Try it.

They age the beer 77 days in oak casks. They claim it adds "an incredible depth of taste." We say it's honey sweet. Interesting, but sweet, sweet, sweet. Carmel tasting, not a great head, but good mouth feel. Some back palate tastes that we really couldn't identify. A shame we bought just one bottle, but we fear that the sweetness would've just been too much for a second tasting.

We'll try this again, just to make sure we weren't missing anything. But they sure got one thing right: they sure know how to label a bottle.

Some history. People in Žatec have been brewing since 1261. On the label, they've stuck the year 1004, which, apparently is the earliest date they have for the production of hops in this region of the Czech Republic (Bohemia), where Žatec is located. The actual brewery had it's cornerstone laid in 1798.

So, argue all you will about the date the brewing started, but this beer is the real deal.

It's a lovely course, moderately challenging, with greens of impeccable quality. The greens have very few flat spots and were pretty lush. The course itself was a bit on the dry side, and you could occasionally see dust kick up when balls hit. There's not much tree cover, so we'd assume it's pretty tough playing in the summer sun, but we give it a recommendation.

Second, you can down your beef brisket with Texas's own Shiner Bock, from the Spoetzl Brewery. It's one of the first things we do after arriving in Texas: belly-up to the bar and grab a cold one. It's a dark beer with a light taste. It's not filling, and has just the right sweetness. It's classified as a dark lager, which is fitting, since it's very reminiscent of Czech dark beers.

The brewery has been making beers for 99 years, and it claims to trace its roots to German and Czech immigrants in the 1800s, and those who started the Shiner brewery in 1909. It's a great success story, as the brewery only had a 1% market share twenty years ago, but has been growing strong. It's now owned by San Antonio's own Gambrinus Company (named after the patron saint of brewing and owners of some awesome beers like Pete's Wicked Ale, and Portland, Oregon's Bridgeport).

Also deserving of mention is a copy-cat from A-B: the Ziegen Bock. Worth a try...if you can't get a Shiner.

What better way to kick off the night...before heading over to the Essen Haus for boots of beer?

This is one fine beer. Although it's called "half-dark," it's really just a deep golden lager with a fruity sweetness on the back palate. It tastes more like a full-bodied "normal" pilsner. Non-pasteurized, you can see a slight cloudiness and even small particulates in the golden deep-yellow beer.

A medium head gives off an earthy scent, then it's pure heaven with a full mouth feel and that delicious back-palate.

This is one of the best beers your blogger has tasted this year. It is a fantastic, well-rounded beer without bitterness and plenty of creaminess that both non-pilsner drinkers and Czech beer connoiseur would love.

You might like the fact that "skalni" also translates from Czech as 'true-blue' or 'dyed-in-the-wool' or 'hard-core.' But, it's probably primarily a reference to the rocky terrain around the ancient brewery...but, regardless, this beer is the real-deal.

The underlying concept for these wine-beer hybrids is to add a layer of complexity to a beverage that some view as plain or even watery. A winey beer is made by employing either wine yeasts or by aging the beer in barrels that once contained wine. The result is a beverage that is more alcoholic, has a stronger aroma and fruitier tastes.

Some examples include:

• Allagash Brewing Co.’s Victor Ale, made with a dash of Chancellor grapes and fermented with a red-wine yeast.
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Red & White, a white beer brewed with orange peel and the juice of Pinot Noir grapes.
• Port Brewing's Angel's Share, which is aged in brandy barrels and both tastes and smells like port.
• Russian River Brewing’s Depuration, made with white wine grapes and two types of special wine bacteria.
• Russian River Brewing’s Supplication, a brown ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels with sour cherries.
• Russian River Brewing’s Temptation Ale, a blonde beer aged in barrels that previously held Chardonnay.

While these beers aren't for everyone, why not go out and sample one to decide for yourself? As for me I’d have to say they’re two tastes that don’t taste great together.

And, guess what, we were not disappointed. Rhode Island has its own beer, which dates back to a transplanted German brewmaster in Providence, RI, back in 1888. A terrific history of Narragansett Beer can be found here. What that site won't tell you was that a group from RI actually bought back the rights and started brewing again in late 2005, reviving the tradition.

Narragansett Beer does not disappoint: crisp, light, nice, almost nutty taste. A perfect brew for a hot day. It's vaguely reminiscent of Yuengling.

"Hi, neighbor, have a 'Gansett!"

The greens and fairways are in terrific condition, and only a tad hard, even considering how dry and cold it's been this spring. For $90, you'll get a cart and a lot of distance between you and other golfers. We were a threesome, and were never crowded and only waited once, near the turn.

Golfing near New York City doesn't get much better than this. With the views, you'll think you're in a mythical course above the Columbia River Gorge. With the golf, you'll forget you're a few miles from America's mega-city.